Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 347: Chapter 318: Fellow Martial Brothers

The sun blazed in a cloudless sky.

At the Primordial Sect, atop the Seven-Layered Mountain.

"So many people?"

Chen Che couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise as he stepped onto the final stair. Inside the grand hall, all twenty-three of the Primordial Sect’s registered Golden Core higher-ups were present. Tang Linli, who had escorted him, had already withdrawn back on the fifth layer, leaving him to face them alone.

Anyone else would have likely been so intimidated by the scene they wouldn’t know what to do.

They had arranged this to display their authority, a clear message of the Sect’s power. ’From now on, when you see us, you will bow your head and obey.’ Of course, not just anyone was worthy of receiving such a show of force.

But Chen Che had faced far more imposing situations before.

This was a minor affair by comparison. He stood firm, neither servile nor overbearing, and offered a slight bow.

"Greetings, Ancestor."

"Greetings, Elders and Chiefs."

His gaze swept across the hall, committing everyone’s faces to memory and matching them with the descriptions Tang Linli had given him earlier.

’The one who looks like a merchant must be True Master Duobao. The black-faced man should be Huang Shiwo... I need to be careful with both of them. The former bears a grudge because of the trouble Thousand Eyes caused, and the latter will likely see me as a threat to his position once I join the Sect. As for the rest, I’ll need to be on my guard.’

Chen Che knew that even though Thousand Eyes was dead, he was still labeled as part of the ’Thousand Eyes Faction’.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, a voice boomed from the head of the hall.

It was like a voice from the heavens, filled with immense authority.

"Valley Master Chen, you are a Golden Core True Master now. There is no need for such ceremony."

Meanwhile, the Golden Core True Masters in the hall were all sizing Chen Che up.

"He’s much younger than I imagined!"

"His talent for Alchemy is impressive, and his Cultivation speed is astonishingly fast. It’s a good thing people like him are rare. Otherwise, we’d go into seclusion once and come out to find thousands of new Golden Cores. How are old-timers like us supposed to compete?"

"A Middle Grade Spirit Root, yet he achieved Core Formation so quickly. His fortune must be profound. Could he have obtained True Master Chixia’s Treasure?"

The Golden Core True Masters exchanged glances, their thoughts colliding and communicating in private.

They had been speculating about him ever since the news arrived.

To them, anyone who could cultivate to the Golden Core realm was an elite among elites, but then again, so were they.

They had only ever heard stories of someone achieving Core Formation at such a young age. While rare, it wasn’t unheard of, but they never expected it to happen right under their noses. There was even an ancient rumor that when a large number of such geniuses appeared, it often signified the dawn of an age of great conflict.

"Congratulations, Valley Master Chen, on your Core Formation and joining our ranks..."

While the others were lost in thought, the Primordial Ancestor’s voice continued. He sounded like a leader giving a speech, rambling on about the hardships of being a Cultivator, the tribulations of Cultivation, and the arduous journey they had all undertaken to reach this point.

This long-winded speech lasted for half an incense stick’s time before he finally stopped.

"The Sect Leader is right."

The corners of Chen Che’s mouth twitched as he bowed.

"Valley Master Chen."

The Primordial Ancestor’s gaze fell slightly, and his tone grew serious.

"Before you, other Cultivators under the Sect’s jurisdiction have also achieved Core Formation, but none have received this kind of reception. As for why, I’m sure you’ve already guessed."

"I have."

Chen Che nodded slightly.

’A test, of course.’

If a genius Pill Master had appeared under Jinyun Valley’s jurisdiction, he would have also summoned them for a test to confirm their abilities. It was just that the roles were now reversed, with him being the one tested.

"To reach Core Formation and become a Tier Three Alchemist in your early twenties... your talent is truly remarkable. I imagine that surpassing my own master in the future will not be a problem for you."

The Primordial Ancestor sighed with emotion as he spoke. True Master Chixia had been peerless in both Cultivation and Alchemy. He himself had received teachings from him but, due to his own lack of aptitude, had never been able to master Alchemy Skill. For this reason, Chixia never truly acknowledged him, and he only ever publicly claimed to be a Registered Disciple.

The young man’s bearing strongly reminded him of the first time he had met True Master Chixia.

"I once entered the True Master’s Cave Mansion and benefited from his legacy. I wouldn’t dare speak of surpassing him."

Chen Che said with a bow.

Once your reputation reaches a certain level, others will dig up every detail of your past. It was better to be open about it than to try and hide things. Besides, it was clear that this man had a deep connection to True Master Chixia. He might even know that there was one of Chixia’s Cave Mansions right beneath Jinyun Valley.

"Just a Cave Mansion, not a Traveling Palace?"

True Master Duobao narrowed his eyes, clearly skeptical.

"It was indeed a Cave Mansion."

Casting a sidelong glance at Duobao, the Primordial Ancestor seemed very pleased with Chen Che’s answer.

"There was indeed one of my master’s Cave Mansions beneath Jinyun Valley. I even cultivated and studied there in my youth. Later, my master sealed the mountain, saying he was leaving it for someone with fate, so I left. In that case, Valley Master Chen, you and I could be considered fellow disciples..."

Of course, he didn’t mention that he had secretly gone inside after True Master Chixia’s demise.

Inside the Cave Mansion, there was only a Pill Book and a Pill Furnace.

Later, a few more Pill Masters appeared in the Jinyun Valley area, but most had mediocre talent. The reason he hadn’t taken the Cave Mansion for himself was that he wanted to see if any Pill Master under his jurisdiction might be able to claim it.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

Chen Che understood the implication and naturally seized the opportunity.

"Congratulations, Sect Leader."

"True Master Chixia’s spirit in the heavens must be overjoyed to see his disciples reunited."

The crowd of Golden Core True Masters also bowed in congratulations.

The Primordial Ancestor smiled, his eyes half-closed, as if this were truly the case. But True Master Chixia had been dead for several hundred years. If Chen Che actually believed him, he’d be a fool.

"However, as your Senior Brother, a test is unavoidable."

The Primordial Ancestor nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to Huang Shiwo. The latter waved his hand, and several thousand streams of light appeared, each one a Spirit Herb.

"Junior Brother, please begin."

"First, refine a Foundation Establishment Pill."

’It’s starting!’

True Master Duobao, who had been listening with utter boredom, suddenly perked up.

The other Golden Core True Masters also watched with great interest.

This ’Junior Brother’s’ future status in the Primordial Sect would depend on his performance today.

Huang Shiwo stood to one side and announced coldly:

"Begin."

’No Pill Furnace?’

Chen Che wasn’t surprised. Before coming, he had prepared himself to be put through the wringer. The absence of a Pill Furnace wasn’t a major issue. A Pill Furnace’s function was to concentrate medicinal power and prevent it from dissipating. High Tier Furnace Cauldrons also had other special effects.

A High Tier Alchemist, of course, could refine pills without a Pill Furnace...

...and within the Primordial Sect,

this ability was one of the standards for their test. Of course, the process, quality, and even the time taken were all part of the evaluation. In Chen Che’s eyes, this was no different from an exam or a competition.

"Very well!"

Sweeping his gaze over the crowd, Chen Che focused his attention on the Materials before him, locking onto several types in an instant. Then, with a mere flick of his palm, all the necessary Materials gathered in mid-air.

As the many Golden Core True Masters on the platform watched, Chen Che raised an arm, shot a calm glance at Huang Shiwo, and then clenched his five fingers into a fist.

BOOM!

Spiritual Qi converged, and flames churned to life.

Within a few breaths, a Pill Fragrance filled the air. Smelling it, Huang Shiwo’s expression changed, and even the Primordial Ancestor, who had seemed rather indifferent, narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Not bad..."

"This level of skill..."

True Master Duobao, who had been waiting for a disaster, also showed a flicker of movement in his eyes.

A Tier Three Alchemist refining a Low Tier Elixir should be able to do it with ease, but this was going a little *too* smoothly, wasn’t it?

BOOM!

The flames converged, and the Pill Water roiled. Chen Che quickly formed a Sealing Technique, and the flames wrapped around the mixture layer by layer, like the petals of a flower.

「A short while later.」

WHOOSH—

A gentle breeze blew, carrying the rich Pill Fragrance. The flames subsided, and on the viewing platform, True Master Duobao’s brow furrowed. Across from him, Huang Shiwo shot bolt upright.

"He succeeded!?"

"So quickly?"

"That only took about an incense stick’s worth of time, right?"

"His skill is quite impressive."

As the crowd murmured, True Master Duobao was secretly amazed.

This speed already surpassed that of many Tier Three Alchemists. At the very least, Huang Shiwo’s own disciples couldn’t match it. And while Huang Shiwo himself could, how many years had he spent refining pills?

Or could it be...

’...that he sacrificed the Pill’s quality for speed?’

SWAT!

True Master Duobao raised his hand and magically retrieved the Pill. Though he didn’t practice Alchemy, he had consumed plenty of pills and could naturally discern their quality.

’This Pill...’

He wanted to find some fault with it, but he simply couldn’t.

But Huang Shiwo only needed a single glance before he nodded and commented:

"The quality is superb, far surpassing that of my disciples. It can increase the chance of Foundation Establishment by at least fifty percent and is worthy of being stored in the treasury. Valley Master Chen’s Alchemy Skill is no less than my own. Truly worthy of being True Master Chixia’s disciple, and worthy of being the Sect Leader’s Junior Brother."

With a single sentence, he praised himself while also flattering the Sect Leader.

"And the Qingxu Guiyuan Pill?"

Nodding, seemingly quite satisfied, the Primordial Ancestor continued his questioning.

"I can."

He and Meng Qianxun had both achieved Core Formation one after the other. If he claimed he couldn’t refine the pill that helped them do it, no one would believe him.

Before his words had even faded, Huang Shiwo waved his hand, and a Pill Furnace descended. The furnace was a three-legged tripod, ancient and elegant, engraved with countless patterns. One look was enough to know it was no ordinary item. In addition, more Materials had appeared before Chen Che.

"This is True Master Chixia’s White Crane Tripod. You will use it to refine the Qingxu Guiyuan Pill."

’The difficulty of the test has increased?’

’This Pill Furnace belonged to True Master Chixia? Hmm, Xiao Chan did say that the Primordial Sect had been searching for True Master Chixia’s Traveling Palace for many years. They only stopped after finding that Undersea Palace.’

’No wonder the Primordial Sect looked down on the Sacrificial Cauldron.’

Chen Che nodded slightly.

However, his current success rate for refining the Qingxu Guiyuan Pill was at least seventy percent. If they were to ask him to refine a second batch, he would need to hold back a little. A success rate that was too high wouldn’t be good... But he could definitely improve the quality.

BANG!

With that thought, the flames erupted once more. Chen Che’s True Essence surged, fully mobilized.

WHOOSH—

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

Inside the hall, everyone held their breath, not making the slightest sound or disturbance. True Master Duobao was resentfully fiddling with his Prayer Bead, but he immediately stopped after catching a glance from the Primordial Ancestor.

Still, he knew the odds of success in Alchemy and thought resentfully:

’It would be great if he failed several batches in a row...’

After all,

in the entire Primordial Sect, only Huang Shiwo could refine the Qingxu Guiyuan Pill. Even his top disciple still lacked the final touch.

As the flames flickered, a wisp of Pill Fragrance drifted out.

"POOM!"

Before long, a radiant glow burst from the Pill Furnace, transforming into an elegant white crane that soared into the air.

The misty vapor dissipated, revealing a Pill shimmering with Spiritual Light, floating slowly above the Furnace Cauldron.

True Master Duobao, his face filled with resentment, narrowed his eyes. All around, the other Golden Core True Masters sat up straight.

"He succeeded?"

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