Return of the Celestial King

Before long, a sparkling golden pill appeared before Qin Tuo.

This mysterious pill was the Spirit Gathering Pill!

What’s more, the pill’s effects were even better than Qin Tuo had imagined!

He slowly placed the Spirit Gathering Pill in his palm and took a careful sniff.

Just as he’d expected, the aroma was incredibly refreshing, clearing his mind and lifting his spirits!

This Spirit Gathering Pill was refined from a millennium-old divine herb and numerous century-old medicinal plants, so its Spiritual Qi was immensely powerful!

Unable to hold back any longer, Qin Tuo eagerly swallowed the pill.

In that instant, he felt an immense surge of Spiritual Qi threatening to burst from his body, his skin flushing crimson.

"Such powerful Spiritual Qi..."

Surprise filled Qin Tuo’s eyes.

He snapped back to reality and immediately activated the Celestial King Order, frantically absorbing the Spiritual Qi.

Only after absorbing all the Spiritual Qi did he manage to stabilize himself!

A wave of lingering fear washed over Qin Tuo. ’If I hadn’t,’ he thought, ’I would have been unable to withstand such immense Spiritual Power and would have certainly exploded.’

Time passed quickly. It wasn’t until sunset that Qin Tuo finished absorbing all the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Gathering Pill.

As he opened his eyes, a wondrous sensation washed over him.

Qin Tuo felt his entire body become incredibly light, as if his senses had been completely cleansed.

He focused his hearing and could make out the sound of a tiny insect’s wings beating by the road below.

When he focused his vision, he could see the hurried expression on a pedestrian’s face hundreds of meters away.

"How miraculous! This feeling... it’s like I’ve reached a whole new realm!"

Qin Tuo was filled with wonder.

He was now certain that he had completely broken through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining!

He had just jumped several minor realms in one go.

’Those hundreds of millions were money well spent!’

Qin Tuo sighed inwardly.

This single pill had allowed him to leapfrog three minor realms. With just one more major step forward—to Foundation Establishment—he could finally go to Peach Blossom Island and uncover its secrets.

However, Qin Tuo knew full well that breaking through to a new major realm like Foundation Establishment wouldn’t be so easy. It would likely require a stroke of immense, heaven-sent fortune.

But now, Qin Tuo wasn’t afraid, because he had a clear path to follow.

Namely, to continuously gather millennium-old divine herbs and refine them into Spirit Gathering Pills. This would drastically shorten the time required.

Qin Tuo opened his door and stepped out, feeling great.

Just then, Long Wu happened to walk over.

"Celestial King, what were you just doing? Why did I smell an incredibly strong medicinal fragrance!"

Long Wu asked curiously.

Qin Tuo smiled and said:

"It’s nothing. I was just refining a pill."

Even though Qin Tuo’s reply was simple, Long Wu could sense that the pill must have been something heaven-defying; otherwise, it wouldn’t have produced such an astonishing effect.

Long Wu didn’t ask further and said slowly:

"Celestial King, Zhou Qihua has prepared all the herbs. He’s waiting downstairs right now."

Qin Tuo nodded. ’Zhou Qihua really is efficient,’ he thought.

When he went downstairs, he found that Zhou Qihua had prepared several truckloads of herbs, all parked and waiting for him.

"Brother Qin, you’re here!"

Zhou Qihua’s face lit up with excitement.

He had gathered all these herbs in less than a day and was now rushing over, eager for praise.

Qin Tuo nodded. After sweeping his gaze over the herbs, he felt quite satisfied.

The quantity was massive, and the quality was decent. It was clear Zhou Qihua had put in a great deal of effort.

"So, Mr. Qin, what do you think? Are these herbs up to your standards?"

Zhou Qihua said with a grin.

Qin Tuo nodded and said with a smile:

"Not bad at all, Mr. Zhou. Entrusting this to you was clearly a wise decision."

Upon receiving Qin Tuo’s praise, Zhou Qihua burst into a proud, hearty laugh.

Then, his expression turned serious as he said:

"Don’t you worry, Brother Qin. I’ve already arranged for a large warehouse on the west side of the city to store these herbs. And if this isn’t enough, I can always procure more."

Hearing Zhou Qihua’s words, Qin Tuo nodded and said:

"Rest assured, these herbs are enough for now. Refining a hundred Small Rejuvenation Pills should be no problem!"

At the mention of that number, Zhou Qihua grew so excited he began to rub his hands together.

Even Long Wu, who stood to the side, couldn’t hide the astonishment in his eyes!

Clearly, one hundred Small Rejuvenation Pills represented an absolutely terrifying fortune.

Qin Tuo patted Zhou Qihua’s shoulder and said with a smile:

"Keep up the good work. When the time comes, I’ll make sure you’re well compensated!"

At these words, Zhou Qihua felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders.

Why was he working so hard for Qin Tuo?

It was all for a promise just like this one from Qin Tuo!

Zhou Qihua understood perfectly that as long as he kept cooperating with Qin Tuo, his Jishi Hall could potentially surpass the Hundred Medicines Workshop in one fell swoop, becoming the number one apothecary in Jin City.

Zhou Qihua then instructed the drivers to unload the herbs and place them at Qin Tuo’s disposal.

After finishing all this, Zhou Qihua clapped his hands together and said with a smile:

"Mr. Qin, shall we go out for dinner?"

Having just finished his cultivation, Qin Tuo did indeed feel a pang of hunger.

No matter the layer, the Qi Refining Realm was still below the stage of Fasting, so Qin Tuo still needed to eat.

"Alright. Now that you mention it, I am feeling a bit hungry,"

Qin Tuo laughed to himself.

Zhou Qihua’s eyes lit up and he quickly said:

"Mr. Qin, let me take you to our famous Jin City snack street! There’s tons of great food there!"

Long Wu was like a loyal servant, following behind Qin Tuo without saying a word.

"By the way, where did Manni go?"

Qin Tuo couldn’t help but ask.

Zhou Qihua nodded eagerly, a smile on his face.

"Don’t worry, Brother Qin. The three of them are already waiting for us at the snack street."

Hearing this, Qin Tuo said nothing more. The three of them then prepared to head to the snack street to meet Chen Man Ni and her friends.

They were originally planning to drive, but Zhou Qihua said:

"Brother Qin, the snack street isn’t far from here. Why don’t we just walk? We can also enjoy the night view of our Jin City along the way."

Since he put it that way, Qin Tuo didn’t refuse. The three of them set out for the snack street on foot.

After walking for more than ten minutes, they passed the entrance to an alley.

Just then, Qin Tuo’s brow suddenly furrowed. He had the vague feeling that something was wrong.

Beside him, a look of surprise also flashed across Long Wu’s face!