DS 03

Chapter – 03

Testing the Pill, Breaking Through

Early morning, Li Yu got up at dawn.

He’d barely slept all night, staring at the milky-white pill bottle in his hand, hesitating.

He had the Qi-Gathering Pills now, but he wasn’t sure if that demonic woman had tampered with them.

After all, she was from the demonic path—not to be fully trusted. What if she thought Li Yu, still unable to condense qi after two years, was a complete waste with no value for cultivation, and a potential liability at that? What if these pills were meant to eliminate the risk? If he took them and dropped dead on the spot, wouldn’t that be suicide?

It wasn’t that Li Yu was naturally suspicious. In his previous life working undercover in the criminal syndicate, fearing betrayal from moles, the higher-ups had dealt with useless informants exactly that way.

For the sake of his hard-won second chance at life, it was better to be cautious.

Li Yu poured out a white, glossy pill and pondered: should he find something—or someone—to test it on first?

The first name that came to mind was, naturally, Jiang Li.

What could he do? Jiang Li was his only friend at Baiyun Temple.

But the thought flickered through his mind and was quickly dismissed.

Li Yu’s parents had died early. In this world, Jiang Li was his one and only friend—more or less his dearest and closest. Jiang Li always thought of him when something good came along. Using him as a guinea pig would be far too heartless…

Li Yu thought for a moment, then got up and left the room.

A short while later, Baiyun Temple, back mountain.

Baiyun Temple was located in the State of Chen. Behind it stretched the Baiyun Mountain Range for hundreds of li—deep, remote, and rarely trodden by human feet. Apart from cultivators searching for spiritual herbs and medicines, only wild beasts roamed there.

Li Yu didn’t venture deep into the mountains. According to legend, deeper within, there were demon beasts that had developed intelligence and learned to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate. At his current level, dealing with ordinary beasts was fine, but if he encountered a demon, he’d be nothing but prey.

The pills the demonic woman had given still needed testing. He’d shamelessly asked for two extra last night precisely for this purpose.

The best test subjects were, of course, humans. Next best were large animals of similar size to humans—tigers, leopards, wolves—or, at the very least, a deer would do.

But luck wasn’t on Li Yu’s side. He wandered around this valley for nearly half an hour and only managed to catch a pheasant and a rabbit. If he used them to test the pill, even if the pill was fine, the concentrated spiritual energy in it would likely burst their tiny bodies apart.

Fortunately, Li Yu was hungry anyway. He walked to a stream in the valley, skillfully dressed the two game animals, gathered some firewood, and flicked his finger—a fireball materialized out of thin air. Before long, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air.

The fireball spell was incredibly convenient for barbecuing. Too bad there was no cumin or chili powder—Li Yu had to make do. He tore off a rabbit leg and raised it to his mouth, but before he could take a bite, the grass ahead rustled.

The next moment, a head poked out.

It was a large cat—a young tiger with black-and-white striped fur and a pair of dark, gleaming eyes fixed intently on the rabbit leg in Li Yu’s hand. The look in its eyes was full of longing, mixed with wariness and fear.

Li Yu spotted the tiger in the grass and was momentarily startled, instinctively reaching for his waist—but quickly relaxed.

He didn’t have a gun anymore, but he wasn’t the old Li Yu either. Even if a full-grown tiger appeared, he could handle it—let alone this cub.

Seeing the hunger in the tiger’s eyes, after a brief pause, Li Yu casually tossed the rabbit leg over.

The little tiger leaped out of the grass in a midair pounce, catching the leg precisely, and began wolfing it down. In a few breaths, the rabbit leg was gone.

Then it looked at Li Yu with gleaming eyes, its wariness and fear noticeably diminished.

Without hesitation, Li Yu tore off another leg and threw it over. But two rabbit legs clearly weren’t enough to satisfy a hungry tiger. When it looked at him again, Li Yu simply tossed over the pheasant and the rest of the rabbit as well.

After finishing the pheasant and rabbit, the little tiger ambled over to the stream, lapped up some cool, sweet water with its pink tongue, then lay down by the bank, gazing at Li Yu with a lazy, relaxed expression.

At this point, Li Yu reached out again. In his palm lay a milky-white pill, gleaming charmingly in the sunlight.

As he produced the Qi-Gathering Pill, a faint medicinal fragrance began to waft through the air. The little tiger paid it no mind at first, but suddenly sniffed the air, perked up, got to its feet, and stared at the pill in Li Yu’s hand, padding slowly toward him.

Li Yu flicked his finger, and the pill arced through the air, landing perfectly in the tiger’s open mouth.

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There was no such thing as a free lunch. Having eaten his food, it now owed him a favor.

From the moment the tiger swallowed the pill, Li Yu watched it intently. At first, nothing obvious happened—the cub just seemed drowsy. It wobbled over to Li Yu’s feet and lay down motionless.

Li Yu crouched down and saw its body rising and falling gently, its breathing steady and long, as if it had simply fallen asleep.

So far, the pill seemed safe. But Li Yu wasn’t in a hurry—he decided to observe a while longer. As time passed, black impurities began to seep through its skin, accompanied by a faint, foul odor.

This put Li Yu more at ease. According to the texts, after taking a Qi-Gathering Pill, spiritual energy would wash through the body, expelling impurities—a process that not only strengthened the physique but also extended one’s lifespan.

It wasn’t until an hour later that Li Yu heard a lazy, low growl. The little tiger woke from its sleep, stretched its four legs, and then sniffed the air, as if catching a scent. It looked down at its own body, let out a soft grunt, and jumped straight into the stream.

Seeing the cub awake and lively, Li Yu was completely reassured. It seemed the demonic woman’s pills were safe.

He watched the little tiger a while longer and noticed nothing unusual. Then he took out another pill, hesitated briefly, and placed it in his mouth.

The pill dissolved instantly on his tongue. Li Yu tasted nothing—only felt a warm current flow through his body, causing a slight tremor. Strength surged through all his limbs and bones…

Black, foul-smelling impurities began to seep from his skin at a visible rate. Li Yu bent down just to take a whiff—and his brain momentarily went blank from the stench…

“Ugh…”

He gagged and dove into the stream without a second thought, stripping off his clothes. He scrubbed himself in the water for a full half-hour, not daring to breathe deeply until the stench was completely gone.

Naked, sitting in the stream, Li Yu looked down and noticed his skin seemed a shade fairer. The reflection in the water showed a more handsome face—he looked almost like a graceful young gentleman.

Eagerly, he drew spiritual energy from the surrounding void—and soon discovered, to his delight, that the energy, which used to linger only briefly inside him, now remained for a long time without dissipating…

That meant he had successfully condensed qi and officially entered the Qi Refining stage.

Now, three months later, he wouldn’t have to leave Baiyun Temple. And with luck, he might even become a formal disciple of Kunlun—all thanks to that single pill.

“Thank you, demonic lady,” Li Yu thought to himself.

“Rawr…”

The little tiger’s cheerful cry from the bank pulled Li Yu back to reality. Turning his head, he saw it running back and forth along the shore, looking quite pleased. After taking the Qi-Gathering Pill, its fur had become even glossier, and its eyes held a touch more intelligence.

Li Yu felt a pang of regret for the wasted pill, but at least it had given him peace of mind.

Walking naked to the bank, he looked at his discarded clothes—stained with filth, reeking intolerably—and shook his head helplessly.

He probably couldn’t wear them anymore. Just getting close made him nauseous. Instead, he found some large leaves from nearby trees and set about weaving a crude grass skirt to cover the essentials.

While sitting by the water weaving his skirt, the little white tiger paced around him, occasionally staring at a certain part of Li Yu’s body with great curiosity…

Li Yu glanced at it and said irritably, “What are you staring at? Don’t you have one too?”

The little tiger naturally couldn’t understand him. But after what had just happened, it had grown quite fond of Li Yu. It rubbed affectionately against him like an adorable big cat. Li Yu couldn’t help but pick it up and ruffle it—but when he inadvertently flipped it over, he froze for a moment…

Then, silently, he put the tiger down and tied the grass skirt firmly around his waist…

He still had his dignity. Even if it was just a tiger, it was a *female* tiger…