The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

It was a fine day, with a gentle breeze and clear skies.

In the Imperial Capital, within the Imperial City.

Inside a pavilion in the Imperial Garden, two figures were playing Go. As their hands moved, placing stones upon the board, a clear pattern of black and white emerged. One player’s style was exceptionally sharp, his offense unparalleled, like a general seasoned by a hundred battles. The other played with steady deliberation, his defense as impregnable as a fortress and as firm as a great stone. The game had reached a stalemate.

One of the men wore a black brocade robe. His features were resolute, and with a mere knitting of his brows, he exuded a soul-stirring authority. The other, by contrast, had the white hair of an elder but the face of a youth. His eyes shone with a brilliant light, radiating immense wisdom. Facing the King’s offensive, he remained perfectly calm, his responses flowing like water.

After a few more moves, Nangong Wen, the Emperor of the Yunxiao Empire, suddenly spoke, "Teacher, I heard you recently recruited a High-Level Teacher, is that right?"

Huaa Que chuckled upon hearing this, placed a white stone, and said, "The Dark Dragon Guard’s intelligence network spans the entire country. I imagine Your Majesty has already investigated this person and knows him like the back of your hand."

"Qin Ya, born into the Qin Family of Anxing City, was once the clan’s infamous cultivation good-for-nothing. But half a year ago, he rose like a comet. His cultivation speed has advanced by leaps and bounds, which is quite shocking. He even became a High-Level Teacher at Mingxin Academy. I’m sure you are aware of all this, Teacher."

Nangong Wen continued, "But what puzzles me is this: his mother, Qin Xilan, disappeared fifteen years ago after entrusting Qin Ya to her younger sister, Qin Yuxiang. As for his father, no one knows who he is. Even with the Dark Dragon Guard’s intelligence network, we have no leads on either of them now."

At this, Huaa Que was somewhat surprised. He said, "The Dark Dragon Guard’s intelligence network covers the whole country. Could it be that those two are not in the country?"

"Aside from that explanation, I can’t think of any other possibility."

"Interesting..." Huaa Que smiled faintly.

Nangong Wen spoke again, "Besides his parents, the man himself is an enigma. A good-for-nothing who became a rare prodigy overnight. Not only has his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds, but he also possesses a nigh-supernatural mastery of the Alchemy Dao. Haven’t you ever wondered about this, Teacher?"

"What if I have?" Huaa Que placed a stone and said, "Every great talent in the world of Martial Arts has their own fortuitous encounters. There’s nothing unusual about that. Besides, Your Majesty should know that this person is now a teacher at my academy. He is beneficial to the Empire, not a threat."

Nangong Wen smiled faintly and said, "You are absolutely right, Teacher. I had the Dark Dragon Guard make contact with him. Though he is shrouded in mystery, judging from the two events—the King Slayer Flame and the annihilation of the Celestial Star Squad—he appears to be a man who values loyalty. As long as we don’t cross his line, a person like him is indeed a great talent for the Empire and will be of immense use."

"Heh, let me guess which Dark Dragon Guard you sent." Huaa Que placed a stone, smiling slowly. "It was... Gong Yu, wasn’t it?"

"Haha, you are wise, Teacher."

"Who would have ever guessed? The Gong Family, one of the Imperial Capital’s Four Great Martial Arts Families, is secretly the Dark Dragon Guard—the sword wielded by generations of Emperors."

"By the way, I heard you personally went to the Lu Family to make a show of force the other day, Teacher. Your domineering air hasn’t faded one bit over the years."

"It was all because of that kid. He’s a real trouble magnet. Annoying the Wang Family wasn’t enough, he had to go after the Lu Family too. But while that Lu Chen of the Lu Family is talented, his magnanimity is truly lacking. He’s too narrow-minded. His future achievements will be limited."

Nangong Wen shook his head and smiled, "Yes, Lu Chen’s vision is indeed lacking. But, he is still in the top five of the Hidden Dragon List, and he is destined for the Hidden Dragon Valley. He might even reach the Extraordinary realm in the future."

"Hmph. If not for the rules, I wouldn’t even want him to enter the Hidden Dragon Valley. It would save my Mingxin Academy the embarrassment," Huaa Que said.

"Heh, Teacher, you’re about to lose."

"If you want to beat me, Your Majesty, you’ll have to try a little harder."

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

Mingxin Academy, Ningxiang Pavilion.

Beneath the shade of a tree, Qin Ya’s figure blurred. In the blink of an eye, he crossed several dozen zhang. His speed was no less than that of an Earth Element Realm Martial Artist. Reaching the center of the lake, he tapped his foot on the green water and leaped up. In mid-air, Qin Ya suddenly thrust out his palm, and a Frost Momentum began to rise.

His palm contained an endless chill, drawing upon the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to slowly form a giant, pale blue hand. The palm strike landed in the center of the lake. There was no earth-shattering sound or momentum; instead, ripples spread across the water, which then began to freeze over, inch by inch. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Flipping in the air, Qin Ya landed gently on the surface of the ice. A huge block of ice, ten meters in diameter, had formed around him. Gazing at the Ice Lake beneath his feet, Qin Ya smiled faintly and murmured, "It seems the last three months of effort weren’t in vain. I’ve finally mastered it."

Three months had passed since the incident with Li Peiyi. Perhaps because of Huaa Que’s intervention, Lu Chen and the Celestial Star Squad had remained quiet on the surface. After a period of heated discussion at the academy, the uproar from the incident had also gradually died down.

During these three peaceful months, Qin Ya hadn’t been idle. Ever since his deathmatch with Wang Yan, he felt that his own Martial Skills needed an upgrade. Although his Overlapping Waves Palm and Carefree Travel, when fused with the Wind’s Great Trend, had greatly increased in power, they were, after all, only Profound-Level Upper Class.

Therefore, he had searched his mind for two new sets of Martial Skills. Because he had already comprehended the Wind’s Great Trend and the Frost Great Trend, he chose two skills that specifically built on them: the Body Technique Martial Skill: Chasing Wind and Shadow, and the Palm Technique: Heavenly Cold Earth Freeze. Both were Earth-Level Top Martial Skills.

Earth-Level Top Martial Skills touched upon the comprehension of the Great Trend of Heaven and Earth. To begin learning these two skills, one needed to comprehend the Wind’s Great Trend, and the other, the Frost Great Trend. Qin Ya had already comprehended both of these Great Trends from practicing the Wind-Splitting and Moon Chasing moves of the Solitary Yang Spear Technique. Therefore, when he started practicing these two new Martial Skills, he progressed at twice the normal speed.

In just three short months, he had already achieved initial mastery. This greatly increased his current combat power. Coupled with his Master Level Spear Technique and his trump card, the Purple Flame Body, his current combat strength was unfathomable.

Speaking of the Purple Flame Body, one had to mention Qin Ya’s idea of fusing with the Purple Lotus Celestial Flame. Ever since this idea came to him, Qin Ya had been planning. The Purple Lotus Celestial Flame was far too tyrannical. To fuse with it and use it in battle at his current level of cultivation was no small risk.

He needed the help of an external force. For the past three months, with Huaa Que’s permission, Qin Ya had looked through almost the entire treasure collection of Mingxin Academy, but he had yet to find a single item that suited his needs. Thus, the plan had been postponed until now.

"Looks like I’ll have to go look elsewhere."

Qin Ya sighed. Mingxin Academy was a cornerstone of the Empire and one of the most powerful forces in the Imperial Capital. Its collection of treasures, accumulated over generations, was innumerable. If he couldn’t find a suitable treasure here, Qin Ya didn’t hold out much hope for the other places in the Imperial Capital.

"Hm, it’s about time. I should go teach that bunch of good-for-nothing kids first." Qin Ya smiled faintly, then leaped. In the blink of an eye, he was at the lakeside. He said a word to Qin Yuxiang and the other woman, then headed directly for his teaching location, Xianyun Peak...