The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

The youth in white remained standing. His face was a little pale, but the smile playing on his lips was piercing. He had blocked the palm strike!

Lan Qijin was truly an Extraordinary expert, and a powerful one at that. Qin Ya deduced that he had likely reached the Sky-Controlling Perfection Realm. Facing such a palm strike, Qin Ya had to resist with all his might.

Fortunately, Lan Qijin had been too careless. Though the blow was strong, he hadn’t used his full power. Of course, for any other Celestial Essence Realm Martial Artist, that palm strike would have been enough to kill them ten times over. But Qin Ya was no ordinary Celestial Essence cultivator.

He commanded several types of Great Trend, and his combat prowess far exceeded others at his level. More importantly, he possessed the Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact, Scenic Landscapes. This was the source of his confidence in accepting the one-palm agreement.

A Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact—a great treasure that surpassed the category of Profound Soldiers.

It was only because Qin Ya’s current cultivation was insufficient to fully unleash the defensive power of Scenic Landscapes that he had sustained some minor injuries. If Qin Ya were to reach the Extraordinary Realm, Lan Qijin wouldn’t be able to harm him in the slightest, even if he stood perfectly still.

"He blocked it... Are my old eyes failing me?"

"He actually blocked it! My heavens!"

The crowd was stunned by this scene, while Lan Qijin’s face had darkened. He stared coldly at Qin Ya. "Well, well. No wonder you dared to take my blow. It turns out you have such a powerful Defensive Profound Soldier!"

It was impossible for someone at the Celestial Essence Realm to withstand a palm strike from an Extraordinary expert.

Therefore, the only possible explanation for Qin Ya’s survival was that he possessed a powerful Defensive Profound Soldier. Hearing this, the crowd’s eyes swept over Qin Ya.

"Huh, it’s that robe."

"To think that robe is such a powerful Defensive Profound Soldier."

"When I was observing Young Friend Qin, I always felt some strange aura interfering with my judgment of his cultivation. I thought he had practiced some technique to hide his cultivation level, but now it seems it was probably the effect of this Profound Soldier."

Suddenly, Shangguan Feiying frowned slightly and said, "That is not a Profound Soldier."

The crowd was taken aback, but then, as if realizing something, a look of shock flashed across their faces. "Not a Profound Soldier? Could it be... a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact!"

Shangguan Feiying nodded. "That should be it. The aura from his robe is somewhat similar to that of the Sea-Suppressing Halberd. I can’t be mistaken."

The crowd gasped collectively. A Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact!

The entire Vast Sea Divine Palace only had a few of them, yet this youth was wearing one. Good heavens, it was simply too shocking.

"Brother Qin, are you okay?"

Shangguan Yue asked with concern.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.

He then turned to Lan Qijin and said, "This palm strike... I won."

Lan Qijin’s face flushed with a mixture of rage and humiliation. He desperately wanted to rush forward and tear Qin Ya to shreds, but he knew that was now impossible.

Setting aside the fact that Qin Ya had a Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact, people like Shangguan Feiying would never allow him to do so. He had never expected this youth to have such resources at his disposal—not only did Shangguan Feiying protect him, but even Yun Loxi, an Eighth-Grade Alchemist, had threatened him in public for the boy’s sake.

"Hmph! We’ll meet again." Lan Qijin snorted coldly, his figure turning into a streak of light that shot into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

After Lan Qijin left, the others came up to check on Qin Ya.

Although they were intensely curious about the Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact on Qin Ya, it was his private property, so they didn’t press for details.

「Three days later...」

In the courtyard on an island.

Beneath a tree, a graceful figure wielded a longsword, her body swaying with the movements.

Not far away, Qin Ya held a scroll, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes from time to time.

’The Yunxiao Empire and the Vast Sea Divine Palace are separated by a million li, with two perilous barriers in between: the Celestial Dragon Sea Region and the Black Demon Mountain Range. The road home is fraught with difficulties.’ Qin Ya frowned as he looked at the information he had obtained from within the Vast Sea Divine Palace.

The million-li distance wasn’t the main problem. The real difficulty lay in the two perilous barriers, the Celestial Dragon Sea Region and the Black Demon Mountain Range. That was the real headache. For an ordinary Martial Artist, successfully crossing them was nothing short of a fool’s errand.

The Celestial Dragon Sea Region was a massive inland sea that bisected the Southern Domain. Not only was it teeming with countless pirates, but its waters were also home to all sorts of terrifying Sea Beasts. Even an Extraordinary expert might not be able to cross it safely.

The Black Demon Mountain Range was even more treacherous. The Evil Qi there was incredibly dense, and all manner of evil creatures emerged endlessly. It was even rumored to be one of the Demon Race’s gathering points.

’Strength. I need to become even stronger.’

A startling glint flashed in Qin Ya’s eyes as he murmured softly. Whether for survival or to return home, he needed immense strength. Otherwise, he could die on the road without anyone ever knowing. ’I’ll stay at the Vast Sea Divine Palace for a while first.’

Actually, there was another way back.

He could wait at the Vast Sea Divine Palace for four years until the Hidden Dragon Valley Secret Realm opened again. Then, he could use the Secret Realm to return. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

But Qin Ya was unwilling to just wait.

"Brother Qin, that old man, Elder Yun, is here to see you again." At this moment, Shangguan Yue, who had been practicing her swordplay nearby, suddenly stopped. She pouted, speaking with dissatisfaction.

Yun Loxi gave a wry smile but said nothing. In the entire Vast Sea Divine Palace, she was the only one who dared to so openly call him an old man. "Master Qin, this old one has come to visit."

"Mm, come on in," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.

For the past few days, Yun Loxi had come almost daily to ask Qin Ya for guidance on the Alchemy Dao. Qin Ya hadn’t refused and answered every question asked.

Yun Loxi gazed at the young man before him, his eyes filled with amazement and admiration. Over the past few days of interaction, he had discovered that Qin Ya’s skill in the Alchemy Dao far exceeded his own imagination. Problems that seemed incredibly complex to him were dismissed as trivial by Qin Ya, who could explain the core issue in just a few words.

In just a few short days, his own proficiency in the Alchemy Dao had improved. As the saying goes, the accomplished one is the master. Originally, he had treated Qin Ya as a peer, but his attitude had completely changed. He now regarded Qin Ya as a senior expert, respectfully addressing him as "Master Qin" at every turn.

And Qin Ya accepted the title with a clear conscience, feeling no burden at all.

Next, Yun Loxi presented his questions, and Qin Ya began to answer. "You’re using the wrong medicinal ingredient here. The materials for a Seventh-Grade Innate Pill are mostly Pure Yang in nature, which makes the medicinal properties too volatile. You need to add Innate Jade Dew to harmonize them..."

Yun Loxi listened intently, not daring to miss a single detail, his demeanor like that of a student listening to their teacher. As Qin Ya’s explanation went deeper, enlightenment dawned on him. He truly felt that a single conversation was more valuable than ten years of study.

After finishing his explanation, Qin Ya said, "By the way, it’s good that you’re here."

"What instructions does Master Qin have for me?" Yun Loxi asked respectfully.

"Accompany me to see your Palace Master. I have some business with him."

At this, Shangguan Yue came closer and said, "Brother Qin, you want to see my father? I can take you. Why bother with old man Yun?"

"Heh, then let’s all go together," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.

"Master Qin, after you," Yun Loxi said, not asking any further questions.