Unaware of the events that had unfolded at the Alchemy Ground, the three once again returned to their usual spot from yesterday.
Zhao Dazhu and Jia Hao were hyped to start cultivating.
Li Fengyuan reached into his sleeve and produced two small jade vials, handing one to each of his companions.
"Inside are five pills each. Use them one at a time!"
Even with the top-tier cultivation technique, absorbing multiple Grade-3 pills at once would be too much.
Even if not, there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Inside sat five lustrous pills, round and flawless, each glowing with a subtle vitality.
"Glup! They're real, right?"
Zhao Dazhu said, still skeptical. While its appearance was flawless, who knew what kind of pill it really was?
Li Fengyuan smirked.
"Of course they're real. What, you thought I'd hand you poison?"
Zhao Dazhu swallowed hard, then hesitated.
"B-but… this won't hurt me, right? I mean… if something goes wrong, my stomach won't explode or something, yeah?"
Li Fengyuan raised a brow, his lips curving into a sly smile.
"If you're scared, then don't take it. Just sit there and watch while Jia Hao and I take it."
Zhao Dazhu's face twitched.
"Fine! I trust you, Fengyuan. Not like I'll be the only one suffering."
Li Fengyuan shook his head, looking at Zhao Dazhu who still didn't trust his skill.
Well, not like he had any credibility to be trusted.
"Let's not waste time and start cultivating!"
The two nodded, each taking a pill between their fingers.
Zhao Dazhu muttered one last time, "If this kills me, I'll haunt you forever," before popping it into his mouth.
The pill melted instantly, warmth flooding his chest like liquid fire.
His eyes widened, and he nearly toppled backward.
"Wha—?! This is…!"
As a child from a noble clan, it wasn't like he hadn't taken expensive pills before—but this exceeded everything he had ever taken.
It was like this pill was a sea of Qi, flowing naturally inside his body.
Adding onto that, with his Primordial Supreme God-King Body cultivation technique, his cultivation was soaring as if he had grown wings.
It looked like he had greatly underestimated the cultivation technique he thought was exaggerated.
It was far greater than he had imagined, and yesterday when he cultivated it, it seemed restricted—greatly limited by the thin Qi in the atmosphere.
But with the pills Li Fengyuan gave, it was as if the Primordial Supreme God-King Body technique could finally show its true strength.
Jia Hao had already swallowed his as well, and his usually stern face softened in shock as the medicinal energy surged into his meridians, pure and gentle yet brimming with power.
As a commoner, getting a pill was nothing more than a pipe dream, and this was the first time he had taken one.
But even then, he could tell that the pills Li Fengyuan refined weren't common.
If that were so, then others' progress should have been far greater, and the nobles who took them daily should far surpass them—which they didn't.
Which meant the pills sold in the market weren't of such quality, or perhaps pills of such quality were simply too rare and precious.
There were a lot of questions brewing in his head, like what exactly the pill they took was or how Li Fengyuan knew how to refine it—but that was of secondary priority.
Right now, they didn't want to waste the opportunity Li Fengyuan gave them. They concentrated solely on cultivating, not daring to waste even a second.
Li Fengyuan also didn't just watch them. He sat down, took a pill, and began his own cultivation.
Hours slipped by in silence, broken only by the faint hum of circulating Qi.
The sun had long slipped beyond the horizon, and lanterns flickered to life across the ground.
The air around the three figures shimmered faintly, as though the very space bent under the Qi they absorbed.
At last, the flow of medicinal power within their bodies ebbed, and the three youths slowly opened their eyes.
Li Fengyuan's lashes fluttered as his vision cleared. A faint gleam lingered in his gaze, sharp and steady, before he exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi.
His body felt lighter, his meridians smoother, his dantian more stable.
(One pill alone… and my foundation has already strengthened this much.)
He sat quietly for a moment, savoring the sensation.
The pill had not only replenished his Qi but also refined and broadened his meridians, as though polishing a vessel that had been too fragile to hold true power.
If he took two more pills in succession, circulating with complete focus, he was confident that he could step into the Two-Star Disciple Realm without issue.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
On his left, Zhao Dazhu groaned, his massive frame trembling as he stretched. His eyes were wide, his face flushed with exhilaration.
"Looks like I will soon break through to Two-Star Disciple! Hahaha!"
He slapped his chest with both hands, grinning like a fool.
The faint golden hue on his skin flickered, evidence of the Primordial Supreme God-King Body technique tempering his flesh under the pill's effect.
"How about you, Jia Hao?"
He turned his head and asked.
Jia Hao was quieter, but the faint glow around his body spoke for him.
His breathing was steady, refined, and his presence had deepened—like a blade just sharpened to a keener edge.
His hands trembled slightly as he looked down at them.
"Same! It looks like I might break through tomorrow."
Zhao Dazhu leaned over, still beaming.
"Hahaha! I didn't think that we would be surpassing those geniuses, even Han Zixuan."
Zhao Dazhu seemed over the moon. Well, anyone would be in his place.
He, who was looked down upon because of his mortal-grade talent, had now surpassed someone who was said to have saint-grade talent.
Although always cheerful, Zhao Dazhu did feel inferior due to his low talent and often thought he couldn't live up to his parents' expectations.
Though unlike Li Fengyuan, he never truly gave up and cultivated harder.
Now it was different!
"Hey, Fengyuan, how is your cultivation?"
Zhao Dazhu asked.
He thought that since Li Fengyuan already gave them such a powerful cultivation technique, he should surely be practicing an even more awesome one.
Perhaps he had already broken through to Two-Star Disciple.
"Hah! My cultivation technique is a bit slower than yours. It might take me one or two more days than you two to reach Two-Star Disciple."
Though if he cultivated without rest, breaking through in a single day was possible as well.
"Huh? Slower? Fengyuan, you chose a slower cultivation technique?"
Zhao Dazhu asked, confused.
Well, for him—or for anyone else in Liangzhuo City—cultivation speed was what mattered most.
The best was often associated with cultivation speed, without considering other factors like Li Fengyuan did.
"Cultivation speed is not all there is to a cultivation technique. I have my own plan!"
Li Fengyuan replied as he stood up.
"Enough talking. Rest up, you two, and don't stay up like yesterday. Working hard is important, but rest is equally important. Especially you, Jia Hao!"