12: Shang Gong Tang

Added together, it was just enough to buy ten sets of Materials for refining qi condensing pills.

Ten sets of Materials... he had to successfully refine at least three to four batches to break even and have a meager surplus to support the continued purchase of Materials for practice and improving his success rate.

Lin Feng had no choice; he did not have many opportunities for trial and error.

Without any delay, he returned to the Sect Market and headed toward several of the largest shops.

"Shopkeeper, excuse me, ten stalks of Qi Condensing Grass, medium quality please."

"Three Dew Flowers of ten years..."

"One bottle of Rootless Water..."

"And five mace of Flame Heart Grass powder..."

He carefully compared the quality of each medicinal herb, repeatedly weighed the prices, calculated the use of every Spirit Stone, and bargained with the shopkeeper.

By the time he paid out the last Spirit Stone, his pockets were empty, but in exchange, he had exactly ten sets of refining Materials.

Returning to the side hall of the Spirit Pill Pavilion, Steward Han was in seclusion again to consolidate his cultivation, so naturally, no one paid attention to a minor Menial Servant like him.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and, without hesitation, ducked into a Quiet Room once more.

The Earth Fire flared up again, and a scorching wave of heat hit him in the face.

Lining up the Materials before him, he picked up the first stalk of Qi Condensing Grass and, according to the Pill Formula, began to carefully remove the Impurities.

Lin Feng was fully concentrated, his fingertips slightly guiding the spiritual energy to control the flames at the bottom of the furnace, turning them from intense to gentle, strand by strand.

The air was filled with a medicinal fragrance. Half a day passed, and this was already the tenth batch.

When the lid was lifted, a batch of round, flawless, pale white, and lustrous Medicinal Pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace.

Success again. Moreover, it was a full batch of High Grade quality.

From the ten sets of Materials, he ultimately succeeded in five batches, obtaining a total of one hundred and eleven qi condensing pills.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately swallowed one.

As the Medicinal Pill entered his stomach, it transformed into a gentle and pure torrent of spiritual energy, nourishing his Meridians and filling his Dantian.

The effect was ten times better than his usual bitter Cultivation and far superior to the qi condensing pills he had previously bought in the market.

In the days that followed, Lin Feng entered a frantic cycle.

His success rate steadily improved, from fifty percent to sixty percent, then to seventy percent... The quality of the qi condensing pills he refined was extremely high, the medicinal power was pure, and there were almost no Impurities.

Supported by the Medicinal Pills, his cultivation progressed rapidly, like a rising tide.

He sought out several opportunities to secretly bring most of the Medicinal Pills to Ye Yuner.

"Yuner, take this and focus on your Cultivation." He pressed the jade bottle containing the Medicinal Pills into her hand.

Ye Yuner looked at the dozens of High Grade qi condensing pills in the bottle, so shocked she was speechless: "Senior Brother Lin... so... so many High Grade qi condensing pills? Where did you..."

"Hurry up, we don't have many days left." Lin Feng shook his head.

With the support of ample Medicinal Pills, Ye Yuner's cultivation finally broke through the long-standing shackles and stepped into the Second Level of Qi Refining in one go.

Whether it was the Medicinal Pills or Lin Feng's nourishment, her entire complexion became much rosier, and there was a glow in her eyes.

As for Lin Feng himself, under the luxurious Cultivation of eating qi condensing pills like candy, his cultivation soared all the way to the Second Level of Qi Refining Peak, only a step away from the third level.

With a surplus of Medicinal Pills, he took some of the qi condensing pills to the market in batches to sell.

Because of the High Grade quality of his Medicinal Pills, he soon had repeat customers, and his Spirit Stones gradually accumulated.

On this day, Steward Han officially emerged from seclusion, his Realm completely consolidated.

Full of self-satisfaction, he happened to receive a notice from above that all stewards stationed elsewhere needed to return to the Shang Gong Hall to listen to an Inner Sect Elder's instructions regarding the recent allocation of Sect resources.

Such meetings usually required the stewards to bring their capable subordinates to handle specific tasks that might be assigned, and it was also an occasion for stewards to secretly compete and showcase their strength.

Steward Han was in a great mood and waved his hand: "Lin Feng, follow me to the Shang Gong Hall."

The main hall of the Shang Gong Hall was grand and imposing.

Dozens of stewards who looked after the Sect's various industries, herb gardens, and mineral veins gathered together.

The hall was crowded with people talking in low voices; the atmosphere seemed warm, but undercurrents were surging.

Most of these stewards were Outer Sect Disciples whose cultivation had been stuck at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining for many years with no hope of advancement before being sent out, so between them, there were both familiar greetings and secret comparisons.

In this slightly dull atmosphere, the light at the hall entrance dimmed.

Steward Han, wearing a brand-new steward uniform, walked in with his back straight and full of energy.

Half a step behind him followed a calm-looking young man—it was Lin Feng.

The moment Steward Han stepped into the hall, dozens of gazes focused on him simultaneously.

"Qi Refining Fifth Layer?"

Someone was the first to blurt it out, their voice filled with unconcealable shock.

"It really is the fifth layer! His breath is stable and rounded!"

"Han... Fatty Han? You... you actually broke through?"

"Twenty years! He was stuck at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining Peak for a full twenty years! How is it possible?"

The faces of all the stewards were filled with disbelief, scrutiny, unconcealable jealousy, and a hint of panic.

They were all of the same kind, fellow sufferers who had struggled in this quagmire for years and had long since resigned to their fate.

But now, they were watching one of their own break free from his shackles and set foot on the path of cultivation once more.

This meant that Steward Han was likely to regain the Sect's attention, be transferred away from this place, and perhaps... even leave them far behind in the future.

Just then, a voice rang out:

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Everyone followed the sound and saw a middle-aged man with a pockmarked face squeezing through; it was Steward Wang.

He walked quickly to Steward Han, bowing so low he looked like a shrimp.

However, when his gaze caught sight of Lin Feng standing quietly behind Steward Han with lowered eyes, the smile on his face instantly froze and stiffened.

Steward Wang's small eyes suddenly widened.

How could this be?

He had clearly thrown Lin Feng into the notorious fire pit of the Spirit Pill Pavilion.

He had originally expected to hear news of Lin Feng being tortured to death or used as waste material for testing pills.

Lin Feng not only hadn't died, but he seemed... to have become Steward Han's capable subordinate?

'How could this happen?' Wang Mazhi's mind went blank, buzzing.

Steward Han took in everyone's reactions, his vanity greatly satisfied.

He waved his hand with feigned modesty: "Luck, it was just luck."

The stewards returned to their original positions and spoke no more.

Steward Han gave a light snort and stood to the side.

Not long after, a solemn-looking Inner Sect Deacon stood at the head of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the stewards below as he spoke in a deep voice:

"I have convened you all today because the Shang Gong Hall is issuing a Sect task.

Five hundred miles to the east of the Sect, at the edge of the Black Abyss Forest, a new Spirit Stone Mine has been discovered.

However, the terrain around the vein is complex, so an advance team must be sent to draw a detailed topographical map and establish a preliminary outpost camp."

He paused and continued: "This task focuses on exploration and infrastructure; it requires many people and demands care and patience.

Therefore, each steward must send capable hands to participate, responsible for transporting building Materials, clearing the camp, and handling chores.

There will also be Outer Sect Disciples responsible for surveying and guarding.

Task Contribution Points will be distributed according to labor, and those with outstanding performance will receive additional rewards from the Shang Gong Hall."