Vol 3 Chapter 24: The Alchemy Gathering
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!!!"
After a fierce battle, the young Xia Yan successfully defeated the three-headed serpent, leaving many who knew him in utter disbelief.
"That little bastard… how could he…" The current head of the Xia family, Xia Yan's uncle, turned red-eyed at the sight of his nephew’s sudden surge in power.
"That bastard Xia Jie must have hidden so secret inheritance for this brat! How could a re Foundation Establishnt beginner skyrocket to this level in such a short ti? Just what kind of treasure did he get his hands on? And how much of it is left?! I held back before out of family ties, but this little bastard is nothing but a common mortal, a waste who only acquired a Fire Spirit Body through external ans. He has no right to such treasures—they should belong to my son instead!"
He wanted to rush forward and demand answers, but as Alchemist Jie Geng stepped out and smiled at Xia Yan, his heart sank. It was too late.
"You didn’t state your na earlier."
"Xia Yan. Alchemist Jie Geng, have I passed the test?" Xia Yan looked at her.
"Mm, you’ve passed. Not only have you reached Perfection of Foundation Establishnt before the age of twenty, but you also possess such battle power—you are fully qualified to beco a disciple of Tongtian Tower."
"Go rest on the flying ship first."
"Once the assessnt is over, I will tell you more about Tongtian Tower." With a wave of Jie Geng’s hand, Xia Yan was sent onto the flying ship. anwhile, under the effects of dicinal power, the severely burned three-headed serpent was healed and stood up once more...
…
By the end of the day, only Xia Yan had passed the recruitnt test for Tongtian Tower. The news caused an uproar throughout Tianqing City.
Xia Yan was well-known in Tianqing City—not because of his talent, but because he was the son of the city's top alchemist. Though he was born with an ordinary physique, having a Pill Sovereign father had made him sothing of a privileged second-generation cultivator.
Unfortunately, his father had died too soon.
…
"Congratulations on being the only one from this city to pass the Tongtian Tower test. I heard that not long ago, you were only at the early stage of Foundation Establishnt and weren’t particularly outstanding in strength. How did your power suddenly increase so drastically? If it’s inconvenient to answer, you may disregard the question."
On the flying ship, Jie Geng slowly approached and looked at Xia Yan, who was sitting cross-legged in ditation.
"Master Jie Geng, it’s because my father left many pills and spiritual dicines that enhanced my strength…"
"But from what I heard, as of a month ago, you were still at the early stage of Foundation Establishnt. I can’t recall any pill or spiritual treasure that could allow your physique to reach near completion in such a short ti…" ȑäℕÖᛒƐṨ
Xia Yan took a deep breath and said, "Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be impossible. But I used a pill called the 'Dining Pill' to enhance my digestion ability, allowing to rapidly absorb all the treasures my father left behind."
"Alchemist Jie Geng, this is the last Dining Pill I have left. I’d like to gift it to you." Xia Yan took out the final pill and handed it over.
"This pill…" Jie Geng took it and was montarily stunned before showing a look of surprise.
"This pill… could it be that your father refined it? Xia Jie, the Pill Sovereign, he…"
Jie Geng had never expected that in a remote city in the outskirts of Qingzhou, there would be such a talented alchemist.
If this pill existed in large quantities, it could indeed allow even those with poor talent and low cultivation to rapidly grow stronger through the consumption of high-level treasures.
Though such a thod was wasteful, extravagant, and not cost-effective, it could undeniably bring about miraculous transformations.
"That damned Netherworld Hall…!"
A flash of anger flickered in Jie Geng’s eyes—she clearly felt it was a waste for such a skilled alchemist to die at the hands of demonic cultivators.
"Yes, yes, yes," Xia Yan hurriedly added, "but actually… I didn’t get this from my father. I bought it from Shop #44 in the comrcial district of Tianqing City."
Jie Geng: "?"
"You bought it from the comrcial district?" She looked confused.
"Yes, from a wandering alchemist nad Lin Jing at the Naless Pill Pavilion."
Xia Yan quickly explained everything about the Naless Pill Pavilion. Then, after a brief mont of thought, he took out a storage pouch and said, "Master Jie Geng, this is my father’s remaining inheritance. It contains many high-grade spiritual items. Please accept them as well."
Jie Geng, still deep in thought about the mysterious Naless Pill Pavilion, chuckled at his offer and said, "What would I need your father’s inheritance for?"
Xia Yan gritted his teeth. "I… I want to follow Master Jie Geng, even if it’s just as a test subject for your pills."
His heart was filled with sorrow. The day he left seclusion, he found that his father—who had only been surviving as a remnant soul—had completely dissipated, leaving behind only a final letter.
The letter instructed that if Xia Yan passed the Tongtian Tower test, he should offer up all remaining possessions to Tongtian Tower’s alchemists in exchange for a promising future and their protection.
If he failed the test, he should instead give everything to the wandering alchemist at the Naless Pill Pavilion and follow him, rather than stay with the Xia family—because there were few good people in the family.
His father believed that the mysterious wandering alchemist possessed shocking alchemy skills and was backed by soone formidable. Staying by his side would be safe and full of potential.
Now that Xia Yan had passed the test, he naturally chose to follow his father’s wishes…
…
Shortly After—Naless Pill Pavilion
Lying on his wooden chair, deducing pill formulas, Lin Jing suddenly opened his eyes.
"They’ve co?"
With a single thought, he saw a female alchemist at the Golden Core stage stepping into his shop, her gaze fixed on the Dining Pill placed in the center of the room.
"Trading it… for exotic flas or exotic fla intelligence…"
"Interesting," Jie Geng said, looking at the lazy Lin Jing, who was only at the mid-Foundation Establishnt stage. "Boss, is the formula for this Dining Pill sothing that can be traded?"
Lin Jing stood up, stretched lazily, and replied, "Sure."
"But only in exchange for a specific type of exotic fla."
"What kind of fla?" Jie Geng asked.
"An exotic fla with the property of burning lifespan," Lin Jing said.
"Candle Age Fire?" Jie Geng suggested.
"Candle Age Fire…?" Lin Jing’s eyes flashed. "Does this fla truly have the property of burning lifespan?"
He had searched through nurous books and even inquired with others, yet no one could tell him of an exotic fla that specifically burned lifespan.
Most had simply responded with—Any fla could do that. Just burn your enemy to death, and their lifespan is over.
While that logic wasn’t entirely wrong, it wasn’t what Lin Jing was looking for.
"Candle Age Fire is an exotic fla wielded by a divine beast with the bloodline of a Candle Dragon. It has the power to burn away ti itself and can also consu lifespan." Jie Geng explained. "But unfortunately, I don’t have it. Looks like I can’t trade for your pill formula. Besides, the value of your Dining Pill formula is far lower than that of the Candle Age Fire."
Lin Jing chuckled. "Information works too. If you know how to obtain Candle Age Fire, I can provide you with a large supply of Gluttonous Pills. You’re an alchemist, aren’t you? If you had enough pills to research, you could probably deduce the formula yourself."
Jie Geng smiled. "That works too."
"Tongtian Tower has a special secret realm—the Heavenly Fire Realm. It contains over a thousand exotic flas, including the Candle Age Fire."
Lin Jing fell silent. "Do you think I have any chance of obtaining it?"
"The realm isn’t completely off-limits." Jie Geng’s voice was calm.
"Do you know about the Pill Assembly? It’s a grand alchemy event hosted by Tongtian Tower every ten years."
"During this event, all alchemists in Qingzhou may participate—regardless of race. Even alchemy-proficient demon beasts can join. It’s a pure alchemy competition where nothing matters except skill."
"And the first-place winner of the Pill Assembly is granted a special transaction with Tongtian Tower."
"A transaction?"
"The Pill Assembly doesn’t test basic alchemy skills—it tests alchemy achievents."
"Only newly invented pills are allowed. The extent to which these pills revolutionize the cultivation world determines the winner."
"And the first-place winner may trade their pill formula with Tongtian Tower… in exchange for entry into the Heavenly Fire Realm to claim one exotic fla of their choice."
Jie Geng looked at the mysterious wandering alchemist.
Soone who could create such a miraculous pill… was far too talented to remain hidden in this remote town.
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