Chapter 48: Heading to the Imperial Capital

"Phew, that should be about right. Let's go!"

With a swift motion, Chen Mo extinguished the flames and lifted the lid.

As he gestured with his hand, three round Great Revitalizing Pills fell into his palm.

"The Great Revitalizing Pill is considered a top-tier elixir among second-grade pills. Being able to refine such a pill in less than two months means I should be able to deliver at the upcoming conference," Chen Mo thought to himself.

With this in mind, he stored the pills in his Storage Ring and waved his hand, signaling that he was done with refining for now.

He pressed the switch and stepped out of the secret chamber.

Once outside, Chen Mo headed straight for the chamber where Nalan Yanran was in seclusion.

With the three-year agreement approaching, Nalan Yanran had been going into seclusion frequently. Two days ago, Chen Mo had exchanged a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill from the system for her, and he figured she must be at the critical moment of breaking through from Dou Master to Dou Grand Master.

Chen Mo placed great importance on Nalan Yanran's breakthrough and had specifically assigned two subordinates with Dou Grand Master strength to guard outside her chamber.

Sure enough, as Chen Mo approached Nalan Yanran's seclusion chamber, he noticed a distinct change in the flow of Dou Qi in the area. A large amount of Dou Qi was being drawn into the chamber.

"Grand Pavilion Master," the two burly men greeted Chen Mo upon seeing him, but their voices gradually quieted after Chen Mo gestured for silence.

Chen Mo also waited outside the chamber.

As time passed, the fluctuations in the surrounding Dou Qi gradually calmed down.

Inside the chamber, Nalan Yanran focused her mind on the green rhombus-shaped crystal that had formed within her Qi Vortex. The moment this crystal appeared, she could clearly feel a sense of profound comfort emanating from the depths of her soul.

This was the key to becoming a Dou Grand Master.

"The Dou Crystal."

She, Nalan Yanran, had officially stepped into the ranks of a Dou Grand Master.

Nalan Yanran slowly opened her beautiful eyes, lightly tapped her feet, and gracefully landed on the ground. Her demeanor was completely different from the day before.

"I wonder how my junior brother is doing? I should go out and see," Nalan Yanran thought, her eyes sparkling as she pressed the switch to open the chamber.

As the stone door slowly opened, a familiar face came into view.

"Junior brother!" Nalan Yanran, disregarding the presence of others beside Chen Mo, immediately threw herself into his arms.

Chen Mo's waiting outside had deeply moved her.

"What's going on?" Chen Mo was taken aback. It had only been a day since they last saw each other, and she was already this affectionate?

And there were people around.

His senior sister wasn't usually this open.

"Junior brother, I've advanced to Dou Grand Master," Nalan Yanran shared the good news with Chen Mo.

"Really? That's fantastic," Chen Mo replied. Although he had sensed her Dou Grand Master aura the moment she emerged, he pretended not to know and shared in her excitement.

"How's your pill refining going, junior brother?"

"Not bad," Chen Mo said, feeling a surge of desire as Nalan Yanran held him tightly. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Senior sister, I want to show you something special."

"What is it?"

Chen Mo whispered something in her ear.

"Junior brother, you're so naughty! And it's still daytime," Nalan Yanran protested.

"So, does that mean it's okay if it's not daytime?" Chen Mo teased.

That night, after days of abstinence, Chen Mo finally got his wish and indulged in some "meat."

What?

You want to know about the process?

Sorry, no details.

...

One month later.

"What's your name?"

"Ye Liangchen."

"Your cultivation level?"

"Three-Star Dou Grand Master."

"Not bad!"

"And you?"

"Zhang Han, Two-Star Dou Grand Master."

In the courtyard, Chen Mo was selecting a group of people to accompany him to the capital.

As the master of a pavilion, he needed to maintain a certain level of prestige.

He had selected over thirty people, with the weakest being at least a Five-Star Dou Master.

All of them wore black robes and carried the exclusive emblem of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion. Standing together, they looked quite impressive.

"Let's move out!"

Over thirty Flying Magical Beats flapped their wings and took off.

These were called Violet Spirit Finches. Although they weren't as fast as Azure Beak Eagles, they had excellent endurance, were social creatures, easy to command, and most importantly, they were affordable.

The leaders, naturally, were Chen Mo and Nalan Yanran, who rode together on an Azure Beak Eagle.

As the thirty-plus Flying Magical Beats soared over Desert City, the commotion naturally drew the attention of the people below, who looked up in awe.

"Who are they? So majestic!"

"You don't know the Lofty Cloud Pavilion? Are you new here?"

"Yes, I just arrived today."

"Oh, what did you say earlier?"

"I said I arrived yesterday."

"The sentence before that."

"Boss, I just bought this steel longsword from you yesterday, and it broke after killing just one second-tier Magical Beast. How can it be so shoddy?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Everything I sell here is top quality. How could there be such a poor-quality sword?"

"I don't care. Give me a replacement."

"Sorry, once the sword is drawn, no returns or exchanges."

On the official road at the northeastern border of the Jia Ma Empire.

Several carriages were moving in an orderly line, with the central one being relatively ornate and adorned with numerous emblems.

"We're about to pass Black Flag Mountain. Everyone, stay alert!" shouted a burly middle-aged man with chains draped over his shoulders.

In truth, the mercenaries guarding the carriages were already on high alert without the man's shout.

Bandits were rampant in this area, and they were all desperate outlaws who didn't follow any rules. They not only robbed merchants of their money but also took their lives.

As the bandits would say, "Whether you're from a big family or a small faction, as long as I silence you, no one will know it was me."

Even well-protected caravans would find these bandits trying to take a bite out of them.

"Captain Tieshi, we're counting on you," said a spirited woman who was riding alone on a horse, not sitting in a carriage, as she clasped her fists in respect to the middle-aged man.

"Miss Qiuyun, rest assured. Although the Lofty Cloud Pavilion is a newly established force, among all the mercenary groups in the empire, we are among the best," the man named Tieshi assured her, thumping his chest.

Hearing Tieshi's assurance, some of the worry on Qiuyun's face faded, but she still couldn't fully relax.

They had purchased a batch of highly distinctive goods from a small city in the northeastern border of the empire, intending to resell them in the capital.

They had approached several mercenary groups, but upon hearing they were heading to the capital, most either refused or demanded prices that exceeded the value of the goods.

Only the Lofty Cloud Pavilion agreed, and the price was reasonable.

Although she had heard of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion's reputation, it was just hearsay. Who knew how reliable they actually were?

"I hope they live up to their word," Qiuyun murmured softly.

Accompanying Qiuyun were five others, all of whom were Dou Masters.

As for the actual situation of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion, it wasn't entirely clear, but it was known that this newly established force was expanding aggressively.

The group

conversed in hushed tones, and soon, the sound of battle cries could be heard from ahead.

At the front of the convoy, over a hundred bandits armed with blades and wearing menacing expressions had surrounded the entire caravan.

(End of Chapter)