In the solemn and dignified main hall of the Pill King's Palace, more than a dozen elders dressed in red pill master robes stood solemnly in place, while the exquisite throne remained empty.

When Danfeng gave the notification, she only said that the young hall master had returned from Saintess Peak and had important matters to discuss, and requested that all elders be present. Those who did not attend would be considered to have agreed with her decision. After hearing this, all the elders, regardless of their true feelings, changed into their elder robes and rushed to the main hall.

The rest are either in seclusion cultivating or traveling around.

Danfeng stood in the front row with an inscrutable expression. When the other elders pressed him for details about what had happened, he deflected them all with the phrase, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

Soon, Ye Xiruo, dressed in black brocade robes and wearing an exquisite purple-gold crown, appeared in the main hall.

The elders of the Pill King Hall only knew that the hall master had taken in a disciple with extraordinary talent. Although he started cultivating late, his bloodline as a divine master was still extraordinary.

To these elders, there was nothing special about it. In their view, the Pill King Palace was already guaranteed to prosper for three thousand years with Zishu in charge, and having a young palace master who was still nothing was just icing on the cake. It wasn't until the last time, when the sky was filled with blooming azure lotus flowers and the Little Nine-Nine Thunder Tribulation that shocked the continent, that they realized how wrong they had been.

How could someone with the only Divine Master bloodline in a thousand years be simple? Even though she had only cultivated for less than a year, she still firmly established herself and entered the Golden Core stage, traversing a path that many people couldn't complete in decades. And her alchemy skills were no less than her martial prowess.

Although Ye Xiruo's words were quite impolite, they still came. Firstly, out of respect for Jing Li; if Jing Li found out they had bullied his disciple while he was in seclusion, they would be in trouble. Secondly, they wanted to see if the young palace master was as rumored, and whether she could shoulder the responsibility of the Pill King Palace.

Ye Xiruo wore a black brocade robe with a layer of black gauze over it. The cuffs and hem were embroidered with intricate and beautiful patterns using gold thread, and several jade pendants hung from her black belt. Although her face still had a touch of childishness and her figure appeared quite thin, her aura was strong and sharp.

"Greetings, Young Master."

"Elders, there's no need for you to be so polite." Ye Xiruo did not sit down; in her heart, that throne would always belong to her master.

"I've gathered you all here today primarily to discuss two matters. The first is the cooperation with Saintess Peak, and the second is the unjust killing of my Pill King Hall's alchemists. Elder Danfeng will now explain the first matter in detail!"

Danfeng calmly finished explaining Ye Xiruo's plan: "Such a great thing, you shouldn't object, right?" This was clearly a tone of certainty.

"Elder Lianqing and Elder Lianchi escorted me back for this matter. Do you have any objections? If not, let's conclude an agreement with Saintess Peak as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications." These four meaningful words instantly brought the elders, whose minds had almost been stunned, back to their senses. They all expressed their opinions: "We will do as the young master wishes, but we still need to consider the term of the contract."

"What do you think of a 100-year timeframe?"

Danfeng narrowed his fox-like eyes: "Not bad, we can consider it."

"Let's set a timeframe of one hundred years. If the cooperation goes well, we can continue; if it doesn't, we can terminate it."

The matter was settled just like that. The eyes of the dozen or so elders were sparkling, and their gazes toward Ye Xiruo softened considerably.

Saintess Peak is a highly mysterious and powerful force on the continent. Its sect is nestled deep within the snow-capped mountains, accepting only female disciples. Each generation's Saintess is a peerless prodigy, renowned for her exceptional talent. Saintess Peak's swordsmanship and Holy Light Techniques are famous throughout the continent. The various spiritual herbs produced by Saintess Peak are extremely rare and highly sought after.

Unexpectedly, Ye Xiruo was invited to Saintess Peak for further studies. In just two short months, she has already reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. More importantly, she has gained the friendship of Saintess Peak. If news of the cooperation with Saintess Peak spreads, the reputation of the Pill King Hall will surely rise to a new level. Not to mention, with those precious snow mountain herbs, how many more precious pills can they refine, and how much wealth can they create?

The dozen or so elders now have some doubts: is a hundred years too short a period of time?

"Elders, there's no need to worry. I sold some pills on Saintess Peak, and they're quite effective. The disciples of Saintess Peak have high expectations for our Pill King Hall."

"You made it yourself."

"That's right, the Youth Preservation Pill is all the rage on Saintess Peak, everyone has one."

The dozen or so elders looked somewhat embarrassed. It turned out that the business had already expanded to Saintess Peak, so they no longer needed to worry.

Immediately, they realized that it was a Youth Preservation Pill, a Youth Preservation Pill comparable to a sixth-grade pill, with an extremely low success rate. The young hall master was already a fifth-grade alchemist. The elders felt a mix of emotions, including disappointment and dismay.

Seeing that the realm they had painstakingly cultivated for a hundred years was about to be surpassed by a junior disciple in a very short time, one can imagine the bitterness and entanglement in their hearts.

First, she was tortured by that monstrous Jing Li, then she was tortured by Zi Shu, and now there's an even more monstrous Ye Xi Ruo.

"Regarding the second matter, I would like to hear the thoughts of the elders." Ye Xiruo's expression was very serious, and the atmosphere in the hall became heavy.

"No matter what happens outside, or what the competition for the Heavenly Ranking is like, we alchemists should not be the victims. This matter must be thoroughly investigated, and we must not let the alchemists die in vain."

"Twenty or thirty disciples have already perished. If no action is taken, even more disciples may perish."

"Elder Danfeng, since Master entrusted the Pill King Hall to you before going into seclusion, are you just going to stand by and watch so many disciples get into trouble without doing anything?"

"I know I was wrong."

"Now, I need your votes. Those who support the Pill King Palace in thoroughly investigating the truth, severely punishing the murderers, and avenging the alchemists, please vote. You may also raise any objections, or abstain."

“I object. With the emergence of the Heavenly Ranking, the outside world is already in chaos. Since those disciples have chosen to go out to train and seek opportunities at this time, they should be prepared to perish. The Great Dao is ruthless; being killed only means that they did not have enough opportunities, and they cannot blame others.”

"If we sit idly by, the prestige of our network will be severely challenged, and more disciples will perish in the future. Even after the Heavenly Ranking Competition ends, who will dare to go out and train? If we just stay behind closed doors, what future will our disciples have?"