Chapter 215: Mystic Void Pill! Master Alchemist!
After Xiao Ze left the bronze palace, it began to slowly collapse and disappear into the void due to the lack of the puppet bodies to keep it stable. Tang Zhen, who was watching from a distance, was surprised to see the palace suddenly collapse.
Covered in a glow of lightning, Xiao Ze quickly moved through the cracks in space until he reached Tang Zhen.
"Xiao Ze, you finally came out. If you hadn't done so soon, I would have gone in to look for you," Tang Zhen said, visibly relieved to see Xiao Ze safe.
"Haha, thank you for your concern, Master Tang. That bronze palace was indeed the inheritance of an alchemist, and I have obtained some of his knowledge," Xiao Ze replied, bowing with a smile. "This journey has been very fruitful for me. If you need anything in the future, I will do my best to help you."
Tang Zhen, satisfied with Xiao Ze's response, smiled broadly. His risky decision to reveal the location of the ancient ruins had paid off. Although the history of the ruins was uncertain and they might not contain anything of value, this time they had been lucky.
Accompanied by Tang Zhen, Xiao Ze spent a few days in the Blazing Fire Valley before returning to the Pill Tower. Upon arriving at the giant plaza of the tower, Xiao Ze sighed in relief. "Even with space tunnels, the journey is still exhausting."
He checked that the fire mark he had left on Danchen had not been activated, which meant she was safe. Xiao Ze headed to the central area of the Holy Pill City and requested entry to the black tower to report to President Xuankongzi about his mission.
Inside the grand hall, Xuankongzi was reading an ancient book while Xiao Ze recounted his recent experiences.
"The Blazing Fire Valley has a good eye. Has your soul level already reached the Spiritual Realm?" Xuankongzi asked.
"Yes, President Xuankongzi," Xiao Ze replied.
"That is an enviable talent," Xuankongzi sighed.
After a brief conversation, Xiao Ze took his leave. After his departure, a woman suddenly appeared.
"Was that the new promising elder of the Pill Tower, Xiao Ze?" the woman asked, not showing much respect but with familiarity.
"Yes, with his talent, it won't take long for him to reach our level," Xuankongzi replied, surprising the woman.
"His soul level has reached the Spiritual Realm after this experience," Xuankongzi explained.
"At his age, he has already reached the Spiritual Realm?" the woman exclaimed, surprised.
"That's why I have such a high opinion of him," Xuankongzi said, feeling great pressure from Xiao Ze's talent. It had taken him decades to reach that level himself.
"This time we have recruited a true prodigy," the woman concluded.
After leaving the black tower, Xiao Ze returned to his elder tower. Upon entering, a figure dressed in green jumped into his arms.
"Young master Xiao Ze, you're finally back. Qiao Lin has missed you a lot," Qiao Lin said, snuggling into Xiao Ze's chest.
"I'm here now," Xiao Ze said, stroking her head. Qiao Lin had improved significantly during his absence, indicating she had trained hard.
After a moment, Qiao Lin blushed and pulled away, surprised by her own boldness.
"Young master Xiao Ze, you should rest a bit after your journey," Qiao Lin suggested.
After resting for a day in the tower, Xiao Ze began to search for an eighth-grade recipe. He could obtain it by exchanging merits at the Pill Tower, negotiating with other elders, or participating in major auctions.
Although there were no major auctions recently, Xiao Ze finally managed to exchange his resources for a Mystic Void Pill recipe, a very valuable eighth-grade pill.
With the ingredients gathered and his advanced skills, Xiao Ze began to prepare the pill. Days later, only a silver liquid remained in the cauldron, emitting powerful energy.
"The process has been very successful. If I manage to finish it, I will be a true eighth-grade master alchemist," Xiao Ze thought, satisfied with his progress.
Xiao Ze murmured to himself as he slowly closed his eyes. His powerful spiritual force poured into the Yun Ling cauldron, beginning to nurture the pill.
The pill condensation stage is the longest and requires the alchemist to have extremely precise control over all the ingredients. Here, spiritual strength plays a crucial role. Without robust spiritual strength, the impact of the ingredients would be enough to cause severe damage to the soul.
Three days passed quickly. At the top of the elder tower, Xiao Ze slowly opened his eyes. Inside the Yun Ling cauldron, there was only a silver pill with intricate patterns left. An intense medicinal aroma emanated from it, although its energy was contained.
"This is the decisive moment!" Xiao Ze exclaimed. In the sky, a storm of lightning began to form, and a silver light emerged from the cauldron, attracting the attention of everyone in the Holy Pill City. The powerful energy of the light made many adopt serious expressions.
"That seems to be coming from Elder Xiao Ze's tower. He's always busy refining pills," someone commented.
"Doesn't it seem like this silver light is much stronger than before?" another asked.
"Yes, the lightning clouds in the sky are also much larger."
The silver light pierced the sky, quickly forming a hundred-meter-diameter lightning cloud, different from any other lightning cloud they had seen before. This cloud had two colors: blue and silver, and it emitted a terrifying power that made anyone's heart race.
"It's a bicolor lightning cloud!" someone exclaimed.
"An eighth-grade pill! Elder Xiao Ze has created an eighth-grade pill!" several shouted, understanding the significance of that lightning cloud.
The creation of an eighth-grade pill was rare even in the Holy Pill City. Many had only heard of it but never seen it. Now, with the opportunity to witness the lightning storm of an eighth-grade pill, they were excited.
"Isn't Xiao Ze too young to be able to create an eighth-grade pill?" some wondered.
"Yes, I've seen Elder Xiao Ze and I'm sure he's not even twenty years old," another responded.
"Someone so young can make an eighth-grade pill? I think we're seeing a future grandmaster."
The disciples of the Pill Tower watched with admiration and enthusiasm towards Elder Xiao Ze's tower. They firmly believed that, in time, Xiao Ze would become one of the leaders of the Pill Tower.
In the black tower at the center of the Holy Pill City, Xuankongzi, accompanied by an elegant woman and a stern-faced elder, watched the bicolor lightning cloud. These three were the great leaders of the Pill Tower.
"I imagined he would try to create an eighth-grade pill soon, but I didn't expect him to succeed so quickly," Xuankongzi said, stroking his beard.
"Do you think Xiao Ze will be able to handle the lightning storm?" Xuanyi asked, concerned.
The stern-faced elder also looked at Xuankongzi, waiting for his answer.
"Xiao Ze is prudent. He knows that the lightning storm of an eighth-grade pill is as powerful as an attack from a Douzun-level fighter. He wouldn't venture without preparation," Xuankongzi replied, though with some doubt.
"But, to be sure, let's be ready to intervene," he added.
While the three great leaders spoke, Xiao Ze watched the sky. The bicolor lightning storm was much stronger than any storm he had faced before.
"So this is a bicolor lightning storm," he murmured. With a gesture of his hand, two Heavenly Phoenix puppets appeared at the top of the elder tower. Although the golden roots could handle the storm, Xiao Ze wanted to see if the puppets could absorb the energy of the lightning.
The puppets, with strength equivalent to a five-star Douzun fighter, seemed capable of withstanding it. When a powerful lightning bolt descended, illuminating the Holy Pill City, the disciples watched with tension. No one intervened, and the elders of the Pill Tower also showed concern.
Xuankongzi clenched his fists but soon relaxed them, feeling the continued presence of the eighth-grade pill.
"It seems Xiao Ze is prepared, but he still relies on the tower's defense to weaken the storm," Xuanyi commented.
"Let's wait a bit longer. If he can't handle the storm, we will intervene," Xuankongzi said.
Wanting to keep the puppets a secret, Xiao Ze let the tower and the golden roots absorb the lightning. The puppets seemed to revitalize with the energy of the lightning, and Xiao Ze saw a glimmer of hope. "It seems this lightning refinement technique can improve the puppets," he thought.
Finally, Xiao Ze decided to face the storm himself. He put away the puppets and let the golden roots extend into the space, absorbing the bicolor lightning.
With the storm dissipating, a silver light emerged from the Yun Ling cauldron. Xiao Ze, wrapped in lightning, controlled the golden fire in his hand, forming a cage to contain the silver light.
Looking at the silver pill, Xiao Ze smiled. "Eighth-grade pills are really alive. Just finished, and they already try to escape."
"But you will stay here," he said, sealing the pill in a jade bottle.
"Now, I am a true eighth-grade alchemist," Xiao Ze thought, as the disciples of the Pill Tower looked with admiration at his tower, knowing that a new master alchemist had been born in the Pill Tower.
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