Chapter 354: As the Supreme Emperor, I Cannot Lower Myself to Recruit Someone Who Opposes the Court

Bai Tianyuan was momentarily stunned upon hearing Elder Qingmu’s voice.

“Master, are you joking? The Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill is already an incredibly rare elixir. How could he possibly refine an even better pill?”

Elder Qingmu did not respond. Instead, he simply shook his head, unwilling to say more.

Boom.

The gates of the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce burst open.

Zhou Mingyi, Murong Yue, and Hai Qiankun emerged with bright smiles on their faces.

At the very center of their formation was Shen Mo, closely protected by the trio.

“Greetings, fellow Daoists.” Zhou Mingyi clasped his hands together with a wide grin.

A Divine Transformation cultivator from the Qianyuan Sect immediately asked, “Elder Zhou, what was all that commotion about?”

The others also turned their gazes to Zhou Mingyi.

They had already made a rough guess, but they still needed Zhou Mingyi to confirm it.

Zhou Mingyi smiled faintly, glanced at Shen Mo, and then said, “Everyone, at the invitation of our Tianhe Sect, the Young Sect Master of the Jade Cauldron Sect, Shen Mo, has refined an elixir for our sect.”

“The pill has now been successfully formed.”

“That’s all there is to it.”

The Divine Transformation cultivator from Qianyuan Sect couldn’t help but ask, “But why was the phenomenon so grand? This doesn’t seem like the usual anomaly caused by the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill.”

“Could it be that Alchemist Shen refined something other than the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill?”

Zhou Mingyi let out a hearty laugh. “That, I cannot answer. I’ll let Daoist Shen explain it himself.”

Shen Mo spoke calmly, “The Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill can only increase the cultivation speed of the Ninefold Heavenly River Scroll by about ten to twenty percent—too slow.”

“After much contemplation, I made some slight modifications and refined a new pill.”

“I have named it the Thousandfold Cold Extreme Pill. Its effects surpass the previous version.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Tianyuan immediately rebuked, “Nonsense! Whether it is better than the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill can only be determined after consumption!”

“How can you spout such baseless claims and fabricate results?”

Elder Qingmu took a deep breath and scolded, “Shut up!”

Bai Tianyuan was incredulous. “Master…”

“I told you to shut up! Do you want to embarrass yourself even further?!” Elder Qingmu’s voice rose in volume.

Bai Tianyuan fell silent.

The gathered cultivators also began to contemplate.

For pills below the Heaven-Tier level, their efficacy indeed needed to be tested through consumption.

However, Heaven-Tier pills would always trigger small-scale anomalies during the refining process.

By observing these anomalies, one could roughly estimate the potency of the pill.

The anomaly triggered by Shen Mo’s Thousandfold Cold Extreme Pill had clearly overshadowed the one caused by Elder Qingmu’s Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill.

This was an undeniable fact.

Elder Qingmu looked at Shen Mo and asked hoarsely, “Dare I ask, how did you improve it?”

As soon as he spoke, the entire crowd fell silent.

Everyone’s attention shifted between Elder Qingmu and Shen Mo.

Shen Mo replied calmly, “Reduce the amount of Heavy Water Essence and increase the temperature of the Eternal Flame.”

Elder Qingmu’s expression stiffened.

The first modification was indeed a viable improvement.

But the second…

Back then, he had nearly lost his life trying to barely subdue the ‘Soul-Burning Xin Flame’ within his body.

The temperature of the Soul-Burning Xin Flame was not extremely high, but it was already far hotter than natural flames such as Earthfire Springs.

To further increase the temperature of an Eternal Flame—impossible.

It was clear that he would never be able to improve the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill in his lifetime.

Elder Qingmu let out a bitter chuckle. “Fate. This is fate.”

“Young friend, your future achievements in alchemy will surely surpass mine. Farewell.”

With that, he disregarded everyone’s gazes and turned to leave.

He was someone who valued his dignity.

And he knew that he had already lost all face.

Due to Bai Tianyuan’s earlier hype, nearly the entire imperial capital believed that Shen Mo was competing against him in alchemy.

Now, with the Thousandfold Cold Extreme Pill clearly surpassing the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill,

Even if he tried to explain, others would simply assume that he had lost to Shen Mo.

Rather than making a fuss, it was better to admit defeat with dignity.

At least that way, he could retain a shred of his reputation.

With that, Elder Qingmu turned and walked away.

Bai Tianyuan wanted to say something, but under Elder Qingmu’s piercing glare, he could only swallow his words.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared without a trace.

Elder Qingmu’s words were nothing short of a final verdict.

Shen Mo’s future achievements might even surpass his own!

What did this mean?

Given enough time, Shen Mo would inevitably become a grandmaster, a towering figure in the world of cultivation!

At that moment, the cultivators present began calculating their own interests.

“Congratulations, Daoist Shen.”

A crisp voice, as melodious as wind chimes, was the first to break the silence.

All eyes turned toward the speaker.

It was a graceful woman, clad entirely in black, her face veiled in dark silk—the Shadow Pavilion’s Young Mistress, Xue Ziyi.

Shen Mo’s expression remained unchanged.

He hadn’t expected Xue Ziyi to be the first to offer congratulations.

This woman was anything but simple.

After Xue Ziyi spoke, the other cultivators also stepped forward with their own words of congratulations.

Regardless of what the future held for Shen Mo, the fact that he could refine a pill superior to the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill already demonstrated his extraordinary skill.

Who wouldn’t want to befriend a prodigious alchemist with limitless potential?

The cultivators of the Qianyuan Sect and Poseidon Island were particularly delighted.

They had long established an alliance with the Jade Cauldron Sect, even sending rare treasures to assist in its reconstruction and the restoration of its strength.

Now, realizing that Shen Mo possessed extraordinary talent in alchemy, their joy knew no bounds.

Elder Qingmu’s alchemy fees were exorbitant, and he was often unavailable.

But now that Shen Mo had proven himself capable, their alliance with the Jade Cauldron Sect meant they could seek his help for pill refinement in the future.

Meanwhile, among the distant crowd…

A man in plain robes, Emperor Jing, observed the scene, his gaze growing colder by the moment.

Once, the governor of Yuzhou, Ji Quan, had advised him to recruit Shen Mo and bring the Jade Cauldron Sect under the imperial fold.

But the emperor had dismissed the idea.

Shen Mo had once defied imperial authority and opposed the court.

At the time, the emperor saw no reason to lower himself to recruit such a rebel.

Now, however, it was clear that he had made a grave miscalculation.

Shen Mo possessed immense strength and unparalleled potential, and now, he had demonstrated exceptional mastery in alchemy.

He had become an undeniable rising star.

At this moment, there was likely no sect that wouldn’t want to recruit him.

“But what’s done is done.”

“As the supreme ruler, I cannot lower myself to recruit someone who has opposed the court.”

“That would only reveal my weakness to the world.”

After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Jing’s gaze turned resolute.

The world had never lacked geniuses.

Countless prodigies had perished beneath the tides of history.

Shen Mo would be no different.

Once the Demon Emperor Gu Ming emerged from seclusion, his first target would be Shen Mo.

A dead genius was of no value to anyone.

“Return to the palace,” Emperor Jing ordered with a wave of his hand.

The young eunuch beside him bowed respectfully.

The two figures disappeared into the crowd, walking in the opposite direction of the many people rushing toward the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce.

Shen Mo noticed the two figures moving against the tide and smiled faintly.

The commotion at the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce lasted the entire day.

It was not until nightfall that the noise and excitement finally subsided.

Hai Qiankun was grinning from ear to ear.

After spending an entire day receiving congratulatory gifts for Shen Mo, he felt as though his hands were growing numb.

“Heh, my Pill River Sect has only produced a handful of alchemy masters over the years. As for an alchemy grandmaster on par with Elder Qingmu? That was something we never even dared to dream of. And yet, Shen Mo has actually achieved it!”

Hai Qiankun couldn’t help but laugh.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel