Immortal of the Nine Realms

”Quick, look! It seems like a dragon is swimming in that brilliant divine light.”

”The aura manifests as a dragon; this truly is a Dragon Vein Pill!”

”Just a single pill can increase the cultivation of a person in the Upper Three Realms by a thousand years; its value is unimaginable.”

”That’s a bit exaggerated. In reality, when an Immortal King consumes a Dragon Vein Pill, their cultivation is elevated by a hundred years at best.”

”Come on, a hundred years of cultivation is equivalent to a hundred years of lifespan. How many types of pills can increase an Immortal King’s cultivation nowadays?”

The crowd watched the Dragon Vein Pill, their discussions lively and their eyes blazing with excitement.

”There are four Dragon Vein Pills in total; it seems our Divine Dao Sect will also get a share, ” Xu Peng said with delight.

Han Linqiu and the others nodded in agreement.

”Wait, if the refinement of the Dragon Vein Pill is successful, it should have fully refined the essence from the dragon blood. But now, there’s a true dragon visible in the radiant divine light. This clearly indicates that the essence has leaked out.”

Fang Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly; these four Dragon Vein Pills couldn’t even be classified as low-grade. In fact, they had already failed in the refining process and would soon turn into useless pills.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw the true dragon in the radiant divine light suddenly fly into the void and vanish. The brilliant divine light gradually dimmed, followed by a crisp cracking sound.

The fist-sized Dragon Vein Pills were cracking continuously, their once plump sheen visibly dimming, and the abundant spiritual energy gradually dissipating.

Upon seeing this, everyone froze. The prominent figures from various factions exchanged glances, each witnessing the grave concern reflected in the depths of the other’s eyes.

The Era Immortal King remained motionless, quietly observing the four pills before him as his smile slowly faded.

”What’s happening...?”

Ji Liang and the others were somewhat puzzled; didn’t the Era Immortal King succeed? Why did the Dragon Vein Pill suddenly become like this?

”Fang Da, it seems that the Era Immortal King has failed in his pill refining, right?” Xia Ji quietly transmitted his thoughts.

Fang Chen nodded. ”Yes, it’s a failure.”

Fang Chen felt a stir in his heart.

If the Dragon Vein Pill had been successfully refined, he wouldn’t have coveted it, as its potency was exceedingly powerful; if a low-level cultivator consumed it, it would be like taking poison, leading to a fate of shattered souls and eternal damnation.

However, if the Dragon Vein Pill had failed, it would simply become a useless residue. The only difference was that if it cracked after refining due to quality issues, turning into a wasted pill, it would then have another name—the True Dragon Bone Powder.

According to the records in the Heavenly Supreme Pill Technique, True Dragon Bone Powder was a rare spiritual material extracted from dragon blood, and the extraction process was a little similar to that of refining Dragon Vein Pill.

In the Yellow rank, Profound rank, and Earth rank sections, there were nearly six thousand alchemical formulas, among which at least eight hundred required the use of True Dragon Bone Powder.

If... combined with some special spiritual materials and pill fire, it was possible to refine a Lesser Dragon Vein Pill.

This opportunity is rare. If I miss out on such a spiritual material, who knows how many years it will be before I encounter it again? Fang Chen pondered silently.

With his cultivation level, refining the Dragon Vein Pill was merely a pipe dream; he couldn’t even condense the nine types of pill fire at the Earth Rank.

However, if he obtained the True Dragon Bone Powder, he would have the chance to refine the Lesser Dragon Vein Pill, which was one of the pills listed in the Profound rank.

It required profound-rank pill fire for refining, but True Dragon Bone Powder could substitute for it. Simply put, as long as he gathered the necessary spiritual materials and added some True Dragon Bone Powder, refining the Lesser Dragon Vein Pill would be a piece of cake.

Its effects were far inferior to the Dragon Vein Pill, but even if it had only one-tenth of its potency, it would be more beneficial to Fang Chen than the Little Feather Spirit Pill.

After passing through the first tribulation, he hoped to condense his Nascent Soul quickly, and preparing a few Lesser Dragon Vein Pills would be best.

After a long silence, the Era Immortal King suddenly chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. His voice resonated in everyone’s ears. ”It seems I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you all.”

At that moment, someone’s voice resounded. ”Immortal King, it’s perfectly normal for pill masters to experience both gains and losses, so please don’t take it to heart. Instead, why not take this opportunity to share some insights on alchemical techniques with the young people present today?”

A figure faintly emerged in the void. Although the crowd didn’t know who it was, they could tell it was also an Immortal King.

”Very well. The alchemy arts in the Central Continent are somewhat in decline, and their heritage is close to being severed. Today, I shall seize this opportunity to see if there are any with a talent for alchemy among the youngsters here with us.”

The Era Immortal King smiled faintly and swept his gaze over the crowd. ”I will give these four failed pills to the four most outstanding individuals. While they cannot be consumed, taking them back for research is still beneficial.”

The young people present instantly lit up with excitement. After all, that was a Dragon Vein Pill, and even if it was deemed a failure, it could not hide the fact that it had required thousands of spiritual materials to refine.

Just having it displayed at home would elevate their status, especially since it was crafted by an Immortal King. If they could glean any insights from it, it would be akin to gaining an immortal opportunity.

Feng Ya, who had been very low-key, revealed a hint of a smile and glanced at Xia Ji not far away. ”It’s happening.”

He had known from the very beginning that the Era Immortal King would be selecting four disciples today. This information was not something ordinary people could have access to; only cultivators with status and background knew this.

The four spots were all predetermined, and Xia Ji was one of them.

”Your adoptive father is so biased that he’s willing to owe the Era Immortal King a favor for you. If it weren’t for my elder brother telling me, I would have been kept in the dark the entire time.”

Feng Ya watched Xia Ji with a cold smile in his heart. ”I’ve been studying alchemy for many years; how could I let you have your way? Dream on if you think you can become the Era Immortal King’s disciple or the favored son-in-law of the Fourth Princess!”

Next, the Era Immortal King sat cross-legged on the high platform and began to explain the Alchemical Canon, starting with the essence of elixirs and progressing to pill fire, ancient recipes, and the role of elixirs for cultivators.

The crowd listened with rapt attention, and even Xia Ji was captivated, listening intently. Only Fang Chen was caught up in his own thoughts, verifying the information being shared.

Some of the Era Immortal King’s teachings were correct, but others were fundamentally flawed. His instructions, if followed, would only lead to an incorrect path.

Time seemed to pass without notice until the Era Immortal King suddenly said, ”I just explained the method for condensing a pill fire. Is there anyone who wants to come up and give it a try?”

The crowd exchanged glances, hesitant to step onto the stage. Some tried to recall the methods, but couldn’t remember everything that was said, let alone condense pill fire successfully.

”Did you remember the method? Go up and give it a shot. You might win a pill,” Fang Chen transmitted a message to Xia Ji.

”I remember it, but it feels rather strange. It is as if the method has been directly imprinted in my mind... I don’t think it’s right; I’d rather not go up,” Xia Ji said with a gentle shake of his head.

After a few breaths, someone finally stepped onto the stage. A total of fifteen individuals went up, with cultivation levels ranging from the Lower Four Realms to the Middle Three Realms.

Ji Liang, Feng Ya, and others were also among them.

Not far away, the woman in plain clothes surrounded by admirers glanced at Xia Ji and suddenly said, ”Xia Ji, aren’t you going up?”

The Era Immortal King looked at Xia Ji. ”You’re the newly adopted son of the Corrosive Dragon King, right? You should come up too.”

He waved him over with a smile.

Xia Ji pointed at himself. ”Me?”

He was taken aback that the woman in plain clothes would call him and even more surprised that the Era Immortal King was inviting him as well.

His mind raced. Soon, a faint smile appeared on his face. He stood up and walked up to the platform.