Inside the room, Harvey Xie hung his head, the atmosphere heavy and tense.
The elderly man nearby waited until the young figure before him had completely disappeared. Only then did he slowly turn his head to look at Harvey Xie behind him, frowning: "Harvey, what's wrong with you? You seem odd ever since you got back, and there's a strange smell on you. What's going on?"
Right after returning to the hotel, Harvey Xie had washed his face and changed his clothes. But even after scrubbing in the bathroom for ages, he still couldn’t get rid of the lingering stench of cat feces on his face.
He had no idea what that cat had eaten, but the stink was so powerful it made him despair.
"Uh, I ran into a garbage truck when I went out just now—maybe I picked up some of the smell." Harvey froze for a moment, then quickly came up with a halfway decent excuse.
Even though Harvey was deeply frustrated, he still couldn’t figure out why he’d been beaten so helplessly by that kid. As a mid-stage Inner Strength expert, Harvey was confident he could crush him with a flick of his hand!
"Next time I get the chance, I’ll personally shove that crap right down your throat!"
Harvey fumed silently, Evan Lin’s face flashing through his mind—his eyes filled with resentment and venom.
"Yeah, small places like this really aren’t as clean as our Valley. Go clean yourself up properly when you get back to your room." The elder nodded.
As the Fire Elder of Medicine King Valley, he was a master of pill refinement, famous for his fire control—his prestige in the Valley was immense.
After all, Medicine King Valley built its entire reputation on the word 'medicine,' and pill refinement is the heart of their craft. Every year, the Valley churns out all kinds of pills, but demand always outstrips supply. On top of that, they have rare pills that can nurture martial prodigies and unlock hidden potential—these are worth their weight in gold in the cultivation world.
"Got it, Master." Harvey Xie nodded, his tone brisk and respectful.
"By the way, those two girls we brought from Brightsea City—I watched them closely on the way here. One’s perfect to take back to the Valley for the Medicine King Valley Dual Cultivation Method with you. The other is even better suited to be a Human Cauldron for refining a Human Pill." Elder Leonard Huo spoke flatly, his voice cold as ice.
Harvey Xie’s eyes lit up instantly. The Medicine King Valley Dual Cultivation Method was a real, time-honored scripture, handed down in the Valley for generations. Sure, the technique was a bit incomplete, but all the Valley’s true experts had boosted their cultivation through dual cultivation.
As for the Human Cauldron, that’s a downright savage pill-refining technique. They treat a living person’s flesh and blood as a furnace, force-feed them rare herbs for eighty-one days, then ignite them with fire and secret arts until the body burns away—what’s left behind gets condensed into Human Pills.
Human Pills pack serious power—they can extend your lifespan and, for regular martial artists, skyrocket your strength.
Of course, Human Pills don’t do much for anyone above the fifth-grade Vajra Realm. But come on—how many people in the mundane world ever make it to Vajra?
These pills are insanely rare in the Valley. Every year, tons of big-shot families beg for them, and Medicine King Valley even sends people out hunting for suitable Human Cauldrons.
"If the Human Pill succeeds, I’ll personally make sure you get one. That’ll help you break through from mid-stage to late-stage Inner Strength as soon as possible." Elder Leonard Huo promised, his tone tempting yet absolute.
"You’re my only personal disciple now. With Sean Shao and Zane Zhen both dead, it’s just you and Elder Tu Yao’s pupil left in the younger generation. Tu Yao’s kid is glued to his master, training that copper skin and iron bones—he’s way ahead of you in strength. You’d better step it up and not slack off for a second." Elder Leonard Huo’s voice was stern, laying down the pressure.
Elder Leonard Huo’s tone was cool as ever, but Harvey Xie was already grinning ear to ear. “Thanks, Master!” he blurted out, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Alright, that's enough for tonight. Go wash up and get some sleep." Elder Leonard Huo waved him off. "Remember to get up early tomorrow."
Harvey Xie slipped out and closed the hotel room door behind him, then couldn’t help but jump for joy. "A Human Pill! Just one of those and I’ll blast straight into late-stage Inner Strength!"
The difference between mid-stage and late-stage Inner Strength was huge. It might look like just a small step, but when it came to a real fight, a mid-stage guy could barely take a punch from someone at late-stage.
Just then, Harvey Xie spotted Yolanda Fang and Lynn Chen coming up the stairs.
"You’re back." Harvey Xie smoothed out his expression and flashed a smile, his eyes roaming playfully over Yolanda Fang and Lynn Chen.
"Yeah, it’s late—you should get some sleep." Lynn Chen nodded, but Harvey Xie’s stare made her skin crawl. She frowned, slipped into the room with Yolanda Fang, and shut the door.
"Quit staring, ever heard of ‘don’t ogle girls’?" Yolanda Fang shot Harvey Xie a disdainful look and slammed the door hard.
Let them act all high and mighty for now. Doesn’t matter who ends up as the Human Cauldron or who gets to dual cultivate with me—either way, it’s a win. Just thinking about Lynn Chen and Yolanda Fang’s looks and figures made Harvey Xie’s blood run hot.
Tomorrow, once we hit Fenghua Mountain in Zhaoyu Town and snatch the Wanhe Ancient Jade from the Old Immortal Sage, this whole mission will be in the bag.
Thinking about all that, Harvey Xie headed back to his own room and started scrubbing up again, trying to finally wash off the stink.
Inside the girls’ room—
Lynn Chen sprawled on the bed while Yolanda Fang fished two chocolates out of her backpack, tossed one to Lynn, ripped open the other, and took a bite. Seeing Lynn still sulking, she gave her a playful smack on the butt. “Hey, what’s got you so worked up? Why were you mad just now?”
“I really can’t stand Evan Lin bragging. What kind of guy runs his mouth like that—claiming he helped crack a fraud case and brought in five hundred million in investment? That’s not even how you brag! Doesn’t he know basic common sense?” Lynn Chen was still fuming over Evan’s words.
“Boys just love to talk big, you know? But honestly, Evan’s mom seems super nice—she’s got that gentle vibe.” Yolanda Fang sat cross-legged on the bed.
“Yeah, Aunt Joy Zheng really is great. That’s exactly why Evan’s bragging annoys me even more. She’s pinned all her hopes on him, and if he keeps this up, what company would ever hire him after graduation?” Lynn Chen frowned.
Yolanda Fang reached over and pinched her cheeks. “Wow, even if no company wants him, why are you so worked up about it?”
“I am not worked up! Why would I care about him?” Lynn Chen rolled her eyes.
“But I’m curious—what about Evan Lin’s dad? Do you know? What does he do?” Yolanda Fang asked, glancing over. Lynn Chen shook her head. “I asked my mom once, but she wouldn’t tell me. Actually, she looked kind of weird when I asked.”
“Oh, then Aunt Joy probably ran into some total scumbag. Scumbags deserve to die.” Yolanda Fang waved her fist fiercely. “If I ever meet a guy like that, I’ll punch his dog head open!”
At that exact moment, far away in Beijing, a man suddenly sneezed. He frowned, glanced out at the night, and fell silent, deep in thought.