"Everyone, thank you for waiting."
Amid the crowd's eager anticipation, Gu Changqing appeared in the air, not with any grand display but with an effortless levitation that commanded awe.
"He's floating! This Pill Emperor is a Dou Ancestor!"
"As expected of a Dou Ancestor. He stands in the sky without manifesting wings of energy!"
"He's so young and already a Dou Ancestor—no wonder the Jia Ma Empire's royal family made him the Imperial Grandmaster. Honestly, if he wanted the entire empire, they'd have no choice but to comply!"
Boom!
Gu Changqing didn't linger on introductions. He moved to the center of the square, raised a hand, and summoned a swirling vortex of colored flames around him, forming a blazing cloud. This time, he bypassed the traditional cauldron, instead drawing on the forces of heaven and earth as his furnace.
Using the heavens as his cauldron, Gu Changqing set out to refine a Grade Seven pill.
Countless ingredients poured from his storage ring, landing into the inferno. The herbs melted one by one under the intense flames, and as more ingredients dissolved, the experienced alchemists on the high platform, including Pill King Gu He and Fa Ma, were left in deep shock.
Suddenly, Pill King Gu He stood up, his voice trembling.
"He's refining a high-level Grade Seven Transformation Pill!"
Gu He owned one Transformation Pill, though it wasn't crafted by him. He acquired it through the inheritance of another Grade Seven Alchemist, along with the formula for the high-level Transformation Pill. Having studied that formula before, he quickly recognized that Gu Changqing was indeed creating a Transformation Pill.
"A Transformation Pill?!"
Fa Ma and the others could no longer stay seated, each of them staring intently at the alchemical display. Gu Changqing's technique was intricate and extensive. Even with Fa Ma and Gu He's considerable knowledge, they were only able to follow some of it.
Unable to look away, each alchemist present watched Gu Changqing's every movement, desperate not to miss any detail. Gu Changqing, for his part, openly demonstrated his technique, even slowing his movements slightly to allow others to grasp each step more fully.
His willingness to share inspired deep gratitude among the alchemists, who could feel his generosity.
"This Pill Emperor truly has an unparalleled spirit! Willing to share such a rare technique—he's the undisputed mentor of our Jia Ma Empire's alchemists!"
Gu He was deeply moved, his gaze intensely fixed on Gu Changqing. Fa Ma and many others felt similarly, holding Gu Changqing in profound respect.
"Incredible… he really is a Grade Seven Alchemist."
The one with the most complicated feelings was the Little Princess Yao Yue. She had doubted Gu Changqing's skills, even up until the moment they arrived. Now, she could feel the embarrassment burning on her face.
No wonder her great-grandfather held him in such high regard; he genuinely had the skills.
Although as a Grade Three Alchemist she couldn't understand all his techniques, she remained focused, determined not to let him look down on her.
Time passed steadily, and five days later...
Boom!
As the swirling flames coalesced, thick clouds gathered across the sky, swirling above the square.
Crackle!
Crackle!
Blinding bolts of lightning sparked through the ominous clouds, and the entire imperial capital witnessed the birth of a Grade Seven pill.
"A high-level Grade Seven pill's phenomenon… He really succeeded!"
"All hail the Pill Emperor, our Grand Protector!"
"Long live the Pill Emperor!"
Across the capital, cheers echoed as people celebrated. Just from the intensity of the pill phenomenon, it was clear that Gu Changqing had succeeded, proving he truly possessed the skills of a Grade Seven Alchemist.
"It's rumored that the lightning tribulation for a Grade Seven pill is equal to a strike from a Five-Star Dou Ancestor. The Transformation Pill's lightning must be at least as powerful as a Seven-Star Dou Ancestor. Can the Qing Yao Emperor withstand it?"
"If he can't, the backlash could affect us all!"
"Everyone let's evacuate! Move out of the Alchemist Guild's range!"
In a mix of awe and apprehension, many leaders began retreating to a safer distance but continued to watch intently.
Rumble!
A radiant bolt of lightning descended from the sky.
As everyone watched, wondering how he would handle it, Gu Changqing merely looked up, raised a hand toward the sky, and uttered a single word.
"Shatter!"
As his voice fell, an enormous, thousand-meter-wide palm rose from the ground and struck upward, tearing a massive hole in the clouds. In that instant, every streak of lightning and every cloud dissolved into thin air, vanishing in an instant.
"Gulp…"
"Gulp…"
"He's… incredible."
"That was… unbelievable!"
The shock was palpable. No one had expected Gu Changqing to neutralize a phenomenon with the power of a Seven-Star Dou Ancestor so effortlessly. To them, he was less like a human and more like an immortal.
"What immense soul power!"
On a distant mountain of the Yunlan Sect, a strange, dark shadow appeared, its gaze turning toward the capital with astonishment.
"Keh keh… such intense soul energy, undoubtedly above the Spirit Realm. For someone like this to appear in a backwater like Jia Ma Empire… I must see this myself!"
The shadow laughed darkly, transforming into a black streak before vanishing from the mountain.
"Have I made a mistake aligning with the sinister powers of the Soul Hall?"
Moments after the shadow vanished, an elderly figure with a sage-like presence appeared outside a cave, gazing thoughtfully in the direction the shadow had gone. He let out a deep sigh.