Every Faction Stirs

Jia Ma Imperial Capital, within a courtyard steeped in an iron-blooded aura.

A hard voice rang out. "Such a young Fourth-grade Alchemist... truly enviable. If only Zhan'er... Sigh, never mind."

A burly man wore an envious expression, yet he knew his own child simply lacked the talent for it. Fortunately, his cultivation talent was decent enough, enough to ensure the Mu Family remained prosperous for another hundred years.

Suddenly seeming to recall something, he looked at the intelligence report in his hand. "Two female companions at his side!"

He immediately shouted, "Guards! This news must not reach Zhan'er's ears!"

Having been neighbors with the Mite'er Family for many years, he understood these merchants' schemes all too well. They spoke endlessly of righteousness and morality, yet in truth, they would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Even the Imperial Family...

At that thought, his expression froze, becoming subtle at once.

"Pass down the order. Prepare one set—" Mu Chen gritted his teeth, his expression turning fierce. "No, prepare three sets of ingredients for refining Fourth-grade pills. This Family Head will deliver them personally."

Meanwhile, within an understated residence in the imperial capital, a deep, powerful voice emerged from one of the rooms.

However, if someone with powerful Soul Force had been present, they would have been able to detect the faint weakness within that voice.

"Su'er, retrieve that High-Mysterious Rank Dou Technique from the residence. This old man will personally go and congratulate this talented alchemist when the time comes."

As he looked at the sheepskin scroll in his hand, a tall elderly man revealed a trace of contemplation.

"What?! Father, that is a High-Mysterious Rank Dou Technique. You're just giving it to him?" The middle-aged man who had been sitting quietly nearby cried out in disbelief.

"What do you know? The family has possessed that Five Elements Sealing Technique for a hundred years, yet no one has ever managed to cultivate it successfully. It is nothing more than worthless trash." Looking at Nalan Su, who was already middle-aged yet still so easily startled, Nalan Jie shouted loudly.

"Yes, yes, Father is right. Your son will go at once." Seeing his father angered, Nalan Su immediately became as meek as a whipped dog. He hurriedly admitted his mistake and quickly withdrew on the pretext of fetching the Dou Technique.

"Sigh..." Looking at his disappointing son, Nalan Jie could not help sighing again. "Fortunately, Yanran entered the Misty Cloud Sect and became the Young Sect Master. Otherwise, after this old man is gone in a hundred years, the Nalan Family may well fade into obscurity."

"However..." He turned toward the Imperial Family's direction. "There are both benefits and drawbacks. The Imperial Family has grown increasingly distant from the Nalan Family. Even Su'er has been left idle at home."

"I wonder whether this old man's decision was right or wrong..." At that thought, a trace of worry appeared on Nalan Jie's face.

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Damn it! If this old man had not been afflicted by this damned Burning Poison, how could I have ended up like this? Bang..." After coughing, Nalan Jie slammed his palm onto the Eight Immortals Table, his face filled with rage.

"I only hope this talented alchemist's master has a way to treat the Burning Poison."

North of the Jia Ma Imperial Capital stood a towering mountain range, facing the imperial capital from afar.

Yet the army stationed at its foot seemed to reveal the superficial harmony between the two.

Of course, unless some major change occurred, this commander who was merely at the Dou Ling level might remain stationed there forever.

The ones who truly determined the empire's course were never these lower-ranking troops, but the lofty Dou Emperor experts.

Let us set that aside for now. At the mountain peak, within an elegant and ethereal grand hall, many white-robed elders were engaged in animated discussion.

At the first seat on the lower left, an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face spoke.

"In this old man's opinion, although Lin Feng's talent is a rarity in the Jia Ma Empire for a hundred years, our Misty Cloud Sect already has Master Gu He, who has fully matured."

After a pause, the elder looked at the gazes around him and stroked his beard. "There is no need to offend him, but neither is there any need to take him too seriously. It will be enough to casually send a few sets of ingredients for refining low-grade pills."

"Indeed, indeed. The Grand Elder speaks wisely. As the saying goes, only a genius who has grown up is truly a genius. Who knows how many years it will take for him to become a Sixth-grade Alchemist Master? How can we neglect Master Gu He for his sake?"

"The Grand Elder is wise. This subordinate admires you."

"..."

The moment Yun Ling finished speaking, the many elders hurriedly chimed in with endless praise.

Listening to the flattering voices below, Yun Ling could not help stroking his beard. He then turned to Yun Yun, who sat at the head seat, and asked, "What does the Sect Master think?"

"Do as Grand Elder Yun Ling suggests." Yun Yun, who had been sitting at the head seat like an ornament, suddenly spoke. Her voice was distant and ethereal, as though she did not belong to this world.

"However, raise the grade of the ingredients. Do not make us appear petty. Leave everything to Grand Elder Yun Ling."

As her words fell, Yun Yun's noble figure flashed and vanished from the spot.

"This... understood." Yun Ling was briefly stunned by Yun Yun's behavior, but quickly recovered.

"Teacher, what do you think of this invitation from the Alchemist Guild?" A young man with a First-grade Alchemist badge engraved on his chest asked a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man, who had been studying a pill formula, finally raised his head. He was rather handsome.

"You will attend the celebration in place of your teacher this time. While you are there, retrieve your Second-grade Alchemist badge." He paused. "Also, your teacher has recently gained a trace of insight and will be entering Secluded Cultivation for a time."

"Could it be?!" The young man's eyes immediately revealed a trace of delight, and his voice rose slightly.

"Yes, but it is only a trace of insight. There is no guarantee of a breakthrough."

"Hahaha, then this disciple shall congratulate Teacher in advance."

Location: Yan City, on the northeastern border of the Jia Ma Empire.

This city, which held one of the empire's lifelines in its grasp, had long since become bustling with crowds flowing through its streets.

Yet the ones who controlled the city were not the City Lord's Mansion appointed by the Jia Ma Empire, but the Mo Family, where Mo Cheng—the man known as Executioner Mo—resided.

"Roar..."

At that moment, a respectful voice rang out within a dim chamber where the roars of magical beasts sounded from time to time.

"Grand Elder, how should our Mo Family respond to this invitation from the Alchemist Guild?" A somewhat bloated man dressed in gaudy, luxurious clothing asked.

"Oh, then this old man will personally lead the group there. It has been a long time since I visited the Misty Cloud Sect to catch up as well. That is the true foundation of our dominance in Yan City."

A hoarse voice sounded. Within the chamber, an old man in the middle of an experiment slowly turned around, magical beast blood dripping from his body. He looked sinister and terrifying.

"Then... what should we bring as a congratulatory gift?" The bloated man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly asked.

"Bring two Fourth-order Demonic Cores."

"Yes, yes, yes." Upon receiving the answer, the bloated man quickly agreed, retreating in a hurry as though he had obtained some treasure.

Watching this, the sinister old man could not help but sneer in disdain. "If you were not the most obedient, with that pathetic appearance of yours, would you even be worthy of being the Mo Family's clan head?"

(PS: What do you all think of my portrayal of the major factions in the Jia Ma Empire? The Imperial Family's decay and ruthlessness; the Mittel Auction House merchants' calculating nature; Mu Chen's boldness; the Nalan Family's circumstances; Yun Yun of the Misty Cloud Sect being unsuited to handling sect affairs... As for factions that are mere cannon fodder at this point, aside from those appearing in the Original Work, I will not expand on them further.)