Pill King Token

Inside the dungeon, the atmosphere was heavy.

No one spoke, save for Liu Chengqi, who lay on the ground, wailing in agony.

Snapping back to reality, Liu Chenggong hurried to support his cousin.

"Father! Father!"

"Shut up!"

Liu Tianfeng's face once again flickered with uncertainty.

Chu Huai Xu, half a head taller than the old man, stared straight at him, and Liu Tianfeng stared back.

Young and reckless! Truly young and reckless!

Seething with boundless fury, Liu Steward struggled for a long time.

His aged hands, hidden within his sleeves, trembled slightly, several times on the verge of erupting!

A son born in middle age—this was his very lifeblood, especially since his own true lifeline had long since worn out.

But this young man before him was far too arrogant.

With such an overbearing attitude, unless he had sky-high backing, how could he dare?

What's more, the old man had just tried to move to block Chu Huai Xu, only for Niu Yuanshan to intercept him with spiritual energy, making the support too late.

"That Niu bastard definitely knows his background!"

Niu Yuanshan was acting out of character today—when things are abnormal, there must be a trick!

Liu Tianfeng even suspected that this Niu fellow was somehow currying favor with the young man.

His towering rage was forcibly suppressed by reason, yielding to the Sixth Elder's oppressive authority.

Liu Tianfeng took a deep breath and declared, "Today's matter is entirely my son's fault. He broke the rules, and I will take him back for a proper admonition!"

Liu Chengqi, with several more ribs snapped, felt he couldn't swallow this humiliation. His eyes were bloodshot, his mind a blur, and he felt on the verge of madness.

Liu Chenggong, supporting him, gripped his right hand tightly, shooting him repeated glances as hints.

He now understood why the Deputy Captain of the Enforcement Team had reacted the way he did when he went to arrest him.

Thinking back carefully, it was pure audacity born of confidence!

"Who the hell is he?" Liu Chenggong's heart trembled.

Crouching on the ground, he looked up and saw Chu Huai Xu glancing his way, looking down at him.

Their eyes met, and Liu Chenggong's heart jolted.

He realized he had already offended this man too!

Chu Huai Xu was silent for a few seconds before saying to Liu Steward, "Understood. Let Senior Brother Liu take his time recovering."

"This disciple will take his leave now."

The reason Chu Huai Xu struck that palm was simply because he had backing, nothing more.

You've already tried to take my life—if I show no response now, am I supposed to go home, lie low, and come back later to settle the score?

Like those parenting videos that say, "Teach your child delayed gratification," right?

I want instant gratification! A clear mind!

The three of them left the dungeon, and Chu Huai Xu shot Niu Yuanshan a grateful look.

Old Niu gave him a slight smile, an unspoken understanding between them.

"Loyalty!"

Chu Huai Xu still felt no sense of belonging to the organization, after all, he hadn't been trained or brainwashed.

Even the system had judged his faction as the Dao Sect, not the organization.

But his personal favorability toward Old Niu had shot up.

Niu Yuanshan had a strong, approachable charm.

This slightly stooped, square-faced middle-aged man raised his right hand and waved at Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang. "Come, let's head back. We'll talk as we walk."

He tucked his hands into his sleeves and led the two youngsters toward his small courtyard.

Along the way, he rambled on, a bit chatty.

"I imagine you're both curious about what these two Jade Token Fragments I got for you actually do, right?"

"This token is incredibly useful, so listen carefully to what I'm about to say, heh."

"Oh, right, before I start, I want to ask you—do you know the Pill King?"

"The Pill King?" Han Shuangjiang murmured. "I've seen him in storybooks. The king of alchemy."

Niu Yuanshan looked ahead, reverence in his eyes, and began to explain.

"The Pill King hails from the Moon Kingdom. He's one of the rare Eighth Realm Great Cultivators in the world, with alchemy skills that can only be described as heaven-defying. On the path of alchemy, he's hailed as the foremost beneath the Dao Ancestor."

"Half of the current formulas for High-Grade Spirit Pills and Super-Grade Spirit Pills come from his hand."

"For example, the Xuantian Fetal Breath Pill."

"Some alchemists even claim the Pill King rivals the Dao Ancestor himself in the Dao of Alchemy!"

Niu Yuanshan paused briefly. Given his surface identity as a Steward of the Dao Sect, he made his stance clear: "Of course, we at the Dao Sect absolutely do not acknowledge that."

Chu Huai Xu had some understanding of this matter as well.

In terms of overall contributions, the Dao Ancestor had actually created only a limited number of High-Grade Spirit Pill and Super-Grade Spirit Pill formulas—just a third of the Pill King's total.

But there was no helping it. The Aperture Opening Pill was simply too incredible. The Dao Ancestor had single-handedly lowered the threshold for cultivation, ushering the Xuanhuang Realm into an era of flourishing cultivation.

As for the high-end goods the Pill King had cooked up, even ordinary cultivators couldn't benefit from them, let alone common folk.

After all, High-Grade Spirit Pills and Super-Grade Spirit Pills were made from Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, with staggering prices and often no market supply.

At this point, Niu Yuanshan continued: "Guess why the Pill King has so many followers in the alchemy world?"

Before the two could answer, Old Niu gave the answer himself.

"Because the Pill King took on far too many disciples in his lifetime."

"Then those disciples took on disciples, and those disciples took on more disciples. Over the years, a massive number of his grand-disciples and descendants have spread across the alchemy world."

Chu Huai Xu knew this too.

The Pill King loved taking disciples, and he didn't care about their alchemy talent—it all depended on his mood and whether he found them agreeable.

As a rogue cultivator, he belonged to no sect or school.

When taking disciples, he didn't bother with their lineage or national boundaries.

Because he never taught cultivation—only alchemy. He was solely a master of the Dao of Alchemy.

As a result, even disciples from the Four Great Sects in the East Continent Mirror Kingdom would seek him out to Become a disciple and learn alchemy.

The Dao Sect was no exception.

Niu Yuanshan continued his tale: "In his lifetime, the Pill King had twelve True Disciples, one hundred and twenty-nine Ordinary disciples, and a number of Registered Disciples he probably couldn't even remember."

"It's almost laughable. Even now, there are people in the alchemy world who swindle others under the banner of the Pill King's lineage, claiming their founder was once one of his Registered Disciples."

"But in truth, because the Pill King never judged talent when taking disciples, and because he was so absorbed in the Dao of Alchemy that he didn't have time to guide so many, the alchemy skills of these people were wildly uneven."

"Of course, there were some standouts. Several Alchemy Grandmasters came from among his disciples," Old Niu said.

At this point, he suddenly stopped walking, turned to face the two young people with a serious expression, and said:

"The Jade Token Fragments you two obtained are actually fragments of a Pill King Token."

Chu Huai Xu had known this for a while, but as someone playing along, he knew how to give people emotional value. He immediately sucked in a sharp breath and exclaimed, "The Pill King Token!"

Han Shuangjiang was also taken aback, surprise flickering in her heart.

"That's right, the Pill King Token. Besides his Registered Disciples, every formal disciple of the Pill King had a Pill King Token to signify their identity." Niu Yuanshan's smile was warm.

He continued: "You should know that many of our Dao Sect's seniors follow the Dao Ancestor's example. Before passing away, they set up secret realms somewhere in the Mountain Beyond Mountain, leaving behind inheritances and opportunities."

Chu Huai Xu nodded.

Han Shuangjiang, still a novice, was hearing this for the first time, so she shot him a surprised glance.

Niu Yuanshan pointed at the two of them: "Your Jade Token Fragments are the keys to one such secret realm. Although that Dao Sect senior wasn't among the twelve True Disciples, he was still a formal disciple of the Pill King."

"While the alchemy skills of the Pill King's disciples were uneven, they were at least not too shabby."

"Ahem, there was still a baseline."

Chu Huai Xu and Han Shuangjiang exchanged a glance, both realizing the value of the Jade Token Fragments.

In Chu Huai Xu's memory, back when the "Borrowed Sword" Public Test first started, all the players were still in the newbie phase.

A storage ring left behind by a Third Realm cultivator had caused a stir on the game forums, sending major guilds into action and turning it into a sleepless night.

Surely this formal disciple of the Pill King wouldn't be worse than some ordinary Third Realm cultivator?

Niu Yuanshan looked at them, his smile deepening, and said:

"Finally, I'll add one last point. This senior likely wanted to find a rough gem, so only those without spiritual power can enter this secret realm."

"You two, at the Aperture Opening Stage, fit that condition perfectly."