"Taking this pill would give me a chance to ascend beyond the Void King realm?" Yan Qing's throat went dry—an experience he hadn't had in years.
He Yunxiang replied, "It merely offers a possibility. The pill is nothing more than an external aid; the foundation still lies within oneself."
She left one thing unsaid: while this pill did indeed offer a chance to ascend beyond the Void King realm, the prerequisite was consuming large quantities over an extended period. A single Source Condensing Pill wouldn't produce much effect.
The transformation of Saint Yuan within a Void King realm cultivator's body was an extraordinarily lengthy process.
"How am I to know whether what you say is true or false?" Yan Qing furrowed his brow. He had lived long enough to weather every storm imaginable, and after the initial shock, his composure had returned. Doubt crept in—if this Source Condensing Pill truly possessed such miraculous effects, why hadn't this woman consumed it herself? Why bring it here to tempt him? Was she not afraid that he would strip her of everything, bones and all?
"I have need of the Yan family—what benefit would deceiving you bring?" He Yunxiang said gravely.
Yan Qing shook his head. "Words alone are proof of nothing. If what you say is true, I would like to examine this pill personally."
He Yunxiang offered a faint smile. "By all means."
A flash of white light, and Yan Qing found himself clutching the Source Condensing Pill, still unable to believe his eyes. Was this woman out of her mind? If such a pill was truly this precious, how could she hand it over so casually?
"Aren't you afraid I'll simply keep this pill for myself?" Yan Qing asked.
"The Elder Council?" He Yunxiang asked with surprise, looking like an innocent young girl unfamiliar with the ways of the world. Keep it for yourself? That would only be possible if you had the skill!
"I won't," Yan Qing denied, shaking his head. In this world, people bustled about in pursuit of profit—they would do anything in the face of enormous gain. He simply couldn't figure out where this woman's confidence came from. The more he looked at her, the more something seemed off about her.
He Yunxiang pressed her lips together in a smile. "If this pill were enough, I wonder whether it could be exchanged for information on the path to the Ancestral Land?"
Yan Qing let out a soft breath. "It would be sufficient—provided this pill truly has the effects you claim. Please wait, madam. I need to have someone verify it."
"Elder Yan Qing, please do as you see fit." He Yunxiang gestured with her hand.
With so much at stake, Yan Qing dared not delay. He turned and strode into the inner hall, vanishing shortly after.
He Yunxiang turned to Yang Kai and transmitted her voice quietly, "The fish has taken the bait."
Yang Kai gave an imperceptible nod.
He Yunxiang said, "Actually, with Your Excellency's strength, you could have forced the Yan family to hand over the method to reach the Ancestral Land without lifting a finger. Why go to all this trouble?"
The Source Condensing Pill was nothing but bait. They were in the Yan family's own stronghold—when an outsider of unknown origin produced such a pill here, it was practically an invitation for the Yan family to seize it by force. If the goal was simply to overpower them, wouldn't it be better to strike directly and save all the fuss?
That was precisely the Wild Wind way: take what you wanted by force. As the leader of Wild Wind, He Yunxiang had carried this philosophy to its fullest.
Yang Kai replied, "I have my own plan."
The truth was that he felt somewhat embarrassed. Using one's strength to bully the weak was never elegant—a Ninth-Order Emperor Realm cultivator pushing around a bunch of Void King and Return Void realm cultivators felt like an adult stealing from children. But if those children happened to be unruly brats, then perhaps a proper lesson was in order.
Atop the Twin Peaks, within a secret chamber.
Yan Luo, the Yan family patriarch, held the Source Condensing Pill between his fingers, his expression shifting ceaselessly. Yan Qing stood beside him, repeatedly licking his dry lips.
After a long while, he finally spoke. "Patriarch, does this pill truly possess such miraculous effects?"
Yan Luo pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't tell. Let's wait for the Grand Masters to take a look."
Even the patriarch couldn't tell! Rather than being alarmed, Yan Qing was delighted, growing ever more convinced that this Source Condensing Pill was something extraordinary.
Before long, several figures filed in one after another. Regardless of their cultivation levels, each of them exuded a rich medicinal fragrance—the unmistakable aura of people who spent their lives working with herbs and pills. They were, without question, alchemists.
These were the finest alchemists the Yan family had to offer, every last one of them at the Void King grade.
Upon entering the chamber and greeting Yan Luo and Yan Qing, the eldest among them—a robed elder in dark garments—spoke. "Patriarch, you summoned us urgently. May I ask what this is about?"
"Examine this pill." Yan Luo handed over the pill in his hand.
The dark-robed elder accepted it, and the others all turned their gazes upon it. Their initial casualness vanished in an instant, every one of them staring wide-eyed as exclamations burst from their lips: "This..."
"What kind of pill is this?"
"Let me see it quickly!"
"Don't snatch!"
A group of highly esteemed Grand Master alchemists lost all decorum in a heartbeat, looking for all the world like wide-eyed country folk who had never seen anything of the sort, shock practically spilling from their eyes.
After a good while, the dark-robed elder finally looked at Yan Luo with trembling excitement. "Patriarch, may I ask where this pill came from?"
"Can you determine what grade it is?" Yan Luo deflected the question.
"I cannot. But with our abilities, we could never possibly refine a pill of this caliber."
The other alchemists all nodded in deep agreement. This pill had surpassed the boundaries of their knowledge and experience—not only could they not refine it, they couldn't even discern its ingredients.
The answer was already obvious. A Source Condensing Pill that had appeared out of nowhere, one that even a third-stage Void King realm powerhouse and Void King grade alchemists couldn't identify—the only explanation was that this pill belonged to a grade beyond the Void King realm!