From the current situation, that pill should be fine, but Emily Thompson was in no hurry. He planned to observe a while longer. As time passed, some black impurities began to seep out from its skin, accompanied by a faintly fishy stench.

This made Emily Thompson even more at ease. According to the books, after taking the Qi Gathering Pill, spiritual energy would cleanse the body, expelling some impurities from within. This process not only made the body stronger, but also had the effect of prolonging life.

It wasn’t until an hour later that Emily Thompson heard a lazy low growl. The little tiger woke from its sleep, braced itself on all fours, stretched its body, then suddenly sniffed the air as if it had smelled something. It looked down at its own body, let out a soft roar, and jumped into the nearby stream.

Seeing the little tiger wake up and immediately become lively and energetic, Emily Thompson finally relaxed completely. It seemed that the pill given to him by that demonic woman was indeed safe.

After observing the little tiger for a while longer and finding nothing unusual, Emily Thompson took out another pill. After a brief hesitation, he put it into his mouth.

The pill melted instantly. Emily Thompson didn’t taste anything, but felt a warm current flow through his body, making him tremble slightly as his limbs and bones filled with strength...

On his body, at a speed visible to the naked eye, a foul-smelling black substance oozed out. Emily Thompson just lowered his head to sniff it, and his brain instantly felt oxygen-deprived...

"Ugh..."

He retched, then, without hesitation, jumped into the stream, stripped off his clothes, and scrubbed himself in the water for a full half hour. Only when the stench was completely gone did he dare to take deep breaths of fresh air...

Sitting naked in the stream, Emily Thompson looked down and found that his skin seemed a bit fairer, and his reflection in the water looked even more handsome, with the air of a refined young gentleman.

He couldn’t wait to draw in the spiritual energy from the surrounding void, and soon to his delight, he discovered that the spiritual energy, which previously could only linger in his body for a short while, now remained for a long time...

This meant he had successfully gathered Qi and officially entered the Qi Refining stage.

With this, in three months, he wouldn’t have to leave Baiyun Temple. If he was lucky, he might even become a formal disciple of Kunlun, and all of this was thanks to that Qi Gathering Pill.

"Thank you, demoness..." Emily Thompson thought to himself.

"Awuu..."

The cheerful sound of the little tiger on the shore pulled Emily Thompson back to reality. Turning his head, he saw it running back and forth along the bank, looking very happy. After taking the Qi Gathering Pill, its fur was even more lustrous, and its eyes were livelier.

Although Emily Thompson felt a bit regretful about using up that pill, it brought him peace of mind.

Walking naked to the shore, Emily Thompson looked at the clothes he had thrown on the bank, now covered in filth and reeking unbearably, and shook his head helplessly.

These clothes were probably beyond saving. Just getting close made him feel nauseous. He had no choice but to find some large leaves from nearby trees to make a simple grass skirt to cover his vital parts.

While sitting by the water weaving the grass skirt, the little white tiger paced around Emily Thompson, its gaze occasionally fixed curiously on a certain spot on Emily Thompson...

Emily Thompson glanced at it and said irritably, "What are you looking at? Don’t you have one too..."

Of course, the little white tiger didn’t understand Emily Thompson’s words, but after what had just happened, it had grown much closer to Emily Thompson, affectionately rubbing against him like a big, cute cat. Emily Thompson couldn’t help but pick it up and pet it. When he accidentally turned it over, he was momentarily stunned...

Then, he silently put the little white tiger down and tied the grass skirt around his waist...

He still cared about his dignity. Even though it was just a tiger, it was still a tigress...

Chapter 4: First Move

Baiyun Mountain Range.

A young man wearing only a grass skirt, bare-chested, was flying at low altitude.

After entering the Qi Refining stage, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth could be stored in the meridians, allowing for short-distance flight. The ability to fly was the dividing line between the Qi Drawing and Qi Refining stages.

Emily Thompson had been flying for quite a while.

Whenever the spiritual energy in his body was depleted, he would land to recover his mana. Once his mana was full, he would continue to enjoy the sensation of flying. For this novel experience, he was endlessly delighted.

While Emily Thompson was having a great time, elsewhere in a certain valley, another figure’s face was pale with anger.

William Clark gripped a century-old lingzhi tightly in his hand, glaring at the figures opposite him and gritting his teeth, "You, Brooks, I found this first!"

Opposite him stood three men and one woman. The leading man sneered and said, "What do you mean you found it first? I discovered this lingzhi long ago and was just waiting for it to mature. There’s even a mark I made on the tree next to it."

William Clark looked at the mark on the tree and said even more angrily, "I saw with my own eyes that you just made that mark!"

The man sneered and turned to ask, "Did you all see it?"

The two men behind him answered without hesitation.

"No."

"No, the mark was already there when we arrived..."