Chapter 321: Chapter 321: The Xia Family’s Elder

"Xia Qixi is right," Zhu Tianlan added with a grave expression. "Dongfang Yanyu, I think you should reconsider. Those people from the Profound Mystery Sect will absolutely not let this matter rest."

However, Ye Xuan still refused. Before he left, he quietly slipped a Storage Ring into Zhu Tianlan’s hand.

"Ye Xuan, what is this...?" Zhu Tianlan asked, confused.

"Master Zhu Tianlan, I greatly admire your character. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please take it. This isn’t some kind of repayment. I just hope that you can continue to stand on the side of the Thirteen Nations Alliance and strive for its prosperity."

After their journey into the Floating Light Secret Realm, Ye Xuan had come to deeply admire Zhu Tianlan’s character. He was especially grateful for Zhu Tianlan’s earlier decision to step forward without hesitation.

Naturally, Ye Xuan hoped that a person like him would become as strong as possible.

"Some of the things in here are for you, some are for Qi Xian, and the rest are for Xia Qixi. I’ve labeled everything. Farewell."

With that, Ye Xuan turned and left.

Watching the Liuyun Kingdom’s contingent disappear into the distance, Zhu Tianlan was still in a daze.

"Master Zhu Tianlan, what did Ye Xuan give you just now?" Qi Xian asked as he approached, puzzled.

"I don’t know either. He said these things were for us. They’re probably some Spirit Medicines and such that he obtained in the Floating Light Secret Realm. But I wonder if Dongfang Yanyu and the others approved of this?"

Zhu Tianlan murmured to himself and sent his Profound Sense into the Storage Ring. Inside, he found two sheets of paper and three vials of Spirit Medicine. The vials were each labeled with one of their three names.

"They’re actually Pills," Zhu Tianlan said, surprised. He picked up a porcelain vial and tipped it slightly. Several perfectly round Pills, which exuded a rich aura, immediately rolled into his palm.

This was...

Sensing the potent aura emanating from the Pills, Zhu Tianlan and the others’ eyes widened in disbelief.

"What a terrifying medicinal aura! This aura... could it be the Fifth Grade Venerable-breaking Pill? How is this possible!"

Zhu Tianlan found it hard to believe. The Fifth Grade Venerable-breaking Pill was one of the most powerful types of Fifth Grade Pills. Just as its name suggested, it could increase a Tier Five Peak Martial Sect’s chances of breaking through to the Tier Six Martial Venerable realm by thirty percent.

Zhu Tianlan was currently at the bottleneck of a Tier Five Peak Martial Sect. He had expected to need at least another year or two to break through. But with this Venerable-breaking Pill, he might be able to attempt a breakthrough to Tier Six Martial Venerable within a month or two.

"You two should see what’s in your vials," Zhu Tianlan said, handing the vials labeled with Qi Xian’s and Xia Qixi’s names to them. After they opened them, their eyes also widened in shock.

Inside Xia Qixi’s vial was the Fifth Grade Sect Origin Pill. While also a Fifth Grade Pill, its effects were completely different from the Venerable-breaking Pill. The Sect Origin Pill was meant for Tier Four Peak Celestial Martial Artists. Consuming it offered a near one hundred percent chance of breaking through to become a Tier Five Martial Sect.

Qi Xian also received several Fifth Grade Pills that exuded a potent aura. However, since none of them were Alchemists, they couldn’t determine their exact purpose.

’Oh right, there are also two sheets of paper.’

Zhu Tianlan took the two sheets of paper out of the Storage Ring. Both had names written on them—one for Zhu Tianlan and one for Qi Xian—and were covered in densely packed writing.

After reading the contents of the paper, Zhu Tianlan was even more stunned than when he had seen the Venerable-breaking Pill.

The sheet of paper recorded an incredibly profound Soul Skill.

On this continent, any Soul Skill was a priceless treasure. The one Zhu Tianlan cultivated was merely a crude version passed down within the Celestial Gold Kingdom. But with just a single glance at the Soul Skill Ye Xuan had provided, his Soul Power seemed to leap for joy. It was clearly in a completely different league from the one he had been practicing.

While Zhu Tianlan was reeling, Qi Xian, who stood to the side, was just as astonished.

His sheet of paper recorded a Cultivation Technique that integrated soul skills with a blade-type Martial Soul. The Pills Ye Xuan had given him were also meant to be used while cultivating this very technique.

It was unbelievable.

The two exchanged a look, their minds reeling. ’Just what is Ye Xuan’s background, that he could produce such heaven-defying items?’ They both knew that what Ye Xuan had given them would be considered Heaven-defying Level not just in the Thirteen Nations Alliance, but across the entire Dream Realm Plain.

’But where did he get so many treasures?’

The thought that Ye Xuan could be ambushed and killed by the Profound Mystery Sect on his journey made them break out in a cold sweat.

’No, we can’t let a genius like him perish just like that.’

They were extremely reluctant to accept this, but if the people from the Profound Mystery Sect decided to act, the two of them alone would be powerless to stop it.

"We need to take these items back to the senior of the Xia family right away," Zhu Tianlan suddenly blurted out, having thought of something.

Qi Xian’s eyes lit up. "Exactly! If that senior learns how heaven-defying Ye Xuan is, his appreciation for talent will surely compel him to intervene."

"I’m going too," Xia Qixi declared, her gaze firm. "I’ll convince my grandpa to come out of seclusion. We absolutely cannot let the Profound Mystery Sect lay a hand on Ye Xuan."

After making arrangements for their contingent, Zhu Tianlan, Qi Xian, and Xia Qixi rushed toward the kingdom’s Imperial Capital.

They weren’t worried that the Profound Mystery Sect would target the other experts and disciples of the Celestial Gold Kingdom. The sect’s purpose in coming to the Thirteen Nations Alliance was surely for the resources from the Floating Light Secret Realm. Since they were the ones carrying all the treasures, they would be the targets.

Traveling at a frantic pace, the trio returned to the Celestial Gold Kingdom’s Imperial Capital two days later.

Without taking a moment to rest, the two men brought Xia Qixi to a small mountain behind the Xia family estate and respectfully requested an audience.

Ordinarily, the two of them wouldn’t have been qualified to request a meeting with that person, but with Xia Qixi’s intercession, the reclusive elder of the Xia family agreed to see them.

The moment they met him, they presented the Pills and explained the reason for their visit.

Xia Qixi knelt before him. "Grandpa, you have to save Ye Xuan! If it weren’t for him, Xi’Er would have died in the Floating Light Secret Realm several times over by now. Grandpa, you must help him!"

"Xi’Er, get up first," the old man said with a smile, holding the Pills.

"No! If you don’t agree to save him, Grandpa, Xi’Er won’t get up! I know you can do it, Grandpa. Two days have already passed. If you don’t go soon, I’m afraid it will be too late," Xia Qixi said, her eyes red.

The old man glanced at Xia Qixi in surprise. ’I know my own granddaughter best. She’s always been so composed that she wouldn’t bat an eye if a mountain collapsed in front of her, let alone plead with someone like this. Why is she so concerned about this Ye Xuan fellow?’

"Alright, alright. Let me see these Pills first." The old man shook his head with a resigned sigh. He picked up the Pills, but the moment he examined them, his expression froze.

He observed them carefully for a long while before finally setting them down.

"Grandpa, what do you think? Let’s hurry and set off."

"What’s the rush? Take the Pills back. I’m not going."

"Grandpa... you..." Xia Qixi looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. She froze, and tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.

The old man quickly helped Xia Qixi to her feet and gave a wry smile. "My dear Xi’Er, listen to me. It’s not that I won’t save this Ye Xuan. It’s that he doesn’t need me to save him at all."

Xia Qixi froze. ’What does he mean, he doesn’t need to be saved?’

"Do you all think he was the one who refined these Pills?"

The old man glanced at Zhu Tianlan and Qi Xian below him and said with a faint smile.

Zhu Tianlan and Qi Xian were also taken aback.

The old man spoke slowly. "From what you’ve told me, that Ye Xuan is still just a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist, correct? Do you really believe he could refine Pills of this quality with his level of cultivation?"

The old man’s words stunned them. ’It’s true what they say—worry clouds one’s judgment.’ ’Could it be... these Pills weren’t refined by Ye Xuan?’

It made sense when they thought about it. Although Ye Xuan’s attainments in Soul Refining were astonishing and his own strength was considerable, Soul Refining and Alchemy were two completely different fields. Being strong in Soul Refining didn’t automatically make him an Alchemist.

And even if he were an Alchemist, the Pills he had given them were all Fifth Grade. It was clearly impossible for him to have refined them himself.

Seeing the dawning realization on their faces, the old man explained, "Though these are only Fifth Grade Pills, I’ve examined them closely. Their structure is perfectly round, smooth, and full. Most importantly, the medicinal energy within is incredibly condensed. The fusion of properties has clearly reached a state of perfection. This is something no Fifth Grade Alchemist is capable of." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"To concoct Pills of this quality, one would need to be a Sixth Grade Alchemist at the very least. In fact, this person is likely a top-tier figure even among Sixth Grade Alchemists."

"Therefore, there must be a powerful expert backing that Ye Xuan. You also mentioned his Soul Refining attainments are very high. It’s highly probable that the person behind him is not only a powerful Alchemist but also a powerful Soul Refiner, and their rank is also Sixth Grade or higher."

The old man’s words sent a jolt of shock through Zhu Tianlan and the others.

The thought that a powerful expert had been following them this whole time without their knowledge made a cold sweat break out on their backs.

’Just what kind of expert could follow them so stealthily, without anyone noticing, and even refine so many Pills for Ye Xuan?’

Recalling Ye Xuan’s calm demeanor at the time, they found themselves agreeing even more with the old man’s words.

When Ye Xuan had faced Elder Gale of the Profound Mystery Sect, he hadn’t shown the slightest hint of panic. Zhu Tianlan and Qi Xian hadn’t thought much of it then, but looking back, how could a mere disciple have shown such composure if not for some profound backing?

The old man smiled faintly. "Now you should understand. With that person present, do you really think a single Martial Venerable from the Profound Mystery Sect could possibly capture him?"

"Grandpa, are you telling the truth?" Xia Qixi asked, still half in doubt.

"Would your grandpa lie to you?!"

Xia Qixi immediately broke into a smile through her tears.

’That guy, hiding such a powerful expert behind his back and not saying a word... He made me worry for so long. How infuriating.’