Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Heaven-Stepping Sect, Pill Cloud Hall.

Although Master Shan Dan had returned to the Danling Sect because of the matter with Cao Ba, Alchemy at Pill Cloud Hall continued in an orderly fashion.

The Alchemy Masters who remained had all benefited greatly from Lin Hao, and they knew his skill in Alchemy was unfathomably profound.

Thus, they threw themselves into Alchemy with a desperate fervor.

Fortunately, the Heaven-Stepping Sect had accumulated a vast amount of Spirit Grass over the years; otherwise, it truly wouldn’t have been enough.

But even so, when Lin Hao stepped into Pill Cloud Hall once more, he discovered that their supply of Spirit Grass was beginning to run dangerously low.

Upon seeing Lin Hao arrive, all the Alchemy Masters, several Heaven-Stepping Sect disciples, and Wu Kui became incredibly respectful.

This respect was genuine.

They had all witnessed Lin Hao’s character firsthand. If they had merely been grateful before, they were now completely won over by his charisma.

This had nothing to do with his cultivation or strength.

As they greeted him, Lin Hao returned their gestures with a smile.

"Young Master Lin, please don’t worry about the Spirit Grass. I’ve already written a letter back to the sect. If all goes well, we should have a reply in a few days," one of the Alchemy Masters said, noticing Lin Hao staring at the nearly empty Spirit Herb Shelf.

Lin Hao paused for a moment, then he understood. There were confidants of the Danling Sect’s Sect Leader among these Alchemy Masters.

That was to be expected. After all, if even the Cao brothers had sent Alchemy Masters from their own faction, it was impossible that the Sect Leader wouldn’t make a similar move.

In other words, the Danling Sect’s Sect Leader knew everything they were doing here like the back of his hand.

This made things much easier.

"Thank you. Please convey a message to your Sect Leader for me: cooperating with the Heaven-Stepping Sect will not be a losing proposition," Lin Hao replied.

The Alchemy Master respectfully assented.

"Masters, how is my junior brother here doing?" Lin Hao asked casually, seeing Wu Kui standing respectfully to the side.

"You flatter us, Young Master Lin. How could we dare call ourselves Masters in front of you? Brother Wu is truly a prodigy in Alchemy; there is nothing more we can teach him," an Alchemy Master replied.

"Perfect timing. I’m just about to refine a batch of pills. You can all watch and learn," Lin Hao said.

As soon as he said this, the eyes of all the Alchemy Masters, including Wu Kui, lit up.

When Lin Hao performed Alchemy, the results were never ordinary, and now he was allowing them to learn from him. This was practically a blessing.

The Alchemy Masters from the Danling Sect were especially moved, their eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Even in the Danling Sect, Alchemy Skills were a closely guarded secret. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be the case that each of them could only refine a single type of pill.

But now, Lin Hao was allowing them to learn from his Alchemy.

For this kindness, Lin Hao was like a great benefactor who had given them a new life.

"Young Master Lin, what Spirit Grass do you need? I’ll help you..."

"Yes, Young Master Lin, just say the word. We’ll prepare the Spirit Grass for you."

The Alchemy Masters all spoke at once, staring at Lin Hao with eager anticipation.

They were more than willing to act as his apprentices while he performed his Alchemy.

The disciples of the Heaven-Stepping Sect shot them resentful looks.

’How could these Alchemy Masters steal our jobs? Oh well, forget it. They’ve treated us pretty well, so let them have this one. Besides, Senior Brother Lin is from our Heaven-Stepping Sect, not the Danling Sect. We’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future.’

With that thought, the Heaven-Stepping Sect disciples stood quietly to the side.

Lin Hao didn’t stand on ceremony and began immediately.

For every Spirit Grass he named, an Alchemy Master would immediately toss it into the Pill Furnace for him.

Meanwhile, several Alchemy Masters who hadn’t managed to secure a task produced fans from who knows where and stood behind Lin Hao, carefully fanning him.

If word of this scene were to get out, it would likely leave even the Five Great Divine Sects utterly shocked.

To think that such dignified Alchemy Masters had been reduced to this—and from the looks on their faces, they seemed to feel it was an honor to be able to do these tasks for Lin Hao.

This world was truly insane.

Of course, this was the Heaven-Stepping Sect. Apart from the few disciples present, no one else would ever see this.

As for the Heaven-Stepping Sect disciples who did witness it, they felt an unprecedented surge of pride well up in their hearts.

’So what if they’re Alchemy Masters? In front of Senior Brother Lin, they’re nothing!’

With the Alchemy Masters acting as his assistants, Lin Hao finished refining this batch of pills with incredible speed.

Before long, three pills emerged from the furnace, and Lin Hao snatched them into his hand.

"Young Master Lin, what pill is this?" The Alchemy Masters looked at each other in confusion, finally forced to ask Lin Hao for an explanation.

Lin Hao smiled faintly. "This pill is called the Breaking Martial Pill."

The Alchemy Masters shook their heads; they had never heard of such a name. Judging by the name alone, it didn’t sound like a beneficial pill.

"The Breaking Martial Pill?!" At the side, Wu Kui’s eyes suddenly flew open as he cried out in shock.

"Junior Brother Wu, you know of this pill?" Even Lin Hao was a little surprised.

Wu Kui nodded. "There’s a damaged tome of pill recipes in the Scripture Pavilion. I’ve seen a description of the Breaking Martial Pill in it."

Lin Hao nodded.

’It’s possible a peerless Pill God once existed in the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s secret realm. If so, it’s not surprising that such a tome would be in the Scripture Pavilion.’

"Brother Wu, what kind of pill is it?"

Seeing that Wu Kui recognized it, the other Alchemy Masters stared at him expectantly.

Wu Kui glanced at Lin Hao before speaking excitedly, "The Breaking Martial Pill, as its name suggests, severs one’s path of martial cultivation after consumption. However, its effects are heaven-defying. For a Martial Artist with no hope of breaking through to the next realm, it is a divine pill!"

"What does it do?" The hearts of the other Alchemy Masters began to race.

"This pill is effective for any Martial Artist below the Soul Gathering Realm. In other words, by taking it, one can elevate their cultivation all the way to—the Soul Gathering Realm!" Wu Kui declared.

The words were earth-shattering.

Although it would sever their future path of martial cultivation, reaching the Soul Gathering Realm would make one a powerhouse in the entire empire.

For Alchemy Masters, whose cultivation levels were generally not high, this was a blessing—a blessing of heavenly proportions!

The crowd of Alchemy Masters stared at Lin Hao, their shock greater than if they had met a Pill God in the flesh.

They had just seen that the Spirit Grasses Lin Hao used were as common as could be, making them assume the resulting pill wouldn’t be anything special.

But the effects of this Breaking Martial Pill were simply, monstrously powerful—heaven-defying, even.

"Young Master Lin, could you... could you refine another batch?" one of the Alchemy Masters stammered, finally snapping out of his daze.

Because the Spirit Grass Lin Hao had used was so common, he hadn’t paid close attention. Now, thinking back, he realized he had no idea what Skill Lin Hao had even used.

All the other Alchemy Masters had been thinking along the same lines, with the end result that not a single one of them had learned how to refine the pill.

Only now were they filled with endless regret.

The corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted. He wasn’t the least bit surprised.

In truth, even if they had paid full attention, it would have been impossible for them to learn how to refine this pill. The fire control hand seals he had just used seemed simple, but were in fact incomparably complex.

He had let them stay and observe his Alchemy for only one reason.

He wanted to keep this group of Alchemy Masters for the sect!

To put it bluntly, Lin Hao had already dug the pit; he was just waiting for them to jump in.

"I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I have to return home soon, and I was refining these pills for two of my elders," Lin Hao said with a troubled expression.

Then, he slapped his forehead. "Oh, right! The new year is almost here. You’ll all be wanting to return to your sect for the festivities, won’t you? My apologies, I’ve been so busy lately."

The Alchemy Masters exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison. "The Heaven-Stepping Sect needs us. We’ll stay here for now. We can talk about returning after you get back."

"I can’t ask that of you. Wouldn’t that be too much of a hardship?" Lin Hao said, shaking his head quickly.

"It’s no hardship, no hardship at all."

Compared to the chance of learning a heaven-defying Alchemy Skill after waiting a short while, what was a little hardship to these Alchemy Masters?

At the side, Wu Kui watched them with a pitying expression.

He had just caught the slight lift at the corner of Lin Hao’s mouth.

He had been around Lin Hao long enough to know that whenever the corner of Lin Hao’s mouth lifted like that, it meant he was up to no good.

Although he didn’t know Lin Hao’s exact intentions, he was certain that these Alchemy Masters were being plotted against.

’You guys are being sold by Senior Brother Lin, and you’re still helping him count the money.’

Wu Kui chuckled to himself.

Despite knowing Lin Hao’s true status, Wu Kui was still used to calling him Senior Brother. It felt more personal, and besides, Wu Kui knew Lin Hao wouldn’t care about a simple title.

"I’ll be relying on you all while I’m away. For today, please go and rest," Lin Hao said, dismissing the crowd of Alchemy Masters.

Once only Wu Kui remained in Pill Cloud Hall, Lin Hao beckoned him over and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Brilliant! This way, they’ll definitely be willing to stay in our sect. Senior Brother, you’re amazing!" Wu Kui exclaimed in delight after hearing Lin Hao’s plan.

Then, he shot Lin Hao a strange look.

’After all this time, how did I never notice that Lin Hao has such a devious side to him?’

Lin Hao gave him a light rap on the head, then asked, "The Nine Dragon God Refining Pill. How is your research on it coming along?"

Wu Kui’s face instantly fell.

He had been swamped these past few days. Where would he have found the time to study that pill?

Lin Hao hadn’t expected him to learn it after seeing it just once, so he didn’t blame him. He simply said coolly, "This time, make sure you watch carefully!"

Wu Kui nodded quickly.

The opportunity to learn from Lin Hao was an extremely precious one.

Moreover, Wu Kui knew that Lin Hao would only get busier in the future, so he cherished every moment.

Lin Hao spent the entire day in Pill Cloud Hall, successfully refining three Nine Dragon God Refining Pills.

Afterwards, he took out all the Spirit Grass from the storage spirit ring Master Shan Dan had given him.

The sect needed Spirit Grass now, and since he could pick more from the Treasure Hunting Pavilion after returning to War Dragon City, he naturally had to clear out some space first.

As night fell, Lin Hao went to Lian Lanxin’s residence.

Seeing Lian Lanxin back in women’s clothes, Lin Hao’s first reaction was to be struck by her beauty.

Though Lian Lanxin was still young, she was already beginning to possess an elegant charm.

Of course, Lin Hao was no lecher. After a moment’s surprise, he began to test Lian Lanxin on the Artifact Refining Skill he had taught her.

Lian Lanxin’s performance did not disappoint him.

He then remained in her room, staying for the entire night.

As the sky began to brighten at dawn, Lian Lanxin opened the door for Lin Hao, a reluctant look on her face.

"Big Brother, can I go back with you?"

Lin Hao had spent the entire night teaching her the Artifact Refining Skill. Lian Lanxin was completely captivated by his ability and didn’t want to miss any opportunity to learn from him.

"This trip back home will be fraught with danger. You should stay here and behave. When I return, I will test your Artifact Refining Skill. If you don’t pass, you’ll be in for it!" Lin Hao said.

Lian Lanxin’s talent for Artifact Refining was stunning. Lin Hao greatly looked forward to the day he returned and saw a completely new Lian Lanxin.