"Junior Brother Xu, what Spirit Pill do you require?"

"Spirit Gathering Pills!"

"Junior Brother Xu actually burns Spirit Gathering Pills for his cultivation. Your lineage must be truly extraordinary."

A fleeting look of profound envy graced Liu Rushi's features.

In her eyes, a cultivation speed so monstrous could only belong to a scion of an illustrious clan, a scion of a great clan.

"Senior Sister Liu jests. I am nothing but a humble Miscellaneous Disciple." Xu Changshou smiled indifferently.

Liu Rushi beamed. "Junior Brother Xu, how many Spirit Gathering Pills do you desire?"

"How are they exchanged?" Xu Changshou asked.

"Ten pills to a bottle for ten Spirit Stones. Naturally, you may seek them individually if you prefer."

"Give me ten bottles."

Xu Changshou ordered casually.

Having just broken into the tenth layer of Qi Condensation, the arduous grind toward Foundation Establishment demanded the potent medicinal efficacy of Spirit Gathering Pills.

Amassing a hoard in one fell swoop posed no issue. With an abundance of Spirit Stones lining his pockets, the bitter days of splitting a single stone in twain to survive within the Sect were long dead.

"What? Ten bottles!"

Liu Rushi's eyes widened to saucers, her mortal coil struggling to comprehend the sheer scale of the wealth before her.

Who dared burn Spirit Gathering Pills with such reckless extravagance? Ten bottles equated to a staggering one hundred Spirit Stones-a sum that dwarfed twenty years of her meager cultivation stipends.

"Junior Brother Xu, are you certain.. you require ten bottles?" Liu Rushi's tone grew agonizingly cautious.

"Indeed, ten bottles," Xu Changshou nodded, his face an unreadable mask.

"Oh my, Junior Brother Xu, you are truly a heaven-sent benefactor! I wondered why auspicious magpies were singing outside my window this dawn-it seems they were heralding your arrival."

Liu Rushi's demeanor instantly shifted, her face blooming brighter than a summer lotus. The fawning intensity of her gaze rivaled the most seasoned mortal madams of the pleasure pavilions.

Liu Rushi oversaw the distribution of Pills. Her personal fortunes were inextricably tethered to the volume of resources exchanged; a portion of the Spirit Stones flowed directly into her own reserves.

Witnessing Xu Changshou part with such staggering wealth naturally made her heart soar. An exchange of one hundred Spirit Stones guaranteed her a personal cut of one whole Spirit Stone.

"The Spirit Stones," Xu Changshou stated smoothly. "Fetch the Pills, Senior Sister Liu."

He retrieved a Storage Bag and tossed it onto the jade counter with a heavy thud.

Liu Rushi's Divine Sense swept over the Spirit Stones, confirming the sum before she eagerly stowed them away.

"A moment, Junior Brother Xu. Your Senior Sister will retrieve them at once."

Swaying her slender waist, she meticulously arranged the jade bottles upon the counter, her voice dripping with honey. "Junior Brother Xu, please inspect the Pills. Ensure their spiritual purity is to your liking."

"En."

Xu Changshou unstopped the jade bottles one by one, sweeping his gaze over the medicinal spheres. Flawless.

"Acceptable. The Pills possess sufficient spiritual essence."

"Let me secure them for you, Junior Brother Xu."

Liu Rushi gingerly took his Storage Bag, diligently packing the treasure within before offering it back with both hands. "Junior Brother, do you seek any other fated chances today?"

"That will be all. Farewell, Senior Sister Liu."

Xu Changshou flicked his sleeve and turned toward the exit.

Throwing open the counter gate, Liu Rushi practically trotted after him. "Tread carefully, Junior Brother. Allow your Senior Sister to escort you."

"Should you require further Pills in the future, Junior Brother Xu, you must seek out your Senior Sister! I will personally select the purest batches for your cultivation."

"My thanks, Senior Sister."

"Pace yourself, Junior Brother Xu. Mind the jade steps."

She shadowed his every step, playing the fawning servant all the way to the pavilion where the public flying spirit boat remained anchored.

"Return to your duties, Senior Sister Liu. I take my leave."

"Junior Brother Xu.."

Liu Rushi surged forward, her fingers wrapping intimately around Xu Changshou's wrist. Her gaze darkened with unmistakable ambiguity, an offering of her mortal coil laid bare. Her voice dropped to a coquettish whisper. "Junior Brother, should the nights of cultivation ever feel cold and lonely.. you may seek out your Senior Sister at any hour.."

"Ah, there is no need. Farewell, Senior Sister Liu."

Xu Changshou ruthlessly shook off her lingering grasp, seizing Li Ling'er's hand to board the flying spirit boat.

Watching Liu Rushi staring after him with longing, Xu Changshou could only sigh inwardly. Spirit Stones truly possess a demonic charm of their own.

So long as the glint of Spirit Stones paved the way, even the most aloof Senior Sister would shed her pride, transforming into a docile lamb begging for slaughter.

Upon returning to his secluded courtyard.

Finding his schedule clear, Xu Changshou dedicated himself to the arduous grind of drafting talismans.

As his brush danced across the spiritual paper, Li Ling'er observed in absolute silence by his side.

She clung to him with unwavering dependence, content merely to bask in his shadow. The nature of their daily grind mattered little to her.

By the time she finally took her leave, the veil of night had suffocated the peaks.

Xu Changshou sealed the Formation guarding his courtyard, preparing to sink into Secluded Cultivation.

Let us test the medicinal efficacy of this Spirit Gathering Pill.

Extracting a single pill from the jade bottle, he tossed it directly into his mouth.

A faint, intoxicating fragrance exploded on his tongue as the pill instantly dissolved. The Spirit Gathering Pill detonated into a vast, churning tide of Spiritual Qi, flooding through his meridians and permeating his limbs and bones.

As he ruthlessly refined the medicinal essence, his cultivation base inched forward. Fueled by the Spirit Gathering Pill, he had finally clawed back his original, terrifying pace of cultivation.

Had he relied solely on drawing ambient Qi, shattering the Bottleneck of the eleventh layer within two or three years would have been a fool's dream.

Six days later, Xu Changshou's eyes snapped open. The medicinal power of a single Spirit Gathering Pill had been entirely devoured.

He ran the ruthless calculations in his mind. Refining a single Pill costs six days. One month demands five Pills. Five Pills equate to five Spirit Stones burned into nothingness.

Such a staggering expenditure of wealth is entirely beyond the grasp of ordinary mortal cultivators.

Not even the pampered scions of minor clans could weather such a ruinous drain on their resources.

Without fully realizing it, his singular ruthless pursuit had already propelled his foundations past those born with silver spoons.

One month later.

Xu Changshou broke his Secluded Cultivation to submit his monthly duties.

Approaching Li Daotu this time, he meticulously suppressed his soul signature, allowing seventy percent of his true self to bleed through, while chaining Li Xiaoming's stolen aura to a mere thirty percent.

As expected, Li Daotu suspected nothing. The Patriarch even leveled a gaze of profound, chilling satisfaction upon him.

Another month bled away.

The first day of the new moon dawned.

A designated day of rest.

It was the day to offer up Sect duties, and more importantly-the grand day of Li Ling'er's apprenticeship ceremony.

The instant the eastern horizon fractured with the pale light of dawn, Xu Changshou and Yang Bailao arrived at Li Daotu's sprawling dojo.

Even at such an ungodly hour, a flock of Senior Brothers had already gathered in the courtyards.

Coming face-to-face with Li Daotu once more, Xu Changshou unleashed ninety percent of his authentic soul signature, leaving but a ghostly ten percent of Li Xiaoming's remnant aura.

Li Daotu did not bat an eye. The illusion was flawless.

At long last, Xu Changshou exhaled a breath of turbid air. The crushing boulder hovering over his Dao heart finally shattered.

Henceforth, whenever he stood before the Patriarch, he could wield his true soul signature without fear, needing only to flash the barest sliver of Li Xiaoming's aura to maintain the grand deception.

He had woven this agonizing, meticulous web of deceit for one absolute reason: survival. Should Li Daotu ever unearth the truth-that a mere Miscellaneous Disciple had reverse Body Seized his favored heir-Xu Changshou's soul would be condemned to a fate worse than death.

Naturally, Xu Changshou carved this blood grudge deep into the marrow of his bones. He would never forget the suffocating threat of the Patriarch.

But under the present heavens, his strength was akin to an ant raging against a dragon. He had no choice but to swallow his venom and bide his time.

Driven by the frantic labor of the disciples, Li Daotu's dojo was swiftly transformed.

Draped in vibrant red banners and flowing celestial silks, the air hummed with a suffocating, forced jubilation.

Within the grand receiving hall, rows of spiritual sandalwood chairs were arranged in absolute, hierarchical order.

"Danxia Peak, Uncle-Master Zhang Zongchang has arrived!"

A herald's voice suddenly pierced the lively chatter from beyond the gates.

The entrance instantly erupted into a flurry of motion.

A flock of Miscellaneous Disciples from Green Ink Peak could be seen frantically escorting a dignified, middle-aged cultivator clad in sweeping purple Daoist robes.

This man bore a mane of thick, raven hair. His every step radiated an imposing, aggressive aura that crushed down upon the lesser disciples.

"Senior Brother Zhang, forgive my failure to welcome you from afar!"

Li Daotu swept out of the hall, his face plastered with an affable, beaming smile.

"Junior Brother Li, you are far too polite. Today marks a day of supreme joy for your Green Ink Peak. Congratulations!"

"My deepest thanks, Senior Brother Zhang. Please, enter!"

Gesturing grandly, Li Daotu guided the imposing Zhang Zongchang into the inner sanctum.

Observing from the periphery, Xu Changshou recognized the man instantly. This was Zhang Zongchang, the very Elder he had briefly crossed paths with at the Taiyi Pavilion.