Taking Disciples, Ten-Thousandfold Returns: Starting from Battle Through the Heavens

Everyone was dressed in immaculate brocade robes, their attire lavish and polished. Clearly, none of them were ordinary figures.

The moment they entered the hall, Qin Hao immediately became the focus of everyone present. More than ninety percent of the gazes in the room fell upon him.

The main reason they had come to this banquet hosted by the imperial family was Qin Hao.

A sixth-tier alchemist, and one so young—they naturally wanted to make his acquaintance, or at the very least become a familiar face to him.

In their eyes, if they could establish even a small connection with Qin Hao, it would bring enormous benefits to their respective factions.

Qin Hao's soul realm was extraordinarily powerful, and his perception was naturally incomparably sharp. He had practically seen through everyone's reactions, and none of it surprised him in the slightest.

He could more or less guess what these people were thinking.

However, Qin Hao did not care much. As he had said before, as long as the benefits were sufficient and there was no harm to himself, he did not mind interacting with certain people.

As the host, Jia Xing Tian then introduced some of the guests to Qin Hao.

Naturally, those personally introduced by Jia Xing Tian were all true top figures in the hall.

For example, there was the head of the Mu Family, one of the three great families of the Imperial Capital; Nalan Su of the Nalan Family, Nalan Yanran's father; and Mitre Tengshan, the patriarch of the Mitre Family.

There was also one special figure—the president of the Jia Ma Alchemist Association, Fama.

Within the Jia Ma Empire, his alchemy was second only to Pill King Gu He. Since the plot had not yet begun, Fama was currently only a fifth-tier alchemist.

His alchemy was roughly on par with Elder Huo's from before. Both were peak fifth-tier alchemists, only a step away from becoming sixth-tier alchemists.

Fama was naturally extremely enthusiastic toward Qin Hao, this young sixth-tier alchemist. Clearly, he too wished to forge a good relationship with him.

After introducing Qin Hao to several of the important figures present, Jia Xing Tian went to greet the other guests. After all, this was a banquet organized by the imperial family, and he could not remain by Qin Hao's side the entire time while neglecting everyone else.

However, he left Yao Ye and Yao Yue behind.

After Jia Xing Tian departed, those whom he had not introduced began approaching Qin Hao one after another to offer him drinks.

Since Qin Hao came from the powerful Canaan Academy and was also a formidable sixth-tier alchemist, no ridiculous incidents occurred at the banquet. No fool came to provoke him or stir up trouble.

After all, he was not the protagonist Xiao Yan, and did not possess the protagonist's unique aura that attracted mockery. Of course, the most important reason was that Qin Hao was powerful enough and held sufficiently high status.

In the original story, when Xiao Yan came to the Imperial Capital to fulfill the three-year agreement, he was repeatedly targeted and provoked by Mu Zhan of the Mu Family and Liu Ling, Gu He's disciple.

Aside from the protagonist's mysterious mockery-attracting aura, the main reason was that Xiao Yan was not strong enough.

If he had been sufficiently powerful, with enough strength behind him, then it would not have mattered whether Nalan Yanran and Liu Ling, or Ya Fei and Mu Zhan, had no relationship at all—even if they truly had been lovers, so what?

As long as one was strong enough, even forcibly taking them would leave the other party too afraid to utter a word. They might even take the initiative to present themselves.

Since none of those ridiculous incidents happened, the atmosphere throughout the banquet was naturally quite harmonious. In the end, both host and guests enjoyed themselves.

"Master Qin Hao, please wait!"

Just as the banquet ended and the other guests were leaving, Qin Hao was also about to rise and depart when the Eldest Princess Yao Ye spoke.

"May I ask if Your Highness has any other business with me?"

Qin Hao asked. However, he was not surprised in the slightest. He clearly understood that the Jia Ma Royal Family would not have arranged such an extravagant and grand banquet merely to treat him to a meal.

"Master Qin Hao, my great-grandfather has asked me to invite you over," Yao Ye said.

"Is that so? Then lead the way."

Qin Hao did not refuse. Under Yao Ye's guidance, he arrived at an exquisite courtyard within the palace and met Jia Xing Tian once more.

"Great-grandfather, I'll take my leave first."

After bringing Qin Hao there, Yao Ye withdrew.

"Master Qin Hao, did you enjoy yourself tonight?" Jia Xing Tian asked with a smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Elder Jia. I was very satisfied," Qin Hao replied directly. This was not mere politeness; he truly had been quite satisfied with tonight's banquet.

"Hahaha, as long as you were satisfied. As long as you were satisfied."

"Master Qin Hao has only just arrived in the Jia Ma Empire and is unfamiliar with the place. The Jia Ma Royal Family can be considered the local host of the Jia Ma Empire. If Master Qin Hao needs anything, you may come to us for help.

That would also allow us to fulfill our duties as hosts."

Seeing this, Jia Xing Tian spoke at once.

"Then thank you, Elder Jia. If I need anything, I certainly will not stand on ceremony," Qin Hao said.

"May I ask why Elder Jia has summoned me here?"

Immediately afterward, Qin Hao stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. Clearly, he had no interest in exchanging pleasantries.

"Er... Master Qin Hao is indeed forthright. Since that is the case, this old man will not beat around the bush either. In truth, I asked Master Qin Hao here because I have a favor to ask."

Jia Xing Tian was briefly stunned when Qin Hao got right to the point, but he quickly recovered. Naturally, he understood Qin Hao's meaning. Since Qin Hao did not wish to waste words, he went straight to the matter as well.

"A favor? Elder Jia wishes to ask me to refine a medicinal pill?"

Qin Hao asked despite knowing the answer.

"You could say that," Jia Xing Tian said.

"Tell me the details."

Qin Hao replied.

"It is like this. Our imperial family has a guardian magical beast, a sixth-tier Nethersea Flood Dragon. It has protected the imperial family for several centuries and rendered great service to us.

However, years of battle have left the Nethersea Flood Dragon with severe hidden injuries. Our imperial family previously invited quite a few alchemists to examine it, but unfortunately, they could only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."

Jia Xing Tian explained.

"The Nethersea Flood Dragon... I never expected the Jia Ma Royal Family to possess such a powerful guardian magical beast. But as far as I know, there is also a sixth-tier alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire. Does he have no solution either?"

Qin Hao feigned confusion. After all, he had only just arrived in the Jia Ma Empire, so such a reaction was perfectly normal.

"Er... Master Qin Hao may not know this, but Pill King Gu He is indeed a sixth-tier alchemist. However, he is a guest elder of the Misty Cloud Sect. The relationship between our imperial family and the Misty Cloud Sect... so, you understand."

Jia Xing Tian did not doubt Qin Hao's question and directly explained the reason.

"I see. It seems I was poorly informed."

Qin Hao said with an enlightened expression.

"Master Qin Hao is too modest. This is no secret within the Jia Ma Empire," Jia Xing Tian said, waving his hand.

"Elder Jia wants me to refine a medicinal pill to treat the Nethersea Flood Dragon's injuries?"

Qin Hao asked.

"Precisely! I hope Master Qin Hao will lend us a hand. As long as Master Qin Hao can cure the Nethersea Flood Dragon, the Jia Ma Imperial Family is willing to pay any price, so long as it is within our means!"

Jia Xing Tian said.

The Nethersea Flood Dragon was simply too important to the Jia Ma Imperial Family. In some respects, it was even more important than Jia Xing Tian himself.

Though he was a peak Dou Emperor, he was no longer young. If he could not break through to the Dou Sect realm, he likely did not have many years left to live.

But the Nethersea Flood Dragon was different. It was a sixth-tier magical beast, and magical beasts had exceptionally long lifespans, far longer than humans of the same realm.

If the Nethersea Flood Dragon's injuries could be healed, then with the vitality of a sixth-tier magical beast, living another two or three hundred years would clearly not be a problem.

By then, even if Jia Xing Tian fell, with the Jia Ma Empire's foundation and such a long period of time, cultivating several more Dou Emperors would not be difficult.

"Is that so? It is not impossible for me to help. As an alchemist, aside from Heavenly Flames, high-grade medicinal ingredients, and high-grade magical cores, I have little interest in anything else."

Qin Hao stopped wasting words and directly stated his demands.

Of course, Qin Hao did not expect the Jia Ma Imperial Family to produce something like a Heavenly Flame.

Not to mention whether they had one—if they did, Jia Xing Tian would never offer it.

His true targets were high-grade medicinal ingredients and high-grade magical cores.

Upon hearing Qin Hao's words, Jia Xing Tian's eyes immediately lit up.

"That is wonderful! Heavenly Flames are wondrous treasures of heaven and earth, and the Jia Ma Imperial Family does not possess one. But we do have quite a collection of high-grade medicinal ingredients and magical cores!"

Jia Xing Tian said immediately.

"In that case, take me to see the Nethersea Flood Dragon's condition first."

Qin Hao said.

"Good! Master Qin Hao, please follow me!"

Jia Xing Tian said excitedly. He was not afraid that Qin Hao would demand an exorbitant price. To the Jia Ma Imperial Family, as long as the Nethersea Flood Dragon could be cured, they could accept paying some price.

Led by Jia Xing Tian, Qin Hao headed directly to the back mountain behind the palace. In the end, they stopped before a massive lake there.

At that moment, Qin Hao could sense a powerful aura lurking beneath the lake. Its presence had unmistakably reached the level of a sixth-tier magical beast.

However, the aura was clearly strong on the outside but weak within. It was obvious that it was injured. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be the Nethersea Flood Dragon.

Bang!

Jia Xing Tian stepped directly into the air above the lake, then condensed his vast Dou Qi into a giant hand and struck the surface of the water. In an instant, water sprayed into the sky.

He was clearly not attacking the Nethersea Flood Dragon, but waking it up. Because the Nethersea Flood Dragon was in poor condition, it normally remained asleep.

Otherwise, a normal sixth-tier magical beast would likely have noticed Qin Hao's group long ago.

Splash!

At that moment, the entire lake suddenly began to boil. Then, an enormous column of water shot into the sky from the center of the lake before turning into a rain of droplets.

Along with it, a terrifying colossal creature surfaced from beneath the lake. It was a gigantic python over a hundred meters long.

Its winding body was covered in deep-blue scales that reflected a chilling gleam beneath the sunlight. On its massive head was a single blue, spiraled horn, while a pair of lantern-like eyes made for a truly frightening sight.