4: Chapter 4 Finding Fault

He put the eighteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones into the System space, where they turned into a pitiful amount of wealth value.

The Introduction to Alchemy Scripture and the qi gathering pill Formula transformed into a streak of light and merged into the space between his brows.

Suddenly, a wealth of knowledge regarding alchemy flooded his mind.

Medicinal Pills were divided into nine grades. The qi gathering pill was a Grade 1 Medicinal Pill, a type taken by Qi Refiners, and it was of the lowest quality.

The foundation establishment pill was a Grade 2 Medicinal Pill, the five elements gold-condensing jade liquid was a Grade 3 Medicinal Pill, while the Xuan Ying Pill and the nine-turn jade infant pill were Grade 4 Medicinal Pills.

However, Yun Ming was still a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Foundation Establishment, let alone those later pills.

It just so happened to be time to clean the Pill Furnaces.

He went to the Alchemy Room's Quiet Room as usual and began cleaning the furnaces. During this time, some people noticed his Breakthrough to Qi Refining Level 3 and showed surprise, but few truly took it to heart.

After all, while it was rare for a Utility Disciple to reach Qi Refining Level 3, it wasn't unheard of. Moreover, the path of most Utility Disciples ended right there, and they would never make further progress for the rest of their lives.

Yun Ming didn't care about those looks and simply focused on doing his duty.

The three people who had been late yesterday actually arrived on time this time. However, the way they looked at Yun Ming was filled with a bit more schadenfreude. Yun Ming was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't pay it any mind.

The group didn't say much, and Yun Ming left as soon as he finished his work.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Yun Ming's Realm had reached the Qi Refining Level 3 Peak, just one step away from Qi Refining Level 4.

Furthermore, his Foundation was solid, far surpassing opponents of the same level.

“Ding! Today is auspicious for cultivation. Cultivation speed increased. Ten-draws have been issued.”

Name: [Yun Ming]

Realm: [Qi Refining Level 3]

Cultivation Technique: [Supreme Profound Pure Qi Art] (Purple), [Introduction to Alchemy Scripture] (Blue)

Draw Count: [140]

Wealth: 0

Yun Ming looked at the System interface. Since he had switched to the Supreme Profound Pure Qi Art, the Hunyuan Art was no longer visible on the System.

But what excited him the most was the draw count, which had already surpassed a hundred.

He had only done one ten-draw during this period. To ensure he didn't starve to death and could still Cultivate, he really didn't have any Spirit Stones left on him.

Unless a Utility Disciple had their own Opportunity, it was very difficult to get ahead relying solely on the thirty Spirit Stones the Sect provided each month.

Additionally, by hoarding so many draws, he was actually planning to refresh some affixes and go all-in when it was an auspicious day for drawing cards to see what good items he could get.

Unfortunately, there hadn't been an Opportunity for drawing cards for half a month; today was only auspicious for cultivation.

With a soft sigh, Yun Ming prepared to head to the Alchemy Room. Unexpectedly, just as he pushed open his door, a massive force suddenly struck from his side.

“Boom!”

Even though Yun Ming reacted extremely quickly by shielding his sides with both hands and mobilizing all his spiritual power for defense, he was still sent flying by the surprise attack.

He skidded for several meters before barely coming to a stop. Yun Ming quickly adjusted his breathing to stabilize the rampaging Spiritual Qi in his body and looked up to see a youth dressed in Outer Sect Disciple attire looking at him maliciously.

“Senior Brother, I haven't offended you, have I?” Yun Ming asked, using the question to buy time to regulate his breathing.

“You don't know me, but I certainly know you. You're Yun Ming, right?” the youth said as he approached Yun Ming with a nonchalant air.

“Senior Brother, you've got the wrong person. I'm not Yun Ming,” Yun Ming blurted out casually.

This actually stunned the youth for a moment, making him really think he had hit the wrong person. But in that split second of distraction, Yun Ming had already rushed right in front of him.

“Kid! Don't get distracted in a fight!” Yun Ming shouted, throwing a heavy punch that landed directly on the youth's nose.

This punch sent blood spraying from the youth's nose and mouth, and he was sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground.

Yun Ming still wasn't at ease and prepared to move in for the finishing blow.

He was truly going for a finishing blow; he had specifically gone to the Sect Market earlier to buy a short sword for self-defense. Although it was only a first-grade low grade Magical Artifact, it had cost him a full five Low-Grade Spirit Stones, which had made his heart ache for quite a while.

The youth was currently dizzy and had never expected Yun Ming to suddenly retaliate. By the time he struggled to get up and fight back, Yun Ming was already stabbing the blade toward his chest.

“Puff.”

A muffled sound rang out as a thin membrane unexpectedly shimmered over the youth's body, blocking Yun Ming's sword.

Seeing that Yun Ming actually intended to kill him, the youth's face turned pale with terror. If it hadn't been for the defensive Magical Artifact he had spent a fortune on earlier, he would probably be dead by now.

“Oh?” Yun Ming looked at that thin membrane. It clearly felt fragile, yet he couldn't pierce through it no matter what. Just as he was about to circulate his spiritual power to try again...

The youth scrambled up from the ground with lightning speed and crawled away to distance himself from Yun Ming.

While using both hands and feet to pull away, he cursed at Yun Ming, “Yun Ming, are you crazy?! Harming fellow disciples is forbidden within the Sect! Do you think the Law Enforcement Hall is just for show?”

Yun Ming picked his ear. “So you do know the Sect rules. Why didn't you mention them when you were ambushing me just now?”

After putting some distance between himself and Yun Ming, the youth spoke again, “Fine! We're even. I came here to teach you a lesson.”

Yun Ming looked at him and then at himself. Who exactly was teaching whom a lesson? This kid must have been scared witless. “Then come on. Let me see what you've actually got.”

The youth glanced around. There was no one nearby; no one should have seen his embarrassing display. Luckily, this kid lived in a remote area.

Straightening his clothes, the youth regained his arrogant posture from before. “Yun Ming, remember this. The one teaching you a lesson is Outer Sect Disciple Zhu Dachang, Qi Refining Level 4—”

Before Zhu Dachang could finish his sentence, Yun Ming directly hurled the short sword straight at his face.

The short sword flew past his cheek, scaring him into a daze once again.

Yun Ming seized the Opportunity of his distraction once more and landed another heavy punch squarely on Zhu Dachang's face.

Poor Zhu Dachang was once again sent flying like a shooting star.

But this time, he only rolled twice on the ground before scrambling up, fearing that Yun Ming would move in for a finishing blow while he was still dazed.

Yun Ming watched Zhu Dachang scramble up and thought it was a pity he couldn't land a finishing blow. As expected, the same trick couldn't be used twice.

Zhu Dachang's head was still spinning. He had been ordered to find trouble, but he hadn't expected to run into such a tough nut to crack. This was his first time picking a fight, and he hadn't expected the experience to be so poor.

By the time he regained his senses, he couldn't find Yun Ming anywhere. Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine and heard a click of a tongue.

“Tsk, what kind of Magical Artifact is this bubble of yours? It's quite useful.”

Terrified, Zhu Dachang swung a punch behind him, but he still didn't see any sign of Yun Ming.

Subconsciously, Zhu Dachang looked at the jade pendant at his waist. Its spiritual light had already dimmed; it probably wouldn't last more than a few more hits.

“Golden Shield Incantation!” As Zhu Dachang's words fell, a faint golden barrier appeared over his body once again.

The Golden Shield Incantation was a first-grade low grade defensive Spell that could block attacks from those at Qi Refining Level 4 or below.

When Yun Ming struck it with his sword, it only produced the sound of clashing metal and stone, failing to cause any damage to Zhu Dachang at all.

Seeing that Yun Ming was out of options, Zhu Dachang suddenly let out a sinister grin, preparing to counterattack.

He had been scared witless by those two punches from Yun Ming, but no matter how strong he was, he was still just a Qi Refining Level 3 Utility Disciple. Without reaching Level 4, one couldn't afford the consumption of using Spells.

And he, on the other hand, was an outstanding individual among those at Qi Refining Level 4. He knew three first-grade low grade Spells!