Raise a sword!

Inside the cultivation room.

Jiang Peng sat cross-legged on the futon, and a sudden flush rose to her face.

"drink--"

He suddenly opened his eyes and let out a loud shout.

The room shook slightly twice, and dust flew up in the air, swirling haphazardly with the lingering echo of the sound.

Jiang Peng felt her head buzzing.

The cultivation room in the Bing-character house was much larger than that in the Ding-character house, so much so that the spacious cultivation room produced echoes.

Jiang Peng's all-out "Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl" ultimately backfired, killing him handsomely.

Half an hour later, Jiang Peng finally calmed the surging blood and qi in her body, and the discomfort that felt like a migraine also subsided.

"This technique truly lives up to its name of Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl... The roar is mixed with a spiritual impact, and it is extremely fast to execute, making it impossible to defend against."

Having just learned the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl after the test, Jiang Peng got up from the futon and began practicing the Dragon Tiger Strength.

The Dragon-Tiger Strength is the introductory body-refining method of the Dragon-Tiger Skill. Jiang Peng has been practicing it for more than half a year and has already achieved some success.

As soon as he stood up, he threw a punch, and a visible hole appeared in the dust that had just been kicked up and was flying in the air.

That was the result of Jiang Peng's fist force being mixed with spiritual energy released outwards.

"Thanks to my copper skin and iron bones, otherwise, in just over half a year, I would have barely mastered the Dragon Tiger Strength, and I would not have dared to try releasing my spiritual power."

It's not easy for a Qi Refining cultivator to release their spiritual power. At the very least, their physical cultivation level must keep up with their Qi Absorption level in order to release their spiritual power safely.

Otherwise, the spiritual power that is enough to harm the enemy will fall on oneself first, and there will be no other result except to hurt oneself.

"Body tempering and magic cultivation are completely different. Although both involve the use of spiritual power, magic is a delicate technique that can move mountains with a feather; body tempering is much rougher, relying on brute force to overcome all techniques." Jiang Peng summarized his cultivation experience in his mind.

He couldn't say which one was better or worse.

But this wasn't a multiple-choice question, so Jiang Peng chose to have it all, but she had to put in more effort.

After completing the "Dragon and Tiger Skill," Jiang Peng then used the Linglong Sword to practice sword control techniques in the training room.

Several hours later, as dawn broke, the doorplate in Jiang Peng's arms vibrated, interrupting his cultivation.

Upon opening the door, a strange woman stood outside.

Although the woman had a pretty and delicate appearance, she was dressed in plain, coarse cloth clothes, making her look less like a cultivator and more like a farmer who had just returned home from the fields.

It was this outfit that gave her a more mature and sophisticated look, which was originally quite youthful upon closer inspection.

"Are you Jiang Peng?" the woman asked as she approached.

Jiang Peng bowed slightly.

Before he could speak, the woman continued, "I heard you're quite skilled at alchemy? Some say you can consistently produce four Qi Condensation Pills."

Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow; he had never revealed this matter before.

However, as the most basic pill, it's not a remarkable thing to be able to consistently produce four Qi Condensation Pills once you've mastered the technique.

At this moment, Jiang Peng realized that this woman must be the solution Liu Quan had come up with for him.

Jiang Peng asked, "May I ask who you are, young lady?"

"Hao Xue, a guest of the Song family," the woman said casually.

What she didn't notice was that Jiang Peng's body trembled slightly the moment she uttered her name.

Hao Xue continued, "Although I am called a guest elder, I actually contracted ten acres of spirit fields from the Song family. Besides handing over 70% of the produce each time, I can still keep 30% of the spirit materials as payment."

As she spoke, Hao Xue looked Jiang Peng up and down, and then said, "Although Qian Laosi is here to vouch for me, I still need to see you refine pills with my own eyes before I can entrust you with the processing of the spiritual materials."

"Qian Laosi?" Jiang Peng was taken aback. "Fellow Daoist Hao Xue, did you come because of Qian Laosi?"

"Otherwise what? Do you know anyone else in the Song family?"

Jiang Peng was somewhat surprised, but didn't say much. Instead, she invited Hao Xue into her home.

Upon arriving at the cultivation room, Hao Xue handed over a wooden box containing the materials for a Qi Condensation Pill.

Jiang Peng thanked him, and after a quick check of the materials, he immediately started refining pills.

Two hours later, Jiang Peng skillfully completed the condensation of the elixir.

Upon opening the alchemy furnace, four high-quality Qi Condensation Pills immediately came into view.

"Not bad." Hao Xue was very satisfied with the quality of the pills and immediately took two of them.

The two entered the reception room.

Hao Xue said with some surprise, "Master Jiang is quite generous, actually letting an outsider like me watch you refine pills. Aren't you afraid I'll steal your skills?"

"Fellow Daoist was introduced by Brother Qian. I trust Brother Qian, so I trust you too," Jiang Peng said.

Let alone stealing the knowledge.

If Hao Xue wanted to learn, Jiang Peng would teach her everything without hesitation. Even the unique techniques he summarized from the alchemy scenes in his mind would not be kept secret.

Hao Xue was unaware of these things and simply thought Jiang Peng was a good person.

So she put down a storage bag.

"Here are the ingredients for ten portions of Rejuvenation Pills and five portions of Qi Condensation Pills. I'll give you this much every month from now on. I'll provide the materials, you provide the crafting skills, and we'll split the finished pills 50/50, how about that?"

After a moment's thought, Jiang Peng realized that this was a win-win situation.

Hao Xue doesn't know how to refine pills, so in the past she would have directly sold spiritual materials.

If the shops hadn't banned the sale of spiritual materials, Jiang Peng's cost and profit from alchemy would have been roughly half.

In this way, Jiang Peng solved the problem of the source of spiritual materials.

Hao Xue, on the other hand, is able to earn the portion of the profit that should have been earned by the shops.

"Sure," Jiang Peng agreed, then asked, "If I refine other pills in the future, could Miss Hao provide the corresponding spiritual materials?"

"I grow almost everything that falls into the category of common spiritual materials," Hao Xue said.

After chatting for a while, Hao Xue left a message talisman.

This communication talisman can only be used within a one-mile radius. She lives at the Song family's house and said that if Jiang Peng needs to contact her, she should go to the Song family's house to activate the communication talisman, and she will know.

After agreeing to deliver the spiritual materials the next day, Hao Xue prepared to leave.

Jiang Peng got up to see him off.

As Jiang Peng watched Hao Xue walk away, she was thinking of Old Hao, whose body had long since vanished, leaving only a cenotaph.

"Your daughter seems to be doing quite well these days."

Jiang Peng muttered something under her breath, preparing to turn around and go back to continue her cultivation.

Just then, a shout suddenly rang out from the side.

"Is this young friend Jiang?"

Jiang Peng looked in the direction from which the sound came and saw an elderly man with white hair and beard, standing not far away with a slightly hunched posture.

"Who are you, sir?"

The old man didn't answer, but simply waved to Jiang Peng.

"Come with me."

Jiang Peng hesitated and stood still.

The old man smiled.

"Didn't you ask Liu Quan to help you find a solution?"