After returning to his Cave Mansion, Chen Che immediately began his alchemy.

There were many elixirs on the list he had never refined before, but the pill formulas left behind in the Cave Mansion and the "Past Years’ National College Entrance Examination Questions" given to him by Ding Dawei were a great help. Whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand, he would either look it up in a book or just call Ding Dawei directly.

He spent half his time in class and the other half on alchemy, and at long last, he finished refining all the elixirs.

This time, he personally made a trip to Jinyun Valley.

Unexpectedly, while delivering the elixirs, he happened to run into Tributor Li, who was also there to deliver elixirs. The man was quite surprised to see him, and after requesting another half of the list, he promised—right in front of Lu Yi—to deliver them in three days.

Chen Che wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

’He had a Tier Three Pill Furnace and had awakened his Divine Sense. He had also received the Immortal Sect’s universal cultivation higher education, and on top of that, he had the boon of a Cave Mansion with a Spiritual Qi rating of over 200. How could I possibly lose a competition to some old man at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining?’

Without the slightest hesitation, he accepted.

And so, their rivalry began.

In just half a month, the two of them had each delivered four lists of elixirs to Jinyun Valley. Chen Che spent nearly all his free time on alchemy. After class one day, Lin Yi asked him to go online, but of course, he refused, making an excuse that he had something to do before leaving.

Watching Chen Che hurry away, Lin Yi and Qi Fengzhu huddled together and started whispering:

"That guy’s been expending a lot of Heart Power lately."

"Yeah, he bolts right after class, he’s got bags under his eyes, looks like he’s not getting enough sleep every day, and he seems a little... drained."

"Could it be... he’s been ’at it’ too much?"

At this thought, the two of them looked toward Chen Che with expressions full of respect. To make a Fifth-Layer Cultivator who had awakened his Divine Sense this exhausted, he had to be going at it forty or fifty times a night, at least.

He’d grind an iron pestle down to a needle!

As expected of the man ranked number one on the "Top Ten Most Dangerous Individuals" list in the Six Continents Practical Combat Competition!

But how could they know that Chen Che was fighting a war without smoke or fire?

Arriving at his Cave Mansion, he ate half a pot of Profound Ink Turtle stew, lit seven sticks of Concentration Incense, and took a short nap.

When he opened his eyes again, all traces of fatigue had vanished. He walked to the Pill Furnace, opened the lid, and placed the prepared Spirit Grass inside, one by one. The entire process was seamless, several times more practiced than before.

If there were a proficiency panel, one would see that Chen Che’s alchemy skill was skyrocketing.

With the Chixia Tripod’s support, one elixir after another was soon produced.

However.

When he began refining the Realm-Breaking Pill, Chen Che clearly felt his True Essence starting to give out.

Realm-Breaking Pill:

Tier One, High Grade.

Consuming this pill increases the success rate of a realm breakthrough!

This pill is one of the most demanding and difficult Tier One High Grade Elixirs to refine, and it is a mandatory topic on the annual college entrance exam.

Chen Che’s expression was grave.

He had originally wanted to finish refining this batch of elixirs in one go, but unfortunately, no matter how hard he activated his Energy-Introducing Technique and wrung out his meridians, he couldn’t squeeze out another shred of True Essence...

’Looks like I have no choice but to give up!’

Chen Che felt a pang of regret.

After all, this batch of Spirit Grass was very rare. If he succeeded in the refinement, the remaining Spirit Grass would be his to keep.

’What’s this?’

Just as Chen Che was about to give up on this batch of elixirs, he suddenly detected a strange fluctuation within his body.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately consumed a Clear Moon Lotus Seed.

As he swallowed the lotus seed, a refreshing warmth spread from his lower abdomen to his limbs, filling the emptiness in his body in the blink of an eye.

Not only did his body return to its peak state, but he also felt his True Essence surging to the point of expansion.

After this sensation lasted for a moment, his aura surged, as clearly as if he had stepped up to a new level.

"The Sixth Layer of Qi Refining!"

A trace of delight appeared in Chen Che’s eyes.

He wasn’t too surprised by the breakthrough. After all, his frenzied, nonstop alchemy was almost equivalent to nonstop arduous cultivation. Though excited, Chen Che didn’t forget about the Pill Furnace before him. He activated his True Essence and swiftly channeled it into the furnace.

When he lifted the lid of the Pill Furnace, a rosy light emerged.

As the Pill Fragrance wafted out, a perfectly round, yellow elixir appeared before Chen Che’s eyes.

The pill is complete!

Picking up an elixir, Chen Che’s eyes filled with joy.

Now that his realm had risen by a layer, his alchemy efficiency and success rate would increase as well!

...

Jinyun Valley, the Tributors’ courtyard.

CREAK~

Tributor Li slowly pushed open the door. After standing still for a moment, his face suddenly turned crimson, and with a GAG, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Big Brother!"

Li Hong’s expression changed drastically as he rushed to help.

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing... Just excessive expenditure of Heart Power!"

Tributor Li sat down with support, waving his hand slowly. His voice, however, was full of resentment. "I feel like that kid is about to work me to death!"

He never imagined that Chen Che could last this long.

After all, for the past half a month, he had practically lived in the Alchemy Room. When hungry, he ate elixirs; when thirsty, he drank Spiritual Water. He had barely taken a single step outside.

Many times, even he had been on the verge of collapsing.

But no matter how many elixirs he refined, the other guy always managed to keep up.

With such nonstop, day-and-night alchemy, his mental exhaustion reached its peak. Even consuming more Rejuvenating Water couldn’t alleviate the fatigue of his mind; it only added to his body’s burden.

Clearly, he had reached his limit.

"Then what should we do?"

Li Hong was aghast.

His older brother had managed to establish himself in Jinyun Valley for eighteen years; he was clearly a man of real skill. He never thought even he would be pushed to the brink of collapse.

"Even with all my resources, I’m running on fumes. He must be at the end of his rope too!"

Tributor Li sneered. "Maybe this time, he won’t be able to complete his elixirs at all!"

After a short rest, he went to the courtyard again.

But.

When Tributor Li pushed the door open, he froze. He saw Chen Che sitting in the courtyard, laughing and chatting with Lu Yi. Before them sat a Gilded Silver Jade Box filled with elixirs, emitting a refreshing Pill Fragrance.

What shocked him even more was that Chen Che wasn’t exhausted as he had imagined. On the contrary, his complexion was rosy, and he was full of vigor.

’How is this possible?’

Tributor Li’s heart trembled wildly. He could hardly believe his eyes.

At the same time, Chen Che got a clear look at the man’s withered appearance. He looked as if he had aged decades in just a dozen or so days.

’He’s about to collapse!’

Seeing the man’s condition, Chen Che instantly understood his state.

One had to know that such frenzied alchemy took an immense toll on one’s Heart Power. In severe cases, it could even lead to sudden death.

Thinking of this, he said calmly:

"I’ve finished refining this half of the list. I was wondering if the Valley needs anything else..."

As soon as he said this, Tributor Li’s face went even whiter. He nearly fell to his knees.

’More alchemy?’

He felt as if he had just refined all the elixirs he would have made for the rest of his life.

"The list..."

Lu Yi looked at the vibrant Chen Che, then at the pale-faced Tributor Li whose legs were trembling, and he understood. He knew that if this continued, one of them would surely die.

Of course, the one who died wouldn’t be Chen Che.

Realizing this, Lu Yi felt the situation couldn’t be allowed to worsen. He had no choice but to speak up, "Tributor Chen, you two have already refined the Valley’s entire quota of elixirs for next year. The Spirit Grass in the medicinal fields hasn’t matured yet, so the rest can’t be refined for now."

At the same time, Lu Yi sent a voice transmission to remind him, "Tributor Chen, please spare him. If this competition continues, he’ll definitely be worked to death."

"Hm?"

Chen Che was a little surprised, but he quickly understood.

The man had a point. Having two Tributors ’fight internally’ to the death was not in Jinyun Valley’s best interest.

Seeing Chen Che remain silent, Tributor Li’s heart pounded, terrified that he wouldn’t agree to stop.

He didn’t know how much longer the other man could last.

But.

He himself couldn’t last another moment. If he had to continue refining, he felt he could drop dead in front of his Pill Furnace at any second.

Just as a cold sweat soaked his entire body, he heard Chen Che chuckle softly and say:

"Forget it. If that’s the case, we can talk about it another day."