Seeing how high your talent for alchemy was, Lin Tian no longer tried to stop you from going to the Pill Sect.
"Go with peace of mind, Junior Brother. The Pavilion Master has already sent your information to all the senior brothers and sisters."
The next day, you said goodbye to Lin Tian and headed straight for the Pill Sect.
Five days later, you arrived near the Pill Tower and learned that the Pill Sect's entrance examination would take place in ten days.
You weren't in a hurry. The Pill Tower stood at the very center of Pill City.
Pill City was within the Pill Sect's territory, a city built to make selling pills more convenient for them.
You waited in Pill City for ten days. During that time, you saw more and more cultivators arrive to take the Pill Sect's examination.
On the tenth day, you followed the crowd to the plaza beneath the Pill Tower.
Soon, an unparalleled beauty in a black cheongsam walked out of the Pill Tower. The moment you saw her face, your body trembled slightly.
You knew that face all too well. It was the one Gu Xinyue often used as a disguise.
You never expected Gu Xinyue to be the chief examiner this year.
Standing on the second floor of the Pill Tower, Gu Xinyue swept her gaze across the crowd in the plaza. Suddenly, her eyes stopped on you.
But after only a brief moment, she looked away.
For that instant, your eyes met Gu Xinyue's. You knew she had recognized you, since you hadn't concealed your identity this time.
After Gu Xinyue gave a brief explanation of the examination's content and rules, you all prepared to begin.
The test was simple: refine a batch of High-grade Foundation Establishment Pills within the allotted time.
Seeing the test, you couldn't help but marvel at how high the Pill Sect had set the bar.
Even you had only managed to refine High-grade Foundation Establishment Pills thanks to your Alchemy Prodigy talent. Even alchemists with fairly good talent could usually only produce mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pills.
When the examination began, you didn't hide your strength. Instead, you refined a batch of Perfect Foundation Establishment Pills faster than anyone else present.
Under the astonished gazes of everyone there, Gu Xinyue led you into the Pill Tower.
Once inside, Gu Xinyue personally escorted you the entire way. No one else got involved.
When you reached the Pill Sect's registration hall, Gu Xinyue sent you a voice transmission.
"Junior Brother, what brings you to the Pill Sect?"
"I heard you were here, Senior Sister. I wanted to see you in all your glory!"
At that, the corners of Gu Xinyue's mouth curled into a smile.
"Enough with the flattery. I don't believe you came here for me!"
You explained that your main reason for coming to the Pill Sect was to advance your alchemy as quickly as possible.
Only then did Gu Xinyue realize that your refining speed had been astonishingly fast—almost as fast as hers, despite her being a Fourth-grade Alchemist.
"Junior Brother, tell me honestly. What grade of alchemist are you now?"
"Senior Sister, I'm a Third-grade Alchemist now, but it won't be long before I reach the fourth grade."
When Gu Xinyue heard that you were already a Third-grade Alchemist, she was a little shaken. Your final remark—that you were about to break through to the fourth grade—was even harder for her to accept.
With Gu Xinyue's help, you successfully joined the Pill Sect and became her disciple.
When the others in the Pill Sect saw you become Gu Xinyue's disciple, their faces filled with envy.
Gu Xinyue was famous throughout the Pill Sect as a cold goddess who never took on disciples. Now that she had accepted you, everyone wanted to kill you.
You didn't care. From then on, you stayed by Gu Xinyue's side and began cultivating.
In the third year, you successfully advanced to Fourth-grade Alchemist.
At that time, Gu Xinyue came to find you and told you she had received word that a key ingredient for the Void Breaking Pill had been discovered in Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.
She wanted you to go with her. Once the time came, you would steal the Spiritual Herb in full view of everyone, then escape with your Great Void Technique.
You were confused. You remembered that the last time you searched for the Void Breaking Pill's ingredients, the Spiritual Herb wasn't supposed to mature until the ninth year.
But only three years had passed. How had Gu Xinyue already found it?
Thinking back to the previous simulation, when you had discovered that Gu Xinyue was no longer in the Pill Sect, you guessed what might have happened.
Gu Xinyue had failed to steal the Spiritual Herb this time and fled the Pill Sect.
You didn't turn down Gu Xinyue's invitation. You gladly agreed to take part in the operation.
You had already learned everything you needed from the Pill Sect. Even if you left now, your Alchemy Prodigy talent would still allow you to advance.
Gu Xinyue told you that the Pill Sect's group would set out in a week, and that she would come get you then.
After she left, you used the Great Void Technique to steal pills all over the Pill Sect.
A week later, you had stolen from almost every place where you knew pills were stored.
You knew that once you left this time, you might never return to the Pill Sect.
Early on the seventh day, Gu Xinyue came to tell you it was time to leave.
You asked who else from the Pill Sect would be going with you.
"Besides me, the Pill Sect's Sect Master and three elders are going."
"Even the Pill Sect's Sect Master is going?"
You couldn't understand why the Pill Sect would make such a big fuss over retrieving a single Spiritual Herb.
Gu Xinyue glanced at you and sighed.
"Because it won't just be people from the Pill Sect going this time. The Feather Ascension Sect and the Yin Yang Sect will be there too!"
Seeing the confusion in your eyes, Gu Xinyue continued explaining through a voice transmission.
"The Void Breaking Pill is essential for breaking through to the Void Refining realm, and that Spiritual Herb is a key ingredient for refining it. Every sect will fight tooth and nail over it."
"Senior Sister, with so many cultivators at Spirit Transmutation Great Perfection there, how are we supposed to get away safely?"
After hearing this, you could already imagine how fierce the coming struggle would be.
"It's fine, Junior Brother! Once I get the Spiritual Herb, I'll give it straight to you. Take it back to the Sword Pavilion and wait for me there!"
Since Gu Xinyue had told you to return to the Sword Pavilion first, you asked no more questions. No one who joined the Sword Pavilion was ordinary.
Seven days later, you followed the Pill Sect's main group to Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.
By then, people from every major sect had already gathered at the mountain's outskirts.
You listened as the leaders of the Three Great Sects discussed how to divide the Spiritual Herb.
Just then, Gu Xinyue sent you a voice transmission.
"Junior Brother, I just heard the Sect Master say they might hold a martial contest to decide who gets the Spiritual Herb. When the contest begins, use the Great Void Technique to enter Ten Thousand Demon Mountain and steal it."
"Are you sure?"
Seeing the determination in Gu Xinyue's eyes, you decided to do as she said.
Before long, you saw the Pill Sect's Sect Master begin assigning people to the martial contest.
Seeing this, you slipped away from the gathering, found an unoccupied place, and used the Great Void Technique to slip into Ten Thousand Demon Mountain.