Five days later
Alchemy Emperor Manor
At this moment, all the renowned alchemists of the Central Heaven Domain had gathered at the Alchemy Emperor Manor. Outside, they were figures of great prestige, but here, each one was meek and well-behaved, not daring to act out of line.
It was always others who waited for them—never had they been the ones waiting for someone else.
Yet now, everyone stood quietly, awaiting the appearance of the Immortal Alchemy Emperor, Yao Niming.
When Yao Niming finally appeared, a ripple of awe passed through the crowd.
Though all present were alchemists, few among them had ever laid eyes on Yao Niming.
After all, Yao Niming had long been a legend, having achieved the Emperor Realm thousands of years ago. His reclusive nature meant that not just anyone could meet him.
"Greetings, Alchemy Emperor!"
"Greetings, Alchemy Emperor!"
Everyone bowed respectfully, their reverence unwavering.
Yao Niming's life was a legend, and in the art of alchemy, he stood peerless. To these alchemists, he was both a model and a deity.
Yao Niming nodded in acknowledgment, but his gaze swept through the crowd as if searching for someone.
Has he not come?
For the past few days, Yao Niming had been anticipating news of Yun Xiao. Yet, even at the appointed time, Yun Xiao had not arrived.
Bound by his prior commitment to the others, Yao Niming would not break his word just to wait for one person—such was not in his nature.
Perhaps the Alchemy Emperor City, a place all alchemists yearned for, held no allure for Yun Xiao.
"Master, there has been no news of Yun Xiao entering the city. Should I send someone to inquire further?" Medicine Destiny asked.
"No need," Yao Niming shook his head. He was not one to force things—whether Yun Xiao came or not was up to him.
Hearing the name Yun Xiao, the other alchemists exchanged puzzled glances. Though Yun Xiao was known as a prodigy and was currently in the spotlight, was he truly worthy of such attention from Yao Niming?
A mere rising star, yet the Alchemy Emperor himself took notice?
Though confused, none dared to pry further. Right now, they were far more eager to see the treasure that even the Immortal Alchemy Emperor could not decipher.
"You all know why I have summoned you here today," Yao Niming began without preamble.
"Over two thousand years ago, I came across a peculiar orb—one I could not comprehend in the slightest."
"Since then, I have attempted to refine it, but after all these years, the orb remains unchanged."
"Thus, I have gathered you all today to pool our knowledge and see if we can refine this object together."
"Should we succeed, none of you will leave unrewarded."
"You honor us, Alchemy Emperor. Merely being part of this is already a privilege."
"Indeed, to be deemed worthy of collaborating with the Alchemy Emperor is a blessing beyond measure."
"Hahaha, Alchemy Emperor, I’ll speak plainly—I won’t hold back. You’ve got plenty of treasures to spare!"
"True enough! But what I’m most curious about is what kind of orb could leave even the Alchemy Emperor stumped."
Without further ado, Yao Niming waved his hand, and a cauldron materialized in the open space before them.
At the sight of the cauldron, the alchemists' eyes gleamed—was this the legendary Seven Revolutions Heaven-Earth Cauldron, the very one used by the Alchemy Emperor?
A master alchemist required a masterful cauldron, one that could enhance the success rate of refinement and produce higher-grade pills.
Forget the orb inside—just the cauldron alone was enough to make these alchemists salivate.
After admiring the cauldron, they turned their attention to the orb within.
"The orb is crystal-clear, yet it emits no aura, no energy fluctuations whatsoever."
"Indeed. It looks like the most ordinary of orbs—almost too ordinary."
"Precisely because of that, it must be extraordinary. After all, none of us can see through it."
"Exactly. If it were truly ordinary, how could it remain unrefined after all these years? This object is anything but mundane."
"Perhaps it requires a special flame to refine?"
"But the Alchemy Emperor’s flame is the Undying Spirit Flame. If even that fails, what other flame could possibly work?"
"Could it be that the Undying Spirit Flame is incompatible with this object? Maybe another flame should be tried?"
"Very well. Let me test it. I recently subdued the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame—let’s see if it can refine this thing."
One alchemist stepped forward, summoning a wisp of azure flame—the Azure Lotus Spirit Flame.
As the flame entered the cauldron, the alchemist poured all his strength into refining the orb.
Yet, as time passed, the orb remained unchanged. Eventually, he had no choice but to concede defeat.
"Alas, it seems my Azure Lotus Spirit Flame is ineffective."
"Let me try."
"I’ll give it a shot as well."
One by one, they attempted their own methods. Yao Niming observed silently, but the results were disappointing.
Total failure—no one could refine the orb.
"How is this possible? What kind of object is this, to be so stubborn?"
"Of course it’s difficult! The Alchemy Emperor couldn’t refine it in thousands of years—did you think we’d succeed in a mere moment?"
"Then what else can we do? Surely we can’t just give up?"
"Think, everyone. Let’s brainstorm together."
As top-tier alchemists, none were the type to surrender easily. Though disheartened, they quickly rallied.
The sight of so many master alchemists collaborating was nothing short of spectacular.
Yao Niming did not interfere. In fact, he found the scene heartening.
If alchemists could maintain such passion and cooperation, it would be a boon for the entire alchemy world.
Many hands make light work—this was far better than each minding only their own affairs.
On this point, Yao Niming felt a pang of guilt. Though he bore the title of Alchemy Emperor, his contributions to the alchemy world were few. He was a legend in name only.
"Master, Yun Xiao has arrived."
Medicine Destiny’s words caused Yao Niming’s eyes to flicker. Yun Xiao had come after all.
Though late, it was not by much.
A young man strode into the Alchemy Emperor Manor, clad in crimson robes, his face as flawless as jade, his bearing extraordinary.
Yun Xiao’s arrival drew the attention of the others.
"Is this Yun Xiao?"
"Yes, it’s him. I’ve seen him before."
"How old is he? What’s his cultivation level? What rank is he as an alchemist?"
"I’ve heard Yun Xiao is only twenty-two. Judging by his aura, he’s already at the seventh level of the Divine Ability Realm? His talent in cultivation is this formidable too?"
"I recall that about half a year ago, this kid's cultivation was only at the third level of the Divine Ability Realm. In just six months, he advanced four whole realms?"
"Right, half a year ago, his alchemist rank was still Earth-rank."
A twenty-two-year-old Earth-rank alchemist?
In the Tai Xuan Realm, the ranks of alchemists align closely with cultivation levels, progressing as follows: Yellow-rank, Mystic-rank, Earth-rank, Heaven-rank, King-rank, Emperor-rank, and Sovereign-rank.
Most people spend their entire lives striving to reach Emperor-rank alchemist. After all, only one person—Yao Niming—has ever broken through to the Sovereign-rank. For everyone else, attaining the rank of Sovereign-rank alchemist remains an unattainable dream.
But now, whether it's his cultivation talent or alchemy prowess, Yun Xiao's abilities are nothing short of astonishing. Who knows? The next Sovereign-rank alchemist might very well be him.
"Junior Yun Xiao pays his respects to the Alchemy Emperor."
"The journey was long, and my strength was limited, so I arrived a little late."
Yao Niming observed Yun Xiao—neither submissive nor arrogant, yet free from pride or conceit—and found himself quite pleased. Still, this was only their first meeting, and it was too soon to judge the young man's true character.
"No matter. Your presence is what counts."
Yao Niming smiled and nodded, brushing aside Yun Xiao's tardiness before briefing him on the situation once more.
"Wait, the Alchemy Emperor is treating Yun Xiao with special favor? What’s going on here?"
"Well, given Yun Xiao’s talent and skill, doesn’t he deserve it?"
"Fair point. But this is the Alchemy Emperor we’re talking about. Even if Yun Xiao is a once-in-a-generation prodigy, he’s still just a young man. It almost feels like the Alchemy Emperor has something else in mind."
"Could it be… he’s considering taking him as a disciple?"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
