The Bloodpill Ancestor tore open the envelope.
It was several sheets of ordinary coarse paper.
Judging by the texture, it was clear how impoverished the sender must be—not even able to afford decent stationery.
Yet the neat, delicate handwriting on the paper was beautiful, sparking the Ancestor’s imagination—who could write so elegantly? Surely a gentle, kind-hearted girl, poor but pure and untainted inside.
With faint thoughts like these lingering, the Bloodpill Ancestor continued reading.
[To the Honorable Sect Leader of the Zhixue Sect—Thank you for visiting our humble shop. As our largest customer since opening, your patronage has truly brightened our establishment. Here we present your prizes won from our shop, along with a 5% discount coupon valid on all items. Please accept them.]
Hmm, such a considerate shop. Ancestor likes this kind of place—treating me like a god… now that’s a true shopping experience! That Lucky Bag is nothing but a pain to buy!
This page contained just these few straightforward lines. The Bloodpill Ancestor chuckled and turned to the next page.
The formatting of the second page was odd—not like a letter, but more like a formula.
The Bloodpill Ancestor kept reading… his hands began to tremble as he stared at the words.
[…This is the “Top-grade Hemostatic Pill Formula” you drew. We welcome you to return and shop again.]
At the bottom of this formula, there was a small image of a bag, with a large (Blessing) character written upside down—symbolizing that Blessing had arrived.
The Bloodpill Ancestor immediately felt unwell.
His vision darkened, and he collapsed back onto the recliner, turning face-down, unconscious.
When the Bloodpill Ancestor awoke again, brilliant evening clouds were glowing around him.
Standing atop the mountain, overlooking the breathtaking sea of clouds and sunset glow, tears streamed down his face.
Without a doubt, it was the genuine Top-grade Hemostatic Pill Formula, even slightly improved—more efficient to refine than his own formula!
What was he supposed to do now?
His previously settled mind instantly became a chaotic mess.
At the moment he had finished drawing the Lucky Bag, he thought it was all over. But unexpectedly, this prize was sent later!
Worse yet, according to his disciples, this letter had arrived earlier that morning.
That meant the sender had anticipated every response of the Zhixue Sect—knowing they would never let go of the formula and would do anything to buy it—so they sent the prize in advance.
Every move of his was fully exposed, the entire rhythm completely controlled by the opponent!
And this guy clearly dug a deep trap aimed at the Zhixue Sect, forcing the Ancestor to drag the whole sect right into it!
No, calm down.
Face it with a smile! The best way to eliminate fear is to confront it!
But… with my wisdom, Ancestor thought, I simply cannot come up with any solution!
His mindset was broken, his mind a tangled mess—too panicked to think clearly.
Enough, it was time to seek help.
This was no longer a situation he could handle alone. Without the formula, he was nothing.
Without hesitation, the Bloodpill Ancestor slipped back inside, pulling out a small, jet-black stone.
He infused it with spiritual energy, and soon a voice came from within the stone.
[I told you, contact me only when necessary.] The voice was cold, detached, with a hint of icy indifference.
“There is something! Something huge! The Zhixue Sect is finished!” the Bloodpill Ancestor said with trembling urgency.
He quickly explained everything that had just happened and the predicament he was facing.
After a brief silence, the voice sighed softly: [I didn’t expect someone to crack the formula so quickly… Since they already have the formula and act cautiously without exposing themselves, relying on the formula alone is no longer a viable path.]
The Bloodpill Ancestor was stunned.
Could it be that even they were helpless?
[You’ve encountered a high-level opponent this time. If you keep clinging to the formula, you’ll only be led around by the nose and drained bit by bit of your remaining value… The Zhixue Sect’s only way out now is to use the years of financial reserves to absorb smaller sects with heritage and rapidly transform into a regular sect.]
“Sigh.” The Bloodpill Ancestor closed his eyes, finally understanding that what had to be done was decisive sacrifice.
[You have amassed plenty of funds and disciples over the years. Transitioning won’t be difficult. As long as your disciple base remains, announcing the transformation in time will preserve most of your current strength… The Zhixue Sect’s foundation isn’t just a formula, it’s the disciples.]
Though not the smartest, the Bloodpill Ancestor was a seasoned veteran who had weathered many storms.
After accepting reality, his thoughts finally calmed.
Though forced to transform, the sect was not without hope.
The road to profit would no longer be as simple, but his position as a wealthy patriarch remained secure—and that was enough.
After all, there were disciples.
With so many disciples accumulated over the years, as long as they remained, the Zhixue Sect would never perish!
“Knock knock knock—”
Sudden knocking at the door interrupted the Bloodpill Ancestor, slightly annoying but stirring no strong reaction.
After a day like the end of the world, he felt transformed, enlightened—no longer so quick to anger or faint at the slightest provocation.
He smiled faintly and asked, “What’s the matter with the knocking?”
“It’s bad! It’s bad, Ancestor!”
Young people these days—always blowing things out of proportion.
Hmph, what could be worse than what I’ve been through today?
Calm as still water, calm as still water.
“Speak plainly.” The Ancestor did not open the door, his voice calm.
“They’ve all run off! Everyone’s run away!”
“Who ran away?” the Bloodpill Ancestor asked, puzzled.
“The disciples! The Outer Sect disciples, the fringe disciples—they took advantage of the time when you led people to Jing City and fled in droves!”
“???”
With a loud bang, the Bloodpill Ancestor kicked the door open, grabbed the disciple by the collar, his face grimacing fiercely, and thundered, “Say that again! What’s going on?!”
“Suddenly, for some unknown reason, everyone seemed to believe the Zhixue Sect was finished! So Outer Sect disciples everywhere escaped as fast as they could to other sects! And when they left… they took all the Bloodstopping Pills in the shops, and everything valuable!”
“Damn!”
Forget calm as still water!
The Bloodpill Ancestor’s vision darkened. Grasping his chest, he fainted once again.