Chapter 30: The Impulsive Lu Qingyun

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To the City Lord, a pearl like this was nothing at all. To Lu Qingyun, however, it was of extraordinary importance.

He had consumed so much spirit liquid, yet his cultivation had not improved in the slightest. It was as though all that energy had vanished into a bottomless sea.

If he wanted his martial soul, vast as an ocean, to grow any further, he needed a surge of spiritual energy as fierce as a raging storm.

Without such a foundation, further advancement was virtually impossible.

That was why, after leaving, Lu Qingyun had resolved to find more ways to improve his cultivation—in other words, to obtain more pearls.

Perhaps to other people, those things could only bring about the slightest increase.

The power contained within the pearls was simply too tyrannical and violent. An ordinary person’s martial soul could never withstand it.

Just as Lu Qingyun was about to lose his temper again, the system’s notification sounded once more.

Ding! Since you are utterly useless in battle, refine a pill and consume it to receive a cultivation reward!

The fury in Lu Qingyun’s eyes was enough to show just how enraged he was.

Before he could retort to the City Lord, he slowly nodded and agreed.

“Fine. I’ll give it a try!”

After speaking, Lu Qingyun’s lips curled into a smile, and the anger on his face vanished in an instant.

Not only Meng Li and Li Changfeng—even the City Lord stood there in stunned bewilderment.

He stared at Lu Qingyun in confusion. Just moments ago, Lu Qingyun had resisted fiercely. Why had he suddenly agreed?

With a smile on his face, Lu Qingyun slowly explained, “If this continues, I’ll lose my life. Why should I gamble with my own life? I don’t want to die!”

“I’m still young. Once you’ve finished what you want done, I’ll still have a bright future ahead of me. I’ve always liked refining pills. It’s just that this is my first time making poison…”

Wherever one went, there was always a distinction between righteousness and evil. The same was true of pill refinement.

Pills that could raise one’s realm or restore one’s strength and abilities were naturally considered beneficial.

But poisons that harmed the body and took lives were naturally despised.

Lu Qingyun had no idea why the City Lord wanted him to refine a poison pill. He truly could not understand what the man was planning.

With the City Lord’s strength, it would be difficult to find an opponent capable of matching him anywhere on the continent.

The fact that he had personally destroyed the Meng family without suffering retaliation from any other clan was enough to prove how formidable he was.

The City Lord asked, puzzled, “You were resisting so fiercely just now. Why have you agreed all of a sudden?”

Seeing the City Lord’s bewildered expression, Lu Qingyun slowly shook his head.

“You forced me to do this just now. Now that I’ve agreed, is there still a problem? If not, let’s begin.”

“You’re so overbearing, and your strength is so terrifying. If I refused, you would probably kill me. What else could I do?”

“If I agree, that’s not acceptable, and if I refuse, that’s not acceptable either. What exactly do you want? I truly can’t figure you out…”

Of course, Lu Qingyun still did not want to do it. But even now, he remained only at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, and he could hardly accept that fact himself.

After all, when he had first obtained his martial soul, he had reached his current realm in merely a few hours.

However, the initial reward had been extremely powerful. The energy he received afterward could not be perfectly balanced, nor could it compare with the system’s rewards.

Therefore, no matter what, all he needed to do was follow the system’s instructions and complete everything.

The rewards granted by the system were certain to be the best. He did not need to expend much effort to gain astonishing strength.

At that moment, Li Changfeng slowly stepped forward and spoke earnestly.

“Qingyun, don’t act rashly. I think you should consider this carefully…”

His eyes were filled with caution, and his words carried a clear warning.

Lu Qingyun asked in confusion, “Just say what you mean. The City Lord is willing to suspect anyone. What if he provokes someone and we all end up dying by his hand? I can’t bear that.”

He had deliberately said those words. His purpose was simple: to vent the resentment in his heart.

The City Lord was always forcing him to do one thing or another, and every single demand made him deeply uncomfortable.

What was more, the City Lord had just destroyed the pearl that could have increased his cultivation, leaving Lu Qingyun furious.

He had harbored some resentment for a while, but had previously been too embarrassed to voice it.

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The City Lord said nothing. Li Changfeng nevertheless summoned his courage and continued.

“I know you’re very capable, but pill refinement is difficult enough as it is. Refining a poison pill is even harder. Success is by no means simple.”

“There is always a risk of explosion when refining a poison pill. If you can’t withstand it, you’ll certainly die!”

After hearing this, the City Lord remained completely unmoved. He simply did not care what they said.

Lu Qingyun had only just learned the art of pill refinement, and the last time had also been his first attempt.

Seeing how anxious Li Changfeng was, Lu Qingyun felt somewhat conflicted. Meng Li, who stood nearby, spoke with equal seriousness.

“I think he’s right. If something really goes wrong, everything will be ruined.”

Lu Qingyun knew that they genuinely cared about him. The City Lord, however, appeared indifferent, with a hint of threat in his eyes.

Lu Qingyun said helplessly, “If I don’t do as he says, everyone can see what the consequences will be, can’t you? He’s watching us like a tiger stalking its prey.”

“Whether I can succeed or not, I’ll only know after I try.”

Li Changfeng took out the small pill furnace he had prepared earlier and said solemnly, “You must be careful.”

Lu Qingyun slowly nodded. If not for the reward promised by the system, how could he possibly take such a tremendous risk?

But since he had made his decision, he naturally would not change his mind.

Lu Qingyun sat cross-legged on the ground and instantly released his Azure Dragon Martial Soul. Once the flames within the martial soul began to burn, even the air around them seemed to catch fire.

“Hoo…”

Lu Qingyun was actually rather curious about the small pill furnace. For it to withstand flames of such intensity, its creator must have used an extraordinary method when forging it.

Perhaps its heat resistance even surpassed that of the Azure Dragon flames. Whoever had forged it was certainly no ordinary person.

He quickly gathered his thoughts. He could not afford to continue letting his imagination run wild.

He opened the bamboo scroll covered in poisonous markings and studied the steps written upon it, nodding slowly.

The process was not especially difficult—only somewhat more complicated than that of the previous pill.

Judging by rank, this pill could absolutely be considered a first-grade pill, perhaps even one approaching divine grade.

Lu Qingyun slowly placed the poisonous herbs into the furnace. Everyone watched intently, their eyes filled with worry.

Yet matters did not turn out as badly as they had imagined. The only problem was that the waiting seemed unusually long.

After roughly two hours, the fragrance of medicine finally drifted from the pill furnace.

It was clearly an extraordinarily deadly poison pill, yet it had somehow released a fragrant aroma. The sight was truly baffling.

Lu Qingyun was also extremely curious. He knew better than anyone how terrifyingly poisonous the herbs he had gathered were.

That they could still emit such a fragrance after refinement was something he found difficult to understand.

Another half hour passed. Lu Qingyun slowly opened his eyes and nodded with satisfaction.

He laughed delightedly.

“Hahaha! It’s done!”

Li Changfeng also revealed a relieved smile. Though he had not personally taught Lu Qingyun, they were fellow practitioners, and he felt genuine pride in the younger man’s achievement.

Lu Qingyun lifted the lid of the pill furnace. Inside lay five or six purple pills. One glance at their color was enough to sense how terrifying the poison within them must be.

Suddenly, Lu Qingyun took one out and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

The City Lord, who had been facing him all this time, was utterly shocked by the action.

“Are you insane? Do you know how deadly that thing is? You’ll die after swallowing it!”

Although the City Lord immediately circulated the spiritual energy within his body, it was already too late.

The poison pill melted as soon as it entered Lu Qingyun’s mouth, and its terrifying toxicity erupted instantly.

Lu Qingyun was overwhelmed by agony. He clutched his throat desperately, the sensation of suffocation making it impossible for him to breathe.

Damn this system! Could there be some kind of error? With such a tyrannical poison, his current strength was nowhere near enough to withstand it.

Lu Qingyun writhed painfully on the ground. Meng Li hurried over, her eyes filled with worry.

“What are you doing? Even if you couldn’t bear the City Lord’s pressure, you didn’t have to kill yourself!”

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Lu Qingyun could hear every word she said, but he was incapable of answering.

It felt as though ten thousand ants were gnawing at his body. The spiritual energy within him could not circulate at all.

The bone-deep agony left him unable to breathe. He even felt as if he were about to die.

He had died once before and knew how helpless such pain could make a person feel.

At that time, he had not had a single person by his side. Somehow, without warning, he had arrived in this world.

He had thought that with the terrifying Azure Dragon Martial Soul, he could reach the summit of the continent.

He had even obtained the system he had always dreamed of. Never had he imagined that the system would be so utterly useless.

Judging from the current situation, it was practically trying to get him killed.

Lu Qingyun’s brows drew tightly together, and his expression was dreadful.

“I… I…”

Uttering those two words had already exhausted every ounce of strength in his body.

Meng Li turned toward Li Changfeng. He explained gravely, “I don’t know what this pill is called, but even a single bite of any of the poisonous herbs you collected would cause a person to bleed from all seven orifices and die.”

“Refining a pill purifies all the medicinal ingredients before combining them into a pill. The poison contained within it is so concentrated that even Heavenly Saint Water would be unable to cleanse it completely!”

During the time they had spent together, the two of them had developed feelings for each other. Meng Li, in particular, had come to believe that Lu Qingyun was an exceptionally outstanding man.

Now, seeing him suffer so terribly, she had no idea what to do.

She looked toward the City Lord—the man who had destroyed the Meng family. Though she wanted to ask him for help, she was torn by conflicting emotions.

Before she could speak, the City Lord’s deep voice rang out.

“There is no cure for this poison pill. Whoever took it would be beyond saving.”

“He is simply courting death. You had best not touch him either, or you will be poisoned as well.”

Hearing this, Meng Li could only retreat to the side. Tears of sorrow filled her large eyes, and her voice trembled.

“You… I…”

She had already endured terrible suffering in the past. At last, she had made friends again and had even developed feelings for someone.

Now she had to watch that person die tragically before her eyes. The pain in her heart was unbearable.

Lu Qingyun was cursing his system furiously, convinced that it had deliberately set him up.

If the system had not given him that instruction, how could he have acted so rashly?

Now that he thought about it, his actions had indeed been foolish. How could he have swallowed such a terrifying pill without a second thought?

He had simply been too anxious after making no progress for so long, and in his desperation, he had done something so reckless.

The City Lord stared at Lu Qingyun as he struggled in agony, his expression complicated. He seemed to have many things to say, yet none of them would leave his lips.

He turned toward Meng Li and spoke slowly.

“I promised you before that if you brought the item back to me, I would release your father. I will honor my promise.”

“But I do not want to see either of you again. If you and your father appear before me once more, I guarantee that I will kill you.”

After speaking, the City Lord extended his hand. A tremendous force of suction drew all the poison pills into his grasp.

He placed them in a small jar, cast Lu Qingyun one last complicated glance, and then turned and left.

Li Changfeng spoke earnestly to Meng Li.

“No one could withstand such pressure from the City Lord. Let’s leave for now. At least you managed to save your father’s life.”

Meng Li’s eyes were filled with reluctance, but she did not dare touch Lu Qingyun.

Just as the two of them turned to leave, Meng Li suddenly noticed one of Lu Qingyun’s fingers move.

She quickly called out, “He… he doesn’t seem to be dead…”