Chapter 147: Encountering Yang Qi

After completing his cultivation, Che Wuyou assigned Yun Fan to guard Zhang Qing’er, as the Gui Xu Pill remained quite dangerous for her. The energy contained within the Gui Xu Pill was not only immense but also fiercely potent. Unlike the Sanxing Pill, which was primarily used to replenish energy or heal wounds, the Gui Xu Pill was designed to break through realms, making it far more perilous.

Originally, Che Wuyou intended to give Zhang Qing’er only half a pill or even less, uncertain of her tolerance limits. However, Yun Fan confidently assured him that with his protection, there would be no problem. Although Che Wuyou still harbored reservations about other aspects of Yun Fan, he had absolute faith in his strength. Since Yun Fan was so certain, Che Wuyou allowed Zhang Qing’er to take the entire pill.

Before ingesting the pill, a complex expression flickered across Zhang Qing’er’s face. She hesitated as if wanting to say something to Che Wuyou but stopped when she glanced at Yun Fan. For some unknown reason, she ultimately remained silent, her expression turning faint before she swallowed the Gui Xu Pill.

As expected, the pill’s potent medicinal properties proved somewhat overwhelming for Zhang Qing’er—it was, after all, meant to shatter barriers and open the profound gateways within. Yet Yun Fan’s extraordinary power was evident. Placing one hand firmly on Zhang Qing’er’s back, he used his true energy to suppress the pill’s force within her body. Fortunately, the process was smooth and uneventful, allowing Zhang Qing’er to successfully enter the initial perfected stage of the Guiyuan Realm, just a hair’s breadth from advancing to the mid-stage.

Though Che Wuyou silently rejoiced at Zhang Qing’er’s breakthrough, her expression remained serene and distant. Next, Che Wuyou turned his attention to refining a pill for Yun Fan. Since Yun Fan’s realm was already high, the Gui Xu Pill was insufficient for him. Thus, Che Wuyou prepared a top-grade Yellow Pill called the Baihui Pill.

The Baihui Pill was directly used for realm breakthroughs. For someone in the Guiyuan Realm, it was considered quite potent, though for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it might be somewhat lacking. Nevertheless, its energy was fierce, though not to be compared with the Gui Xu Pill.

Che Wuyou had some experience crafting the Baihui Pill. Although it was among the more challenging pills to refine, it was less difficult than concocting Harmonious Pills. Therefore, without using the Golden Touch technique, Che Wuyou succeeded in producing a Baihui Pill, albeit of grade D quality. This left him slightly disappointed, as his Yellow-grade top-tier pills consistently fell into the lowest tier of that category.

He worried somewhat. Initially, he wanted Yun Fan to take only half the Baihui Pill. Although his pill was just grade D and possessed weak medicinal power, it was still a second-tier pill capable of aiding a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s breakthrough. Yet Yun Fan examined the Baihui Pill and dismissed concerns over its potency, refusing to split it. He explained that halving the pill would reduce its efficacy by more than half. Faced with Yun Fan’s certainty, Che Wuyou acquiesced.

After taking the Baihui Pill, Yun Fan’s breakthrough was uneventful, but he only barely advanced from the late Guiyuan stage to the pinnacle of Guiyuan, far from reaching the realm’s full perfection. This surprised Che Wuyou deeply; logically, with such a potent pill, Yun Fan should have ascended effortlessly to the realm’s peak completion. Yet, for reasons unknown, Yun Fan stalled just shy of that.

Still, Yun Fan was extremely satisfied with his current state. He grew noticeably warmer toward Che Wuyou and murmured, “This Baihui Pill is truly miraculous. Without its aid, I don’t know when I could have reached the pinnacle of the Guiyuan Realm.”

As their strength increased, Che Wuyou’s continuous pill refining left him quite exhausted. After resting for nearly an hour, the three resumed their journey. Although refining consumed many elemental stones, the treasures on the eighth floor had clearly multiplied. When they reached the central area of the eighth floor, the red characters above Che Wuyou’s head once again displayed “300 kilograms of mid-grade elemental stones.”

The trio grew increasingly curious about the higher levels of the Tower of Ascension. It seemed that with each new floor, the treasures became more precious, yet the challenges also grew more formidable.

Fortunately, among them was Yun Fan, undoubtedly one of the finest among these trial youths. His ability to locate treasures was uncanny, and his cultivation profound and inscrutable. Especially during the trials, Che Wuyou sensed Yun Fan moved with ease and grace, without a hint of strain. Even on the eighth floor, where he led Zhang Qing’er and Che Wuyou, Che Wuyou noticed no sign of difficulty.

Regrettably, good fortune was short-lived. As Yun Fan had predicted, upon their arrival on the ninth floor, they immediately encountered one of the frontrunners for the top spot in this trial—the Yang family’s Yang Qi, a figure who always trailed behind Yang Shi like his most loyal retainer, so unobtrusive as to be nearly invisible.

Yang Qi’s eyes fixed coldly on Che Wuyou. Upon seeing the “300 kilograms of mid-grade elemental stones” above Che Wuyou’s head, a flicker of fiery desire flashed in Yang Qi’s icy gaze but vanished just as quickly. Then he said coldly, “Leave the treasures behind, then get lost.”

Yang Qi’s words were curt and chilling, as if unwilling to waste a single unnecessary word on Che Wuyou and the others. Yet his tone carried an air of inevitability simply because he was Yang Qi.

Che Wuyou narrowed his eyes slightly. Though he acknowledged Yang Qi’s strength, he did not regard him as especially formidable. He had encountered many from the Yang family—some outstanding like Yang Fengge, others contemptible like Yang Yu. He had even clashed with Yang Yu and found him less impressive than his arrogance suggested.

“Ha ha, ha ha…” Che Wuyou glanced at the “120 kilograms of mid-grade elemental stones” above Yang Qi’s head—a true ‘fat sheep.’ He laughed heartily toward the sky. “Why do all the Yang family folk have the same nature? Yang Yu was like this, and so are you.”

Then he turned proudly to Yun Fan with a smile. “Brother, this guy wants to snatch our treasure. Can you agree to that? As for me, I certainly won’t.”

This was their usual approach—when encountering a ‘fat sheep,’ they would naturally exchange a few words before preparing to strip it completely. Yet this time, Che Wuyou heard no immediate response from Yun Fan. Instead, from Yun Fan’s eyes, he sensed caution and a trace of apprehension.