An Ultimate Venerable was the absolute pinnacle for a Qi Sea Cultivator. Every single one was a supreme figure.

Not only did this youth before them have three Ultimate Venerable Level Demon Pets, but he himself had also reached the Ultimate Venerable Level... How could such a monstrous person exist in this world?

"Heroes emerge from the young. Compared to you, I feel like I’ve wasted my whole life..."

After a moment, Tie Long shook his head with a bitter smile. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was true. He was in his forties or fifties and had only just reached the Early-Stage Qi Sect, while this youth, who looked to be less than seventeen, was already an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse. The gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

"I’ve always thought of myself as a genius, but only now do I realize that compared to a real genius, I’m nothing but a buffoon..."

Tie Lan was also completely crushed.

She had reached the Peak of the Body Emergence Realm at a young age, and her cultivation speed was already impressive compared to her peers. Coupled with the fact that she was a Beast Tamer, she had always considered herself a genius who far surpassed others.

Now, seeing Nie Yun, whose Beast Taming abilities and personal strength both far exceeded her own, she was utterly crushed!

"When is the Pill Assembly, and where will it be held?"

Seeing their expressions, Nie Yun helplessly changed the subject.

’In their eyes, I’m some supreme genius, but I know the truth. If it weren’t for my rebirth and obtaining the Nameless Technique that changed my talent, forget becoming an Ultimate Venerable—my strength would probably still be hovering around the Qi Nourishing Realm!’

"The Pill Assembly is tomorrow, in the huge plaza in front of the City Lord’s Mansion. The invitation I gave you grants you entry into the mansion itself..."

Tie Lan was no simple person; she recovered after a moment of shock.

The Jibei City Pill Assembly was hosted by the City Lord’s Mansion. Most of the displayed goods and Elixirs were in the plaza outside the mansion, while the most precious and rare items were placed inside the City Lord’s Mansion itself!

Not just anyone could view and purchase these items; an invitation was required!

This was done to prevent those with no money from parading around and trying to pass themselves off as important.

After chatting for a while longer, Nie Yun had a clear understanding of the entire Pill Assembly. Only then, under Tie Lan’s arrangements, did he settle into a quiet, private courtyard.

Although this Pill Assembly sold all sorts of goods and was no different from a normal trade fair, it wasn’t called the Pill Assembly for no reason. The main event was naturally the Elixir auction!

Alchemy Master was also a special talent, and the scarcity of people with this talent made Elixirs especially precious. Every Elixir auction would cause a buying frenzy. Over time, although a diverse range of goods were traded, none became as famous as the Elixir auction!

And so, the Pill Assembly’s reputation was born.

***

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In the private courtyard, Nie Yun leaped into the air with the Profound Jade Sword on his back. Each jump produced a thunderous sound, as if a great mountain were crashing down from the sky.

Carrying the Profound Jade Sword with sheer muscle power, without using any True Qi, was something he had already adapted to, but jumping was still somewhat difficult.

DRIP! DRIP! DRIP!

Each jump was not high, only one or two meters, yet Nie Yun felt a tearing pain in his muscles, and sweat dripped endlessly from his forehead.

Purely cultivating the physical body was much more painful than True Qi Cultivation, but Nie Yun also knew the benefits of Body Refinement, and so he persevered despite the pain.

’*Phew!* After nearly three days of Cultivation, with just my physical body and the Profound Jade Sword, I should have no problem fighting even a Late-Stage Qi Sect expert!’

Finally, as dawn broke on the horizon, Nie Yun, having cultivated for the entire night, finally stopped. Feeling the power in his body, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Having reached Second-Layer Great Success in the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique, his muscles alone possessed One Elephant Power, equivalent to an Early-Stage Qi Sect expert. After three consecutive days of ascetic training, although his strength hadn’t increased much, he had adapted to the Profound Jade Sword. Paired with this indestructible heavy sword, he could now fight a Late-Stage Qi Sect powerhouse even without using his True Qi Power!

Of course, if he used his True Qi and unleashed the Momentum of Mountains and Rivers, it was hard to say if even an Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouse could withstand it.

"You three, stay and cultivate in the courtyard. I’m going to the Pill Assembly!"

After bathing and changing his clothes, the sky outside was already bright. Nie Yun gave his instructions to Xiaohai, Xiaolang, and Xiaoton, then followed Tie Lan’s lead toward the City Lord’s Mansion.

The Mercenary Corps’ branch building was not far from the City Lord’s Mansion, and they arrived after a short walk.

Originally, Tie Lan had intended for them to take a horse-drawn carriage, but Nie Yun had adamantly refused, so they dropped the idea.

’Are you kidding me? If I got into a carriage, I’m afraid even the sturdiest one wouldn’t be able to bear my weight and would just turn into a pile of scrap wood!’

The plaza outside the City Lord’s Mansion was a sea of people. As expected of a famous festival in the Divine Wind Empire, all sorts of vendors stretched on for miles and miles, covering the land as far as the eye could see. There were hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people!

There were all kinds of beast pelts, weapons, and rare items... a dazzling array of peculiar things, with everything one could possibly want.

After looking around the plaza for a while, Nie Yun lost all desire to buy anything.

Although these things were novel and very useful to Ordinary people, they were completely useless to him. Continuing to look around would be a waste of time.

’Something like the Purple Splendor Jade Seal... even if the seller didn’t recognize it or know its value, just based on its appearance, it’s impossible that it would be mixed in with the wares here! I should just go to the City Lord’s Mansion and have a look.’

The Purple Splendor Jade Seal would only be recognized ten years later, causing a sensation throughout the Empire. Although the person selling it now might not know its specific function, a jade tablet left behind by a supreme expert would not look like a Mortal Grade item, even from its appearance alone. It shouldn’t be mixed in with the things in a place like this!

Having made up his mind, he saw that Tie Lan had the same idea, so the two of them walked toward the City Lord’s Mansion, chatting and laughing.

They entered the mansion smoothly with the invitation. As soon as he was inside, Nie Yun’s eyes lit up when he realized it was completely different from the outside.

Outside, everything was rather Ordinary. Even the Demon Beast pelts for sale were generally from beasts no higher than the Body Emergence Realm. But inside the mansion, even the lowest-grade items were Armor Realm beast pelts! The difference was obvious at a glance!

"The Mother-Child Heart-Piercing Arrow! Once the mother arrow is fired, it releases child arrows! Its power is infinite, allowing a Qi Nourishing Realm Cultivator to kill a Body Emergence Realm expert..."

"Blood-Transforming Powder! Sprinkle a little on a corpse, and it will instantly dissolve into a pool of pus, leaving no trace behind! The ultimate treasure for murder and robbery..."

"A Magnificent Eagle Beast cub, a Qi Nourishing Realm Demon Beast! Raise it and build a bond, and even if you’re not a Beast Tamer, you’ll have a Demon Beast to ride across the sky!"

In the main hall on the first floor of the City Lord’s Mansion, all kinds of vendors were hawking their wares. The items were strange and dazzling, and there were so many that even Nie Yun, with his current standards, felt a little tempted by some of them.

However, he didn’t make a move to buy anything. Instead, he was searching for any sign of the Purple Splendor Jade Seal.

’Hm? There’s actually something this good here? Not bad, not bad at all!’

Just as he was casually looking around, something suddenly caught his eye. His pupils dilated, and a wide smile spread across his face. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please consider supporting it with recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)