A stunning cousin, an alchemy genius, and Strongest Alchemy Mode

"Damn them, how dare they! A mere Blood Sea Forbidden Zone—I banished them to the frontier ten thousand years ago, and now they dare lay hands on my son!"

"Heh. It seems the Blood Sea Forbidden Zone no longer needs to exist in this world!"

Ye Junlin sneered, the slight curve of his lips enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

A trace of worry appeared on Yue Liuli's lovely face. No one understood him better than she did. Once he learned someone had targeted their child, he would slaughter their entire clan and wipe out their legacy.

"Take care of our child. In half a month, the Blood Sea Forbidden Zone will be erased from the Eternal Immortal Domain!"

Such dominance! The dominance of the reigning Divine Emperor!

If they dared touch his child, he would destroy their entire forbidden zone!

As his words fell, Ye Junlin vanished from the spot, slipping into space to crush the forbidden zone!

"Stay safe..."

Before Yue Liuli could say the words aloud, she turned her gaze to the child in her arms.

"My child, all that matters is that you live a happy, contented life! With your father and mother here, no one can hurt you."

Tears welled faintly in Ye Tian's eyes. He was deeply moved.

He made a firm resolution in his heart. Don't worry, Mother. Your son will never disappoint you. I'll slack off, lie back, and enjoy a happy life!

Just then, an elder beside her said, "My lady, something major has happened at your Jade Pool Holy Land. They are urging you to return again, saying the Holy Master must oversee the situation personally."

"The young master's cousin happens to be here. Why not leave him in her care?"

Yue Liuli froze for a moment. Looking at the infant in her arms, her lips twisted bitterly, yet there was nothing she could do.

Most likely, something had gone wrong with that fellow at the holy land, requiring her to return.

"Tian'er, Mother loves you. I wish I could stay beside you all day, but I have difficulties of my own."

In that brief interval, the elder had already summoned Ye Tian's cousin.

"Greetings, elders. Greetings, my lady!"

A graceful figure appeared, slender and exquisitely beautiful, with pearly teeth, delicate red lips, and eyes like crystal gems that captivated anyone who looked into them.

She was Ye Tian's cousin, Ye Linglong, a peerless beauty whose talent and brilliance were equally astonishing.

Among the younger generation of the Eternal Immortal Domain, she was renowned as one of the very best.

After paying her respects, she immediately noticed Ye Tian in Yue Liuli's arms.

That single instant became a moment etched forever in her heart.

Ye Linglong had devoted herself entirely to cultivation and never had any other interests. Yet seeing Ye Tian today stirred her heart, filling her with genuine affection.

His little face was milky white, his little hands soft, and drool dribbled out whenever he smiled.

Seeing this, Yue Liuli handed Ye Tian to Ye Linglong, who grew even fonder of the milky-white little child.

She teased him with her slender, jade-like fingers before cuddling him close.

Ye Tian had been sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms, only to suddenly feel squeezed and short of breath. He understood that he had his cousin's broad, ample bosom to thank for all this, and could only grumble silently. Boohoo...

The more Ye Linglong looked at him, the fonder she became, until she could not resist planting a smacking kiss on his forehead.

Ye Tian felt helpless. You're using this to test a baby? What baby could withstand a test like this?

"In that case, I'll entrust the child to your care."

After Yue Liuli explained the situation, Ye Linglong accepted her instructions and agreed to take good care of Ye Tian.

But... deep down, she was absolutely delighted. The infant was so adorable that she wished she could raise him single-handedly.

Ye Linglong then carried Ye Tian back to her own sleeping quarters.

The sun was sinking behind the western hills, and night was approaching.

"Hehehe, my darling little brother, let your big sister give you a feel."

Ye Linglong put Ye Tian on her bed. In her own territory, she no longer needed to restrain herself and immediately revealed her true nature.

That night, Ye Tian was utterly exhausted, both in body and spirit. He suffered Ye Linglong's "abuse," and in the end, she even slept with him in her arms.

That alone would have been tolerable. The problem was... since Ye Linglong saw him as an infant, she had no guard up whatsoever and bared everything before him.

"Ah, you smell so lovely, little brother. From now on, your big sister will hold you while she sleeps."

Reluctantly lifting her face from Ye Tian's little belly, Ye Linglong suddenly said:

"Oh, right. You'll meet your cousin in a bit. His name is Ye Dan, and people call him 'the greatest alchemy genius, unrivaled throughout the ages.'"

With that, she gave a loud huff. A trace of defiance appeared on her beautiful face as she muttered resentfully.

"Tch, what's so great about him? He can't even beat me in a fight. It's only alchemy—can't anyone learn it with a little practice? I've spent three whole years learning this time. Just wait until I make that smug, self-important genius's eyes pop out!"

Ye Tian's eyes shifted, and he laughed inwardly.

This gifted cousin, so composed and courteous before the elders and his mother, was actually this unwilling to admit defeat in private.

If the young disciples who admired her saw this, their eyes really would "pop out"!

Still, alchemy...

According to the system's introduction...

Alchemist was an exceptionally prestigious profession, regardless of one's cultivation strength.

Pills were divided into eight grades, from highest to lowest: Universe, Flood, Desolation, and Wilderness; Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow. Above the Universe, Flood, Desolation, and Wilderness grades were saint-grade pills, followed by the highest level, divine-grade pills.

However, even the Eternal Immortal Domain's finest alchemists could currently only produce perfected saint-grade pills.

Ye Linglong carried Ye Tian to a plaza.

Then, with a flash of white light...

A handsome young man in white appeared before Ye Linglong, his eyes bright as stars.

Despite his youth, there was not a hint of childishness or frivolity on his handsome face. His thick brows were knitted, as though he were pondering some difficult problem.

At first sight, Ye Tian almost mistook him for a chemistry PhD from his previous life.

This was none other than Ye Dan.

Upon seeing the two of them, Ye Dan paused briefly, then immediately recognized his newborn little cousin.

The instant his gaze met Ye Tian's, the icy solemnity in his eyes softened.

"Little brother, it's our first meeting. Your big brother will give you a nice present in a bit."

Ye Dan pinched the soft flesh of Ye Tian's cheek, then spoke to Ye Linglong.

"Let's not waste any time, Linglong. Shall we begin?"

The many disciples nearby gathered around, wanting to see what Ye Linglong and Ye Dan were about to do.

Even an elder from the Alchemy Hall was among them.

Ye Linglong first set Ye Tian down in an open space. With a wave of her hand, magical power surged out, forming a protective barrier around him.

"Little brother, stay here by yourself for a little while. Your big sister will be back soon."

Then Ye Linglong and Ye Dan each took out a large cauldron.

Both had three legs and two handles, with runes swirling around them and an ancient aura emanating from them.

"Are Miss Linglong and Young Master Ye Dan going to compete in alchemy?"

A young disciple below spoke, his eyes gleaming as he watched with rapt attention.

After all... both were highly accomplished in alchemy. Ye Dan in particular could already refine saint-grade pills at his young age, placing him on par with the Immortal Domain's very best alchemists.

When everyone saw the ingredients the two had prepared, an uproar broke out!

"This... senior brother, am I seeing things? Those are just ordinary medicinal herbs! Shouldn't you at least use spirit herbs to refine pills?"

One disciple asked the senior brother beside him uncertainly.

Yet his usually composed senior brother now had shining eyes and a face full of reverence:

"What do you know! When Young Master Ye Dan was only five or six, he refined a mystic-grade spirit pill using ordinary herbs!"

"It shook the entire Alchemy Hall! The hall master even declared it the Alchemy Creation Art, turning decay into miracles!!!"

"I knew Young Master Ye Dan had that ability, but could Senior Sister Linglong also—"

Before their eyes...

The two in the plaza wasted no words. They tossed the herbs into their cauldrons, summoned the divine flames they had each obtained, and began refining pills.

Both poured in their magical power and focused intently, afraid of overlooking even the slightest detail.

Ye Tian watched in utter boredom, finding it thoroughly uninteresting.

Enclosed in the protective barrier, he could not leave. He could only obediently stay where he was, without even any toys to play with.

Whatever. I'll play with mud.

At this age, mud is probably all I can play with anyway.

Curiously raising his chubby little hands, Ye Tian grabbed some dirt, dug around, and kneaded it over and over.

"Ding, ding, ding. System program malfunction."

"Ding, ding, ding. Host's cousin possesses extraordinary alchemy talent and is far too awesome. System upgrading automatically."

"Ding, ding, ding. System upgrade successful. Strongest Alchemy Mode activated."

"Strongest Alchemy Mode: refining any pill is as easy for the host as a child playing with mud. No! Simply molding it by hand will suffice."

"First use grants one instance of Material-Free Alchemy."

Listening to the voice in his head, Ye Tian was once again speechless.

This system was all bells and whistles. Who knew what mode it had awakened for him this time?

Besides, the system was useless. With his cousin around, he could eat pills like candy every day and enjoy himself however he pleased. There was no need to toil away refining them himself.

Listening to Ye Tian's inner voice, the system felt rather indignant.

He was a mighty system, with countless resources from all the myriad worlds and so many functions of his own, yet his host actually looked down on him.

Could he tolerate this? Absolutely not!

Seeing his host playing with mud, he immediately activated the first instance of Material-Free Alchemy on his own.

Ye Tian was enthusiastically kneading a mud ball, enjoying himself immensely.

Suddenly, the mud ball in his hand transformed. It released a delicate fragrance, and rings of runes wrapped around it, nourishing his mind and spirit as though he were about to shed his old body and be reborn.

"System, what did you do to my mud ball?"

"Ding. Reporting to the host: this mode allows you to casually refine pills. Even a mud ball can become an immortal pill."

"The system just automatically used the first instance of Material-Free Alchemy, transforming your mud ball into a heaven-grade pill at the Return-to-Origin Realm."

Ye Tian was briefly stunned. Holy shit, this mode is that awesome?

With a casual motion, he had produced a pill at the Return-to-Origin Realm—and a heaven-grade pill at that.

Just then, the contest ended. The pills were complete!

Ye Linglong and Ye Dan each took a pill out of their respective alchemy cauldrons.

Immediately, fragrance enveloped the entire plaza. The rich pill aroma soothed everyone's mind.

However, the pill in Ye Dan's hand bore a full eight Pill Markings and had reached earth grade.

Meanwhile, Ye Linglong's pill had only six Pill Markings and was a Mystic-Grade Pill.

"This, this—Young Master Ye Dan truly lives up to his name! They were just ordinary herbs, yet he refined them into an Earth Grade pill?? Am I seeing things? This is Earth Grade, Earth Grade!!"

"Eight Pill Markings?? An ordinary alchemist could spend a lifetime and countless spirit herbs only to produce one barely acceptable Earth Grade pill. No wonder he's the greatest Alchemy Dao genius of all time, the goal we all aspire to!"

"Miss Linglong is impressive too, refining a Mystic-Grade Pill with six Pill Markings! This rich pill fragrance... ah, I've devoted a hundred years to studying this, yet I can't match a beginner. I'm old, truly old. The waves behind drive on the waves ahead..."

The many Ye Family disciples exclaimed in wonder, their admiration for the two growing ever stronger.

"Look! What is the young master doing?"

Just then, however, the Alchemy Hall elder seemed to discover something and cried out in surprise.

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