Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Before the War of the Two Worlds, Lin Feng and Xiao Yan visited the Ancient Longevity World, and Xiao Yan carried out a small pill-forging conference with the Qing Ning Holy Man and the Ling Jue Holy Man, Gu Yuankai.
Only three of them participated in the pill-forging conference, and this couldn’t really be considered a conference in terms of scale.
However, the participants were the best in the entire Divine Lands at forging pills, whether it was the Qing Ning Holy Man, the Ling Jue Holy Man or Xiao Yan. The standards of this conference were off the charts, and rarely seen over the course of history.
Lin Feng, Gu Jun and Yan Nanlai laid witness to the conference and their statuses were sufficient.
Xiao Yan had successfully beaten the Great Void Sect’s Qing Ning Holy Man and Gu Yuankai through his superior technical abilities during that pill-forging conference.
Both Gu Jun and Gu Yuankai were already incredibly astonished but convinced by Xiao Yan’s expertise in crafting and forging pills.
Xiao Yan had already invented something before this. However, it wasn’t something that could match up to the Bodhi Treasure Pill, the Longevity Pill, or the Ten Sages Golden Pill and the other top-tier spiritual pills.
Gu Jun and the others could tell that as Xiao Yan’s mastery increased and the longer he immersed himself in pill-forging, he would become like Emperor Chong, Emperor Xia, Emperor Gu, Yan Xinghe, or the Sariputra – he would create a novel and top-tier spiritual pill by himself.
However, they didn’t think that this day would arrive so quickly.
Xiao Yan was already in the immortal soul stage, and his abilities were far stronger than other cultivators of the same level and his talent in crafting pills was extraordinary. However, Xiao Yan was still very young, and this was especially so when compared to the other seniors.
Compared to the Emperor of the Dead and the others all those years ago and the age that these people had created their top-tier pills, Xiao Yan’s age was probably more than ten times smaller.
Nobody would be able to predict how much more Xiao Yan could invent or improvise in his long and fruitful life.
It was possible that Xiao Yan would meet his unfortunate demise somewhere along the way, but the way the Celestial Sect of Wonders were rising up and his rate of personal growth meant not just anyone would be able to take his life.
They thought about the Trāyastriṃśa Elixir of Creation that came to existence in the world along with Lin Feng, and Gu Jun and Gu Yuankai heaved a sigh in unison.
The entire world knew that the Celestial Sect of Wonders’ mantras were profound and unfathomable, as if they came from the great Dao itself. They were wealthy and rich in treasures, and their accomplishments in the craft of forging pills were enough to attract the attention of the entire human world of cultivation.
Gu Yuankai used his consciousness to analyze and inspect the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill, and he asked with amusement, “What are its special effects?”
Even though he had been leaning towards the Great Void Sect before this, his attitude had begun to shift after the conclusion of the War of the Two Worlds.
He was crazy about the art of forging pills, and his interest was immediately piqued when he saw a spiritual pill that could match his own family’s Longevity Pill or the Prized Lotus Pill.
Xiao Yan smiled and replied, “Even you will enjoy its effects if you take it, and its uses are boundless when combined with the Prized Lotus Pill.”
Gu Yuankai’s eyes sparkled faintly. “Eh?”
The Longevity Pill and the Prized Lotus Pill were the two most incredible spiritual pills passed down in the lineage of the Emperor of the Ancients. Only cultivators below the immortal soul stage would feel the effects of the Longevity Pill, but its effects could be said to be going against natural law.
The entire Divine Lands knew that aurous core stage cultivators could only reach a thousand years of age, and nascent soul stage cultivators could only live until three thousand and six hundred years of age. If they couldn’t reach the immortal soul stag, their only path would be to return to the soil where life began.
However, the Ancients’ Longevity Pill could prolong the life of a cultivator below the immortal soul stage!
Its effects were distinctive for different people, and the number of extra years varied. However, the longest ever recorded period was a thousand extra years of life.
This would undoubtedly be extremely beneficial for nascent soul stage cultivators, who were limited at three thousand and six hundred years of age.
Perhaps, some cultivators were able to break through the immortal soul stage with the extra years bestowed to them. Those that were already at the end of their lives would finally be able to share the life and age of the earth.
One single pill could change a person’s destiny.
Even though there were no other effects, and this was the only one, the Longevity Pill was still ranked amongst the top-tier spiritual pills.
The only thing was that Longevity Pill was difficult to make and there were many limitations and conditions. The inner circle of the Ancients’ also couldn’t manufacture it on large scale and there was quite a limited number. There had even been geological faults and deficiencies over the course of history.
The other top-tier pill, the Prized Lotus Pill, wasn’t as reputable as the Longevity Pill. This was because this spiritual pill was similar to the Great Void Sect’s Way of the Celestial Being Golden Pill, and its main use was to help the disciples from the Ancients practice the Ancient Immortality Scripture.
The Prized Lotus Pill was extremely beneficial for cultivators who were training in the Ancient Immortality Scripture. It wasn’t just useful for day to day cultivation, it was also helpful in understanding the mantras and breaking through bottlenecks.
The Prized Lotus Pill had other effects besides this main one. It was still effective for cultivators that didn’t practice the Ancient Immortality Scripture. The only difference was that its effects were limited outside of the Ancient Immortality Scripture, and this made it similar in effect to the Way of the Celestial Being Golden Pill.
For the Ancients, it was definitely better to consume the Prized Lotus Pill as early as possible. However, consuming it after a while would still have its desired effects.
However, Gu Yuankai naturally consumed his own share as early as he could.
The Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill that Xiao Yan was taking about actually took effect on third-level immortal soul stage cultivators, and it could work together with the Prized Lotus Pill. Gu Yuankai contemplated momentarily and immediately understood. “Could it be similar to the Supreme Intelligence Divine Pill? Is it useful for understanding Dao?”
“Yes, that is one of its main effects.” Xiao Yan laughed and nodded his head. One of the main ingredients for his Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill was the Cloud Forest Fruit that was borne on the Cloud Forest Tree.
According to theory, the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill’s effects would be better if it used the Ginseng Fruit as its main ingredient like the Supreme Intelligence Divine Pill. However, Xiao Yan’s repeated experiments and refinements proved that using the Cloud Forest Fruit would still produce immense amplification effects.
One of the main effects of the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill was that people’s minds and consciousnesses would become more agile and nimble. It connected the user to heaven and earth and the great Dao, and this increased their intelligence.
Both Gu Jun and Gu Yuankai knew that the Celestial Sect of Wonders possessed a Cloud Forest Tree. But even so, they considered this incredible and miraculous. Even the cleverest housewife couldn’t cook without rice, and Xiao Yan seemed to have made something extraordinary from nothing.
“One of its main effects… there are other effects?” Gu Yuankai studied the pill for a moment longer before he posed another question to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan chuckled and replied, “There’s another main effect, but it won’t be useful for you. Not even nascent soul stage cultivators or aurous core stage cultivators can make use of it. Only foundation establishment intermediate cultivators can make use of it.”
Instead of condescension, Gu Jun’s and Gu Yuankai’s expressions grew solemn when they heard his words.
They exchanged a look. Gu Yuankai didn’t speak, and it was Gu Jun who opened his mouth. “From the sound of it, does it have something to do with forming the spiritual altar?”
Xiao Yan smiled and said, “Yes, that is correct. Even though it doesn’t have a hundred percent rate of success, this pill can raise cultivator’s spiritual altars by one tier.”
“The lower the original tier, the greater the pill’s effects. Raising spiritual altars below the third tier has a hundred percent success rate.”
“It can’t raise First Class spiritual altars to the Natural Supreme Spiritual Altar. However, raising Class Three to First Class and from Class Two to First Class is doable, and the success rate is high.”
Both Gu Jun and Gu Yuankai grew silent with deliberation as Xiao Yan spoke.
The direct impact of innate ability and talent on cultivators would gradually decline after the aurous core stage. However, why did the world of cultivators place so much emphasis on innate ability? Besides the convenience in testing, the most substantial reason was forming the spiritual altar during the foundation establishment stage and consolidating the crucible. All this had far-reaching implications and played a great part in determining this cultivator’s future heights and successes.
Even though the direct impact was weak, the foundations laid down before had significant impact on the future.
Class Nine spiritual altars and Class Nine Crucibles were hopeless in forming the aurous core.
A single golden pill meant this cultivator had no hope of surviving the Yin Fire tribulations and he would never ascend to the aurous core intermediate stage, let alone the nascent soul stage.
Cultivators with a green pill generally meant their final destination would be the aurous core intermediate stage. People with great luck and fortune would be able to survive the Yin Wind Tribulations and reach the aurous core advanced stage, while reaching the nascent soul stage was hopeless.
Breaking through to the nascent soul stage required at least Class Three or Class Four spiritual altars and crucibles, and they needed to form the red pill. However, it would be extremely challenging for cultivators with the red pill to pass the Void Lightning Tribulations to reach the nascent soul stage.
Only First Class or Class Two spiritual altars and crucibles had any hope of forming the top-tier purple pill.
The Celestial Sect of Wonders’ Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues handed down the Great Celestial Way of the Eight Trigrams. A cultivator would be able to form a First Class spiritual altar if he or she mastered the Great Celestial Way of the Eight Trigrams. This was a magnificent feat that had never been done before in the history of mankind.
However, the prerequisite was that one had to master it.
It was not for no reason that the Celestial Sect of Wonders had high standards for taking in disciples.
Before Wang Lin’s innate ability and his physique was changed, he was the only one who relied on his own great intelligence and unwavering determination to erect a Class Four spiritual alter with the Heavenly Classic of the Way’s Virtues.
However, before Wang Lin’s spiritual altar was officially completed, Lin Feng interfered and cut off the process. He pushed Wang Lin back into the foundation establishment beginner stage, as he didn’t want Wang Lin to be hasty and impulsive. It would make his future path of cultivation much more difficult and the path would become extremely narrow. It could even lead to a shorter path than otherwise.
For some people, raising the class of the spiritual altar during the foundation establishment intermediate stage had life-changing implications.
Xiao Yan included the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree’s leaf as one of the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill’s main ingredients when he was devising the formula.
The Black Heavenly Treasure Tree’s leaf by itself could raise a spiritual altar’s class. Yue Hongyan, Wang Lin, Yang Qing and the others enjoyed its benefits all those years ago, but these effects were unstable and wasn’t certain. One could say that it raised the levels of spiritual altars, but one could also say it simply gave cultivators more chances and opportunities and it was still mostly up to the cultivator himself or herself.
Xiao Yan continued to research and contemplate, and after infusing the leaf into the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill, this magical effect was stabilized into an actual amplification rather than something uncertain and unstable.
A mystical effect such as this, in addition to raising a cultivator’s intelligence, were combined into one entity – the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill lived up to its name.
Gu Jun and Gu Yuankai deliberated for a while before they heaved a sigh at the same time. Gu Jun turned towards Lin Feng and said with a sigh, “Your sects’ mastery in forging pills has already surpassed many who came before. We have lied under the shadow of our ancestors, and we are ashamed.”
Gu Yuankai glanced at Xiao Yan and said solemnly, “I believe you can be considered the best in the world at forging pills in the current generation, besides your master. Even when the Great Void Sect’s Heavenly Born Holy Man was still alive and when he created the Way of the Celestial Being Golden Pill, he had already spent a far longer time cultivating and delving into pill-forging than you have.”
“If the pill-forging conference wasn’t enough to prove it, then the appearance of the Celestial Heavenmystic Golden Pill has ended the debate.”
