The Treasure Pavilion was indeed filled with a dazzling array of items, but there were few Divine Weapons. Most were precious and priceless antiques and curios.

Fang Shuwen browsed for a good while. He didn’t need a Divine Weapon, mainly because he wouldn’t know how to use one.

Taking one would be a waste, and it would likely attract trouble.

He didn’t need the other priceless antiques and artifacts either; getting rid of them would be a hassle.

He had hoped to bring something back for Zheng Sihai, but after searching for ages, he couldn’t find anything suitable.

After wandering the treasury for a while longer, Fang Shuwen’s gaze was suddenly drawn to an elixir pill.

He asked in a low voice,

"What elixir pill is this?"

Zuo Qingshuang glanced over and said with a smile,

"This is a ’Ten-Year Dust-Breaking Pill.’ After consuming it, one can increase their Inner Power Cultivation.

"Roughly speaking, you can gain ten years of Inner Strength out of thin air."

Fang Shuwen was stunned.

"Something like this actually exists?"

Zuo Qingshuang’s expression grew somewhat complicated.

"It’s a legacy item from the former Divine Pill Valley. Their knowledge of pharmacology was peerless, and they created many powerful Elixir Pills.

"Unfortunately, the Divine Pill Valley was later destroyed, and their stored Elixir Pills were completely plundered.

"Few have been passed down. This ’Ten-Year Dust-Breaking Pill’ was something an expert from our Sect came upon by chance..."

"He didn’t take it?"

Fang Shuwen was curious.

Zuo Qingshuang smiled.

"The pill is good, but not without its drawbacks.

"Though you can gain ten years of Cultivation overnight, it will also make all future progress incredibly difficult.

"Unless you’re an old man at death’s door, or someone whose Cultivation has already hit a wall, it’s best not to take it."

"I see."

Fang Shuwen understood now. ’But that means its effects are severely diminished,’ he thought.

’But what if I were to take it back for Zheng Sihai?’

’It would probably count as a pretty good gift...’

’After all, Zheng Sihai is just the master of a martial arts school. His Martial Arts were always limited, and now he’s old and frail. If he could gain ten years of Cultivation from this pill, it might not be a bad thing at all.’

’His master had been truly good to him. The care he’d shown over the years went far beyond the meager tuition fee Fang Shuwen had paid back then.’

’Using this to repay his master’s kindness seemed fitting.’

’As for himself...’

’His former self, the one with no path forward, might have chosen to take it. But now... there was really no need.’

’After all, he now possessed two great Divine Techniques: the Muscle Strengthening Scripture and the North Nether Divine Technique.’

’Considering the latter alone, he had no need for a mere ten years of Cultivation.’

Thinking of this, he asked,

"This pill only makes future cultivation difficult? Does it cause any physical harm?"

"No."

Zuo Qingshuang shook her head.

Fang Shuwen asked again,

"This thing... how old is it? Has it expired?"

Zuo Qingshuang was a little taken aback by the word ’expired,’ but after a moment of thought, she grasped the general meaning and said with a smile,

"Its potency has likely faded somewhat, but it shouldn’t be a problem."

Fang Shuwen decided to trust her this once and immediately grinned.

"I’ll take this one, then."

Zuo Qingshuang hesitated slightly.

"Is this a gift, or are you taking it for yourself?"

"It’s a gift."

"That’s good."

Hearing this, Zuo Qingshuang breathed a sigh of relief. She reached out, took the elixir pill along with its box, and handed it to Fang Shuwen.

Fang Shuwen glanced at it and felt quite satisfied.

’Picking anything else from this treasury would be so cumbersome. This elixir pill is perfect—a small box that won’t take up any space on me.’

As they walked out, Fang Shuwen asked Zuo Qingshuang about the Divine Pill Valley, wanting to broaden his knowledge of the Jianghu.

With a complex expression, Zuo Qingshuang began to recount a secret history from the Jianghu.

No one knew where the Divine Pill Valley’s legacy came from.

But from the moment their Elixir Recipes and Elixir Pills appeared, they caused a sensation throughout the entire Jianghu.

The ’Ten-Year Dust-Breaking Pill’ was merely one of the most insignificant among them, only able to increase Cultivation by ten years while hindering future training.

There were many other, far more precious Elixir Pills: some could boost one’s Cultivation with no negative side effects, some could heal the most grievous of injuries, and some could even grant great enlightenment, allowing a person to comprehend an otherwise impenetrable Divine Skill Manual in a short time.

For a long time, the Elixir Pills of the Divine Pill Valley were sought after by everyone in the Jianghu like a ravenous flock.

They became so coveted that they were essentially priceless, impossible to find on the market.

But then, at some unknown point, a rumor began to spread.

The rumor claimed that the refining methods for the Divine Pill Valley’s Elixir Pills were exceedingly cruel.

It was said they used a "human-pill method," taking human hearts, livers, spleens, and lungs as a medicinal catalyst, then refining them with various other ingredients.

This gave them their wondrous effects, but it was an act that defied the heavens.

The news spread like wildfire, leaving many people half-believing and half-doubting.

Then one day, someone claimed to have witnessed a Divine Pill Valley disciple killing a person and cutting out their heart. This witness was a man of considerable prestige in the Jianghu, so his words were naturally believed.

In an instant, the public was in an uproar.

They had regarded the Divine Pill Valley as one of the Renowned and Righteous Sects, treating their pills as miraculous elixirs, but it turned out they had been consuming human flesh!

Some were filled with regret, some wept in despair, and countless more were consumed by rage.

These people, joined by many other Sects of the time, stormed the Divine Pill Valley to demand an explanation.

The Divine Pill Valley’s Valley Master explained repeatedly, but he could not win their trust.

Worse still, someone found preserved hearts, livers, spleens, and lungs within the Divine Pill Valley’s storehouses.

This instantly ignited the already tense atmosphere.

The final scene was a massacre.

Though the Divine Pill Valley’s Valley Master possessed world-class Martial Arts, he could not withstand the siege of so many experts and ultimately died filled with bitter resentment.

And so, the Divine Pill Valley was put to the torch.

Curiously, however, the Divine Pill Valley’s stored Elixir Pills were completely looted.

The ending of this affair raised suspicions, and so, some people began to investigate the matter again. They soon discovered that the entire thing had been a conspiracy.

The Divine Pill Valley’s Elixir Pills had been perfectly fine from the very beginning.

Someone had deliberately framed them. The famous Jianghu personage who claimed to have seen the disciple kill and take a heart had been bribed; he had been lying.

This revelation sent shockwaves through the Jianghu. Those who realized they had been fooled, used, and had killed innocent people, unleashed another bloody storm of their own.

"There was turmoil and fragmentation, dust storms that rose and mists that scattered.

"In the end, everything returned to peace..."

Zuo Qingshuang’s face was filled with melancholy.

Fang Shuwen was also speechless for a moment.

’Were those people truly kept in the dark... or did they notice something was wrong but pretended not to?’

That’s just how things were in the Jianghu sometimes.

Inexplicable and incomprehensible.

Some people are genuinely ignorant, while others merely feign ignorance.

But Fang Shuwen didn’t dwell on these feelings for long. It was just another story buried in the dust of the Jianghu.

When he emerged from the Treasure Tower, he saw Zhou Qingmei standing there quietly.

Perhaps hearing the footsteps of Fang Shuwen and Zuo Qingshuang, she looked up and smiled faintly. In that instant, even the sunlight seemed to grow much brighter.