Lu Chang’sheng didn’t accept it right away—he still cared a lot about the weight of favors owed.

If he could avoid owing anyone, he would. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In the end, he chose to give Gu Chan the same number of Perfect Pills in return.

As he was leaving, Gu Chan looked at Lu Chang’sheng with a hint of grievance in her eyes.

Right then, Gu Shuang walked out from the inner courtyard, spotting the jade bottle in Gu Chan’s hand, a sly smile spreading across her face.

"A gift from Alchemist Lu? He’s thoughtful." Gu Shuang was a bit surprised—most people believed Lu Chang’sheng was conservative when it came to women, but those rumors seemed exaggerated.

Gu Chan’s cheeks flushed a little as she said, "It’s not like that. Alchemist Lu wanted to buy Cyan Spirit Pills, so he used these for the trade."

Gu Shuang’s expression changed at once. "Why’d you give him the Cyan Spirit Pill? That thing’s worth more than even some of the best pills around."

Even within the Supreme Profound Sect, the Spirit Body Cultivation Technique was top-tier. If the Gu Family hadn’t produced three Foundation Establishment powerhouses centuries ago, it would’ve been nearly impossible for cultivators at Qi Cultivation to get their hands on it.

Gu Chan lowered her head slightly.

Seeing this, Gu Shuang could only sigh, taking the pills Lu Chang’sheng had given. She opened them and was immediately struck by a strange, enticing fragrance, her expression freezing in surprise.

······

"Seems I’ve got quite the connection with the Supreme Profound Sect." As Lu Chang’sheng recalled the Cyan Spirit Pill and the Cyan Spirit Technique, he realized that despite all his roundabout efforts, what he’d ended up learning was still the Supreme Profound Sect’s Spirit Body Cultivation Method.

Thankfully, the technique had a clear and legitimate origin. Even if the Supreme Profound Sect found out, there’d be little for them to say.

After all, Heaven-Burning Valley was a Golden Core powerhouse of a sect—even peaking with Nascent Soul True Monarchs among their ranks. The Supreme Profound Sect wouldn’t risk trouble over something this minor.

After greeting his family, Lu Chang’sheng entered his cultivation room, took out a Cyan Spirit Pill, and swallowed it in one go.

A strange warmth rushed through him, and his body began undergoing some unusual changes—a faint cyan aura now spiraled gently around him.

Once mastering the Cyan Spirit Technique, his body would change from Mortal Body to Cyan Spirit Body.

This Spiritual Body was of the wood attribute, so its transformation naturally came with wood-element phenomena.

After a while, the abnormal signs settled down. Even so, Lu Chang’sheng knew the changes were still happening deep inside.

He looked at the Light Curtain Panel—the time required at each stage of the Cyan Spirit Technique had all drastically dropped. Entry level, in particular, had plummeted down to just over a year.

The time needed for the other stages had also decreased by varying amounts.

Another half a month later, the reductions became extreme.

Entry time needed: Four months!

At this point, the time cut had reached its absolute limit.

Of course, that was assuming he could keep taking Cyan Spirit Pills for another five months straight.

······

Luckily, Gu Chan had gifted him four more Cyan Spirit Pills—each should last about a month, which meant Gu Chan had really done him a favor here.

With effects this powerful, Lu Chang’sheng couldn’t help but think the value of these Cyan Spirit Pills might far surpass that of his own Perfect Pills.

The thought left him somewhat ashamed. He’d have to find a way to make it up to her down the line.

As time passed, the changes to Lu Chang’sheng’s body became more obvious. He could tell that entry was close, and anticipation grew quietly inside him.

The time spent cultivating the Cyan Spirit Technique was limited, so he used his spare hours to refine Clarity Pills.

Once a batch was done, he’d head out and deliver them to the client who’d commissioned them.

He ran into his wife Li Nangua a few times—she seemed to be in a particularly good mood lately, smiles coming much easier to her.

But every time Lu Chang’sheng asked, she just shook her head and kept quiet, only saying that the Pill Shop had made some kind of breakthrough in business.

Lu Chang’sheng wasn’t sure whether to believe her, but for now, he’d focus on achieving entry with the Spirit Body and worry about the rest later.

Five months flew by in the blink of an eye.

Just as he’d expected, in the fifth month, the changes in Lu Chang’sheng’s body hit a critical point. Suddenly, his pores all over felt as if they’d opened to some hidden connection—the room filled with whirling currents of wind, rushing out of him.

All sorts of alchemy materials lying on the floor were scattered everywhere by the sudden gust, which finally settled after dozens of breaths.

The Cyan Spirit Technique—entry achieved.

He’d successfully made the leap from Mortal Body to Spirit Body.

On top of that, turning into a Spirit Body brought an unexpected surprise.

His Immortal Dao Root Bone had advanced a level.

From an Inferior Spirit Root, he’d grown into a D-rank Lower Grade.

Don’t underestimate D-rank Lower Grade—compared to Inferior Spirit Roots, it was already a fundamental difference.

Most powerful sects used D-rank Lower Grade as the cutoff when selecting members. Anyone below that basically had no shot, left either to fend for themselves in the Spirit Realm or live a mortal’s life.

The surprises didn’t end there. Lu Chang’sheng distinctly felt like his body had broken through the Ren and Du Meridians; his previously stagnant magical power now gushed forth.

Soon, the barrier between Qi Cultivation Level Six and Level Seven was shattered in a series of surges—an unstoppable momentum building up inside him.

He knew this was a massive opportunity, so without hesitation he pulled out several top-quality Barrier-Breaking Pills he’d prepared before and swallowed them.

After taking three in a row, a powerful surge of energy blasted out, making the sealed cultivation room drone and hum.

"What’s that—?" In one Lu Mansion courtyard, Li Nangua sat with a charming young lady, idly chatting.