Chapter 317: Progress

“It isn’t a waste. Hurry, take a seat!” Zeke ushered Yasmin to her seat.

Yasmin wiped her hands with a wet tissue and glanced at Jared. “How do you feel after spending half a day here? Have you realized how ridiculous your request is? I can’t believe you asked for herbs that are over a hundred years old. Do you think that’s easy to obtain? Even though my cousin is rich, it doesn't mean you can spend her money freely!”

Zeke and Frida both blanched in shock.

“Stop it!” Zeke glared at Yasmin before turning apologetically to Jared. “Jared, I’m so sorry. Yasmin didn’t mean any harm.”

Yasmin glared at him. “Zeke, have you lost your mind? How dare you yell at me? Did I say anything wrong?”

“Stop it, Yas!” Frida immediately pulled Yasmin aside. Zeke followed.

They spoke to Yasmin quietly, in hushed tones.

Yasmin’s expression changed as she glanced at Jared several times. [Remove the website promotion]

Soon, they returned to their seats. Yasmin seemed awkward.

A corner of Jared’s mouth turned upward as he broke the silence. “Let’s eat!”

They ate lunch. Yasmin’s hand trembled as she deliberately avoided looking at Jared and Tommy.

After lunch, Jared gave Zeke a list of herbs and instructed him to procure them.

That afternoon, Jared remained in his hotel room. He used the snow lotus and the century-old herbs from Trinity Herbs to craft the energy-condensing pill.

Jared remained impassive as he looked at the herbs, worth hundreds of millions. After drawing the curtains, he gathered spiritual energy within his core and channeled it to his fingertip, creating a tiny blue flame.

“Go!”

He gestured, and the blue flame intensified, engulfing the herbs.

Closing his eyes, Jared muttered to himself. The blue flame flickered, burning the herbs to thick plumes of smoke. Then, his eyes snapped open as he roared, “Materialize!”

The smoke coalesced, as if alive, gradually forming a round pill.

Half an hour later, Jared exhaled. The smoke dissipated, revealing a green pill floating in the air.

“It’s done!”

Delighted, Jared leapt up and took the pill.

His hands trembled as he held the pill, crafted from hundreds of millions of dollars worth of herbs! He swallowed it.

Boom!

A surge of spiritual energy flooded his head. Jared felt as if he would explode.

He immediately crossed his legs on the bed and used the Focus Technique to absorb the intense spiritual energy.

Finally, as the sun set, Jared’s eyes snapped open. His senses were heightened; he could even detect a small insect buzzing on the street below.

“Oh, I’ve reached Level Nine Energy Cultivation! Level Nine!”

Jared examined the spiritual energy in his core and laughed.

He hadn’t expected one energy-condensing pill to propel him to Level Nine Energy Cultivation. The hundreds of millions hadn’t been wasted!

Level Nine was the peak of Energy Cultivation. Reaching the Foundation Phase would allow him to enter Nameless Island.

While advancing through cultivation levels was relatively easy, reaching the next phase would be challenging and require an opportunity.