While Xiang Yun had finished his recovery in his room and was cultivating his soul force as usual, he had no idea that, at that very moment, Glory City was in the middle of a frenzy.
Three of the six pill recipes he had handed to Yang Xin, in the name of his "master", had triggered a storm of commotion, hope, and greed that seemed capable of shaking the very foundations of the city at any moment.
The streets leading to the Alchemist Association were unrecognizable, turned into rivers of people regardless of social status or strength.
Nobles, merchants, and commoners jostled in monumental lines, a tsunami of anxious faces and feverish eyes, all fixed on the imposing building that had become the new temple of hope, all with the same purpose. To buy more pills.
.....
"I heard the Sacred Family tried to buy out the entire new stock of pills, but Director Yang sent them away empty-handed! That's hilarious!"
"Who would've thought? Ten times the cultivation speed! Can you even calculate that? I finally reached the Bronze Rank!"
...
The names "Soul Nourishing Pill," "Spiritual Gathering Pill," and "Spiritual Focusing Pill" were spoken across the city with an almost sacred reverence.
The impact of these miraculous creations was both visible and shocking.
"Spiritual Gathering Pill! Increases cultivation speed by ten times for ten days!" The voice of a middle-aged man echoed through the central plaza, drawing a crowd. "I saw it with my own eyes! A Three-Star Bronze Warrior took one and advanced right then and there! His aura was overwhelming!"
Nearby, a group of young apprentices from the Sacred Orchid Institute stared at the Association's notice board, their eyes wide with desire. "Soul Nourishing Pill, Soul Focusing Pill... those are extinct pills, only found in ancient texts! They say they can strengthen the Soul Realm and nourish the soul way faster than current pills!"
...
In the middle of the Central Plaza, a veteran guard, stuck at the peak of the Three-Star Silver rank for a decade, consumed a Soul Nourishing Pill. In the next moment:
Bang!
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, a silver aura burst from his body, and with a scream that tore through the air, he broke through to Four-Star Silver.
Similar scenes unfolded all across the city, with young talents breaking their cultivation shackles and feeling their Soul Realms expand at frightening speed. The air in Glory City was thick with the energy of breakthroughs and power.
The noble families, always the strongest, were in a state of both ecstasy and panic. They mobilized every resource they could, dispatching servants and elders in a desperate attempt to secure more of these treasures—not just for their heirs, but for themselves, seeing a chance at breakthroughs that once felt like dreams.
The authority of the Alchemist Association, which had been declining over the years, suddenly soared to a level rivaling any other family.
Not even the City Lord's Mansion or the other powerful families could ignore such power. The ability to drastically accelerate cultivation was the most important resource in a world constantly threatened by demonic beast hordes. They had to acquire more of those miraculous pills, no matter the cost.
However, in the midst of all that frenzy, no soul shone brighter than Yang Xin's.
The director of the Alchemist Association moved like an empress in her own palace. Her sinuous, provocative blue silk dress clung to every curve of her voluptuous body as she glided through the marble corridors.
A seductive, confident smile was a permanent adornment on her crimson lips. The Association, once a grand building in slow decline, now burned with fierce vitality. Its aura of importance and gravity, once faded by time, returned like a phoenix reborn from ashes.
Even Gu Yan, the venerable president, watched the scene with a satisfaction that warmed his aged heart. His eyes, marked by wisdom and years, shone as he gazed at the crowd outside. "This, Director Yang," he said, voice thick with emotion, "is more than just prosperity. It's a rebirth. With these pills and enough time, the strength of our Glory City could evolve to a point where the fear of demonic beast hordes becomes a distant memory."
Yang Xin nodded. A smile danced on her lips as she remembered the young man who had brought her this prosperity.
[Main Hall of the Sacred Family]
Shen Hong, patriarch of the Sacred Family, sat on his dark wooden throne, fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. His expression was a mask of calculated calm, but his eyes held a storm. In front of him, the family's elders were in an uproar.
"Patriarch, this is an insult!" shouted one of the elders, his face red with anger. "First, that brat, Xiang Yun, publicly humiliates young master Shen Yue, and now this! The Alchemist Association imposes a limit of only one hundred pills of each type per batch! But that's not right! We heard rumors that the Snow Wind Family and others have been receiving far more through back channels!"
"It's a conspiracy to suppress our Sacred Family!" another elder said, his voice dripping with venom. "They know our patriarch is nearing the Legendary Rank and did this to hold us back!"
The other elders stood up as well, each adding more insult to injury.
Shen Hong finally had enough and waved his hand, casting silence over the hall. "Calm yourselves," he said, his voice level but heavy. "Acting impulsively right now is not what we should do. The Alchemist Association, with these new formulas, has become an entity we can no longer pressure openly."
Shen Ming, a calmer and more cunning bishop, nodded in agreement. Just hours ago, he had to hold himself back when he personally went to ask Yang Xin for a higher purchase limit.
His "polite" request, however, hit a wall of steel that was the new authority Yang Xin had built. He not only returned empty-handed, but also humiliated.
In his mind, the image of the current Yang Xin was like that of a queen within the Association. She had received him lounging in her chair like a lazy yet dangerous goddess. The fabric of her dress stretched over her crossed thigh, as if he were nothing but a speck—not a respected elder of the Sacred Family.
He still remembered her final words before he left.
"If the prestigious Sacred Family wishes for more resources," she had said, her voice a soft tone that sent chills down the spine, "then you'll have to prove your worth and wealth at the auction that will take place in seven days. There, the only justice will be each person's highest bid."
"You—!"
When he tried to threaten her using the Sacred Family's name, she simply smiled. A smile that was both an invitation and a sentence. "Times have changed, Elder Shen Ming. The Alchemist Association no longer needs to bow to you. In fact, it's quite the opposite now. It seems the families are the ones depending on our goodwill." She smiled, and with an elegant gesture, invited him to leave, letting him walk away furious—but powerless.
[Director's Office, Alchemist Association]
Back in her luxurious office, the air thick with the scent of herbs and success, Yang Xin poured herself a glass of red wine. The power now in her hands was addictive, and the pleasure of putting the treacherous Sacred Family in their place was a sensation she savored slowly.
Her thoughts, as always, drifted to the source of her newfound glory. Xiang Yun... her little brother...
She thought of his face, so young, yet with eyes that held an unfathomable depth she couldn't decipher. It was unbelievable how he had given her this sense of power in six simple pieces of paper, with the casualness of someone offering a cup of tea.
"Little brother..."
She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, unaware of just how provocative the gesture was. The mere image of Xiang Yun in her mind awakened a fire within her that no other man had ever managed to ignite.
"My little brother gave me so much... a power I never even dreamed of having." A mischievous smile curled her lips. "A gift... yes. My little brother deserves a gift. A very special gift."