Holy Pill City, Pill Tower
Within a spacious courtyard, a towering Violet-Gold Lion King lounged lazily at the entrance. Its gleaming violet-gold fur shimmered with a faint, ghostly luster, while its amethyst eyes—each the size of a lantern—swept its surroundings with an imposing vigilance.
Not far off, pedestrians passing by the nearby road couldn't help but scatter in alarm at the sight, instinctively distancing themselves.
Seeing this, the Violet-Gold Lion King appeared quite pleased with itself. It casually tossed an Eight-Marked Blood Vitality Pill into its mouth and began to digest it slowly.
A surge of powerful blood essence burst forth—less intense than what a Nine-Marked Pill would yield, but still visibly strengthening its body at a remarkable pace.
It had already been three months since the Violet-Gold Lion King arrived here. The memory of that initial encounter at the trial pill event was still vivid in its mind.
"Interested in joining me in the future?"
"Is food, lodging, and alchemical pills included?"
"All you can eat."
"Alright, I'm in."
Such a simple exchange had paved the way for its current, idyllic lifestyle. Thinking back on it now, the Violet-Gold Lion King couldn't help but feel it had struck gold.
Whoosh—
A figure landed at the edge of the courtyard—a young man approached, clearly wary of the beast's enormous form, yet summoning the courage to draw closer.
"My clan leader wishes to request an audien—"
"Scram. The master is in seclusion. No time."
Before the youth could even finish his sentence, the Violet-Gold Lion King rose to its full, terrifying height. A powerful pressure erupted from its body, crashing down upon the boy like a tidal wave.
In the span of three months, the Lion King had advanced from a newly ascended Dou Ancestor to a One-Star Dou Venerate, thanks to the lavish supply of pills and Origin Stones poured on it by Chen Xiaoming.
That crushing Dou Venerate aura overwhelmed the youth in an instant, knocking him unconscious. With a disdainful grunt, the lion casually tossed him off to the side.
It had lost count of how many such overconfident people had tried to gain an audience. Ever since Chen Xiaoming advanced to the Imperial Soul Realm and refined a Nine-Marked Blood Vitality Pill, people had been flocking to him like moths to flame.
The Violet-Gold Lion King had been stationed at the gate as the guardian. Anyone whose cultivation was weaker than his wasn't even allowed through the door.
Combat was forbidden in Holy Pill City, but with his strength, those stronger than him could be persuaded to retreat. The weaker ones? Just a little pressure, knock them out, and someone would eventually come clean up the mess.
"Sigh… Wonder when the master will come out of seclusion."
The Lion King heaved a dramatic sigh. Though now a fearsome Dou Venerate, it lay humbly by the courtyard gate, its eyes filled not with resentment—but nostalgia.
Don't get the wrong idea—this beast's preferences were entirely normal. It had no untoward interest in Chen Xiaoming's body—just in the alchemy pills he had promised.
So long as it got pills, the Violet-Gold Lion King would do anything!
Just then, a few more figures flew in from the distance. The lion narrowed its gaze, standing tall again and preparing to "greet" them in its own special way.
Inside the courtyard—
Chen Xiaoming was lounging contentedly, savoring a moment of peace. Beside him, Xiao Xun'er dutifully sliced various spiritual fruits and offered them to him like a gentle disciple.
"Disciple, tell me—should your master start his own force?"
His sudden question caught Xiao Xun'er off guard. She looked at him, puzzled, not understanding why he would suddenly consider such a thing.
Chen Xiaoming stared thoughtfully at the skies above Holy Pill City. The Doupo Plane was saturated with warring factions, but with his current power and alchemical mastery, creating a force of his own would be laughably easy.
Xiao Xun'er could not inherit his Dao. But maybe others could.
Truthfully, the idea had first taken root when he helped the Violet-Gold Lion King ascend to Dou Venerate.
The system's method for upgrading pill inscriptions was terrifyingly efficient. It gave him the power to mass-produce strong cultivators.
The cost wasn't even high. Whether he stayed in Holy Pill City or went adventuring, he still drew breath the same way.
He hadn't come all this way just to hide and lay low. That wasn't the style of Chen Xiaoming.
He was here to make waves.
"Pack up. We're heading out tomorrow."
"You're leaving?"
When news broke that Chen Xiaoming was leaving, Xuan Kongzi and the others came to see him off. During his stay at the Pill Tower, he had humiliated every other alchemist there—without exception.
Even the oldest veterans couldn't do anything about him.
"Yeah. Planning to tour other parts of Central Plains."
His tone was light as his eyes swept across a few grim-faced elders behind Xuan Kongzi. With an awkward cough, Chen Xiaoming decided to skip pleasantries. He simply took Xiao Xun'er and the Violet-Gold Lion King and left.
"Whew, finally gone."
Stepping into the spatial wormhole, Chen Xiaoming sighed in relief. Those elders had terrifyingly intense glares.
What? Just because he'd sparred with them a little in alchemy, they had to hold a grudge?
Wasn't it normal for alchemists to share pill formulas? He even shared the recipe for the Kidney Boost Pill! And he didn't complain!
Yet those old geezers, after realizing what that pill could do, had their faces twisted with complex expressions… tsk tsk, Chen Xiaoming didn't even dare bring it up.
"Teacher, where are we going?"
Xiao Xun'er had no idea what had transpired and asked curiously.
Breaking free from those cranky old men, Chen Xiaoming gazed through the spatial tunnel, vision settling on a unique location—a perfect place to begin.
"We're heading to the Heavenly Star Mountain Range."
...
Half a month later, Central Plains's inner region—
"Teacher, we'll reach the southern region soon."
They had spent half a month meandering south, mostly because Chen Xiaoming insisted on sightseeing and taking detours.
Ahead lay a massive mountain range. Once crossed, it would bring them into Central Plains's Southern Region.
As for how Xiao Xun'er became so familiar with the geography? All thanks to her handling the navigation.
Chen Xiaoming couldn't be bothered with maps. The Violet-Gold Lion King? Completely clueless—it had been stuck in Holy Pill City the whole time playing with pills. The task of finding the way naturally fell to Xiao Xun'er.
"Mhm."
Chen Xiaoming nodded absentmindedly but suddenly stopped walking. His eyes scanned the peaceful, picturesque mountains ahead.
"Teacher?"
Before she could finish asking, Chen Xiaoming had pulled Xiao Xun'er aside and tossed her onto the Violet-Gold Lion King's back.
"Take her ahead. Wait for me there."
The lion nodded without question and bolted off with Xiao Xun'er in tow.
Watching them go, Chen Xiaoming nodded in satisfaction.
That's the kind of straightforward nature I like.
He turned slowly, his gaze drifting toward the void behind him. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Still not coming out? You've been tailing me the whole way."
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