The Jia Ma Imperial Family's Shock: A Ninth-grade Pill?

Within the imperial palace of the Jia Ma Empire.

Jia Xing Tian sat in the seat of honor, his brow tightly furrowed as he looked at the guard standing below.

"Still no information?" Jia Xing Tian asked, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.

The guard lowered his head and replied, "Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, our men have searched every place in the Jia Ma Empire that could be searched. We questioned all the major cities and prominent families, but there truly is no trace of Lu Chuan."

Hearing this, Jia Xing Tian sighed and turned to look at Fa Ma, the president of the Alchemist Association, who was seated beside him.

Fa Ma had just looked over as well. Their eyes met, and in the next instant, they saw the same emotion in each other's gaze: utter shock.

A Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint expert had left absolutely no trace within the Jia Ma Empire. No matter how they thought about it, it was simply too strange.

Just as Jia Xing Tian was about to speak, the palace doors were suddenly pushed open.

Yao Yue and Yao Ye hurried inside. Seeing Jia Xing Tian's expression, Yao Yue asked, "Great-Grandfather, how did it go? Did you find that person?"

Jia Xing Tian shook his head. "No. The guards said there are no clues whatsoever."

Disappointment quickly appeared on Yao Yue's face, while even Yao Ye, the eldest princess beside her, frowned.

At that moment, a golden light suddenly lit up within the palace.

The group froze for a moment before looking up. The familiar Sky Screen had appeared in midair once more.

The Sky Screen displayed new information. It clearly stated that Lu Chuan had comprehended the Ninth-grade Pill, the Phoenix Nirvana Pill. After consuming it, one would possess nine lives and could revive nine times even after being killed.

The moment Yao Yue saw this information, she was stunned. Her mouth fell open, and she could not close it for a long while. "A... a Ninth-grade Pill? It can even make someone revive nine times?!"

Fa Ma was dumbfounded as well. As the president of the Jia Ma Empire's Alchemist Association, his attainments in alchemy might not have matched those of Gu He, the Pill King, but he was still among the very best.

But a Ninth-grade Pill that allowed someone to revive nine times? Forget refining one—he had never even heard of such a thing.

Fa Ma drew a sharp breath, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Ninth-grade Pills are already exceedingly rare. Across the entire continent, the number of alchemists capable of refining them can be counted on one hand."

"But a pill that allows someone to revive nine times? This old man has never heard of it. It has completely surpassed the scope of Ninth-grade Pills..."

Yao Ye also saw the contents of the Sky Screen, and her expression was equally astonished. "Great-Grandfather, Ninth-grade Pills are already the finest pills on the continent. If Lu Chuan can refine a Ninth-grade Pill, just how powerful must his alchemy be?"

After staring at the Sky Screen for a moment, Jia Xing Tian said, "Think about it. Anyone capable of refining Ninth-grade Pills must at least be a Ninth-grade Alchemist. And anyone capable of creating such a heaven-defying pill formula likely has talent approaching the legendary Emperor-grade."

"Emperor-grade? Great-Grandfather, what is Emperor-grade?"

Seeing his great-granddaughter's confusion, Jia Xing Tian took a deep breath. "It refers to Emperor-grade Pills, pills that, according to legend, only Dou Emperor-level experts might be able to refine."

"No Dou Emperor has appeared on the Dou Qi Continent for thousands of years. Emperor-grade Pills exist only in legend."

"And yet Lu Chuan can create a pill so close to Emperor-grade. That shows that his talent and strength likely far surpass our imagination."

Fa Ma nodded upon hearing this. "Old Jia is right. Although Ninth-grade Pills are already the highest-grade pills on the continent, truly heaven-defying pill formulas are all existences close to Emperor-grade."

"The fact that Lu Chuan can comprehend a pill formula of this level proves that his talent in alchemy is absolutely among the greatest on the continent. He may even be one of the strongest alchemists in the entire history of the continent."

As Fa Ma spoke, he inhaled sharply again. The shock on his face was beyond description.

Yao Yue and Yao Ye quickly exchanged glances, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

Jia Xing Tian then rose to his feet and walked to the center of the palace. Gazing at the line of golden words on the Sky Screen, he said resolutely, "We must befriend an expert like this, no matter what."

"With the strength of a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint and alchemy talent close to Emperor-grade, if such a person can establish ties with the imperial family, the Jia Ma Empire's position on the continent will be completely transformed."

"Pass down the order. Keep searching, and intensify the effort. No matter the cost, we must find Lu Chuan's whereabouts."

Yao Yue and Yao Ye hurriedly bowed. "Yes, Great-Grandfather!"

Fa Ma also stood and clasped his hands toward Jia Xing Tian. "Old Jia is right. We absolutely cannot miss an expert of this level."

"If he truly is a Ninth-grade Alchemist, the entire alchemy world of the Jia Ma Empire will undergo earth-shaking changes because of his appearance."

Jia Xing Tian nodded afterward, his gaze still fixed on the direction where the Sky Screen had vanished. However, the expression on his face had gradually become one of reverence.

What kind of existence could refine a pill that granted nine revivals?

The golden words on the Sky Screen slowly faded away, but the people in the palace remained where they stood. None of them had recovered from the shock.

Yao Yue murmured, "I wonder what someone capable of refining such a heaven-defying pill looks like..."

Seeing her younger sister's curiosity, Yao Ye glanced at her. "No matter what he looks like, he isn't someone we can casually judge."

Fa Ma heard the sisters' exchange and drew another sharp breath. Even now, he had yet to recover from his earlier shock.

As the president of the Alchemist Association, he understood better than anyone the value of a Ninth-grade Pill. He understood even more clearly how terrifying someone capable of creating such a pill formula would be. He secretly thought that if he could meet Lu Chuan once in his lifetime, even if only to glimpse him from afar, it would be something worth boasting about for the rest of his life.

The Sky Screen had disappeared, yet Jia Xing Tian, Fa Ma, and the others stood there in silence for an unknown length of time.

The entire hall was deathly quiet, with only the sound of several people breathing remaining.

At that moment, Jia Xing Tian muttered to himself, With the strength of a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint and alchemy talent close to Emperor-grade, if such a person stood on the side of the Jia Ma Empire, perhaps no one on the entire Dou Qi Continent would dare become an enemy of the imperial family, would they?