Clearly,
The appearance of the Longevity Pill had already sent shockwaves through the alchemy world. But the Longevity Pill was, after all, only for extending the lifespan of Saint Realm powerhouses — remarkable, certainly, yet not enough to overturn the entire structure of the alchemy industry.
But what about powerhouses at the Emperor or Sovereign level? Could their lifespans be extended too?
If such a pill truly existed, wouldn't the entire order of alchemy be shattered overnight?
Even someone as worldly and well-informed as Third Young Master Ji found the words almost incomprehensible, as though listening to some fantastical tale from a scripture. He was half-believing, half-doubting.
"Pill King Zhen, I don't mean to be skeptical, but could such a miraculous pill really exist?"
"As for whether it exists, I honestly don't know," Jiang Chen replied. "But that mysterious elder truly told me so. Moreover, the Longevity Pill I gave you was refined right in front of me by his own hand. He only told me eight characters: the world is vast, and all things are possible."
Hearing this, Third Young Master Ji and
The Longevity Pill was ironclad proof.
Before the Longevity Pill appeared, who could have believed in a pill that extended a Saint Realm cultivator's life by five hundred to eight hundred years?
If a pill could extend the lifespan of the Saint Realm, why couldn't one exist for Emperor-level powerhouses?
"Pill King Zhen, I wonder — did that mysterious elder perhaps leave behind a pill that extends the lifespan of Emperor-level powerhouses?" Third Young Master Ji asked, genuinely tempted.
Jiang Chen smiled bitterly. "At the time, I said to him: I believe in the Saint Realm Longevity Pill, but an Emperor-level life-extension pill — refine one right now and let me see. He told me then that refining such a pill, while extremely difficult, was not impossible. The problem was that he simply didn't have the materials on hand, so there was nothing to be done."
Jiang Chen naturally couldn't explain matters related to his memories of a past life, so he attributed everything of this sort to a mysterious, reclusive elder. In a martial world this vast, no one could ever verify whether such an elder truly existed or not.
Third Young Master Ji, though not discouraged, pressed further: "I wonder — what is the name of this pill that extends the lifespan of Emperor-level powerhouses?"
"That elder called it the Pine Crane Pill," Jiang Chen said. There was no need to conceal the pill's name.
Third Young Master Ji slapped his thigh, his face breaking into a wide grin. "Good, good name! 'Pine and crane, enduring years' — the name carries real meaning. It seems this pill is most likely genuine."
Wei Jie suddenly thought of something and asked, "Brother Zhen, the Pine Crane Pill… the Golden Crown Cloud Crane that you had Third Young Master bid on — is it an ingredient for the Pine Crane Pill?"
In his excitement, Third Young Master Ji hadn't made that connection. With Wei Jie's reminder, realization dawned on him instantly, and he stared at Jiang Chen with eager anticipation.
Jiang Chen nodded. "Though that elder never told me the full refinement method, he did mention that the Pine Crane Pill has two essential ingredients. One is the cone of the Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine, and the other is the heart of the Golden Crown Cloud Crane. Both are indispensable."
"Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine, Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine…" Third Young Master Ji was overjoyed. "Good, good! The Coiling Dragon Clan will immediately deploy every resource at our disposal and scour every region of the entire
At this point, Third Young Master Ji suddenly recalled something and asked, "Pill King Zhen, this alchemy teacher of yours must be some hidden, extraordinary powerhouse — truly a stroke of tremendous fortune. I wonder, could you contact him and ask him to refine a batch for us?"
Jiang Chen smiled bitterly again. "Since our parting, I've had no way to track him down. He's like a dragon — showing his head but never his tail. Finding him is truly difficult. However, all things in this world depend on fate and opportunity. The fact that Third Young Master encountered the Golden Crown Cloud Crane here in the Glazed Royal City simply proves that the heavens have not closed the door of opportunity on the Coiling Dragon Clan. With three years ahead, anything is possible."
"Yes, yes!" Third Young Master Ji's eyes reddened slightly, his expression deeply moved. Jiang Chen's words had struck right at the heart of what he cared about most.
"Anything is possible! The heavens have not closed the door of opportunity on the Coiling Dragon Clan!" Third Young Master Ji kept repeating Jiang Chen's words. "Pill King Zhen, you've said it perfectly. How is it that Ji, who spent so long in the Glazed Royal City, never had the good fortune of meeting a remarkable person like you before!"
After receiving all this information, Third Young Master Ji's mood brightened enormously. He personally poured wine for Jiang Chen. "Come, come — allow me to toast Pill King Zhen three cups personally. I'll drink first."
For all his refined and elegant bearing, this young noble drank without the slightest hesitation. With three quick tilts of his head, three cups were drained.
Jiang Chen matched him cup for cup.
Third Young Master Ji then glanced at Wei Jie. The old distance and coldness were gone from his eyes. He addressed Wei Jie directly: "Wei Jie, I'll be honest — the Coiling Dragon Clan, top to bottom, held a great deal of prejudice against your Wei family. We couldn't determine whether your family had truly been bought out by the Royal Court Clan. Now, however, the facts speak louder than words. I'm not going to stand here and offer some hollow apology about what happened before. From this day forward, you, Wei Jie, are the person I, Ji, trust most!"
Third Young Master Ji's words carried a natural authority and bearing. That sincerity, that forthrightness, that genuine warmth — it left Wei Jie almost overwhelmed with gratitude.
"Third Young Master, our Wei family does bear some responsibility in that matter. We failed to watch our people carefully, and it allowed the clan head's condition to worsen. We've been blaming ourselves for it ever since. But even after all these years — even though
Though the rift of so many years couldn't be melted away in a single conversation, this was at least a turning point — a good beginning.
With the misunderstanding resolved and the wine flowing freely, the atmosphere between them warmed at once.