In a battlefield strewn with the fallen, the Air thick with the stench of death, two figures stood in stark contrast. One, a regal figure in all black, brandishing a sword that gleamed in the dim light. The other, dressed in white, now turned crimson, and the battle scars were evident on her pale skin.
"Kara, I heard your name a lot during this war. You have gained so much glory during this war that you can call yourself a noble, and nobody would ever complain. You can claim a district as yours and live a luxurious life for the rest of your life. Both the dark clans and noble families would have no objection to it. Then why do you continue to fight?" asked The person dressed in black, pointing his sword towards the lady dressed in white.
"Lust King, Not everything is related to glory and luxury in life. There are times when people lift their swords to protect what they love and believe in.", said the lady in white, taking deep breaths.
"Oh! Is that why you risked your life today? to protect your loved one? You even managed to kill two of my generals. Considering their grand master-level strength, it must have been a bloody battle.", said the lust king, looking at the corpses of his generals and then at the lady's wounds.
"Well, I just did what is expected of me," replied Kara with a heavy breath.
"Kara, join me. Your strength is commendable and worthy of respect. I will let bygones be bygones. I will make sure your loved ones are not harmed. Just say your demands, and I'll meet them," said the Lust king to Kara, who was barely standing.
"Lust King, You're so heartless. I killed your men, and you are offering me to join you? What do you think your comrades will think of you?" spat Kara mockingly.
"The dead are gone, the weak die, and the strong live on. Isn't this the unspoken rule of the martial world?" asked Lust King.
Kara was taken aback. "Lust King, I don't know if I should pity you for the life you led or pity myself," she said as she drew her last breath and dropped to the ground.
Ang passed through the alleyways as he recalled some memories. "Kara was a cultivator with a common background who worked hard and became a warrior in a noble family. She stayed loyal to that family until the day she died. Although others might not know about this, after her death, I learned that Shin was the one she was in love with. Unfortunately, she could not be part of his harem due to her lack of family background. Later, Shin's wife's led her into a trap and made her fight me and my generals, leading to her death. It would greatly benefit me if I could find a way to get her to my side this time.", thought Ang.
As he moved from one alleyway to another, he finally reached an apothecary shop. He once heard a fellow dark clan member say that he found a miracle drug in the experimental section of some apothecary shop, significantly increasing his Qi levels. He may not be so lucky to get something like that, but with his current gold, he can buy some good cultivation resources to make up for the wasted years.
Ang saw the apothecary shop before him and thought, "Right from Gaining Gold to spending gold, I guess."
"Welcome to our humble shop, sir." An attendant said near the door, opening it for Ang to pass.
The shop was neither great nor run down. Ang chose this shop because it is well known for its quality products. In the future, it will become one of the pill-making giants.
"May I know what kind of pills you are looking for, kind Sir?", Asked a thin man behind the desk. His dark circles show the amount of sleepless nights he had.
"That must be the apothecary himself", Ang thought to himself.
"I would like a pill to increase my cultivation. Do you have any?" Ang smiled.
"Well, of course, Sir. We have a couple of pills depending on the years of Qi.", the thin man replied.
The years of Qi are measured based on the Qi a spiritual ginseng can absorb in a year.
"10 years. The highest quality possible", Ang replied.
"10 years is a lot for an apprentice warrior to handle, Sir. I recommend opting for a five-year. Of course, we only provide the highest quality.", The thin man replied.
"No wonder they will lead the pill-making industry in the future. Instead of just taking the money, they suggest a safer option even if they suffer a loss." Ang thought to himself.
Ang: Hey, system, how many years' worth of Qi Pill can my current body handle without backlash?
System: Five years is the maximum amount you can handle based on your strength.
Ang: But once I take that Pill, I will not be able to take another until the residue of this Pill wears off. Which might be at least 4-5 years.
System: If it's just a ten-year, then there is a workaround.
Ang: Good, so what is it?
System: One should not use pills excessively to improve their cultivation because of the burst of QI that happens in the body after Pill consumption. If one is not strong enough, their Core will break, causing them to lose their cultivation. This means that as long as you can control the flow of Qi from that Pill, you will be safe.
Ang: Is that even possible?
System: Yes, although it's not as fast as consuming the Pill directly and is a bit painful.
Ang: hmm... interesting. So, what is the approach?
From Ang's perspective, he might be taking his time obtaining the information from the system. But in reality, the system immediately imprints the responses in the brain, so the conversation was as short as him recollecting a memory.
"Do not worry, shopkeeper. It is not for me. It's for a warrior-level cultivator. I assume he will not have any issues," Ang said with a smile.
The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "Very well then. I shall bring the product." while he started to go to the second floor to fetch his Pill.
The system suggested creating a second core with the help of the Pill and merging it with the existing one. The Core is something that is formed during the process of breaking through to apprentice-level warriors by the world's will. It initially contains five years' worth of Qi and is very fragile. Any abnormal rush of Qi that surpasses the amount of Qi it has would result in it breaking. Also, the Core that is created by the world's will is of a natural state, allowing the cultivators to absorb all kinds of Qi in nature in equal proportions, resulting in a more stable cultivation path. However, the pills only focus on a few elements of Qi, resulting in an unbalanced power level. So, cultivators usually do not take Qi pills carelessly.
After a couple of minutes, the shopkeeper returned with a box. He placed it in front of Ang and opened it, showing different kinds of pills. Pills absorb the elements of their ingredients and form the color based on the resulting element. If a blue pill represents the high presence of the water Qi, A light blue pill represents a blend of water and air Qi, whereas a white pill represents the element of Air Qi. Also, the darker the shade of Color, the higher the concentration of a single element.
"The colors represent the element of Qi they produce. Mixed colors have multiple elements, and pure colors have only one element. The purer the Qi, the darker the shade, except for some elements like Air, which become brighter and pure in color.", said the shopkeeper, now staring at Ang.