Chapter 103: Grand Finale

The wind was gentle and the sun was warm; it was a clear and beautiful day.

Inside a certain cave on the mountain peak, an unbearable scent mixed with the smell of various herbs drifted out.

Waving his sleeve, Junior Brother Bai Ming's face looked unsightly as he tried to fan away the medicinal fumes in front of him.

But the medicinal fumes came from deep within the cave and filled the entire cavern; how could he possibly fan them away completely?

Wanting to get it over with as soon as possible, Junior Brother Bai Ming quickly entered the cave and arrived at the alchemy area in the center.

A massive square cauldron stood there, with wisps of white steam escaping from it and flowing onto the floor, forming a thin mist.

Several herbs entered the spiritual liquid in succession, merging into one with the boiling hot liquid.

The flames of the cauldron burned fiercely, meticulously carrying out their duty.

The temperature of the spiritual liquid dropped, slowly condensing into a sphere. Under the influence of spiritual energy, it compressed and coalesced until a pill was formed.

The pill took shape and, in the blink of an eye, flew right before Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes.

Elder Xuancao lightly waved his sleeve. "Swallow it."

"Yes." Junior Brother Bai Ming pinched the pill and swallowed it down in one gulp without a shred of hesitation.

Through subtle observation, he had long since discerned that this was a spiritual pill, not a poison pill.

Surging spiritual energy coursed through his body. It was vast but not violent, flowing through his entire body and pushing his cultivation forward.

Closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, Junior Brother Bai Ming pressed his hands down to calm the agitation in his heart, preventing his cultivation from becoming too unstable.

As the spiritual energy circulated, he completely absorbed the medicinal efficacy. Opening his eyes, he saw a wrinkled old face.

Elder Xuancao's eyes were sharp, as if analyzing. "A spiritual pill offers a bit more benefit, while a poison pill's residual poison has a bit less potency. Truly marvelous."

He turned back toward the cauldron. "You may leave."

Cupping his hands in a bow, Junior Brother Bai Ming's furrowed brow did not ease; he was still weighed down by heavy thoughts.

Taking a spiritual pill today was not necessarily a good thing.

According to Elder Xuancao's past habits, tomorrow would definitely bring a poison pill with extremely violent properties, far exceeding those of before.

Today's spiritual pill was merely to restore him completely so he could better test the poison pill tomorrow.

Whether it was a spiritual pill or a poison pill, the choice did not lie with Junior Brother Bai Ming, but solely in Elder Xuancao's whims.

All just to verify the changes in medicinal properties and explore the mechanisms of herbal interactions.

Junior Brother Bai Ming clenched his right hand into a fist, squeezing his fingers tightly together.

In the past, before he had learned alchemy, he couldn't even distinguish between a poison pill and a spiritual pill.

Every single ingestion was a gamble.

This uncertainty nearly drove him mad; he never knew whether the next pill would be a poison pill or a spiritual pill.

In this context, a spiritual pill was not a source of comfort, but rather like the moon reflected in a lake—illusory and burning to the soul.

Time and again, it would kindle Junior Brother Bai Ming's last shred of hope, only to shatter it to pieces amidst his agonizing pain.

Now, however, he no longer had that kind of anxiety or the exhausting dread of living in constant fear.

It was more of a sense of helplessness, a feeling of stifled resentment.

Even if he knew it was a poison pill, what could he do about it?

Would he dare refuse? Could he even refuse?

In the face of the mighty power of a Golden Core cultivator, any resistance he made would be in vain. He had long understood this.

Therefore, to conceal his plans and minimize his suffering, he could only suppress his inner resentment and force himself to swallow them.

And the sole reason for all of this was simply because he was too weak.

So weak that he was completely disregarded, so weak that even resistance was a luxury.

Fortunately, his plan was on the verge of success. He only needed to endure for a little while longer and swallow a few more pills.

Once the right moment arrived, all his suffering would dissipate.

His brow smoothing out, Junior Brother Bai Ming raised his right fist, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Leaving the cave, he headed straight for a certain hilltop.

A massive boulder lay flat on the dirt ground, bathed in the golden afterglow of the sunset, which illuminated the cracks on its surface and highlighted a beautiful young girl.

Senior Sister Tao Yu looked up in confusion, a smile playing on her lips. "Why are you here? Why haven't you left yet?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming cupped his hands. "I have received much kindness from you these past few days, Senior Sister, so I came specifically to repay you."

Senior Sister Tao Yu swung her legs, letting them thud against the rock, and rested her chin in her hands. "You really are interesting. You clearly can't wait to leave and don't want to delay for even a moment, yet you're still lingering here."

Hearing her teasing, Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression remained calm. He did not say a word, letting the gentle breeze brush against his face.

Senior Sister Tao Yu leaped down from the boulder. "Speak then, how do you wish to repay me?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming weighed his words carefully. "Senior Sister, do you still remember the ten herbs you asked me to gather?"

"Of course I remember. You must have suffered quite a bit to collect them all, right?" Senior Sister Tao Yu smiled slyly.

Junior Brother Bai Ming explained unhurriedly, "The ten herbs you wanted me to gather, Senior Sister, they should be for some sort of major pill, correct?"

Senior Sister Tao Yu replied nonchalantly, "Mhm… that's right. It's a pill that assists in forming a core."

Junior Brother Bai Ming lowered his eyes and looked at the ground. "Since it is a core-forming pill and the required herbs are so precious, refining it must be extremely troublesome."

"Not only is it mentally exhausting, but the various steps and procedures must also be highly intricate."

"Therefore, I am willing to assist you, Senior Sister, to help ease your burden."

Senior Sister Tao Yu let out a soft snort, placing her hands behind her back. "Aren't you confident? Since you know refining this pill is so tedious…"

"…aren't you afraid that a single mistake on your part will ruin all my hard work?"

"Are you trying to repay me, or get revenge?" Her tone shifted, emphasizing her last words.

Junior Brother Bai Ming cupped his hands, his gaze resolute. "Under your guidance these past few days, Senior Sister, while I wouldn't claim I could refine this pill on my own, I believe I can assist without a single mishap."

"Moreover, if the refinement goes wrong, I am willing to bear the loss alone and search for those ten herbs for you once again!"

As if taken aback by his determination, Senior Sister Tao Yu stood dazed for a moment, remaining silent where she stood.

She turned around and smiled. "Since you have this intention, I'll thank you first. This can also be considered the last time I'll teach you alchemy hands-on."

"The refinement of this kind of pill is an absolute secret on the outside. Being able to witness it can be considered a stroke of fortune for you." Senior Sister Tao Yu walked over to the cauldron with her hands clasped behind her back.

Joy appeared on Junior Brother Bai Ming's face. "Thank you for granting this opportunity, Senior Sister."

Senior Sister Tao Yu smiled gently as she manipulated the cauldron. "What are you dazing off for? Hurry up and come over."

"You are going to start refining it now, Senior Sister?" Junior Brother Bai Ming looked slightly surprised.

A pill of this caliber, and she was just starting to refine it on a whim.

"What, are you regretting it, or are you unwilling?" Senior Sister Tao Yu teased.

"Not at all. Please let me do my best to assist you, Senior Sister." Junior Brother Bai Ming lifted his sleeves and stepped forward.

Starting so quickly is exactly what I wanted.

At the hilltop, the cauldron hovered in midair, with ten precious herbs floating nearby, closely surrounding it.

Half a month passed, and Junior Brother Bai Ming successfully finished refining the pill.

On his way preparing to escape, he discovered that the map had been erased, and he vaguely sensed that Senior Brother Wei Yu was behind it.

Falling into despair and suspicion, he put on a facade of relief in front of Senior Brother Wei Yu.

Secretly, he went to the Giant Lizard and directly established a master-servant contract.

Using the Giant Lizard's scales and a Golden Core Flame Feather, he refined a peerless poison pill.

On the surface, it appeared to be an ultimate spiritual pill, but in reality, the mixture of the two types of spiritual energy would produce extremely severe side effects.

All three of Senior Brother Wei Yu's group were poisoned. Junior Brother Bai Ming left with the Giant Lizard to live in another part of Medicine Peak.

A few years later, Junior Brother Bai Ming formed his Golden Core once again and, with the help of the Giant Lizard, successfully exacted his revenge.

From then on, he practiced cultivation with great fortune, eventually becoming the number one cultivator in the world.

The End.

(I really can't write any more, and there's no money in it. Writing for so long every day, I might as well go work on an assembly line… Besides, the earlier parts of the story did seem a bit too depressing, and my friends scolded me and woke me up to reality.)