Everyone Gained Something

Dou Ying once rose to the position of prime minister, was undoubtedly the most outstanding among the founding marquises.

The repercussions of Dou Ying's imprisonment extended far beyond Chang'an City.

The imperial court's renewed edict seeking talented individuals had a greater impact than any previous one.

This edict seeking talent was not merely a simple call for capable individuals; it also outlined the methods for becoming a marquis in the Great Han Dynasty and the basic criteria for obtaining various official positions.

Many Confucian scholars spread the word, explaining the contents of the court's policies to all corners of the country. They wrote lengthy articles about how to gain merit and promotion, and added a new punishment for those who had previously lost their titles for treason: treason.

The bestowal of titles and honors was a game-changer, disrupting the existing order and exciting countless people across the land.

A generous reward will surely attract brave men, and the number of men flocking to the court seeking titles and ranks is far more than just a handful.

As soon as the decree was issued, countless people flocked to Chang'an City.

It would not be unusual for any feudal lord to come to Chang'an City to pay a visit under the guise of this decree.

After several days of continuous alchemy, the new emperor indeed failed to manage the court, was unaware of whether any vassal kings had come to request an audience, or whether any disputes had arisen.

For him, the benefits of alchemy were indeed more important than anything else.

Only when he found several top-grade pills in his sleeve did the new emperor realize he needed to return to Chang'an City.

"Wei Qing, Wei Qing, send people quickly to search everywhere for the stolen pills!"

A knock sounded at the door outside the palace. The new emperor called out twice, signaling Wei Qing and the others to quickly search for the elixirs.

"The sight of this batch of top-grade pills emerging from the furnace was truly astonishing," the new emperor said. "What will the medicinal effects of this pill be like?"

Once someone has witnessed it, they won't be shocked by the mass production of top-grade pills. However, the new emperor is quite curious about the true effects of these pills.

I'll give it a try!

"How about we find someone else...?"

Zhang Xuezhou was clearly obtaining this quality of elixir for the first time and wasn't very confident about its efficacy.

When the new emperor asked him a question, Zhang Xuezhou popped a scalding hot pill into his mouth, forcing the emperor to swallow his words.

"It's so hot, my whole body is burning up!"

If we compare the Ten-Complete Tonic Pill to the Origin-Nurturing Pill, then the Life-Creating Pill is at the level of the Spirit-Forging Pill. Zhang Xuezhou felt that the effect of his top-grade poison pill might have reached the level of the Life-Creating Pill.

This was not ten times the effect of the Perfect Tonic Pill as he had imagined, but rather dozens or even hundreds of times more potent, far exceeding the Life-Creating Pill.

After swallowing a top-grade pill, Zhang Xuezhou felt his entire body surging with a continuous surge of power.

"Your face has turned purple, have you been poisoned?"

The new emperor took a deep breath; he felt that Zhang Xuezhou had been too reckless.

If the properties of the elixir are difficult to determine, they can find several death row inmates to verify it.

If Zhang Xuezhou disliked the death row inmates' lack of cultivation, he could also order Guan Fu and Dou Ying to take the medicine.

"This medicine is a bit strong, I need to drink some water to cool down!"

His face turning purple wasn't a big deal; his condition was mostly due to the intense irritation to his stomach and intestines. Zhang Xuezhou felt he needed to dilute the effects of the medication, as he was indeed having a hard time taking it.

His head was submerged in a large vat of medicinal herbs, and a large amount of water was poured down his throat, which in turn activated the Nine-Turn Qi-Harmony Technique.

A feeling of softening appeared in the body, and the symptoms brought on by the seventh transformation began to recur.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that his hands, immersed in the water tank, were as soft as jellyfish, and his body seemed to lose its support in a short moment, leaving him lying on the water tank.

"This top-grade elixir requires drinking so much water, who can possibly withstand that!"

After several days of research, the top-grade elixir was successfully made, but its effects were not as mild as Zhang Xuezhou had predicted.

The new emperor touched Zhang Xuezhou's body and then looked at the water vat that was half a person's height.

Like a thirsty traveler, Zhang Xuezhou kept pouring water into his mouth, as if his thirst had no end.

Countless beads of sweat appeared on his burning body, as if every drop poured in was flowing out of Zhang Xuezhou's body.

The new emperor felt as if the elixir in his sleeve had instantly lost its value.

They seemed to have gotten lucky and obtained a top-grade pill, but this luck seemed to have gone in the wrong direction.

"Dongfang Shuo, how are you feeling?"

When asked again, Zhang Xuezhou did not reply.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't been constantly gulping down water, the new emperor would have almost thought that Zhang Xuezhou was dying.

He took out the pill from his sleeve and stared at the grayish-white pill in his hand. The pill's radiance was still very evident at this moment.

Like a fine work of art, it transforms from medicinal juice into ointment, then into pills, and finally reveals the radiance of a elixir.

The radiance of the elixir is not a medicinal effect, but rather a phenomenon resulting from the perfect combination of the elixir.

Like a sword that has been polished to its finest point, only when the sword is polished to its extreme will it shine brightly.

A top-grade elixir is like a sword sharpened to the extreme. The medicinal reactions within the elixir have been accumulated to the maximum. A single elixir, when ingested, will unleash the maximum effect produced by the combination of dozens of medicinal herbs.

The current effect is clearly quite strong.

The new emperor was unable to determine whether it was the poison's effects that were too much for Zhang Xuezhou to bear, or the medicine's potent effects that his body couldn't handle, thus rendering him unable to absorb the tonic.

But regardless of which scenario occurs, it means that the number of people who can consume such a top-grade elixir will be very limited.

"I feel good!"

The new emperor paced back and forth several times with the pills in his hand, his eyes sweeping over them and occasionally glancing at Zhang Xuezhou.

Only when Zhang Xuezhou, whose head was dangling in the water tank, replied did his somewhat uneasy heart calm down.

How exactly is it good?

The water tank, which was half the height of a person and filled with water, was half empty. There was a puddle of water at Zhang Xuezhou, but his body was still steaming hot.

The new emperor couldn't immediately figure out what was so good about this elixir.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't experienced the miraculous effects of the medicine, the high barrier to entry for this elixir would have meant that it was only for show and not for use.

"I can't quite explain how good it is. You can try taking one to see the effects!"

You're telling me to take this kind of pill?

Zhang Xuezhou offered a suggestion, and the new emperor hesitated somewhat as he looked at the top-grade pill in his hand.

In the past, top-grade pills were considered good pills, but the situation when Zhang Xuezhou took them was indeed a bit too horrifying.

Of course, the good news is that Zhang Xuezhou didn't die.

The new emperor glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, then at another water vat placed to the side.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't taken the wrong medicine and wanted to drag him down with him, then Zhang Xuezhou's suggestion would obviously be worth considering.

He pondered for a few seconds, took a sip of water beforehand, and then tried to swallow a pill as well.

The scalding hot pills felt incredibly hot when they entered my stomach, but this heat instantly spread throughout my body.

An overwhelming thirst overwhelmed him, and the new emperor was forced to drink large amounts of water as well.

Drinking water isn't a serious problem. Some ancient elixirs require the addition of human blood when taken. What truly made the new emperor's heart pound was that every part of his body seemed to be throbbing, as if his blood was about to gush out from somewhere.

The power in his body seemed to surge to the point of exploding in an instant. If he weren't so thirsty that he needed to drink water, the new emperor felt that after taking the drug, he would definitely be able to unleash a set of exhilarating sword techniques. He even felt that he could only suppress this explosive feeling of power by continuously releasing his sword Divine Ability with the help of the drug's effects.

He couldn't stand not drinking water, but when he did, his body swelled up to the point where he felt like he was about to explode.

The new emperor was horrified. Just as he was about to change his mind and think that Zhang Xuezhou wanted to drag him down with him, he felt as if a black hole had appeared in his body, and the endless explosive power seemed to have found an outlet.

"It's the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root... This elixir is repairing the aftereffects of the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root on the body!"

The new emperor's status as a top-tier cultivator allowed him to quickly assess the condition inside his body.

As an emperor, he was almost never injured; any minor injuries from martial arts training would be treated and repaired immediately.

However, the new emperor does indeed exhibit a symptom of a complex mix of love and hate, which is the effect of the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root.

The new emperor named his physical symptoms "Ascension".

In his ethereal state, his body becomes as light and agile as a bird, allowing him to hover in the air for short periods and perform swordplay while in mid-air.

This ability is so unique that it's almost impossible to defend against.

In certain special circumstances, this ability would be enough for the new emperor to achieve victory against all odds, as evidenced by his defeat of the Dao Lord's Yang Soul Body.

Correspondingly, the new emperor also suffers from the symptoms of depleted Qi and Blood. While others can recover their Qi and Blood after a night's rest, he wakes up with a severe deficiency of Qi and Blood, requiring either a large amount of food or the consumption of elixirs to restore his body to normal.

The new emperor liked the special abilities of the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus, but he was also troubled by its side effects.

At this moment, the pill he had just taken seemed to have changed his physical condition.

Boundless power entered his body and permeated every part of his flesh, even changing the body forged from the spirit silk and jade lotus root.

The lightness of his body remained unchanged, but the side effects of the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus were constantly decreasing. The new emperor felt that this drawback might even disappear from his body.

Before he could even enter the True Self Realm and establish a continuous circulation of Qi and Blood in his body, the deficiencies in his Qi and Blood had already been eliminated.