The Deal

It wasn't until word got out about her second brother, Tang Hao, committing bestiality with a woman, that the various major powers came knocking at the Clear Sky Sect's door. Her grandfather, Tang Chen, had disappeared and failed to show himself. Her father had come under pressure from all sides and died after the sect closed its gates. Her eldest brother, Tang Xiao, had then succeeded him as sect master of the Clear Sky Sect.

The sect master's branch had become infamous, and her identity as the daughter of the Clear Sky Sect's sect master had suddenly become far less valuable.

But Tang Yuehua wasn't someone content with an ordinary life. She had volunteered to secure supplies and intelligence for the Clear Sky Sect while it remained secluded, and found her own path.

Now Tang Xiao had gone missing, and the Clear Sky Sect's elders were confronting her in a commanding, forceful tone. Tang Yuehua felt helpless. She could only placate them while searching for Tang Xiao.

Where could she look?

Naturally, Spirit Hall.

Tang Yuehua had spent so long among the nobility that she'd learned all about saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back, being a hypocrite, and scheming against one another.

She hadn't dared to say outright that she was there for Tang Xiao. Instead, she said she'd heard that a Spirit Hall convoy had been ambushed, condemned the shameless attackers, and only at the end tactfully asked who had been caught. She could help demand an explanation.

Qian Xunji found it a little amusing. The owner of Moonlight Pavilion, a school for aristocratic etiquette, was herself related to the attackers. Tang Yuehua had neither the strength nor the standing to condemn anyone.

Setting the letter aside like it was a joke, Qian Xunji opened the one from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

It began with the same greeting commonly used by the nobility, but Ning Fengzhi was clearly more confident and spoke much more frankly.

He got straight to the point, asking for Spirit Hall's Soul Power Breakthrough Pills. The terms he offered were generous, and he didn't mention the robbery of Spirit Hall's convoy at all.

Qian Xunji assigned the deal to an elder, but reminded him that the Soul Power Breakthrough Pill didn't have a hundred percent success rate. He had to make that clear to Ning Fengzhi, to avoid disputes later and damage to Spirit Hall's reputation.

In truth, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's inability to break through level eighty was a flaw in the Martial Soul. Even with a Soul Power Breakthrough Pill, the odds of success were low.

Dugu Yan, Huyan Qian, Huyan Shan, and the newly recruited Feng Xiaotian had also come to Spirit City and enrolled at Spirit Hall Academy.

Dugu Bo was negotiating with Chrysanthemum Douluo over Dugu Yan joining the Martial Soul Hall Team and helping Spirit Hall Academy win the exchange tournament. He wanted to get another Immortal Pill for his granddaughter, preferably one that could bring about Martial Soul Evolution for Yan Yan.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was getting a headache from arguing with him. "If the students who win the exchange tournament really get an Immortal Pill, then what about the Huyan brothers, Huyan Qian and Huyan Shan? And what about Her Highness Qian Renxue and the others? Do they get Immortal Pills too? Will every team that wins an exchange tournament get one from now on?"

Chrysanthemum Douluo knew how Spirit Hall's reward and punishment system worked. It would distinguish between different levels of merit, but the general principles wouldn't change.

And now that the initial "testing phase" was over, Spirit Hall had tightened its control over Immortal Pills. Apart from Titled Douluos who had earned merit and could apply for one or two depending on the circumstances, only students who excelled at the academy could earn Immortal Pills as rewards by passing a test.

Ghost Douluo had gotten his three Immortal Pills back when the rules had yet to be fully established. Chrysanthemum Douluo had quietly bent them for him.

"Fine. You say a Titled Douluo who earns great merit can get two Immortal Pills. Then what counts as great merit?" Dugu Bo had finally lost his patience.

Dugu Bo had lost his father in childhood, his son in middle age, and spent his later years alone, with only his granddaughter Dugu Yan by his side.

Yan Yan's talent had once seemed fixed. She was an ordinary genius, but he had still raised her well and searched for a way to deal with the Jade Phosphor Snake Poison.

Now that he knew his granddaughter had a chance to go further, how could he not help her?

Chrysanthemum Douluo finally heard the answer he'd wanted and smiled. "Old Poison, we've known each other for years."

Years of fighting each other to the death.

"Don't say I never help you. There's a special channel open right now. As long as you join the Alchemy Hall, you can apply for two Immortal Pills as one of its members."

At first, Chrysanthemum Douluo hadn't really understood what these benefits meant, but...

He'd learned how useful they were once he'd started using them.

These internal benefits were a major reason the Alchemy Hall had grown so quickly in such a short time.

"Join the Alchemy Hall? What can I do there?" Poison Douluo wasn't particularly gifted in pharmacology, but how should he put it?

Long illness makes a good doctor. After studying for so many years, he'd become an expert in pharmacology through sheer persistence.

Alchemy and medicine were closely related. Compared with those apprentices, Dugu Bo was something of a "genius," with a solid foundation.

That was exactly why Chrysanthemum Douluo wanted to bring him into the Alchemy Hall.

He really needed someone to help him make pills.

Old Ghost had already helped him with the miscellaneous administrative work, but he simply couldn't learn alchemy.

Old Poison had arrived at just the right time.

"That's easy. Let me tell you about the Alchemy Hall's work. It's actually simple: you just have to learn alchemy and make a tiny, tiny bit of medicine. After that, there are all kinds of benefits. Members get a twenty percent discount when redeeming pills..."

Chapter 90: The Deal

Chrysanthemum Douluo had become an old hand at recruiting people.

He spoke at length, making all the benefits sound irresistible. The Alchemy Hall seemed to have a bright future ahead of it, which was true.

He even used himself and Ghost Douluo as examples.

That was how people were. Once they had a goal, they had the motivation to pursue it.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was already quite old and had no children. The only thing left for him to strive for was his career.

Now that Bian Que, the Alchemy Hall's master, had chosen to delegate authority, Chrysanthemum Douluo's desire for power was fully satisfied.

Although he was exhausted every day, he felt fulfilled and full of motivation!

To trick—

No, to invite Dugu Bo into the Alchemy Hall, Chrysanthemum Douluo had even put on makeup to cover his pale complexion and dark circles.

"If you make an outstanding contribution, you might even get an Immortal Pill, raise your Soul Power Level, and perhaps become a Super Douluo."

He painted a grand, enticing picture.

Dugu Bo was quite satisfied and finally agreed to join the Alchemy Hall.

Chrysanthemum Douluo immediately took the Immortal Pill and application form he'd prepared from his Space Soul Tool and had Dugu Bo fill it out, leaving him no chance to change his mind.

In short, everyone was satisfied with the result.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect

Ning Fengzhi met with the elder in charge of the deal.

Following His Holiness the Pope's instructions, the elder said, "The Soul Power Breakthrough Pill doesn't have a hundred percent success rate. There's still a chance of failure. Sect Master Ning, are you sure you want to go through with the deal?"

Ning Fengzhi nodded.

He was a businessman who investigated and inspected every deal in advance.

He'd proposed this deal only after finding out that nearly all the stewards and hall masters who had applied for Soul Power Breakthrough Pills had successfully advanced. Only a very small number had failed.

"I'm well aware of that. As long as the pills are genuine, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can bear the consequences." Ning Fengzhi waved his hand, speaking magnanimously.

In other words, the pills had to be proven genuine.

"Good. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's order is for five seventh-tier Soul Power Breakthrough Pills. They're all here." The Spirit Hall elder nodded and waved his hand, taking a white jade medicine bottle out of his Space Soul Tool.

He uncorked the bottle, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted out. With a lift of his Soul Power, he drew out the five pale blue pills one by one, letting them float in midair before everyone.

Looking at the pills he'd dreamed of obtaining, Ning Fengzhi's eyes grew animated. His usually calm, elegant face showed a hint of urgency.

"Are these Soul Power Breakthrough Pills that can help a Soul Emperor advance?"

"Exactly. Sect Master Ning, would you like to test one?" The Spirit Hall elder nodded, remembering His Holiness the Pope's instructions. He wouldn't give anyone an opportunity to slander them.

The pills had to be tested on the spot.

Ning Fengzhi nodded as well. That was exactly what he wanted.

"Zhang Li, come here!"

At his words, a middle-aged man who had been standing behind Ning Fengzhi stepped forward.

The man's Soul Rings lit up: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.

He was a level seventy-nine Soul Saint with the optimal Soul Ring configuration.

He wasn't a Soul Master with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, of course. Among those with that Martial Soul, Ning Fengzhi was currently the only one who had reached level seventy-nine.

Zhang Li was a commoner Soul Master who had married into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He had decent talent and was something of a young genius, but had been stuck at level seventy-nine for a long time. Ning Fengzhi had recognized his loyalty and decided to give him this opportunity.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was the most unusual of the Upper Three Sects. Its fighting strength depended entirely on allies recruited from outside. Most of them married Soul Masters with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul and joined forces to build the sect.

The Spirit Hall elder swept his sleeve, and the five crystal-clear, pale blue pills floated over to Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi smiled as he accepted them, took out one, and handed it to the middle-aged man.

"Take it."

"Thank you, Sect Master!" The man clasped his hands gratefully, bowed, and accepted the pill. Smelling its faint medicinal fragrance, he swallowed nervously.

Then he opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. It melted almost as soon as it touched his tongue.

The effects took hold quickly.

Soul Power surged violently through Zhang Li's body. He had no time to worry about manners; he sat down cross-legged on the spot and circulated his Soul Power along its usual path.

His long-blocked bottleneck began to loosen under the impact, while a great deal of Soul Power and energy nourished his body and talent.

He had been stuck at level seventy-nine for a long time and had plenty of experience. He seized the opening and broke through in one push.

The whole process took only a little over ten minutes.

Watching the effects of the pill, Ning Fengzhi was so excited that he immediately put away the remaining four precious pills.

The deal was done. The Spirit Hall elder took what he'd received and left.

Ning Fengzhi personally saw him out with a smile.

Watching the white-robed elder walk away, Sword Douluo frowned. "The Soul Power Breakthrough Pill is so powerful. Spirit Hall is only going to grow stronger."

The excited smile on Ning Fengzhi's face stiffened, turning bitter. "Spirit Hall already overpowers the Upper Three Sects and the two empires. Didn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's Thunder Douluo try to seize the Soul Power Breakthrough Pills? And didn't he disappear?"

"Uncle Jian, the best thing to do now is negotiate openly and politely." They couldn't win in a fight, after all.

Sword Douluo fell silent and turned to leave.

He still had a dream: to challenge Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined, Qian Daoliu, and prove that the Seven Kill Sword was not weak, in honor of his father, who had died after losing a challenge.

Spirit Hall, Alchemy Hall

After waiting for a while, once the Enshrined had gathered the materials, Bian Que got straight to work and refined the Soul Power Breakthrough Pills.