What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

A massive and unparalleled surge of spiritual energy erupted from her body, as if a giant hand had pressed down on the entire bamboo forest, causing the purple bamboo within a ten-zhang radius to bend downwards in unison.

The pressure from the Core Formation stage descended upon them without reservation!

Lin Yuan felt a heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders.

Faced with the oppressive aura of a Core Formation stage cultivator, Lin Yuan could only mobilize his spiritual power to protect his heart meridian and withstand the pressure.

"What are you doing?" Lin Yuan shouted coldly.

"What am I? You're the handyman in charge of the outer sect's spiritual fields, you're the one wearing a mask and black robe selling pills, and you're also the arrogant master in front of me who demands to cultivate with me ten times!"

Li Yang's tone was icy. The purple skirt rustled amidst the surging spiritual energy.

"Lin Yuan! Do you really think Core Formation cultivators are three-year-old children whom you can toy with at will?"

Lin Yuan's brain was working at lightning speed.

His disguise was so perfect that he could hide even the aura of a ninth-level Qi Refining expert. How could the other party possibly recognize him?

Seemingly sensing Lin Yuan's doubt, Li Yang scoffed, "I have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, unlike ordinary people. Cultivators can alter spiritual energy fluctuations and facial features through cultivation techniques, but the most fundamental body odor cannot be completely erased."

Lin Yuan was speechless: Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws; that old schemer has run into a dog with a nose.

However, Lin Yuan remained calm and said, "Manager Li is exceptionally gifted; I am deeply grateful for your guidance."

"But since your sense of smell is so exceptional, why don't you take a closer sniff?"

"Besides the earthy smell of the spirit field, where does the medicinal fragrance on me come from?"

Li Yang frowned. Although the killing intent had not dissipated, the female cultivator still subconsciously twitched her nostrils.

Two breaths later, Li Yang's pupils contracted slightly.

Lin Yuan noticed the change in Li Yang's expression and took a step closer. "The burnt aroma from the medicine has long since become one with the skin and flesh. You can't leave that unique smell by running errands to carry the medicine."

Lin Yuan said calmly, "This is the smell of the body being permeated with medicinal energy from long-term alchemy."

Li Yang's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She couldn't refute this statement. As a manager who had been in charge of Danbao Pavilion for many years, Li Yang knew very well that only those who had personally refined high-level pills would have this symptom.

There are no masters behind the scenes in this world.

Lin Yuan spread his hands, revealing his trump card: "I am the handyman who cultivates the spirit fields. I am the one who sells top-grade pills. I am also the alchemist you need to repair your old dantian injury."

"From beginning to end, it has only been me, Lin Yuan."

Li Yang remained silent. The surging spiritual pressure of the Core Formation stage surrounding him momentarily froze.

A sense of astonishment spread through Li Yang's mind.

She had considered that the man in black robes was faking it, and guessed that the master was afraid to receive guests because of his unusual appearance. But Li Yang did not expect that the mysterious alchemist was just a young fellow in the Qi Refining stage.

But this shock lasted only three breaths.

"Do you think I'm easy to fool?" Li Yang's voice grew louder, carrying a hint of oppression.

"A low-grade spiritual root, who joined the outer sect ten years ago, has a registered cultivation level of only the second level of Qi Refining."

"Alchemy requires the inheritance of pill formulas, tests one's spiritual talent, and consumes a large amount of spiritual materials for practice. You have no one to guide you, lack the resources of your sect, and are even short of money to produce a suitable pill furnace!"

Li Yang stared at Lin Yuan, seemingly trying to discern the truth or falsehood in the young man's words.

"Top-grade Qi Gathering Pills require precise control of the heat; at least a seventh-grade alchemist is needed."

"You, a mere Qi Refining stage cultivator, dare to tell me with such audacity that you personally refined that batch of double-cloud-patterned pills?"

"You even dared to boast that you could refine a sixth-grade divine pill that could reshape the dantian of a Core Formation stage cultivator?"

Li Yang slowly raised her right hand.

Two fingers were joined together and hovered in front of Lin Yuan's brow. Purple spiritual light emanated from the fingertips. This represented the Demonic Sect's Soul Searching Technique.

"This is your last chance, Lin Yuan."

Li Yang's voice was somewhat calm. This was a sign that the cultivator in the Core Formation stage was about to begin his major cultivation.

Give me a reasonable explanation.

The purple light at the fingertips flickered slightly.

"Otherwise, you'll experience what it's like to have your soul searched!"

"Soul search?" Lin Yuan spoke, his voice no longer hoarse and feigned, but clear and melodious. "If Steward Li really wants to search, then so be it."

He leaned forward half an inch to meet the deadly purple light.

"You..." Li Yang's wrist suddenly stopped, forcibly halting the flow of magic power from her fingertips.

"I'm not crazy." Lin Yuan looked directly into Li Yang's beautiful eyes, which were filled with murderous intent and suspicion. "You saw through my disguise. Now that things have come to this, I naturally have nothing more to say."

"I am the outer sect servant, I am the one who sells pills, and I am also the one who demands dual cultivation."

"But Steward Li, have you ever considered how someone with a low-grade spiritual root who only entered the sect ten years ago could see through the flaws in the Spirit-Enhancing Liquid? How could they refine a top-grade Qi-Gathering Pill with double cloud patterns that is completely free of any poison?"

"I possess an extremely ancient and secret lineage of alchemy. This lineage is directly imprinted deep within my consciousness, allowing my understanding of alchemy to far surpass that of ordinary people."

Li Yang frowned. This kind of thing is not unprecedented in the cultivation world. Some ancient powerful beings do indeed leave behind their life's learning as a legacy, seeking out a destined person.

"Since you have a lineage, why did you hide it and willingly become a farmhand in the outer sect? And why did you fabricate a master out of thin air?" Li Yang pressed.

Lin Yuan sneered.

"Manager Li, you've been in the Xuan Yin Sect for so many years, don't you even know the rules of the Demonic Sect?"

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

"I'm just a Qi Refining stage disciple with no background and low aptitude. If I were to proactively reveal that I possess the skills of a high-level alchemist, do you think the sect's higher-ups would treat me like a treasure and worship me?"

Li Yang remained silent. The answer was obvious.

Lin Yuan continued his attack, each word piercing the heart: "They will capture me immediately. They will place a soul-binding restriction on me and imprison me in a dark, sunless chamber of fire. I will be reduced to a mere puppet, only knowing how to refine pills, until my life is completely exhausted."

"I fabricated a story about a master with an eccentric temper and profound cultivation, just to survive in a dog-eat-dog world like the Xuan Yin Sect."

These words were logically sound and perfectly aligned with the survival-of-the-fittest principle of the Xuan Yin Sect. Li Yang's boiling anger, which had been fueled by being played, was forcibly suppressed by this cold analysis.

She lowered her right hand, and the purple light at her fingertips dissipated.

"The logic makes sense." Li Yang stared into Lin Yuan's eyes, "But I still don't believe it. Even if you have a lineage, how can you achieve this through... dual cultivation..."

Lin Yuan looked directly at Li Yang and said, word by word, "The cultivation technique I practice is extremely special, and I have now encountered a bottleneck. As long as I engage in dual cultivation with a female cultivator in the Core Formation stage, I can forcibly absorb primordial yin, thereby rapidly increasing my cultivation foundation and breaking through the current bottleneck."

"As long as I can break through my current bottleneck, I can become a sixth-grade alchemist and help you refine healing pills."

Upon hearing this, Li Yang's breathing suddenly quickened, and her ample chest heaved violently.

Lin Yuan knew that the key to negotiation was to throw out a fatal bargaining chip when the other party wavered.

"If Steward Li still has any doubts, he can rest assured."

Lin Yuan spread his hands, appearing completely unguarded: "As agreed, we'll first engage in ten dual cultivation sessions. During this time, I'll be right under your nose. After the ten sessions, I'll begin refining pills in front of you."

"It's done. Your old injury to your dantian has healed, and you have hope for the Great Dao."

"No way." Lin Yuan's tone was casual, yet it revealed an extremely confident ruthlessness. "With your early-stage Core Formation cultivation, killing me, a Qi Refining stage cultivator, is easier than crushing an ant. You could just slap my skull open and blow my life away. Do you think I'd just fly out of your grasp?"

Lin Yuan finished speaking and fell silent. The Bamboo Sea fell into dead silence. The wind rustled through the purple-black bamboo. Moonlight shone on the withered leaves.

Li Yang stared intently at Lin Yuan's face.

Anger, humiliation, resentment, and despair churned violently in her eyes. Finally, all emotions subsided into a deathly silence.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed everything. She had witnessed the female cultivators who had been exploited by the Sima family. Compared to that, submitting to a mysterious Qi Refining stage cultivator became the least bad option.

"it is good."

Li Yang's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an icy chill.

I promise you.

The weight lifted from Lin Yuan's heart. He cursed inwardly: This old woman's oppressive aura is no joke.

"However, I have conditions." Li Yang straightened her back, and the imposing aura of a Core Formation stage cultivator returned to her.

"Speak," Lin Yuan replied calmly.

"If you cannot produce a sixth-grade divine pill after ten terms," ​​Li Yang stepped forward, her nose almost touching Lin Yuan's chin, her breath sweet as orchids, yet each word dripping with blood, "I will sever every meridian in your body, inch by inch, extract your soul, and shove it into the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner to be refined for a hundred years. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly reasonable." Lin Yuan smiled slightly.

Li Yang stopped talking nonsense. She turned around and waved her sleeves.

Purple light illuminated the area around the bamboo forest. Twelve array flags appeared out of thin air and disappeared into the surrounding void. A barrier that isolated detection and sound quickly took shape.

Li Yang turned around. Her mature and alluring face appeared extremely calm in the moonlight.

The long, smoky purple dress, no longer restrained, slid down her voluptuous body to her ankles.

……

Two hours later.

Inside the array barrier of Wanzhuhai, the leaves of the Purple Spirit Bamboo were covered with morning dew.

Li Yang was already dressed neatly. Her purple dress was impeccably tailored, and her hair was styled back into a bun.

"We'll be here again tomorrow night for the remaining five rounds!" With that, she made a hand seal and transformed into a streak of purple light, soaring directly into the sky.

Lin Yuan put on a plain white robe and patted the fallen leaves off the hem.

Then he looked at the small golden characters at the bottom of his eyes.

Available attribute points: 5088

Just as he had expected, he was able to engage in face-to-face arduous training with a cultivator in the early stages of Core Formation, earning 1,000 points per session.

If the initial Foundation Establishment stage is 100 points, the Core Formation stage is 1000 points, then wouldn't the initial Nascent Soul stage be 10,000 points?