After the tiger had been killed, Jian Yu's heart slowed down as he tried to process everything that happened. The entire fight lasted for a couple of hours but it actually had lasted an instant. It was over with a single punch.

Everybody was shocked and their very minds nearly trembled. If they weren't used to seeing results like this, they might very well leap out of their seats. However, some did leap out of their seats, from the shock that they better on the wrong side.

Meanwhile, Tian Yu was almost cried as the thought struck him that he was going to lose his medicinal pills. Those were his pills! Furthermore, he borrowed money from his father to buy those. What would happen if his father found out he donated some money to a measly commoner like Jian Yu...

This was not an issue of money, but of reputation. If somebody were to steal money from you right under your nose with everybody knowing it, it would be humiliating!

"Uhh, I can go now? And what about the pills you promised?" Jian Yu asked. Blood had already dried up on his fist and clothes. It would be best for him to get his clothes washed fast.

"Mm, yes. I'll hand your pills later. You can go now," answered Tian Yu. Despite his recent words, he actually was not going to hand over the pills. He was just going to postpone the handing over of pills until a few days later after he 'lost them'.

"Can I have them now? You're up there, I'm down here. Just drop them and I'll catch!" Jian Yu shouted.

Although he could be somewhat oblivious most of the time, he was definitely a boy who could tell the difference between liars. It was just that in recent times, he had been neglected and pushed away by others which caused him to feel down, shutting himself in his own room all day long. Then when he was finally in a group of people, they all exposed their inner feelings towards him, exploding out in fury. 

Currently, it seemed as if Tian Yu was insisting on keeping the pills. Through his life, he had constantly invited others to various events only to find them rejecting the invite at the last minute for various reasons as well. Later on, he learned the knack to tell who might be the type to lie and the the signs that give away their lies.

Right before Tian Yu wanted to rebuke Jian Yu's words, his follower, the big and burly man from before, whispered something in his ear. It seemed to be some secretive matter that couldn't be said out loud. Immediately, Tian Yu's eyes brightened up and a strange gleam appeared in them.

"Here's the pills. Now leave," Tian Yu dropped the pills to Jian Yu without any care and concern for the pills and ordered him to exit the stadium.

Jian Yu happily caught the falling bag of pills and bowed his head to Tian Yu. Right afterwards, he left through the same tunnel from whence he came.

He walked back home feeling exhausted but his face was visibly twitching from all of the excitement leaking out. A smile plastered there as his right hand constantly patted down on the bag of pills tied to his waist.

Although he could sense something fishy going on, he couldn't be bothered to find out. This was his personality, simplistic. If a problem arises, fix it. If everybody hates him, fix it.

When he got past the gates of his house and into his room, he emptied the bag of pills and verified it's contents.

Jackpot!

There on the study table set in his room that he never used were 10 qi gathering pills. They looked the same as the ones showcased in the jade slip handed to him by the Pinnacle Pavilion and even emanated a faint aroma. These were most certainly the right pills.

He eagerly sat down before swallowing one down and cultivating.

He could sense more strands of qi being attracted to him, making it easier for him to absorb them into his cultivation base. Compared to his latest cultivation session, this was about twice as fast!

He stayed in closed for cultivation for the rest of the day where he used up 4 of the pills. According to his calculations, the effect of the pills took 3 hours to dissipate. This would add up to 30 hours of continued effect of the pill. To Jian Yu, this was a really good stroke of good fortune as it would save time. He knew that the wealth of time was something that he couldn't work for and get as a form of currency. That's what makes it seem so priceless.

"To think that one of these cost 6,000 gold coins or three of those spirit stones. I might have to consider making it to the Blood Reaches Sect before the requirement of the level of peak qi condensation is reached."

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As Jian Yu continued cultivating, the big burly man who followed behind Tian Yu walked into the Great Hall of the Ferocity Sect's Elder's association with a solemn expression.

There, a long oak table could be seen stretching across the length of the entire room. Around it, 7 people could be seen seated down. A pressuring atmosphere seemed to linger in the air as they sat in silence.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Chou Tai greets elders. I requested a meeting as I recently found a rogue cultivator. Normally, it would be reasonable to find one roaming around our city. However, the imperial family has already closed off the city gates and all rogue cultivators have either joined our sects with strict restrictions or forced out. To find a rogue cultivator within our city walls at the 1st level of qi condensation at a time like this is most suspicious."

The big burly man bowed deeply in the presence of these people. Every single person seated around the oak table had their names spread through the city. Along with their names came a terrifying reputation that caused shivers to crawl up the spine of anybody. Some of them had drunk the blood of their enemies to sustain themselves. Others were known for torturing their captured victims with horrifying methods. Hence, as Chou Tai raised his head, he couldn't even dare to look at the eyes of the Elders.

"I checked through his background already. His name is Jian Yu and he was an orphan. Named and raised by his foster father Jian Ting. Apparently, Jian Ting fished out a basket from the river that leads into the mountains, the Moon River. However, what alerted me enough to call his meeting was that... I sensed the aura of the Blood Reaches Sect on him."

All of the Elders were shocked at the mention of the Blood Reaches Sect. Word has it of a mysterious sect that was hidden behind a dangerous forest. Occasionally, a person would venture far enough and visit Acirema. Always, there would be some blood shed and the disciple would get away.

Now that a war was about to get underway, a person that could possibly be related to the Blood Reaches Sect could determine another friend or foe.

"Bring that boy to me. I'll get him to talk," one of the Elders spoke out. It was the Elder appointed in the Punishment division. There, only one other Elder had a higher position than his, making him the second in command.

"I want him as soon as possible! And please don't make it seem threatening."

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As secret meetings were being held at important locations, Jian Yu was about to break through in his simple room.

Success!

A rumble made it's way through Jian Yu as the strand of qi slowly thickened and resembled a tiny rope of qi. Furthermore, black filth had seeped their way out of Jian Yu's skin, forming a black layer above his skin. Both of these signs show that Jian Yu has entered the 2nd level of qi condensation. To enter the 1st level of qi condensation requires consistent meditation and a chance epiphany leading to being able to feel spiritual energy around him. To enter the 2nd level was much easier as it only required qi to accumulate in the dantian and thicken the strand of qi already there.

Jian Yu's eyes opened and he swinged his fists to and fro.

"Hmm, from the increase of cultivation level, my fleshly body only got a tad bit stronger compared to last time but the qi in the dantian increased by a fold. That means twice as much qi that I have no idea how to utilize and use flexibly. According to the information left behind by that old man, there's some magics that use qi as the foundation behind it. It can form dragons of fire, bring about gusts of wind and summon walls of Earth. It all stems from this energy in me..."

Jian Yu examined his newfound strength and contemplated on the nature of qi. To him, cultivating was a means to gain power. If he were to not use it properly, that would mean that he's not using all the power available to him which would be unwise.

However, the natures of qi are far too complex for his mind to comprehend without a proper guideline to lead him. If it were so simple, every cultivator would be able to create shocking magics that would shake mountains.

*Knock, knock*

Jian Yu kept the two remaining qi gathering pills in the bag and walked up to answer the knocking on the door of his room.

As the door opened slightly with a creak, Jian Yu asked, "What is it, father?"

However, Jian Yu peaked through the small crevice from the side of the door and he noticed that behind the door was not his father. It was the big and burly man from before! So just before the door opened wide, Jian Yu nervously closed it back slowly...

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit sick right now. I'm going to sleep. Wow, I'm exhausted," Jian Yu imitated a yawn and acted his exhaustion. He backed away from the door and tiptoed to the window to escape through there.

Along the way, he wanted to grab the bag of medicinal pills. But as he was about to reach the pills, the big burly man behind the door finally spoke.

"JIAN YU, you're coming with me!"

The door slammed open and cracked along it's hinges. The man exerted too much force for the door to withstand. Jian Yu actually stopped in his tracks not due to fear but a mysterious force held him in place. Knowing this, even more fear made it's way into his already unstable mind. He tried speaking up to negotiate terms as he was certain the man had come for the pills. Yet, he also couldn't open his mouth. It was as if his entire life was in the control of the man in front of him.

The man leaped over to Jian Yu in an instant and tucked Jian Yu under his armpit like before. Then, he opened the window and actually flew out!

If Jian Yu weren't demobilized, he might have actually enjoyed a flight through the city. He's seen some fly through the city occasionally in his strolls and always wanted to do the same. However, what came with his first experience was not exactly what he had in mind. He was being abducted again!

Right as the man began to slow down his flight, Jian Yu noticed the Ferocity Sect below him. There were sounds of combat and the occasional explosions here and there. Even more sounds of metal hitting metal were heard from what seemed to be a large scale facility to make weapons. Jian Yu turned his head to the other side to see a huge flat piece of land where about a hundred cultivators sat down in a strange formation. However, with the strange formation came a profound feeling of strength and terror to Jian Yu. To top it all off, there was an oppressing atmosphere that was thick in the air and Jian Yu swore he could almost see it.

The man lowered in altitude and landed in front of a huge building. It didn't seem luxurious like what would be expected from that Tian Yu so Jian Yu began to expect something fishy going on. However, seeing that he was here already and that the people inside were expecting him, he might as well take the initiative.

He rushed up to the huge metal door and gave it a push. However, it didn't even budge. With a short snort, he leaned his body on the door and used all of his strength to push on the door.

Suddenly, the door was opened and Jian Yu fell on his side. He looked up only to see a tall and skinny man looking down at him. A smirk was seen swimming across his face.

Jian Yu suddenly got the feeling that this was not Tian Yu's family.