Jiang Chen navigated the bustling floor, stopping at a stall manned by a High-level Alchemist.

The item on display was the [Profound Origin Qi Gathering Pill].

According to the murmurs of the crowd, this high-grade pill was designed to drastically accelerate cultivation speed. However, it came with a strict limitation: only one could be consumed per month. Overindulgence would not only fail to boost strength but would cause Spiritual Qi to stagnate within the meridians, doing more harm than good.

The duration of the effect varied by quality. An Inferior pill lasted three days; a Superior one could sustain the boost for ten. A Top-grade pill would last nearly twenty days.

The pills before him were all of Superior quality.

Although it was currently winter—a season where Jiang Chen could absorb very little Wood Spirit Qi—he weighed the pros and cons briefly. It was better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Without haggling, he produced ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones and purchased one.

Having secured the item, he turned to find Yu Caiqing.

The crowd, however, had grown dense and suffocating. It took him a considerable amount of effort to squeeze through the mass of cultivators. An hour had passed since the internal gathering began, yet the flow of people entering the Pill Tower showed no signs of abating. If anything, the arrival of several high-profile figures had only increased the fervor.

Among the crowd, Jiang Chen spotted a familiar face from the Spirit Farm’s premier cultivation family—the Zhao Clan.

Zhao Feng.

He was accompanied by Huo Ling, Senior Brother Chen’s childhood sweetheart. The two strolled through the chaotic hall with an air of leisurely entitlement, chatting and laughing as they purchased expensive pill formulas.

Some of these formulas cost over a hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

It was evident that Zhao Feng did not care about the price. As long as Huo Ling showed even a flicker of interest, he would unhesitatingly retrieve handfuls of spirit stones from his storage ring.

Jiang Chen did a rough mental calculation. In the short time he had been watching, Zhao Feng had spent over a thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Truly obscene wealth, Jiang Chen thought, shaking his head.

He finally reached Yu Caiqing’s station.

“I’d give this a score of nine!” “This is Yu Caiqing, one of the few female alchemists in our Pill Tower. Her talent is terrifyingly high.”

A large crowd had gathered around her display. Although Yu Caiqing detested being surrounded by strangers, she endured it with a frosty expression for the sake of her ranking. Entering the top ten was critical.

Currently, her ratings were high, and the positive feedback was overwhelming. Barring any accidents, a top-ten finish was all but guaranteed.

Seeing the fatigue hidden behind her cold mask, Jiang Chen leaned in. “Senior Sister Yu, if you need a break, I can take over for a while.”

“Hmm?” Yu Caiqing looked at him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

Jiang Chen smiled, offering his services. “I may not have the talent for alchemy, but I’m quite capable when it comes to communication and handling people.”

The corner of Yu Caiqing’s mouth twitched, threatening a rare smile. “Thank you for your kindness, but this is my choice. I should bear the burden myself.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chen didn’t insist. He simply stood silently by her side, acting as a guardian.

Time ticked by. The atmosphere in the Pill Tower grew hotter, more intense. The air became a heavy tapestry of scents—medicinal herbs, sulfur, burning charcoal, and the fragrance of refined pills. Some smells were sweet and pleasant; others were pungent and acrid.

Suddenly, a strange, piercing fragrance cut through the heavy air, silencing the noise.

It was the scent of cold dew dripping from pine needles after a heavy snow—clear, freezing, and penetrating deep into the bone. It instantly cleared the minds of everyone present.

Heads turned. Gazes shifted, finally locking onto the staircase descending from the upper levels of the Pill Tower.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The rhythmic sound of footsteps echoed. A middle-aged man descended into view. He wore a black robe embroidered with complex alchemical patterns, and his raven-black hair was bound high within a red jade crown.

Floating just above his right palm was a pill of peculiar shape.

At first glance, it looked like a prismatic crystal, refracting light and emitting that extraordinary, bone-chilling fragrance. Swirls of visible Spirit Qi formed faint vortices on the pill’s surface, dancing like miniature storms.

Yu Caiqing let out a soft gasp. “That is Wang Yangyin! One of the Pill Tower’s three Top-tier Alchemists!”

“Top-tier Alchemist Wang Yangyin?” “I heard he was in seclusion refining the Earth-grade [Earth Soul Crystal Prism Pill]!” “Looking at that aura… he must have succeeded!”

The crowd erupted into excited whispers. Wang Yangyin was a legend, one of only three Top-tier Alchemists in the entire Cloud Sea Sect. His appearance at an internal gathering was unprecedented.

In the hierarchy of alchemy, the gaps were vast. Fire Spirit Root apprentices could brew medicinal liquids. Primary Alchemists could handle Low-grade pills. High-level Alchemists like Yu Caiqing were elites, capable of High-grade pills and the occasional Earth-grade attempt.

But Top-tier Alchemists? They could refine all High-grade pills and most Earth-grade pills. Above them stood only the Pill Dao Grandmasters, who dealt in Heaven-grade legends.

Reaching the level of a Primary Alchemist was already a massive filter. Many were stuck there for decades. To become Top-tier required a combination of talent, luck, and obsession.

Wang Yangyin was famous not just for his rank, but for his eccentricity. He constantly attempted to refine lost or ancient pills—formulas that hadn’t been seen for centuries or even millennia.

His fame had skyrocketed years ago when he successfully recreated the [Startling Awakening Pill], an Earth-grade treasure lost for eight hundred years. He used it to save a Golden Core Perfected Master from the Earth Vein whose lifespan was exhausted. The pill’s special effect allowed the master to find life within death, breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage at the very last moment.

Since then, Wang Yangyin’s door had been besieged by people begging for his services.

The current pill in his hand, the [Earth Soul Crystal Prism Pill], was another commission. While not as heaven-defying as the [Startling Awakening Pill], it was still a genuine Earth-grade treasure. It was designed to complement the Earth-grade Yin-attribute technique, the [Profound Nether Earth Fiend Art]. Rumor had it that if a Water Spirit Root cultivator consumed it, they could forcefully mutate their root into an Ice Spirit Root.

Jiang Chen clicked his tongue in appreciation. “I’ve truly broadened my horizons today. Rare pills, famous figures… this trip was worth it.”

On the stairs, Wang Yangyin paused. He looked at the sea of people with a dazed expression, blinking slowly.

“Is it the annual internal Pill Appraisal Gathering again?” he muttered, his voice hoarse from disuse.

He had been in seclusion on the seventeenth underground floor for so long that he had lost all concept of time. He hadn’t expected to emerge right into the middle of the event.

A manager of the gathering hurried forward, bowing low. “Alchemist Wang! It is an honor. Would you like to register your pill and participate in the ranking?”

Wang Yangyin snapped out of his daze. He glanced at the eager crowd, then shook his head with a look of utter indifference.

“I won’t participate.” He waved his hand dismissively as he walked past the stunned manager. “Taking first place every single time is really quite boring.”