CHAPTER 59: I WALKED STRAIGHT INTO A TRAP.

The next morning arrived with a soft breeze flowing through the tall trees surrounding the teleportation platform.

John, Caros, and Riara stood together, ready to return to the sect after a mission that had tested not only their cultivation but their very humanity.

With a shimmer of light, the teleportation portal activated, warping them back to the Blue Cauldron Sect.

Once their feet touched the sect grounds, Caros wasted no time. "I’ll go submit the mission token," he said, his tone light but proud. John and Riara nodded, watching him stride confidently toward the Mission Hall.

After a while, Caros returned and reached into his spatial bag. "Here," he said, tossing John a small pouch.

John caught it mid-air and peeked inside. Five glowing mid-grade spirit stones gleamed within.

"Your cut," Caros added with a grin. "You technically already completed your hard mission, but if not for you, we’d be dead meat."

John nodded with a faint smile. "Thanks."

Riara yawned, stretching lazily. "Well, that was fun. Let’s not do it again."

With lighthearted farewells, the three of them parted ways, each heading toward their cottages scattered across the outer sect.

By the time John reached his own cottage, dusk had painted the sky with deep oranges and purples.

The soft rustle of leaves greeted him, and the faint spiritual hum from the herb garden and formation lines surrounding his home offered a soothing ambiance.

He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, letting out a long breath as he flopped onto the chair beside his reading desk.

The mission had been intense.

But now he was back, and alive.

After a few moments of rest, he straightened up and opened his System Panel.

---

[System Panel]

Name: John Coral

Age: 25

Cultivation: Spirit Seed Realm (1454 / 3200)

Upgrade Slot: Empty

Skills:

• Meditation (Level 6 – Max)

• Breathing (Level 5 – Max)

• Spatial Awareness (Level 5)

• Slow Toad Breathing Skill (Level 10 – Max)

• Double Face Lizard Technique (Level 7 – Max)

• Basic Flame Control (Level 3)

• Alchemy (Level 5)

• Twelve Circle Slashes (Level 4)

• Soul Piercing Gaze (Level 5)

• Lightening Bull Kicks (Level 3)

---

His gaze fell on Lightening Bull Kicks, already at Level 3. "I have to upgrade all my techniques to max," he muttered to himself.

A gleam flickered in his eyes, sharp and filled with ambition. "But to do that, I need to keep a low profile for a while."

He leaned back and opened his spatial bag, running his fingers through the carefully arranged compartments.

Seventy mid-grade spirit stones, a mixture of what he had taken from Brandon’s bag and his share from the mission.

"I hope this is enough to buy a decent cultivation technique," he murmured. "The Slow Toad Breathing Method has served me well, but it’s time to move on."

His thoughts immediately went to the Blue Cauldron Outer Depository, the official treasure trove of knowledge and techniques for outer sect disciples.

"I wonder how I can access the Depository again?"

With that thought, he stepped outside and began walking through the wide streets and spiraling stairways of the sect, asking around for information.

Disciples bustled about, some sparring, others meditating, and many trading in front of specialized stalls.

After a few inquiries and a bit of bartering with a senior disciple, he got the answer he dreaded.

"Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones," the senior said casually. "Or... get a token by placing in one of the sect’s official events."

John sighed deeply, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Five hundred? Might as well ask for my soul."

There weren’t any sect tournaments, alchemy duels, or sparring events open to outer sect disciples at the moment.

And as tempting as it was to try the black market, John trusted the sect’s depository far more.

"They wouldn’t hand out trash in the name of cultivation techniques," he muttered.

He folded his arms, brows furrowing in thought. "Then there’s only one way—selling pills."

With renewed resolve, he began asking around about where alchemical items were traded.

To his surprise, the sect had not just one, but two designated buildings where alchemy-related transactions took place.

These massive, tower-like structures were collectively known as the Cauldron Peak Palaces.

As expected of the continent’s number one alchemy sect, they had entire structures just for pill trading, one for internal trade among disciples, and the other open for public auction events where disciples could also sell rare concoctions to visiting merchants.

Without sparing another thought, John turned on his heels and headed straight for the Main Cauldron Peak, the central mountain of the Blue Cauldron Sect.

When he and the others had first arrived, this peak had dominated the skyline like a divine monument.

Towering and vast, it was shaped like an inverted cauldron, with spiraling trails of mist curling along its ridges and glowing runes etched across its stone base.

Rumor had it that the Sect Leader, the Grand Elders, and the most renowned alchemists of the sect resided at its summit.

Though grand, John knew better than to even dream of approaching the peak itself.

As an outer sect disciple, he wasn’t allowed anywhere near the upper levels.

The actual trading, at least for disciples like him, took place in a smaller but still majestic building located at the mountain’s base.

Even from afar, the building gleamed with refinement and purpose.

Crafted from white marble, it was surrounded by pillars shaped like ancient pestles and mortars.

Dozens of disciples in blue and white robes bustled in and out, and the scent of hundreds of kinds of medicinal herbs filled the air.

John took in a breath laced with the faint bitterness of powdered roots and the earthy scent of spiritual soil. "This truly is a pill-focused sect," he muttered, stepping through the towering archway.

At the gates, two guards in embroidered blue robes stood firm, eyes half-lidded but clearly alert.

John presented his identity token, and with a nod from one of the guards, he was allowed entry.

Inside the palace, the space opened up into a wide circular hall lined with counters, glowing orb lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and faint alchemical arrays embedded in the floor.

Disciples were lined up in small queues, speaking with pill evaluators, hoping to get a good price for their concoctions.

John’s gaze swept across the room, until it landed on a white-bearded old man sitting lazily in the far corner.

He was seated behind a stone desk etched with fire motifs, leaning back with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

No one stood in line near him.

John’s instincts tugged him in that direction.

As he approached the elder’s corner, curious murmurs started to ripple across the nearby disciples.

"Look at that guy, he’s walking toward Elder Tenfires."

"Is he crazy? He looks new... Maybe he doesn’t know who that is."

"Let him learn the hard way. You don’t wake Elder Tenfires from his nap unless you’re holding a pill worthy of praise."

"I still remember the last guy. Got slapped straight out the building, haha!"

Another disciple chimed in mockingly, "Wanna bet? I say two slaps before the guards throw him out!"

John, unaware of the chatter, stepped boldly to the counter and knocked twice, a light tap.

The old man stirred. "Ah..." His eyelids peeled open, and immediately, a scowl formed. His voice was dry and impatient. "What?"

John bowed respectfully. "Elder, I wish to sell a pill."

The elder grunted, slowly rising to his feet. "A pill? You woke me for that?" His gaze sharpened. "It better be good, boy. I don’t like my sleep broken for trash."

Now the chuckles around the room grew louder.

A few disciples leaned against pillars, eyes filled with anticipation.

John began to feel the pressure.

Glances stung like needle pricks.

Whispers buzzed in his ears like flies.

Feeling a surge of unease, he activated his Spatial Awareness, and the full extent of the crowd’s attention snapped into clarity.

He gulped.

’Damn it... I walked straight into a trap. Why did I go for the guy who looked like he had the most free time?’

Backing out wasn’t an option anymore. He had stirred the elder.

The eyes of the room were on him.

He had to follow through.

Gritting his teeth, John reached into his spatial bag and retrieved a small glass bottle. Inside, resting neatly, was a glowing red pill with a single golden ring circling its body.

The One-Ringed Blood Rush Pill.

The moment he uncorked the vial and presented the pill, more scoffs rose behind him.

"Ha! Just one ring? He’s dead meat."

"I give it ten seconds before Elder Tenfires explodes."

"I’ll pay five stones if he leaves with all his teeth intact."

A few even chuckled openly. "At least bring a two-ring pill next time if you want to die with honor."

John ignored them all and placed the bottle gently before the elder.

To his surprise, Elder Tenfires didn’t immediately explode.

Instead, he leaned forward, squinting at the pill with a practiced eye.

He reached out with two fingers and lifted the pill into the light.

His expression didn’t change, he was as unreadable as a stone golem.