```
Time progressed from evening to midnight, then from midnight to dawn, and from dawn until the afternoon.
The crowd watching Bai Mutian had changed several times, and many of the ordinary people who came for the excitement had lost patience and left. However, as time passed and the news spread, more and more disciples from the Hundred Peaks Sect began to gather.
Cultivators have much more patience and endurance than ordinary people, so the crowd's scrutiny made Bai Mutian feel like a monkey performing on the Sky Bridge—trapped and unable to leave, he could only fume inwardly as he waited for Cao Zhen to appear.
At first, Bai Mutian merely wanted to humiliate Cao Zhen, hoping that he would not seek to cancel the duel with Starshine Peak later for the sake of face. But by midnight... Bai Mutian changed his mind; he decided he would severely beat and shame Cao Zhen.
As morning came, and with more disciples from Hundred Peaks watching him as if he were a monkey, Bai Mutian resolved not only to beat up Cao Zhen but also to use spells to shatter his clothing and have him run naked! This was to vent the rage he felt from being made a fool of.
By noon, Bai Mutian, under the gaze of the crowd, was on the verge of losing his sanity. He struggled to control himself—not to slaughter Cao Zhen upon seeing him.
The rules of Hundred Peaks Sect are very strict! If one kills in a friendly competition, they must pay with their own life! If one kills a fellow disciple in insubordination, it would implicate the entire Starshine Peak, and even the Starshine Peak Master would face severe punishment from the Sect Leader.
Bai Mutian could no longer bear being watched as if he were part of a monkey show; he simply walked into the Precious Cauldron Pavilion to inquire about Cao Zhen's whereabouts and headed straight for Cao Zhen's Pill Room, determined to beat him even if it meant facing punishment from the sect for disrupting another's alchemy.
Facing the wooden door, Bai Mutian activated all five of his Dao Platforms, striving to reach the highest momentum and to let the other party know the consequences of angering him. He kicked the door down in a show of dominance and stepped into the room.
"Cao Zhen! You..." Before Bai Mutian could finish his sentence, his gaze froze, and then his whole body stiffened. His leg that kicked through the door remained stiff in the air as he stood there, petrified, staring at the ten Perfect Fulfillment Dao Platforms floating behind Cao Zhen.
"Is there something you want?" Cao Zhen turned his head to the petrified Bai Mutian and asked.
Bai Mutian continued to stare dumbly at the ten Perfect Fulfillment Dao Platforms, resonating with the roar of dragons and tigers. In that instant, his world shattered—this was fucking unbelievable! Ten Perfect Fulfillment Dao Platforms? And with dragons and tigers manifested above them? What was going on?
For a very long time in the world of cultivators, having nine Dao Platforms was considered Great Perfection. Later, a prodigy appeared, breaking the norm by establishing that ten Dao Platforms marked Perfect Fulfillment. Following that, another heavenly genius emerged, creating a marvel with ten Dao Platforms for Perfect Fulfillment.
Since then, ten Dao Platforms for Perfect Fulfillment became the benchmark for talented individuals in various sects. Although it wasn't extremely rare, it certainly wasn't as common as cabbage on the street! Within Hundred Peaks, there were fewer than ten people who boasted ten Perfect Fulfillment Dao Platforms!
After a brief moment of shock, endless fear surged in Bai Mutian's heart! The other party had ten Perfect Fulfillment Dao Platforms, while he only had five... And he had the audacity to kick down the opponent's door to issue a challenge—wasn't this suicide? The opponent could crush him with just a finger! No! Run! Quick! He must report back to his sect to let them know about this...
"I remember now, you wanted to spar with me, right?" Cao Zhen lifted his hand, channeling the Five-thunder Righteous Method; from his palm erupted a thunder pillar as thick as a washbowl, "Then let me oblige you."
It's over! Thunder Law! Bai Mutian's heart clenched. He tried to cast a spell in defense, but that thought only flickered in his mind—his body could not react in time before a thick bolt of lightning pierced through him.
In an instant! Bai Mutian was struck by the lightning, flung high into the air, his body turning charcoal-black as he collapsed limply and fainted.
From storming in with bluster to challenge, to being fried by a bolt of lightning inside and out, it all happened in just a second. Bai Mutian only felt excruciating pain throughout his body before losing consciousness.
"So weak?" Cao Zhen looked at Bai Mutian, who was heavily injured and unconscious after one strike, and shook his head, then looked at his own raised palm and mused to himself, "Or am I just too strong?"
"Brother Bai! Don't do it!"
Xu Qingfeng had been busy with his duties when he heard from his servant that someone was breaking into the Pill Furnace Room. He hurried over, as any trouble here would be his responsibility.
As Xu Qingfeng's shout resounded, he arrived at the scene as well.
When the power of the thunderbolt erupted, he assumed it was Bai Mutian who had cast it, but to his stunned surprise, it was Bai Mutian who had turned into a charred figure upon arrival.
How could this be? Xu Qingfeng gazed in astonishment at the charred Bai Mutian, then at Cao Zhen, who was walking away with his hands behind his back.
"He's the one who kicked the door down. Don't charge that against my deposit," Cao Zhen quickly pointed out, referring to the broken door panel.
"You're right, I'll seek compensation from Starshine Peak," Xu Qingfeng quickly agreed, bowing and scraping. It wasn't that he feared Cao Zhen for having turned someone into a charred corpse. Rather, it was because he had failed to stop Bai Mutian from disturbing the Alchemy Master: if this caused an uproar, he might have to pay a large sum of money.
As for why Bai Mutian couldn't beat Cao Zhen? Xu Qingfeng quickly figured it out—after all, the man was a Peak Master! Even if not powerful, he surely had some resources, right? Perhaps an elder had left him a few Five Thunderbolts Talismans. Just now, to protect himself, he used one, right?
Exactly! It had to be that! Xu Qingfeng was well aware that Five Thunderbolts Talismans were powerful items. For someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage, even with nine Dao Platforms of Great Perfection, it would take several breaths to activate the power to cast Thunder Law, whereas the Five Thunderbolts Talisman could be used instantly, without any delay!
```
How could someone with only three Taoist platforms outpace Bai Mutian, who has five Taoist platforms, in casting Thunder Law? And it's impossible that Bai Mutian couldn't block it, unless it was a Five Thunderbolt Talisman!
"Your security system is no good," Cao Zhen realized that Xu Qingfeng wanted to downplay the situation and immediately countered, "If I had still been doing alchemy just now, such a fright could have led me to go haywire, do you understand?"
Xu Qingfeng glanced at the pill furnace and found that there wasn't even a trace of medicinal residue inside, let alone any medicinal aura. The other party had clearly just hidden here overnight and hadn't done any alchemy at all!
He was about to be extorted! Xu Qingfeng really wanted to argue, but he also knew that despite the invader's weak cultivation base, his status as a Peak Master meant that if the situation escalated, not only would Precious Cauldron Pavilion's reputation suffer, but the Sect Leader may get involved, and Precious Cauldron Pavilion would be in the wrong.
"Just one hundred and two Spirit Stones," Cao Zhen knew he could definitely get more compensation if he made a fuss, but that would take a long time. If he wasn't careful, it could drag on past the confrontation, at which point the value of the compensation would be too negligible.
"One hundred and two Spirit Stones? Why don't you go rob someone?" Xu Qingfeng bristled instantly. As the shopkeeper, he would have to pay a share of the money out of his own pocket! But now, he didn't have even a single Spiritual Money to his name—he had bet it all at the gambling house on Cao Zhen losing!
"What if we go ask the Sect?" Cao Zhen patted Xu Qingfeng's shoulder and whispered, "You caused me to lose a furnace of Tianbao Fulongdan. How much do you think Precious Cauldron Pavilion should compensate?"
Xu Qingfeng stared at Cao Zhen with disbelief for a long while. According to the rumors he knew, the lowly Peak Master was supposed to be stubborn and stodgy, yet the man before him was unlike the rumors: not only demanding compensation but also extorting.
Tianbao Fulongdan? That's what the minor giants in the Golden Core Realm would use! Are you a minor giant of the Golden Core Realm? A Peak Master who not even to mention Immortal Bridge, doesn't even have Great Fulfillment in Foundation Establishment, what would you do with a Tianbao Fulongdan? Kneel and pray to it every day? Aren't you afraid of bursting from eating it? Can you even make it? Are you an alchemy master?
"Whether I can make it or not, what does it have to do with you? The Tianbao Fulongdan in this furnace was ruined before it could form because you didn't secure the pill room door properly, and that is a fact."
Cao Zhen's remark left Xu Qingfeng with his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long while. The pill furnace was so clean there wasn't a trace of medicinal aura or materials, making it impossible for anyone from the Sect sent to investigate to prove what the original materials had been, thus making the Peak Master's words more credible than his own.
"You tell me, how much would it cost to compensate for the materials of one furnace of Tianbao Fulongdan?"
Cao Zhen was not going to be polite to Xu Qingfeng. When he had first entered Precious Cauldron Pavilion, this shopkeeper's attitude was indeed full of mockery and scorn. Now that he was extorting, he felt no guilt whatsoever.
Xu Qingfeng fell silent, beginning to consider that there weren't many people around, so why not just take action himself? Later, he could simply say that both had suffered? With his six Taoist platforms' cultivation base, crushing this Four Treasures Peak Master would be like squashing an ant!
After a moment of silence, Xu Qingfeng still gave up on the idea. It wasn't that he was afraid of Cao Zhen but that he feared Cao Zhen might have more than one Five Thunderbolts Talisman. That might well be the real trump card that gave the other the courage to accept the challenge from Starshine Peak.
"I will compensate one hundred and two Spirit Stones," Xu Qingfeng said through gritted teeth and nodded. Compared to the cost of Tianbao Fulongdan's materials, one hundred and two was indeed very cheap! Even if the Sect later ruled he didn't have to compensate for the materials of Tianbao Fulongdan, they would go for a middle price, which couldn't be settled with a mere one hundred and two Spirit Stones.
"Alright then! I've got things to do, so I'll be on my way," Cao Zhen patted Xu Qingfeng's shoulder again and started walking towards the exit.
"And this Bai Mutian..."
"Deal with him however you want. He dared to kick in the door to my pill room; even if he's killed, when the Sect Leader arrives, he can only say, 'Serves him right, well killed!'" Cao Zhen interrupted Xu Qingfeng.
A servant rushed over at this time and, observing the situation and catching Xu Qingfeng's eye signal, promptly led Cao Zhen out obediently.
Xu Qingfeng had no choice but to take out a pill from his medicine pouch for Bai Mutian to consume. Having someone die here was never good for him. As for the loss of over a hundred Spirit Stones? No worries! When it comes to the peak confrontation, as long as Cao Zhen loses, he still stood to gain!
Cao Zhen followed the servant out towards the ground floor, moving even quicker past room thirty-six of Jiazi Alley than he had when he arrived.
Thinking that Cao Zhen had just been boasting when he passed by the previous day, the servant felt Cao Zhen was walking quickly because his face couldn't handle it, and hurriedly said, "There's no need for embarrassment, revered one. The way of the pill is complicated; a mistake one time is normal."
"Embarrassed? Mistake?" Cao Zhen, quickening his pace, replied, "What do I have to be embarrassed about? The pill furnace in room thirty-six of Jiazi Alley should have exploded yesterday. That it hasn't so far can only mean that the person inside has superior mana, suppressing the pill furnace with powerful cultivation. But such suppression only means the explosion will be more forceful. I'd estimate it'll explode in no time at all. Why wouldn't I leave? Do I want to be blasted to death?"
The servant just grinned at this explanation, knowing these cultivators were a group of people who cared a lot about face. How could they admit they were wrong in front of mere mortals? With that in mind, why bother reminding him, especially when there were people waiting outside all night to beat him?
Cao Zhen left the Precious Cauldron Pavilion with his returned deposit and compensation. As for the matter with China Cloud, he decided to study it more carefully once he got back to Four Treasures Peak.
Those gathered outside Precious Cauldron Pavilion on the long street, expecting to witness a spectacle, saw Cao Zhen leave unscathed and wondered what Bai Mutian had gone to do inside Precious Cauldron Pavilion. The man had already come out, hadn't he?
An explosive boom resounded from beneath Precious Cauldron Pavilion, and everyone felt the ground tremble slightly under their feet. No longer concerned about pondering Cao Zhen's situation, they craned their necks, eager to peer inside Precious Cauldron Pavilion and understand what had happened.