The Price of a Glance

“You can refine pills as well?”

Qiu Yan’s voice held a note of surprise.

After all, within this cultivation world, while everyone possessed some rudimentary knowledge of pill refinement, those who could truly be called alchemists were undeniably a rare few.

The Heavenly Spirit Sect, for instance, boasted only a single alchemist.

“I am capable of refining fourth-grade pills, though my success rate is not particularly high,” Xia Niansheng replied respectfully.

Pills were categorized into nine grades, with first-grade being the highest and ninth-grade the lowest; merely being able to refine a sixth-grade pill was enough to earn the title of alchemist.

Even the esteemed alchemist of the Heavenly Spirit Sect could only manage to refine third-grade pills.

This was precisely why the Compound Pill, a first-grade elixir, was both remarkably effective and incredibly precious.

The Compound Pill had ostensibly been intended for White Snow Jade.

Considering it from a different perspective…

‘Perhaps he had given it to White Snow Jade merely as a pretext to approach her, when in reality, this first-grade pill was truly meant for herself?’

‘Was he truly willing to pay such a steep price, all for the sake of earning a mere glance from her?’

‘If this were true, then Xia Niansheng would be astonishingly easy to control.’

‘If it were a facade, however, then the depths of this young man’s cunning and schemes would be unfathomable.’

And yet… it genuinely did not seem like a deception.

This was the conclusion Qiu Yan ultimately reached.

Neither his apparent motivations nor the way he looked at her, or even his carefully chosen words, suggested any falsehood.

Naturally, Qiu Yan, whose suspicious nature bordered on paranoia, still harbored her reservations.

More importantly, at this moment, the potential benefits Xia Niansheng could offer had just escalated significantly.

If she could truly train him into an obedient dog, he would undoubtedly become an exceptionally useful pawn.

Qiu Yan narrowed her eyes, her mastery of manipulating people telling her precisely what to do: offer Xia Niansheng a taste of benefit without making any definitive promises.

“Although the sect already possesses an alchemist… there are times when your abilities might prove more convenient for me.”

Upon hearing her words, Xia Niansheng’s eyes seemed to gleam with an undeniable light.

“If my humble abilities could be of service to the Sect Master…”

Before he could even utter “at all costs,” Qiu Yan dismissively waved her hand.

She intended to end the conversation there; cutting off the topic at the peak of the other person’s eagerness to speak was her customary tactic.

Those of lower standing would fret over gains and losses, while even those of higher standing would be left wanting more.

“Very well, you may rise now.”

This time, Xia Niansheng did not hesitate; after a mere second of surprise, he promptly stood.

“My gratitude, Sect Master.”

Qiu Yan languidly propped her chin in her hand, her gaze on Xia Niansheng filled with a smile; it was a smile devoid of coquetry, yet the mole at the corner of her eye invariably invited suggestive thoughts.

“Which medicinal herbs do you desire?”

****

Ordinarily, individuals who harbored such intentions towards her would only ever bore Qiu Yan, let alone if they were repulsive men.

However, this particular young man had ignited a profound interest within her.

His mere ability to avoid her disgust had already surpassed the vast majority of men.

Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to that woman, Duan Xi Shen.

Beyond Xia Niansheng’s objectively pleasing appearance, his identity as Duan Xi Shen’s disciple constituted a significant portion of her interest.

That woman’s fastidiousness and aversion to men were no less extreme than her own, yet she had taken a male as her disciple.

Back then, she and Qiu Yan had constantly contended, openly and covertly scheming to capture Senior Aunt Xue’s attention.

Ultimately, Senior Aunt Xue displayed no such inclinations, and once that thin veil was pierced, the three of them had fallen into their current, complicated relationship.

‘Duan Xi Shen…’

‘If you knew your beloved disciple might be willing to grovel at my feet and lick my toes, how would you feel?’

The young man’s high emotional intelligence, coupled with his subtle imperfections, perfectly ensured Qiu Yan noticed him without ever finding him difficult to control.

Indeed, he did not even evoke any overt revulsion in Qiu Yan.

Therefore, even when she exploited him, and clearly perceived Xia Niansheng’s intentions towards her,

Qiu Yan felt no significant resistance.

Why wouldn’t she be pleased to gain control of an exceedingly useful, and not entirely detestable, loyal hound by merely offering a small favor?

She had already reached a firm decision in her heart.

The young man accepted the two medicinal herbs Qiu Yan had retrieved; though his lips did not curve, a congenial smile seemed to reside within his eyes.

Even with an expressionless face, his eyes alone were enough to captivate one’s soul.

“Keep up the good work,” Qiu Yan stated airily as she handed the medicinal herbs to Xia Niansheng.

Xia Niansheng’s hand hovered in the air as he stood dumbfounded for several seconds.

He appeared as though he had received an immense boon.

He then nodded vigorously.

“Mm!”

Qiu Yan felt an inexplicable sense of oddity.

While manipulating hearts was her usual practice, using another’s covetousness towards her as bait was a novel experience.

Nevertheless, she ultimately uttered:

“Do not disappoint my expectations of you.”

‘My expectations, you should be eternally grateful for.’

Qiu Yan sneered inwardly, seemingly already envisioning the young man prostrating himself at her feet.

****

“b*tch.”

Only after walking a considerable distance from Heavenly Spirit Peak did Xia Niansheng finally shed his feigned deference, spitting out the long-held word from his lips.

The mere thought of the demeanor he had just performed sent a shiver of revulsion down Xia Niansheng’s spine.

Fortunately, everything had proceeded smoothly, unfolding precisely as he had anticipated.

His next course of action was to dispel Qiu Yan’s lingering concerns and fully earn her trust.

His scheme was no mere laughable trick.

‘That woman, Qiu Yan, must now believe she has me on a leash, like a dog, surely?’

‘And what I must do, is simply allow her to believe it…’

****

By the time he returned to Blood Sword Mountain, darkness had already descended.

Truthfully, throughout these past few days, despite maintaining an outward composure as if everything were under his complete control, his nerves had remained taut until this very moment.

He was acutely aware of how formidable Qiu Yan was to deal with, and understood that not a single step he took could afford to be flawed.

The most crucial groundwork had now been laid.

Next… he could begin preparing for the Grand Competition in a few days.

While his impending breakthrough was genuine, the medicinal herbs were not intended for his own use; instead, Xia Niansheng planned to brew them into a decoction for Wen Zhi.

Xia Niansheng sat cross-legged on the bed, circulating spiritual energy within his body.

The book, ‘Records of Cultivation Oddities,’ had been discovered by him in a secret realm he stumbled into at the very end of his previous life, and it contained an overwhelming abundance of information.

Had he found it earlier in his previous life, most of his predicaments would have been resolved with ease.

Yet, the opportunity for a fresh start was the greatest fortune of all.

‘Records of Cultivation Oddities’ even described a special cultivation method, which allowed one to automatically absorb spiritual energy even while breathing.

Moreover, the speed was by no means slow.

Had his previous self been at this stage, a breakthrough of this rapidity would have been utterly impossible.

In this world, cultivation followed a system both familiar and unique to Xia Niansheng.

It comprised: Qi Refining, Meridian Condensation, Marrow Cleansing, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Nirvana, Primordial Unity, and Tribulation Transcendence, followed by stages beyond the Immortal Tribulation.

Each realm, furthermore, was divided into three stages: Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Grand Completion.

The younger generation within the Heavenly Spirit Sect’s inner disciples generally possessed strength at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Though Xia Niansheng currently wielded many stratagems, his raw power was not exceedingly high; he was merely at the Grand Completion of Foundation Establishment.

However, he was on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core stage.

In the time that followed, he would cultivate while simultaneously concealing his true strength.

In his previous life, he had entertained such a concept, but without a suitable cultivation method to mask his aura, he had never implemented it.

‘Records of Cultivation Oddities’ even detailed how to effectively conceal one’s strength without detection.

With this thought, Xia Niansheng no longer hesitated; he entered a meditative state, preparing for his breakthrough.