Snow fell in endless flurries as a small mid-grade flying boat glided leisurely through the sky, its faintly shimmering shield keeping the cold at bay. Inside the vessel, a man in crimson Daoist robes sat cross-legged, his gaze fixed ahead with steady intensity.0

The status panel flickered once before fading from view. Luo Chen exhaled slowly and drew back his gaze, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. He had arrived at Green Pill Valley as a fifth-stage Initiate and now departed as a sixth-stage one. This achievement alone made the journey worthwhile. And counting all his other gains, the trip had been nothing short of extraordinary.1

He had secured one first-tier alchemical formula, two second-tier ones, and three incomplete third-tier ancient formulas. He had also mastered a new alchemy technique and practiced several spells to a higher level of proficiency, even reaching Perfected Mastery in some of them over the past year of cultivation. Most importantly, he had struck a deal with Tao Wan for top-grade Ascending Dragon pills. Right now, he had forty bottles of such pills in his storage pouch, purchased for one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. They were expensive, about two...1