The disciples stared with wide eyes. Any pill that could trigger a phenomenon was definitely extraordinary. Word of it spread before anyone realized it. What had started as speculation turned into absolute truth after a bit of exaggeration from a few loose-tongued cultivators.
Mu Zixu heard the rumors too, and his face instantly darkened. That damned Dao Qing had barely returned, and he'd already created another pill?
His mood soured immediately. He thought he finally had an advantage, but Dao Qing refused to let go of the spotlight.
It was infuriating.
Looks like he'd have to train his disciples properly this time. They absolutely couldn't lose in the upcoming Pill Dao Tournament.
…
Time flew, and the phenomenon eventually faded.
Dao Qing let out a relieved breath. Once he confirmed everything was fine, he opened the protective formation around the peak.
But when disciples came to investigate, everyone stationed on the peak kept a mysterious silence. That only made people even more curious.
Meanwhile, Song Wanníng sat in her cultivation room, stunned. Her Primordial Soul scanned her body over and over.
The round shape inside her dantian had completely disappeared, but a unique energy was circulating nonstop through her body. It flooded her with immortal power and made her feel like she had endless strength. Her skin looked even fairer, with a faint pink glow that made her beauty impossible to ignore.
The little ones stared in a daze, rubbing themselves against her nonstop.
She laughed and gently pushed them aside, feeling completely refreshed. She'd prepared herself for failure, yet she succeeded in one attempt, and even broke through to mid Renxian. Even she found it unbelievable. She'd barely ascended, yet she was already advancing again.
Others might take a hundred years just to move a single step.
It only proved even further how incredible this technique was. Of course, that missing round shape had been decades of accumulated cultivation, so her progress wasn't too fast either.
A thoughtful light flashed through her eyes.
Immortals in the Immortal Realm were divided into categories. After absorbing immortal power, they refined it according to their path.
There were demon immortals, ghost immortals, beast immortals, and human immortals.
But in truth, most of the Immortal Realm consisted of human immortals. The other categories were only a small fraction. Everyone could only cultivate one force, so no matter how they tried, this technique always failed for them.
But she was different. She could cultivate several types of energy. Maybe that was exactly what matched the word Hunyuan, allowing her to activate the technique successfully.
She felt delighted. Her body was circulating the technique every second on its own. Not only could she cultivate, she could temper her body at the same time. It was perfect.
During battle, she wouldn't have to worry about running out of immortal power ever again.
She stored the technique away and decided she'd study it slowly in the future. It was far too profound to fully grasp at once. She had all the time she needed anyway.
What she needed to improve quickly now was her alchemy.
Mu Zixu knew she could refine pills, so he definitely wouldn't let her off easily during the Pill Dao Tournament.
If she didn't care about other people's opinions, the matter wouldn't be a big deal. But she very simply didn't want Mu Zixu to feel comfortable. She wanted him to choke on his frustration.
She couldn't help it. She held grudges.
A sharp light flashed in her eyes. She got up and walked outside.
Dao Qing was waiting in the main hall. Even though he'd mentally prepared himself, he still widened his eyes in shock when he saw her cultivation. If he remembered correctly, she'd only ascended a month or two ago.
This speed was… enough to make anyone jealous.
His teeth ached. In front of a true genius, old fossils like him were about to be buried on the beach by the tide. Fortunately, she was his successor. That thought made him cheerful again.
"Come, I'll take you to the pill room."
He led her straight to his own pill room.
Inside, all kinds of medicinal herbs had already been prepared.
Dao Qing smiled lightly and wasted no time. He began personally teaching her how to refine immortal pills.
…
On Alchemy Peak, when Situ Yue stepped out for some air and heard that Song Wanníng had been learning alchemy under Dao Qing's personal guidance this whole time, her eyes reddened with grievance.
Song Wanníng was only a registered disciple. Getting a few pointers should've already been considered a blessing, yet Dao Qing brought her into his private pill room to teach her directly.
And what about them?
They were left to fend for themselves.
Dao Qing was being way too unfair.
In fact, he never allowed any of them into his private pill room. Even when he guided them, it was always in the public disciple pill room.
Situ Yue felt her chest tighten. The frustration was suffocating. She quickly found a few Senior Brothers, wanting to pull them in to isolate Song Wanníng. If she could make Song Wanníng feel unwelcome, then Song Wanníng would naturally distance herself from Alchemy Peak. Only then would Situ Yue's position remain secure.
But when she casually mentioned the situation, the Senior Brothers didn't find anything wrong.
"Junior Sister Song just ascended. She probably hasn't refined immortal pills before. It's normal for Master to give her more guidance."
"And Junior Sister Song has a feud with Mu Zixu. If she doesn't catch up fast enough, she'll definitely get targeted at the tournament."
"I wonder how Junior Sister Song is progressing."
By the time they finished discussing, they were actually worried about her progress. There wasn't a trace of jealousy.
Situ Yue's innocent expression almost cracked. Panic filled her eyes. Why did none of her usual tricks work whenever it involved Song Wanníng? Was Song Wanníng really her natural nemesis?
A chill rose from the depths of her heart. Her complexion turned even paler. Realizing that her protagonist halo was fading bit by bit, she grew miserable. She couldn't even focus on alchemy these days.
Her plan failed, so she could only grit her teeth and train harder, hoping to surpass Song Wanníng in the Pill Dao Tournament. But the more anxious she became, the more mistakes she made, and frustration consumed her.
…
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a year went by.
For immortals, a year was nothing more than a blink.
But for Song Wanníng, this year had been incredibly fulfilling.
Dao Qing not only guided her patiently, he happily let her experiment and try new pill formulas. According to him, alchemy wasn't supposed to be a collection of borrowed techniques. A true alchemist needed to create their own style and their own pill recipes. Only then could they call themselves qualified.
She gradually found joy in the process. Whenever she created a new pill, she went to Zhetian Peak to find Luo Xingyao and Feng Jiuxiao.
Luo Xingyao was the pitiful test subject.
It wasn't that she didn't want to ask Lan Yue and the others, but they'd all been in closed cultivation for alchemy and she didn't want to disturb them.
Luo Xingyao, that little test mouse, had personally witnessed her rapid improvement. She finally understood what Dao Qing meant by alchemy talent.
Then, after one full year, the Pill Dao Tournament of Wuji Sect opened once again.
Originally, this tournament was held once every fifty years, but after Mu Zixu and Dao Qing joined the sect, it started happening every five years instead.