Chapter 22: Delivering on the Promotion Reward
The injuries he had sustained today had already healed by nearly eighty percent, which sparked even more curiosity in Tang Yan toward the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.
This mysterious cauldron not only absorbed Spiritual Energy and grew medicinal herbs — it could apparently heal wounds as well?
However, no matter what method Tang Yan tried, he could not coax the pill cauldron into the slightest reaction, which drew a long sigh from him. It seemed that unraveling the secrets of the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron would take some time yet.
When Little Cui returned with a full carriage of medicinal herbs, a gleam of eager anticipation flashed through Tang Yan's eyes. He carried all the herbs into the Pill Refining Chamber and threw himself into alchemy.
Selecting herbs, tempering, extracting, shaping pills, nurturing pills… each step of the process was executed with practiced ease.
Once a batch of pills was refined, he sealed them into porcelain bottles.
When his True Qi ran dry, he swallowed a Spirit Initiation Pill.
Tang Yan repeated this cycle over and over, and only after sealing yet another batch into porcelain bottles did he realize — he had used up every last herb!
Just as he was about to relax, his cultivation core suddenly stirred.
Tang Yan's expression turned strange. This was unmistakably the sign of an imminent Breakthrough. Could it be that refining pills could also advance one's cultivation?
There was no time to dwell on it. He quickly crossed his legs, swallowed a Spirit Initiation Pill, focused his mind, and began to cultivate in silence.
Time trickled by, second by second. The Spirit Initiation Pill dissolved the moment it touched his tongue and was gradually absorbed into his body. The circulating True Qi grew thicker and more powerful within his meridians, until finally, with a sharp cry from Tang Yan, a crack rang out from within his cultivation core — the original barrier was shattered!
Ninth grade of the Primary Realm!
Yet Tang Yan did not stop there. He sensed that the True Qi within him still had the momentum to press further.
Could it be that another Breakthrough was coming? After a brief moment of surprise, Tang Yan cast aside the distracting thoughts and continued guiding the True Qi through his body.
Having already experienced consecutive advancements before, Tang Yan was not overly shocked.
The True Qi surged like a raging flood, unstoppable, and slammed violently against his cultivation core once more.
Before long, a boom erupted from within his cultivation core, Tang Yan's body shuddered, and the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron inside his cultivation core shook violently!
Tang Yan felt his cultivation core undergoing constant change, as though something was about to burst free from within it.
Even with Tang Yan's exceptional composure, he felt a tremor of fear in this moment. What on earth was emerging from his cultivation core? Could his cultivation have gone wrong — was he about to suffer Qi Deviation?
Just as Tang Yan was gripped by confusion, a wisp of deep blue flame ignited with a pop inside his cultivation core.
Tang Yan's heart lurched. Even with all his vast experience, he had never heard of a cultivation core catching fire.
However, after a long while, the deep blue flame only produced a mild sensation of warmth. When no other abnormalities appeared, Tang Yan finally set his mind at ease.
"Supreme Pill Scripture — Fire Control Art!" A stream of information flowed once more from the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.
After carefully reviewing this information, Tang Yan's eyes lit up with wild joy!
It was the Heaven and Earth Creation Fire!
This flame could not only significantly increase the success rate of alchemy, but could also be projected outside the body, becoming a lethal weapon in combat.
"Come out!" After fully absorbing the memory, Tang Yan willed it forth — a wisp of deep blue flame danced playfully in the palm of his hand.
Wanting to test whether the flame truly had destructive power, Tang Yan directed it toward a medicinal herb.
Without a single sound, the herb vanished into thin air in an instant!
"Holy shit!" Tang Yan stared in disbelief. The power of this flame was actually this terrifying?
Not quite convinced, he directed the flame at another herb. Again, without a sound, the herb was reduced to ash in an instant.
Tang Yan's cultivation core suddenly emptied, and he lost his footing, dropping onto the floor with a thud.
Two brief uses of fire control had completely drained every last bit of True Qi in his body!
Tang Yan realized that while the Heaven and Earth Creation Fire was indeed immensely powerful, its consumption of True Qi was equally enormous. He was already at the Primary Realm… wait — he had already entered the first grade of the Yellow Realm!
Sensing the state of his cultivation core, a smile flickered in Tang Yan's eyes.
Since transmigrating, in less than two months, he had gone from a shattered cultivation core to the first grade of the Yellow Realm. Such a rapid rate of advancement — no one would believe it if he said it aloud.
Yet Tang Yan was not satisfied. Without absolute strength, his fate would still be at the mercy of those more powerful than him. The dignity of a Pill Saint would not allow such a situation to persist.
He stretched his limbs, took a bath, changed his clothes, and headed toward the Training Grounds.
After a month of daily interaction, the Tang Clan guards had undergone a dramatic change in their attitude toward this young master with his poor reputation.
Over the past month, Tang Yan's daily training volume had steadily increased. His demands on himself could no longer be called diligent — they were downright grueling — leaving the guards, who considered themselves already quite hardworking, thoroughly ashamed.
Spurred on by Tang Yan's example, they too trained with greater dedication, each one silently resolved not to be outpaced by this young master who had once been so delicate.
When Tang Yan arrived at the Training Grounds, the guards all smiled and greeted him warmly.
Tang Yan smiled back and returned each greeting. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a burly man who seemed to be stammering, with a look of wanting to say something but holding back.
Tang Yan remembered this man very well — it was Chang Tie, the one who had stepped forward to challenge his authority the very first time he had addressed the guards.
Seeing this straightforward man acting so uncharacteristically, Tang Yan laughed and teased him: "Old Tie, why are you grinning at me like some lovesick girl? Let me be clear — I have zero interest in guys."
"So Old Chang has that kind of taste. No wonder his eyes always looked so strange when we were bathing in the river."
"Exactly! Last time we sparred, he grabbed me when he had the chance. So he was flirting with me all along — Old Chang, you owe me money for that!"
"……"
"Hahaha……" Tang Yan had set the tone, and the atmosphere instantly erupted into laughter.
"Heh heh, Young Master, I made a Breakthrough last night — I'm now at the first grade of the Yellow Realm. Does that offer you made before still stand?" Chang Tie rubbed his hands together with a goofy grin.
"Yellow Realm already?" Tang Yan was momentarily taken aback, then smiled. "Throw a few punches and let me see!"
"Sure thing!" Chang Tie answered and stepped into the center of the grounds, launching into a boxing routine. His fists were powerful and fierce, a faint protective aura forming around his knuckles. True Qi radiating outward — the unmistakable sign of stepping into the Yellow Realm!
"What's your monthly salary right now?" Tang Yan asked directly once Chang Tie finished the routine.
"Everyone gets the same — fifty silver notes a month," Chang Tie answered promptly.
"Starting this month, Chang Tie's monthly salary is two hundred silver notes!" Tang Yan announced loudly.
"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!" Chang Tie said with delight.
"Furthermore, Chang Tie is the first to enter the Yellow Realm — an additional reward of five hundred silver notes!"
Hearing this, the eyes of the onlookers turned red with envy.
"Old Chang, you're buying tonight!"
"Old Chang, tonight we're going to the High-class Brothel — we're not leaving until we're drunk!"
"……"
Chang Tie hadn't expected an additional reward at all. Five hundred silver notes — enough to cover a full year of his previous wages without eating or drinking. He grinned from ear to ear, repeating "Thank you, Young Master!"
"Don't thank me — thank yourself. You reap what you sow. Whoever puts in the effort will enjoy the rewards they deserve. Keep working hard. Within the Yellow Realm, every grade your strength advances, your monthly salary rises by another hundred silver notes. If you reach the Profound Realm, we'll renegotiate the terms!" Tang Yan smiled and clapped Chang Tie on the shoulder.
"I'll give it everything I've got!" Chang Tie thumped his chest in promise.
Tang Yan gave Chang Tie another pat on the shoulder as encouragement, then discreetly glanced at the others — every one of them seemed to be burning with the drive to break through. He cleared his throat and said, "From now on, whenever anyone makes a Breakthrough, report it directly to Guard Captain Mo Yanjun. Keep training hard, everyone!"
After dismissing the group, just as Tang Yan was about to begin his own training, Mo Yanjun sidled up to him quietly.