"A Nine-Marked Blood Vitality Pill!"
The moment Xuan Kongzi uttered those words, the dark-skinned elder and the elegant matron stared at him as though he'd gone mad. A first-tier Blood Vitality Pill with nine pill marks? What was this Pill Tower executive smoking—golden essence from Yellow Diamond?
Disdain. Utter disdain. Complete social disassociation.
"Ahem, ahem..."
Xuan Kongzi coughed lightly, gradually regaining his composure. He realized he'd spoken without thinking—Nine-marked Blood Vitality Pill? That had been his instinctual reaction upon seeing it.
To an alchemist, a pill with pill marks versus one without is a difference as vast as heaven and earth. Pill marks signify a pill has reached the pinnacle of its refinement.
A pill's quality isn't judged solely by its tier, but also by the presence of pill marks, or even the elusive lightning marks. These represent mastery—the apex of pill refinement.
The Blood Vitality Pill before them was etched with nine golden circular seals. These marks weren't artificially carved—they were born of the pill's natural condensation process. In the alchemical world, nine signifies the ultimate limit. These nine complete mark-rings pushed this pill to the zenith of its potential.
But according to everything Xuan Kongzi knew, the Blood Vitality Pill was a first-tier pill. It shouldn't have the foundational spirit essence to generate even one mark, much less nine. The ingredients and the Heaven-and-Earth energy involved simply couldn't support that level of refinement.
For a moment, Xuan Kongzi, the dark-skinned elder, and the matron all stood silently before the spatial barrier, carefully observing the pill without a word.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoming simply smiled. He said nothing, and in a flash, reappeared beside Xiao Xun'er, watching quietly.
"Teacher, what pill is that?"
Xiao Xun'er's eyes sparkled, clearly intrigued. She could sense the overwhelming lifeforce radiating from it.
"No rush. Let them marvel at it first—I'll tell you afterward."
If you spoil a mystery too early, where's the satisfaction? Chen Xiaoming remained silent, watching the trio to see what conclusions they'd draw.
Xiao Xun'er nodded gently. Watching Chen Xiaoming's calm demeanor, she inwardly spared the trio a silent three-second moment of pity and shook her head.
The area around the Nine-Marked Blood Vitality Pill had been sealed, preventing its immense lifeforce from leaking. Even so, the energy was so dense it was nearly corporeal, thick as blood—intimidating and almost monstrous.
The dark-skinned elder circled the barrier several times, occasionally channeling traces of lifeforce into his body to test it. The more he examined it, the more convinced he became: this was indeed a Blood Vitality Pill.
The matron beside him felt the same. The two exchanged a glance, but said nothing.
After examining it multiple times, Xuan Kongzi finally relaxed. He cast a smug glance back at the other two—shamed to be in the same group, were they? Well, who's embarrassed now?
Though internally just as shocked, Xuan Kongzi returned to Chen Xiaoming's side.
"Master Chen, your alchemical skill puts us all to shame."
He sighed. If even a mere first-tier Blood Vitality Pill could be refined to this divine level—marked with nine rings!—and this man possessed the soul at the Imperial Soul Realm… there was no doubt Chen Xiaoming's alchemical level was far beyond his own.
The dark-skinned elder and the matron wanted to deny it, but even they had to acknowledge the terrifying depth of Chen Xiaoming's pillcraft.
"You flatter me."
With a casual smile, Chen Xiaoming flicked his right hand. The sealed Nine-Marked Blood Vitality Pill flew into his palm. Producing a jade bottle, he stored it and sealed it again with spatial power.
"By the way, Chairman Xuan Kongzi, does the Pill Tower have a designated place for testing pills?"
He glanced at the pill in his hand. Truth be told, Chen Xiaoming wasn't planning to consume it himself. This pill was the very first Blood Vitality Pill he'd refined.
But ever since he broke through to become a Ninth-Rank Alchemist, a new section had appeared on his interface panel—Pills.
Two Blood Vitality Pills were recorded there. More importantly, there was now an option to upgrade them. When he checked the cost, he found it laughably cheap—only 1000 experience points for the first upgrade. Each subsequent upgrade would double the cost.
And so, this Nine-Marked Blood Vitality Pill came into existence.
But as to what effects it actually had—even with his current level, Chen Xiaoming wasn't entirely certain. It had surpassed anything he'd personally crafted. Naturally, he had no intention of testing it on himself.
"Testing, is it? Yes, of course. Please follow me."
Xuan Kongzi's eyes lit up. He, too, was intensely curious about this one-of-a-kind Nine-Marked Blood Vitality Pill.
With a flash, he took the lead, followed closely by the silent—yet clearly intrigued—elder and matron.
As the sacred ground of alchemy across the Dou Qi Continent, the Pill Tower had often produced bizarre and unpredictable pills, the effects of which even master alchemists didn't fully understand. To address this, a special Pill Testing Ground had been established.
Descending from the tower's core, the group arrived in the western sector, where a dense forest spread out beneath a shimmering spatial barrier. Xuankongzi led them to a clearing beside a small estate.
"Chairman."
Several figures arrived swiftly, bowing respectfully toward Xuan Kongzi and the others.
"Gather a few suitable magical beasts for testing—I need to trial a pill," Xuankongzi instructed, gesturing toward Chen Xiaoming with a respectful nod, signaling him to wait at the side.
This subtle gesture stunned the newly arrived group. But sensing the oppressive atmosphere, they quickly departed into the forest to find test subjects.
At a nearby wooden table, Chen Xiaoming, Xiao Xun'er, and the others sat sipping tea, waiting quietly.
Testing pills was risky business. Naturally, the Pill Tower wouldn't experiment on humans—magical beasts, with their resilient lifeforce, were the ideal candidates.
After a short while, several figures returned, flying down into the clearing.
Among the magical beasts brought back, a Violet-Gold Lion King leapt forward with a thunderous presence, its immense aura rippling through the air, even radiating hints of spatial power.
Chen Xiaoming's gaze sharpened. This beast was already on the verge of breaking into the Dou Ancestor realm.
The Pill Tower's this extravagant now? Even the pill test subjects are this powerful?
"Well, well, so it's you lot doing the testing," the Violet-Gold Lion King said, casting a glance at Xuan Kongzi and the others.
As one of the few powerful magical beasts stationed here, it was rarely summoned unless a particularly mysterious or powerful pill needed testing.
"Alright then, bring out the pill."
The Lion King didn't waste time. His bold, commanding tone left Chen Xiaoming momentarily dumbfounded.
Since when did pill-testing magical beasts get this dramatic?
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