Chapter 69 Immortal Capital 4: Birthday Approaching
"This person actually refined two Dustless Pills at once? And each one is of the highest quality! Such skillful technique, even I can't guarantee that I can reduce losses to this extent during the pill refining process."
"What is this? I've never seen it before. Some of the ingredients used inside have detoxifying properties. Could it be some kind of new antidote?"
On the judging panel of Shuiyuntai, a group of alchemists were passing around a lustrous pill. The one in the very center was Qingya Zi, the top alchemist of Shuiyun Immortal Capital and an eighth-level alchemist. He carefully scraped off a layer of powder, rolled it into his mouth, and savored it.
After a long while, Qingya Zi opened his eyes, his eyes shining brightly. "There's no need to look at the remaining pills. The person who refined this pill should be the champion of this competition."
"this……"
"This pill is indeed flawless and can be called a top-grade pill, but it is only a third-grade pill after all. There may be other pills that are even better. Why don't you take another look, Master?"
"The fourth-grade Dustless Pill refined by the Deer Clan's Junior High Priest is of superior quality. It is also an antidote, and it should be even more effective than this one."
"Impossible!" Qingya Zi asserted. "The effects of ordinary third-tier pills are naturally inferior to those of fourth-tier pills, but this pill is different. What the fourth-tier Dustless Pill cannot cure, this pill can cure!"
"How is this possible? The Dustless Pill is already one of the best antidotes of its rank, capable of neutralizing almost all poisons, except for tricky ones like Demon Blood..."
"Wait! Master Qing, do you mean it can cure demonic blood?!"
The crowd suddenly became excited, and Qingya Zi's expression also became more eager as he looked at An Xingyu, who was holding the pills, and asked, "Which alchemist is this?"
"Oh? What kind of elixir could make Master Qing so certain?" Xin Xian asked with great interest. "Quickly, invite this alchemist up!"
He Yue, Qian Qian, and the others had been paying close attention to Mei Zihan's team, so they knew that it was made by Xu Xing. Upon hearing this, the disciples of Lanze Island excitedly winked and grinned, "It's done! It's done!"
Xu Xing was invited to the Shuiyuntai platform, and Mei Zihan, as her teammate, naturally went along as well.
Upon seeing Mei Zihan, the judges on the stage were somewhat surprised. They knew this disciple from Lanze Island; his cultivation was decent, but his alchemy skills were only average. This medicine definitely wasn't made by him, so it could only be the young female cultivator beside him. However…
Early Foundation Establishment stage?! A third-tier alchemist?! What incredible talent!
Qingya Zi stroked his long beard, looked at Xu Xing, and asked gently, "Did you refine this pill? Is it an antidote?"
“Yes,” Xu Xing nodded, “It is called the Detoxifying Pill, and it does have the effect of detoxifying.”
"What if it's demon blood?"
Xu Xing paused, then made no attempt to hide anything, saying, "That can also be resolved."
In an instant, all the alchemists on the stage showed expressions of disbelief. Could it really be true? No one doubted that Xu Xing was lying. After all, Master Qingya Zi had said it himself, so how could it be false?
Qingya Zi's smile grew even more amiable as he asked gently, "Little girl, do you have a master?"
This time, Xu Xing did not tell the truth. "Yes, my master is hiding his identity and cannot tell you. Please forgive me, Master."
Although Qingya Zi felt a little regretful, he was not surprised. It would be strange if such a genius in alchemy did not have a master.
Below the stage, the alchemists looked at each other in bewilderment. They had seen the two fellow Daoists from Lanze Island go up and not come down. They were puzzled and could only wait patiently for the result. Who would have thought that Master Qingya would announce that the champions were Xu Xing and Mei Zihan from Lanze Island!
If it were Tian Li or Fang Yi, that would be one thing, but who is this Xu Xing? Where did he come from?
“Master Qing, we are not questioning, but this Fellow Daoist Xu is unknown. We wonder what kind of pill she has refined? We need to provide evidence to convince us.”
A Foundation Establishment cultivator who reaches the level of a second-tier alchemist is already a genius among geniuses, one in ten thousand. No one could have imagined that Xu Xing, who was in the early Foundation Establishment stage, was actually a third-tier alchemist.
Qingya Zi made the Poison-Clearing Pill float in his palm and said loudly, "This pill can cure all poisons of the same level and below. Even the fourth-level Dust-Free Pill cannot do it. It is more than enough to win the championship."
He then displayed the two Dustless Pills to everyone with his other hand, saying, "Moreover, she refined two top-grade Dustless Pills using the same materials. Who can match her alchemy skills?"
Most importantly, Qingya Zi realized that the Detoxification Pill seemed to have no poison, but if this were to spread, it would surely shock the world. He did not want his promising junior to be in danger, so he kept it to himself.
The two Dust-Free Pills and the Detoxifying Pill that can cure the poison of demonic blood are already astonishing enough!
"Top-grade? I've only ever heard of alchemists of the sixth rank or higher being able to refine top-grade pills. It's unbelievable that she has such a level at such a young age."
"Don't forget, she's only at the early Foundation Establishment stage! And she's already a third-tier alchemist! What will happen when she forms her Core?"
"How come we've never heard of someone like this before? Where did Mei Zihan find him? Why haven't we met him?"
Regardless of the astonishment of the crowd, the disciples of Lanze Island were already overjoyed, wishing they could rush up and celebrate. Minghua also looked at Meize in great shock, "What good fortune did your eldest disciple have to invite such a genius alchemist? If we could befriend her..."
Befriending Xu Xing was the first thing everyone thought of. Even if they couldn't become friends, just getting acquainted with him might give them priority in purchasing the pills...
The disciples of Lanze Island became the envy of the disciples of Shuiyun Immortal Capital, especially Mei Zihan. If the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, he probably would have been immediately dragged away and questioned about Xu Xing.
Amidst the chaotic whispers, Qingya Zi spoke again, "Sect Master, I believe that young friend Xu should be appointed as a guest elder of Shuiyun Immortal Capital!"
Xin Xian smiled slightly. Qing Ya Zi's words hit the nail on the head. But what she valued was not only Xu Xing's talent, but also his relationship with the snake clan. If Xu Xing became a guest elder of Shuiyun Immortal Capital, would she be afraid of not being able to secure the snake clan's business?
The remaining elders of Shuiyun Immortal Capital exchanged bewildered glances. To grant a young, third-tier alchemist the position of guest elder? Wasn't that a bit too much? But if the Detoxification Pill could truly cure the demonic blood, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
She is so young, who knows if she won't become a master alchemist, or even... a grandmaster in the future.
Shen Du kept his eyes fixed on Xu Xing. He saw the fervor in the crowd's eyes and heard their praise for Xu Xing, but all he saw was Xu Xing's slightly shy smile. He thought, she deserves it; she deserves the best of everything in the world.
Also intently watching Xu Xing was Tian Li, who, along with Fang Yi, ranked second and third in this competition, respectively. However, even though they were already geniuses in alchemy, they were destined to be overshadowed by the champion's brilliance.
A few days ago, Tianli sent his subordinates to investigate the Jade Cloud Sect in the Eastern Pole. They learned that two years ago, some disciples of the Immortal Dao Academy had mysteriously been corrupted by demonic blood, but most of them had now recovered. He had been speculating about what could cure the demonic blood poison, but he only found out that the pill was made by Gu Hongguang, a seventh-level alchemist from the Jade Cloud Sect. He couldn't find anything more. Now that Xu Xing had refined this third-level poison-removing pill, everything made sense.
It was her...
Is she truly the biological daughter of the Snake King Shengqing? What has she experienced during her years in the human realm?
Tian Li gazed intently at Xu Xing, who was surrounded by the crowd on the stage. Xu Xing was somewhat at a loss in the face of the enthusiastic alchemists, and of course, he was unaware of what Tian Li was thinking. However, Chen Du, who was standing to the side, keenly noticed this unusually intense gaze.
Two equally handsome and extraordinary men, but with completely different temperaments, one on stage and the other on stage, exchanged a glance across the crowd.
Shen Du's expression was indifferent, but Tian Li slowly revealed a smile. He opened his mouth and silently said a few words, then turned around under Shen Du's almost icy gaze and left Shuiyuntai step by step.
While Shui Yunxian was getting closer to the snake clan, she also intended to befriend the deer clan. However, when Sect Master Xinxian sent someone to invite Tianli, she learned that he had already left without a word...
"Your Highness, are we just going back to the Deer Clan like this?"
Na Yun kept turning back to look at him. His Highness hadn't even gotten to know that snake princess yet, and if he left like this, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain? Moreover, the sword cultivator who was always by the princess's side clearly treated her with more than just camaraderie. Keeping such a person by the princess's side, His Highness was far too careless.
Having traveled with Xu Xing since leaving the demon realm, Tian Li had intended to get close to him, partly to test him, but he realized he was wrong.
"Xu Xing's appearance may bring a turning point to the stalemate between the three tribes, and the Deer Tribe should also make preparations as soon as possible."
Na Yun was puzzled, "A stalemate among the three clans? But the Tiger Clan has already..."
"Even a centipede that has a hundred legs does not fall down when dead."
Tian Li's expression turned somewhat indifferent. The Tiger King's decisive break with Rong Jun, even at the cost of giving up territory to apologize to the entire demon race, seemed to suggest that Rong Jun was behind it all, and that the Tiger King's lineage had only wanted to help him recover his cultivation but had been inadvertently manipulated into doing something wrong. But was that really the case?
What worries Tianli the most is the Demon Realm. The border of the Abyss is constantly disturbed, and the Demon Clan is frequently interfering in the affairs of the Demon Realm and even the Human Realm. Both realms have also seen the appearance of Demon Blood Poison. Whether it is a coincidence or a larger conspiracy is hidden in the shadows remains to be seen.
The only certainty is that the deer clan, and indeed the entire demon race, will not sit idly by and wait for their doom...
Seeing that the eldest disciple of Xin Xian had handed Xu Xing a jade pendant engraved with water patterns supporting auspicious clouds, Xiang Di excitedly said, "From now on, you will be a guest elder of Shuiyun Immortal Capital. You can enter the territory under the jurisdiction of Shuiyun Immortal Capital at any time without reporting. Not only can you use the medicinal herbs in the medicine storehouse, but you can also buy things from the trading houses under the Immortal Capital at an 80% discount!"
"Can I really use it all?" Xu Xing touched the exquisite jade pendant and asked somewhat embarrassedly, "I refine pills quickly, what if I use them all up?"
"Hahaha!" Qingya Zi was taken aback upon hearing this, then burst into laughter, "Use it as you please! If you really run out, this old man will personally replenish it!"
"However..." he changed the subject, smiling, "However, young friend, would it be convenient for you to refine more of these Detoxification Pills? Even the immortals are willing to pay a high price for them."
"No need, no need!" Xu Xing quickly waved his hand. "Just give me enough materials, no need for spirit stones."
"Nonsense!" Qingya Zi deliberately darkened his face. "Alchemists expend a lot of time and energy refining pills. How could I, Shuiyun Xiandu, take advantage of a little girl like you? You must name your price today!"
Xu Xing swallowed hard and tentatively said, "How about... one..."
She was about to ask if two mid-grade spirit stones would be okay, but Mei Ze interrupted her, "One thousand mid-grade spirit stones per stone?"
Huh? When did she say a thousand? Xu Xing was about to explain when Mei Ze winked at her.
This silly girl, how could she let spirit stones go to waste! Shui Yunxian has plenty of spirit stones!
The island lord of Huaxi Island also spoke up, "Although a thousand mid-grade spirit stones is a normal price, we have provided the materials, and young friend Xu is a guest elder of the Immortal Capital. How about we lower the price a little?"
Mei Ze looked troubled and turned to Xu Xing, "Then I'd like to ask you, young friend Xu, to give Lanze Island some face for Han'er's sake and charge 800 per piece, how about that?"
Xu Xing gasped, afraid that she would burst out laughing if she opened her mouth, so she pursed her lips and just nodded haphazardly.
Eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones for one Detoxification Pill! Good heavens! No wonder alchemists are said to be wealthy; this is incredibly lucrative! And this is only a third-grade Detoxification Pill; what if it were a fourth or fifth grade?
Qingya Zi then smiled and said, "That's more like it. I hope that in the future, when Elder Xu has new pills, he will give priority to our Shuiyun Immortal Capital."
Such a large deal was struck without a word. Xu Xing felt a little lightheaded as she descended from the Water Cloud Platform. Chen Du gently supported her arm as he walked beside her. She couldn't help but look up at Chen Du. Although she didn't speak, her bright eyes revealed her thoughts: Senior Brother! So many spirit stones!
Infected by her joyful mood, Shen Du's eyes also lit up with a smile, and he nodded gently: "Yes, junior sister is really amazing."
...
Having agreed to refine a batch of detoxifying pills for Qingya Zi, Xu Xing planned to stay in Shuiyun Immortal Capital for a while longer. The four people from Lanze Island were naturally very welcoming of this. In addition to Mei Ze constantly finding ways to encourage Xu Xing to participate in the fishing competitions between the islands with him, Qianqian and He Yue also frequently came to visit Xu Xing.
Yunxi and Yunlan naturally found an excuse to stay. From Luocang City to Shuiyun Immortal Capital, although they had been following Xu Xing, they had always maintained a polite and restrained distance. Therefore, Xu Xing, who did not feel disturbed, tacitly accepted their presence. She was also really curious about how long these two could endure it.
However, Xu Xing was closer to the others from Lanze Island, especially after she failed to transform no matter how she tried. She began to doubt whether she was a snake, and while she remained friendly to Yun Xi and Yun Lan, she also became more distant from them...
On this sunny day, Xu Xing, who had been refining detoxifying pills for several days, finally escaped from the clutches of Qing Ya Zi and his group of alchemists, "fleeing" the alchemy room in Shuiyun Immortal Capital. Having finally found some free time, she planned to visit Chen Du, who had been practicing his swordsmanship on the shallow waters west of Lanze Island.
Just as she was about to leave, she saw Qianqian coming over with a basket of fresh spiritual fruits. "Senior Sister He picked a batch of Snow Crystal Fruits from the orchard. I brought them for you to try."
This fruit is considered a specialty of the Southern Territory. Xu Xing had tried it once and found it to be quite delicious. She casually picked one up and took a bite, her mouth filled with sweetness. Thinking of the strange things she had encountered before, she subconsciously counted the number of Snow Crystal Fruits in the basket and found that there were five left.
As Xu Xing ate, he watched Qianqian. They had been spending a lot of time together these past few days, and Xu Xing could tell that she had hesitated to speak several times, looking conflicted.
She quickly finished the fruit, but still didn't hear Qianqian speak, so she simply asked, "Qianqian, is there something you want to say to me?"
Across from Xu Xing's hut, Yun Lan was lying on the roof sunbathing, her legs dangling idly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Lanze Island disciple named Qianqian heading towards the princess's room again. Yun Lan turned to Yun Xi and asked, "Why does the king only instruct us to protect the princess, but not to take her back to the snake clan?"
Yunlan was very puzzled by this, "Eighteen years have passed, doesn't Your Majesty miss you at all?"
"What are you talking about! The Queen naturally has her reasons. We should just do whatever she says." Yunxi tugged at Yunlan's braid. "But you mentioned eighteen years. It reminds me of something. His Highness's birthday is coming soon. It's his eighteenth birthday! Even though we're in the mortal realm now, we should still make preparations."
On October 10th, eighteen years ago, the Snake King Shengqing gave birth to a daughter, but the very next day she was taken away by a treacherous dragon clan attendant and never heard from again. Even when the remaining dragon clan migrated away from the demon realm, they still couldn't find the princess's whereabouts, until recently when the Golden Snake Palace received a secret report that the princess's traces had been discovered in the Exploration Realm...
Thinking of this, Yunxi suddenly asked, "That day when you explored the Ruins Secret Realm, did you sense the presence of other snake clans?"
Yunlan shook her head blankly, "Besides the snake clan we brought, there's only Your Highness."
Yunlan is best at recognizing auras. Since he didn't detect them, either there really weren't any other snake clan members exploring the secret realm, or... the messenger's cultivation level was far higher than Yunlan's. Who could possibly know so much about the snake clan's secrets?
Yunlan, unaware of Yunxi's doubts, noticed that Qianqian hadn't come out of the room for so long. He muttered to himself, "His Highness treats this dragon clan member much more affectionately than us. I really don't understand why he can't reveal his identity..."
"What did you say?!" Upon hearing the words "Jiao Clan," Yunxi was so shocked that she kicked Yunlan off the roof and roared, "That female cultivator is a Jiao Clan? Why didn't you say so earlier, you stupid snake?!"
Just then, a soft call came from inside the house, seemingly from Xu Xing. Yunxi's face darkened, and she kicked open the door with a bang. "Your Highness!"
The two people inside the room turned around at the same time. Xu Xing, who was holding Qianqian's arm covered with scales of varying sizes and examining it closely, was startled. "What happened?"
And...Your Highness? Who is His Highness?
Yunxi, who barged in aggressively, was speechless.
Seeing that Qianqian's arm, exposed by lifting most of her clothes, clearly indicated that she was in the molting stage of a young dragon, Yunxi quickly kicked Yunlan, who had just poked his head in but hadn't yet seen what was happening inside, out the door. She then slammed the rickety door shut behind her. "Haha... so she was looking at the scales. I heard a noise earlier and thought something had happened, that's why..."
Now that she had been seen, Qianqian made no attempt to hide it and whispered, "Senior Yun is a snake, do you know why I've been feeling itchy all over lately and why I keep losing scales?"
This dragon race living in the human realm probably didn't know about the previous grudges between the snake and dragon races. Yunxi thought to herself, so she simply sat down next to her and gently touched the newly grown light green scales on Qianqian's arm. "You're almost eighteen, right? Dragons go through a process of changing their scales during adulthood, so don't worry. But your scales are a bit brittle, it's probably because the concentration of demonic spirits in Shuiyun Immortal Capital isn't high enough."
"I have a magical artifact here to store demon spirits. You can borrow it." As she spoke, Yunxi secretly glanced at Xu Xing.
Logically speaking, His Highness should also be in the period of molting, so could he have been enduring the discomfort without saying anything? She was somewhat annoyed that she had been so careless and overlooked these details. No wonder His Highness was not very friendly to them; she really had no one else to blame.
Qianqian was very grateful to receive the magic artifact. She had always felt that these two snake clansmen were indifferent to everyone except Xu Xing. Now it seemed that she had misunderstood. She had been feeling unwell recently, but she had no relatives or friends of her own clan around. That's why she panicked and wanted to ask Xu Xing of the snake clan to take a look. Unexpectedly, Yunxi saw her.
"My birthday is on October 9th, which is less than half a month away."
What a coincidence? Yunxi was taken aback. She was only one day apart from His Highness?
She glanced at Xu Xing instinctively, then casually asked, "I see you're about the same age. What about you? When was your birthday?"
According to Wang Lianhua, Xu Xing was brought back by Doctor Xu in October, but she had never seen Doctor Xu celebrate her birthday, so she didn't know the exact date. However, Xu Xing's birthday in his previous life was October 10th, so she told her the date, which surprised and delighted Qianqian.
"What a coincidence! We're only one day apart. Maybe our parents knew each other!"
This isn't just wild speculation; after all, the Jiaolong and Snake clans once served the Dragon clan together, and their relationship was indeed very close.
Yunxi paused slightly, then smiled again, "Since it's your eighteenth birthday, we should celebrate it properly, how about..."
Xu Xing didn't notice Yunxi's words. She was staring blankly at the fruit basket on the table, where only four snow crystal fruits remained.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ah—my once-in-a-lifetime 10 PM update [please] From now on, if there's no update at 10 PM, it probably means there's going to be an extra update [please]!
-
Thank you wm金, 再睡一回, 雪竹, 墨案书, Ruby_, 白银领主, 白栀温酒, 与同, 轻烟, 小圆oo, 常春, 星星, 西凉千, 佚名, and 颜家小七 for the nutrient solution! [Sprinkling flowers][Hugs]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
