Chapter 158: Chapter 155: Ning Jiang Is Also a Pill King?
In the sky, a white-haired figure stood proudly, looking down upon the world.
The peerless image of him slaying the dragon with a single strike was seared deeply into everyone’s minds.
’The Eight Desolates Fire Dragon Formation, with decades of accumulated power, still can’t do anything to him?’
Despair was written on the faces of everyone from Pill King Valley.
This was their Mountain Protection Array, Pill King Valley’s strongest trump card, capable of repelling great enemies—yet it couldn’t withstand a single strike from Ning Jiang’s sword.
"Invincible!"
Mrs. Yan gazed at Ning Jiang’s figure and slowly uttered a single word.
That’s right. Invincible.
When Ning Jiang first challenged Pill King Valley and the thirteen Elders appeared, no one thought he stood a chance. Who would have thought he would suppress all thirteen of them?
Then, the White Eyebrow Sword Sect appeared, revealing his Realm of Sword Qi Thunder Sound. Ninety-nine percent of the people believed Ning Jiang was doomed to fail, but he defeated his opponent with a single strike.
Finally, the Pill King activated the Eight Desolates Fire Dragon Formation, using decades of accumulated Array Power to fight Ning Jiang, only to be annihilated by his sword.
His sword was unrivaled!
"Mother, he’s so incredible, isn’t he?"
Yan Shuangying murmured. She knew her mother had also been won over by Ning Jiang, but her gaze was complicated, a mixture of joy and sorrow.
Ning Jiang was just too dazzling.
He was like a great Roc in the sky, soaring through the Nine Heavens, making her feel he was completely out of reach.
’Am I even worthy of standing by his side?’
’Since we first met, Ning Jiang has been growing at a terrifying pace. Soon, I probably won’t even be able to see his back as he pulls away, will I?’
’This Cyan Cloud Country is just a starting point in his life, isn’t it?’
"Unless Young Master Soaring Dragon can break through to Innate Invincibility, from this day forward, the number one expert of Cyan Cloud Country’s younger generation will be him!" The Grand Elder’s voice trembled, a bitter smile on his face.
"Chu Bai, you must have touched upon Sword Control by Force in the last ten years, right? Otherwise, your title of Sword King is about to change hands..." the White Eyebrow Sword Sect sighed in long admiration.
In his entire life, the only person he had ever admired in the Sword Dao was Sword King Chu Bai. He bowed to no one else.
But now, there was Ning Jiang.
That earlier strike, Broken Mountains and Rivers, could only defeat him, not kill him. But this technique, Slaying Heaven and Earth, was more than enough to obliterate him, body and soul.
"Lu Changsheng, what else do you have to say?"
Ning Jiang’s figure stood tall in the void, his clothes and hair fluttering in the wind.
His posture was erect, radiating an aura of invincibility.
"With such a peerless Sword Dao, you are qualified to contend with Chu Bai for the title of Sword King. My Pill King Valley admits defeat, completely and utterly."
Lu Changsheng shook his head and sighed. With the Eight Desolates Fire Dragon Formation broken, Pill King Valley had no power left to resist Ning Jiang.
’This young man is too powerful!’
"However, I still wish to do my best to save Tianchen. If you are willing, I will refine three Supreme Grade Elixirs for you in exchange for a sliver of hope for Tianchen’s survival!"
As soon as he said this, the entire crowd was stunned.
The eyes of countless Martial Artists burned with fervor.
Why was Pill King Lu Changsheng able to establish a Top Level power like Pill King Valley?
It was precisely because of his skill in Alchemy. In all of Cyan Cloud Country, he was the only one who could refine a Supreme Grade Elixir.
Since becoming the Pill King, he had only ever refined a total of five Supreme Grade Elixirs.
Now, he was offering three Supreme Grade Elixirs as the price for Ning Jiang to show mercy. Such a condition was enough to move anyone in Cyan Cloud Country.
One must know that a single Supreme Grade Elixir was enough to drive the top ten on the Innate List into a frenzy.
"What a deal! I’d definitely agree to trade Wei Tianchen’s life for three Supreme Grade Elixirs," an Alchemy Grandmaster stated decisively.
"I think he’ll probably agree, right?"
The many Alchemists present put themselves in his shoes and all felt that Ning Jiang would not refuse such an offer.
Only Tan Jinglin shook his head and sighed softly, "You all still don’t understand him..."
"Three Supreme Grade Elixirs?"
Ning Jiang clasped his hands behind his back, his words astonishing. "What’s so great about a Supreme Grade Elixir? I can refine them myself. Why would I need you to do it?"
As soon as he said this, many of the Alchemists in the crowd showed looks of displeasure.
"This guy is way too arrogant."
The crowd was displeased. It was true that Ning Jiang’s Sword Dao was world-shaking, a fact worthy of their respect, but to look down on Supreme Grade Elixirs was simply too brazen.
How many of them, Alchemists, dreamed of refining a Supreme Grade Elixir?
By asking what was so great about a Supreme Grade Elixir, wasn’t he also dismissing them and their life’s work?
"I admire his peerless Sword Dao, but to say he can also refine Supreme Grade Elixirs? I’ll never believe it."
An Alchemy Grandmaster shook his head. A person’s energy was finite; it was impossible to be a master of everything.
Take Pill King Lu Changsheng, for example. He was a master of Alchemy, but his Cultivation was not at the top of the Innate List.
And among those at the top of the Innate List, not a single one was a master of Alchemy.
Ning Jiang was so young. How could he possibly be a master of both the Sword Dao and the Alchemy Dao at the same time?
Liang Xiyue, however, furrowed her brows. She recalled Tan Jinglin saying that Ning Jiang was also a Pill King. At the time, she had dismissed it, not believing it in the slightest.
But now, after witnessing Ning Jiang’s earth-shattering power, she suddenly felt her conviction waver.
"Ahem, everyone, please listen to what I have to say," Tan Jinglin announced in a clear voice at that moment.
"Grandmaster Tan, please speak."
"There’s something you all may not know. When Mr. Ning was in Luoyang City, he competed with me in Alchemy!"
Tan Jinglin’s words piqued everyone’s curiosity. A Grandmaster of his generation had actually competed against a junior like Ning Jiang.
"Oh? And what was the outcome? He must have lost, right?"
Hearing this, Tan Jinglin shook his head, and his next words were world-shattering:
"No, the one who lost was me. Mr. Ning refined a Supreme Grade Elixir back then. He is a Pill King of this generation!"
As he spoke, he cupped his hands in respect toward Ning Jiang in the sky.
Instantly, every Alchemist present was left with their jaw agape, unable to believe what they had heard.
"Impossible!"
Wei Tianchen, his face pale, couldn’t help but be the first to object. "Not only is his Sword Dao world-shaking, but he’s also a Pill King? How can someone so omnipotent exist in this world?"
"I don’t believe it either."
"Yeah, that’s too much of an exaggeration."
"If becoming a Pill King were that easy, then in the vast Cyan Cloud Country, Lu Changsheng wouldn’t be the only one."
Everyone shook their heads. Such a claim was too astonishing to be convincing.
It was like someone claiming the end of the world had come; no one who heard it could possibly believe it.
"Hmph, as a Grandmaster, would I lie to you? I swear on my name as a Grandmaster that Mr. Ning is a Pill King. If a single word of what I said is false, may I suffer a terrible death!"
Once he said this, many of the dissenting voices died down. That’s right, would a dignified Grandmaster lie?
"Tan Jinglin says you refined a Supreme Grade Elixir and are a Pill King of this generation?" Lu Changsheng asked slowly, his eyes fixed on Ning Jiang.
"Yes," Ning Jiang answered simply.
Lu Changsheng fell silent. To be honest, he couldn’t believe it either.
But would someone with Ning Jiang’s power have any reason to lie? Besides, Tan Jinglin had just sworn a deadly oath to guarantee it.
"If you truly are a Pill King, then... I want to compete with you in Alchemy to see who is superior!" Lu Changsheng’s words were like a stone cast into a calm lake, sending ripples through the crowd.
In the world of Alchemists, resolving grievances was most often done through Alchemy competitions.
"And why should I agree? I can flatten Pill King Valley right now. Why bother with this unnecessary step?"
Ning Jiang said indifferently. He had no need to prove to others whether he was a Pill King or not. ’Does a dragon in the heavens care about the opinions of ants on the ground?’
"If I lose, not only will I not stop you from killing Tianchen, but I am also willing to lead the entire Pill King Valley to pledge allegiance to you. The Alchemy Alliance will also recognize you as its head!" Lu Changsheng said, word by word.
"What!"
Countless people were stunned. The stakes were too high; if he lost, he would be handing everything over to Ning Jiang.
The accumulation of Pill King Valley over so many years, just the various Treasure Medicines alone, was enough to tempt anyone.
And that wasn’t even mentioning the Alchemy Alliance!
"Interesting. I accept."
Ning Jiang responded. After all, he was not alone in this world and needed to command his own power to better protect those he cherished.
"How many years has it been? Someone is actually going to compete with Lu Changsheng in Alchemy!"
The entire area instantly erupted. Countless Alchemists wore excited expressions; compared to a clash of Martial Arts prowess, a battle of the Alchemy Dao captivated their hearts and minds even more.
Ever since Lu Changsheng was revered as the Pill King, no one had competed with him for decades.
Because in all of Cyan Cloud Country, there was no second person qualified to challenge his Alchemy Dao.
In many people’s eyes, perhaps no one would challenge Lu Changsheng for the next hundred years.
And yet now, a young man was about to compete with Lu Changsheng in the Alchemy Dao.
"What elixir do you want to refine? No matter the ingredients, my Pill King Valley can find them for you."
Lu Changsheng said. Pill King Valley’s medicine repository had the most complete collection of Treasure Medicines in all of Cyan Cloud Country.
It could be said that if a Treasure Medicine couldn’t be found in Pill King Valley, then one could forget about finding it anywhere else in Cyan Cloud Country.
Ning Jiang didn’t hold back and directly listed dozens of ingredients.
This alchemy session would be the perfect opportunity for him to heal the people of Kunlun.
In the battle against Ling Tianxu, several of Kunlun’s Alchemy Masters had been left with crippling injuries. Liu Yuanlong and Wenhua City had even destroyed their own foundations, causing their Realms to fall.
The various Elders of Pill King Valley hurried to the medicine repository to retrieve the Treasure Medicines.
Half an hour later, Ning Jiang and Lu Changsheng walked onto a towering Alchemy Platform in the center of Pill King Valley, under the watchful gaze of the crowd.
One old, one young, two Pill Cauldrons.
The Pill Cauldron Ning Jiang used was the Upper Grade Treasure Artifact he had obtained before, the "Hundred Beasts Cauldron."
"You’re really not going to use a Top Grade Pill Cauldron?"
Lu Changsheng frowned. Just moments ago, Tan Jinglin had offered to lend the "Red Crane Flying Heaven Cauldron" to Ning Jiang, but he had surprisingly refused.
"To defeat you, an Upper Grade Pill Cauldron is more than enough."
Ning Jiang’s expression was indifferent. "Lu Changsheng, bring out all your tricks. I’ll allow you to use any method you wish to improve the quality of your elixir."
"In that case, I will experience your Alchemy Dao for myself today."
Lu Changsheng took a deep breath, walked to his Pill Cauldron, and began to focus on his Alchemy.
On Ning Jiang’s side, he also lit a great fire. Once the temperature was high enough, he began to place the medicinal ingredients into his Pill Cauldron.
As the two began their Alchemy, everyone in the surroundings held their breath in suspense.
’Is he really a Pill King or not? After this competition, the truth will be revealed!’
