Failed again!

For a long time, Li Bai remained silent, showing no emotion on his face, yet his hands were tightly clenched, his nails digging deep into his flesh, and his lips were bitten to the point of bleeding. However, this state did not last long. A few minutes later, Li Bai took a deep breath, sat back down without a word, and continued his efforts...

...

Morning dawned with the rising sun, marking the start of a new day.

The Flying Cloud Hall was magnificent, comparable in size to a stadium on Earth. It was the most important building in Misty Cloud Valley, where Spirit Movement stage disciples gathered on the first day of each month to receive their cultivation supplies.

Despite having cultivated through most of the night and having slept for less than three hours, Li Bai arrived on time at the Flying Cloud Hall. Scattered throughout the spacious hall were over a hundred Spirit Movement stage disciples, each more advanced in their cultivation than Li Bai. His arrival sparked murmurs and whispers, with cold and sarcastic remarks occasionally reaching his ears.

"Did you see him? That’s the mortal without a spiritual root foolishly trying to cultivate."

"Hmph, he doesn’t even look impressive. Such a person is simply wasting pills by staying in the sect."

"Isn't it true? I heard he's very hardworking, but how can an ordinary person without a spiritual root compare to us? After three years, he's still stuck at the first level of the Spirit Movement stage."

"He doesn't know his limits. Does he think he can break the unchangeable iron rule of the cultivation world? Mortals cultivating will never achieve anything significant."

...

Li Bai remained unfazed by the sneers and glares, treating them like the barking of mad dogs. He silently moved to the back of the line.

An ancient bell tolled, prompting all the disciples to cease their discussions and line up. An elder, accompanied by young attendants, entered the hall. Each attendant carried a tray covered with a red cloth, which still emitted a refreshing fragrance.

"Uncle Ma!" The disciples bowed in greeting.

"Hmm." The elder arrogantly raised his head. His cultivation was not high, merely at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but he oversaw the sect’s pharmacy, giving him considerable power and status.

Besides talent and personal effort, pills were indispensable in cultivation and even crucial. Having sufficient pills during cultivation significantly accelerated progress, effectively serving as a shortcut. However, the materials for pill-making were precious, rare herbs, so the sect could provide only a small amount to its disciples.

According to regulations, Spirit Movement stage disciples received two Body Cleansing Pills monthly.

As the name suggests, the Body Cleansing Pill could cleanse and purify the body, eliminate impurities, and stimulate a small amount of spiritual power. Of course, the amount of spiritual power generated varied greatly depending on each person's aptitude, and this pill was only effective for Spirit Movement stage disciples.

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After the incense ceremony and worshipping the ancestor, the disciples lined up to receive their pills from the elder, each displaying expressions of gratitude and joy.

Soon it was Li Bai’s turn. Elder Ma glanced at him with a trace of disdain, picked up a jade bottle from the tray, and poured two pills out, tossing them in front of him.

"Thank you, Uncle," Li Bai began to say, but the corner of his eye twitched as he looked at the pills in his hand—were they… dud pills?

In the path of cultivation, there are countless aspects: techniques, tool creation, pill refining, talisman drawing, each encompassing vast knowledge.

Regarding pill refining, it isn't just about using various precious materials and rare herbs; it also requires refining with Samadhi True Fire. The refining success depends on temperature control, the dosage of supplementary materials, timing, and the material of the cauldron.

Even experienced alchemists frequently have mishaps, turning an entire cauldron of treasures into useless duds.

Dud pills contain too many impurities. Such pills not only fail to aid in cultivation but can also harm the body and are usually discarded with regret.

Although Misty Cloud Valley was a small sect, the pills distributed to disciples were merely of low grade, yet still useful spiritual medicine. But these duds...

Clearly, the elder intended to make things difficult for him. Letting a shadow pass over his heart, Li Bai maintained a calm exterior since it would be unwise to offend Elder Ma, who held significant power.

"Uncle, you seem to have made a mistake. How can one consume these dud pills?"

"Why not?" Elder Ma's contempt was evident. He, a minor disciple, was easily overlooked. With his head arrogantly raised, he said, "What? Dissatisfied?"

"With your aptitude, consuming real pills is a waste anyway. These duds might suit you better. As a favor, I'll give you a few more bottles."

With that, he grabbed two more jade bottles from the tray and tossed them to Li Bai.

"Other disciples get only two Body Cleansing Pills each, but I’m giving you two bottles. Isn’t Uncle being generous!"

"Thank you, Uncle!"

To Elder Ma’s surprise, Li Bai’s dissatisfaction vanished. He took the pills and bowed respectfully before stepping down.

"How could this be?" Elder Ma gaped in astonishment, unable to speak.

Dud pills are merely trash; consuming them is more harmful than helpful to cultivation. Whether two bottles or more, they held no real value, so why did Li Bai...

His response was entirely unexpected. Elder Ma originally thought his unfair treatment would provoke an outburst from Li Bai, giving him grounds to accuse Li Bai of disrespecting his elders and possibly expelling him from the sect.

It wasn’t personal between Elder Ma and Li Bai, but the elder was naturally disdainful, looking down on rootless mortals, considering Li Bai's presence in the sect disgraceful. Thus, he was determined to drive him out.

The plan was not flawless, but it was well-conceived. According to the sect’s rules, low-level disciples were entitled to Body Cleansing Pills, yet Elder Ma deliberately made things difficult by substituting dud pills. Such unfair treatment would provoke most, even seasoned individuals, to react. Once Li Bai retaliated, Elder Ma could exploit the situation.

But plans never quite match reality. Though Li Bai lacked a spiritual root and was an ordinary person, he was far from foolish. Indeed, he was very clever, with a resilient character, capable of enduring what others could not. He acted thoughtfully, never impulsively. Despite his anger at receiving dud pills, he expertly concealed his emotions.

From Elder Ma’s contemptuous gaze, Li Bai detected a hint of scheming—a plot. He concluded this was a conspiracy, although he couldn’t discern its specifics or why Elder Ma targeted him despite their lack of enmity. However, these details could be investigated later. The priority was to avoid the trap.

Thus, Li Bai did not erupt in anger. Instead, he calmly accepted the dud pills, successfully dodging a trap. Elder Ma’s plan failed; he couldn’t frame Li Bai and was left speechless with frustration.