Another three days passed, and today the bells rang out, signaling the monthly elixir distribution day. When Meng Hao and the fatty arrived at the plaza, Meng Hao immediately spotted an old man in a yellow robe on the high platform by the stone pillar, standing within a faint glow. Behind him were Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Chen.
Seeing that, Meng Hao’s eyes blazed with fervent desire.
“In the past year and a half, Martial Uncle Shangguan has only appeared three times, and each time, elixirs were distributed. My cultivation has been stuck at the fourth level of Condensation Stage for nearly a year. If only I had a high-grade elixir…”
If Meng Hao could think of this, the surrounding outer sect disciples naturally figured it out too. Everyone was invigorated, though, of course, quite a few secretly prayed not to be given an elixir.
Especially after Meng Hao had given away elixirs, the sect had added another rule: one could not give individually distributed elixirs to inner sect disciples, to prevent others from imitating him.
“This… this is a Spirit Restraint Pill!”
“I didn’t expect it to be a Spirit Restraint Pill! It was distributed once last year; only one of these elixirs is given out all year. You can see how precious it is!”
“If I could get this pill, my cultivation would surely break through!”
Very quickly after that, the old man in the golden robe raised his right hand, revealing a sparkling purple elixir in his palm. Immediately, a clamor arose among the outer sect disciples.
Almost the moment the Spirit Restraint Pill appeared, Meng Hao’s eyes shone with an intense light. Never before had he so eagerly desired this pill. To him, this was not just an elixir, but the hope of entering the fifth level of Condensation Stage.
He had been in the sect for quite some time and had long known that among the current sect disciples, Senior Sister Xu and Senior Brother Chen of the inner sect were the strongest. Both of them were at the seventh level of Condensation Stage and were rumored to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Below them was Wang Tengfei, who was stuck at the bottleneck of peak sixth level Condensation Stage; even a Spirit Restraint Pill would have no effect on him. Besides him, there was another person also at the sixth level, the second strongest outer sect expert, Han Zong.
Meng Hao had met this person twice and felt he was quite arrogant, looking down on everyone. Now, standing there, even seeing the Spirit Restraint Pill, he paid it no mind. Evidently, he himself possessed many good elixirs and thus didn't care for the Spirit Restraint Pill.
As for the fifth level of Condensation Stage, there were only four people in the entire outer sect. These four could be said to be local overlords, rarely seen on ordinary days, all either in closed-door cultivation or training in the desolate mountains.
At the fourth level, there weren't many people; including Meng Hao, there were seven. Those below the fourth level were considered mere ants.
“Alright, quiet down.”
Old Man Shangguan’s voice rang out, still containing a strange oppressive aura as before. Compared to a year ago, Meng Hao no longer felt that intense pressure. At this moment, his eyes were bright, looking full of determination.
“For the past two years, this old man has presided over the elixir distribution and has always favored disciples who haven’t been in the sect for long. Because with such days for the Reliance Sect, prosperity will not be far off.”
Old Man Shangguan said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over everyone below. Just as he was about to throw the elixir in his hand to the person he had already chosen, he suddenly saw the fatty standing next to Meng Hao, grinding his teeth with a flying sword, his face completely indifferent, making a clinking sound.
This fatty was originally as round as a barrel; anyone who saw that teeth-grinding action for the first time wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. Old Man Shangguan was startled, then immediately amused.
“Alright, this elixir is for you then.”
Having said that, the old man raised his right hand. A purple light flashed, and the Han Ling Pill shot straight towards the fat man. The fat man was clearly startled, instinctively catching it. But as soon as he realized what had happened, his expression changed drastically, and he nearly screamed. His entire body trembled, his face turned ashen, and he looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
“This… I… Damn it, why me?!”
In an instant, almost every eye in the square turned towards the fat man. Those gazes sent a chill down the fat man’s spine, making his whole body tremble, even the rolls of flesh and fat on him quivered. He immediately looked piteously at Meng Hao, who was smiling.
“Meng Hao, save me…!”
The fat man wanted to drop the pill in his hand, but no matter what he did, it wouldn't leave his grasp. Especially when he saw people from all directions swarming towards him, he was so scared his teeth began to chatter.
At this moment, the four pillars of light gradually dissipated, and the fat man shivered uncontrollably. As soon as the aura completely vanished and the surrounding restrictions disappeared, without waiting for the fat man to say anything more, Meng Hao immediately grabbed his clothes, his fourth level Condensation cultivation erupting with a roar, and in a flash, he dragged the fat man out.
“Give me the pill, and you go back to your cave abode and hide!”
Meng Hao didn’t hesitate, tossing out a jade slip for the cave abode, while speaking in a low voice. The fat man quickly threw the Han Ling Pill to Meng Hao.
Meng Hao shot forward, catching the pill the fat man had thrown. Behind him, shouts and cries continuously rang out as more than ten people gave chase, pursuing Meng Hao.
“Damn it, it’s Meng Hao! You can’t escape!”
“Hand over the Han Ling Pill! For the sake of our shared sect, I won’t kill you today. Otherwise, don’t even dream of escaping death!”
Meng Hao ran without stopping for a moment. Once outside the outer sect, he flung the fat man far away. Though the fat man was straightforward, he wasn’t foolish. Before even hitting the ground, he shrieked.
“He stole my pill!”
As he yelled, he furtively clutched the jade slip and fled, sprinting at the fastest speed of his life straight towards Meng Hao’s cave abode.
Hearing his cry, the pursuers no longer paid attention to the fat man, but instead chased after Meng Hao.
“Even if you run to the ends of the earth, you won’t survive these next twelve hours!”
“With your fourth level Condensation cultivation, you can’t hold onto this pill! Hand it over!”
Most of the more than ten people behind him were at the fourth level of Condensation, with two at the fifth level, and the rest at the third. None of them were willing to let go of this opportunity, hoping to profit from it.
In a short time, sword-lights whistled behind Meng Hao, ten flying swords transforming into a rain of blades, aiming straight for him. A chill ran down Meng Hao’s spine, but he absolutely had to have this Han Ling Pill; he couldn't give it up.
“As long as I survive these twelve hours, this pill will be mine. With it, I can break through to the fifth level of Condensation!”
Meng Hao’s resolve hardened, and his speed increased. Since arriving at the Reliance Sect, he had mostly gone into the desolate mountains to hunt demonic beasts, developing decent speed and becoming far more familiar with these mountains than his fellow disciples. Now, he exited the outer sect and ran straight into the desolate mountains.
Seeing the sword-lights approaching, Meng Hao didn’t turn his head. He slapped his storage bag, immediately took out a pill and swallowed it, then unleashed his flying sword, sending it directly towards his pursuers.
Booming sounds erupted around Meng Hao as countless large trees exploded from the impact of the flying swords, sending branches scattering everywhere. The flying debris struck Meng Hao, causing him pain, but he used the force of the impact to leap, soaring through the air, instantly covering several *zhang*.
Before it could even land, four Fire Snakes and three Water Spheres shot directly towards it. Among them, two of the Fire Snakes were about two *zhang* long, extremely hot, making the surrounding branches and leaves appear ready to ignite. These were unleashed by the two fifth-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, who were also the fastest, their feet not touching the ground as they flew with the speed of wind. Seeing that they were about to catch up to Meng Hao, both of them wore fierce, mutually resentful expressions. To them, the true opponent for this Spirit-Restricting Pill was the other person; Meng Hao was nothing.