Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

After hearing what Lin Hao said, Wu Kui felt he couldn’t even be considered an alchemy apprentice.

He had never even heard of the Snap Thousand Illusion Hand, the hand seal for controlling fire, let alone seen it.

Lin Hao had opened a door for him, a path to the pinnacle of the Alchemy Dao.

Wu Kui was reeling in shock, his mind completely captivated by the profound, inscrutable hand seal. His eyes were glued to the trajectory of the Fire Crystal Stone.

After another half hour, Wu Kui finally shifted his gaze to Lin Hao’s hands.

Having grasped the trajectory of the Fire Crystal Stone, it didn’t take Wu Kui long to see the hand seal on Lin Hao’s fingers clearly.

But he could only just make it out, nothing more.

Wu Kui knew that this hand seal alone would be enough to keep him studying for a very, very long time.

Lin Hao concluded the technique and told Wu Kui to rest, then began to get busy himself.

"Senior Brother, do you need any help?" Although he was mentally exhausted, seeing that Lin Hao was preparing to begin Alchemy, Wu Kui’s spirits lifted again.

Lin Hao replied nonchalantly, "No need. I’m just Refining an ordinary pill. It’ll be done in a moment."

"I wonder what ordinary pill Senior Brother intends to Refine? I can take care of it for you." Wu Kui grew excited. This was a perfect opportunity to curry favor with his senior brother.

Lin Hao spoke three words. "The Life Reviving Pill."

"The Life Reviving Pill... Wait, what? The Life Reviving Pill?!" Wu Kui leaped to his feet, his eyes wide as saucers, shocked beyond belief.

He loved Alchemy, so he also enjoyed searching the Scripture Pavilion for books on the subject. Such books were incredibly scarce, but he had once come across a particular passage in an ancient tome.

A Martial Artist who recklessly uses their Bloodline Power suffers irreversible damage. Yet, a wondrous pill exists in this world, named the Life Reviving Pill. It can restore the bloodline, and its power is unparalleled.

Wu Kui had thought this pill only existed in legends. But now, hearing Lin Hao mention it so casually, even calling it an ordinary pill, left Wu Kui completely stunned.

"Elder Gu damaged his bloodline trying to acquire a pill for me. I must be the one to Refine this pill for him." Lin Hao said, already busying himself with the preparations.

Wu Kui snapped back to reality, a bitter smile on his face. ’Even if he asked me to Refine it, I wouldn’t know how.’

It wasn’t just him; Wu Kui was certain that even Master Shan Dan couldn’t Refine this pill.

"Senior Brother, the Life Reviving Pill... can I learn how to make it?" This was a wondrous pill from antiquity. Wu Kui stared at Lin Hao with pleading eyes, looking for all the world like a dog about to wag its tail and beg.

"Sure, why not? It’s not like it’s some incredible pill," Lin Hao said in a relaxed tone.

’This is a wondrous pill from antiquity, and he says it’s not incredible?!’

Wu Kui’s eyes widened as he stared at Lin Hao as if looking at a god.

As if he hadn’t noticed, Lin Hao continued preparing the herbs and Spirit Grass. "If you change the herb proportions of a Great Returning Pill and apply a special hand seal, you can Refine a Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill. By the same token, building on the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill, you can Refine a Life Reviving Pill. First, learn to Refine the Life-extending Pill, then you can think about the other one."

Wu Kui was finally starting to understand. Pills that he considered incredible were, in Lin Hao’s eyes, as common as cabbage—utterly unremarkable.

He nodded numbly, then sat down in a corner and began to focus all his attention on practicing the hand seal he had just learned.

With a top-quality Pill Furnace and his unique flame, Lin Hao began the Alchemy. An hour later, three reddish-brown, pinky-sized pills were produced.

Just as Lin Hao withdrew his unique flame, Wu Kui, who was in the corner, twitched his nose and turned his head.

He had smelled a wondrous fragrance.

It contained all four legendary fragrances: agarwood, sandalwood, dragon’s blood, and musk!

The Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill had only possessed two of those fragrances. With all four present now, it was obvious that the Life Reviving Pill had been successfully created.

’The Life Reviving Pill! A wondrous, legendary pill from antiquity! The very thought of it is thrilling!’

Wu Kui’s legs trembled as he walked over. His voice was terrifyingly hoarse. "S-Senior Brother... can I see it?"

"They were meant for you anyway. Take them to the Sect Leader. Elder Gu should be back soon, so have him take one." Lin Hao nonchalantly tossed the three pills to him.

Wu Kui caught them and clutched them to his chest as if they were priceless treasures.

"Senior Brother, what about you?" Wu Kui asked, seeing Lin Hao had no intention of going with him.

"I have a few more things to take care of here. I’ll head over later," Lin Hao said with a wave of his hand.

Wu Kui respectfully took several steps back before turning to leave.

Xiaoliuzi’s meridians were severed and his bones were broken. Lin Hao still needed to Refine another batch of pills for him and Zhou Wu.

He could shatter Zhou Wu’s bones, and he could just as easily restore them.

The methods of an Alchemy Master defied common sense.

While Lin Hao was busy Refining pills in Pill Cloud Hall, Wu Kui shot off toward Heaven-Stepping Peak like the wind.

At that moment, in the main hall of Heaven-Stepping Peak, the Sect Leader and two senior elders were present. The other elder, who had gone to the Danling Sect to ask for pills, also entered the hall, supported by a middle-aged man.

Following behind the middle-aged man who was supporting Elder Gu was a short old man: none other than Master Shan Dan of the Danling Sect.

"Sect Leader Wu, I’ve had my disciple bring Elder Gu back to you. Now, where are your pills? Are they ready?" Shan Dan sat down with an imposing air, his face wreathed in smiles.

He clearly didn’t believe the Heaven-Stepping Sect could have possibly found three Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills in a single day.

If those pills were so easy to find, then the reputation of the Danling Sect—and his own, Shan Dan’s—in the Southern Border Prefecture would be a complete joke.

In the next moment, however, a bad feeling began to surface in Shan Dan’s heart.

He saw that upon hearing his words, Wu Taichu’s face showed not the slightest hint of panic.

"Heh, Master Shan Dan, you’ve had a long day. Please, rest a while. We’re in no hurry." Wu Taichu chuckled but made no move to produce the pills.

In Wu Taichu’s mind, the pills had been Refined by Lin Hao; it was only right that he be the one to present them. Thus, Wu Taichu was waiting for Lin Hao’s arrival.

Shan Dan would have never guessed this, not even in a million years. From his perspective, Wu Taichu was simply stalling for time.

"It’s fine if you can’t produce the pills. Where’s that young man from yesterday? Just have him come with me," Shan Dan said, waving his hand magnanimously.

Wu Taichu shook his head. "Master Shan Dan, you are gravely mistaken. The entirety of the Heaven-Stepping Sect is not worth as much as he is."

In Wu Taichu’s heart, Lin Hao’s importance outweighed everything else.

Never mind that they now had the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills; even if they didn’t, he would rather suffer the infamy of breaking his word, would rather go to war with the Danling Sect, than ever hand over Lin Hao.

"So, Sect Leader Wu intends to renege on our deal?" Shan Dan’s eyes narrowed, and a powerful aura abruptly erupted from him.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew taut with tension.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

Wu Taichu quickly stood up to open the door himself.

Wu Kui was standing at the door.

Seeing the tense scene inside, Wu Kui quickly whispered a few words into Wu Taichu’s ear.

"Master Shan Dan, thank you for everything you’ve done for Elder Gu. I will now give you the pills as promised." Turning back, Wu Taichu cupped his fist toward Shan Dan.

Shan Dan froze. ’Could it be? Did the Heaven-Stepping Sect actually get the pills? How is that possible?!’

On the Celestial Yang Continent, a Martial Artist’s bloodline was paramount. Far too many Martial Artists had suffered lifelong regret from recklessly using their bloodline’s power.

He himself had traveled all over the land, visiting the famed mountains and great peaks to research such pills, spending a full decade before he finally managed to obtain the Alchemy Hand Seal for the Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill.

But now, after just one day, the Heaven-Stepping Sect was claiming they had the pills. Shan Dan shook his head in disbelief.

The next moment, he saw Wu Taichu take out three pills.

’Hmph! Trying to fool me with three random pills!’

Shan Dan snorted inwardly. Without taking them himself, he said with a cold expression, "Give the pills to my disciple!"

Wu Taichu smiled faintly, unbothered, and handed the pills to the middle-aged man instead.

The middle-aged man examined them for a moment, sniffing them repeatedly. Then, his eyes flew wide open.

’These are definitely Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills! And from their color and aroma... they seem to be an entire grade higher than the ones Master refines.’

’How is this possible?!’

As Shan Dan’s disciple, he knew full well how much his master treasured this pill. He treated the formula like a priceless treasure; even he, the direct disciple, had not been taught the Alchemy Hand Seal to Refine it.

’Logically, it should be impossible for anyone else to know how to Refine them.’

And yet, these were, without a doubt, Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills.

Seeing his disciple remain silent for so long, Shan Dan turned and snapped impatiently, "What is it?!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The middle-aged man snapped out of his stupor and whispered a few words in Shan Dan’s ear.

Master Shan Dan shot to his feet and snatched the pills from his disciple’s hand.

The next moment, his face was a mask of utter shock.

’Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills... they really are Nine-Nine Life-extending Pills! And they’re a higher grade than the ones I Refine!’

"This is impossible... Impossible..." Master Shan Dan was dumbfounded.

"Our Heaven-Stepping Sect has a legacy spanning ten thousand years—anything is possible! Master Shan Dan, I wonder if you recall the wager between you and my senior brother?" Wu Kui’s face was alight with pride, and for the first time, he spoke to Master Shan Dan with confidence, neither obsequious nor arrogant.

Such a thing would have been completely unimaginable before.

Previously, Master Shan Dan had been a monumental figure in Wu Kui’s heart, a supreme and untouchable existence.

That was why, when he first met him in Pill Cloud Hall a day ago, Wu Kui had been so incredibly respectful.

But now was different. After witnessing Lin Hao’s abilities, that monument in Wu Kui’s heart had crumbled into dust.

’What master? Compared to Senior Brother Lin Hao, he’s less than nothing.’

Master Shan Dan’s face went from pale to flushed and back again.

Yesterday, he had made a bet with Lin Hao. If he lost, he would have to treat every member of the Heaven-Stepping Sect, regardless of who they were, with the etiquette a junior shows to a senior.

And now, he had lost.

"Haha, Master Shan Dan, what was said yesterday was merely in jest. You mustn’t take it seriously." Wu Taichu was inwardly delighted to see Master Shan Dan’s predicament, but he didn’t dare actually force the man to follow through.

Wu Taichu was giving him an out, and Master Shan Dan gratefully took it.

"The sect founded by the Emperor Venerable is truly extraordinary. I, Shan Dan, was too arrogant. Sect Leader Wu, from now on, any pills your esteemed sect purchases will be at a thirty percent discount."

Hearing this, Wu Taichu just smiled.

In the past, he would have been overjoyed with gratitude, but now that they had Lin Hao, perhaps the Danling Sect, so famous for its pills, would one day come begging the Heaven-Stepping Sect for help.

"Heh, thank you, Master. And I must also thank you for bringing Elder Gu back to us. Elder Gu, I have wronged you." With the matter settled, he gave Elder Gu a deep, apologetic bow.

"Elder Gu, quickly, take this pill! Everything will be alright." Recalling Lin Hao’s instructions, Wu Kui quickly produced a Life Reviving Pill and moved to place it in Elder Gu’s mouth.

Suddenly, two fingers shot out from the side like lightning, pinching the pill between them.

"This pill..." The one who had acted was Shan Dan. He took one sniff, and his eyes immediately widened in shock.

"What pill is this? Its efficacy is even greater than my Nine-Nine Life-extending Pill?!"

It had to be said, a master was a master. With just a single sniff, he had already discerned its medicinal effects.

And precisely because he was a master, the shock he felt upon seeing this pill was even greater than Wu Kui’s.