Chapter 105: The Breakthrough Pill Project

Zhang Chu really wasn’t lying.

The truth was, Guan Zifang’s temperament was simply too difficult. As soon as they left Canglong Mountain, he jumped out of the car himself, insisting on sneaking into the city, refusing any fanfare. At first, no one understood the reason. It wasn’t until their jeep appeared at the north gate of Binzhou that they realized why Guan Zifang had slipped away.

This was just… too much. All the powerful figures of Binzhou had come out in force, lining the streets to welcome Guan Zifang’s return. Old Guan had barely interacted with anyone in a decade; he was bound to be socially anxious in such a scene.

“Hurry, change it!” Fan Tianlei immediately signaled the staff from the Martial Management Bureau who controlled the electronic display screens. In less than a few seconds, the electronic banner reading “Welcome back, Elder Guan!” turned into a scrolling message: “Warm congratulations to the United Special Operations Squad for honorably completing their mission.”

This operation was downright mortifying.

Zhang Chu, Zhang Xueying, and the others exchanged awkward glances, never expecting to become scapegoats. The six of them stood in a row, with Zhang Chu and Zhang Xueying at the center. Chen Tianxiang and Luo Zhidong personally handed them bouquets. Fan Tianlei even produced the cover of an honorary certificate from his storage ring and presented it with great ceremony.

Reputation was what the Martial Management Bureau valued most. Besides, the whole affair had already become the talk of Binzhou. They needed a pretext; otherwise, the bureaucrats and researchers behind them would start grumbling.

A group photo was taken. Chen Tianxiang and Luo Zhidong gave speeches. In less than ten minutes, the welcoming ceremony ended hastily.

“Dayong, here’s the event fund. Treat yourselves to a meal and relax. No spending limit.” He handed Fan Dayong a bank card.

Chen Tianxiang, Fan Tianlei, and Luo Zhidong quickly got into their vehicle and headed into Binzhou. They were determined to find Guan Zifang, even if it meant searching every ribs restaurant in town.

“Xiao Chu, this honor came out of nowhere,” Wang Peng said, eyeing the honorary certificate, ready to open it. Zhang Xueying quickly stopped him. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Zhang Chu felt so awkward he could curl his toes into a three-bedroom apartment. The six of them hurried into the city, heading straight for Li Dashan’s hot pot restaurant. Even the waiters struggled to hold back their laughter as they served the dishes.

“What are they laughing at?”

Huang Lili looked innocent. “We’re trending…”

Zhang Chu scrolled through his phone, speechless. Everyone checked the martial artists’ forum and bowed their heads in embarrassment.

“This… was really poorly thought out,” even Zhang Xueying couldn’t help but complain.

The forum’s trending topics updated quickly. News and photos of the six of them acting as scapegoats soon overtook even Guan Zifang’s return, skyrocketing into the top three. Some overzealous individuals even uploaded high-definition solo shots. The absurdity was beyond words.

That hot pot meal felt like sitting on pins and needles, as if something was stuck in their throats…

“Wang Peng, help me sell the star beast corpses in this storage ring at the black market. We’ll split the money, seventy-thirty.” Before leaving, Zhang Chu handed the storage ring to Wang Peng.

Huang Lili had originally suggested going to karaoke, but now everyone just wanted to go home, afraid of being recognized as part of the infamous six.

By the time Zhang Chu returned to Xishayuan, it was already late at night. After a quick shower, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep immediately. He hadn’t had a good rest in days at Canglong Mountain.

He woke up naturally the next day. The forum was still buzzing, as expected. However, a video of Guan Zifang heading to the Martial Management Bureau had also made the trending list.

“Old Guan, why did you have to go eat ribs and put me in such an awkward spot?” Zhang Chu grumbled, just noticing a dozen missed calls from Qin Zaiye.

He called back. Qin Zaiye answered instantly, “Xiao Chu, I’m back. Can you come to the Kewey Research Institute?”

“Sure!” Zhang Chu changed into a stylish jacket, slung a bag over his shoulder, and drove out.

It had been a long time since he’d visited the Kewey Institute. The pretty receptionists were still very enthusiastic, addressing him as “President Zhang” at every turn. However, their gazes were a bit odd. Zhang Chu wasn’t stupid; he knew the forum was to blame. The six of them would remain hot topics for at least half a month.

As soon as he entered the elevator, he ran into Zhao Wuming in a lab coat. “President Zhang, I was just heading out to meet you. What a coincidence.”

“Long time no see.” The two quickly went up to the top floor.

Inside the director's office, Qin Zaiye was reading documents. “Xiao Chu, it’s been a while. As soon as I got back, I heard about your special ops team braving the high-level restricted zone of Canglong Mountain to investigate the Vajra Demon-Suppressing Stone.”

“Uh…” Zhang Chu scratched his head awkwardly, wanting to avoid the topic. “Director Qin, you went to Gold City to collaborate with the Martial God Academy—does that mean there’s a new project?”

“Yuanqi gets things done efficiently,” Qin Zaiye first praised his son-in-law, then continued, “This time, our Kewey Institute, as one of the nine pharmaceutical R&D partners of the Martial God Academy, has secured the project to develop the Breakthrough Pill. I asked you here today to discuss this.”

Breakthrough Pill? The name alone sounded impressive to Zhang Chu. Any pill chosen for development by the Martial God Academy’s pharmaceutical center had to be extraordinary.

“This is incredible!” he exclaimed, skimming the information as Qin Zaiye explained further.

Zhang Chu learned just how powerful the Breakthrough Pill was—far superior to the Martial Pill or the Mind-Focusing Pill. The Breakthrough Pill had two astonishing effects:

First, it could help those stuck at Warrior Level 6 or Double-Force Warrior 9-Star instantly break through to the next tier.

Second, it increased the probability of an ordinary person awakening martial abilities by eighty percent. In other words, people who previously had no hope of becoming martial artists would have a real chance after taking the Breakthrough Pill.

The Martial God Academy’s pharmaceutical center had classified the Breakthrough Pill as an SSS-level research project. Its grade was temporarily set as a One-Star Spirit-Grade pill. With continued development, it could even help Nine-Star Spirit-Grade martial artists break through their shackles.

Zhang Chu was already daydreaming. If he could test the Breakthrough Pill, how fast would his own cultivation improve!

“Xiao Chu, here’s the list of materials needed for the first version of the Breakthrough Pill. The Binzhou Martial Artists’ Storage Bureau is very strict with access—even I don’t have clearance. Only you can retrieve the medicinal ingredients.”

After explaining the pill’s effects, Qin Zaiye handed Zhang Chu two documents: one was the raw materials list, the other, Kewey Institute’s application.

Only then did Zhang Chu remember that he was still a specially-appointed pharmacist at the Binzhou Martial Artists’ Storage Bureau! This status was far superior to being a research institute professor.

From his experience in his previous life, a specially-appointed pharmacist endorsed by the Martial God Academy would attract plenty of eager helpers. With a few pills or pieces of equipment as tokens, Zhang Chu could easily gain extra benefits.

After a few more words from Qin Zaiye, Zhang Chu left the Kewey Institute and headed for the Binzhou Martial Artists’ Storage Bureau.

Sure enough, as soon as he arrived, a man who seemed to be in charge came out with several subordinates to greet him…