"Jiang Chen, today's conversation has put me in excellent spirits and cleared my mind. I must say, you're a friend I never expected to have. Very well, go prepare for the alchemy contest — I look forward to witnessing your splendid performance."
Dan Chi offered a few more words of encouragement, then reached out into the void with one hand. An object materialized — a pill cauldron.
"Jiang Chen, this cauldron is called the Celestial Shuttle Cauldron. My alchemy master gifted it to me when I was young. Unfortunately, it never truly shone in my hands. Now that my master has passed away, I've thoroughly failed to live up to the sentiment behind his gift."
Dan Chi sighed softly, his voice carrying a trace of regret, a measure of shame, and a hint of nostalgia.
"Now, I'm passing this cauldron to you. I hope that the expectations my master once placed on me will be fulfilled through you."
The Celestial Shuttle Cauldron ranked among the top five pill cauldrons in Dan Qian Palace's entire history, enjoying a fearsome reputation for a thousand years. With Jiang Chen's discerning eye, a single glance was enough to recognize its extraordinary quality.
Though it couldn't compare to cauldrons of the Myriad Heavens grade, there was no doubt that in the mundane planes, this was a top-tier cauldron.
Dan Qian Palace had built its sect on alchemy, and its foundations were truly impressive.
Such a precious cauldron — Jiang Chen suddenly felt hesitant to accept it.
"Ha ha! What's the matter? Too shy to take it? When you first joined the sect, I promised to give you a welcoming gift. You said you hadn't decided what you wanted. Today, I've made the decision for you. In the hands of a mere martial artist like me, the Celestial Shuttle Cauldron is nothing more than a pearl buried in dust. In your hands, it might truly flourish. That way, I can at least partially make up for having let my master down back then."
Dan Chi had set his sights on the martial path and on restoring the Myriad Phenomena Empire, so he was far from content being just an alchemist.
Different people had different aspirations. In his hands, the Celestial Shuttle Cauldron could never truly reach its potential.
Seeing the sincere look on Palace Master Dan Chi's face, Jiang Chen recognized this as a genuine gesture of passing down a legacy. He stopped being coy and nodded. "Since the Palace Master is so generous, this humble one will accept with a thick skin. The day this cauldron produces a Six-Pattern Profound Dragon Pill, the very first batch will be delivered to the Palace Master."
"What? The Six-Pattern Profound Dragon Pill?" Saint Dan Chi was astonished. "You watched Elder Yun Nie refine pills just once and already memorized the entire procedure?"
Jiang Chen smiled without answering. Compared to its upgraded version, the Nine-Pattern Heaven-Questioning Pill, the Six-Pattern Profound Dragon Pill's principles and procedures were far simpler.
He didn't even need to watch once — he could deduce the entire refinement process on his own.
"Good, good, good! A young man should carry exactly that kind of confidence. In that case, I'll be sitting here waiting for your Six-Pattern Profound Dragon Pill. Ha ha ha!"
Saint Dan Chi was in excellent spirits. This Jiang Chen — the more he looked at him, the more he liked him. If not for the existence of
But reason told Dan Chi that since Jiang Chen was someone Elder Shun valued, he, Dan Chi, absolutely had no right to take him as a disciple.
After seeing Jiang Chen off, Dan Chi suddenly recalled the day the Treasure Tree Sect alliance had been formed, when the sky had shown strange phenomena.
That celestial anomaly had been earth-shaking. Dan Chi had always felt that it might truly not be unrelated to Jiang Chen.
"Sigh… if that anomaly was connected to Jiang Chen, then this young man's future has no ceiling. Even those reclusive titled emperors, when they broke through to the Yuan Realm, could never have produced such a spectacle."
Of course, this was all merely Dan Chi's speculation.
…
The caves in the Supreme District were a matter of great importance. Nearly the entire sect had mobilized.
Palace Master Dan Chi himself presided as chief judge over the competition.
Elder Lian Cheng from the Martial Hall oversaw the martial arts contest; Elder Yun Nie from the Herb Hall oversaw the alchemy contest.
The venerable elders
Within Danxia Valley stood the Divine Separation Palace, a sacred venue specifically designed for hosting such contests.
The Divine Separation Palace was divided into an alchemy zone and a martial zone.
At this moment, in the great hall at the entrance of the Divine Separation Palace, nearly all the sect's leadership had gathered.
Palace Master Dan Chi swept his authoritative gaze across the crowd and spoke in a resonant voice: "The Supreme Caves are meant for supreme geniuses. The four caves being opened in the Supreme District this time are intended to uncover more such talent. As a Fourth-Rank Sect, Dan Qian Palace advances on both the martial and alchemical paths. Therefore, two of these caves will be reserved for alchemy prodigies."
Although this statement didn't explicitly acknowledge his own oversight, the intent to correct course was unmistakable.
Elder Yun Nie, standing nearby, showed a hint of surprise. He glanced at Saint Dan Chi, then at Jiang Chen, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
"There is only one point I wish to emphasize regarding the cave competition: it must be fair. All corruption and foul play will be eliminated. It doesn't matter who you are or what background you carry. In this battle for caves, you must rely on your own strength alone. Anyone found engaging in corruption will be permanently barred from competing for Supreme District caves. If anyone behind the scenes is found assisting with cheating, regardless of how high their standing, they will be investigated and punished according to sect law!"
Governing a sect required both boldness and clear rules to follow.
When it came to rules, Palace Master Dan Chi never showed leniency — he was extremely strict.
After these words from Palace Master Dan Chi, every genius participating in the competition felt a chill run through them. Even those who had harbored petty schemes quietly tucked them away.
Everyone knew that Palace Master Dan Chi's word was iron. In Dan Qian Palace, anyone who challenged the rules would face severe punishment.