Ordinary body tempering pills like the Strong Tendon Bone Pill were already valuable, but this—this was Yanyang Quenching Body Dan!
Even one pill was worth a fortune—five hundred silver, at the very least. But what Lin Ziyan handed Ye Wei wasn't just a single pill—it was an entire bottle, containing ten of them. A gift valued at more than five thousand silver.
Five thousand silver!
To an ordinary person, that was an unimaginable amount. Even to Ye Wei's family—the prestigious Ye clan in Qingyue City—it was staggering. His monthly allowance was just twenty-two silver, enough for a commoner's livelihood. But this… this was a fortune.
Lin Ziyan's generosity stunned Ye Wei. Although he had always known she wasn't just anyone, he had never realized how vast the difference in their worlds truly was.
"These are your rightful rewards. Please take them," Lin Ziyan said softly, noticing his hesitation. She was careful not to wound his pride.
Ye Wei remained silent for a moment, wrestling with his own dignity. "…Then I'll take one."
"You're my brother now. If you won't even accept a small gift like this from your sister, are you looking down on me?" Lin Ziyan arched a delicate brow in mock offense.
"…Alright," Ye Wei finally relented, nodding. He accepted the jade bottle, heart brimming with gratitude. He truly needed these Yanyang Quenching Body Dan.
"Good!" Lin Ziyan's smile blossomed like spring, and she gently took Ye Wei's arm. "Come on!"
Somehow, Ye Wei no longer felt awkward. Her touch no longer carried the untouchable distance he once imagined. She felt… warm. Familiar.
"If anything happens, come find me directly at Qingyuan Courtyard—you know where I live. I need to meet with Master Yi now," Lin Ziyan said as they reached a fork in the road, her voice gentle.
"Mm." Ye Wei nodded quietly.
He watched her elegant figure fade away, disappearing into the distance like a dream dissipating with the wind.
"Thank you for the Yanyang Quenching Body Dan, Miss Ziyan," he murmured to himself. His voice was low, but his words were filled with iron resolve. "I, Ye Wei, will not forget this!"
With the last glow of the setting sun, Ye Wei returned to his dormitory. Though modest, every student at Nanxing Academy had a private room—even the worst performers. Inside, the room held nothing but a simple bed and a plain table. Not even a chair.
Clack. He shut the door, removed his shoes, and sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, his back against the cold wall.
"With this bottle of Yanyang Quenching Body Dan, I should finally be able to break through to a two-star Apprentice!"
He held the bottle tightly, heart pounding. For three years, he had remained stuck at one star. Meanwhile, his peers had already advanced into the Intermediate class—and some, even the Advanced.
"I may be far behind now, but once I reach the seven-star stage and unlock my divine techniques, that gap will vanish!"
Pouring out a single pill, Ye Wei stared at the crimson gem resting in his palm—a pill worth five hundred silver. He inhaled deeply and swallowed it.
Boom!
The moment the pill entered his stomach, heat surged through his body like a wildfire. His skin flushed red, his pores opened wide, and the power of the pill flowed through every vein, strengthening him from the inside out.
The transformation was visible.
Ye Wei remained seated for five to six hours, absorbing every drop of energy the pill had to offer. When the eastern sky began to brighten with dawn, he finally opened his eyes.
"…Incredible. The effect of this one pill… is equal to three months of hard training!"
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips—rare, but heartfelt. His long-suppressed spirit surged with new strength.
"At this rate, I'll be a two-star Apprentice within days!"
He clenched his fists and felt the raw power surging through his body. His three years of stagnation had built a solid foundation. Now, with the best refining elixir nourishing his strength, a breakthrough was within reach.
Even more astonishingly, Ye Wei could sense changes in his body that went beyond the pill itself. Something… had shifted in him since last night's dream.
"Before I return home, I'll become a two-star Apprentice. I want to make Mother happy!"
His eyes shone with determination.
If it had been the old Ye Wei—someone born with the lowest red-grade soul talent—he would never have dared to imagine such rapid progress. But now, he had the Yanyang Quenching Body Dan. He had Lin Ziyan's support. And perhaps… his fate was beginning to change.
Though a two-star Apprentice meant little in the grand scheme of cultivation, for Ye Wei, born with the weakest possible soul sense, this was a monumental step.
"No strength, no respect. One day… I will become truly powerful!"
His fists trembled with emotion. The sneers of Qiao Yiner and the others echoed in his mind, but rather than anger, they lit a fire in his heart.
A warrior's strength was determined by many factors: their soul talent, their cultivation technique, and their mastery of divine powers. For now, divine techniques were still out of reach—only accessible after reaching the seven-star stage.
As for soul talent, his remained at the lowest red level—the weakest. The stronger one's soul sense, the faster they could absorb energy. Ye Wei's slow absorption had always left him far behind. Others could fill their vitality in three to five hours. For Ye Wei, it took more than ten.
Luckily, his cultivation technique—Falling Star, a mid-tier Mystical-class method passed down from the Ye clan—was quite decent, allowing him to refine energy efficiently. Still, it wasn't enough to offset his weak soul sense.
Where his peers needed one day to progress, Ye Wei needed five. Without resources, without support, he had fallen behind year after year. The gap widened until it seemed insurmountable.
But no longer.
Now, with this new opportunity and determination burning in his chest, Ye Wei finally saw a future.