Dusk approaches!
Chen Nan ceased his alchemy!
He walked into the courtyard. Bao Zhen had already arranged a sumptuous dinner!
It was roasted meat!
Enjoying it under the open sky offered a unique flavor.
"Brother Chen, how was your harvest today?" Bao Zhen asked with a smile.
Chen Nan chuckled, "Not bad, I refined a total of thirty-six Foundation Establishment Pills!" He then handed a storage bag to Bao Zhen. "Brother Bao can examine the pills I refined!"
Bao Zhen smilingly accepted the storage bag. When he saw there were forty-three Foundation Establishment Pills inside, he was first stunned, then grinned.
"Brother Chen, your alchemy skills are truly unparalleled! You even refined mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, amazing!" He laughed heartily, in high spirits.
He knew the extra seven pills were Chen Nan's gesture of goodwill.
He was willing to accept this favor.
"Come, come, tonight we won't go home until we're drunk!" Bao Zhen raised his wine cup.
After a few drinks, Chen Nan asked, "Brother Bao, how many applicants have come today?"
Bao Zhen pondered, "There were over thirty, yes, around that number! But they are all mere ants in the early Foundation Establishment stage, very weak."
"If we weren't expanding our ranks, we wouldn't accept them!"
Though thirty-odd people wasn't a large number, they were not to be trifled with.
Adding one more would threaten the lives of the people of Wuyang City.
Chen Nan said, "When I was traveling, I heard of a special organization in the secular world called the Yanhuang Guardians! It's said their duty is to restrain cultivators and prevent them from bullying ordinary people!"
Bao Zhen's body trembled. "Brother Chen, are you speaking the truth?"
Chen Nan: "Absolutely true!"
Bao Zhen: "Are you implying we should guard against infiltration by outsiders?"
A wry smile flickered across Chen Nan's face. "Second Master, rather than guarding against me, you should guard against them!"
Bao Zhen gave an awkward laugh. "Brother Chen speaks sense. With your cultivation at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, you are clearly not from the secular world. As for those over thirty cultivators in the early Foundation Establishment stage, we must indeed be wary."
He sighed. "It's a pity that Second Master is naturally suspicious. Apart from us old brothers who have shared life and death with Master Gui, he trusts no one else!"
Chen Nan raised his cup and took a sip of wine, calmly stating, "Being cautious is ultimately a good thing. I can understand."
"It's good that Brother Chen understands." Perhaps because Chen Nan had bribed Bao Zhen, he had let down his guard. "Brother Chen, speak frankly, Second Master still has doubts about you."
Chen Nan feigned seriousness. "Brother Bao, you shouldn't tell me this!"
Bao Zhen laughed. "I am different from Second Master. I believe in fate. The moment I saw you, I knew you were a trustworthy person!"
Chen Nan inwardly scoffed.
If I hadn't bribed you with a few Foundation Establishment Pills, would you say that?
Bao Zhen said earnestly, "However, if you can refine some pills for everyone, you will definitely dispel Second Master's concerns, allowing him to truly accept you and bring you to meet Master Gui!"
The night was deep.
Chen Nan returned to his room to cultivate.
Bao Zhen went back to the hotel where Yan Xiong was staying, a look of excitement on his face. "Second Master, we've truly struck gold! Chen Dong actually refined thirty-six Foundation Establishment Pills today!"
"Moreover, these are all mid-grade pills, possessing four to seven pill patterns!"
Yan Xiong showed surprise and pushed away the woman beside him. "Quick, quick, bring them out for me to see!"
Bao Zhen immediately took out the pills and gave them to him.
"Good, good, this fellow is someone we can use!"
Yan Xiong's eyes burned with desire but he maintained his composure. He looked at Bao Zhen. "In all the time you've been there, have you discovered anything suspicious about him?"
Bao Zhen replied, "Second Master, I always feel we are overthinking it. That fellow doesn't seem like someone sent from outside. Instead, these people who came in today are the ones we should be wary of!"
Yan Xiong frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Bao Zhen said, "Chen Dong once told me that there is an organization in the secular world called the Yanhuang Guardians, dedicated to protecting mortals, and their strength is generally not very high."
A hint of disdain appeared on Yan Xiong's lips. "Mere ants in the early Foundation Establishment stage. Even if they really send those so-called damn Guardians, what is there to fear?"
"Alright, you continue to monitor Chen Nan. Inform me immediately if you get any news!"
"Yes!"
After Bao Zhen left, Yan Xiong dismissed everyone and sat cross-legged, consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill to begin his cultivation.
------
At the same time!
Chen Nan's consciousness entered the Immortal Mansion!
"Greetings, Mansion Lord!"
The Golden Boy and Jade Girl appeared.
Chen Nan asked, "Can you two sense the number of experts in the city?"
Jade Girl: "I cannot!"
Chen Nan's eyebrows twitched. He focused his gaze on the Golden Boy and was about to speak when the latter's voice rang out, "I cannot either!"
Chen Nan's mouth twitched. "I thought you could!"
Golden Boy: "We are merely puppets, we cannot sense the number of external experts!"
Jade Girl: "However, there is a treasure on the second floor!"
"This item is called the Heaven and Earth Chessboard. If the master uses Wuyang City as the center, then all the living beings here are chess pieces. It can reveal the number of experts and their distribution!"
Hearing this, Chen Nan couldn't help but gasp. "Isn't this too heaven-defying?"
Golden Boy: "If it weren't a heaven-defying treasure, it couldn't be kept in the Immortal Mansion!"
Chen Nan sighed inwardly. "But how can I access the second floor?"
Golden Boy: "Accessing the second floor is simple. As long as the Mansion Lord possesses Golden Core stage cultivation, the second floor space will be unlocked!"
Chen Nan glared directly. "If I possessed Golden Core stage cultivation, would I need the Heaven and Earth Chessboard to find external experts?"
The Golden Boy and Jade Girl fell silent.
Chen Nan continued, "Can you block the formations outside?"
Golden Boy shook his head. "I cannot!"
Chen Nan's eyes lit up, and he focused his gaze on the Jade Girl.
Jade Girl: "I cannot either!"
Chen Nan was on the verge of going crazy. "Why do you each answer questions that one person could answer? Don't you know this behavior makes you prone to getting beaten?"
Golden Boy: "Our duty is only to help you familiarize yourself with and master the Immortal Mansion. Fighting is not within my purview!"
Jade Girl: "Nor is it within mine!"
Chen Nan suppressed the urge to beat them and withdrew from the Immortal Mansion, fearing he would be angered to the point of his soul scattering if he stayed.
At the same time, he also knew that to find Master Gui, blocking the formations here would have to be his own doing.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During these three days, he refined many pills, and each time he refined them, he gave a few extra to Bao Zhen.
Although he did not reveal anything about Master Gui, their relationship had become much closer.
Night.
Chen Nan sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
Suddenly!
A figure in black broke through the door and attacked him with a long sword!