Having physically dominated the Training Hall, Ling Tian turned his attention to his other great strength: Alchemy. While brute force established dominance, alchemy granted immediate, valuable resources.
The Sect's Pill Refinement Hall was a grand, ornate building where the sect's most valuable alchemists worked. Ling Tian's arrival, two days after crippling Lei Fan, was met with stiff caution rather than challenge.
Ling Tian presented his Purple Privilege Token to the Hall Master, Elder He, a dedicated but mediocre alchemist at the Golden Core Realm.
"Honorary Core Disciple Ling Tian," Elder He greeted stiffly. "Welcome. You may use any of the cauldrons below the Azure Dragon tier. Materials must be requisitioned through the standard channel."
Ling Tian ignored the rules. He walked past the rows of common cauldrons and went straight to the center of the hall where a massive, shimmering Violet Thunder Cauldron stood. This cauldron was reserved only for the Grand Elders due to its difficulty in controlling the spiritual fire.
"I will use this one," Ling Tian declared simply.
Elder He nearly choked on his breath. "Disciple Ling Tian! That is the Violet Thunder Cauldron! Even I struggle to control its flames! You could destroy the entire hall and waste precious Tier-6 herbs!"
"Worry about your own cauldron, Elder He," Ling Tian responded with his signature, cold sneer. "If I destroy this hall, I will build you a better one. Now, send the Tier-5 and Tier-6 herbs for Spirit Augmenting Pills."
His tone brokered no argument. Elder He, remembering the fate of Patriarch Blackwood and Lei Fan, reluctantly ordered the materials delivered.
Ling Tian didn't waste any time with the sect's complex, slow alchemy formulas. Using the knowledge from the Absolute Immortal Lineage and his Primordial Chaos Energy as the heat source, he began refining.
The Alchemic Exhibition
Normal refinement took weeks and required delicate Spiritual Fire control.
Ling Tian used the Star-Plucking Hand technique he had mastered, but with his new Golden Chaos Foundation, the control was exponentially better. He didn't use fire; he used a concentrated, violet burst of Primordial Chaos energy.
He tossed all the herbs—Tier-5 and Tier-6—into the Violet Thunder Cauldron simultaneously. This was heresy in alchemy; they should be added one by one based on volatility.
Elder He and the gathered alchemist disciples gasped, expecting an immediate explosion.
Instead, the Primordial Chaos energy instantly purified and separated the essences within the cauldron. The massive Violet Thunder Cauldron, which normally roared like a beast, was silent, only radiating a soft, dark-violet light.
In less than three hours, a profound, rich herbal scent began to permeate the hall. The scent was so strong it caused the spiritual Qi in the hall to vibrate.
A Pill Tribulation Aura!
A brilliant, pulsating Rainbow Light—a phenomenon signifying the highest quality pill—began to shine from the cauldron's lid.
DING!
The cauldron lid lifted itself. Floating above the cauldron were Twelve perfectly round, flawless pills. These weren't mere Tier-5 Spirit Augmenting Pills.
"Twelve... Tier-7 Divine Augmenting Pills!" Elder He whispered, his eyes wide in disbelief. "And twelve at once! Impossible! The formula for Tier-7 pills is lost, and the only known Tier-7 Grandmaster died centuries ago!"
Ling Tian casually reached out and collected the pills, placing them into a jade bottle. The entire process took exactly three hours.
He looked at the speechless Elder He.
"These are the Spirit Augmenting Pills you requested, Elder He. I kept half for myself, and you may sell the other half," Ling Tian stated, holding out six pills. "They are Tier-7, far superior to the Tier-5 garbage your disciples produce. They are sufficient payment for the usage of your hall for the next month."
Elder He numbly accepted the pills. Six Tier-7 Divine Augmenting Pills could fund the entire Sky Cloud Sect for five years! Ling Tian had turned common Tier-5 herbs into a legendary treasure.
"Y-you... you are a Grandmaster Alchemist!" Elder He stammered.
Ling Tian merely shrugged, his arrogance reaching new heights.
"Grandmaster? That is merely a title given by the weak. I am the Star Alchemist. Inform the Sect Master that I require unlimited access to all Tier-7 and Tier-8 herbs. The Sect will be rewarded handsomely."
Ling Tian walked out of the Pill Refinement Hall, leaving behind a group of completely demoralized alchemists and an Elder He who was now planning to report that Ling Tian was not merely a combat genius, but a Pill God in disguise.