At noon, Shen Qiang returned home. Xu Nan and Bai Jiao had already sent someone to deliver all the ingredients for the Pei Yuan Pills from Shenghe Chengxin Yi and Wan Xin He Sheng.

There was no time for pleasantries. After seeing the deliverers out once he had stored the materials, Shen Qiang immediately refined all the ingredients into Divine Grade Pei Yuan Pills. After all, for Shen Qiang, whose Cultivation had already reached the late Golden Core stage, concocting Pei Yuan Pills was now easy.

However, at the same time.

There was still an awkward issue with the quantity of Pei Yuan Pills.

There was only one short week's time.

If the Shen family remained in Provincial City after a week, the Long Yan Sword Sect would surely emerge in full force, sparing no expense to destroy Shen's Holding.

According to Shen Qiang's plan, he intended to take two Pei Yuan Pills daily to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

If so, though the burden on his body would be great, his current physique could completely withstand it. With sufficient support from True Qi, perhaps Shen Qiang could really achieve a Nascent Soul within seven days.

But the awkward part was, after searching through all the stores of Chengxin Yi and Wan Xin He Sheng, he could only find enough materials to refine six Pei Yuan Pills.

In other words, that was not even enough for one pill per day.

This reduced Shen Qiang's already slim 30% confidence in reaching the Nascent Soul Stage within a week to a mere 20% chance.

He consumed a Pei Yuan Pill.

With a thought, Shen Qiang entered his Sea of Consciousness.

In the chaotic expanse of his Sea of Consciousness, the stunningly beautiful Qingxuan knelt in front of Shen Qiang and spoke softly, "I greet my master."

Shen Qiang pulled her up and said gravely, "Qingxuan, you must already be aware of the situation with the Long Yan Sword Sect. I hope to reach the Nascent Soul Stage in a week. Currently, there is not enough elixir. Therefore, I want to perform Dual Cultivation with Beautiful Demon Fox Chu Qing."

Upon hearing this, Qingxuan sighed and said softly, "Master, I am willing to teach the Dual Cultivation Technique to Miss Chu Qing. However, the true purpose of Dual Cultivation is to purify True Qi and True Yuan, stabilizing them and allowing rapid growth. Within limited time and space, it amasses more True Qi and True Yuan, becoming stronger than others."

"But, the Dual Cultivation Technique provides no effective help in constructing the Qi Sea, opening the Sea of Consciousness, or Body Refinement."

Looking into Qingxuan's sincere eyes, Shen Qiang sighed deeply and said, "I understand. This means the Dual Cultivation Technique can shorten the time it takes for me to advance from the early to the late Golden Core stage, but it cannot directly propel me into the Nascent Soul Stage."

"That's correct," Qingxuan said solemnly, "Master must complete each breakthrough independently. The true power of the Dual Cultivation Technique lies solely in the purification and rapid growth of True Qi and True Yuan. If Dual Cultivation could lead to breakthroughs, then talent and Cultivation Techniques would become useless waste."

Shen Qiang fell silent for a moment and then said, somewhat disappointed, "I see. Other than the Dual Cultivation Technique, are there any other methods that could help me achieve the Nascent Soul Stage within a week?"

Qingxuan shook her head with a sigh, looking at Shen Qiang with some distress, "The opening of the Sea of Consciousness is something no one can assist with, unlike Foundation Establishment. While opening the Qi Sea can be facilitated with Essence, Elixir Pills, or even a powerful cultivator forcibly establishing it for someone."

"However, the Sea of Consciousness pertains to the spirit. Any intervention could potentially cause mental instability. Therefore, no one but you can help with this, Master."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qiang sighed in disappointment, "I understand."

Having done so, Shen Qiang embraced the Plague Source that called him "Dad" in his Sea of Consciousness and then left.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Shen Qiang took a deep breath.

He had only a week's time.

There weren't enough Pei Yuan Pills.

The Dual Cultivation Technique wasn't of any help.

This meant that his chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage within a week were, at most, ten percent!

"So what if there's only a ten percent chance? If I don't try, I won't even have that ten percent chance," Shen Qiang, with unwavering faith, cast aside all distractions and immediately entered meditation, beginning to cultivate earnestly.

At the same time, while Shen Qiang was diligently cultivating.

Tens of kilometers away.

In a luxurious and imposing office inside Long Yan Mountain Villa next to the 5A-scenic area of Provincial City, five distinguished cultivators were holding a meeting.

"Victors are kings, losers are bandits! We don't need to worry at all. The charges we deliberately framed against Shen Qiang won't hold, because history is written by victors—this has always been the case. Shen Qiang is indeed powerful, excellent even, but as long as we kill him, take over all his properties, and then eliminate all his relatives, everything will be concluded," said the chairman of Long Yan Group as he nonchalantly arched an eyebrow and continued.

The elder sitting in the main seat behind the office desk slightly raised his eyebrow and said, "Shen Qiang's current secular influence is not to be underestimated, especially his Streptococcus Liquid, which the entire world is keeping an eye on. If something were to happen to him..."

"We'll take over," the chairman of Long Yan Group, eyes gleaming, said. "I've already had some preliminary estimates made. For a 6.3 yuan box of Streptococcus Liquid, Tianyou Medicine's net profit is about 1.5 yuan. Based on the current situation, annual sales can reach at least one billion boxes."

"That means, just from the Streptococcus Liquid alone, the annual net profit for Shen Qiang won't be less than 1.5 billion yuan."

The eyes of the elder behind the large office desk lit up, astonished, he said, "Is there really that much money?"

"Not just that!" said the president of Long Yan Group, eyes alight with excitement. "In addition to that, Shen Qiang has several other money-making companies under his name, including Datong River Restaurant, Xiduobao, and Shen's Holding."

"Datong River Restaurant is known for their expensive dishes, with a single dish costing 1,888 yuan considered ordinary. The most expensive dish, 'Golden Jade Full Hall,' costs 5,888 yuan to enjoy. And yet, Datong River, Datong River Dinghao, as well as their Nanjing location, are always packed, with reservations often unavailable."

Looking earnestly at the elder behind the desk, the chairman of Long Yan Group said, "Even more impressive is Xiduobao, a rather modest shop, but its daily turnover is roughly around ten million yuan. Considering the antique industry's profit margins—which are at least fifty percent—one can see significant annual revenue."

At that moment, another middle-aged cultivator sitting on the large office's sofa chuckled and interjected, "In the short term, it seems that Tianyou Medicine, Xiduobao, and Datong River under Shen Qiang's name are making the most money. But if you look further ahead, you'll see that the most potential lies with Shen's Holding."

"Their damn president is a genius, extremely greedy too, with far-reaching hands. He has used his capital to control many promising, vibrant, young companies."

The chairman of Long Yan Group smiled in response to these words, his gaze fixed on the elder behind the large desk as he said excitedly, "So, Sect Leader, don't hesitate anymore. We should take action now while Shen Qiang and his people still think they have time. Let's catch them off-guard and wipe them out completely."

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