Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

“Old Guan?” Li Yun looked momentarily puzzled before understanding who Elder Lin meant. “Are you referring to Pavilion Master Guan? Did he speak to you about me?”

“So it truly is you, that Li Yun Old Guan keeps mentioning!” Elder Lin exclaimed in astonishment. His gaze swept over Li Yun from head to toe, as though he were examining a priceless treasure.

Li Yun could only smile helplessly at the reaction, unsure of how he was supposed to respond to the old man’s intense scrutiny.

At that moment, three missions suddenly appeared before his eyes.

—-

[Quest Level: D]

– Objective: [Learn alchemy from Elder Lin]

– Reward: [500 low grade spirit stones, 2000 EXP.]

—-

[Quest Level: D]

– Objective: [Reach 3rd stage of Golden Battle Body.]

– Reward: [500 low grade spirit stones, 2000 EXP]

—-

[Quest Level: D]

– Objective: [Cultivate top grade mortal rank cultivation art to 9th layer for wind and flame element]

– Reward: [500 low grade spirit stones, 4000 EXP]

—-

“I expected the first two missions, but the last one caught me off guard,” Li Yun sighed inwardly.

He had originally planned to skip cultivating top grade mortal rank techniques for wind and flame, yet the mission clearly demanded otherwise. What made it even harder to ignore was the reward, which turned out to be 4000 EXP. Faced with that, he knew he had little choice but to comply.

Elder Lin nodded thoughtfully. “Old Guan already told me about your ability to refine excellent grade Marrow Cleansing Pills. He even suspects that your success rate with them is extraordinarily high.”

Seeing how deeply impressed Elder Lin already was, Li Yun decided to raise that impression even further.

“I can also refine excellent grade Body Tempering Pills,” Li Yun said in a casual tone.

“What?” Lin Shan exclaimed in shock. “Excellent grade Body Tempering Pills?” He strode forward and grabbed Li Yun by the shoulders, staring at him with wide eyes. “You are not deceiving me, Yun boy, are you?”

It was not that refining excellent grade Body Tempering Pills was impossible. Lin Shan himself could do it, but only after many years of immersion in alchemy.

According to what Old Guan had told him, Li Yun had only begun refining potions not long ago, and his experience with pills was likely less than a year. That was precisely why Lin Shan was so shaken.

“Why would I lie about something like that?” Li Yun replied with a faint smile. “If you wish, I can even demonstrate the refinement of an excellent grade Body Tempering Pill for you.”

Lin Shan studied him for a long moment before slowly nodding. “There is no need. I believe you. Old Guan once said that if you truly pursued the path of alchemy, you would one day shock the entire Southern Martial Region.”

Li Yun smiled but did not dwell on the praise.

“This is what Pavilion Master Guan asked me to deliver to you,” he said, handing over a storage pouch.

Lin Shan accepted it, checked its contents briefly, then nodded in satisfaction. “You have done well.” He gestured for Li Yun to sit.

Just as he was about to continue the discussion about excellent grade Body Tempering Pills, a sharp voice interrupted them.

“So this is the brat who is clearly inferior to me, yet Master keeps bringing him up just to lecture me?” Su Lan said bluntly.

Hearing this, Su Wan shot her younger sister an annoyed glance and softly scolded her. “Su Lan, calm yourself. Young Master Li is Master’s guest. You must not be disrespectful.”

“Hmph,” Su Lan snorted, clearly unconvinced. “This brat is always used by Master to lecture me. I never had the chance to meet him before, but now he has walked right into my sight. Just wait and see. Once I teach him a proper lesson, Master will probably stop mentioning him in front of me.”

Ignoring Su Wan’s reprimand, Su Lan fixed Li Yun with a hostile gaze. Then she strode forward without ceremony, cutting into his conversation with Elder Lin.

“So you are that brat my Master talks about all the time?” she asked bluntly.

“Hm?” Li Yun was momentarily taken aback by the sudden turn of events. He did not quite understand what this lively girl was talking about and felt completely puzzled. Even so, he rose politely, cupped his hands, and introduced himself with courtesy. “My name is Li Yun. May I ask who you are, young lady?”

“My name is Su Lan. I am Su Wan’s younger sister and Master’s youngest disciple,” Su Lan replied, lifting her chin with undisguised pride.

Either of those identities alone was enough to make waves throughout Pill Flame City. She herself was a well known prodigy, admired and feared by many. In her mind, this plainly dressed youth clearly lacked any remarkable background. Once he learned who she was, he should be so shocked that he would not know how to respond.

At least, that was what Su Lan expected.

Unfortunately, she had no idea that this was Li Yun’s first visit to Pill Flame City and that he had no understanding of how prestigious or formidable her status truly was.

In truth, even if Li Yun had known her background in detail, his reaction would have been no different. He simply offered a faint smile and said calmly, “So it is Miss Lan. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Brat!” Su Lan felt as though she had struck a bundle of cotton, finding no resistance at all. Her pride felt bruised, and irritation rose in her heart.

“Su Lan, do you not see that I am receiving a guest? What are you doing causing such a scene?” Lin Shan could no longer hold back. He frowned and scolded her before turning to Li Yun with an apologetic smile. “My disciple is mischievous. Please forgive her behavior.”

Su Lan had long grown accustomed to her master’s reprimands and did not feel the slightest fear. She let out a light snort and said, “Master, you are always talking about how incredible this kid is. Now that he is here, why not let him compete with me? I really want to see just how amazing he is.”

“Compete with me?” Li Yun was left even more confused. He truly did not understand why this Miss Su Lan, whom he had only just met, suddenly wanted to challenge him.

Noticing his bewilderment, Su Wan stepped forward and quietly explained the situation to him in a low voice.

“Su Lan, you are still causing trouble?” Lin Shan’s voice turned stern. “Do you truly believe I will not punish you? Step back at once.”

As the Pavilion Master of Spirit Pill Pavilion, Lin Shan was shrewd and perceptive. He had already seen through Su Lan’s little scheme. Li Yun’s aptitude was indeed outstanding, and if he were personally trained, there was a chance he might one day rival Su Lan. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Li Yun was, after all, a martial artist who had risen from a small place. It was unlikely that he had enjoyed abundant cultivation resources since childhood.

Su Lan, on the other hand, was entirely different. From a young age, she had been nourished with rare heavenly treasures and medicinal pills, receiving the finest cultivation support Pill Flame City could offer. Because of this her strength was remarkably at the Half-Step Xiantian Realm at such a young age.

No matter how gifted a martial artist might be, without sufficient resources to back their growth, their progress would always be limited.

In Lin Shan’s eyes, without the guidance of a great master and without vast cultivation resources, Li Yun could not possibly be a match for Su Lan, his cherished disciple who had been raised with the best instruction and treatment available.

Since he believed Li Yun would inevitably lose, how could Lin Shan allow the two to spar? If Li Yun were defeated, not only would Li Yun lose face, but he himself would likely become the subject of ridicule from his own disciple.

“So that is how it is.”

At that moment, Li Yun also learned the full story from Su Wan. A helpless, bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He had truly been dragged into trouble for no reason at all.

It turned out that Su Lan’s challenge stemmed from her dissatisfaction with Elder Lin constantly using Li Yun as an example to lecture her. She wanted to defeat him in front of everyone, silence her master’s words, and vent the grievance that had been building in her heart.

Li Yun had no desire to spar with Su Lan. As a guest, he felt it inappropriate, yet judging from her attitude, she clearly would not back down until she achieved her goal.

In order to avoid putting Elder Lin in an awkward position, Li Yun stood up, cupped his hands, and said with a polite smile, “Since Miss Su Lan is interested, I am willing to accompany her, but I have one condition.”

“You agreed? Master, look, he agreed, so please do not stop me!”

When Li Yun accepted, Su Lan’s face instantly lit up with delight. The hostility in her gaze faded, replaced by clear satisfaction. Inwardly, she thought that this boy at least knew how to give her face and seemed sensible enough. Since that was the case, she decided she would show a bit of mercy later and avoid humiliating him too badly.

As a well-known genius of Pill Flame City, Su Lan was brimming with confidence and felt certain that victory was already hers.

“What condition do you have?” she asked.

Li Yun smiled calmly and replied, “If I win, I want a low-grade profound rank body-refining natural treasure.”

“Deal!” Su Lan agreed at once, without the slightest hesitation. The possibility of her losing never even crossed her mind.

Seeing this, Lin Shan gave a helpless smile. Since Li Yun had already agreed, there was no longer any reason to stop them, so he nodded and said, “Very well. You two may have a friendly spar.”

“Miss Su Lan, how would you like to proceed?” Li Yun asked politely.

Su Lan had clearly thought this through. Without hesitation, she replied, “My Master often says you possess excellent aptitude in both the Dao of Alchemy and the Martial Dao. Since that is the case, let us compete in both. One civil contest and one martial contest.”

“Please explain further,” Li Yun said.

“For the civil contest, we will compete in alchemy. You and I will refine the same medicinal pill, and we will judge whose pills are superior in both quality and quantity. There is no time limit here. As for the martial contest, it will be straightforward. We will fight directly and see who is stronger.”

“That works for me,” Li Yun said with a nod. “Then let us refine the Body Tempering Pill.”

Since he needed to refine pills anyway, Li Yun decided this was a perfect opportunity. Not only could he obtain Body Tempering Pills for himself, but he could also demonstrate his alchemy skills to Lin Shan, which would make future guidance far easier.

Su Lan nodded readily. “No problem.”

At this moment, Lin Shan smiled and said, “Then this old man will serve as the referee.”

Neither Su Lan nor Li Yun had any objections, and both nodded in agreement.

“The first civil contest begins now.”