Fantasy: Starting with a bowl, you can exchange it for endless cultivation.

"Thank you very much, Brother Gu." Cheng Mengling was delighted.

Then he took out a set of medicinal herbs and said, "Brother Gu, this is the special medicinal herb you asked us to collect for you before. It has been collected now."

Gu Chen was delighted to receive the medicinal herbs.

It is the medicinal material used to refine that Red Copper Pill.

After waiting for so many days, it has finally been collected.

With these medicinal herbs, once he refines them all into pills, he can begin cultivating the second stage of the Crimson Copper Body tonight.

"You've worked hard," Gu Chen said to Cheng Meng.

"It's no trouble at all." Cheng Mengling smiled sweetly at Gu Chen and said, "Brother Gu, it's all what we should do."

She continued, "By the way, Brother Gu, my Cheng family has only been under your command for less than half a year, and we are still in the growth stage. It's hard to estimate our annual income. The Cheng family is also expanding, so we don't have much liquid cash on hand."

"I'll go back and tally it up first, and try to send you this year's money as soon as possible," Cheng Mengling said.

"Okay, go back and make your own statistics. If the Wen family's envoy dares to cause you trouble, just let me know," Gu Chen said.

"Okay." Cheng Mengling nodded and left.

After she left.

In his mansion, Gu Chen put the medicinal materials for refining the Crimson Copper Pill into the alchemy furnace.

They began refining the red copper elixir.

He had already mastered the formula and refining method for this elixir when he spent money to comprehend the Red Copper Chapter.

It can now be easily refined.

And it can guarantee a 100% success rate in producing pills.

Ten pills were produced in one furnace.

Two hours later.

The alchemy process is complete.

Ten golden pills, brimming with medicinal essence, appeared in Gu Chen's hand.

The red copper elixir has been successfully refined.

That night.

Inside the mansion.

Gu Chen then placed all ten red copper pills into the copper bowl.

Ten Crimson Copper Pills can be exchanged for ten protective divine runes.

The copper bowl provides a clue.

"Exchange." Gu Chen confirmed immediately.

In an instant, the ten red copper pills in the copper bowl disappeared, transforming into a strange power that entered his body and began to transform his physique.

He didn't even need to circulate his cultivation technique.

Because the copper bowl had already crafted protective runes for him according to the cultivation method, after the pills were consumed.

Just transfer the blame to him.

Gu Chen's aura rose steadily, and his physical strength increased continuously. Although he was being branded with protective divine runes, his physical body was also being cleansed and strengthened in the process.

After all, only a stronger physical body can be imprinted with protective divine runes.

Furthermore, the protective divine runes branded on his body have a strong suppressive effect on his physical body, allowing him to follow the path of dual cultivation of true essence and body refinement, making his foundation even more solid.

It will have an even greater advantage in the future.

After a while.

A terrifying aura emanated from Gu Chen, and golden protective divine runes were engraved and imprinted beneath his skin, causing his skin color to subtly turn into a bronze hue.

There is no distinction between minor, major, and complete forms in the red copper body.

The strength of the defense is determined by the number of protective runes on the body.

A protective divine rune, when activated, can form a golden light shield on the body surface. The more divine runes imprinted, the more golden light shields can be stacked on the body surface when activated.

When the golden shield is activated, it can also defend against water, fire, and poisonous gases.

Very versatile.

The copper body can condense up to 120 protective divine runes within its body.

He has now condensed ten protective divine runes, which, when activated, can generate ten protective light shields. With the support of these ten protective divine runes, he can ignore attacks from the early stage of the True Essence Realm.

To withstand an attack from a mid-stage True Essence Realm cultivator, one needs at least twenty protective divine runes to activate a protective shield.

To withstand an attack from the late True Essence Realm, one needs at least thirty protective divine runes to form a shield.

An attack at the peak of the True Essence Realm requires at least forty strikes.

To withstand an attack from someone at the early stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm, it would probably require at least fifty divine runes to create a protective shield.

In other words, he would need to condense at least seventy protective divine runes to be of any help to him.

We still need to save money.

Spiritual practice truly requires money in every aspect.

Fortunately, these seven days of alchemy have earned him more than five thousand taels of silver.

If I refine the pills for another seven days, I'll have enough silver to break through to the Perfect Breakthrough Realm.

not bad.

Actually, to be honest, he was a bit ungrateful.

All told, it's only been a little over six months since he activated the bronze bowl.

His cultivation level broke through from zero to the late stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm.

It should also be enough.

Human greed is insatiable; it's unrealistic to dream of instant success.

We still need to take it one step at a time.

After Cheng Mengling left the Gu Chen Mansion.

Back at the Cheng family stronghold.

The Cheng family's stronghold in Jiuwan City is now no smaller than that in Chiyang City.

After Gu Chen took office here, she opened up most of the Cheng family's shipping routes to this area.

Moreover, this place is close to the coast, making business easier. With Gu Chen as a powerful figure, no one dares to make things difficult for the Cheng family's business.

Of course, this time it's the Wen family.

She arrived at the stronghold.

At this moment, Wen Zong, the envoy from the Wen family, was leisurely drinking tea in the living room when he saw Cheng Mengling return.

He put down the tea and said, "So, Miss Cheng, what have you decided? Are you going to follow the trend of the powerful families in this desolate state and pledge allegiance to my Wen family, or are you going to go against the tide and oppose my Wen family?"

Cheng Mengling looked at Wen Zong and said calmly, "My Cheng family neither follows the trend nor goes against it. My Cheng family is a force under Gu Chen, the director of the Night Watch of Jiuwan City. If he doesn't agree, we can't change our allegiance on our own."

"That Gu Chen, how could he be so ungrateful!" Wen Zong's face turned cold upon hearing this: "Doesn't he know that my Wen family's eldest young master, Wen Lingtian, has become the personal disciple of the new chief of the Wilderness Guard? Yet he still dares to oppose my Wen family."

"The affairs of Lord Gu are none of my business as a subordinate family!" Cheng Mengling said. "Envoy Wen, if there is nothing else, please leave. I will not see you off."

"Hmph!" Seeing Cheng Mengling directly issue an order to leave, Wen Zong snorted coldly, stood up, and looked at Cheng Mengling, saying, "Has your Cheng family thought this through? Are you sure you want to go down the same dark path as Gu Chen?"

Cheng Mengling didn't answer; her attitude was clear: she wanted Wen Zong to get out of here.

The Cheng family would never betray Gu Chen.

Seeing Cheng Mengling's resolute attitude, it seemed she was determined to lead the Cheng family to follow Gu Chen.

Wen Zong said, "To tell you the truth, my Wen family not only has an unusual relationship with the current Chief of the Night Watch of the Wilderness State, but also has connections with the current Crown Prince. Once Shangguan Wuqing leaves, his old subordinates in the Wilderness State will be dealt with sooner or later. Following Gu Chen, your Cheng family will not have a good end."

"Sometimes choices are very important. If you remain stubborn and believe that Gu Chen can bring protection to your Cheng family, I guarantee that all of your Cheng family's businesses will not survive more than six months in the desolate state," Wen Zong threatened.

Of course, the Wen family also has the ability within the desolate state to suppress the Cheng family's business to the point of collapse within six months.

They dared to target the various family forces in the desolate state because they had received permission from the one vying for the throne in the central state.

Half of the profits collected from all the family forces within the desolate state will be handed over to that person.

There's someone to rely on.

Let alone the fact that Gu Chen's master is Shangguan Wuqing, they are not afraid of even the deputy head of the Night Watch behind Shangguan Wuqing.

Their Wen family's ancestor had been stuck at the peak of the Earthly Venerable Realm for over a hundred years, unable to break through.

Now that he's chosen to take a gamble, that person gave their Wen family patriarch a reason he couldn't refuse: something that could help him break through to the Heavenly Venerable realm.

If one can break through to the Celestial Venerable Realm.

If they could bring all the family forces within the desolate state under their control, the Wen family's power would rise to a new level, comparable to the Eight Great Schools.

"There's no need for Envoy Wen to trouble himself with that." Cheng Mengling remained unmoved in the face of Wen Zong's threats. The Cheng family's success today was entirely due to Gu Chen.

Having chosen Gu Chen, I will not waver.

Even if they are about to face strong suppression from the Wen family.

"Very well, your Cheng family has guts." Upon hearing this, Wen Zong flicked his sleeves and left. "Cheng family, I guarantee you will regret your decision today."