Chapter 111: Mid-Grade Jade Essence Pill (II)

Back at the Poshan Gang headquarters, a private report was being delivered.

“He’s been staying at the Alchemy Hall this whole time?” Mi Shuhua asked with mild surprise.

“Yes,” Sikong Shoujia replied. “In the past month, he’s only returned to the inner city twice—and only to purchase daily necessities.”

“What are the results of his efforts?”

“He’s focused mainly on refining Jade Essence pills. His success rate is slowly improving. He can now succeed in two out of every ten furnaces.”

"Has he managed to refine any mid-grade Jade Essence pills?

“Not quite. But I heard one furnace came close. The pill showed one and a half cloud patterns—almost there.”

Mi Shuhua’s expression softened, a rare look of satisfaction crossing his face. “It seems he truly is putting in the effort.”

After a thoughtful pause, he added, “Ask him if he needs help with daily matters. If it’s within reason, have the gang take care of it for him.”

Sikong Shoujia nodded. “I’ll look into it.”

Just as he was about to excuse himself, he hesitated for a moment, biting his lip before cautiously asking, "Gang Leader, how is my useless son progressing in his cultivation lately?"

Mi Shuhua glanced at him and replied indifferently, "Yuanhong is working hard in his cultivation. He's currently at the eighth stage of Qi-Refining."

Sikong Yuanhong was Sikong Shoujia's only son.

At thirty-five years old, with three spirit roots, he had been following Mi Shuhua in cultivation and was effectively his disciple. With such qualifications, reaching the eighth stage of Qi-Refining at his age meant a promising future for Foundation Establishment!

Sikong Shoujia felt a surge of joy and began to covet the Foundation Establishment pill in Mi Shuhua's possession. If Yuanhong could use that Foundation Establishment pill, he might truly succeed in establishing his foundation in the future!

“Thank you for your years of care and mentorship, Gang Leader,” he said gratefully. “If Yuanhong can achieve Foundation Establishment, the Sikong family will pledge full allegiance to the Mi family.”

Mi Shuhua smiled faintly, nodding. But just as Sikong Shoujia turned to leave, Mi Shuhua spoke again.

"My youngest daughter is currently unmarried and has reached the sixth stage of Qi-Refining. However, she lacks a Dao companion. I think Yuanhong would be a good match. If they become family, I will certainly provide my utmost guidance."

Sikong Shoujia's body stiffened.

The implication was clear.

If his son married Mi Shuhua's daughter... he would be marrying into the Mi family.

Mi Shuhua hadn’t phrased it as a demand, but Sikong Shoujia was no fool. He understood what was really being proposed.

And for the first time in a long while, the usually shrewd Elder Sikong didn’t know how to respond.

***

On the way back to the Alchemy Hall, Sikong Shoujia’s thoughts were a swirling storm.

He was old and frail, his vitality dwindling. Even at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, perfection was far out of reach, let alone Foundation Establishment.

Thus, his hopes for this life rested entirely on his only son.

That was why he had willingly served beneath Mi Shuhua all these years, binding himself to the Poshan Gang, becoming one of its most dependable inner-circle elders. In the past, his loyalty had even exceeded that of men like Broken Blade Xu Renke and Devouring Heart Tiger Han Dang.

Now, Mi Shuhua's words clearly implied that he would only fully support Sikong Yuanhong's cultivation if he married into the Mi family. This way, his son's future would be secured, but the Sikong family would have no descendants. The future of the Sikong bloodline would be severed.

For a moment, the old man was in utter turmoil!

When finally he returned to the Alchemy Hall with a distressed expression, he found that everyone else was in even greater panic.

"What happened? What's going on?" He grabbed a man, someone he remembered as the son of an eighth stage Qi-Refining cultivator surnamed Tang, who was now following his uncle Zeng Wen.

Was his name Tang Quan?

Tang Quan, his face filled with terror, replied, "There was an explosion. The third alchemy room just blew up—one dead and one injured on the spot."

"How could this happen? Is Luo Chen alright?" Sikong Shoujia asked in shock and anger.

Sikong Shoujia was both shocked and furious. If Luo Chen had died in the explosion, how would he explain it to Mi Shuhua? Mi Shuhua had been in a great mood today and had even said he would fully support Luo Chen's daily needs.

As he grappled with his emotions, angry shouts rang out from the hall inside the Alchemy Hall.

“I’ve said it again and again! If you see any signs of instability—

run

! You don’t try to fix it, you don’t hesitate, you run!

"Have you all been ignoring my words? You bunch of idiots! What's more important—the pills or your lives?!"

Sikong Shoujia pushed through the crowd and saw Luo Chen pacing back and forth with a dark expression.

On the ground lay two people. One was a body with shattered bones, barely pieced together.

The other was bloodied and mangled, with a woman using her techniques to try her best to save him. With just one glance, he recognized that the mangled figure was none other than Qu Hancheng, the old cultivator Luo Chen had personally promoted.

Ugh!

A mouthful of clotted blood was suddenly spat out.

Murong Qinglian stepped aside, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"It's alright now. Qu Hancheng suffered from a spirit energy backlash, which caused internal and external trauma. Although his meridians are severely damaged, at least his life is saved.

"Luo Chen, there's nothing more for me to do here. I'll head out; the Medicine Hall is still quite busy."

"Thank you, sister-in-law. I really appreciate your help." Luo Chen had someone escort Murong Qinglian out and turned his gaze to Qu Hancheng.

Qu Hancheng’s eyes were barely open, his face bloodied and drained of color. Yet even through the pain, he managed a smile. Weakly, he lifted a trembling hand. Nestled in his bloodstained palm was a single pill—white as polished jade, its surface faintly lined with a red sheen.

“Hall Leader... it’s mid-grade... a mid-grade Jade Essence pill...” he whispered.

Luo Chen’s heart dropped. His eyes flicked to the pill—then burned with rage.

“Damn it!”

With a sharp motion, he slapped the pill clean from Qu Hancheng’s hand, sending it flying across the room.

“What were you thinking?!”

He didn’t say it aloud, but the words were etched into every line of his furious glare as he grabbed the old man by the collar. Qu Hancheng, still smiling despite the blood on his lips, didn’t resist.

Behind them, Sikong Shoujia moved quickly, picking up the pill. His hands trembled as he turned it over, inspecting its flawless cloud-lined surface.

“Hall Leader Luo... this really is a mid-grade Jade Essence pill!” he exclaimed.

But Luo Chen didn’t even spare the pill a glance. His cold, focused gaze remained fixed on Sikong Shoujia.

“Elder Sikong, the one who died—his name was Zuo Xiangyu. I want you to handle his funeral arrangements. Check the gang’s records and see if he has any family. Make sure everything’s done properly.”

Sikong Shoujia was momentarily stunned.

Didn't you say earlier that deaths in the alchemy room had nothing to do with you? And now you're dealing with his funeral and caring for his family?

“And Qu Hancheng’s treatment,” Luo Chen continued, “will be fully covered by the gang’s spirit stones. Once he’s recovered, increase his monthly salary by two spirit stones.”

"But—"

“No buts,” Luo Chen cut in sharply. “If you have a problem with it, take that mid-grade Jade Essence pill straight to Gang Leader Mi and let him decide.”

"Oh, alright."

After handling these matters, Luo Chen's anger had mostly subsided. Yet his cold gaze still swept over all the apprentices and fire handlers present.

"I'll say it again, if there are signs of danger in the alchemy room, run immediately.

“I don’t care if it’s the Drain Cloud Cauldron itself exploding—your lives come first. I won’t blame you for saving yourselves.

“But if anyone else dies like this again...”

His voice dropped to a dangerous growl.

“...then don’t expect me to care at all.”

Hmph! Damn it, a bunch of idiots.

With a snort, Luo Chen spun on his heel and stormed out, his robes whipping behind him like a thundercloud. He muttered curses all the way back to his stone house, leaving behind a stunned group of onlookers.

Among them, Tang Quan and Luo Erduo exchanged glances—not with fear, but envy.

They didn't care at all about the deceased Zuo Xiangyu but instead gazed enviously at the heavily injured Qu Hancheng.

That old guy—this is his second salary raise, isn't it?

Qu Hancheng lay on the ground, grinning foolishly, seemingly unconcerned about his injuries.

***

Inside the stone house, the first-tier Water Wave formation was already humming quietly, casting a faint shimmer through the air. Those outside were long used to their Hall Leader frequently activating it. They assumed, correctly, that Luo Chen didn’t wish to be disturbed—and so, no one dared interrupt.

Seated alone on his soft couch, Luo Chen exhaled deeply, a bottle of mid-grade Jade Essence pills resting in his hand.

Half a month ago, he had already advanced his proficiency to Proficient level and secretly refined mid-grade pills. Hence, the mid-grade pills weren’t an accident—they were the result of steady, precise effort. Yet he hadn’t told anyone. He’d chosen to keep that progress hidden, wary of raising suspicion or attracting unnecessary attention.

After all, who would believe a young cultivator could refine mid-grade pills in such a short time?

But today, before he could even retrieve the finished pills, the furnace exploded—injuring one fire handler and killing another.

"I didn’t kill them," Luo Chen murmured, eyes shadowed. "But they still died... because of me."

That thought weighed heavily on his heart. The exploded furnace had been one of the Purple Cloud Copper Furnaces he’d purchased from Miss Xiangxiang for two hundred spirit stones. A first-tier, low-grade enchanted artifact—reliable, yes, but not built for long-term, high-volume use without care. It couldn't be used frequently and it required intervals and regular maintenance.

But refining work in the Alchemy Hall had been constant. And when Luo Chen wasn’t there, he often took the furnace into the spirit vein cavern to brew essence nurturing liquid during his solitary cultivation sessions.

Over time, its "durability" wore out. Coupled with the fire handler's negligence and improper fire control, it resulted in the explosion.

"Forget it," Luo Chen sighed, setting the bottle down. "There’s no point dwelling on it now. The gang will handle the aftermath. They must."

After all, these people were under his lead. He had indeed invested considerable effort in them—teaching fire control, imparting basic alchemy knowledge, and even procuring the Flame Manipulation method for them to practice.

After all, these people were his team.

Setting this matter aside, Luo Chen opened his status panel, his gaze falling on the realm section.

Realm: Qi-Refining Realm Sixth Stage (99/100)

Two full months had passed by now!

With his relentless expenditure—consuming qi-nourishing pills, Jade Essence pills, calming incense, essence nurturing liquid daily, and cultivating in the spirit veins cavern—his cultivation was advancing at nearly two progress bars per day.

Had he not spent additional time refining Jade Essence pills and practicing the Spirit Suppression midway, he might have already broken through to the seventh stage Qi-Refining.

But even now, it wasn't too late.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen suppressed his excitement and pulled out Mi Shuhua's

Qi-Refining Insights

to read. He was waiting for the cultivators in the Alchemy Hall to leave one by one.

Perhaps due to the furnace explosion, which upset Luo Chen, or maybe because of today's casualty, the Alchemy Hall closed earlier than usual.

Sikong Shoujia wasted no time and took the mid-grade Jade Essence pill to Mi Shuhua.

By late night, Luo Chen quietly retrieved another Purple Cloud Copper Furnace from the alchemy room.

Then, he made his way deep underground to a hidden location.

"Today is the day of my breakthrough!"