Watching Lü Yu's departing figure, the disheveled old man's mouth gaped open, his face full of regret and bitterness. The seventh-grade high-level pill formula, Shao Zhu Dan, which he had just received, suddenly lost its appeal; it looked utterly unpleasant.
He was a seventh-grade high-level alchemist, and like most people, he had been stuck at this level for decades, dreaming of advancing to the eighth grade.
The Spirit-Nourishing Powder might not be able to achieve that, but the spiritual energy it contained was enough to give his long-stabilized soul realm another chance to break through.
"Sigh…" The disheveled old man sighed deeply. He had once had a tremendous opportunity placed before him, but he had not cherished it, and only after losing it completely did he regret it.
Thinking about it now, it's truly regrettable...
"Old Yan, what exactly is this Spirit-Nourishing Powder you mentioned earlier?"
"You don't know?" The slovenly old man glanced at them. "You didn't know, yet you were laughing so loudly just now?"
"Forgive my bluntness, but seeing you lose money makes me incredibly happy... Hahaha..."
"Don't interrupt, tell me quickly, what exactly is this Spirit-Nourishing Powder? It looks quite precious!"
"I won't tell!" The slovenly old man said irritably, "Look at you, is this how you ask someone a question? You don't even use the formal 'you' when asking questions!"
Meanwhile, in the mountains near the Pill Tower, within the manor where Lü Qiu lived, Hei Qing asked curiously, "Lü Qiu, what exactly is this Spirit-Nourishing Powder?"
Hei Qing instinctively felt that the copper piece was somewhat extraordinary, but he didn't expect Lü Qiu to be able to figure out its secrets, which was quite beyond his expectations.
Lü Qiu chuckled, flicked his finger, and a grain of pale yellow powder flew out, floating in front of Hei Qing.
"Try integrating it into your soul," Lü Yu
said with a raised chin and a smile. Hei Qing looked at the Spirit-Nourishing Powder in front of him with a puzzled expression, hesitated for a moment, and then the powder automatically rose and settled on his brow.
Instantly, Hei Qing felt a sharp pain in his soul, an extremely uncomfortable sensation that made him feel terrible. But the next moment, the pain subsided, and wisps of strange energy slowly drifted in, gradually permeating his soul.
In an instant, Hei Qing felt the world become clear, as if everything in the world was clearly visible.
His long-stable cultivation level even began to show signs of loosening.
"This...this..." Hei Qing was shocked. Although his battle qi hadn't increased at all, his ability to use and control it seemed to have risen to a new level out of thin air.
The benefits this thing brought him were comparable to years of arduous cultivation.
"Spirit-Nourishing Powder is an essential ingredient for ancient alchemists when refining eighth-grade pills. Incorporating it into the pill greatly enhances its spirituality," Lü Qiu said.
"Moreover, incorporating it into the soul can nurture the soul, gradually strengthening its spiritual energy, thus allowing one to transcend the mortal realm and enter the Spirit Realm."
"So this thing is that precious?" Hei Qing looked astonished. He was well-informed and naturally knew how difficult it was for a mortal soul to enter the Spirit Realm.
"Hahaha... Brother Lü Qiu, I knew I hadn't misjudged you! You're even willing to share such a precious thing with me!"
Hei Qing grinned. He clearly remembered that five grains of Spirit-Nourishing Powder had fallen from the copper-green sphere, and Lü Qiu had actually given him one. This truly surprised him.
You know, if word got out about this, it would definitely drive countless alchemists crazy.
"It's only right," Lü Qiu smiled. Hei Qing had saved him once. Without Hei Qing, he might have had to pay a certain price to contend with the Nine Heavens Venerable.
Moreover, with Hei Qing's support, he had a stronger case than the Pill Tower regarding the Three Thousand Burning Flames.
"Here, take this. You can contact me if you need anything," Hei Qing said with a smile, flicking his finger. A palm-sized dark golden scale flew out and landed in front of Lü Qiu, Hei Qing's unique aura slowly emanating from it.
"Haha... then thank you very much, Brother Hei Qing!" Lü Qiu laughed loudly. Although Hei Qing's strength wasn't particularly high, only an eight-star Dou Zun, being able to contact him anytime was invaluable.
...
On the other side, as news spread from the Alchemist Trade Fair, the entire Holy Pill City was in an uproar. The Spirit-Nourishing Dust, this ancient treasure, drew countless exclamations of wonder, with some even wanting to obtain a single grain.
But... upon closer inspection, they realized something was amiss. No one knew the person's name; they only knew that he was an extremely arrogant and domineering young man, so arrogant he was practically begging to be beaten.
The alchemists who had seen Lü Qiu were astonished. They tried to draw Lü Qiu's face, but just as they were about to put pen to paper, they realized something was wrong.
The arrogant and domineering face in their memories became increasingly blurry, as if shrouded in mist, making it impossible to draw.
"What... what's going on?" The many alchemists who had seen Lü Qiu were shocked but didn't know why.
"Teacher, who do you think that person is?" Inside the Pill Tower, Cao Ying rested her pointed chin on her hand and asked casually.
"Of course it's Xiao Yan... oh, that kid Lü Qiu." Xuan Kongzi replied.
"But how come someone can't draw his face?" Cao Ying asked curiously.
"Spiritual realm souls and mortal realm souls are not comparable," Xuan Kongzi said. "That kid Lü Qiu is very cautious; he's always shrouded in a layer of soul power, preventing others from probing him."
"The alchemists at the Alchemist Conference are all seventh-grade, their soul realms are inferior to his, so naturally they can't remember what he looks like."
"So spiritual realm souls can be used like this..." A hint of astonishment appeared on Cao Ying's charming face; this was the first time she had heard of it.
"Then... what are those spirit-nurturing powders?" Cao Ying pressed. This stuff is said to be an ancient artifact; how did Lü Qiu know about it?
This guy is getting more and more interesting!
"Go find the answer yourself!" Xuan Kongzi said impatiently, pointing towards another room.
He didn't need to answer this kind of question; the records in the Pill Tower were there. If she wanted to see them, she should go find them herself. He was Cao Ying's mentor, not her nanny.
"Oh..." Cao Ying chuckled and obediently went to look through the records. Three days passed in a flash
.
Above the mountain manor, spatial ripples slowly spread, and four figures gradually appeared in the mountain manor where Lü Qiu resided.
Compared to last time, this time there was an additional timid, porcelain doll-like girl.
Hei Qing glanced at the girl whose face was slightly pale, a hint of surprise flashing across his rugged face. This girl seemed to be quite extraordinary!
Noticing Hei Qing's gaze, the girl hid behind Xuan Yi like a frightened rabbit.
"Don't be afraid, Sister Dan Chen, it's alright," Cao Ying smiled.
This girl was none other than Dan Chen of the Dan family, Xuan Yi's disciple. Among the younger generation of the entire Dan Tower, only she could command Cao Ying's attention. Of course, that was before; now there was also Xiao... Lü Qiu.
In addition, there was Song Qing, who was quite capable. This Song Qing was the disciple of the Grand Elder among the eight elders of the Pill Tower, not the disciple of Tian Lei Zi, another president of the Pill Tower.
"Hehe...it seems that Lü Qiu has already begun preparations..." Xuan Kong Zi ignored the conversation between the two juniors and turned his gaze to find Lü Qiu sitting in the open space of the manor, as steady as a rock, like an old monk in meditation. In front of him stood a dark red medicine cauldron.
On this medicine cauldron, beast patterns appeared and disappeared, like ten thousand beasts galloping, with a terrifying aura.
"This...this is the Myriad Beast Cauldron?" Xuan Yi asked in surprise.
"The Heavenly Cauldron Ranking...it's not that surprising, is it?" Xuan Kong Zi asked doubtfully, somewhat puzzled. He had been lucky enough to obtain a few medicine cauldrons on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking within the Pill Tower.
For the three giants like them, although the items on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking were rare, it was not worth losing his composure.
"No!" Xuan Yi said solemnly, "As far as I know, the Myriad Beasts Cauldron was already in Han Feng's possession!"
"Hmm?" Xuan Kongzi's gaze sharpened, and he looked at Lü Qiu in surprise: "Han Feng... There are rumors that Yao Chen's disappearance is related to him..."
It seems that this Lü Qiu has a close relationship with Yao Chen!
Xuan Yi didn't speak, but pursed her red lips, seemingly lost in thought.
Cao Ying and Dan Chen beside her exchanged a glance, both pairs of beautiful eyes revealing a hint of surprise. Yao Chen... isn't he the legendary Medicine Venerable?
Lü Qiu is actually related to the Medicine Venerable?
Time passed slowly, and Lü Qiu remained motionless with his eyes slightly closed, sitting in front of the cauldron like a statue, showing no reaction to the arrival of Xuan Kongzi and the other three. Xuan Kongzi and the
other three did not show any displeasure. These four were all top-notch alchemists in Zhongzhou, and of course they knew that Lü Qiu was adjusting his state.
If Lü Qiu had started refining pills in a panic just minutes after their arrival, then… there would be no point in continuing to watch this pill-refining process.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the four from the Pill Tower weren't in a hurry. Instead, Hei Qing started scratching his head, wondering if they should just sit there doing nothing.
Alchemists were such a hassle!
Just then, Lü Qiu suddenly opened his eyes, stood up, and his powerful soul energy slowly emanated.
Hei Qing's expression changed slightly; he suddenly felt a genuine pressure. The four from the Pill Tower, although their brows furrowed slightly, emitted a radiant light that blocked the pressure.
"He's actually so fast?" Cao Ying raised an eyebrow.
"Let's see… this kid's soul doesn't seem like it's just entered the Spirit Realm." Xuan Kongzi shook his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Whoosh!
A blue light appeared, and a blue fire python coiled up from Lü Qiu's body, entering the Myriad Beasts Cauldron.
The intense heat of the Azure Lotus Core Flame surged forth, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Myriad Beasts Cauldron was ablaze.
"A strange fire!?" The four members of the Pill Tower exclaimed, their pupils shrinking in shock.
The strange fire appeared, and all other flames paid homage. The instant the azure flame appeared, the fire within their bodies trembled, all expressing a sense of submission.
"This person is indeed extraordinary!" Cao Ying's beautiful eyes flashed with brilliance, her curiosity growing even stronger.
Meanwhile, a faint light shone on Lü Qiu's Nether Sea Storage Ring, and instantly, hundreds of medicinal herbs flew out, filling the sky above the entire manor.
"Southern Ridge Ghost Rape Flower, Golden Dragon Silver Plate, Evergreen Root… He's refining the Jie Li Pill!" Xuan Yi, looking at the floating herbs, immediately understood what kind of pill Lü Qiu wanted to refine.
The Jie Li Dan, an eighth-grade, two-colored pill, works similarly to the Dou Ling Dan, Huang Ji Dan, and Shao Zhu Dan, helping the user increase their strength by one star level at a certain rank.
However, the Jie Li Dan is special; while it can help a Dou Zun advance one star, once a Dou Zun reaches nine stars and enters the Transcendent Dou Zun realm, the pill loses its effect.
Behind them, Dan Chen and Cao Ying exchanged a glance, their gazes heavy with pressure, but the two genius girls didn't show any shock.
Two-colored pill lightning was powerful, but they weren't incapable of it; they hadn't been outdone!
"You two are celebrating too soon," Xuan Kongzi said calmly. "This pill refining isn't a competition, but rather a test of his eighth-grade ability. It's very likely... Lü Yu won't go all out."
Upon hearing this, Dan Chen and Cao Ying's delicate faces immediately showed horror. If that were the case, the pressure on them would be immense.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Xuan Yi glared at Xuan Kongzi, annoyed. "How do you know the two-colored pill lightning isn't his full strength? Besides, what if he fails?"
Always putting pressure on the kids!
Xuan Kongzi shrugged, saying nothing more. Meanwhile, several medicinal herbs hung down, their essence refined by Lü Qiu, floating in the medicine cauldron.
"This technique... it has a bit of Yao Chen's style, but not much..." Xuan Kongzi looked at Lü Qiu refining the herbs, stroking his chin and muttering.
This kid... what exactly is his relationship with Yao Chen? Why does it seem so complicated?
Xuan Kongzi's lips twitched. At this moment, he suddenly felt anxious and frantic, desperately wanting to know the exact relationship between Yao Chen and Lü Qiu.
Xuan Yi pouted. Didn't you say there was no rush? Why are you getting anxious yourself?
"Disciple, can you understand how he refines it?" Xuan Yi turned her gaze to Dan Chen and asked.
She brought her disciple here naturally to teach her.
"I don't quite understand..." Dan Chen's delicate brows furrowed, her small face slightly flustered. "The strange fire is just too intense; I dare not examine it too closely."
"It's alright, I'll explain it to you..." Xuan Yi, focused on Lü Qiu's alchemy, imparted knowledge to his disciple. Cao Ying, along with Dan Chen, listened attentively to their master's teachings.
Xuan Kongzi mainly helped Xuan Yi fill in the gaps, occasionally adding a few words. Opportunities to observe an eighth-grade alchemist refining pills and teach according to the situation were rare.
Meanwhile, Lü Qiu had completely entered a state of selflessness and oblivion. This was his first time refining an eighth-grade pill, and he couldn't afford to be careless.
Time passed little by little, and in the blink of an eye, ten days and nights had passed.
The floating medicinal herbs had long since melted into medicinal liquid and powder, gathering in the Myriad Beasts Cauldron, where the greenish-yellow pill was tumbling in the green flames.
Inside the manor, Hei Qing had already fallen asleep and begun to snore.
However, Cao Ying and Dan Chen, the two girls, were full of excitement, their eyes shining brightly, showing no signs of fatigue. The gains from this observation trip far exceeded their expectations.
On the wide open space, Lü Bu suddenly opened his eyes, his sleeves billowing, and with a "bang," the cauldron lid was lifted.
Boom!
The next moment, a terrifying shockwave swept out, a pillar of azure fire soaring into the sky, and vast, boundless energy ripples suddenly swept across the area. In
Holy Pill City, countless people stared in horror at the continuous mountain range beneath the Pill Tower in the distance. They clearly saw the pillar of azure fire rising into the sky.
"That's... the fluctuations of an eighth-grade pill being formed!?"
"So powerful, which grandmaster is refining pills?"
"Look, pill lightning has appeared!"
Before the exclamations had even subsided, at the end of the towering pillar of fire, the swirling mist in the sky quickly transformed into a thundercloud.
Under the astonished gazes of countless people, the thundercloud slowly churned, gradually revealing azure and silver light.
"Two-colored thunderbolts... He succeeded!" Cao Ying's red lips pursed slightly. Her teacher was right; he hadn't used his full strength at all... No, it was because the Elixir Elixir didn't require his full strength.
"So amazing..." Dan Chen murmured, looking at Lü Qiu. She noticed that he wasn't even out of breath, and apart from a slight smile after the pill's success, he hadn't shown much emotional change.
Her body was too weak to be so calm and collected.
On the other side, Lü Qiu looked at the slowly rotating azure-yellow pill on the Myriad Beasts Cauldron. It was quite good, but he was somewhat dissatisfied. He then
flicked his finger, and two pale yellow dust particles flew out and merged into the pill.
Instantly, the powerful fluctuations that had just subsided erupted again. Above the sky, the two-colored thunderclouds that had stopped churning surged again, revealing a bright red color.
"Three colors... Spirit-Nourishing Dust is indeed a good thing!" Xuan Kongzi's lips twitched.
"This is the first time I've ever seen a Tri-Colored Lightning Pill that can dispel evil spirits..." Xuan Yi exclaimed. The Spirit-Nourishing Powder truly lives up to its ancient reputation.
"Brother Hei Qing!" Lü Yu glanced at the approaching Tri-Colored Lightning Pill, sighed regretfully, and then called out.
Because of the Soul Palace, he didn't want to, and couldn't, expose the Heavenly Demon Puppet for the time being, so this time, he could only watch helplessly as the lightning disappeared.
"Haha... Lü Qiu, don't worry, leave it to me!" Hei Qing laughed loudly, his figure floating up, his fist striking out to meet the three-colored pill lightning head-on.
"Seniors, have I met the requirements?" Lü Qiu turned to look at Xuan Kongzi and the two men in black robes, and chuckled.
"Haha, of course, Grandmaster Lü Qiu!" Xuan Kongzi laughed loudly, "Now, on behalf of the Pill Tower, I sincerely invite you to join the Pill Tower and become one of the eight elders. What do you say?"
"This junior is willing!" Lü Qiu smiled, and on the Myriad Beast Cauldron, the azure-yellow pill, overflowing with spiritual energy, slowly transformed into a spirit snake as thick as three fingers. The azure-yellow spirit snake gently coiled, hissing and flicking its tongue, its lively eyes looking around.
But the next moment, a large hand formed from soul power attacked, grabbing and imprisoning him.
"Then, welcome to the Pill Tower, Grandmaster Lü Qiu!" Xuan Kongzi nodded slightly and laughed loudly.
"Ahem... Lü Qiu, I have something to ask you." Xuan Yi coughed lightly and asked, "Do you... know anything about Yao Chen? How is he now? Where is he?"
Upon hearing this, Lü Qiu's eyes narrowed, then his expression hardened, and he said seriously, "Senior Xuan Yi, you want to inquire about Yao Chen's current situation? Do you know that he is an elder I deeply respect!?"
"No, you misunderstand, I have no ill intentions towards him, he and I..."
"You'll have to pay more!"
Xuan Yi: "..."
How could the perfect Yao Chen be involved with this kid?
This is outrageous!