The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

A Divine Thought injury!

Aside from the Ancient King himself and Yur Piaoyun, no one knew that the majestic and renowned Ancient King, who held sway over the Celestial Dragon Sea Region, was actually suffering from a Divine Thought injury.

Because of this injury, the Ancient King’s cultivation hadn’t advanced an inch in twenty years!

Because of this injury, Yur Piaoyun had exhausted every possible means, driving himself to a frenzy over alchemy!

Yet, twenty years had passed, and he still had nothing to show for it.

And now, Qin Ya stood before them, claiming he could treat the Divine Thought injury. Never mind how he knew about it—the sheer implication of that one statement was something the Ancient King and Yur Piaoyun could not refuse.

The Ancient King looked deeply at Qin Ya. He was only now realizing that the youth before him was like a fog bank shrouded in secrets, utterly inscrutable.

While the Ancient King could still restrain his emotions, Yur Piaoyun’s face flushed crimson. He rushed forward and gripped Qin Ya tightly by the shoulders. His eyes were shot with blood, and within them, Qin Ya saw a glimmer of hope.

"You said you have a way! Is it true? Is it really true?!"

Yur Piaoyun looked crazed, his beard trembling uncontrollably. Seeing this, Qin Ya nodded, his voice filled with an undeniable confidence. "It is."

"Liubo Island welcomes you!"

The Ancient King stated calmly.

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into an uproar. They hadn’t expected the Ancient King to actually agree to let Qin Ya stay. ’What in the world did this boy do?’

’So what? I don’t believe he can hide on that island forever.’

’As long as I wait outside the island, he’ll never escape my grasp.’

Each of the Martial Artists harbored their own schemes. Clearly, they had no intention of easily giving up on the great treasures Qin Ya possessed—the Spiritual Artifact, Primordial Stones, Elixirs, and more.

"Heh, then I won’t stand on ceremony," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.

The Ancient King nodded, then turned to the Extraordinary guests. "For such an incident to disrupt the banquet was truly not my intention. My sincerest apologies..."

After a few more perfunctory remarks, the Ancient King’s banquet concluded just like that.

But far from being disappointed, the guests were even more excited. For them, the most important reason to attend the Ancient King’s banquet was to see the so-called legendary treasure.

Now, not only had they seen the treasure, but they also had a chance to seize it for themselves.

What could possibly be more exciting?

Perhaps the true feast was only just beginning.

............

On the shores of Liubo Island, the various Extraordinary Martial Artists were preparing to depart.

"Hey, Brother Qin, what are your plans? Surely you don’t intend to just hole up on Liubo Island forever, do you?" The Blood Saber Youth approached Qin Ya, his long saber resting on his shoulder. He scanned their surroundings, then gave a sinister smile. "How about this, Brother Qin? Hand that Spiritual Artifact over to me, and I’ll deal with this little problem for you. What do you say?"

Pirates, after all, will always be pirates. Their lust for treasure is endless.

Qin Ya smiled. "I appreciate the kind offer, Captain Lin, but I have made a promise to this Spiritual Artifact. I can’t hand it over so easily."

The Blood Saber Youth chuckled and said no more. His words had been mostly in jest; he never expected Qin Ya to actually surrender the Spiritual Artifact. Besides, even if Qin Ya had handed it over, the Blood Saber Pirate Group didn’t have the strength to protect it from the dozens of other covetous Extraordinary Martial Artists.

The Extraordinary Martial Artists gradually departed—at least, they departed from Liubo Island itself.

Then, Qin Ya looked at the group of Dancing Girls behind him and said to Li Shuo, "Their ship was plundered by pirates on the way here. Escort them home."

Asking an Extraordinary Martial Artist to escort a group of Dancing Girls... In the past, Li Shuo would have answered with a slap. Now, however, he simply bowed respectfully and agreed.

Qingxu and the other Dancing Girls came forward one by one to bid Qin Ya farewell.

"Sir, please take care of yourself."

"Thank you for looking after us on our journey, Sir."

............

Watching the Dancing Girls disappear into the distance, Qin Ya drew the Ting Xiao Sword and said with a faint smile, "Ting Xiao, what do you think we should do now?"

"Do as you see fit, kid."

The Ting Xiao Sword vibrated, emitting the sound of a beast’s roar. However, Qin Ya was surprised to detect a hint of weakness within it.

"What’s wrong?"

Qin Ya asked curiously.

"That Ancient King really went all out. To make me submit, he actually used a Secret Technique to temporarily bolster his True Intent. It consumed a great deal of the power I’d so painstakingly recovered after sleeping for ten thousand years," Ting Xiao said slowly.

"He really was desperate, then," Qin Ya remarked, the corners of his lips curling up.

The blade of the Ting Xiao Sword trembled twice. "Never mind that. Kid, do you really have a way to fix the Ancient King’s Divine Thought injury? You may have the Pill Venerable’s inheritance, but you’re still young. How much of his Alchemy Dao have you actually mastered?"

’I *am* the Pill Venerable. How much do you think I’ve mastered?’

Of course, Qin Ya only had this thought and would never say it aloud. Seeing him just smile without a word, Ting Xiao spoke with frustration, "Hey, kid, what’s that smile for? Let me tell you, if you can’t heal the Ancient King’s Divine Thought injury, forget about dealing with those people outside—the Ancient King himself will smack you dead with one slap! He can’t do anything to me, but I won’t be able to protect you."

"Relax. A Divine Thought injury is a trivial matter."

Qin Ya laughed heartily and began walking toward the center of the island.

’Trivial? Don’t tell me this kid has already mastered the Pill Venerable’s True Inheritance?’

Ting Xiao thought to itself. ’That would be incredible. The True Inheritance of the Pill Venerable... that would mean his skill in the Alchemy Dao is at least at the Pill King Level...’

’This kid is a real monster. His talent for Martial Arts is astonishing, and now his Alchemy Dao is just as outstanding. Even back in the era ten thousand years ago, a time when geniuses emerged one after another, he would have been among the most brilliant and dazzling of them all.’

The Ting Xiao Sword thought to itself.

Upon returning to the Ancient King’s Palace, Yur Piaoyun rushed over, impatiently demanding of Qin Ya, "How did you know the Ancient King’s Divine Thought was injured? Besides me and the Ancient King, no third person is aware of this. How did you find out?"

Qin Ya pointed to the Ting Xiao Sword hanging at his waist. "When the Ancient King was clashing with Ting Xiao, he inevitably used his Divine Thought, and Ting Xiao sensed it."

Hearing this, understanding dawned on them both. Spiritual Artifacts possessed ancient histories and had naturally seen much of the world. It stood to reason that one could detect the Divine Thought injury within the Ancient King.

"Then what method do you have to fully heal My injury?"

"First, tell me how you sustained this injury," Qin Ya said.

The Ancient King nodded. "In my younger years, I was a Loose Cultivator and made a number of enemies. Twenty years ago, as I was attempting a breakthrough into the King Realm, I drew the combined retribution of those foes. Because of that, although I ultimately succeeded in my breakthrough and struck down every last one of those villains, My Divine Thought was damaged in the process."

"A permanent trauma to your Divine Thought, caused by being disturbed during your breakthrough."

Qin Ya pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "A Divine Thought injury, unlike a physical one, cannot be treated with ordinary medicine. Furthermore, the Ancient King’s injury is particularly unusual. Only a Spirit Pill of heaven-defying creation will have any effect."

At his side, Yur Piaoyun sighed. "How could I not know that? But only a Pill King is capable of refining a Spirit Pill. In the entire Southern Domain, we’ve never even heard of a Pill King, and even Quasi-Pill Kings are few and far between."

"A Spirit Pill... I can refine one."