Chen Qing bowed with his fists clasped. "I have brought what you asked for."

He presented the bottle of Red-eyed Poison Python Essence Blood with both hands.

Only then did Li Baichuan slowly open his eyes. His gaze swept over the Jade Bottle, then casually flicked past the Jade Marrow Mushroom.

"Not bad. This Essence Blood is fresh."

His withered hand reached out and took the Essence Blood Jade Bottle.

Li Baichuan uncorked the bottle, and a cloying, scorching bloody aura instantly filled the air.

Without even looking, he flicked his wrist, and the single drop of Essence Blood, as viscous as a ruby, fell precisely into the still-warm Pill Furnace.

SIZZLE—!

As the Essence Blood entered the furnace, like a drop of cold water in boiling oil, the entire Pill Furnace shuddered violently!

A seemingly berserk energy slammed around inside, causing the heavy furnace to sway slightly. A crimson mist, a mix of the bloody aura and a strange medicinal fragrance, escaped from the seams of the lid.

Li Baichuan’s expression remained unchanged. His withered fingers tapped several points on the furnace’s body, each tap carrying a profound rhythm and condensed True Astral.

He seemed to be chanting something, but the sound was inaudible.

Following his movements, the Pill Furnace’s vibrations gradually subsided. The buzzing from within shifted to a low, steady hum, as if the berserk energy had been forcibly tamed and compressed.

About an incense stick’s worth of time later, the energy leaking from the lid’s seams completely subsided, and the furnace’s temperature slowly dropped.

Only then did Li Baichuan lift the lid.

There was no dazzling radiance, only a peculiar, refreshing elixir fragrance that spread out, instantly overpowering all the previous scents of blood and medicine.

At the center of the furnace’s base lay seven or eight thumb-sized elixirs.

The elixirs were a deep, dark gold, their surfaces smooth and round like fine amber, and they exuded a heavy, profound aura.

With a wave of his sleeve, Li Baichuan sent an elixir flying into Chen Qing’s hand.

"Take it. This elixir is called the Five-Qi Origin-Stabilizing Pill. It can suppress the restless, conflicting True Qi in your body, clear your meridians, and solidify your foundation."

His voice was flat and calm, as if he were discussing some trivial matter.

But Chen Qing’s heart was in turmoil.

He carefully caught the elixir with both hands. It was warm and smooth to the touch. As the peculiar fragrance of the pill entered his nostrils, even the slightly agitated True Qi within him seemed to calm a little.

’Could it be that this reclusive Dean, who seems to pay no mind to worldly affairs, knows my cultivation status like the back of his hand? He probably didn’t refine this batch of elixirs on a whim, but had planned it all along, right?’

"Thank you for the elixir, Master Li!"

Chen Qing suppressed the shock in his heart and bowed deeply once more.

Regardless of Li Baichuan’s motives, this pill was crucial to him.

"Mm, you may go."

Li Baichuan waved his hand dismissively.

Chen Qing said no more. He carefully put away the elixir, then nonchalantly placed the Jade Marrow Mushroom on the small table before preparing to leave.

Li Baichuan’s gaze finally landed on the Jade Box as he spoke slowly, "Lad, you went out for a trip and came back with your pockets full, eh?"

Chen Qing stopped in his tracks and hurriedly bowed. "You have a discerning eye, Master Li! I was just lucky on this trip and found only this single decent Treasure Medicine. I wouldn’t dare keep it for myself; I naturally had to offer it all to you!"

His tone was utterly sincere, as if this Jade Marrow Mushroom was truly his only prize and the full extent of his goodwill.

"Is that so?"

Li Baichuan glanced at Chen Qing, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.

’This slippery brat is getting better at hiding things. He says he’s giving me everything, but I’d be surprised if he’s even offering up thirty percent.’

That sharp gaze from Li Baichuan made Chen Qing feel a little guilty, but his expression only grew more respectful. Inwardly, he cursed, ’This greedy old coot has a sharp eye.’

"Go on."

Li Baichuan put away the remaining elixirs and waved his hand.

....

Back in his own courtyard, Chen Qing immediately shut the door and windows tightly.

He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, first calming his mind and focusing his spirit to reach his optimal state.

Then, he took out the Five-Qi Origin-Stabilizing Pill.

The elixir in his palm radiated a warm, gentle luster.

’This elixir the old coot refined shouldn’t be a problem.’

Chen Qing examined it carefully, probing it with his True Qi. After confirming the elixir was pure and flawless, contained a vast yet gentle medicinal power, and had no issues, he finally tilted his head back and swallowed it.

The elixir melted the moment it entered his mouth!

An indescribably vast, warm current, like the gentle spring sun, instantly spread through his limbs and bones, merging into his meridians.

Wherever this medicinal power passed, the five True Qi Origins of differing attributes in his Dantian Sea of Qi, which had been subtly restless and mutually repulsive, felt as if they were being gently smoothed over by a large, invisible hand.

BOOM!

Guided and propelled by the medicinal power of the Five-Qi Origin-Stabilizing Pill, the vast True Qi he had accumulated for so long surged like a bursting dam, crashing fiercely against the solid barrier.

Chen Qing knew he couldn’t miss this opportunity and immediately began circulating the Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique.

An intense pain shot through him—the agony of his meridians being forcibly expanded!

But amid this intense pain, Chen Qing felt the exhilarating freedom of breaking out of a cocoon!

CRACK!

It was as if invisible shackles had been utterly shattered!

[Heaven Rewards Diligence; accomplishment is assured.]

[Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique, Fourth Layer (1/5000)]

The surging True Qi, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, flooded into the newly opened meridians, coursing through them in an endless, powerful cycle.

An aura far more powerful, condensed, and immense than before erupted from Chen Qing’s body, instantly filling the entire Quiet Chamber!

Late-stage Embracing Pill Force! A natural success!

However, before the joy of his breakthrough could subside, an even more wondrous change occurred in his Dantian Sea of Qi.

Under the harmonizing effect of the Five-Qi Origin-Stabilizing Pill, the five True Qi Origins, which had been forcibly suppressed and isolated in their own corners, did not just cease their conflict but began to slowly circulate in a profound manner.

The verdant Cyan Wood True Qi circulated. Its Vitality Power was no longer cut down by the Geng Metal Qi; instead, like a nourishing spring, it naturally flowed into the region near the heart, where the Li Huo True Qi resided.

Nourished by the Cyan Wood’s vitality, not only did the Li Huo True Qi not lash out violently, but its flames became more condensed and docile, their flickering light now brimming with vibrant life.

The five streams of True Qi had formed a pseudo-"Everlasting Life" cycle!

Although they had not truly fused into a new type of True Qi and remained distinct, the destructive aspects of their relationships were greatly weakened, while the creative aspects were greatly enhanced!

Within this cycle, they could, according to Chen Qing’s will, convert between one another with extreme smoothness and efficiency!

When a thought crossed Chen Qing’s mind and he tried to convert the other four streams of True Qi completely into Cyan Wood True Qi—

BOOM!

In the center of his Dantian, the Cyan Wood True Qi, which was already the most abundant, swelled in an instant, as if four great rivers had just flowed into it!

Its purity and volume far surpassed their state when he had cultivated only the Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique, almost reaching the absolute limit that a Late-stage Embracing Pill Force cultivator could contain!

A vast aura of life emanated from Chen Qing’s body, and illusory images of grass and trees seemed to sway gracefully within the Quiet Chamber.

"So this is... the creative cycle of the Five Elements?"

Chen Qing slowly opened his eyes, feeling the ceaselessly surging True Qi within his body, his heart filled with shock and ecstasy.

Although he now appeared to have opened eight Main Meridians, if he converted all the True Qi in his body into a single type, his power would even be comparable to the Embracing Pill Power Perfection stage.

...