Moon Shadow City

Yang Lingtian's gaze was firm and profound, as though it could see through the essence of all things.

Under his control, the essence of the spirit herbs inside the Alchemy Furnace slowly condensed, forming small pills one after another.

The pills rotated slowly inside the Alchemy Furnace, gradually giving off dazzling light.

After another hour of refinement, the fragrance of the pills began to spread.

Five Heavenly Spirit Elixirs slowly rose from the Alchemy Furnace, radiating brilliant light.

The pills were complete!

Wu Xulong and Master Lei Yi were both dumbstruck at the sight.

With their eyesight, they could naturally tell that these five pills were Third-Order Spirit Pills—the Heavenly Spirit Elixir.

What shocked them was not merely that Yang Lingtian had truly refined the Heavenly Spirit Elixir.

Even more astonishing was that he had produced five pills in a single batch. That was not something an ordinary Tier 3 Alchemist could accomplish.

They stared at Yang Lingtian in disbelief, as though they were looking at a monster, a freak of nature.

Wu Xulong and Master Lei Yi picked up the Heavenly Spirit Elixirs and examined them carefully.

"These really are Heavenly Spirit Elixirs. Their quality is excellent!" they exclaimed excitedly.

"Young Master Yang truly kept his abilities hidden. Who would have thought you were a Tier 3 Alchemist?"

"There had already been rumors that you were a First-Rank Artifact Refiner. I never expected you to be an alchemist as well."

"Are you really only eighteen, Young Master Yang?" Master Lei Yi asked incredulously.

He had never heard of anyone becoming an alchemist at eighteen, much less a Tier 3 Alchemist.

This completely shattered Wu Xulong and Master Lei Yi's understanding, smashing their entire worldview to pieces.

Yang Lingtian smiled faintly. "Well? Am I qualified to represent your branch in the pill competition?"

Master Lei Yi and Wu Xulong exchanged glances, delight appearing on their faces.

They had finally seen hope.

"Of course. With a Tier 3 Alchemist there, we definitely won't come in last."

"After all, among the branches of the True Elixir Pavilion in the Star-Moon Dynasty, seventy percent don't have a Tier 3 Alchemist."

Yang Lingtian declared confidently, "Don't worry. Not only will I keep you from coming in last, I can even help you take first place."

"Ah, that will be very difficult, Young Master Yang." Wu Xulong smiled faintly. He did not dare dream of first place.

"You don't know this, but several branches have fourth-tier Alchemists."

"They've monopolized the top few places for hundreds of years."

"Winning first place is easier said than done!"

"As long as you keep our Tianchen City Branch from placing last, I'll be deeply grateful."

"But if you can get us into the top ten, I'll definitely reward you handsomely."

The rewards for the top ten of the pill competition were extremely generous. If they could obtain one, the Tianchen City Branch would enjoy tremendous development.

Yang Lingtian's eyes shifted as he thought about it. This is a good chance to make some Spirit Stones.

He asked solemnly, "Oh? Then, Pavilion Master, if I help your branch enter the top ten, what kind of compensation will you give me?"

Wu Xulong looked deeply at Yang Lingtian and asked in return, "Young Master Yang, what reward do you want?"

Yang Lingtian smiled slightly. "I need Spirit Stones."

At that, Wu Xulong's eyes shifted slightly as he calculated inwardly:

With his Tier 3 alchemy skills, there's a small chance he can enter the top ten.

But entering the top three is impossible. The top three can only be claimed by branches with fourth-tier Alchemists.

I'll simply set the rewards for the top three high and stabilize him for now. He won't be able to obtain them anyway.

After some negotiation, Yang Lingtian reached an agreement with the True Elixir Pavilion.

If Yang Lingtian could help the Tianchen City Branch place fourth through tenth in the pill competition,

the Tianchen City Branch would reward him with two million Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Third place would earn six million, and second place would earn ten million.

First place would earn twenty million Low-grade Spirit Stones.

The reward was extraordinarily generous, and Yang Lingtian was sorely tempted.

Twenty million Low-grade Spirit Stones was equivalent to five years of net profit for their branch after excluding the profits handed over to the headquarters.

In Yang Lingtian's eyes, the Tianchen City Branch of the True Elixir Pavilion had truly gone all out. Their sincerity was overflowing.

But in the eyes of Wu Xulong and Master Lei Yi, it was impossible for Yang Lingtian to help them reach the top three.

Setting the rewards so high was merely a meaningless number. They would never have to pay it out, so the higher it was, the better.

There were still half a month before their departure. Li Tian returned home and told Chen Zhengqing about the matter.

"What? You're going to represent the Tianchen City Branch of the True Elixir Pavilion at the pill competition in the capital?" Chen Zhengqing asked in shock upon hearing this.

"That's right. I'll be traveling far from home for a while," Yang Lingtian replied indifferently.

Chen Zhengqing was stunned for a moment before carefully sizing up Yang Lingtian.

"Ling Tian, are you really an alchemist?"

"But from childhood until now, I've never seen you study pill refinement."

"Moreover, all the alchemists have been monopolized by the True Elixir Pavilion. There aren't even apprentice alchemists outside."

"Where did you learn to refine pills?" Yang Lingtian asked, still unable to believe it.

At Yang Lingtian's age, being a First-Rank Artifact Refiner was already astonishing.

Yet in alchemy, he was actually a Tier 3 Alchemist, even more skilled than Master Lei Yi of the True Elixir Pavilion.

It was simply unimaginable.

What Chen Zhengqing could never imagine was that Yang Lingtian was already a legendary ninth-tier Alchemist.

But if Yang Lingtian claimed to be a ninth-tier Alchemist, no one in this world would believe him.

Therefore, Yang Lingtian could only first claim to be a Tier 3 Alchemist.

Chen Zhengqing had asked him this, but he could hardly say that he had cheated his way here, could he?

Although he really had cheated his way here.

Yang Lingtian came up with an explanation. "I obtained the inheritance of an Alchemy Grandmaster while I was outside before. That was how I suddenly became a Tier 3 Alchemist."

Chen Zhengqing still had his doubts about this explanation. Even if he had obtained an inheritance, he should not have been able to reach Tier 3 so quickly, right?

But this was the only explanation that made sense.

"Forget it. Ling Tian, your luck truly is extraordinary. Even a heaven-defying opportunity like this could fall into your hands."

"But the capital is vast and filled with all kinds of people. You must be extra careful after you get there."

"And you need to change that fearless streak of yours. The capital is nothing like Tianchen City."

"Once you arrive, cause as little trouble as possible. No one will be there to protect you." Chen Zhengqing earnestly cautioned him.

It was clear that Chen Zhengqing truly cared about Yang Lingtian.

Yang Lingtian nodded repeatedly. "All right, all right, I understand, Father."

Half a month later, Yang Lingtian arrived at the True Elixir Pavilion, preparing to head to the capital, Moon Shadow City, with the Pavilion Master for the pill competition.

Tianchen City was considered rather remote within the Star-Moon Dynasty, and it was very far from the capital.

Thus, they had to set out early. Even traveling with stops along the way, it would take half a month to arrive.

After all, even Golden Core powerhouses could not travel at full speed the entire time. They still had to stop and rest.

Half a month later, Pavilion Master Wu Xulong brought Yang Lingtian to the prosperous royal capital, Moon Shadow City.

The moment he entered, the prosperous royal capital left a deep impression on him.

He had never seen such a massive city. Luxurious buildings stood everywhere, and the streets were bustling.

The prosperity here far surpassed that of Tianchen City, as befitted a first-level city.

Moon Shadow City was where the royal family of the Star-Moon Dynasty resided, and the royal family possessed several Nascent Soul old monsters.

These Nascent Soul experts rarely appeared before the world, seemingly having withdrawn from all worldly affairs.

Only two great families in Moon Shadow City had Nascent Soul ancestors guarding them. The remaining great families also possessed peak Golden Core experts.

It could be said that the entire capital was teeming with experts. Even the Early Golden Core stage was merely considered decent strength here.

Thus, Wu Xulong had to tread carefully after arriving in the capital, fearing that he might offend some great family.

"Young Master Yang, I'll take you to an inn to rest."

"The once-in-a-decade pill competition is approaching, so the capital has become much livelier."

"Many experts have also traveled thousands of miles to come watch the competition."

"So you must be careful during this period. There's no one here to protect you anymore."

Yang Lingtian agreed. "Don't worry. As long as no one provokes me, I won't provoke anyone."

Afterward, Wu Xulong brought Yang Lingtian to the inn district where the various branches rested.

This was an area divided by the headquarters of the True Elixir Pavilion. It was enclosed by walls around the venue where the pill competition was being held.

Not just anyone could enter this area. Only those from the various branches who had come to participate in the competition were qualified to enter.

Thus, Yang Lingtian needed Pavilion Master Wu Xulong to introduce him before he could get inside.

Soon, they arrived at one of the gates to the area.

At that moment, the branches from various regions were also arriving one after another.

Of the more than two hundred cities in the Star-Moon Dynasty, ninety percent had a branch of the True Elixir Pavilion.

Thus, more than two hundred branches had come to participate, making the competition incredibly fierce.

Just then, a mocking voice rang out. "Oh? Isn't this Pavilion Master Wu of the Tianchen City Branch?"

"I heard that you ranked third from the bottom in the last pill competition. Out of two hundred branches, you actually came in third from last. What a disgrace."

Wu Xulong turned his head and frowned deeply. It turned out to be his old rival, Feng Qiulin, Pavilion Master of the Mingkai City Branch.

The Poison Dragon Elixir that had poisoned Master Lei Yi had been administered by Feng Qiulin.

"Hmph. You make it sound as though your Mingkai City Branch is so impressive. You ranked eleventh from the bottom last time. Isn't that still near the bottom?" Wu Xulong shot back.

"That's still better than your branch. At least we weren't in the bottom ten." Feng Qiulin sneered.

"This year, Master Chen Lu of our branch has made tremendous progress in alchemy. Our ranking this time will far surpass yours."

"By the way, where is Master Lei Yi, who's participating in the competition this year?" Master Chen Lu, standing beside Feng Qiulin, asked.

"Our Tianchen City Branch has changed candidates this year. The Master Yang beside me will be participating in the competition." Wu Xulong explained coldly.

"What? You're letting a boy who hasn't even grown all his hair replace Master Lei Yi in the competition?" Master Chen Lu asked in astonishment.

Yang Lingtian looked not even twenty years old, and he did not look like an alchemist.

"Hahaha, Wu Xulong, your branch has decided to give up and lie flat, hasn't it?" Feng Qiulin burst out laughing beside him.

"You knew that whoever you sent would still rank near the bottom, so you simply sent some greenhorn."

"Watch what you say. Master Yang is a Tier 3 Alchemist." Displeasure appeared on Wu Xulong's face.