Seizing Destiny From Heavens Hands

Chapter 351: The Young Sect Master is About to Refine the Pill

The shadowy figure paused for a moment before continuing, “A rumor has been spreading recently in the capital, saying that the Young Sect Master of Jade Cauldron Sect, Shen Mo, is competing in alchemy against Elder Qingmu.”

“Both of them are refining the Heavy Water Cold Extreme Pill. However, Shen Mo only has a single set of ingredients.”

Emperor Jing was momentarily stunned.

A look of obvious surprise flashed across his face.

He had already known about Shen Mo’s arrival in the capital through his extensive intelligence network.

However, this particular news still caught him off guard.

On what basis could Shen Mo challenge a grandmaster of alchemy?

Who gave him such courage?

“Explain in detail,” Emperor Jing commanded.

The shadowy figure nodded. “Upon investigation, it turns out that neither Shen Mo nor Elder Qingmu had any intention of competing. However, the Ninth Elder of Tianhe Sect, Bai Tianyuan, secretly instigated the matter, while Wuying Pavilion spread the news, rapidly fueling the notion that Shen Mo was challenging Elder Qingmu.”

“Many in the capital now believe Shen Mo to be an arrogant fool who doesn’t know his limits. In the process, his once-glorious reputation for slaying countless demon clans has been completely overshadowed.”

Emperor Jing let out a silent chuckle. “I see.”

“It seems Shen Mo has become an unwitting victim of this whole affair.”

“This Ninth Elder of Tianhe Sect is quite an interesting figure… Hmm, he must be trying to curry favor with me.”

The shadowy figure nodded. “Your Majesty is wise.”

“Continue. What other major events have occurred?” Emperor Jing waved his hand.

The shadowy figure respectfully reported, “There is another incident. A tribute cloudship from Qianyuan Sect was attacked by the Mad Blade Alliance while passing over Mo Prefecture. Two Nascent Soul cultivators were killed, and a Divine Transformation cultivator was severely wounded. The tribute gifts were also stolen.”

“Qianyuan Sect is furious and has demanded that the Mad Blade Alliance hand over the perpetrators and return the tribute. However, the Mad Blade Alliance has denied any involvement.”

“Tensions between the two sides are escalating towards war.”

Emperor Jing chuckled. “Was it really the Mad Blade Alliance?”

The shadowy figure replied, “It is uncertain. The Mad Blade Alliance has always been loosely organized, and even their leader might not know who was responsible.”

“Our agents have yet to uncover who orchestrated and carried out the attack.”

Emperor Jing smiled indifferently. “Qianyuan Sect and the Mad Blade Alliance have held grudges for a long time. Even without this incident, a conflict between them was inevitable. There’s no need to interfere.”

“You may go.”

“Yes.” The shadowy figure nodded and swiftly vanished.

Emperor Jing smiled faintly. “With the Sword Sovereign’s birthday banquet approaching, I suspect there will be no shortage of interesting developments.”

After speaking, he continued gazing toward the south, standing motionless like a statue.

It was unclear whether he was contemplating the legendary feats of his ancestors, who conquered the Eight Desolations and annihilated countless demon clans, or envisioning his own grand ambitions for the future.

...

With Wuying Pavilion’s aggressive publicity, the atmosphere in the capital grew increasingly heated.

Many people were enthusiastically discussing the upcoming alchemy duel between Shen Mo and Elder Qingmu.

Even those who had never heard of Shen Mo or Elder Qingmu before were compelled to learn more about the feud between them.

As a result, their names became known to nearly everyone in the capital.

Meanwhile, the Sword Sovereign’s birthday banquet drew ever closer.

From across the land, envoys from the Eight Great Sects began arriving one after another.

Naturally, news of the rumored alchemy duel also reached their ears.

Reactions varied.

For example, the Snow Palace, located in the far north of the continent and rarely involving itself in worldly affairs, showed no interest in the matter whatsoever.

Similarly, the Mad Blade Alliance, situated on the westernmost edge of the continent near the desert, had no idea who Shen Mo even was and thus had no reaction at all.

On the other hand, groups like the Holy Spirit Sect and Wuying Pavilion, both long-standing allies of the royal family and Elder Qingmu, openly disdained Shen Mo’s actions.

Meanwhile, Qianyuan Sect and Sea God Island were rather astonished.

They could not understand why Shen Mo would choose to compete against a titan of alchemy.

Was he digging his own grave?

...

At Yunlai Tavern.

The entire establishment had been fully booked by the Jade Cauldron Sect to accommodate visiting cultivators.

This time, the Jade Cauldron Sect had sent a total of twenty cultivators to the capital.

The ones leading the group were Hai Qiankun and Murong Yue.

Not long after their arrival, they heard the shocking news that Shen Mo was going to compete in alchemy against Elder Qingmu.

“What? Why would the Young Sect Master compete with Elder Qingmu? This…” Hai Qiankun was momentarily stunned.

Murong Yue frowned deeply. “That’s not right. He’s not that kind of person. Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding that got out of hand.”

“Elder Qingmu is a towering figure in the field of alchemy—a true grandmaster. Even if the Young Sect Master has some skill in alchemy, there’s no way he could compete with someone of that caliber,” Hai Qiankun said, furrowing his brows.

“Where is Mo’er now? I want to see him,” Murong Yue asked.

“It seems he’s at the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce. Wait, I’ll go with you!” Hai Qiankun said anxiously.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce, where they met Zhou Mingyi.

Recognizing them as cultivators from the Jade Cauldron Sect, Zhou Mingyi immediately showed them great respect.

After a brief exchange, Zhou Mingyi shook his head. “I understand that you wish to see Daoist Shen, but unfortunately, he is at a crucial moment in his pill refinement, and no one can disturb him.”

Hai Qiankun scratched his head. “I have a question—since when did our Young Sect Master become so close to Tianhe Sect?”

Murong Yue nodded in agreement. “Yes, as far as I know, there hasn’t been much interaction between the Jade Cauldron Sect and Tianhe Sect.”

Zhou Mingyi chuckled. “It seems Daoist Shen didn’t tell you what happened before. Very well, let me explain everything in detail!”

With that, Zhou Mingyi recounted how Shen Mo had obliterated a demonic fiend in Boyang City and slain a traitor of the Tianhe Sect.

Since he had personally witnessed the events, his narration was rich in detail, vividly capturing every moment.

It was as if they had been transported to the scene themselves.

“What? A demonic fiend?” Hai Qiankun shuddered, his plump body trembling visibly.

Even Murong Yue couldn’t hide the shock in her eyes. “I never thought that true demonic fiends actually existed in this world!”

Zhou Mingyi sighed. “Our Tianhe Sect has preserved some ancient records. I happen to enjoy reading, so I was able to piece together some clues from them.”

“But aren’t demons supposed to be unbelievably powerful? How did the Young Sect Master manage to slay one?” Hai Qiankun asked, astonished.

Zhou Mingyi shook his head. “That, I do not know. He must have some hidden trump card.”

The two of them couldn’t help but show expressions of deep respect.

Even demonic fiends—monstrous entities capable of corrupting the land itself—could be slain by Shen Mo.

His strength was clearly extraordinary.

A glimmer of admiration flashed in Murong Yue’s eyes.

A faint, proud smile appeared on her lips.

After all, the Shen Mo they revered—was her beloved.

The three of them continued conversing for a while.

Finally, Hai Qiankun cupped his hands. “Since that’s the case, we won’t disturb him any further. We’ll take our leave for now.”

Murong Yue lowered her voice. “Take good care of him.”

Zhou Mingyi responded solemnly, “Rest assured. I can guarantee Daoist Shen’s safety one hundred percent. I have been standing guard outside the courtyard this entire time and haven’t let a single person enter!”

Just as the two of them turned to leave, they suddenly sensed a surge of powerful energy emanating from within the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce!

A dense mist of water vapor began gathering from all directions.

In just the blink of an eye, beads of moisture had already condensed on the surfaces of the furniture.

Hai Qiankun, who was once the Sect Master of the Pill River Sect and an expert in alchemy, immediately recognized this as a sign that a Heaven-Tier pill was about to take form!

His eyes lit up, and he immediately said, “President Zhou, seal off the Tianhe Chamber of Commerce! No one is to enter or leave!”

“The Young Sect Master is about to complete the pill!”

Zhou Mingyi was overjoyed. “Alright, alright! I’ll give the order at once!”

Hai Qiankun and Murong Yue hurried to the entrance of the courtyard and stood guard.

Murong Yue turned to Hai Qiankun. “Elder Hai, with such signs manifesting, can we be certain that the pill will be successfully refined?”

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