The refining chamber's door was tightly shut, and the faint sounds of the pill furnace at work drifted out from time to time.
Everyone in the great hall held their breath. No one dared make the slightest sound that might disturb the refining inside.
Jia Xingtian in particular stood at the very front, his hands clenched tightly into fists, his palms covered in cold sweat. He had waited more than half his life for this day. Whether he could break through to Dou Zong shortly depended entirely on this batch of pills.
If it succeeded, he would become the Jia Ma Empire's first Dou Zong expert in centuries, and the Imperial Family's position would be secured once and for all.
If it failed, there was no telling how long he would have to wait for another chance.
At that thought, Jia Xingtian grew increasingly nervous, and even his breathing became somewhat hurried.
Fa Ma stood beside him, his expression tinged with solemnity as he glanced at the tightly shut door from time to time.
Pill King Gu He stood a little farther away, but his expression kept shifting, and his mind raced through the possibilities. If that young man really refined a Sect Breaking Pill, and Jia Xingtian broke through to Dou Zong after taking it, the balance of power in the Jia Ma Empire would probably change completely.
Once Jia Xingtian became a Dou Zong expert, he would undoubtedly be the undisputed strongest person in the Jia Ma Empire.
The Imperial Family's previous wariness of the Misty Cloud Sect would probably diminish considerably as well. After all, before a Dou Zong, the Misty Cloud Sect's meager foundations would be nowhere near enough.
Thinking of this, Gu He was filled with countless emotions. Although he himself was a sixth-tier alchemist, he simply could not refine a pill like the Sect Breaking Pill. Yet the other party, a twenty-year-old young man, could refine one with casual ease. Faced with such a gap, he had no choice but to concede.
At that moment, Hai Bodong stood beside Mittel Tengshan, feeling somewhat excited as well.
Although he had now recovered his strength as a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor, he had been stuck at this bottleneck for years, always searching for an opportunity to break through.
If he could get his hands on a Sect Breaking Pill like that, it would be incredible.
At that thought, Hai Bodong could not help glancing at Mittel Tengshan beside him before exclaiming softly.
"To think Lord Lu can even refine Sect Breaking Pills. This really is extraordinary. Twenty years old, a seventh-tier alchemist, and able to casually refine a special sixth-grade pill like this."
"Someone like him would be as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns across the entire Northwest Continent."
Hearing this, Mittel Tengshan nodded repeatedly, his expression full of reverence. "Indeed. And Lord Lu isn't just an outstanding alchemist. His own strength is even more unfathomable."
"Earlier, outside my auction house, he casually released a trace of his presence, and it frightened my guards so badly they could barely stand."
Hearing this, Hai Bodong was even more shocked. As a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor, he was extremely sensitive to powerful presences.
A presence that could leave guards unable to stand steadily had to be at least at the Dou Emperor level or above. A twenty-year-old young man whose alchemy had reached the seventh tier, and whose own strength was unfathomable.
Someone like that would be an extremely terrifying existence even across the entire continent.
Hai Bodong secretly thought to himself, I must make sure to build a good relationship with this Lord Lu from now on.
After hearing these assessments, everyone inwardly sucked in a breath of cold air. The same thought surged through each of their minds: to think an alchemist as formidable as Lord Lu had actually come from the Xiao Clan of Wutan City.
That small clan, which had been in decline for decades, had actually produced such a terrifying figure. The more they thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.
Xiao Zhan, the patriarch of Wutan City's Xiao Clan, was said to be only a Five-Star Da Dou Shi.
For a young man from such a small place to reach these heights was simply inconceivable.
At that thought, Jia Xingtian could not help shaking his head, marveling at the wonders of fate. Yet just as everyone was making their own calculations, an unusual disturbance suddenly came from outside the great hall.
The previously bright sky abruptly darkened, and great banks of black clouds blocked the sunlight, casting the entire imperial palace beneath a shadow.
Immediately afterward, a powerful presence pressed down from high above, carrying an overbearing, tyrannical pressure.
Jia Xingtian's expression instantly changed, and he suddenly looked up toward the sky above the great hall.
An enormous magical beast circled high overhead, its outstretched wings blotting out the sky and sun. Purple scales covered its body, glinting with a cold metallic sheen in the gloomy light.
The magical beast was immense, at least several zhang long, with a thick horn growing from its head, exposed fangs, and blood-red eyes. A terrifying, savage presence radiated from its entire body.
A pair of broad wings also grew from its back, raising a gale with every beat.
When Jia Xingtian saw the magical beast clearly, he recoiled a step in shock. "This... what is this thing?"
Fa Ma beside him also raised his head to look at the sky, and his expression filled with terror.
"A sixth-rank magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King! Why would a magical beast like this appear here?"
Hai Bodong's expression also turned grave. As a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor, he knew the strength of sixth-rank magical beasts very well.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was considered particularly powerful even among sixth-rank magical beasts. Even at his prime, he would not have dared underestimate it. "Why has the Amethyst Winged Lion King come to the skies above the imperial palace?"
"This kind of magical beast usually lives deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range. It never approaches human cities of its own accord."
At the sight, Mittel Tengshan's face also turned pale, and he instinctively retreated two steps. A sixth-rank magical beast like the Amethyst Winged Lion King was equivalent to a human Dou Emperor expert.
If it charged down from the sky, even if those present could stop it, they probably would not have an easy time of it.
Yet just as everyone braced themselves against a formidable foe, the Amethyst Winged Lion King suddenly descended from high above and swooped toward the great hall.
Jia Xingtian hurriedly assumed a fighting stance, and the Dou Qi within his body surged wildly.
Yet after landing, the Amethyst Winged Lion King made no move to attack. Instead, it lowered its enormous head, and a deep voice issued from its mouth. "Master! I'm here!"
The moment that cry of "Master" rang out, everyone present froze. Jia Xingtian's eyes widened, and his mouth hung slightly open, unable to close for a long while.
Fa Ma's face was likewise filled with disbelief, and he stood rooted to the spot, utterly motionless.
Pill King Gu He was completely dumbfounded, his mind utterly blank. Hai Bodong beside him also wore an expression of shock, and he could not help blurting out.
"Master? What sort of person could actually subdue the Amethyst Winged Lion King? And even make a sixth-rank magical beast come to the imperial palace of its own accord to acknowledge its master!"
This was simply unheard of.
Sixth-rank magical beasts were already exceptionally proud among magical beasts. Even when facing human Dou Huang experts, they never submitted easily. Subduing a sixth-rank magical beast required strength at least at the Dou Zong level or above.
There was not even a single Dou Zong in the entire Jia Ma Empire. How could anyone possibly have subdued the Amethyst Winged Lion King?