Chapter 16

Chu Ning poured out a Jade Dew Pill and swallowed it down.

Once the pill entered her stomach, her spiritual power quickly recovered.

“Are the herbs prepared?” she then asked Qin Zheng.

Qin Zheng, still surprised, quickly put away his expression.

“Yes,” he replied, hastily delivering the herbs to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning glanced at Qin Zheng, knowing that he was very curious but chose not to explain her situation.

After receiving the herbs, she continued refining the pills.

After making three more batches of pills, Chu Ning’s yield for one batch was another twenty-four pills.

“Not bad, I can exchange the formula again,” Chu Ning said contentedly as she collected the pills.

Just as she was about to ask Qin Zheng to get new herbs for her, he reminded her, “It’s almost time for dinner.”

His reminder seemed to trigger something in Chu Ning, making her suddenly feel hungry.

The Jade Dew Pills could replenish energy, but they didn’t bring the satisfaction of being full. Since she was still a mortal, she couldn’t do without proper meals.

“Mm,” Chu Ning agreed.

Feeling expectant, she went with Qin Zheng to the restaurant.

The table was already laid with a variety of dishes. There were many kinds, all looking delicious. Just a glance was enough to make one salivate.

“These were arranged by Uncle Zhong. Mistress, please try them,” Qin Zheng said politely, pulling out a chair for Chu Ning. Once she was seated, he sat down at his own place.

Chu Ning didn’t hesitate and began eating.

Seeing her appetite, Qin Zheng, in a good mood, found his own appetite improving a little.

“By the way, Uncle Zhong added some daily necessities and clothing to your room. After dinner, would you like to take a look? If you don’t like it, we can have Uncle Zhong replace it,” Qin Zheng suddenly said.

Chu Ning glanced at him briefly.

“Let’s talk about it after we’re done.”

“I was thinking of trying, perhaps refining the pills I’ve just tested into a perfect state. After that, I should be ready for the alchemist exam.”

Qin Zheng looked at her with concern.

He held it in, not trying to persuade her.

After dinner, Chu Ning and Qin Zheng returned to the pill-refining room.

Then, Chu Ning began to try refining Power Gathering Pills.

Although the Power Gathering Pill was also a first-grade pill, refining it was more complicated than the Pain-Relief and Hemostasis Pills. The process consumed more mental energy.

Chu Ning took extra care, refining several batches of pills before finally achieving the perfect result for the Power Gathering Pill.

After finishing the final batch of pills, she, with an expectant heart, used a method to test her own strength and found that she had reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Condensation.

“Wife—” At that moment, Qin Zheng suddenly called out to Chu Ning.

Chu Ning stopped and looked at him.

“Here’s the mental helmet. Would you like to test it?” Qin Zheng asked.

Chu Ning thought for a moment before replying with a simple “Mm.”

Although she could use a method to test her spiritual power, it wouldn’t be as precise as the machines of this world.

Qin Zheng immediately took out the mental helmet from his spatial ring and handed it to her.

“Wife, let me put it on for you.”

“Okay,” Chu Ning agreed, cooperating.

After Qin Zheng’s operation, he pressed the start button, and the result quickly appeared.

“Spiritual power value: 9999. Spiritual potential: S-level!”

“Wife, you’re only one point away from reaching B-level spiritual power!”

The increase in spiritual power became slower the higher the level.

In just two months, Chu Ning had raised her spiritual power from 8002 to 9999. The speed of her improvement was astonishing.

Chu Ning, however, didn’t seem pleased.

A one-point increase might not sound like much, but crossing that threshold was difficult and usually required tens or even hundreds of times more effort to achieve.

However—

Suddenly, something seemed to come to her mind, and Chu Ning smiled.

Then, a pill appeared in her hand.

Under Qin Zheng’s puzzled gaze, Chu Ning took one of the pills, put it in her mouth, and swallowed it.

A while later, she looked at Qin Zheng again.

“Test it again.”

Qin Zheng, confused, pressed the start button once more.

Then his expression shifted to shock.

“Spiritual power: 10039! Madam, you’ve—leveled up!”

How is that possible?! Madam ate just one pill, and in an instant, she leveled up!

Chu Ning smiled.

“This is a promotion pill. It helps someone at the peak of their realm to forcibly break through. It works for anyone below A-level.”

Promotion pills, also known as Thunder Tribulation Pills, as the name suggests, can invoke the thunder tribulation and speed up a cultivator’s breakthrough.

The pills used in Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment realms can help break through with the Promotion Pill.

Above the Golden Core, Thunder Tribulation Pills are required, but they only increase the probability of breaking through and cannot guarantee success as much as the Promotion Pills.

Qin Zheng’s eyes widened.

“This pill can help someone successfully advance to A-level?!”

For female beastmen to level up, it depends on both effort and innate talent.

If a pill could forcibly raise someone’s level to A, then—

Qin Zheng stared at the pill in Chu Ning’s hand, unable to suppress his throat’s desire to swallow.

“It can be understood that way,” Chu Ning replied.

She then stored the pill back in her ring.

Looking back at Qin Zheng, she said, “The promotion pill is a third-grade pill, and only A-level spiritual power can refine it. The Demonic Calming Pill and Exorcism Pill I gave you before were also third-grade pills.”

“In the future, when your spiritual power reaches A-level, I can help you refine some.”

Qin Zheng, her partner and protector, she didn’t mind refining some pills for him.

Qin Zheng was taken aback.

The pills Madam had mentioned—every one of them had incredible effects, but he had never even heard of them.

What is Madam’s real background?

“Alright. If you get the herbs, once you’ve refined the pills, how about you give me 20%?” Qin Zheng quickly proposed.

Chu Ning smiled.

“20% is too little. I’ll give you 30%. The herbs for those pills aren’t easy to find.”

Her partner was really generous with her. In this world, when alchemists refine pills for others, they typically take 30% of the result. Qin Zheng, however, was offering her 70%.

If others proposed such a thing, she would have agreed. But for her partner, she wouldn’t take advantage of him.

Qin Zheng’s eyes shone with gratitude.

“Thank you, Madam!”

Chu Ning smiled again.

“Let’s head back now. I’ll review the written exam questions, and tomorrow we can go take the test.”

“Okay.”

So, Chu Ning returned to her room.

Back in her room, Chu Ning activated her light brain and began reviewing the alchemist exam questions.

However, she accidentally came across news about the Chu family.

She casually clicked on a few, only to find that the videos she had sent to the media had leaked.

Not only those videos, but also videos and photos from a birthday party were exposed.

Some gossip media even dug up past details about Lan Yu, Chu Yan, Chu Lan, and even Chu Xin.

Chu Ning clicked on a few to have a look. Almost all of them were negative reports, but they were quite engaging.

She then searched for her own information, only to find that no media had reported on her. Even in those leaked videos, her figure wasn’t present.

She couldn’t help but feel some suspicion in her heart.