Chapter 3815 — You Won't Be Disappointed

Even a Foundation Establishment Golden Pill would merely let Wei Zhao touch the barrier at the peak of the initial Foundation Establishment stage ahead of time; it could not possibly turn him into a peak initial-stage Foundation Establishment expert in an instant. In that respect, the Ziwu Heart-Shattering Pill's effects even surpassed those of a Foundation Establishment Golden Pill!

Even setting aside the side effect of heart-shattering pain, anyone could figure out with their toes that an effect as overbearing as raising one's level must conceal tremendous risks!

Besides, Meng Zhou was still seriously wounded and had yet to recover. If he took it without any preparation or recuperation, then forget about advancing to the peak of the initial Foundation Establishment stage; he probably would not even have time to experience what heart-shattering pain felt like before reporting straight to the underworld.

Meng Zhou might not have much of a brain, but he still possessed this bit of common sense. Hearing Xu Lingchong's words, he actually thought the other man was concerned about him, and was immediately moved to tears. "Young Master Xu, you are truly too considerate of your subordinates! Being able to work under you is a blessing one could not gain even through several lifetimes of cultivation!"

But how could Young Master Xu possibly care whether Meng Zhou lived or died? What he cared about was whether the Ziwu Heart-Shattering Pill would go to waste!

The Ziwu Heart-Shattering Pill might have a terrifying side effect, but it was still an exceedingly rare elixir, and its effects could genuinely be called heaven-defying. Xu Lingchong would never take it himself, but if it were wasted without showing any effect, he would still feel a measure of heartache.

Faced with Meng Zhou's brainless declaration of loyalty, Xu Lingchong could only respond with a speechless roll of his eyes. A fool like you, who gets cheated and still helps the cheater count the money, thinks you are worthy of being this young master's subordinate? At best, you are fit to be cannon fodder!

Meng Jueming could only offer an embarrassed smile from the side. His gaze toward Meng Zhou held both pity and helplessness. To be saddled with such a brainless younger cousin was enough to leave anyone at a loss for words.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhao and the others watched Xu Lingchong and Meng Jueming's group muttering together without end, and could not help growing suspicious. What sort of devilry were these fellows plotting now?

It was the most natural conclusion to draw. After all, Young Master Xu was Meng Jueming and the others' greatest backer. Now that Meng Jueming had plainly found himself helpless against Wei Zhao and the others, his only remaining choice was to seek help from that backer, Young Master Xu.

"Leader, why don't we take a guess at what crooked scheme these fellows will come up with next?" Qiao Hongcai said with a grin, showing not the slightest sign of concern.

His mood had been excellent of late. After twice fighting Meng Zhou to a mutual defeat, he had rapidly adapted to the strength of the initial Foundation Establishment stage, and his cultivation realm was now completely stabilized.

Without those two bitter battles against Meng Zhou, he would normally have needed at least half a month, or even more than a month, of painstaking cultivation to reach this level. Now he had accomplished it in a mere few days. How could he possibly be in a bad mood?

An Extreme Golden Pill could raise one's strength for a short time. Thus, even if both sides were experts at the initial Foundation Establishment stage, Qiao Hongcai could no longer defeat Meng Zhou after the latter took an Extreme Golden Pill. Moreover, with at least three days of recovery time between each round of the challenge matches, a properly arranged plan could completely avoid the Extreme Golden Pill's period of weakness.

In the mind of Hard-Luck Senior Brother, this was the best countermeasure he could think of. In fact, it was quite feasible, and the price was not especially high: all it required was sacrificing a single Extreme Golden Pill.

Xiao Che and Qiao Hongcai both found Hard-Luck Senior Brother's proposal quite reasonable. Only Wei Zhao shook his head thoughtfully.

"If Meng Jueming were acting alone, it would not be strange for him to use an Extreme Golden Pill. But now that even Young Master Xu has appeared, limiting themselves to something of the Extreme Golden Pill's level would be far too small-time. It does not fit Young Master Xu's style. In my view, whatever they are plotting must be more than just a few rounds of challenge matches. They must have some more advanced method in mind," Wei Zhao analyzed.

"Yes, exactly. Junior Brother Wei's explanation makes far more sense." Hearing this, Hard-Luck Senior Brother and the others nodded in unison.

It was just as Wei Zhao had said. Although Hard-Luck Senior Brother's conjecture was plausible, he had considered the matter solely from Meng Jueming's perspective. Given Meng Jueming's resources, obtaining an Extreme Golden Pill for Meng Zhou would already amount to exhausting every means at his disposal. He had simply failed to account for the fact that Young Master Xu was standing behind him.

For a young master of Xu Lingchong's standing, an Extreme Golden Pill was obviously child's play. If they were discussing nothing more than a single Extreme Golden Pill, how could someone of his status possibly spend so long conferring with Meng Jueming and the others?

Moreover, Wei Zhao and the others had clearly seen a moment of hesitation on Xu Lingchong's face at the beginning. What kind of massive undertaking could make even a young master like Xu hesitate?

"In that case, we had better guard against them from here on out. Even if Meng Zhou cannot deal with the few of us, the schemes and stratagems of Young Master Xu and Meng Jueming are still almost impossible to defend against," Xiao Che said gravely.

Wei Zhao nodded. "Exactly. Still, there is no need to worry too much. When soldiers come, meet them with generals; when water comes, block it with earth. Ultimately, overwhelming strength is what matters. For now, Meng Jueming has only Meng Zhou, an initial-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, under his command. That is a fact no one can change."

"Heh heh, I actually hope that scum Meng Zhou will hurry up and take some powerful elixir before challenging me again. Otherwise, with his pitiful courage, he probably will not dare challenge me again for the rest of his life." Qiao Hongcai chuckled.

Although both of their previous clashes had ended in mutual defeat, for Qiao Hongcai, who had only successfully established his foundation a few days earlier and suffered a tremendous disadvantage in martial skills, this was no different from defeating the stronger opponent while fighting from a position of weakness.

As for Meng Zhou, who had originally held an absolute advantage, the experience had probably already left a shadow in his heart. Unless his strength underwent a tremendous breakthrough, it would be difficult for him to summon the confidence to face Qiao Hongcai again, much less defeat him and wash away his former humiliation.

"Just wait and see. I believe they will not disappoint you." Wei Zhao smiled faintly.

Although Wei Zhao could fully anticipate that things would not be so simple now that Young Master Xu had become involved, from his perspective there was truly nothing worth worrying about. RS