Chapter 77: Three Steps

Meng Zhixue was clearly a woman of action. Once she decided something, she did it immediately. After skipping lessons once with Fang Cun, she seemed to have found a new direction. Her figure became a rare sight in the Study Pavilion, and even He Zhenzhang began frequently disappearing alongside her.

Fang Cun knew they had started investigating Lao Chao—or rather, the demonic cultivator behind Lao Chao and Instructor Lingxiu who was refining the Human Elixir. Whether they could discover anything remained unknown, for these waters ran deep. Neither the Academy Head nor the City Governor seemed trustworthy. With them shrouding the truth, how could uncovering anything be easy?

Sometimes, discovering the truth wasn’t the important part.

What truly mattered was whether this truth could be revealed to all, brought into the light!

Understanding this, Fang Cun could not and would not involve himself in their busywork. Their method—painstakingly tracing clues to uncover the truth—was too tedious, too passive. Fang Cun disliked it. He also wanted to find the Human Fiend and the truth, but he preferred a more assertive way. Not waiting for his opponent’s weaknesses to show, but forcing them to reveal those weaknesses!

The Human Fiend remained deeply hidden. The attitudes of the City Governor and the Academy Head only deepened the mystery.

Even the Devouring Sea Gang radiated an aura of sinister strangeness.

But that was fine. Now that the Human Elixir was in his hands, they would all dance to his tune.

The positions on the chessboard had reversed.

He could easily imagine how frantic those people must be now…

…Then let them stew in that anxiety a little longer!

With the Human Elixir secure, he must naturally aim for the biggest profit possible…

Outwardly, Second Young Master Fang remained the picture of an obedient, perfect scholar after the Instructor Lingxiu affair. Each day, he departed at dawn and returned at dusk, his life a simple path between the Academy and home. Nights were spent refining Merit and contemplating the Art of Object Manipulation; days were filled with study in the Lan Shuang Pavilion.

Secretly, however, through Xiao Qingliu’s intelligence gathering, he learned that Willow Lake City was already in turmoil. The disappearance of that one Human Elixir had plunged the entire city into a state of intense tension. According to Xiao Qingliu’s reports, powerful experts now guarded all key routes. The City Governor’s forces had summoned all manner of mystics and talents, working day and night to divine the Human Elixir’s location.

It was like a rope tightening, biting deeper into flesh with every passing moment dragged out.

Even the cultivation progress of the Academy Disciples was affected. Instructors and Elder Mentors had been conscripted to conduct searches in all directions. For the time being, they had no time to attend to their disciples’ studies, leaving everyone to self-reliance.

It was said the leader of the Instructors tasked with this was Elder Zhong Yue.

The old scholar, enraged after the Instructor Lingxiu incident, had smashed several precious cups to pieces.

The very next day, he had volunteered to rigorously investigate the Human Elixir matter.

Upon hearing this, Fang Cun only chuckled!

Currently, just one thing occupied his thoughts.

How could he use the Human Elixir to annihilate the Devouring Sea Gang, even lure out the Human Fiend?

And after careful consideration, he swiftly devised a meticulous and complex plan!

Step one: Utilize the Human Elixir.

Step two: Annihilate the Devouring Sea Gang, lure out the Human Fiend.

Step three: Go home for dinner!

…

However, before implementing this grand and meticulous plan, Fang Cun needed to complete the most crucial step.

Dealing with the Human Elixir!

The Human Elixir that stirred the whole Willow Lake City was still hidden within his umbrella. Each moment it stayed there consumed a portion of his Merit. If he stuck to his original plan, there was a risk his preparations wouldn’t be done before all the Merit was spent…

…Although this plan aimed for a much greater Merit gain—making the current cost merely an investment—didn’t he still need to control expenses?

More critically, keeping the Human Elixir inside the umbrella made its utilization inconvenient.

Therefore, his first task was finding a secure method to seal the Human Elixir away.

However, the moment the Human Elixir emerged, it would gleam brightly, radiating a bizarre aura. Within a hundred miles, everyone would feel it. If he merely took it out briefly, powerful Qi Refiners might detect it. Without careful consideration beforehand, Fang Cun dared not act rashly!

Holding this thought, Fang Cun pondered. Seizing an opportunity amid his bustling thoughts, he suddenly spotted He Zhenzhang, his classmate who’d been constantly away running errands, finally returning to the Academy. He approached him with a smile: “Old He, do you know any powerful alchemists?”

He Zhenzhang looked at Fang Cun in surprise. “Why do you ask?”

Fang Cun thought for a moment. “Take a guess?”

With mild shock, He Zhenzhang asked, “You want to buy Qi Refining Pills?”

Instantly, countless nearby faces paled, their gazes turning utterly peculiar as they focused on Fang Cun.

Honestly, I’d prefer to buy an alchemist… Fang Cun thought internally, but outwardly conceded, “Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to buy Qi Refining Pills to boost my cultivation?”

“Since when is this normal?” He Zhenzhang now looked thoroughly helpless. “Are you even leaving any way for others to live?”

His surrounding fellow students wore expressions of deep frustration…

Second Young Master Fang from Lan Shuang Pavilion was already infamous across the Academy as a freak—someone who learned things frighteningly fast…

Now that he talked of even wanting to boost his cultivation level, why not just ascend to heaven already, buddy?!

Fang Cun could only offer an amiable smile. “Scholarly knowledge and cultivation level are two completely different things, after all…”

This was true!

Cultivation path cultivation was inherently vast and complex, separating intellectual study and actual cultivation progress.

Currently, in terms of knowledge, Fang Cun, propelled by terrifying talent, was gradually catching up to and even surpassing many top Disciples in the Lan Shuang Pavilion. His various displays of incredible aptitude both tortured and delighted Master Lan Shuang. Several of these Immortal Seedlings from the Lan Shuang Pavilion, once peak talents across the whole Academy, were pushed to the brink of breakdown. Yet, his actual cultivation level progressed much slower!

Fang Cun had now been in the Academy for nearly half a year. His cultivation level was High-Grade Breath Refining Realm by now—extremely fast by most standards. Yet, within the Academy Disciples, this placed him firmly in the lower-middle tier, only slightly stronger than those from the Yuanzhi Pavilion.

Given this logic, Fang Cun buying Qi Refining Pills to boost his cultivation actually seemed quite reasonable…

…

“Second Young Master Fang wanting to ingest pills, that’s…”

He Zhenzhang, usually quite reserved within the Lan Shuang Pavilion study group—unlike his loud condemnation of Second Young Master Fang’s breaking rules back at the Flowing Moon Pavilion—showed genuine concern as he heard Fang Cun ask. “For us Qi Refiners, taking pills to nourish Qi is a common practice. When cultivation progress slows, we need pills for a quick boost. If Internal Breath is depleted and needs immediate replenishment, taking Qi Refining Pills is also an option. Frankly, no Qi Refiner goes without using Qi Refining Pills!”

“People say Qi Refiners are an expensive path, largely because of these Qi Refining Pills!”

“But Second Young Master Fang, you…”

He looked at Fang Cun and advised, “Honestly, you shouldn’t touch this stuff…”

Fang Cun was puzzled. “Why?”

He Zhenzhang offered a bitter smile. “To put it bluntly: though Qi Refining Pills aid cultivation progress, and nearly every Qi Refiner has taken them, the foundation built through pill-boosted cultivation is never truly solid. Taking too many risks destabilizing it. Those who can progress without relying on Qi Refining Pills generally avoid them. At best, they use pills only occasionally when breaking through a new realm, taking maybe one or two. Take Fairy Meng. From Qi Refining all the way to perfecting the Breath Refining Realm, she relied purely on self-cultivation—never took a single pill!”

While explaining, the envy in He Zhenzhang’s gaze as he looked at Fang Cun was hard to mask. Meng Zhixue reaching Great Perfection in the Breath Refining Realm without a single Qi Refining Pill was a marvel few could match. Yet before him stood Second Young Master Fang—whose talent many regarded as even more astonishing than Fairy Meng’s. How was that fair?

Especially since he wasn’t just talented; he was filthy rich. Remember Lady Qingmeng from the dream…

Off track!

He possessed outstanding talent and immense wealth, yet also didn’t need Qi Refining Pills.

But some had poor talent, lacked funds, and desperately needed those pills…

Why couldn’t there be fairness? Talented people needing pills but lacking money, or untalented needing pills but swimming in cash? Thankfully, the situation of poor talent needing pills but having no money wasn’t common…

…Wait, it absolutely was common! It’s just people like that never got far as Qi Refiners!

“Ah, though that’s true, time waits for no one…” Fang Cun sighed along with He Zhenzhang, conveying shared helplessness. “I just need to pick the best pills then. Since this is so important, ordinary alchemists won’t do. Pray tell, Brother He, do you know any especially skilled alchemists?”

Inwardly, he settled on a plan: Once a suitable alchemist was found, he’d casually probe for key alchemical insights.

If unwilling to share? Buy their notes!

Notes unavailable? Buy the alchemist outright!

…

“Skilled alchemists…”

He Zhenzhang scratched his head thoughtfully. “White Xiang Academy doesn’t have many Qi Refiners whose core Destined Scripture is the ‘Herbal Canon’. Most of us buy Qi Refining Pills either from the Academy’s alchemy hall or the spiritual medicine shops set up by the City Governor’s faction…”

He added with a slight curl of his lip, “But they’re expensive, and the quality? Meh…”

Naturally, Fang Cun wasn’t keen on either option and inquired with a smile. “Listening to you, it seems there are other choices?”

“Well, yes…” He Zhenzhang pulled Fang Cun out of the Study Pavilion and lowered his voice. “You can go to the ‘Night Market’.”

Fang Cun blinked. “Night Market?”

“Exactly,” He Zhenzhang confirmed. “It’s where individuals peddle their self-refined pills without the City Governor’s official seal. Plenty of rogue alchemists operate there. Prices are way cheaper than the Academy alchemy hall or the city shops—at least 30% to 40% lower across the board…”

“Of course, buying at the Night Market demands sharp discernment. Otherwise, one careless glance, and scammed you’ll be!”

Fang Cun’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully, a smile spreading. “How about accompanying me on that trip, then? Afterwards, my treat at the Flowing Moon Pavilion?”

He Zhenzhang was about to decline. Hearing ‘Flowing Moon Pavilion’, he hesitated. “I can go with you!” he conceded firmly.

Quietly, almost to himself, he added: “But definitely not because of the Flowing Moon Pavilion!”