There was a hint of sharpness in Zhou Lie's demeanor, as well as an unconcealable vitality.

Competing with his peers on the same stage brought about some changes in his perspective and state of mind. It wasn't to the extent of a drastic change, but it was like a new stream of water that washed away some of the old.

"The disciple of Elder Yaolu? If you choose, I don't want to eliminate you."

Zhou Lie's opponent was a young man in blue. He had good aptitude and his cultivation had just reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

This time, Yaolu provided a lot of support for the outer sect competition, and he benefited from it. He felt somewhat grateful to Elder Yaolu.

Zhou Lie is the disciple of Elder Yaolu. He would rather eliminate others than let them lose.

But there is no way, once it happens, one person will always be eliminated.

The most he could do was to be gentler and let Zhou Lie have a decent end.

"It's just a small difference, although it's a problem, but I won't be discouraged."

Zhou Lie took Chen Sheng as his life principle in everything he did, and he had his own plan for everything he encountered. He said, "Teacher also tried it in the past, and succeeded."

As far as he knew, the teacher had once tied with a Qi Refining cultivator who was one level higher than him.

Whatever the teacher can do, his apprentice must also work hard to accomplish.

"Fighting above your level is a one in a million chance."

The young man in blue smiled. Hearing the term "fighting above one's level" so many times, one would think it was an extremely simple thing. But in fact, it was very difficult and it was the realm of geniuses.

These people can't be considered geniuses. They can't even be absolutely sure of killing people of the same level, let alone anything else.

Zhou Lie naturally knew this truth, but when he really encountered it, he had to give it a try. Even if it failed, he had tried his best.

boom.

He did not hide his weakness, nor did he have the conditions to do so. His first move showed the peak combat power of the eighth level of Qi Refining. He formed seals with his hands and performed a fire spell.

On the fighting stage, complex light patterns intertwined, stirring up the spiritual energy of the void, and a raging flame burned in an instant.

Zhou Lieru commanded the god of fire, and with a thought, flying snakes rose up, and unicorns and other beasts rushed past, rushing straight towards the enemy.

"As expected of an alchemist."

The young man in green exclaimed in admiration, saying that Zhou Lie's control over fire was unmatched among the cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm.

This is the advantage of the alchemist. When refining the elixir, the furnace changes rapidly, and the skill of naturally controlling fire is extremely exquisite.

He stood still, his face calm. Fighting and alchemy were two different fields.

This fire cannot hurt him.

The young man in green raised two fingers together, made a sword shape, and slashed down repeatedly. The sharp sword energy created by his powerful magic power killed all the fire beasts that were rushing towards him.

Then, he turned the sword in his hand into a seal, crouched down, and pressed down inch by inch.

The whole process was very slow, as if the seal in his hand was heavy and could not be pushed immediately.

Bang! After one or two breaths, he finally touched the ground with his seal, and suddenly there was a violent shock, as if the mountains and hills had collapsed, and a shocking wave spread outward.

On the fighting stage, the engraved protective array patterns kept flashing, and the patterns appeared one after another, absorbing the surging destructive power.

The endless flame was cut down layer by layer, and once the storm passed, it was completely extinguished.

"It's better to send you down earlier."

The power of the seal made by the young man in green was extremely domineering. After he finished, he changed his crouching posture and rushed out like a real dragon. He moved his hand and a large halberd appeared.

The shadow flickered, but no one was seen.

In Zhou Lie's eyes, there was only the halberd. It was pitch black, deep and heavy, filling the world in his eyes. It was like an extremely huge black dragon. Even if it showed a little bit of its claws, it had the power to cover the sky.

He did not hesitate and summoned the Xuan Ce Furnace. After years of nurturing, this magical weapon was in tune with his energy. It fell on his head, dropping tremendous flames that stabilized the void and protected his body.

Bang! The halberd fell, the alchemy furnace trembled, the void was hazy, and waves of violent spiritual energy from heaven and earth were blowing vigorously.

Seeing that his attack was blocked, the young man in green became more excited. As long as Zhou Lie was protecting him, he would not be afraid of hurting the person.

then……

On the fighting stage, a young man held a halberd and struck the alchemy furnace repeatedly as if beating a drum.

"The difference in realm is truly terrifying."

Zhou Lie gritted his teeth and used his magic power to hit the Xuan Ce furnace, trying to maintain his undefeated situation.

He also knew that this wouldn't work.

So, he started a dark fire in the alchemy furnace, and wisps of terrifying magical aura lingered and intertwined, transforming into a tiny bird.

After more than ten breaths, the bird rushed out of the alchemy furnace, spread its wings, and its feathers extended to two meters long. It turned into a divine bird that could burn the sky and rushed towards the young man in green.

"After all, he is Elder Yaolu's disciple."

Upon seeing this, a serious look appeared in the eyes of the young man in green. This attack condensed the essence of fire control techniques and fire methods. It was extremely powerful and could already hurt a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He let out a long breath, his abdomen roared and flashed like thunder, a mysterious light moved across his body, and his aura suddenly rose to the sky.

immediately……

He exhaled, the breath dropped, and a group of terrifying Xuanyin water mines flew out.

As soon as the void appeared, the sky changed drastically. In the chaos and darkness, it swallowed the divine bird that burned the sky in one gulp.

In an instant, the Xuanyin water mine could no longer hold and exploded, which was in line with the blue-clothed young man's wishes. It affected all the surrounding people and swept them out of the fighting stage.

“Lost…”

Zhou Lie stood up awkwardly, looked at the fighting stage, and wanted to take another look at the high platform for watching the fight, but he held back, lowered his head slightly, and walked out.

What he didn't see was that his teacher on the podium was always watching him.

"Think clearly, and your life will be better."

Chen Sheng's eyes were calm. He let Zhou Lie participate in this outer sect competition for no other reason than to hone his disciple.

Zhou Lie is a good person, but he always seems to have something weighing on him, making him uncomfortable.

Let him interact with people of his generation and see other people's styles, perhaps he will gain some insights.

This time, Zhou Lie did not return to the medicine house. He didn't know where to go. As he walked, he wandered to a quiet courtyard on Zhuxia Peak.

This was where the teacher originally lived. He kept it there on purpose and no one has moved in since then.

He randomly found a place, sat down, and looked around, wanting to know how he could become as good as his teacher.

"Am I being too hypocritical?"

Zhou Lie knew that there was something wrong with him. His body and mind were bound by invisible shackles, and the shackles were put on himself by himself.

In the eyes of outsiders, he is a first-class alchemist, a disciple of the elder Yaolu, with a respected status and the power to call the shots.

But he knew in his heart that he was just a lucky man.

The reason he was chosen by the teacher was not because of his extraordinary talent, nor because he had an indestructible heart of Taoism, but because of the friendship left by his ancestors in the past, which enabled him to achieve what he has today.

In order to be able to match this opportunity, he took his teacher as the standard in everything and did not dare to relax for a moment in the way of alchemy, for fear that outsiders would say that he was nothing.

Although the teacher didn't care much, he seemed to have sensed something and asked him to let go.

"If they knew, they would probably spit in my face."

At the outer sect competition, Zhou Lie witnessed the true situation of an outer sect disciple, which was quite miserable.

Cultivation resources are extremely scarce, and you have to fight for everything.

There are no skills or elixirs, so everything is left to fend for itself. The only way to survive is to join the Youwei Palace and earn contribution points.

And these were never something he had to think about.

What he cares about is spiritual things, not material things.

This kind of overthinking made him feel that he was sometimes too pretentious and shy.

People of the same generation, even those who are penniless, dare to take the risk.

In comparison, his starting point is already high enough.

Suddenly, this sentence popped up in my mind.

Zhou Lie shouted, and his voice gradually became firm. It was time to throw away those messy things.

Travel light, stand on a high platform, transform yourself into a spirited young man, and go fight.

Dragon Hall.

"Teacher, I lost."

Zhou Lie came back, still with a look of shame on his face. After all, he lost and brought shame to his teacher.

But fortunately, his eyes were no longer evasive and he was able to look straight into his heart. He seemed to have let go of something and was relieved.

"Um."

Mr. Chen didn't show it on his face, but he was very happy in his heart.

Zhou Lie was a man who respected his teachers. He liked him very much and hoped that he could go further on the road to immortality.

"I want to go out and gain some experience."

After standing for a while, Zhou Lie finally told his plan. He wanted to see the outside world, like an ordinary outer disciple, go out on his own to hone his Taoism.

"good."

Mr. Chen still looked indifferent.

He never interferes with the will of others. At most, he gives advice like a teacher. After all, cultivation depends on the individual.

There is nothing wrong with Zhou Lie wanting to travel far and hone himself, like a fledgling flying high.

"Take everything you need. If you encounter something you can't handle, don't force yourself. Just write a letter and it will be fine."

The world of cultivating immortals is very cruel. If Zhou Lie goes out, he is bound to encounter many dangerous things.

Luzhu would be worried about this, but since this was Zhou Lie's personal choice, she would not stop him. She would just remind him to be careful.

"Master's wife, I know."

Zhou Lie said reluctantly.

Longxing Hall carries everything in his life. His teacher and mistress are the most important people to him. They are like his successors. When he goes out to gain experience, he will often miss this place.

…

After building the foundation, Chen Sheng was distracted by the outer sect competition. When he pulled himself out of the competition, his eyes fell on the medicine hut.

It's time for another round of adjustments to the personnel structure of Yaolu.

Tomorrow's meeting.

His order was relayed to the twelve halls of the Medicine House, and all the alchemists received the news and dared not neglect it.

This was the first meeting after Chen Sheng established his foundation, and it was of great significance.

According to the lifespan of people in the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Medicine House will have to be under this person's management for at least a hundred years.

This is an important turning point for their future in the next hundred years.

The next day.

Time is up.

Mr. Chen did not go to the meeting room, but came to the desk, sat down, picked up the stack of documents and looked at them.

It's the beginning of the month again, and it's time to deal with some internal matters.

"Three hundred Qingge Pills from Yangxin Peak, plus five hundred Bloodthirsty Pills."

"Bai Yufeng, one thousand Qi Condensation Pills and three hundred Brain God Pills."

"One thousand five hundred Qi-nourishing Pills and five hundred Blood-clotting Pills from the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Inner sect Changming Peak, 500 Qi Condensation Pills, 500 Buque Pills."

…

They were all ordinary documents from various departments. Mr. Chen had already made light of the heavy task and simply divided them up and dealt with them in no time.

Next, some things worth dealing with.

"Alchemist Xiao Daofeng colluded with the inner sect and intended to get his hands on Yaolu."

When Mr. Chen saw the document, he was somewhat amused. He looked at the name seal on the back and it was indeed "Qi Luo".

As he failed to break through the foundation-building stage and grew older, the power in Yaolu became somewhat shaky.

Like the kings of ancient times, he is old and weak, his mind is confused, and even if he still sits in that position, his subjects are restless.

As far as he could remember, Xiao Daofeng was a veteran in the medicine house with a high seniority. Even though rising stars like Qi Luo had similar alchemy skills, they were still inferior to him.

The matter of the medicine house involved the inner sect. It was after he came to power that he made plans slowly based on the foundation laid by Old Shen. After several decades of development, he expanded his base a lot, which made people jealous.

Although the two families are from the same lineage, Mr. Chen is the head of the medicine house and naturally does not want others to interfere.

Over the years, the inner sect alchemy hall had reached out to him many times, but he had always fought them off.

The fact is, the people in the Medicine Refining Hall were still harboring evil intentions, and seeing that he was getting old, they began to make plans to support others and, further, swallow up the channels of the Medicine House.

He was asked to put the document away.

When the drawer was opened, everything fell out.

This young man has a sincere heart. Since he noticed Xiao Daofeng's ambition a few years ago, he would write a letter to express his concerns every year or so.

Although he was suppressed, he was not discouraged. He kept writing documents and persevered.

"The Jingxiao Chamber of Commerce of Sijiu City will auction a second-level alchemist's inheritance on April 9th. If you are interested, you can go and take a look."

The last document was sent by Mr. Shen.

After breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage, there was little inheritance in Yaolu on the path to becoming a second-level alchemist, so Chen Sheng wrote a letter to Mr. Shen to learn from the old senior.

Mr. Shen did not hide anything and was always willing to answer questions.

This time, such a piece of news came, and I thought he might be interested.

"Sijiu City, let's go there then."

Mr. Chen said casually.

It was easy for him to take over such a legacy as he was in charge of the medicine house.

Meeting room.

The alchemists from the twelve halls of Yaolu gathered together. A rough count showed that there were fifty or sixty of them, which could be considered a prosperous place.

Time passed by little by little, and it had been delayed for half an hour and had not yet started.

Many alchemists have realized something, and they look at their nose with their eyes, their mouth with their nose, and sit still so as not to lose their manners.

In this way, another half hour passed.

"Why hasn't the elder come yet?"

An old man with gray hair, neat clothes, and skin as white as jade could no longer sit still. He looked around and finally spoke.

Many alchemists looked at him but did not respond.

There was only one young alchemist with eyes as clear as blue water and sharp eyebrows, who raised his head at him.

"Master Xiao, why are you in such a hurry? If the elders don't come, just wait."

Qi Luo is not a reserved person. If he doesn't like something, he will say it. He said, "Or do you have other thoughts?"

His last sentence sounded so ambiguous that it was hard not to think in a dark direction.

(End of this chapter)