The host frowned, and the mood in the alchemists’ box dropped below zero. After all, I had essentially accused them of theft.
“I agree to pay for the herbs used in creating the pill” - Dao Mu shouted.
“Very well” - the host nodded, gritting his teeth. - “Bring your grandson here. Let everyone take a look at him…”
The words “for the last time” weren’t spoken, but they were clearly implied. I merely smirked in response.
“What’s your name, kid?” - I asked my test subject, simultaneously evaluating his cultivation base.
“Dao Ku Xia” - he said respectfully with a bow.
A three-part name usually indicates a person of noble origin. His grandfather had a two-part name, so there was clearly some dynastic marriage involved, where wealth was joined with an ancient lineage.
“Does your grandfather have a lot of Qi crystals?”
“A lot…” - the boy answered, sounding a bit wary. Apparently, he understood that his grandfather’s wealth attracted many swindlers and people hoping to get rich quick.
“After you swallow the pill, run to your grandfather and absorb Qi from all the crystals he has. Now, take your place as the test subject. Let’s begin!”
Sa Va Ge and I approached the alchemical tables and started making our pills. They brought me the requested ingredients, including large crystals filled with purified neutral Qi at the Foundation Formation stage.
I intended to create a pill that would form a ‘foundation’ structure in all ten of the body’s energy centers at once. That required an enormous amount of Qi. There was a reason the large crystal was called ‘large’: it could hold a thousand times more Qi than an average crystal. Even so, it would barely be sufficient to form ten Qi structures. Therefore, once the pill was used, our ‘test subject’ would have to absorb huge amounts of Qi to stabilize his cultivation foundation and avoid slipping back down.
I needed the core of the Water Oak as an excellent Qi ‘storage container.’ The bark and outer trunk of the oak held water-type Qi, making them quite valuable. But the core itself contained no energy, which is why most alchemists deemed it ‘trash’ — used only for pills meant to be stored for decades or centuries. However, I found another use for it.
Twenty minutes later, I was holding the “Phantom Pill” which wasn’t phantom-like at all but looked more like a wooden sphere. Or, you could say it contained ten phantom pills inside, each with an absolutely identical internal structure. That similarity was extremely valuable in itself, ensuring the body wouldn’t experience any dissonance from having different ‘laws’ in various energy centers.
“Is that your Phantom Pill?” - the host asked, filling the pause. Sa Va Ge was still busy preparing his materials and wouldn’t finish his pill for at least another half hour. - “It doesn’t look very phantom-like.”
Laughter rippled through the hall, apparently, he fancied himself a comedian.
“I think we don’t need to wait for my opponent” - I replied, casting a haughty glance at my rival, who was now rushing and risking to make a foolish mistake. - “We can test the pill right now and see whether it’s truly phantom or not.”
The host glanced again at his superiors and then unexpectedly agreed.
“Very well. Consuming a pill takes time, so we can observe one volunteer first and then the other.”
The second volunteer was a muscular brute, seemingly chosen to contrast the frail child. He was even broader in the shoulders than I was, yet at twenty years old he had only reached the tenth level of Qi Condensation, so in the eyes of the locals he probably ranked somewhere between a peasant and a servant.
First, the judges examined my pill, then gave it to Dao Ku Xia. He sat down in a meditation pose, calmed his internal Qi, tossed the pill into his mouth, and swallowed it whole, fortunately, its diameter was no more than a centimeter and a half. Just a couple of seconds later, a powerful stream of glowing Qi burst out from his body, ruffling his clothes and hair. Even I was surprised to see him suddenly resemble some sort of “ancient hero shattering the heavens.”
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The audience gasped and fell silent, watching what was happening. The glow concentrated around Dao Ku Xia’s body and then abruptly died down. At that very moment, a ‘foundation’ structure appeared in his Phoenix Tail center. The crowd started shouting in excitement, and Dao Mu’s eyes filled with tears of happiness. But then the glow flared up again, and Dao Ku Xia’s face took on an otherworldly expression, as though he’d just grasped some universal truth.
“What’s happening?” - the spectators murmured uneasily.
“He already broke through to the Foundation Formation stage.”
“Did something go wrong?”
“I expected as much from that upstart of the Heavenly Blades sect.”
“Think he’ll explode as impressively as that poor guy in the first round?”
“Quiet! It’s starting again.”
Just then, the glow died down a second time, and a new structure emerged in the ninth energy center of his body.
“What? He broke through again? Don’t tell me the pill had a double effect!”
“I can’t believe my eyes. Two levels of Foundation Formation in a single minute?”
“Unheard of! Who is this Tan Ji Tao? Where did he even come from?”
“I want that pill, too. No, three. No—five!”
But while the audience rambled on, the glow began igniting for a third round. By now, Dao Ku Xia’s face radiated a celestial majesty that overwhelmed mere mortals just by existing in the same space. Another minute passed — this stage took longer than the previous two, but it also culminated in a sudden “collapse” and he broke through to the third level of Foundation Formation (level 13).
“What’s going on?”
“This is absurd! How many more times is he going to break through?”
“How is this possible? Was that a heaven-grade pill?”
“Look, he’s going for a fourth round!”
“This must be a dream. Someone, pinch me… Oww!!! Why’d you do that?”
At least half the audience was plagued by the question, “What’s going on?” They kept asking each other, unable to believe their eyes.
Meanwhile, Dao Ku Xia broke through the fourth level, the fifth, the sixth, and so on — each time taking no more than a minute. All alchemists looked on, eyes bulging, spitting up a new mouthful of blood every minute. Even Sa Va Ge stopped working on his pill, gazing at me with a mix of hatred, envy, and… bewilderment.
Finally, after ten minutes, the glow faded for the tenth time, marking the formation of a tenth ‘foundation.’
“Tenth level of Foundation Formation (20)!!! That’s my grandson!” - Dao Mu was screaming at the top of his lungs. - “He’s a genius! A genius!!!”
Technically, I’m the genius here, but the kid’s not bad, either. He didn’t make a single mistake, perfectly taking advantage of the opportunity. Opening his now-luminous eyes, Dao Ku Xia scanned the hall, then bolted toward his grandfather, reached into his pocket, pulled out a handful of Qi crystals, and immediately began devouring them greedily, crunching them like candy. Though Qi-charged crystals are fairly sturdy, in this “sweet-tooth’s” mouth they crumbled into dust without any resistance.
The people all around weren’t just shouting anymore; they were hoarse, screaming, and howling. Dozens of onlookers stared at me with hungry eyes, clearly eager to commission some particularly rare pills from me. In short, my trial had turned into a wild mass frenzy. People and even the judges forgot all about the second contestant, who himself was sadly eyeing the table in front of him, deciding whether it was worth continuing at all. After all, it was already obvious who’d won this competition.
When the noise died down a bit, a gray-haired elder stepped onto the stage. Seeing him, people began calming down, taking their seats again, switching from shouts to whispers.
“Ahem! Well, this contest has ended in victory for the Heavenly Blades sect” -he admitted his defeat. - “Mu Niam, please come forward and receive your promised prize.”
My teacher darted forward like a meteor and respectfully held out his hands, into which a gold-embellished jade with a dragon design was placed.
“Thank you, Grandmaster” - he said, bowing.
“No need. This contest was quite entertaining” - the old man replied, smiling into his beard.
“You know what’s really entertaining?” - Mu Niam suddenly gave a nasty grin as he tucked the jade into his ring. - “Tan Ji Tao is a disciple of the Outer Court of our sect.”
For a second, the crowd froze, and the hall fell completely silent. Then…everyone burst into laughter in unison. Not just chuckling or joking, but roaring with laughter at something they clearly thought was the best joke in the history of creation. Some spectators literally dropped to the ground, rolling around and howling. And I noticed that the greedy looks once directed at me had changed…into contempt. Those who, just a moment ago, considered me a brilliant alchemist now looked at me as if I were a flea that had somehow climbed onto a throne and deposed a king. It was funny, but…disgusting.
Moreover, I noticed that the anger in the eyes of the alchemists from the Golden Dragon sect had shifted into fierce hatred. My death sentence was now visible in each of their gazes. It looked like my dear teacher had just signed his own death warrant. Though for now, of course, there’s no need to mention that to him.
“Let’s get out of here” - said the soon-to-be-corpse, jumping up beside me. - “We should leave before they come to their senses.”
We quickly slipped through the crowd toward the exit. No one stopped us, but the looks they threw my way were full of arrogant disdain.
“Now do you see what your real status is?” - Mu Niam asked when we exited the building and hurried away, accompanied by bodyguards who kept darting their gazes in all directions. - “Here, Outer Court disciples are called ‘wild cultivators.’ People who don’t even have the right to stand alongside true cultivators. People who can be killed just because someone feels like it.”