The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

On this day, the sun shone brightly in a clear, gentle breeze.

Qin Ya sat by the lake in Ningxiang Pavilion, the Cold Flame True Essence slowly circulating through his body. He sank into a deep state of concentration, contemplating the wondrous abilities of his new True Essence.

It had been three days since he’d emerged from seclusion. During this time, Qin Ya’s Spiritual Element Perfection Realm had gradually stabilized, and he had made some progress in developing his Cold Flame True Essence. Lifting his gaze slightly, Qin Ya murmured to himself, ’This is truly a True Essence worthy of being forged from the Purple Lotus Celestial Flame and the Cold Crystal Ice Marrow.’

The Cold Flame True Essence possessed the traits of two Marvels of Heaven and Earth: the Purple Lotus Celestial Flame and the Cold Crystal Ice Marrow. The two energies could be interchanged at will. It also granted immunity to all poisons, which didn’t surprise Qin Ya; the Purple Lotus Celestial Flame was inherently a creature of pure yang, the natural enemy of all yin-based toxins.

With a single thought, his True Essence split into two streams. The Purple Lotus Celestial Flame bloomed from his right hand, while an intensely cold qi surged from his left. The power in these two streams wasn’t great—roughly equivalent to the Human Element Realm.

Yet Qin Ya’s expression grew solemn. He clapped his hands together, forcing the two diametrically opposed energies to meet. Instantly, the True Essence that had been so docile in his palms became incredibly violent, struggling against his control.

The two streams of True Essence clashed relentlessly. Qin Ya circulated his power, accelerating their fusion. Gradually, they merged into one, forming a ball of milky-white mist. Within the mist, a single flame swayed.

He pushed the ball of mist toward the center of the lake, his eyes fixed on it. The moment the flame-infused mist left his control, it went berserk, erupting in a flash of purple and blue light.

BOOM! A colossal pillar of water erupted from the lake’s surface, shooting toward the heavens before crashing back down in a torrential downpour.

Qin Ya circulated his True Essence, projecting it from his body to form an invisible Protective Qi Shield, saving himself from being drenched.

"Heh." Qin Ya chuckled, a strange light glinting in his eyes. ’This move may be hard to control, but its power is immense.’

Just then, an enraged roar echoed through the air.

"Qin Ya, get out here!"

A figure streaked into view like a rainbow, arriving with the ferocious momentum of a wild, enraged tiger. An overwhelming Evil Qi erupted from him, instantly enveloping Qin Ya.

Seeing the newcomer, Qin Ya said with some surprise, "Muu Yao!"

Just as Qin Ya was wondering why Muu Yao was so furious, the man struck out with a palm strike through the air. Startled, Qin Ya executed the Chasing Wind and Shadow Technique to dodge the blow. "Muu Yao," he roared, "what the hell are you doing?!"

BOOM! The palm slammed into a large green rock, shattering it instantly. Qin Ya could see this was no joke.

Muu Yao was genuinely trying to kill him!

Landing on the ground, Muu Yao’s expression was glacial, a murderous intent filling the air. He spoke coldly, "Qin Ya, to think we trusted you. You’re nothing but a despicable, shameless bastard."

"Explain yourself," Qin Ya said in a cold voice.

"Hmph," Muu Yao sneered. "You know perfectly well what you’ve done. Why put on an act?"

"What is it I’m supposed to know?" Qin Ya asked, bewildered.

But Muu Yao wasn’t listening. He drew his Snow Tiger Spear and charged at Qin Ya, thrusting it forward so hard the very air seemed to ripple.

With no other choice, Qin Ya drew his Ghost Cloud Pan Dragon Spear. The moment their weapons clashed, he felt a tremendous force travel up his spear, making the webbing of his thumb go numb. A flurry of spear glints, dense as a rainstorm, flashed before him.

Thanks to his Master Level Spear Technique, however, Qin Ya handled it with composure.

"Damn you!"

Muu Yao roared. With a flick of his Snow Tiger Spear, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi converged violently. Lightning crackled, and an aura powerful enough to seemingly shatter the heavens and earth erupted. Holding the Thunder Spear, Muu Yao looked like a Thunder God incarnate.

"Thunder Roar!"

Qin Ya’s expression turned serious. Not daring to be careless, he circulated his True Essence. The bewitching Purple Lotus Celestial Flame morphed into a Fire Serpent, coiling around his Ghost Cloud Pan Dragon Spear.

"Wind-Splitting!"

In that instant, the two long spears clashed. Endless fire and lightning rampaged in a twenty-zhang radius, tearing the earth to shreds.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Both men were thrown back by the blast. Qin Ya’s face was grim. Being attacked by Muu Yao for no reason had left him utterly furious.

Muu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. He stared at Qin Ya and said, "I can’t believe you blocked that attack. But don’t think this is over. For framing my father, the entire Red Flame Army will hunt you to the ends of the earth. Not even Mingxin Academy can protect you."

"Framing Marshal Muu?!" Qin Ya’s expression shifted. His mind was sharp, and a guess formed quickly. "Don’t tell me the news that Marshal Muu was poisoned has gotten out."

"Hmph. Playing dumb!" Muu Yao said coldly, leveling his Snow Tiger Spear at Qin Ya. "No one knew about this for ten years. But shortly after you diagnosed my father, the secret gets out. Are you telling me you have nothing to do with it?"

"I’ve been in seclusion at the Academy ever since I returned from the Muu Mansion. I only came out three days ago. Believe it or not. If you really think I, Qin Ya, would do something like this, then there’s no need for words. Let’s fight." Qin Ya’s expression was cold as he planted the butt of his spear on the ground.

"Seclusion?!"

Muu Yao stared at Qin Ya, a sudden shock on his face. "You... you’ve already broken through to the Spiritual Element Ninth Grade? How is that possible?"

A breakthrough speed that had astounded even Huaa Que completely dumbfounded Muu Yao. His expression shifted rapidly. ’Could it be... I really misunderstood him? Did someone else leak the information?!’

Just then, a graceful figure hurried toward them. It was Muu Xue.

Surveying the devastation around them, Muu Xue turned to Muu Yao angrily. "Brother, you’ve been in the army for years! How can you still be so reckless?"

"Xue’er, are you still defending Qin Ya?"

Muu Xue replied coolly, "I’m not defending him. The priority right now isn’t assigning blame, but figuring out how to solve this crisis. The news of Father’s poisoning has shaken the entire Imperial Court. People are already petitioning to have him removed from his post as Commander of the Red Flame Army."

"Those bastards," Muu Yao snarled through gritted teeth.

To think their Muu Family had led the Red Flame Army in service to the Empire for so many years, with unwavering loyalty, only to end up like this... The thought was chilling.

Walking over to Qin Ya, Muu Xue took a deep breath. "Teacher Qin, I’m so sorry to have troubled you again and again. We have a great deal to resolve right now. We will come another day to offer our formal apologies."

Muu Yao snorted and left without another word.

As he watched Muu Xue’s retreating figure, Qin Ya suddenly asked, "You believe me?"

Her delicate frame trembled slightly. Muu Xue said softly, "Teacher Qin, you know that most people only believe what they want to believe. It’s less that I believe you, and more that I don’t want to believe you’re that kind of person. So... I have no choice but to trust you."

"Heh. Is that so," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.

After the Muu siblings left, Qin Ya stood in silence. A cool breeze swept past. He suddenly slammed his palm down on the lake’s surface, and an intensely cold qi instantly froze it solid. Then, his indifferent voice drifted across the ice.

"The Imperial Capital... is no longer peaceful."