The young master jumped into the lake to bathe

Time passed little by little, and the warm energy gathered in his dantian gradually grew hotter.

Boom!

Countless streams of energy flowed through his sea of consciousness, pouring endlessly toward the blazing mass in his dantian. Soon, the shape of a Pill Cauldron began to take form! A muffled boom rang out, and the true qi within his dantian seemed to catch fire, burning straight into his meridians.

Although the temperature had been high to begin with, Tang Yan could still endure it. As time passed, however, his skin grew scalding hot and crimson.

He had intended to hold out a little longer, but when he noticed wisps of white vapor rising from his body and felt his consciousness fading, he could endure it no more. Without even stopping to dress, he flung open the door and rushed outside.

"Young master, where are you going... Ah!" Hearing the commotion, Xiao Cui poked her little head out the window. By the bright moonlight, she saw just how uninhibited her young master was being. Her mouth fell open, and her pretty face instantly flushed scarlet. She stamped her little feet and gave an embarrassed, indignant huff, but ultimately felt too ashamed to follow him out.

Splash! A tremendous splash broke the silence of the night, echoing through the rear courtyard.

Old Master Tang had already reached Profound Tier Ninth Grade and was a formidable expert in every sense, with naturally exceptional hearing. His heart lurched when he heard the sound. Wasn't that the direction of that little brat's residence?

"What happened?" Old Master Tang strode out of his study and bellowed.

"Master, the young master jumped into the lake to bathe." A figure emerged from the shadows.

"That little scoundrel!" Old Master Tang was so furious that his mouth nearly twisted crooked. He had only just thought the boy had turned over a new leaf, yet less than a day later, he had reverted to his old ways. It was early autumn, and although the weather was not cold, the lake water at night was more than an ordinary person could endure. What madness had seized that brat now?

The last shred of hope he had held for Tang Yan vanished completely after this latest spectacle of the young master making a fool of himself before everyone. He heaved a heavy sigh, flicked his sleeve, and left.

As for Young Master Tang, once he plunged into the lake and felt its cooling embrace, he finally found relief. The Supreme Pill Canon was truly overbearing. His very first cultivation session was tempering not his dantian, but his meridians!

The fire-like true qi continuously tempered his meridians, forcing impurities out through his pores.

After a whole night of torment, the true qi finally settled, and Tang Yan slowly opened his eyes.

"That feels amazing!" Tang Yan swam ashore and stretched his limbs. Sensing his strength, he discovered that he had reached Origin Tier Third Grade in a single night, and could not help marveling at this wondrous cultivation method.

Perhaps because his cultivation had advanced, his thoughts now flowed freely, and he saw his current circumstances with greater clarity.

The Tang Family was now in decline, while undercurrents surged through Cloud City. The various great lineages made no secret of their desire to carve up the Tang Family. Yet as long as he remained alive, Old Master Tang's fierce protectiveness would drive him to resist to the death, making him difficult to restrain. Only once Tang Yan died and his grandfather lost all spirit and vigor would the Tang Family become much easier to deal with.

You want to destroy the Tang Family? Like hell I'll let you have your way! A ruthless glint flashed through Tang Yan's eyes. He failed to contain the faint trace of killing intent, and the imposing aura of a Pill Emperor erupted from him.

The aura vanished in an instant, yet it still sent a shock through the experts within the Tang Family. It had lasted so briefly, however, that they wondered whether they had imagined it.

While the Tang Family's experts were still bewildered and uncertain, Young Master Tang had already changed into a white robe edged with gold, looking extraordinarily luxurious. With a folding fan in his hand, anyone unaware of his true character would surely have taken him for some elegant young nobleman.

Although his strength was only at Origin Tier Third Grade, refining first-grade pills would be effortless with his alchemy experience from his previous life. Unfortunately, the Tang Family did not even own a Pill Cauldron, so he would have to purchase one before he could refine pills.

An ordinary Pill Cauldron cost at least a thousand taels of silver. To stop him from going out and causing trouble again, his grandfather had confiscated every last bit of his usual spending money, leaving him only thirty taels a month.

"I'll have to ask Grandfather for some silver." Just as Tang Yan was fretting over how to broach the subject, he saw someone hurrying toward his door.

"Young master, where are you going? Hurry back and lie down."

"Uncle Mo, what's the matter?" Tang Yan was curious. For minor matters, a servant would ordinarily be sent over. It was rather rare for Uncle Mo to come personally.

Uncle Mo sighed softly. "You had a little altercation with the city lord's daughter last time, young master, and people from the city lord's residence have come to demand an explanation. This time is rather troublesome. Wu Xuan from the Wonderful Elixir Workshop is here as well."

"The Wonderful Elixir Workshop?" Tang Yan paused inwardly, then immediately recalled what he knew about the name. The Wonderful Elixir Workshop was renowned throughout the Fragrance-Hearing Kingdom, and its masters included no shortage of third-grade alchemists. Whether it had any fourth-grade alchemists was unknown, but as a rule, if third-grade alchemists were publicly acknowledged, even stronger experts were usually kept hidden.

Alchemists already enjoyed exalted status. With the shelter of a towering tree like the Wonderful Elixir Workshop behind them, even a second-grade alchemist could swagger through an entire city without anyone daring to provoke them.

It was said that Wu Xuan, the Wonderful Elixir Workshop's chief alchemist, had become a second-grade alchemist before the age of thirty. Rumor also held that she was quite close to Lin Dongxue, the city lord's daughter. Had Wu Xuan come this time to demand justice for Lin Dongxue?

After so many years of growth, there was no telling how many people owed the Wonderful Elixir Workshop favors, nor how many wished to do it a favor. If today's matter was handled poorly and the Wonderful Elixir Workshop became dissatisfied with the Tang Family, those people who begged on their knees for pills would surely join forces against them. The Tang Family might be powerful in Cloud City, but it was not the most powerful. Besides, this was merely tiny Cloud City.

"Uncle Mo, Grandfather wants me to go back and lie down, pretend to be ill to win their sympathy, then compensate the city lord's residence to settle the matter, doesn't he?" Tang Yan asked after a moment's thought.

Uncle Mo froze at his words. The boy had never been this perceptive before.

"Let's go to the front hall. Our Tang Family may not be a lineage at the height of its power, but no one would come away unscathed from an all-out strike by us. Even the city lord's residence would have to consider Grandfather's feelings before laying a hand on me. At the very least, they don't dare do it now!"

Tang Yan chuckled and strolled toward the front hall.

Tang Yan's words startled Uncle Mo again. Although the Tang Family ranked last among Cloud City's four great lineages, it was still a great lineage. If it threw caution to the wind and mustered its full strength against any power in Cloud City, even the city lord's residence would suffer a devastating blow. Those people might covet the Tang Family's assets, but as long as the old master had a breath left in him, who would truly dare to kill Tang Yan openly?

Watching Tang Yan stroll ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, his white brocade robe lending him an air of effortless elegance, Uncle Mo fell into a momentary daze. If the young master had steeled himself to practice martial arts back then, surely a member of the Tang Family would now be stirring the winds and clouds among Cloud City's younger generation?