The Yuanqi Realm may seem unremarkable, but it is actually a crucial stage in martial cultivation. Building a skyscraper on flat ground requires a solid foundation; otherwise, it’s like a rootless duckweed—sooner or later, the building will collapse. This is common sense. Yet, when it comes to martial cultivation, very few people can truly grasp this. Many cultivators blindly pursue speed in their training, not realizing that they are cutting off their own future.

“Whew...”

Two hours later, William Clark awoke from his meditation and let out a long breath.

“This ‘Lingzhe Nine Yang Divine Art’ is truly formidable. Although my Yuanqi hasn’t increased much during these two hours of cultivation, the quality is extremely high. If I continue cultivating like this, wouldn’t I be invincible among my peers?”

Having once been a Pill Emperor, William Clark naturally had a lofty perspective. For him to praise a technique like this showed that it was indeed extraordinary.

During these two hours, William Clark used the ‘Lingzhe Nine Yang Divine Art’ to temper the small amount of Yuanqi left by his predecessor, making the Yuanqi in his dantian much purer.

However, as a result, not only did his realm not advance, it actually regressed a bit, almost dropping to the level of someone just entering the first stage of the Yuanqi Realm.

Fortunately, his predecessor had wasted over a decade, so William Clark didn’t have to spend much effort refining the Yuanqi in his body. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise.

By now, daylight had fully arrived. William Clark got up and went out, planning to fetch some herbs from his family’s pharmacy to nurse his body. As soon as he stepped outside, he bumped right into a figure dressed in green.

Chapter 3: Fetching Medicine

That green figure was, of course, Lucy, William Clark’s little maid, responsible for his daily needs.

Lucy was clever and adorable, especially those lively eyes that made her very endearing. Paired with her green dress, she looked just like a little green elf.

William Clark was naturally very familiar with Lucy; she had been his playmate since childhood and, aside from his parents, was the person closest to him.

No one in the household or outside had any respect for William Clark, except for Lucy. No matter how much trouble William Clark caused outside, Lucy always took care of him wholeheartedly.

So, when facing Lucy, the current William Clark instinctively felt a sense of closeness, as if she were his little sister, even though his predecessor liked to tease her.

In fact, although William Clark was a troublemaker, he rarely bullied others; he just enjoyed playing pranks, though sometimes he went a bit too far.

William Clark inherited his predecessor’s memories and found that, at heart, his predecessor wasn’t truly bad—just spoiled and raised with bad habits. In this regard, his father Henry Clark bore a fair share of the responsibility.

But fatherly love is as solid as a mountain, so William Clark couldn’t possibly blame Henry Clark; instead, he felt deeply moved, just as he had with his father in his previous life.

“Y-Young master, huh, you... you’re alright?”

Lucy had bumped into William Clark and was initially very nervous, but when she looked up and saw how energetic he seemed, she immediately became happy.

William Clark could feel Lucy’s genuine concern and chuckled, “I’m fine! Your young master has a tough life! Surviving this disaster means good fortune is on the way!”

“Giggle, young master, you’re so funny. But Lucy also thinks that since you survived this disaster, maybe you really will change in the future!”

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener took it to heart.

Who knows where Lucy’s confidence came from, but William Clark’s heart skipped a beat—this girl was truly perceptive.

William Clark quickly laughed it off and said, “Alright, come with me to Yaoxiang Pavilion to fetch some medicine.”

Lucy didn’t say anything, just lowered her head and followed William Clark.

...

Yaoxiang Pavilion was the pharmacy run by the The Clark Family, one of the top forces in the entire Qin Kingdom, thanks to Henry Clark’s status as a Grand Alchemist.

In the small Qin Kingdom, being an alchemist was already a mark of great prestige, let alone a Grand Alchemist. Because of Henry Clark’s status, Yaoxiang Pavilion held a lofty position in the kingdom.

In Qin, the title of Grand Alchemist was a golden signboard, so Yaoxiang Pavilion was always bustling with customers. Henry Clark naturally couldn’t personally see patients, but the strength of Yaoxiang Pavilion was undeniable. At the main branch in the capital, there were always alchemists on duty every day—something no minor power could achieve.

William Clark led Lucy into Yaoxiang Pavilion, immediately drawing sidelong glances.

From the looks in the attendants’ eyes, William Clark could read fear, disdain, and contempt. This made William Clark secretly shake his head, thinking that his predecessor’s reputation was truly terrible—he was suffering for it now!

Of course, William Clark wouldn’t bother with these servants. He walked straight to the counter and said to an apprentice, “Paper and pen.”

The apprentice knew how troublesome William Clark could be and didn’t dare slack off, so he quickly brought out paper and pen and respectfully placed them before William Clark. Without further ado, William Clark took the paper and pen and swiftly wrote down a list of herbs, then handed it back to the apprentice.

“Get me these herbs. If there’s any problem, talk to my father.” William Clark couldn’t be bothered to explain and gave the order directly.

The apprentice glanced at the prescription and, seeing that there was nothing too rare, was relieved and went off to fetch the medicine.

The herbs were ordinary, but the prescription was anything but.