The task of refining pills at Qingfeng Sect was originally handled solely by outer disciples.

  But pill refining was a technical skill. At an entry level, it required following recipes to manage the flame and ingredient ratios.

  Mastery, however, demanded a grasp of basic chemical principles.

  Expecting a bunch of barely literate outer disciples to handle it was truly asking too much.

  Liu Fenghai, moreover, was an impatient sect leader. The slightest mistake could trigger a massacre.

  Within a month of taking over, he had executed several rounds of outer disciples working in the pill refinery.

  It wasn't until Lin Lin took on the responsibility that the refinery finally stabilized.

  Pill refinement was crucial to the sect's cultivation progress.

  For cultivators, besides needing a location rich in spiritual energy, the most important thing was elixirs to aid their practice.

  Those at the Foundation Establishment stage and above, in particular, needed to take pills regularly.

  Prolonged absence of pills could block spiritual energy flow, making breakthrough impossible.

  Liu Fenghai's situation was even more dire. He and several elders had long hit a bottleneck in their cultivation.

  Desperate to break through, they had drained the sect's resources, spending vast amounts of spirit stones at the immortal market on precious pills—all to no avail.

  When Lin Lin entered the refinery, the disciples inside quickly came to greet him: "Greetings, Senior Brother Lin."

  "Mm. For the next few days, the refinery will be temporarily closed. Supply of pills to sect disciples is suspended. Understood?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. Now go prepare to move the Moonlight Wine. Remember, this is the sect's most precious elixir. Not a single mistake."

  Lin Lin watched them leave, then took out a key, opened the underground cold storage, and retrieved several jars of finished Moonlight Wine.

  An ancient text Liu Fenghai had collected years ago recorded a miraculous phenomenon: moonlight turning into wine.

  Legend spoke of a treasure called the Moonlight Cup.

  On a full moon night, placed on a stone altar, if one chanted the incantation on the cup,

  moonlight would condense into fine wine and fill the cup.

  If a cultivator drank it immediately, their power would surge, and breaking through bottlenecks would be effortless.

  Qingfeng Sect had once located the Moonlight Cup, but the seller's price was exorbitant.

  After Liu Fenghai took over, purchasing various precious pills had already cost a fortune.

  Moreover, the Moonlight Cup was a divine artifact. If brought back to the sect, it would surely attract countless covetous eyes.

  After reading the ancient text, Lin Lin volunteered and approached Liu Fenghai: "Sect Leader, I can produce this moonlight wine."

  Liu Fenghai's eyes lit up. "Oh? You can forge the Moonlight Cup?"

  "No. But I have a way to obtain the moonlight wine itself."

  "Explain."

  Lin Lin spoke with confidence:

  "Moonlight wine is created when the Moonlight Cup condenses the essence of moonlight into dewdrops, which then transform into wine."

  "However, many spiritual herbs in this world already contain the essence of moonlight. If we extract that essence, we can create a supplement even more potent than moonlight wine."

  "Excellent. Do as you say." Trusting Lin Lin's abilities, Liu Fenghai agreed without hesitation.

  Half a month ago, Lin Lin delivered an unrefined batch of moonlight wine to Liu Fenghai.

  After drinking it, Liu Fenghai felt his blood surge and his vessels relax. Unexpectedly, he even made a small breakthrough.

  "Wonderful! Excellent!" Overjoyed, Liu Fenghai immediately ordered Lin Lin to continue production.

  Lin Lin replied that in another half month, he could produce a hundred liters of moonlight wine, enough to include the elders as well.

  Now, half a month later, Lin Lin had finally produced twenty liters of moonlight wine.

  Carefully, he added several ingredients sealed with millet into the jars.

  Then he summoned a few reliable outer disciples and ordered them to transport the jars to the cave where the sect leader and elders would be in seclusion.

  Lin Lin specifically warned these disciples to be extremely careful while moving the Moonlight Wine.

  It was a substance of absolute purity; even the slightest jostle would cloud the liquid.

  After the jars were delivered to the secluded chamber inside the cave, Lin Lin busied himself with arranging the feng shui.

  By the time everything was set, it was already evening.

  Liu Fenghai entered the chamber with the sect's three remaining elders.

  Then, all disciples except Lin Lin withdrew from the cave.

  Lin Lin repeatedly stressed that, without the sect leader's order, no one was to enter the cave, no matter what happened.

  Seeing the Moonlight Wine they were getting for free, the three elders showered Liu Fenghai with praise.

  "Sect Leader Liu is fortunate to have taken in such a fine disciple!"

  "Ha, this old man is lucky to benefit from Sect Leader Liu's generosity!"

  "This Lin Lin is truly an excellent disciple. Sect Leader Liu has a keen eye!"

  Their words went slightly to Liu Fenghai's head.

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  But when he saw Lin Lin's pitiful appearance—limping, face covered in scars—a flicker of guilt stirred within him.

  "Boy, come here."

  Lin Lin approached and kowtowed respectfully. "Lin Lin pays respects to the great Sect Leader."

  "I have always rewarded merit. You have rendered great service to the sect. I will certainly grant you a generous reward. I bestow upon you one Foundation Establishment Pill."

  "This dog thanks the Sect Leader for his heavenly grace!"

  Helping the sect leader and elders break through their bottlenecks was a monumental achievement.

  Yet Liu Fenghai only promised Lin Lin a single Foundation Establishment Pill.

  Such stinginess could only be found in Liu Fenghai.

  But even stinginess has its limits.

  The reason Liu Fenghai brought the three elders along to drink the Moonlight Wine wasn't generosity.

  It was to apologize to his three old comrades-in-arms.

  Earlier, to fuel his own cultivation, Liu Fenghai had secretly siphoned off most of the elders' resources.

  The three elders resented it deeply. After all, these were the men who had fought alongside him to establish the sect.

  If he treated even his closest brothers like this, who would dare follow him in the future?

  Liu Fenghai knew that, aside from the disciples, these three Foundation Establishment elders were the only ones propping up the sect's reputation.

  If they all left in anger, he'd be a lone commander in Qingfeng Valley.

  So this time, he simply invited them to share the Moonlight Wine.

  Lin Lin, not taking any chances, added: "This Moonlight Wine is less like wine and more like extracted lunar essence. When drinking it, three rules must be followed."

  "First, the wine must not be shaken, lest the essence be tainted. Lift the jar gently and drain it in one go."

  "Second, the wine requires drawing energy into the dantian to take effect. That means inhaling deeply into the abdomen. The wine contains excess spiritual power; it needs strong cultivation to suppress it."

  "Third, this batch lacks heavenly dew, being only extracted essence. It won't taste good. I ask for the Sect Leader and Elders' understanding."

  To Liu Fenghai, these three points were trivial.

  The second point, especially, eased his mind. He had worried Lin Lin might secretly drink some.

  Now it was clear—the ancient text was right. Only those at Foundation Establishment could drink this. Lin Lin wasn't qualified.

  Thinking this, Liu Fenghai's mind began to scheme. He absolutely couldn't let Lin Lin reach Foundation Establishment early.

  If that brat broke through and had access to this wine, he'd be unstoppable.

  Liu Fenghai's brain churned, and a plan formed instantly.

  Simple: give him a defective Foundation Establishment Pill.

  If he noticed, torture him until he revealed the method for making Moonlight Wine.

  This kid Lin Lin would never escape this old cultivator's grasp.

  Elder Zhang, known for his sharp senses, sniffed the wine suspiciously and glanced at Lin Lin. "Is this really Moonlight Wine? It doesn't seem right. I sense no spiritual power in it."

  Liu Fenghai sniffed warily but quickly relaxed. "Smells the same as last time. I drank it before, and my power确实 increased significantly. Gentlemen, bottoms up!"

  Since the sect leader said so, the other elders dismissed their doubts and downed the liquid with furrowed brows.

  It truly didn't taste good.

  An indescribably strange flavor, with some impurities.

  But cultivators had consumed all sorts of odd pills; this was nothing new.

  Soon, each had drunk five liters, their stomachs bloated like balloons.

  Then they drew energy into their dantian and began to refine it.

  Seeing them finish, Lin Lin quietly stepped aside. "I'll stand guard outside."

  As before, Liu Fenghai felt his blood surge, his meridians feeling incredibly通畅.

  But then, strange movements stirred below his dantian, forcing him to suppress them with greater force.

  The more he pushed his energy, however, the more the liquid burned. Sensing trouble, he continued suppressing, but to no avail.

  Seeing his moment, Lin Lin offered "helpful" advice: "Strike your abdomen heavily with finger techniques! Use external force to suppress it!"

  "Good!"

  Liu Fenghai and the three elders immediately delivered fierce blows to their own abdomens.

  BOOM!

  A thunderous roar shook the cave, rattling heaven and earth.

  The abdomens of Liu Fenghai and the three elders exploded into mist. Their bodies, severed in two, flew into the air.

  Their organs were ground to pulp, scattered across every corner of the chamber.

  When silence returned, the three elders were dead on the spot. Liu Fenghai had only half a breath left.

  "Ah... this... how?!"

  His lower body gone, Liu Fenghai writhed for a moment, then saw Lin Lin, drenched in blood, a ghastly, sinister grin plastered on his face.

  "You... it's you!" Liu Fenghai's eyes bulged wide. In his fury, he died—refusing to close them.

  Seeing the four finally dead, Lin Lin could no longer contain himself. He burst into manic, ecstatic laughter. "Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!"

  He laughed not from vengeance achieved, but at Liu Fenghai's sheer stupidity. "Hahahaha, seriously? Who the hell drinks nitroglycerin as a health supplement? Hahahahaha!"