“Stop arguing, both of you. Infighting won’t help. As for Ling Xiao, what can you expect from him? He’s just a Heaven-Human Realm martial artist. Even if he can refine pills, could he produce something better than Sun Shang?” the white-bearded elder said, waving his hand. “Enough, go now. If it comes to it, I’ll have to use our final trump card. But that would expose Lord Yinshan’s greatest secret. I truly don’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary.”
Clearly, the elder believed Ling Xiao stepping up would be meaningless.
“Dean, don’t rush. Didn’t Tianlong Auction House recently auction a perfect-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill? Though only a mid-grade Yellow Rank pill, even Sun Shang can’t produce such perfection. I’ll seek out Yunya; she might connect us to that alchemist,” Feng Qingyan said urgently.
The elder nodded. “Very well, let’s hope for success.”
…
Ling Xiao was unaware of the disputes among Qingxu Academy’s leadership.
He didn’t need to know.
He was confident that once his pills hit the market, Divine Phoenix Academy’s Heavenly Return Pill would be obsolete.
Words meant less than superior alchemy.
Over the next few days, Ling Xiao poured all his energy into refining pills, forgoing cultivation at the Heavenly Essence Tower.
Ten days later, he successfully refined a hundred thousand perfect-grade Heavenly Return Spirit Pills.
These Yellow Rank pills were one to two times more effective than Sun Shang’s, restoring not only internal energy but also physical stamina.
Crucially, excluding labour costs, their production cost matched Sun Shang’s Heavenly Return Pill.
Same cost, but one to two times better. If priced the same, the competitive edge was obvious.
Beyond refining these pills, Ling Xiao was surprised to find his cultivation had risen during the process, reaching the absolute peak of Five Elements Heaven. A slight push could break him through to the next realm.
This accumulation was invaluable.
During this time, Feng Qingyan visited Yunya but gained no useful help.
In the imperial city, tensions between Divine Phoenix Academy and Qingxu Academy had reached a breaking point, like a taut bowstring ready to unleash a war.
Already at a disadvantage in the pill market, Qingxu Academy suffered another blow when their second-ranked disciple, Li Chengxiu, defected to Divine Phoenix Academy.
The imperial city’s pill market was now fully monopolised by Divine Phoenix Academy.
Worse, Divine Phoenix Academy was buying up herbs at high prices, hoarding them to starve Qingxu Academy.
Facing these setbacks, Qingxu Academy’s dean was ready to take the final step.
Once taken, there was no turning back, and even a victory would cost them dearly.
But they had no other choice.
Initially, the two academies avoided war due to their equal strength.
But with Divine Phoenix Academy’s recent surge, bolstered by pill profits and open poaching from Qingxu, the balance was broken.
War seemed inevitable.
…
“Damn it, I can’t take it anymore! In just ten days, we’ve lost two thousand students, including ten from the elite class, and even the second-ranked Li Chengxiu defected! Our market share in the imperial city is gone. We’re surviving on small deals and external mines. This can’t go on!” Fire Thunderbolt roared in the high-level meeting hall, his temper uncontainable.
Today, the hall was packed with not just the three deans but also department heads.
Most burned with anger.
Some, however, were secretly pleased—undercover agents from Divine Phoenix Academy, though they feigned shared outrage.
“Dean, give the order. There’s no room for hesitation. Divine Phoenix Academy wants to wipe us out,” Feng Qingyan said, out of options.
“You two vice-deans, how can you be so foolish? Divine Phoenix Academy offered a condition: hand over Ling Xiao and his group, and they won’t destroy us completely. They’ll leave us ten percent of the market,” said a goateed martial artist, Yang Yijun, with a smile.
“Yang Yijun, that’s nonsense! Qingxu Academy’s people aren’t cowards. Even at the last moment, we’d never betray our disciples!” Fire Thunderbolt roared.
“Why so angry, Dean Fire? I’m just suggesting what’s best for Qingxu Academy. If this continues, we’re finished. Should we really ruin our foundation for some unknown human?” Yang Yijun said calmly.
“Shut up! How dare you say that? If an academy loses its spirit, it’s just an empty shell, even if it stands. Say that again, and I’ll slap you dead!” Feng Qingyan, usually calm, was enraged, glaring at Yang Yijun.
“Fine, I’ll stop. But you two vice-deans need to understand: Divine Phoenix Academy has Sun Shang, a high-grade Yellow Rank alchemist. Without someone like that, you can’t compete. Even the Emperor wouldn’t side with us,” Yang Yijun sneered. “You know better than I how valuable a high-grade Yellow Rank alchemist is.”
This time, neither Feng Qingyan nor Fire Thunderbolt argued back.
Yang Yijun’s words were harsh but true.
A high-grade Yellow Rank alchemist was likely unique to Sun Shang in Tianlong and Divine Phoenix continents.
At least for now.
Such a figure was rarer than rare, one of a kind.
The more skilled the alchemist, the wider their network. Their own cultivation might be modest, but countless experts would back them.
Cross them, and if they survive, those experts would swarm to your detriment.
Not just the Divine Phoenix Empire, even the Five Immortal Islands wouldn’t lightly provoke such an alchemist.
That was reality.
