The villainous bosses from their past lives have all been reborn.

Back Mountain Cottage

The continuous heavy rain had been falling for a long time, nourishing the land. The six northern prefectures hadn't seen such a timely rain in a long time. Under the heavy rain, Yuan Feng mobilized the entire army of the capital and uprooted the Demonic Sect's stronghold in Yan Prefecture.

Having recovered from his injuries after a long period of rest in bed, Yuan Cai finally remembered that he wanted to see Yuan Xiu.

In recent days, news of Yuan Cai's solo killing of an eighth-grade alchemist from the Demonic Sect has spread. While this has brought him considerable fame, it has also made him worry about whether he will face retribution from the Demonic Sect.

The small house on the back mountain, unlike the scholarly atmosphere that Yuan Cai had experienced on his last visit, had now been completely transformed into a pharmacy.

Yuan Xiu, shirtless, was fiddling with an alchemy furnace. Inside the room, there were also many herbs and bronze vessels that Yuan Cai couldn't understand.

"Sixth Brother, now that the Demonic Cult has been completely eradicated in Yanzhou, what should we do next?"

Yuan Cai was afraid of suffering retaliation from the Demonic Sect because of his betrayal. So, as soon as he was able to get out of bed, he went to find Yuan Xiu.

"Don't worry, you know the reputation of the Demonic Sect in the Six Northern Provinces. Now, all the Demonic Sect members in Yan Province who had anything to do with you are dead, and I've dealt with all the evidence. Even if the Demonic Sect pulls some tricks to implicate you, who would believe it?"

Yuan Cai, still troubled, said:

"You don't know, I've met the Grand Elder of the Demonic Sect. He's the one who carved the demonic markings on my body. The pressure that person put on me is hard to describe, just like when I'm facing you."

"..."

The Grand Elder of the Demonic Sect?

Yuan Xiu thought of the sprightly old man from his previous life who couldn't even last twenty rounds against him. Looking at Yuan Cai now, he thought, "You're cursing, aren't you!"

"Ah Cai, relax. The most important thing right now is to improve your cultivation. Nothing else matters."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Cai became interested.

In his previous life, Yuan Cai only reached the seventh rank of cultivation, barely making it into the upper three realms, but he was not even ranked in the martial arts world.

"When I joined the Demonic Sect..."

"Ah Cai, why are you still talking about joining the Demonic Sect? Even if one day your secrets in the Demonic Sect are exposed, you must tell people that you were an undercover agent in the Demonic Sect, so that one day you can contribute to the righteous path." Yuan Xiu said earnestly, "Remember, no matter what others say about you, you must never see yourself as a bad person. Talk about loyalty and righteousness more often."

Yuan Cai nodded, listening in a daze, and it took him a long time to process what he was hearing before he said:

"When I infiltrated the Demonic Sect, the sect's Grand Elder told me that if I wanted to achieve something in martial arts, I had to be diligent at all times and not slack off for even a day. Only then could I achieve something and touch the edge of the Grandmaster realm."

After hearing this, Yuan Xiu smiled disdainfully and said:

"These heretical cultists spout arrogant words, misleading and corrupting the youth!"

After hearing this, Yuan Cai's face lit up with joy, and he said:

"You mean I can reach the Grandmaster level without doing this?"

Yuan Xiu revealed a hopeful smile, and then, with a single sentence, dragged Yuan Cai back into the abyss.

"That's not it! With your natural talent, no matter how diligent you are, you'll only reach the seventh rank in this lifetime. If our Yuan family's ancestral graves were to emit auspicious smoke and you were incredibly lucky, you might reach the eighth rank. But you're still a long way from the Grandmaster realm!"

After hearing this, Yuan Cai's spirits plummeted. He had no doubt about Yuan Xiu's words, because although they were about the same age, their cultivation levels were different.

In his previous life, he had reached the Grandmaster realm at a very young age. And in this life, he recovered his cultivation level from his previous life in just a few years.

"Therefore, you can't take the conventional path!"

Yuan Cai's mood, which had plummeted to rock bottom, began to recover somewhat.

"What should we do then?"

"The lowest three grades fortify bones and flesh; the middle three grades nourish essence and blood; the highest three grades cultivate the qi field. Given your aptitude, there's only one path you can take." Yuan Xiu looked at Yuan Cai and gave his final answer: "Take drugs!"

"Drugs?"

"By using elixirs to expand one's meridians and increase one's Qi field, one should eventually reach the ninth rank. That's what it means to touch the edge of the Grandmaster realm."

As she spoke, Yuan Xiu tossed him a pill.

"These were left by the Rat Enemy. There are thirteen of them in total. After you finish them, it should be enough for you to reach the eighth rank. Your most urgent task now is to stabilize your cultivation at the seventh rank before I go to the capital for the examination."

"And then what?"

"Don't worry, I can refine it!"

Hearing Yuan Xiu's words, Yuan Cai, who was just about to ask, said:

"I've never heard of you being able to refine pills?"

"I just started learning this!"

"..."

Yuan Cai left reluctantly, with a hint of suspicion and unease.

However, Yuan Xiu wasn't worried about this. He knew that once Yuan Cai got on the train, there was no getting off.

Yuan Xiu had indeed just learned alchemy, but he didn't actively seek it out. To be precise, after he killed Qiu Shu, Qiu Shu's unparalleled profound skill, "Dan Huo Shi," was transferred to him.

[Alchemy Master] - Greatly increases the success rate of refining pills, and can create a small domain to preserve the quality of medicinal materials within the domain at their best.

At this point, Yuan Xiu finally understood his ability—by killing other chosen ones, he could seize their profound skills.

Compared to Qiu Shu, who was obsessed with elixirs and used mystical techniques to improve his alchemy skills, Yuan Xiu saw something different: the controlling power behind the [Alchemy Master].

The power to control one's own mind, body, and even external objects.

Upon reaching the Grandmaster realm, one is no longer the same as other ninth-rank martial artists. Their blood and qi remain undiminished, their true energy remains undissipated, and they can even communicate with their sea of ​​consciousness, gaining six senses far beyond those of ordinary people.

Even so, a grandmaster is still a mortal, and once his lifespan of one hundred and twenty years is over, he cannot escape death.

Human beings are limited in their physical capabilities.

Wanting to change it is impossible. Because although this body limits a Grandmaster, it is also a Grandmaster's only reliance.

How could someone kick away a ladder when they're almost up to the second floor? They would fall down themselves.

However, the emergence of the mysterious technique gave Yuan Xiu a glimpse of new possibilities.

Using Yuan Cai's "One-Day Tribulation" and Qiu Shu's "Alchemy Master", they refined the top-grade elixir "Seven-Leaf Jade", which could only be made once in their previous life.

Seven portions of [Seven-Leaf Agar] are enough to expand one's sea of ​​consciousness to a level unimaginable in one's previous life. Combined with the enhanced control over the body and mind gained from refining elixirs on a daily basis, it ultimately nourishes the physical body.

In that case, it might really be possible to break through to the eleventh realm!

That realm that no one has ever reached before!

If Yuan Xiu could think of it, then the leader of the Demonic Sect could naturally think of it as well, and so could all the villainous bosses in other places.

But this is just one possible path.

A light rain was falling outside the window, while flames rose in the stove inside the house. Yuan Xiu looked at the scene outside the window and understood.

This day is about to change!

……