Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Never before had Luo Chen’s breath ever been so rushed.
His heart pounded in response.
His gaze, almost leaving everything behind, was firmly locked onto that pure white pill floating in mid-air.
Foundation Establishment Pill!
At such a close distance, Luo Chen saw the real appearance of the Foundation Establishment Pill for the first time.
Four pill patterns, like clouds and fog, contrasted this pill, making it so sacred.
After a long time, he clenched his teeth, forcibly forcing himself to shift his gaze.
He said hoarsely, "Gang Leader, what is the meaning of this?"
Mi Shuhua was very satisfied with his reaction, but he was also a little surprised that Luo Chen was able to suppress his greed so quickly.
He did not take back the pill, letting it hang quietly in mid-air.
Mi Shuhua’s expression became serious, "It’s simple, I want you to refine the Jade Marrow Pill with all your strength, without any reservations."
"I’ve already done everything I can..."
"No, you haven’t!"
Mi Shuhua narrowed his eyes and said word by word, "I sent someone to investigate your sale of the Allure Pill. After you made the Medium Grade Allure Pill, you almost stopped producing the Lower Grade Allure Pill. The same goes for the Ascendant Grade!"
"In other words, you have a more terrifying and extreme talent in the Dao of Alchemy than we thought."
"At first, I wasn’t so sure."
"But you showed some clues at the first large-scale refining of the Jade Marrow Pill."
"Do you remember how much your pill success rate was at that time?"
Luo Chen’s breath almost stopped.
All along, he thought he was doing well, almost flawless.
And he is confident that even if Mi Shuhua knew he pocketed some Jade Marrow Pills, he would not delve deeply.
From the past to now, Mi Shuhua indeed has not troubled him.
But he didn’t expect that the pill refining skills he wanted to hide were exposed.
A thick ledger appeared in Mi Shuhua’s hands.
With a flick of his hand, the ledger turned to the first few pages.
"Mountain Sea Calendar 3,407, December 1, the beginning of winter, the Pill Hall received 10 Lower Grade Jade Marrow Pills and 20 Medium Grade Jade Marrow Pills, consuming. Four sets of raw materials in total. A fifty percent success rate. The ratio of Lower to Middle Grade Pills was one to two!"
After reading this sentence without any emotion, Mi Shuhua stared at Luo Chen intensely.
"From what I know of you, you surely pocketed a part during the single pill collection, and it is very likely the highest quality Medium Grade Jade Marrow Pill!"
"Luo Chen, am I right?"
Luo Chen’s forehead was sweating, but he remained silent.
Mi Shuhua didn’t seem to want to hear his answer, he continued, "I don’t know about refining pills, but I know that pill refining skills come with familiarity! It only gets stronger, the success rate only gets better, and there’s no such thing as it getting worse!"
"But after that time, your success rate has never recovered to fifty percent."
"Not only that, the ratio of lower to medium grades even plummeted to seven to three. Even after you claimed to have slightly improved in the Dao of Alchemy, it was barely a six-four ratio."
"Luo Chen, what’s your explanation for that?"
Explanation?
What kind of explanation could Luo Chen give?
He could only stand trembling, head down, waist bent, again silent.
Sweat dripped down, one bead after the other.
Inside the stone chamber, the sound of the dripping sweat, it was like the sound of raindrops falling onto the green stone pavement.
Quiet, indescribable, oppressive.
Like a high and mighty emperor, overlooking a minister who had committed a serious crime.
Seeing Luo Chen’s appearance, Mi Shuhua couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
What a crafty little fox he was, he almost got deceived.
Fortunately, it was discovered now, and it’s not too late.
The knockdown was almost done.
Next, it was time to win over his heart and maximize Luo Chen’s usefulness.
He really needed this value now!
The quiet atmosphere was quickly broken by Mi Shuhua’s clearly softer tone.
"I know, you were born a rogue cultivator, just like me, suspicious of everything and trusting no one. Even with the slightest benefit, you are unwilling to give up."
"But I believe I have treated you well!"
"You want elixir, I give. You want additional cultivation resources, I give. You want Qi Refinement insights, I give."
"I even initiated the provision of good things like Deficiency Repairing Meridian Fluid and Small Qi Gathering Array."
"Any of these, if taken out, is enough for rogue cultivators to fight for, but you can enjoy them without leaving home. Even if the cultivators in my Mi Family are quite dissatisfied, I forcefully suppress it."
"So, shouldn’t you also give back, put all your heart and effort into serving me?"
A hoarse voice emerged from Luo Chen’s mouth.
"It’s my fault, I’m short-sighted, blinded by greed."
He stood there respectfully, admitting his guilt.
He even confessed many of the Medium Grade Jade Marrow Pills he had pocketed.
Hearing these honest words, Mi Shuhua couldn’t help but reveal a satisfied smile.
"What about the future?"
Luo Chen said solemnly, "I will do my utmost to serve you!"
Not enough, still not enough!
"I know, you’re also worried that your terrifying talent in the Dao of Alchemy would attract others’ covetousness." Mi Shuhua tried to make excuses for Luo Chen, "But now with my protection and the title of Dan Chenzi the Pill Refiner already established, it’s only natural for you to show some talent."
"The Gang Leader is right, I was indeed short-sighted before!"
Luo Chen was filled with regret and pain, almost ready to slap himself.
"I made you a promise before, that I would buy a Foundation Establishment Pill for you when you establish your foundation, do you remember?"