The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

The immense force from the clash between man and sword swept through the hall. Even the many Extraordinary Martial Artists were forced to retreat, while the younger Martial Artists in the distance had long since scrambled out of the grand hall in a panic.

Just then, the grand hall erupted with golden light as strange Runes materialized everywhere. They formed a massive Defensive Array, enveloping the Ancient King and the Ting Xiao Sword, which finally intercepted the immense force of the impact. Though the aftershocks that passed through the Grand Array were still powerful, they were manageable for the gathered Extraordinary Martial Artists.

The crowd used their various techniques to nullify the aftershocks. The white-robed elder, with a calm flick of his sleeve, sent the terrified mortals hundreds of yards away. His eyes gleamed with a strange light as he watched the Ancient King and the Ting Xiao Sword inside the Defensive Grand Array.

"Good thing I got here in time. Otherwise, this whole place would’ve been destroyed."

Just then, an aged voice rang out. From outside the palace, a scruffy, unkempt old man in a gray robe and a scraggly beard walked in. Gazing at the Ancient King within the Array, he remarked, "He’s really being reckless, isn’t he."

The crowd looked surprised to see the scruffy old man, wondering who he was. However, they dared not be careless, for they saw two men following him: the Ancient King’s own subordinates, Li Shuo and Li Fei.

The two had done much for the Ancient King and had earned a minor reputation in the Celestial Dragon Sea Region. Yet here they were, walking respectfully behind this scruffy old man. It was clear his identity was anything but ordinary, and his relationship with the Ancient King must be exceptional.

What happened next only confirmed their suspicions.

The white-robed elder approached the scruffy old man and said with a faint smile, "Master Yur, I didn’t expect you to come. It’s a good thing you did, though. If you hadn’t activated the Defensive Array in time, this grand hall would have been destroyed."

The white-robed elder was a man of great seniority. All the Extraordinary Martial Artists present, even the Ancient King, had to address him as Elder Li. Yet, this very same Elder Li was now speaking to the scruffy old man as an equal, to the astonishment of the crowd.

Moreover, his words implied an unusual relationship between this scruffy man and the Ancient King—he even knew how to activate the Defensive Array in the Ancient King’s hall.

"Don’t worry about it. That old coot is always causing trouble."

The scruffy old man waved dismissively, glancing at the Ancient King and speaking without a trace of respect. Behind him, Li Fei and Li Shuo exchanged wry smiles.

’Old coot? In the entire Celestial Dragon Sea Region, you’re probably the only one who dares to call the Ancient King that.’

"By the way, who here is Qin Ya!"

The scruffy old man, Master Yur, suddenly scanned the crowd and demanded. At his words, all eyes turned to Qin Ya, who stood nearby, observing the Array.

Hearing his name called, Qin Ya turned. In an instant, a dark figure lunged toward him. If not for the fact that he sensed no hostile intent, Qin Ya would have sent the assailant flying dozens of yards with a single palm strike.

The figure grabbed Qin Ya’s shoulders, and a faint, sour stench immediately assaulted his nostrils, causing him to frown. With a shrug of his shoulders, he shook off the man’s grip, and his body flickered, reappearing several yards away.

"What can I do for you, Senior?"

Qin Ya said coolly, glancing at the scruffy old man. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. ’So, he’s an Alchemist.’

Though the old man was scruffy and reeked of a faint, sour odor, Qin Ya was all too familiar with the other scent clinging to him—that of someone who spent their years around medicinal herbs and Elixirs. ’In my previous life, that smell was even stronger on me than it is on him.’

"You’re the one who poisoned Li Fei and the other man."

Master Yur, realizing he had been overly eager, coughed twice. His demeanor changed in a flash as he fixed Qin Ya with a sharp gaze and said in a grave voice.

"I am," Qin Ya replied, his expression placid.

’Is Master Yur here to make trouble for Qin Ya?’ The thought crossed the minds of the onlookers. They held back, eager to see how this show would unfold.

They realized that ever since Qin Ya had arrived, he had completely outshone them, a group of long-established Extraordinary Martial Artists. Even the Ancient King seemed to pale in comparison. It was as if Qin Ya had become the star of this banquet.

Though no one said it aloud, they were all vaguely resentful of this fact.

Thus, they were more than happy to see someone making trouble for Qin Ya. While Master Yur’s Cultivation was only at the Sky-Controlling High Rank, his status was clearly extraordinary—even Elder Li treated him with deference.

"Hand over the antidote."

Master Yur said in a low voice, a fervent gleam in his eyes.

’I’ve never seen a poison like the one afflicting Li Fei and his companion. I’ve tested countless Antitoxic Elixirs and studied it relentlessly, but I still can’t find a cure. I’m a Ninth-Grade Alchemist, for heaven’s sake! And I can’t even neutralize a poison like this?’

’It’s utterly fascinating. In this poison, I can glimpse a completely new Realm... The wondrous combination of herbs, the precise control over Refining Technique and timing... It’s as if I can see an Era-Defining Alchemist, effortlessly commanding the fires of heaven and earth, Refining a pill with the grace of flowing water.’

’I must get my hands on this antidote.’

If he could just understand how to neutralize this poison, his own Realm might even improve. It was with this thought that Master Yur had sought out Qin Ya.

"Oh? The antidote?" A smirk played on Qin Ya’s lips.

Qin Ya understood an Alchemist’s obsession well, being one himself. But that didn’t mean he would hand over the antidote so easily.

"You haven’t paid the price for their lives yet."

"Paid the price? You mean the million pounds of Primordial Stones?" Master Yur laughed, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Kid, you’re quite arrogant."

At that moment, Li Shuo stepped forward. "Qin Ya, do you have any idea who stands before you? He is a close friend of the Ancient King and a revered Ninth-Grade Alchemist! The Elixirs he refines are distributed throughout the entire Celestial Dragon Sea Region."

At these words, the pupils of many Martial Artists present constricted.

’A Ninth-Grade Alchemist? Master Yur?’

"It’s Yur Piaoyun! That’s him! The guest of honor at all the major Martial Arts Trading Companies!"

"Master Yur... I should have known! Who else could treat Elder Li as an equal and be friends with the Ancient King, other than the legendary Master Yur Piaoyun—the one said to be obsessed with the Alchemy Dao and as elusive as a Divine Dragon?"

"I can’t believe the Ancient King is so close with Master Yur. How shocking!"

"Master Yur’s Elixirs sell throughout the entire Celestial Dragon Sea Region. Even Martial Arts Trading Companies from outside come here to purchase his Elixirs. He might not be famous by name, but his influence is inestimable—possibly even greater than the Ancient King’s!"

.........

Hearing the crowd’s murmurs, Qin Ya smiled indifferently. ’A mere Ninth-Grade Alchemist wields this much influence, yet I, a Pill Venerable, am virtually unknown. I’ve really hit a new low, haven’t I? Heh.’ He couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

"Li Shuo, watch what you say."

Li Shuo and Li Fei stiffened at his words, suddenly remembering that their lives were still in Qin Ya’s hands. They lamented inwardly, ’I can’t believe this kid’s poison is so powerful that even Master Yur can’t find a cure.’