Chapter 26: Experiment Successful

He Zhi's heart raced with excitement.

If this idea worked, he'd be set for life.

"Let's give it a try."

He Zhi thought for a moment, then grabbed another handful from those ginseng and Fo-Ti roots—about a dozen of each kind—and sent them into the cultivation world once more.

Cultivation world.

"Let's go to the Elder Hall."

"The Elder has bestowed such precious spiritual herbs on us; we must show our gratitude."

"And while we're at it, we'll consult on how to deal with the Blood Yin Sect."

The Sect Master said to the assembled disciples.

Then, leading everyone, he headed to the Elder Hall to express thanks and seek guidance from the Grand Elder.

Though they had just blasted another Foundation Establishment cultivator to death, the threat from Blood Yin Sect was far from over.

Especially that Core Formation Elder Zhao Wuxue—he was the most terrifying of all.

"This is…"

Before they even got close to the Elder Hall, the Sect Master's face lit up with surprise again.

He hurriedly flew forward and landed at the entrance to the Elder Hall.

There, over thirty "thousand-year spiritual herbs" lay neatly arranged on the offering table, radiating astonishing spiritual light and medicinal fragrance.

"Many thanks for the Grand Elder's generous gift!"

The Sect Master excitedly knocked on the Elder Hall's door and prostrated himself.

The disciples who arrived right after were also stunned by the sight of so many "thousand-year spiritual herbs."

"So many…"

"Many thanks for the Grand Elder's generous gift!"

They too prostrated themselves one after another, their hearts filled with gratitude.

The Grand Elder was incredibly generous.

After a while, everyone stood up.

"The Grand Elder's intent is clear,"

the Sect Master said solemnly.

"He's given us so many spiritual herbs to refine into spiritual pills, replenish our Magic Power, and battle those demon cultivators."

"This is a trial to temper us!"

"Right now, I'll head straight to the Alchemy Room to refine pills!"

"You disciples, focus on your cultivation too—don't disappoint the Grand Elder."

Convinced he'd grasped He Zhi's meaning, the Sect Master excitedly carried the spiritual herbs off to the Alchemy Room.

"Let's go cultivate!"

"With the Grand Elder's support, what do we have to fear from the Blood Yin Sect demon cultivators?"

The disciples' confidence soared, and they all rushed off to cultivate diligently.

Outside the screen, He Zhi watched the scene unfold and smiled in satisfaction.

"They've got real enthusiasm—this is a good thing,"

He Zhi chuckled lightly.

At the foot of Qingxuan Mountain, a hundred li away.

A group of figures in blood-red robes hovered silently in midair—over a dozen in total.

The leader had only half a body.

His other half was filled with writhing blood-red liquid, creating a rather eerie sight.

This was the very cultivator whose body He Zhi had blasted in half earlier, who had fled back to Blood Yin Sect to report. Remarkably, he hadn't died.

His name was Ge Ming, a top Perfected Foundation Establishment expert, just one step away from Core Formation.

"Tang Jian is dead,"

Ge Ming stared toward Qingxuan Mountain and said suddenly, his tone icy.

"Tang Jian was Late Foundation Establishment. Was he overwhelmed by numbers, or did that existence make a move?"

Several nearby Blood Yin Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators were startled and asked hurriedly.

"Neither. He was actually slain by a group of Qi Refining disciples using a sword formation."

"It seems that existence bestowed some good items on Qingxuan Sect."

Ge Ming said coldly.

When mentioning "that existence," a mix of irrepressible hatred and fear crept into his tone.

After all, half his body had been shattered by that very existence.

"Is that existence really Qingxuan Sect's Grand Elder?"

Another Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't help asking.

"No! I thought so at first."

"But Elder Zhao said Qingxuan Sect's Grand Elder must be dead. How could he survive the fake cultivation method Elder Zhao personally crafted?"

"Elder Zhao believes the one on Qingxuan Mountain now might be a true Nascent Soul powerhouse…"

Ge Ming replied.

"What? Nascent Soul?"

The Blood Yin Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators were shocked again.

A being like that could wipe out their entire Blood Yin Sect with a wave of the hand!

"What are you afraid of?"

Ge Ming glared at the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Elder Zhao judged from my injuries that this Nascent Soul is gravely wounded and near death. It can barely use Magic Power—only raw physical strength remains."

"Even if it's a Nascent Soul, it's a dying one without a proper body, its strength greatly diminished."

"A dying Nascent Soul is a golden opportunity for our Blood Yin Sect. If we capture it, we could refine pills from its Nascent Soul essence…"

"But we need to probe further before making our move."

Ge Ming's voice grew low and sinister.

Over the next day, Qingxuan Sect's Sect Master and several Foundation Establishment cultivators holed up in the Alchemy Room, refining pills and swords nonstop.

Whenever their Magic Power or energy ran low, they'd swallow a root tendril from a spiritual herb and immediately feel invigorated.

This boosted their efficiency tenfold.

By evening, they finally emerged from the Alchemy Room, faces beaming with joy.

"We've finally turned all that Ten-Thousand-Year Iron Essence into flying swords!"

"And we've refined some Qi-Replenishing Spiritual Pills too—they restore Magic Power and can even be used for daily cultivation."

The Sect Master held two wooden boxes, thrilled.

These were the fruits of their day's labor.

Now they planned to gather the disciples and distribute the flying swords and spiritual pills.

In the real world.

He Zhi stared at the few pills and small sword on his desk, taking a deep breath.

These were items he'd taken from the Sect Master's boxes—unnoticed by anyone.

The raw materials for both had been the iron wire and herbs He'd sent into the cultivation world.

Essentially, they were cheap, worthless goods.

Now He Zhi wanted to know:

After enhancement in the cultivation world and refinement by the Sect Master and others, would these items still work when brought back to reality?

"Let's test the flying sword first…"

He Zhi reached for the small sword.

Then he channeled the thin trace of Magic Power in his body into his hand and poured it into the sword.

His cultivation over the past few days had produced a bit of Magic Power—enough for testing, if not for real combat.

"It works!"

Moments later, He Zhi excitedly discovered the small sword glowing faintly with spiritual light, trembling slightly on the table as if eager to take flight.

But his Magic Power was too meager; the sword trembled for a bit before settling down.

And in that short time, He Zhi's Magic Power was completely drained.

Now he was confident—this "iron wire flying sword" really worked in reality!

"Now for the spiritual pill!"

He Zhi picked up a spiritual pill, then scraped off a bit of powder with his fingernail and swallowed it.

Instantly, he felt his depleted Magic Power rapidly recovering.

"Perfect!"

He Zhi's heart settled. The experiment was a success.