Missed Purple Cloud Palace selection?

Lei Kongming was just returning to his courtyard after selling mind-calming pills to Xunyu Pavilion when he found a servant waiting at his door. He remembered that the servant worked in the alchemy pavilion when he visited Lei Chen to ask him to refine mind-calming pills.

"Young Master Kong, the Fifth Elder asks you to come over to the alchemy pavilion as he has something important to discuss."

"Uncle Chen called me to discuss something?"

Lei Kongming was puzzled because he couldn't think of anything that Lei Chen needed to discuss with him.

"Sure, you can go back. I will come by myself after I put my things in my courtyard," Lei Kongming said, as he entered his courtyard.

...….

As Lei Kongming arrived at the alchemy pavilion, a servant greeted him and invited him to a side room, asking him to wait a while as the fifth elder would be coming over soon.

Lei Kongming didn't have to wait for long as the door pushed open and Lei Chen arrived. However, Lei Kongming was shocked because compared to last time, Lei Chen looked visibly tired, had dark circles under his eyes, and even his walking posture seemed noticeably weak.

What's even more shocking is that Lei Chen is a Foundation Building cultivator. You should know that a foundation-building cultivator can work for several days without sleeping and will not experience any problems.

"Uncle Chen! What happened?.... Why do you look so tired?"

"Sigh, Xiao Ming, it's because of refining pills. For the last couple of days, I've been either refining pills or on the way to refining pills."

However, Lei Chen's answer left Lei Kongming puzzled because he had visited Lei Chen this morning to get his mind-calming pills, and at that time, Lei Chen seemed like a healthy old man. But now...

"But... you looked just fine this morning?"

"Xiao Ming, refining pills requires a lot of mental energy. As long as you have enough mental energy, everything will be fine. But once your mental energy is exhausted, your condition will rapidly deteriorate."

Lei Chen rubbed his eyebrows and said, "For a foundation-building cultivator, the best way to restore mental energy is to have a good sleep. But because of the upcoming Purple Cloud Palace selection, everyone is asking me to refine pills. Even the patriarch asked me to refine as many pills as possible, preventing me from getting any rest."

"Uncle Chen, why don't you ask some outsiders for help? I think there are plenty of alchemists in the city."

Actually, there was another thing that Lei Kongming was curious about. Since Lei Chen had mentioned the "best way" to restore mental energy, he pondered over the other potential methods. However, observing Lei Chen's current condition, he decided to leave his questions for the time being.

"I have already tried, but everyone is so busy that they, in turn, start asking me to help them instead. Now I don't even dare to step outside of the Lei family mansion for fear that they will catch me and use the favors I owe them to force me to refine pills for them."

"...…."

Lei Kongming was left speechless for a while and thought, 'Are alchemists nowadays so desperate that they directly resort to moral kidnapping?'

"Uncle Chen, what is it that you wanted to discuss with me?"

Hearing Lei Kongming's question, Lei Chen straightened his back and sat upright.

"Xiao Ming, are you planning to sell the mind-calming pills I refined?"

Suddenly, Lei Kongming panicked, thinking, 'Is the clan starting to investigate this? But he rarely asks Uncle Chen to refine pills to sell them, and coupled with his status, the clan should probably turn a blind eye to this.'

"Xiao Ming, don't panic. If those mind-calming pills are not for your cultivation, then I would like to buy them."

Lei Kongming sighed in relief when he heard that Lei Chen wanted to purchase them and wasn't here for any investigation.

"Uncle Chen, I would like to sell them, but now I only have 5 high-level and 3 perfect mind-calming pills left."

"I want the mind-calming pills to assist in my recovery, so just those 5 high-level mind-calming pills can do the job."

"Assist with recovery?" Lei Kongming was a little puzzled.

"Taking mind-calming pills along with proper rest will help me recover my mental energy quicker," Lei Chen explained.

"Then congratulations, Uncle Chen, on a quicker recovery," Lei Kongming said warmly.

"Haha... Xiao Ming, you don't need to flatter me. I will give you a good price. Here, take these 1200 spirit stones. I think they are enough for your 5 high-grade mind-calming pills," Lei Chen said with a smile.

Lei Kongming was a little embarrassed when his thoughts were exposed, but he shamelessly accepted the spirit stones without being polite.

Lei Kongming sighed while thinking, 'Poverty makes people shameless.'

...…

With a long exhale, Lei Kongming opened his eyes and stretched his body, producing cracking sounds.

After selling the mind-calming pills to Lei Chen, Lei Kongming directly returned to his courtyard and entered seclusion. He only woke up from cultivation after using all the spirit stones he obtained from selling the mind-calming pills.

At this time, Lei Kongming's cultivation is at the peak of the Qi Refining realm, only a step away from the Foundation Building realm. However, only Lei Kongming himself knows that with the Gold Swallowing Beast-like black orb and the Little Gold Swallowing Beast Black Dragon Immortal Arts, he does not know how many resources he would need to become a foundation-building cultivator.

The first thing Lei Kongming decided to do was to ask someone about when the Purple Cloud Palace selection would start, as he didn't know how much time had passed since he entered seclusion.

To prevent any chance of leaking the Black Dragon Immortal Arts, Lei Kongming doesn't keep any servants. Otherwise, he could have directly asked them instead of going to search for someone to inquire about the time.

Walking out of his courtyard, Lei Kongming moved towards the patriarch's hall. On his way, he encountered a team of guards patrolling the area.

"Uncle, when will the Purple Cloud Palace selection start?"

"Eh?... Purple Cloud Palace selection?... Young master, it already finished yesterday"

The guard who answered Lei Kongming looked around, only to find that Lei Kongming had disappeared at some point.

"Young Master Kong's strength is becoming more and more formidable at such a young age, even I can't sense him leaving. It seems that he is not far from the Foundation Building Realm." the guard muttered to himself, impressed by Lei Kongming's progress.