Looking at Ye Chen about to give her more pills, Lin Ke'er's heart was filled with complex emotions. She really hadn't intended to take anything more from Ye Chen this time. After all, the "Longxiang Hands" he had given her before was incredibly valuable. Other cultivators would do anything for such an external martial art, yet Ye Chen had simply gifted it to her. And now, he had thoughtfully prepared pills for her as well. This touched Lin Ke'er deeply, making her realize she had been overthinking things. Ye Chen still had feelings for her. The reason he hadn't been seeking her out tely or lingering after giving her gifts was clearly because he didn't want to pressure her too much.

  Lin Ke'er asked herself, since she had coincidentally embarked on the path of cultivation, she had never met anyone as kind as Ye Chen. Which cultivator wasn't driven by self-interest? They wouldn't do anything without benefit, even with their Dao companions, they would be wary and even scheme against each other. Yet Ye Chen had always silently supported her. If she were to become Dao companions with someone like Ye Chen, her future days would surely be comfortable. But the cultivation world was fraught with danger, with countless monsters and robber cultivators. Take the Silver Moon Market, for example; it was already in its third generation. The first generation was destroyed by a beast tide, turning it into ruins. The second generation was wiped out when a Golden Elixir beast fought a powerful cultivator, affecting the market. Now, it was in its third generation.

  In such a dangerous world, Lin Ke'er wanted to continue growing stronger and climbing higher. However, the Ye family behind Ye Chen was merely a Qi Refining family. Ye Chen's talent wasn't exceptional, and the support he could offer wasn't enough to help her reach greater heights. So, no matter how good Ye Chen was, he wasn't the right choice. What a pity!

  Gazing at the pill bottle in front of her, Lin Ke'er hesitated for a moment before reaching out to take it, sincerely thanking him, "Thank you, Daoist Ye..."

  Ye Chen listened to the system prompt in his mind, a smile appearing on his face. "No need to be polite, Daoist. Just focus on your cultivation!"

  To Lin Ke'er, Ye Chen's smile seemed to be because he was happy she accepted his gift, which made her feel a bit pressured. Ye Chen really liked her. What if, in the future, he couldn't have her and turned his love into hate? Would he demand everything back? If she couldn't repay him, would he force her...

  Her mind was in turmoil until a sudden noise interrupted her thoughts. Ye Chen had already returned to his room after giving her the gift. Lin Ke'er was momentarily stunned but then sighed in relief. This was for the best. She didn't linger any longer, quickly leaving the courtyard to prepare for her cultivation...

  ...

  "Five low-grade Elephant Blood Pills turned into twenty-five high-grade ones, just perfect for me to use."

  "And five mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills turned into fifty mid-grade Qi Gathering Stones, which I can sell for Spirit Stones."

  "This system is truly considerate, adjusting rewards according to my needs."

  Ye Chen was very satisfied with the tenfold feedback result. He immediately swallowed a high-grade Elephant Blood Pill. The medicinal power was purer, providing more vigorous energy and blood. Ye Chen felt his blood boiling within and immediately began practicing the Longxiang Prajna Art.

  Ye Chen's talent was quite average, but with the help of high-grade Elephant Blood Pills, he felt that it wouldn't be long before he achieved minor success in the Longxiang Prajna Art.

  In the days that followed, Ye Chen spent his time either cultivating or practicing alchemy. Every week, he would give Lin Ke'er pills to trigger the tenfold feedback, receiving a hundred pills in return. As Ye Chen's success rate in alchemy increased, he would sell the accumuted mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills in other shops. The Silver Moon Market had the most cultivators in the Early Stage of Qi Refining, so there was no worry about selling mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills, as merchants were eager to buy them.

  In the blink of an eye, two months passed. Ye Chen had amassed a fortune of eighty low-grade Spirit Stones, which made him very happy. Being an alchemist was indeed profitable. Of course, other low-level alchemists couldn't earn as much. Ye Chen's perfect experience and nearly 100% success rate, with minimal loss, along with Lin Ke'er as a gold mine providing tenfold returns, allowed him to earn such an income. Other alchemists definitely couldn't achieve this.

  Besides earning Spirit Stones, Ye Chen's cultivation also progressed rapidly. With high-grade Qi Gathering Pills and Elephant Blood Pills consumed daily, his treatment was comparable to that of an outstanding disciple of a major sect. Ye Chen estimated that it wouldn't be long before he broke through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.

  ...

  Ye Chen leisurely got up. Today was another day to give gifts. Looking at the time, it was almost closing time. Ye Chen took the ten mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills he had prepared and headed to the shop to give Lin Ke'er a gift.

  When Ye Chen arrived at the shop, they were already packing up to close. Seeing Ye Chen, the staff exchanged knowing smiles, and another maid gave him a look that seemed to say he deserved it. This made Ye Chen curious about what had happened. However, when he saw Lin Ke'er, he roughly understood.

  Lin Ke'er's aura was much stronger than a few days ago, indicating a significant change. Clearly, she had broken through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining. Lin Ke'er, with joy in her eyes, bowed slightly and smiled at Ye Chen, "Thank you for your help, Daoist Ye..."

  "I have now broken through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining."

  "I have already resigned from Steward Zhang and settled my wages. I won't be coming here tomorrow."

  "But I won't forget your kindness, Daoist Ye. If you need anything, you can find me at my courtyard. However, I will often go with teams to the mountains to search for Silver Moon Grass, so I might not be home often."

  "But if you leave a message, I will definitely come to see you as soon as possible."

  Lin Ke'er resigned? Ye Chen was a bit surprised but understood after hearing the rest. Being a shop attendant had no future and earned little. The main output of the Silver Moon Market was Silver Moon Grass. Some shops would form their own teams to search the mountains. A trip would take ten days in the mountains, which was tiring and dangerous due to the presence of monsters. But the pay was good. If the harvest was abundant, earning seven or eight low-grade Spirit Stones wasn't a problem. If lucky, finding some precious herbs would yield even more. These teams usually had a te-stage Qi Refining expert leading them, providing mutual support and safety. So many rogue cultivators without the courage to enter the mountains alone would join these herb-gathering teams.

  Unexpectedly, Lin Ke'er resigned to join them. No wonder the male staff and female attendants in the shop gave him strange looks, even a bit of pity. It turned out Lin Ke'er was leaving!