Chapter 2068 — The Qi-Gathering Pill Again!

Even so, Han Xiaopo hesitated for a moment, then lifted his head and said, "Leader, your little brother truly does not know how to prove himself. I beg the leader to instruct me!"

"Forget it. A long road tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a man's heart. If you really are dependable, I won't begrudge lending a hand to raise your strength. But if you are false and insincere, then this matter ends here!" Wei Zhao said.

"This... Leader Wei Zhao, it is not that Xiaopo is impatient and unwilling to prove himself to the leader slowly. The truth is, your little brother has an idea..." Han Xiaopo said after a moment's hesitation. "At the Hidden World Clan Summit, there is another competition event—a two-person coordinated combat match. If your little brother's strength can be raised, then I can go up on stage together with the leader. With the leader's strength, victory is certain, and I need only stand at your side with enough power to protect myself!"

"Oh? This two-person combat—both must go up together? One alone won't do?" Wei Zhao asked.

"It won't do. It must be two people, and furthermore, if either member of a team is struck down, the team loses. So no matter how formidable the leader is, if your little brother is too weak and is taken down first, the match is still lost!" Han Xiaopo explained.

"So that's how it is." Wei Zhao frowned and sank into thought. To be honest, Wei Zhao's judgment of people was very accurate; this Han Xiaopo most likely harbored no divided loyalty toward him. But even so, Wei Zhao did not wish to simply hand Han Xiaopo benefits outright!

Whether it was Chen Yutian, Wu Chengtian, or Qiu Lingshan, all were old acquaintances of long standing, and only then had Wei Zhao helped raise their strength. As for the newly accepted subordinate Zhao Qitan, after so long Wei Zhao had still not helped him advance. To elevate this Han Xiaopo first would be somewhat unreasonable in both sentiment and principle.

But if there really was such an event in the competition, requiring two-person coordination, then Han Xiaopo's strength being too low would inevitably drag down their battle record.

"By the way, Leader, you said just now that you are a pill refiner?" Han Xiaopo drew a deep breath, suddenly struck by an excellent way to prove his allegiance!

"That's right. Why do you ask?" Wei Zhao nodded and said.

"Then, Leader, do you know of the Qi-Gathering Pill?" Han Xiaopo lowered his voice and spoke in a heavy tone.

"The Qi-Gathering Pill?" Wei Zhao's gaze sharpened as he looked at Han Xiaopo. "You bring this up so suddenly—what is your intent?"

"Leader, to be frank with you, our Hidden Han Clan found several portions of the materials for refining the Qi-Gathering Pill in that ancient ruin. This has always been our Hidden Han Clan's greatest secret, known only to core members of the clan, and strictly forbidden to be divulged!" Han Xiaopo said with a solemn expression. "Leader, you should know that to the ancient sects, this Qi-Gathering Pill may be nothing much, but to us hidden clans, it is an item that men would bash each other's heads open to fight over!"

Han Xiaopo's words drew a nod from Wei Zhao. "True enough. That Qi-Gathering Pill is indeed a priceless treasure in the eyes of the hidden clans and ordinary cultivation sects!"

"Leader, if you can help me raise my strength and protect our Hidden Han Clan from now on, I am willing to persuade my grandfather to present those Qi-Gathering Pill refining materials to you as a gift!" Han Xiaopo said. "Consider it a great gift that I, Han Xiaopo, offer to the leader! This is our Hidden Han Clan's secret, and now that I have told the leader, that alone should demonstrate my sincerity! If this news were to spread, our Hidden Han Clan would surely be plundered—or even wiped out!"

"Plundered? Wiped out? Not necessarily. Precious as the Qi-Gathering Pill is, if you only have the refining materials, those hidden clans could seize them and still be unable to refine them, no? Pill refiners are rare enough as it is. The pill refiners of the hidden clans are at most first rank. Only the Hidden You Clan has high-tier pill refiners, but to refine a third-rank pill like the Qi-Gathering Pill, one needs at least a fourth-rank pill refiner. As far as I know, only the Mystic Pill Sect has such skilled hands, no?" Wei Zhao asked mildly.

"Leader, it seems you do not yet understand the Mystic Pill Sect. We hidden clans can actually commission the Mystic Pill Sect to refine pills. Each time, one need only provide multiple portions of materials, and no matter how many pills are successfully produced, the Mystic Pill Sect takes half as payment. And if only one pill is produced, then we are simply out of luck—it becomes the Mystic Pill Sect's to keep," Han Xiaopo said.

"Oh? The Mystic Pill Sect has such a rule? Then why don't you have them refine it?" Wei Zhao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Leader, that rule of the Mystic Pill Sect exists, but it applies only to clans that have ties with them. For clans with no ties, even if you beg them, they may not agree to refine your pills!" Han Xiaopo said with a bitter smile. "And even if we persuaded the Mystic Pill Sect to refine pills for us, with the Hidden Han Clan's current strength, could we protect those pills? We cannot even protect the materials, let alone the finished pills!"

Han Xiaopo's words brought Wei Zhao to a realization. Indeed, it was so. Back then, Leader Yu had gone so far as to enter a trap-laden ancient tomb for the sake of a single Qi-Gathering Pill, which showed just how precious the pill was. If the Hidden Han Clan succeeded in refining Qi-Gathering Pills, they truly might be wiped out!

The materials for the Qi-Gathering Pill were all exceedingly rare, and with the current strength of the hidden clans, it was absolutely impossible to gather them all. The ancient sects could gather them, but because of the drawbacks of the Qi-Gathering Pill, no one would refine it. Yet for commissions from hidden clans like this, the Mystic Pill Sect would presumably not refuse. The payment they collected could, even if sold, be exchanged for countless treasures or wealth!

"Still, I am curious—are you truly willing to present the Qi-Gathering Pill materials to me just like that? Or rather, will your grandfather agree to your proposal?" Wei Zhao asked, looking at Han Xiaopo strangely.

"An innocent man is guilty by the mere possession of jade. This thing, in our Hidden Han Clan's hands, must either be hidden away in darkness forever, or brought out and bring disaster!" Han Xiaopo said. "And judging by our Hidden Han Clan's current momentum, within several generations we cannot possibly produce a late-stage Earth-rank peak expert or a Heaven-rank expert. Without a Heaven-rank expert to hold the fort, we dare not bring out these materials! Unless there were a late-stage Earth-rank peak expert who could consume the finished pill directly after refining—but that too carries a certain risk. So without absolute certainty, it is impossible to take it out and commission someone to refine pills."

"Oh? Still, keeping these Qi-Gathering Pill materials stored away is itself a hope! Even if it cannot be done now, do you not consider your descendants?" Wei Zhao asked with a faint smile. "This Qi-Gathering Pill is the hope of breaking through to Heaven rank!

For the fastest updates, no-popup reading, please visit.