Chapter 151: Chapter 148: Little Pill King, Yan Shuangying
After passing through the gray, toxic miasma, Liang Xiyue, Tan Jinglin, and Li Shiyu emerged.
"Huh? Where’s Mr. Ning?"
Li Shiyu was taken aback. Ning Jiang had clearly entered first, so why couldn’t she see him?
"Hmph. That madman."
Just then, Liang Xiyue gloated, "He has no idea that Pill King Valley is surrounded by Arrays laid down by several Array Grandmasters. He barged in without me to guide him. He must be lost inside the Array now."
"Bring Mr. Ning out," Li Shiyu said.
"In your dreams. Let him stay trapped inside and reflect on his actions."
Liang Xiyue felt a sense of vindication. She had been forced to obey Ning Jiang due to his power, but someone of her standing had never suffered such humiliation.
"It seems you’re celebrating a bit too soon."
Suddenly, a voice rang out from within the toxic miasma, and then a white-haired young man walked out.
"How did you get out!?"
Liang Xiyue was stunned. The Array of their Pill King Valley was the culmination of the painstaking efforts of several Array Grandmasters. Even an Innate Limit expert would need at least a few days to get out.
"Crude tricks like this might trap others, but not me."
To an ordinary person, the Array here would be difficult to break, but in his eyes, it held no secrets.
For a Venerable like him, what was an Array set up by mere Grandmasters? Even an Array from a Celestial Martial Realm King would be nothing.
It did, however, remind him of the Array in the Demon Mist Mountain Range. That Array was far more advanced than this one. ’There are probably still some secrets hidden there.’
’Once my power has increased, I’ll have to make a trip to the Demon Mist Mountain Range,’ Ning Jiang thought.
"So this is Pill King Valley."
Ning Jiang looked ahead. Before him was a chasm hundreds of feet across. On the other side of the chasm lay a valley where one could see pavilions and grand halls.
This Pill King Valley, protected by toxic miasma and encircled by an abyss, was like a secluded paradise.
"There’s another defensive Array within this abyss."
Ning Jiang saw through the facade. The abyss appeared calm, but it was actually concealing a deadly threat.
If a Martial Artist tried to cross over it, the Array Power below would immediately conjure a powerful gust of wind, blowing them off balance and sending them plummeting into the abyss.
"Hmph. I’m not going to tell you how to get in," Liang Xiyue said petulantly, turning her head away.
"You think too highly of yourself. You think a third-rate Array like this can stop me?"
Ning Jiang’s words left Liang Xiyue fuming.
"I’d like to see you try and get in, then," Liang Xiyue retorted, her face full of defiance.
But in the next moment, Ning Jiang’s figure blurred, and he directly crossed the chasm hundreds of feet across, landing on the other side.
"You can cross there?"
Liang Xiyue’s face was filled with astonishment. Even she didn’t know the Array had a loophole. The path Ning Jiang had just taken hadn’t triggered the Array Power at all.
Normally, they always took a different route.
’Who on earth is this guy? How does he even know about Arrays? Or was he just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse?’ Liang Xiyue muttered to herself.
Afterward, Li Shiyu and the others followed Ning Jiang’s path across the abyss to the other side.
Looking at Pill King Valley, which truly resembled a secluded paradise, Li Shiyu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. "It’s so beautiful."
This was her first time here.
"Making a fuss over nothing."
Liang Xiyue immediately sneered. The tension between the two great beauties had been simmering the entire way. They were at each other’s throats, bickering at every opportunity.
"If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute," Li Shiyu retorted bluntly.
Ning Jiang shook his head, not bothering with them. Listening to them argue was giving him a headache. He started walking toward Pill King Valley.
The entire Pill King Valley was massive. According to Liang Xiyue, it was home to over a thousand people.
With the Pill King Conference about to begin, and with Wei Tianchen having become an Alchemy Grandmaster, hundreds of distinguished guests had arrived from all over the country.
Among these guests, the most esteemed were Alchemy Grandmasters like Tan Jinglin, followed by numerous Alchemy Masters.
"Hey, you’re not actually going to cause a huge scene in our Pill King Valley, are you? This whole thing doesn’t have to get so ugly."
Seeing Ning Jiang walk step-by-step toward Pill King Valley, Liang Xiyue couldn’t help but grow nervous.
"Pill King Valley captured my people. They must give me an explanation."
Ning Jiang walked along a stone-paved road with his hands behind his back.
At this moment, his will was as firm as a boulder, unshakeable.
...
「In a certain valley.」
Numerous figures were laughing and chatting merrily.
"Master Zhao, I didn’t expect you to come as well."
"Hehe, with the Pill King Conference about to start, of course I had to come. Besides, Wei Tianchen has broken through to become an Alchemy Grandmaster, displaying talent on par with Pill King Lu Changsheng. I fear Pill King Valley’s prestige is about to reach a whole new level."
"Wei Tianchen is indeed one of the top geniuses of the younger generation. Not only has his Cultivation reached the Innate Limit, but his Alchemy has also entered the Grandmaster realm. People are calling him the Little Pill King. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared."
The many Alchemy Masters present exchanged words, their excited chatter filled with undisguised amazement.
Pill King Valley was already powerful enough, a Top Level force in Cyan Cloud Country. And now, they had produced a Wei Tianchen.
Wei Tianchen became an Alchemy Grandmaster at the age of twenty-five, even earlier than Pill King Lu Changsheng did back in his day. With such talent, some people had already started calling him the "Little Pill King."
The numerous guests gathered in small groups of two and three, discussing amongst themselves. "By the way, I heard that Pill King Valley wants to establish some sort of Alchemy Alliance. Is that true?"
"I’m not too clear on that. If they really are going to establish this alliance, then Pill King Valley’s ambition is a bit too great."
"Indeed. If an alliance is formed, Pill King Valley will inevitably be its leader. At that point, wouldn’t we all become their subordinates, forced to obey Pill King Valley’s commands?"
At the mention of the Alchemy Alliance, many people’s pupils contracted.
As Alchemy Masters, they were usually high and mighty figures in their respective major cities, able to command the wind and rain, wielding immense power.
If an Alchemy Alliance were truly established and they were made to join and obey Pill King Valley, they would be absolutely unwilling.
"The few Alchemy Grandmasters have already been invited inside. I heard that Pill King Lu Changsheng specifically summoned them. I wonder if it’s to discuss this matter."
"I don’t think I’ve seen Grandmaster Tan Jinglin yet."
Just as many of the Alchemists were discussing this with worried expressions, someone suddenly cried out in surprise:
"The Little Pill King, Wei Tianchen, is here!"
Everyone’s gaze shifted, and they saw a young man walk out.
He had shoulder-length black hair, his skin glowed with a healthy sheen, and his features were handsome. He walked with the gait of a Dragon Walk and Tiger Stride.
Following behind him were some of Pill King Valley’s Alchemy Masters, surrounding him like stars clustering around the moon, as if they were all there just to accentuate his presence.
The moment this young man appeared, many of the younger generation who had come with their elders felt a distinct gap. It was as if their own radiance was being suppressed.
In the presence of Wei Tianchen, among the entire younger generation of Cyan Cloud Country, only the Nine Great Young Masters were qualified to be compared to him—and even then, only those ranked in the top five.
"Everyone, you have come from a thousand li away. It is Pill King Valley’s honor."
Wei Tianchen saw everyone’s gazes on him and offered a resonant, polite greeting.
"You’re too kind, Little Pill King."
"For the Little Pill King to become an Alchemy Grandmaster at such a young age... such an achievement truly puts this old man to shame."
Many people present began to offer their compliments.
As for the younger generation, their eyes were filled with envy, wishing they could be in the place of the dazzling Little Pill King, Wei Tianchen.
’He’s certainly a hero among men, but compared to Ning Jiang, he’s still lacking.’
In the crowd, a tall, slender, and elegant figure observed Wei Tianchen and made a comment.
This graceful figure was none other than one of the Four Great Beauties of Luoyang, Yan Shuangying.
After comparing Wei Tianchen and Ning Jiang in her mind, she immediately knew who was superior.
Although Wei Tianchen seemed dazzling, he was ultimately a bit immature. Ning Jiang, on the other hand, exuded an aura capable of supporting the heavens and the earth even when he was just standing there.
Yan Shuangying was here this time because her mother had brought her.
Her mother was not from Luoyang City, but hailed from an Alchemy Family in Dan City. Back then, she had met Yan Shuangying’s father, fallen in love, and married him.
However, the good times didn’t last. In the following years, problems arose in their relationship, and their marriage eventually fell apart. Her mother then left the Yan Family and returned to Dan City.
This time, her mother had said she wanted to bring her to experience the Pill King Conference.
Although she wasn’t particularly close to her mother, they were still mother and daughter, so she couldn’t refuse and came along.
"Hehe, Shuangying, Wei Tianchen is a top figure in Cyan Cloud Country, and now he even holds the title of Little Pill King. In my opinion, among the younger generation, only Young Master Soaring Dragon can definitively surpass him. To say someone else is stronger is quite an exaggeration."
A young man beside her heard this and shook his head with a smile.
His name was Ji Hai, the eldest young master of the Ji Family, a First-Class Noble House in Dan City. His background was noble.
In a place like Dan City, there were four such First-Class Noble Houses, and the Ji Family was one of them.
The Ji Family was also an Alchemy Family, whereas Yan Shuangying’s mother’s family was just an ordinary second-class Noble Family.
"If you had met that person, you would know I’m not exaggerating at all."
Yan Shuangying’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She was rather displeased with this Ji Hai, who had been trying to get close to her for the past few days.
In reality, she had been tricked by her mother into coming back this time. Only after arriving did she realize her mother wanted to matchmake her with Ji Hai.
However, her heart was already filled with the figure of another. How could she possibly have any interest in Ji Hai?
Thinking of this, she decided it was best to make Ji Hai give up sooner rather than later to avoid his constant pestering. She said, "Young Master Ji, please don’t call me Shuangying in the future. I understand your intentions, but we are not suitable for each other."
Hearing this, Ji Hai’s expression immediately turned ugly.
Beside Yan Shuangying, her mother’s expression changed the instant she heard this. "Young Master Ji, please don’t mind her. Shuangying is just a child who doesn’t know any better. She speaks without thinking. I will discipline her properly."
"Mother, I’m telling the truth."
"Silence, you wretched girl! Do you have any idea how many young women in Dan City adore Young Master Ji? You’re the only one who doesn’t cherish the opportunity! And stop mentioning that person... that Ning Jiang. Don’t bring him up again, you hear me? I refuse to believe he’s as amazing as you say."
