Volume One, Chapter 18: The Core Pill Institute

Su Xiaowan was instantly stunned, her mind blank and her ears ringing. She had been narrating about Chu Tianxing with varying expressions—sometimes animated, sometimes angry, sometimes disdainful, and sometimes contemptuous. But now, she was utterly dumbfounded.

“I told you to help him, not to humiliate him!” Ye Qingxuan, clearly angered, snapped.

Su Xiaowan, terrified yet deeply aggrieved, tears streaming down her face, pleaded, “But I’m only stating the facts. He’s simply no match for Mu Yuyao and Xing Bufan, especially Mu Ping, Mu Yuyao’s cousin, who is certain to become a direct disciple. I advised him to leave the Sanctuary early for his own good. If he doesn’t want the people of Chu to suffer casualties, he should just admit defeat and surrender. Since the Chu royal family no longer has the ability to rule the nation, why not relinquish the territory and the throne? That way, innocent civilians won’t be dragged into the conflict!”

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingxuan’s gaze grew even colder. “Why do you want him away from me? Do you think you have the right to decide matters concerning me?”

“I…” Su Xiaowan, red-eyed and tearful, stammered, “I just don’t want him to have contact with the Holy Maiden. I don’t want him to cause trouble for her. If the Holy Son, who has always regarded the Holy Maiden as an enemy, catches hold of any excuse, it’ll be disastrous. No matter what, Chu Tianxing is simply unworthy of the Holy Maiden…”

“Silence!” Ye Qingxuan’s voice was icy. “What is the Holy Son? Does he really pose a threat to me?”

“Leave now. Without my permission, you are forbidden from entering the Holy Maiden’s chamber again.”

“For the sake of our past acquaintance, I advise you not to continue opposing Chu Tianxing. Otherwise, I may not be able to save you.”

In that instant, Su Xiaowan was utterly terrified. She hurriedly knelt down, begging, “Please, Holy Maiden, give me one more chance! I will apologize to him! Even if it costs me my life, I will ensure he is accepted into the Xuan Palace and protected from any bullying by the core courtyard’s disciples. Holy… Holy Maiden…”

“No need.” Ye Qingxuan shook her head gently, her tone cold. “He is, after all, a crown prince of a nation. Given his character and background, he will never be allowed into the Xuan Palace.”

“If you truly wish to repent and change how you treat others, then pay attention to Murong Ao’s Xuanjun Hall. Do not let Chu Tianxing fall into a trap.”

“My Third Senior Uncle is not easy to deal with. If he sends Yang Xuanjun to intervene and dispatch Murong Ao to aid Chu Tianxing, there must be some scheme at play.”

Meanwhile, within the Demon Sealing sect—

Yang Xuanjun frowned deeply at Dongfang Jingming, unable to hold back any longer. “Master, this is too unfair to Chu Tianxing!”

“Since you ordered me to send Murong Ao to help him, why forbid him from joining Xuanjun Hall?”

“Even if he hasn’t mastered more than seven demon-sealing techniques, we shouldn’t treat him like this, right?”

“This is like using someone when they’re useful, then discarding them when they’re not.”

As Yang Xuanjun pressed on with questions, Dongfang Jingming’s eyes snapped open in anger. “How dare you!”

“If Chu Tianxing had no value, why would I bring him into the Demon Sealing sect? I still don’t understand why my Holy Maiden niece would protect him.”

“If we accept Chu Tianxing into the sect and he is shielded by the Holy Maiden, leading the Holy Son to target us, wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?”

“If Chu Tianxing truly has value, I’d rather ally with the Demon Slaying sect against the Demon Subduing sect. But he hasn’t shown any worth yet.”

Hearing this, Yang Xuanjun took a deep breath. Though he understood Dongfang Jingming’s intentions, he felt a strong resistance in his heart.

“Tell your supporters, that Murong Ao fellow—have him gather a few trusted people to approach and test Chu Tianxing in a reasonable manner.”

“As soon as we confirm whether or not Chu Tianxing caused the golden radiant phenomenon, I can bypass further assessments and promote them to direct disciples!”

“Also, have him find some attractive female disciples to approach Chu Tianxing, using both charm and friendship to uncover the truth quickly!”

…

At the Alchemy Institute—

After some questioning and verification by an attendant, Chu Tianxing was led into the Lecture Hall.

At that moment, over a hundred disciples newly recruited into the Sanctuary’s Alchemy Institute sat patiently, listening.

As Chu Tianxing entered, three young instructors teaching alchemy above ceased their lecture and looked at him.

The attendant gently patted Chu Tianxing’s shoulder and introduced the three: “Seated in the center is the Senior Brother of the Alchemy Institute, Li Daoyuan. His combat power ranks ninth in the core courtyard. To his left sits the Second Senior Sister, Shangguan Miaotong, ranked tenth in combat power. To his right is the Third Senior Brother, Shangguan Han, ranked eleventh. Both the Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Brother are children of the institute’s director. The three are the strongest young alchemists in the core Alchemy Institute, second only to the director himself.”

Chu Tianxing’s eyes flickered as he looked at them.

Li Daoyuan was gaunt-faced, dressed in purple robes with a silver cloak embroidered on the left chest with a black cauldron adorned with seven white pills.

Shangguan Miaotong was elegant and curvaceous, wearing a white dress with a silver cloak also embroidered with a black cauldron and seven white pills.

The refined-looking Shangguan Han was slightly different; the black cauldron on his silver cloak bore only six white pills.

“Two seventh-rank alchemists and one sixth-rank alchemist—the three strongest young alchemists in the Sanctuary’s core Alchemy Institute.”

Chu Tianxing couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. A seventh-rank alchemist was comparable to a martial artist at the Lingzong realm, while sixth-rank equated to the Lingxuan realm.

All three were only about eighteen or nineteen years old. Their achievements attested to their extraordinary talent in alchemy.

Alchemy was notoriously difficult, with a high threshold that stopped most from advancing beyond the basics.

“Reporting to Senior Brother, Second Senior Sister, and Third Senior Brother: His name is Chu Tianxing. He has just been promoted to the core courtyard and has come to study alchemy.”

At the attendant’s respectful introduction, the expressions of Li Daoyuan and the others changed immediately.

Chu Tianxing’s name had long circulated throughout the Sanctuary and was exceedingly well known.

“Surely he can’t be the crown prince of Chu, Chu Tianxing?” Shangguan Han looked at him in surprise, pondering seriously, “That Chu Tianxing wouldn’t have the ability to advance to the core courtyard.”

The attendant smiled wryly, “He is indeed the crown prince of Chu.”

“Ah?” Shangguan Han exclaimed, stunned into silence.

Shangguan Miaotong blinked her beautiful eyes, curiously appraising Chu Tianxing. She thought silently he must be the strongest failure in the history of the Sanctuary.

“Judging by his appearance and aura, few men can rival him,” she mused.

Chu Tianxing cupped his fists and bowed, “Chu Tianxing greets Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters.”

“Oh, hello, hello,” Shangguan Han recovered and awkwardly returned the greeting.

“Are you sure he is the crown prince of Chu, Chu Tianxing?” Suddenly, Li Daoyuan looked at him with a hostile gaze and asked in a low voice.