Chapter 573: A Tough Fight Ahead

There was no earth-shattering tremor, nor were there any strange phenomena like iridescent light descending from the heavens.

Although most Cultivators would deliberately create a spectacle when breaking through to show off their strength, he was, after all, under Wei Yanzhou’s watchful eye. It was better to be cautious.

This world had no detailed division for Realms beyond the Qi Refining Stage; the Seventh Layer was uniformly classified as Late-stage Golden Core. However, thanks to the gradual expansion of his meridians over time, the density of his True Essence far surpassed that of other Cultivators at the same Realm. This was the reward for the invincibility at the same tier he had always yearned for.

Of course, as his Realm advanced, the cracks in his Golden Core had also healed slightly.

‘Unfortunately, it’s still wishful thinking to expect it to heal completely.’

Chen Che swept his Divine Sense over himself, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.

He had originally hoped that his uniqueness might lead to a different outcome, but the situation he wished for did not materialize.

However, he also knew that the Golden Core was the very source of a Cultivator’s power.

If an ordinary True Master’s Golden Core developed such massive cracks, their Cultivation would have likely been affected long ago. After all, their Golden Cores were not perfect; the slightest mistake could ruin their future.

Retracting his aura, Chen Che waved his hand casually, releasing the restriction outside the main hall.

For the past month and a half, he had not stepped outside, almost completely isolating himself from the outside world to achieve his Realm Breakthrough.

On the table outside the hall lay a large pile of Jade Scrolls.

These were all related to the Pill Hall.

Although Chen Che hadn’t inquired about them during this time, he was still the true master of the Hall. Every day, without fail, Huang Baishong would meticulously record the Hall’s affairs and place the reports here.

It didn’t matter whether Huang Baishong’s loyalty was genuine or if he was just clinging to Chen Che as his only lifeline for a chance to turn his fortunes around.

Regardless, Chen Che was very satisfied with his attitude.

“Greetings, Chief.”

Seeing the restriction on the main hall open, Huang Baishong immediately set aside his work and hurried over.

During this period, he had spent most of his time residing in Chen Che’s Cave Mansion, handling the Hall’s official business in between teaching the Elite Disciples. The latest batch of those Elite Disciples had already been replaced, and in their spare time from Cultivation, they had taken it upon themselves to act as servants for the Cave Mansion.

“Mm.”

Chen Che nodded slightly and gestured, summoning the Jade Scrolls from the workbench.

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, all the information was instantly clear to him.

In the past month and a half, just as he had expected, the Hall’s efficiency had greatly increased from top to bottom.

Not only were Pills being submitted on time, but the consumption of Medicinal Herbs had also been reduced. Furthermore, after distributing sixty percent of the Spirit Stones from the Pill trade with the subordinate local families, the morale of the Hall’s disciples soared, and everyone was working with renewed vigor.

Chen Che considered this perfectly normal.

Often, it only took two or three people to poison the atmosphere of a department, a Hall, or even an entire organization. He had even seen departments where efficiency, far from decreasing, actually increased after more than seventy percent of its members were purged.

Besides information about the Hall, the pile of Jade Scrolls also contained a stack of invitations.

Chen Che glanced at them casually and was surprised to find one from Qiu Tianshui. He opened it and saw that the letter explicitly stated that Qiu Tianshui was celebrating his five-hundredth birthday and had invited all the upper echelons of the Sect.

However, the letter was dated a month ago, which meant he had already missed it.

“During this time, Chief Qiu came to visit several times. I told him you were in seclusion and couldn’t receive guests. However, I took the liberty of sending the Pill you bestowed upon me as a congratulatory gift from the Pill Hall.”

Huang Baishong stammered, taking a long while to summon the courage to speak.

Chen Che lowered his gaze and asked coldly,

“Why?”

“It was Chief Qiu’s grand birthday, and all the other Halls sent gifts. If the Pill Hall had done nothing, we would have surely become a thorn in his side. Since you are new to the Pill Hall, Chief, it’s not wise to make too many enemies. I believe Chief Qiu has already shown goodwill, so we can ease the tension with him.”

Huang Baishong was filled with apprehension.

This was an action he had taken after careful consideration, not for personal gain, but genuinely for the benefit of the Pill Hall and, by extension, Chen Che. If, in the future, the Chief were to be rebuked by the other Halls in front of the Nascent Soul Ancestor over some matter, he wouldn’t expect Chief Qiu to stand up and speak for Chen Che, but at least he wouldn’t kick him while he was down.

Moreover, within the Primordial Sect, Qiu Tianshui controlled the Internal Affairs Hall and was also the leader of the largest neutral faction in the Sect. Reconciling with him would significantly reduce the pressure on the Pill Hall within the Primordial Sect in the future.

That was why he had taken this action on his own, risking a reprimand or even dismissal.

‘Quite perceptive. A job well done.’

Chen Che pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.

He had no personal grudges with Qiu Tianshui either. In fact, during his past conflict with Chen Jiyuan, the man had even acted as a mediator. Their only point of conflict was the half-veiled threat Qiu Tianshui had made during the purging of the Pill Hall.

Chen Che didn’t think he was wrong to do so. For people like him, apart from their own strength, their authority was their main tool. It was only natural to use it to threaten others.

As for what Huang Baishong had done, he was quite pleased. A competent subordinate shouldn’t just complete the tasks assigned to them; they must also learn to proactively share their superior’s burdens and solve problems.

“I was only trying to ease the Chief’s burdens. I dare not take credit.”

Hearing this, Huang Baishong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Since that Pill was given away, I will bestow another upon you.”

Chen Che flicked his finger, and a Fierce Beast Pill flew before Huang Baishong. His tone then shifted. “However, I need to know not only what happens inside the Pill Hall, but also what happens outside of it!”

After all, being in the Primordial Sect, it was inconvenient for him to mobilize personnel from Jinyun Valley.

However, Chen Che had no intention of wasting time and effort to build another information network from scratch. The Primordial Sect already had its own intelligence system, which the Chiefs of each Hall could access freely.

In no time, the latest war reports from the front lines were delivered to Chen Che’s hands.

Just as Chen Che expected, faced with the alliance of the Star-Picking Sect and the Primordial Sect, the Mist Rain Tower had actually chosen to take the offensive. And it wasn’t some hit-and-run harassment tactic, but a full-scale military assault.

Spiritual Boats led the charge, with Golden Core masters holding the line, and Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators all joining the fray.

The Primordial Sect and the Star-Picking Sect reacted quickly. After several clashes, both sides had lost four or five Golden Core True Masters each.

Moreover, according to intelligence from the front lines, in the three-way confrontation, the Mist Rain Tower actually held a slight advantage.

Even Chen Che was quite surprised by this.

But on second thought, it made sense. The Star-Picking Sect and the Primordial Sect had just been through a fight to the death, suffering heavy losses among their Golden Core masters. Compared to the Mist Rain Tower, which had only sustained superficial damage, the two allied Sects didn’t have an advantage even when combined.

It wasn’t surprising that they could achieve such results by taking the initiative.

Furthermore, although both Sects had been promoted to Nascent Soul Major Sects, their foundations had not yet caught up. As long as their top-tier experts didn’t intervene, taking down the Mist Rain Tower would not be so easy. Most importantly, the Mist Rain Tower still had a Fake Infant True Monarch.

This Fake Infant had appeared one hundred and ninety years ago. The foundation he had accumulated in that time absolutely surpassed that of the Star-Picking Sect and the Primordial Sect, two sects that had only just been promoted to Nascent Soul Sects after a vicious battle.

Of course, the two Nascent Soul Ancestors were unwilling to set foot in the Mist Rain Tower not only because of their own schemes against each other, but also out of fear of this individual. If another eighty to a hundred years passed, once the two Nascent Soul Ancestors had consolidated their Cultivation, annexing the Mist Rain Tower would naturally be no problem.

But in the current situation, neither of them was willing to wait!

‘There’s still a tough fight ahead!’

He had thought it would be an easy battle, but he didn’t expect the situation awaiting them to be even more perilous.