The shattered Spirit Sword lay on the corridor floor like a monument to Ling Yuan's humiliation and Ling Tian's sudden, terrifying ascent. The Elders were still whispering when a heavy messenger bird arrived, carrying news that plunged the Ling Clan into deep anxiety.
The Blackwood Clan, their rival and currently dominant force in Moonlit City, had accelerated their debt collection. Three months ago, the Ling Clan had secured a loan from the Blackwood Clan, promising Fifty Low-Grade Essence Condensing Pills as collateral within ten days. Due to their declining alchemists, the Ling Clan had barely managed to produce twenty.
Elder Lin, the chief steward, rushed to the main hall, his face pale. "Patriarch, the Blackwood Clan has sent notice! We must deliver the remaining thirty Essence Condensing Pills by tomorrow evening, or they will seize our Spirit Vein mine!"
The Ling Patriarch, an old man weary from years of decline, slammed his fist onto the table. "Thirty pills in one day? Impossible! Alchemist Fei is recovering from backlash, and the others only produce trash! We are finished!"
The hall descended into chaos. The Spirit Vein mine was the clan's lifeblood. Losing it meant immediate ruin.
It was then that Ling Tian walked in, his expression utterly detached from the panic around him.
"Pills? That is all the fuss is about?" Ling Tian's tone was dismissive, as if they were worried about spilled milk.
Elder Lin snapped, "Ling Tian! This is serious! What do you know about alchemy? You, who couldn't even refine a simple Qi Gathering Pellet properly!"
Ling Tian merely gave him the cold, arrogant smile that was becoming his trademark. "You are judging the present me by the past me. A mistake you will not repeat."
He ignored the gasping Elders and walked straight toward the panic-stricken Patriarch. "Patriarch, I can refine the pills. I require three things: the materials, the most secure alchemy chamber, and three days of absolute peace."
"Three days?!" the Patriarch exclaimed. "We need them by tomorrow! And you, you've never truly mastered the basic flame control!"
"Three days for the number you require, and the quality you will receive," Ling Tian stated firmly. His eyes, now clear and sharp with Primordial Chaos energy, held a terrifying confidence that silenced the old man. "Do you trust my words, or do you choose ruin? The choice is yours."
The Patriarch, seeing the absolute certainty in the eyes of the young man who had inexplicably crushed a Spirit Sword earlier that morning, made a desperate decision. "Give him the resources! Lock the chamber! No one is to disturb Ling Tian for three days, under pain of expulsion!"
Ignoring the furious protests of Ling Yuan and several skeptical Elders, Ling Tian gathered the necessary Low-Grade herbs. He entered the Alchemy Chamber, the heaviest door in the clan sliding shut behind him.
Inside, Ling Tian did not use the clan's cumbersome, slow cauldrons. Instead, he summoned the memories from the Absolute Immortal Lineage. Alchemy was not about following recipes; it was about understanding the fundamental laws of energy conversion.
He pulled out a single, small, bronze cauldron—a tool his mother had left him—and began.
The technique he used was called the Star-Plucking Hand, a terrifying method where the cultivator used their own refined energy to replace the spiritual flame, ensuring absolute temperature control. The Primordial Chaos energy was the perfect fuel.
He didn't just refine the pills; he forged them. He didn't just follow the recipe; he perfected it. He purged every impurity from the herbs, squeezing their essence until only the purest liquid remained.
Day one passed. The Elders outside mocked him, claiming he was likely wasting precious herbs.
Day two passed. A faint, sweet herbal scent began to seep out from the tightly sealed chamber, a scent far superior to anything the clan had ever produced.
Day three, as the sun began to set, the entire Ling Clan suddenly felt a shockwave of spiritual energy. The ground trembled slightly, and a brilliant Violet-Gold Light momentarily flashed from the locked chamber.
The herbal scent intensified, becoming rich and intoxicating, laced with spiritual energy that made the surrounding cultivators feel invigorated just by breathing it in.
The Pill Light! The Elders realized with terror and elation. Only high-level pills produce such light!
The heavy door groaned open. Ling Tian emerged, looking slightly tired, but his eyes glowed with triumph.
In his hand, he held a porcelain jar. He hadn't just produced thirty pills. He had produced Fifty Essence Condensing Pills.
But these were not the expected Low-Grade pills. Each pill in the jar radiated a faint golden light, their surface smooth and flawless—the Peak-Grade Essence Condensing Pills. Their quality was so high they could be sold for triple the price of ordinary pills.
Ling Tian looked at the stunned Patriarch and Elder Lin.
"The thirty pills you needed," he announced, his voice ringing with cold power. "And twenty extra. Now, let the dogs of the Blackwood Clan come for their tribute."