Chapter 888: Black and White Semi-Pill Kings

Li Yuqian's face flickered with despair. Despite her rapidly increasing strength, she knew she couldn't withstand the final three lightning bolts.

Rumble—Rumble—Rumble—The bolts struck relentlessly. Li Yuqian channeled all her cultivation essence to deflect them. Failure wouldn't kill her, but it could shatter her nascent soul, relegating her to the Foundation Establishment stage. To her surprise, however, the bolts, though fearsome, proved weaker than the first. They inflicted only minor wounds before dissipating.

Without hesitation, Li Yuqian sat to cultivate, rebuilding her nascent soul.

The moment the bolts struck, Ye Mo spat out three mouthfuls of blood. His formation had succeeded, but he’d overestimated his resilience. The lightning felt like it would annihilate him. Shaken, he frantically chanted the Three Birth Chant, wondering if his lightning storage formation had malfunctioned. Spirit chi surged towards him, but he ignored it, knowing that increased cultivation would lessen the lightning's impact.

As the lightning within him gradually subsided, he felt more being absorbed from an external source. He realized his formation hadn't failed; the final three bolts contained too much power for it to contain. He believed it might have exploded if he hadn't used the Three Birth Chant to absorb the energy.

Ye Mo rejoiced at his foresight. Without the storage formation, the lightning would have obliterated him. Li Yuqian's attraction of immense spirit chi benefited him greatly within this field, fueling a rapid surge in his cultivation essence as he absorbed countless lightning rays.

The onlookers watched the two spirit chi whirlpools in stunned silence.

After some time, Ye Mo felt his meridians rumble, signaling another breakthrough. He opened his eyes, overjoyed. He'd reached Foundation Establishment level 7—the tertiary stage! Three months ago, he was at level 6. The difference, though seemingly small, represented a vast increase in power, a leap from the middle to the tertiary stage.

He immediately checked on Li Yuqian.

"Congratulations on reaching the tertiary stage! I've formed my nascent soul, thank you," she announced.

"You're a nascent soul cultivator?!" Ye Mo exclaimed, observing the vibrant life now evident in her cultivation essence. She was undeniably a nascent soul cultivator.

Li Yuqian nodded, her joy evident despite her attempt at composure. She never imagined a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like Ye Mo could bring about such significant changes in just half a year.

"Where is everyone?" Ye Mo noticed the absence of the watching cultivators.

Li Yuqian smiled. "I dismissed them, sending Xiaoshan home. I'm protecting you here, don't worry."

Ye Mo relaxed. A nascent soul cultivator certainly held such authority. He hadn’t witnessed the events, but recalling Zhang Chengfeng's hasty retreat filled him with satisfaction.

Zhang Chengfeng's expectations had been dashed when Ye Mo entered the formation. Soon after, Li Yuqian's potent nascent soul chi surged, her declaration – "All irrelevant people leave now or die" – forcing his retreat. To regain face, he'd need his family's Qianbei; he couldn't confront a nascent soul cultivator alone.

…

Upon their return to China Pharmaceuticals, the company and the entire city buzzed with excitement. News of China Pharmaceuticals possessing a nascent soul cultivator spread rapidly, attracting numerous well-wishers, including Zhang Chengfeng. A nascent soul cultivator represented the highest power in River State City.

China Pharmaceuticals’ business boomed following the arrival of consecutive golden core and nascent soul cultivators. Ye Mo spent a grueling half-month concocting pills and tirelessly teaching Sun Zhicai.

With a nascent soul cultivator now securing China Pharmaceuticals, Ye Mo felt secure enough to focus on preparing for the Desert Herb Valley expedition. He had two reasons: repaying Yan Zheng and acquiring the abundant precious spirit herbs.

…

Half a month later, Ye Mo entrusted China Pharmaceuticals to Li Yuqian, teaching her the Primordial Chaos Chant before departing River State City with Yan Zheng.

Broken Leaf City, near the Heartless Sea, lay millions of kilometers away. Using flying spirit artifacts and teleportation formations, their journey took nearly half a month. Throughout their travels, Yan Zheng's attitude remained unchanged, yet Ye Mo sensed a subtle undercurrent of worry. He couldn't bring himself to question it; their strong relationship was ultimately rooted in mutual benefit.

Broken Leaf City dwarfed River State City, boasting a far denser spirit chi. What struck Ye Mo was the sheer abundance of golden core cultivators—a rarity in River State City, yet commonplace here. Nascent soul cultivators were also frequent sights, and he even glimpsed a few at the Hollow Spirit stage.

The appearance of a dark-faced cultivator triggered an instinctive urge to flee. It was Tong Wusheng, the Hollow Spirit middle-stage cultivator. He wondered if Sima Zhu was also present.

Noticing Ye Mo's reaction, Yan Zheng explained, "Broken Leaf City is hosting the Pill Concoction Hall of Fame tournament. Many prominent figures are attending. The cultivator who just passed was Tong-Qianbei, a black and white semi-pill king."

"A black and white semi-pill king?" Ye Mo asked, instinctively.

Yan Zheng nodded. "Tong-Qianbei and Sima-Qianbei are both level 9 spirit pill masters, one step from becoming Pill Kings, hence the term 'semi-pill king.'"