Genius

Douqi Continent · Central Plains, Danta.

The fragrance of medicine permeated the air. This was the holy land for alchemists across the continent, where Fourth- and Fifth-grade Alchemists were everywhere and Sixth-grade Alchemists were as common as dogs! The towering body of the tower pierced the clouds, its surface flowing with a warm, jade-like luster beneath the sunlight.

The corridors within the tower twisted and turned, while countless alchemy chambers were packed together like a honeycomb. The air was filled with the strange mingled fragrance of hundreds of medicinal herbs, sometimes clear and cool as spring water, sometimes fierce and blazing as flame.

Within one of Danta's most secretive cultivation chambers, the space had been completely sealed by powerful Soul Power.

The young man, Su Baichen, sat cross-legged atop a cushion made of thousand-year cold jade. Though his eyes were closed, his brows carried an innate pride that seemed to stand above all living beings.

His aura was as deep and vast as an abyssal sea, surging wildly. Boundless Douqi rolled forth like tangible tides, battering the barriers of the cultivation chamber wave after wave.

The space continuously emitted a strained hum. Fine black cracks flickered in and out of sight, only to rapidly mend under his precise control.

Every breath he took stirred violent fluctuations in the energy of heaven and earth. The spectacle was far beyond what an ordinary peak Dou Zong could produce when breaking through to Dou Zun.

Outside the cultivation chamber, Xuanyi's skirts fluttered without wind. This Danta magnate, renowned throughout the Central Plains, had lost her usual composed grace. Her slender jade fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes as her beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at the heavy stone door.

The complex runic formation upon the stone door flickered erratically, isolating everything within from the outside world.

"How long has it been? Why hasn't he broken through yet?"

She muttered softly, unable to conceal the anxiety in her voice. "When I broke through to Dou Zun back then, the energy of heaven and earth poured into my body for only three days. But he has already been in seclusion for seven days..."

Just then, the space beside her rippled like water, and a crack silently appeared.

A refined middle-aged man dressed in a star-patterned robe slowly emerged from it, leading a delicate little girl of around five by the hand. They were none other than Danta's other magnate, Xuankongzi, and the little girl he had brought back from somewhere unknown.

"Hehe, Xuanyi, what are you so anxious about?"

Xuankongzi stroked his beard and chuckled. His gaze swept over the stone door flashing with runes, and a trace of barely perceptible amazement flickered through his eyes. "Little Chen's cultivation method is extraordinarily special, passed down from ancient times. The accumulation required for every breakthrough and the bottlenecks he faces are dozens of times greater than those of others at the same level. It is perfectly normal for him to take longer."

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of emotion. "After all, who told him to be invincible among those of the same rank? That saying he always has on his lips—'Cultivation level does not necessarily represent combat strength'—is displayed most vividly in him. He could already contend head-on with ordinary Dou Zongs when he was a Dou Emperor. Now, using the body of a Dou Zong to challenge Dou Zun, once he succeeds, his strength... even old fellows like us will have to see him in a new light."

When Xuanyi saw Xuankongzi arrive, a flush swiftly crossed her pretty face. Forcing herself to remain calm, she said, "Xuankongzi, why do you care so much? I... I am concerned about Little Chen because he is a junior, aren't I? If such a genius suffers any mishap during his breakthrough, it would be a tremendous loss to Danta."

She tried to make her tone sound more impartial, more like an elder's expectations for an outstanding junior.

"Oh? Are you really only concerned about a junior?"

The teasing in Xuankongzi's eyes deepened as he deliberately drew out his words. "Could there not be something else mixed in? For example... certain things that are inconvenient to speak of before outsiders..."

"You! Hmph!"

At his words, Xuanyi's cheeks instantly turned crimson, as though dyed by the evening glow. Knowing she could not outargue this old friend with his frightening insight, she simply turned away, leaving Xuankongzi only her graceful yet faintly angry back. Yet her gaze remained firmly fixed upon the stone door.

Seeing this, Xuankongzi smiled slightly and stopped pressing the matter. Instead, he gently reassured her, "All right, don't worry. I can sense that although the energy inside is violent, it has maintained a strange balance throughout. Little Chen's heartbeat and aura are also steady and powerful."

"Besides, hadn't he already prepared that peak seventh-tier medicinal pill, the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, before entering seclusion?"

When he mentioned the pill, his tone carried a trace of complexity. "This pill was created through Yao Chen's painstaking efforts back then. Its formula is exceptionally demanding, its success rate terribly low, and its medicinal effect overbearing. Yet it can protect the heart meridians and harmonize yin and yang during a breakthrough to Dou Zun, greatly increasing the chance of success. Since Little Chen prepared this pill, he must have made thorough preparations."

Upon hearing the name "Yao Chen," Xuanyi's expression did not change in the slightest, as though she had merely heard an irrelevant stranger's name. Her entire focus remained on the figure beyond the stone door.

Xuankongzi took in her reaction, silently shook his head, and finally understood a misunderstanding from many years ago.

Back then, they had seen Xuanyi frequently associating with Yao Chen, who was at the height of his fame and already a peak Seventh-tier Alchemist. The two often discussed alchemy, so they had naturally assumed that Xuanyi had feelings for Yao Chen.

Yao Chen possessed extraordinary talent, and his character had seemed decent enough at the time. Old friends like them had even secretly tried to bring the two together.

Yet, when Yao Chen and his disciple Han Feng mysteriously vanished together several years ago, causing no small stir in the Central Plains, Xuanyi's reaction caught everyone by surprise—she showed not the slightest worry or grief. Her life and cultivation continued as normal, and she even began leaving more frequently.

At first, Xuankongzi and the others did not understand. They thought Xuanyi had secretly discovered traces of Yao Chen.

Out of concern, Xuankongzi had personally followed her in secret. Only then did he discover Su Baichen's existence.

When he first encountered Su Baichen, Xuankongzi had also been filled with doubts. Why did such a young genius share such a close relationship with Xuanyi? He used the influence of a Danta magnate to conduct a detailed secret investigation.

The moment Xuankongzi saw the three words "Su Baichen" in the intelligence report, his heart stirred. He suddenly recalled how Xuanyi would occasionally stare into the distance in a daze when alone, unconsciously letting a single word slip from her lips—"Chen."

They had always thought she meant "Yao Chen," but now it seemed that this "Chen" was more likely "Baichen"!

As he continued reading, the contents of the report moved even the well-traveled Xuankongzi:

Su Baichen, not yet twenty years old, had already reached the peak of Dou Zong and had even stepped into the middle stage of the Seventh-tier Alchemist realm!

What kind of heaven-defying talent was this? Even more astonishingly, the report mentioned that pills refined by his hand often possessed medicinal purity far surpassing similar pills on the market. It was as though his Douqi and Soul Power possessed some unique effect of tempering and elevating medicinal ingredients.

"This boy is no ordinary man!"

Xuankongzi had made that judgment at the time. He knew that what the intelligence report revealed was likely only the tip of the iceberg that this young man was willing to show the outside world. There had to be deeper secrets and greater potential hidden within him.

It was also from that time onward that Xuankongzi developed an extremely strong interest in Su Baichen. He tacitly permitted, and even secretly supported, Xuanyi's association with him. He was very curious where this young man's limit truly lay.