Chapter Forty-One: The Appearance of Boss Zhou

Returning to the cave, Zhou Qi did not rush to enter seclusion. Now that he had spirit stones, he knew they would eventually run out; maintaining a steady supply was the true path.

He extended his spiritual sense into the Medicine Immortal’s Holy Mansion. The ten disciples from the Immortal Companion Sect were nearly driven mad by confinement. The rooms were empty, offering nothing, and they could not leave. At first, they could cultivate, but soon their spirit stones were depleted, making cultivation a distant luxury. With nothing to do, they spent their days cursing the Medicine Immortal and Long Feiyu.

After listening for a while, Zhou Qi disguised his voice as old and sent it into the first trial chamber: “You have failed the first trial and should be imprisoned here for life. However, Heaven cherishes life, so I have decided to give you another chance. Pass the subsequent trials, and you will earn an opportunity to refine pills. If your performance is satisfactory, you will not lack for spirit stones or cultivation methods.”

The disciples rejoiced at these words. It sounded as though passing the trials would grant them part of the Medicine Immortal’s legacy, along with rewards of spirit stones and cultivation techniques.

“Thank you, Medicine Immortal, for your mercy!” Their attitudes and expressions were devout. Had Zhou Qi not been eavesdropping, he might have believed them himself.

Of course, they were mistaken. Zhou Qi felt no guilt enslaving these ten cultivators; their hands were stained with blood, and their attempt to ambush the Life and Death Sect disciples made them more than deserving of death.

He opened the second trial: subduing a flame. The ten disciples were full of confidence, but only six succeeded; the other four perished, reduced to ashes.

In the third trial, which tempered spiritual sense, three more met their end.

Only three remained, standing before the pill refining table. Zhou Qi’s face darkened—these peak Foundation Establishment cultivators were truly unimpressive. He wondered about their pill refining talent.

He granted each of them ten Spirit Restoring Herbs, ten Spirit Gathering Herbs, and a bottle of Morning Dew. There were no traps; he simply required them to be able to refine second-grade pills. The method was laid out on the pill table, as these disciples had failed even the first trial and might not know how to make Spirit Restoration Pills.

The three surviving disciples carefully studied the recipe. Out of ten, only three remained; naturally, these were the most capable, stronger in mind and knowledge than the seven who had fallen.

One finished studying and began refining, failing the first time, the second time, and the third—ten attempts, all failures.

The other two fared no better, failing all ten times.

Zhou Qi, resigned, decided to give them another chance and imparted his own pill refining experience. This time, someone nearly succeeded.

Zhou Qi refused to accept defeat; he would not let his dream of being a boss die so easily. He gave each disciple fifty portions of herbs. Pill refining depended seventy percent on talent, thirty percent on practice. With enough repetition, he refused to believe they could not succeed, though it was a loss of herbs—if he were refining, these would be spirit stones.

The three disciples sensed something was amiss. The Medicine Immortal was surprisingly lenient. Was it that no one else could inherit the legacy, and so he hoped they would learn? With this realization, their motivation soared.

After expending a large quantity of herbs, the three finally succeeded in refining Spirit Restoration Pills. The quality could not compare to Zhou Qi’s own, but he believed that years of practice would allow them to catch up.

Their pill formation rate was not high, averaging five pills per ten portions of herbs—not great, not terrible. Zhou Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He then taught them to refine Physical Strength Pills and Blood Qi Pills. With their experience making Spirit Restoration Pills, they quickly mastered these as well.

The trio was ecstatic, having finally met the Medicine Immortal’s requirements and awaiting their reward of spirit stones and cultivation methods.

Zhou Qi transformed his appearance into Emperor Yi, his cultivation displayed at the Nascent Soul stage, and appeared before them.

They were shocked. They had witnessed Emperor Yi’s power: impervious to blades, and eighteen men had failed to best him—let alone three.

“I have received the Medicine Immortal’s legacy. If you are willing to refine pills for me, I will release you after fifty years. If not, you may die now.” Zhou Qi’s tone was cold.

Faced with immediate death or fifty years of imprisonment, the choice was clear. All three agreed to pill refining.

“You will refine Spirit Restoration Pills; for these fifty years, you’ll be called Little Restoration. You will refine Blood Qi Pills; your name is Little Qi.” Before Zhou Qi could finish, the third disciple interjected, “Master, I understand—I’ll refine Physical Strength Pills, and I’ll be Little Strength.”

Zhou Qi smiled approvingly, which made the disciple flush with excitement. To intuit his master’s intentions—there was hope for the future.

“One pill earns you two low-grade spirit stones. If your pill formation rate falls below fifty percent, you won’t receive spirit stones for six months. When the time is right, I can teach you to refine third-grade, fourth-grade, or even higher-grade pills.” Zhou Qi explained. Only with spirit stones would they be motivated; even prisoners were paid for their labor. The formation rate requirement prevented them from deliberately wasting herbs. Teaching them higher-grade pill refining would meet his needs and give them hope for self-advancement.

The three disciples were speechless; this boss was so stingy. But as prisoners, they dared not bargain. If they mastered advanced pill refining, after fifty years they would emerge as pill masters, sought after by any sect. They decided to treat these fifty years as an apprenticeship.

Having settled their affairs, Zhou Qi withdrew his spiritual sense from the Medicine Immortal’s Holy Mansion. With its many layers of formations, he had no worries about them causing trouble.

“So you’re just giving up the Medicine Immortal’s legacy?” Lord Tianxuan asked, puzzled.

“Of course not. What I lack most now are cultivation time and resources. When my cultivation is higher, I will study pill refining in earnest—not only to avenge the Medicine Immortal, but to pass on his art,” Zhou Qi replied.

He began his seclusion. With sufficient spirit stones this time, he was determined to reach the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Time passed unnoticed in cultivation. Half a year later, Zhou Qi emerged from meditation, having reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, tenth layer. His spirit stones were almost depleted, with just over a thousand left—enough to pay Little Restoration and company.

Inside the Medicine Immortal’s Holy Mansion, the three disciples’ eyes were sunken; six months of tireless pill refining, never resting. Fortunately, with Spirit Restoration Pills, they did not fear their cultivation declining, but to advance, spirit stones were indispensable. Each set themselves a small goal—how many spirit stones to earn per month.

Three thousand Spirit Restoration Pills, two thousand nine hundred Blood Qi Pills, two thousand eight hundred fifty Physical Strength Pills.

Boss Zhou owed them seventeen thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones—an unexpected result.

He handed over his remaining thousand-plus spirit stones to the trio, promising to make up the rest next time.

The three dared not complain. The pay was low, and now their wages were in arrears, with nowhere to lodge a complaint.