While the player is in Battle Through the Heavens, the system is in The Great Ruler.

Chapter 152 Lu Yu: "Holy crap, is this old man trying to scam me?"

The next day.

Within Tianyuan City.

As the morning light shines down, more and more pedestrians appear on the streets. Shops line both sides of the long bluestone street, and shouts of vendors rise and fall.

Lu Yu, dressed in a blue robe, strolled leisurely down the middle of the street. Little Fairy Doctor linked arms with him, her plain white dress swaying gently in the wind, like a blooming snow lotus.

Her beautiful and refined appearance attracted frequent glances from passersby, but she only cast gentle looks at the man beside her.

Behind them, Zi Yan was intently working on a bag of candied spiritual fruits. She had shed her childishness and grown into a graceful young woman, with long purple hair cascading down like a waterfall, and her starry eyes sparkling with intelligence.

However, she still couldn't shake her gluttonous nature. Holding a bag of newly bought candied fruits, she kept stuffing them into her mouth as she walked, saying indistinctly, "Lu Yu, the candied fruits at that 'Baiweizhai' shop up ahead smell so good, let's go buy some more!"

Lu Yu glanced back at her, smiled helplessly, and said, "You've already bought three bags along the way. If you keep eating like this, you might not even be able to walk."

Zi Yan pouted: "I have a very good appetite. Besides, we need to prepare some dry food when we're traveling."

Little Fairy Doctor covered her mouth and chuckled softly, saying gently, "Sister Ziyan is right. Anyway, we have enough space in our storage rings, so it doesn't hurt to prepare more."

Lu Yu sighed softly, turned and walked into Baiweizhai ahead. He returned a moment later and handed a storage ring to Zi Yan: "I bought ten large packs of each flavor. That should last you ten to fifteen days."

Zi Yan took the storage ring, her eyes flashing with joy, and couldn't wait to take out a packet of candied fruit to continue enjoying.

The three then entered a herbal medicine shop called "Wan Yao Ge". As soon as they entered, a rich aroma of herbs wafted towards them.

The shopkeeper was a lean old man. When he saw the group enter, especially after noticing the faint but powerful aura emanating from Lu Yu, he immediately put on a smile and greeted them.

"Distinguished guests, what would you like to do?"

Lu Yu took out a list and said, "Soul-Nourishing Grass, Mind-Concentrating Flower, Profound Yin Spirit Mushroom... thirty portions of each."

The shopkeeper took a look, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and said with a smile, "You have a good eye, esteemed guest. These are all top-quality medicinal herbs that nourish the soul, but... they are not cheap."

Lu Yu casually tossed out a storage ring: "Is this enough?"

The shopkeeper took the scan and immediately beamed, "That's enough! Please wait a moment, esteemed guest!"

Before long, the medicinal herbs were ready. Lu Yu put them into his storage ring and was about to leave when Little Fairy Doctor suddenly spoke up: "Shopkeeper, do you have any seventh-tier poisonous herbs?"

The shopkeeper's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice, asking, "What does the young lady need that for?"

"Even a seventh-tier poisonous herb can kill a Dou Zong level expert, my little shop..."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Yu flicked his finger, and a pill gleaming with a bluish light landed steadily on the sandalwood counter. The pill's surface was covered with flowing patterns, radiating a heart-pounding energy fluctuation.

"A sixth-grade Battle Spirit Pill!"

The shopkeeper's pupils contracted sharply, and his voice trembled, "This...this is a pill that can help a Dou Wang expert break through their bottleneck..."

Little Fairy Doctor pursed her lips, a complex look flashing in her eyes. She naturally understood the value of this pill, and even more so, the deeper meaning behind Lu Yu's actions.

Since breaking through to the Dou Zong realm, she has clearly felt that her cultivation speed has slowed down considerably. Cai Lin and Qing Lin, relying on their Earth-grade spiritual veins and special bloodlines, have made rapid progress in their cultivation, while she only has a Human-grade spiritual vein. In addition, with the difficulty of finding poisonous medicinal herbs of the seventh rank or above, she has gradually fallen behind the others.

"I'll take all the poisonous herbs in your shop that are of the seventh rank or higher, however many you have."

Lu Yu's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority: "Price is not a problem."

The shopkeeper's Adam's apple bobbed, and finally, after gritting his teeth, he said, "Deal!"

He turned and went into the inner room, and soon came out with three pitch-black jade boxes.

"Please take a look, sir."

The shopkeeper carefully opened the three jade boxes one by one, and a sweet, metallic scent immediately filled the shop. He lowered his voice and introduced, "These are three seventh-tier poisonous medicinal herbs that our shop has treasured for many years: the Heart-Eating Demon Vine, the Soul-Severing Grass, and the Withered Blood Wood..."

Little Fairy Doctor carefully scanned the three poisonous herbs, and after confirming that their quality was correct, she gently closed the jade box.

Her slender fingers gently caressed the surface of the box, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes. She said softly, "With these, I can break through to the four-star Dou Zong level."

Though her voice was soft, it couldn't hide her inner joy.

Lu Yu nodded slightly and took out two bottles of Douling Pills from his storage ring, placing them on the counter: "This is the final payment."

The shopkeeper quickly took the pills, examined them carefully, and his face immediately lit up with a smile: "Thank you for your patronage, sir. Welcome to come again next time!"

……

After leaving the Wan Yao Pavilion, Zi Yan stretched, her purple hair gleaming in the sunlight: "Finally finished shopping. Should I go to the Feng Lei Pavilion next?"

"Didn't Lu Yu say he was going there to find the ingredients for the Bone-Regenerating and Blood-Melting Pill?"

She patted the bulging snack bag at her waist, squinting her eyes contentedly: "Anyway, I've prepared plenty of provisions!"

Little Fairy Doctor carefully put the three jade boxes into her storage ring, then looked up at the continuous mountain range outside the city and said, "The Wind and Thunder Pavilion is still quite a distance from here, but with our current cultivation level, if we travel at full speed, it shouldn't take too long..."

"Not urgent."

Lu Yu interrupted her, looking at her gently, and said softly, "Find a quiet place to refine these poisons first, and then we can set off."

Upon hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor smiled gently and nodded, saying, "Okay."

The three then returned to the inn where they had previously stayed.

As night fell, Little Fairy Doctor set up a spirit-gathering array in her room and began to concentrate on refining the poison. Lu Yu stood in the courtyard, gazing at the faint purple poisonous mist in her room, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Worried about her?" Zi Yan appeared beside him at some point, a string of candied hawthorns dangling from her mouth.

Lu Yu gently shook his head and said, "With Xian'er's cultivation level, refining these poisons is not a problem. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"However, the later the stage of the Calamity Poison Body, the more difficult it is to find the required poisons."

Lu Yu sighed and continued, "Hopefully, we can find some clues on this trip to Fenglei Pavilion."

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight fell, Little Fairy Doctor's door finally opened. She walked out slowly, her aura noticeably stronger, and a faint purple light flickered in her eyes.

"Peak of the three-star Dou Zong realm, she could break through at any time." Lu Yu could tell her current cultivation progress at a glance.

Little Fairy Doctor smiled and said, "Thanks to those poisons. However, some of the medicinal power is still accumulating in my body and will need some time to be absorbed and transformed."

She looked at the two who were already packed and ready, "Let's go."

Zi Yan cheered and was the first to rush out of the inn: "Finally, we're going to the Wind and Thunder Pavilion! I heard their lightning-attribute techniques are very powerful. I wonder if they have any delicious spiritual fruits..."

Lu Yu shook his head helplessly and walked out of the inn side by side with Little Fairy Doctor. After the three of them left the city gate, Lu Yu waved his sleeve, and a spatial force enveloped the three of them, sending them flying towards the direction of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

……

After a few days,

The Fenglei Mountains on the northern edge of Zhongzhou.

This region is shrouded in strange celestial phenomena year-round. Towering peaks seem to pierce the sky, attracting countless bolts of lightning. The rumbling thunder from the depths of the mountains can be clearly heard even dozens of miles away, and the power of wind and thunder contained within is truly terrifying.

This is the headquarters of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, one of the Four Pavilions—the East Pavilion.

The Wind and Thunder Pavilion is divided into four pavilions: East, South, West, and North, with the East Pavilion being the most prestigious. As its headquarters, the East Pavilion not only boasts a wealth of powerful individuals but also possesses impregnable defenses. For hundreds of years, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion has weathered countless storms, yet the East Pavilion has always stood firm. It is through numerous thrilling battles that it has established its renowned reputation as one of the four pavilions.

"Boom——"

A sudden spatial fluctuation rippled through the sky, and three figures emerged from the void. The leading man in a blue robe stood with his hands behind his back, flanked by two stunningly beautiful women. It was none other than Lu Yu and his group.

"He who comes is stopped!"

Several figures soared into the sky from the mountain gate. The leader wore a cyan-silver tower-shaped emblem on his chest, with lightning crackling around it, which was the mark of the East Pavilion Guard of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion.

"This is the important grounds of the East Pavilion of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!"

The guard commander shouted sternly, his body surging with battle aura, revealing himself to be a nine-star Dou Huang powerhouse.

Just as Lu Yu was about to speak, a streak of cyan-silver light shot out from the depths of the mountains.

"stop!"

A clear, cold voice rang out, and a woman in a long cyan dress gracefully arrived. The woman was exquisitely beautiful, a silver floral ornament between her brows adding a touch of heroic spirit, and every gesture exuded a noble air. She was none other than Feng Qing'er, the current chief disciple of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion and a personal disciple of Thunder Venerable.

"Senior Sister Feng!" The guards quickly bowed.

Feng Qing'er nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over Lu Yu and the other two. When she saw Zi Yan, she felt a strange sense of disgust welling up inside her.

"The three of you have come from afar. May I ask what brings you here?" Her voice was cool, yet she maintained the proper etiquette.

Lu Yu cupped his hands and said, "I am Lu Yu, a seventh-grade alchemist. I have come to pay my respects to Venerable Lei and request to purchase some medicinal herbs."

Upon hearing this, Feng Qing'er frowned slightly and asked, "What medicinal herbs?"

"Blood Essence Demon Fruit, Evergreen Spirit Vine, and Snow Bone Ginseng..."

"If Fenglei Pavilion possesses any of these three medicinal herbs, even just one of them, I am willing to exchange it for a Rank 7 pill..."

Lu Yu cupped his hands in greeting, his tone quite humble.

Feng Qing'er shook her head and said, "I am unaware of this matter. I need to report to my master for a decision. Please wait a moment."

After saying that, she turned and flew towards the depths of the mountains.

A short while later, a dazzling light ripped through the sky, and a tall man descended from the heavens. He appeared to be no more than forty or fifty years old, with a wisp of silver-white beard on his chin, and wore a silver robe embroidered with lightning patterns. These patterns flowed ceaselessly as if alive, faintly radiating a terrifying thunderous power.

This person's appearance was quite ordinary, but Lu Yu, with his extraordinary soul perception, clearly sensed a dangerous aura emanating from him.

This person's strength is probably far greater than that of the Heavenly Serpent Lord whom he killed!
"You're that seventh-grade alchemist?"

Lei Zunzhe's eyes flashed like lightning as his sharp gaze swept over everyone present, finally landing on Lu Yu, and he asked in a booming voice.

Lu Yu remained calm and composed, bowing respectfully and saying, "It is indeed I."

"Do you have a rank medal issued by the Danta as proof?"

Lei Zun Zhe asked slowly and deliberately.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu shook his head frankly and said, "This junior has not yet gone to the Pill Tower for certification, but I have a pill that I personally refined, which can serve as proof..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, took out a jade box, and gently opened it. Inside, a pill emitting a faint blue light was revealed.

Lei Zun Zhe raised an eyebrow. With his discerning eye, he naturally recognized that this was a seventh-grade pill. Judging from its quality, it was clearly recently refined and no more than a few months old.

In this light, what the young man said was true.

What startled him even more was that, upon focusing his senses, he discovered that this young man's soul power was vast and unfathomable, seemingly surpassing his own. It should be noted that although he wasn't an alchemist, through years of accumulation, his soul power had now reached the peak of the mortal realm…

Could this child actually be...?

Thinking of this, Venerable Lei's face immediately broke into a smile, and he solemnly cupped his hands in a salute, saying, "So it is Master Lu who has arrived. I apologize for my disrespect."

After saying this, he stepped aside and invited, "Master Lu, please come with me to the pavilion for a chat."

Lu Yu and the two women exchanged a glance, then stepped inside.

……

Soon after,

Inside the East Pavilion of Fenglei Pavilion, in an elegantly decorated welcoming hall.

Lei Zunzhe sat in the main seat, Feng Qing'er sat to the left, while Lu Yu, Xiao Yixian, and Zi Yan sat in the guest seats on the right.

After everyone was seated, Venerable Lei got straight to the point and said, "Master Lu, to be honest, I happen to have a key ingredient you need—Snow Bone Ginseng. I am willing to give it to you free of charge, but I have one request."

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "Please speak freely, senior."

Lei Zun Zhe sighed softly, his face showing worry, and slowly explained, "To be honest, I have been stuck at the peak of the three-star Dou Zun for many years, and my cultivation can hardly make any further progress. Decades ago, I was fortunate enough to obtain a peak seventh-grade medicine formula called 'Thunder Beginning Pill'. This pill can stimulate the potential of thunder attribute Dou Qi in a short period of time, which may help me break through my current bottleneck."

"However, this pill is extremely difficult to refine. Although it is nominally a seventh-grade pill, the medicinal materials used are all extremely rare, and its value is almost comparable to that of an eighth-grade pill. Because of this, I have only managed to gather one set of medicinal materials over the past few decades."

"I have sought the help of several peak seventh-grade alchemists before, but they all admitted that they could not guarantee success in one attempt. And I only have this one set of materials, which is not enough to withstand the losses from failure. Therefore, I humbly request that you, Master, take action and ensure that this alchemy is successfully completed in one go."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yu frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Since it's so difficult to become a peak seventh-grade alchemist, why not ask an eighth-grade alchemist for help?"

"Seventh-grade peak pills, surely an eighth-grade alchemist has a good chance of success?"

Upon hearing this, Venerable Lei's lips twitched slightly. He shook his head with a wry smile and explained, "Eighth-grade alchemists are all highly respected. Not only are their alchemy fees incredibly high, but they are also extremely busy and difficult to invite."

"Not to mention that I am simply unable to gather three such precious medicinal herbs, even if I managed to gather them, I would certainly not have enough wealth to pay the exorbitant alchemy fees... In order to invite these peak seventh-grade alchemists, I have already spent a lot of my savings and suffered a great loss."

"Then you dare to assert that I can succeed in one go, senior?"

Lu Yu raised his eyebrows and asked in a questioning tone.

Upon hearing this, Venerable Lei smiled calmly and proposed, "Master, would you dare to exchange a blow with me using your soul power?"

Lu Yu's eyes flashed, and he readily replied, "Why wouldn't I dare!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Venerable Lei laughed heartily and warned, "Master, be careful!"

After saying that, a flash of lightning appeared in his eyes, and a surge of powerful soul energy instantly emerged, transforming into an invisible giant hand that grabbed at Lu Yu like lightning.

"Ding!"

A crisp sword cry suddenly rang out. A black sword light flashed in Lu Yu's eyes, and he also conjured a phantom black palm print to meet the incoming giant hand!
With a loud bang, the two collided violently...

"not good!"

Lei Zunzhe's expression changed drastically. He saw that as soon as his invisible giant palm touched the opponent's attack, it immediately shattered and disintegrated. The speed at which it collapsed was completely beyond his expectations.

Immediately afterwards, Venerable Lei groaned and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.

"Master..."

Feng Qing'er, who was standing nearby, was shocked and hurriedly flew forward, gently supporting the swaying Lei Zunzhe with her slender hand. Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry and fear: "Master, how are you?"

"Holy crap, this old man is trying to scam me!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Lu Yu couldn't help but show a hint of shock in his eyes.

He didn't think he had used much strength, so why was this Thunder Venerable coughing up blood? Could it be that the other party was trying to extort money from him so that he could lower the reward later?
How could a dignified Dou Zun resort to such despicable behavior?
Despite the excruciating pain in his soul, Venerable Lei waved his hand and coughed, saying, "It's alright... I underestimated your strength, Master."

Lu Yu frowned slightly, about to ask a question, when he saw lightning crackling around Lei Zun Zhe, whose aura had become much more stable. He heard him solemnly say, "I was too reckless just now, I hope you will forgive me, Master."

"Master's soul power has not only reached the half-step Spirit Realm, but the depth and quality of his soul power far surpass that of ordinary seventh-grade alchemists. With Master's strength, the chances of refining the 'Thunder Beginning Pill' are extremely high."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Feng Qing'er's eyes, who had been tense.

Immediately afterward, Venerable Lei abruptly stood up, bowed deeply to Lu Yu, and earnestly pleaded, "I dare to ask that you open all the treasures of the East Pavilion of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion to me, Master, in order to condescend to refine this 'Thunder Origin Pill'. When the task is completed, you may choose any three items from the pavilion's inventory to take with you."

Lu Yu was taken aback by the other party's sudden seriousness.

He glanced at Little Fairy Doctor and Zi Yan beside him, and seeing that the two women nodded slightly in support, he straightened his sleeves and said solemnly, "Since you have placed such trust in me, I will certainly do my best. However, I would appreciate it if you could explain the details of the prescription and the properties of the herbs in more detail."

Whether or not it can be refined depends on seeing the prescription.

Upon hearing this, Venerable Lei was overjoyed and immediately took out an ancient animal skin scroll from his robes and presented it to him: "This is the complete prescription and the key to its preparation. Please take a look, Master."

Lu Yu took the prescription and began to read it carefully. As his gaze shifted, his eyes became increasingly focused, sometimes frowning in deep thought, sometimes revealing a look of sudden realization.

After a while, he closed the scroll and said confidently, "Don't worry, senior, I'll accept this pill."

Lei Zun Zhe was overjoyed and bowed deeply again: "If you can refine this pill, Master, whatever you ask for in the future, as long as Feng Lei Pavilion can do it, we will never refuse!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yu shook his head and said, "Senior, don't be too happy yet. I only agreed to refine it, but I didn't say it would definitely succeed. If it fails..."

"I don't need the Snow Bone Ginseng, but please don't blame me, senior."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Lei was taken aback for a moment, then pondered for a while before gritting his teeth and saying, "Alright! We'll do as the master says!"

……

(End of this chapter)