2164 Fu Jiangchen

It had not been too long since Zhang Xuan's soul cultivation reached middle-tier Celestial God. According to his estimations, it should still have taken him around half a month before he could raise it to the level of a high-tier Celestial God.

Yet, why did his soul cultivation suddenly experience such a massive growth spurt?

It was as if the ordinary stream of Anima of Yearning flowing into him had suddenly turned into raging river...

At this rate, I'll be able to advance my soul cultivation to high-tier Celestial God by tonight!

Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

When he first made a breakthrough to Celestial God, he had been a youth filled with hope and ambition. He had thought that he could reach God King within just a few days, but after a week passed, he had not even reached high- tier Celestial God.

He felt deeply embarrassed by his inability.

If his cultivation continued stalling at it was, he had no idea how he was going to face his students in the future.

Under the tutelage of the God Monarchs, they were bound to have many resources at their disposal. Given so, it was to be expected that their cultivation would surge like never before.

Ahh... Cultivation sure was tough. It was filled with the blood, sweat, and tears of the cultivators. He was really starting to understand why people would say such words.

Heaving a deep sigh, Zhang Xuan leaped onto the stage together with Qi Ling-er and the others.

Seeing that the star of the show had arrived, the crowd immediately fell silent, and intrigued gazes turned their way.

"Is that the apothecary who forged the Beauty Pill?"

"He looks so young!"

"Not only is he young, he's quite dashing too! Fine fine, I'll admit it. I'm interested in him, alright?"

"More like you're interested in his Beauty Pill!"

With the rising popularity of the Beauty Pill and the name 'Zhang Xuan', people started to become interested in what this rumored apothecary would look like. There were many who thought that he would be a decrepit old man who had devoted all of his life to forging pills.

No one expected him to just be a young man in his early twenties.

Most importantly of all, he was good-looking.

A person blessed with both looks and talent was bound to be popular among the ladies. The eyes of many fangirls among the crowd became glazed with excitement.

Qi Ling-er stepped forward and started speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to have all of you here with us today. I am Qi Ling-er from the Qi Clan, and I was the one who extended the invitations to you all."

As a low-tier Celestial God, she was still unable to project her voice properly to ensure that everyone amid the crowd could hear her. As such, formations were prepared beforehand to ensure that her message reached everyone, regardless of how far they were or the distractions around them.

Qi Ling-er was new to the circles in Royal City, but the fact that she had the full support of the Qi Clan in organizing this event told everyone loud and clear that she had substantial say within the Qi Clan.

It would be foolish to make an enemy out of someone who had powerful backing within the Qi Clan.

"The person standing beside me is Zhang Xuan, the apothecary behind the Beauty Pill. I invited all of you here not just to talk about the Beauty Pill but to introduce all of you to two new pills that Apothecary Zhang has come up with," Qi Ling-er said before stepping back to pass the stage over to Zhang Xuan.

"I believe most of you present here should be quite familiar with the effects of the Beauty Pill," Zhang Xuan said.

Most of those who were present had either heard of the effects of the Beauty Pill or were direct beneficiaries of it.

Otherwise, who had the time to participate in a meaningless gathering that they could not get anything out of?

The Beauty Pill can nourish your skin, making it more tender and suppler than before," Zhang Xuan said. "Aside from that, it can also heal your internal traumas and even extend your lifespan slightly... There are some among the crowd who have tried the pill out themselves and spoken about it, so I won't talk too much about it.

"Just as Qi Ling-er mentioned, the aim of this event is to introduce the two new pills that I have recently perfected.

"First and foremost, I would like to introduce an upgraded version of the Beauty Pill, and that is none other than the Breakthrough Pill. The information I relayed to you previously through the invitations contains no falsehood nor exaggeration. It does have the effect of increasing the chances of a cultivator making a breakthrough by fifty percent, which means that those who consume this pill is almost guaranteed to be able to overcome the bottleneck they are facing.

"One thing that concerns most people about such pills is the major side effects they come with, but I can assure you that the Breakthrough Pill has none. You need not worry about facing any hindrances in your cultivation because you have consumed the Breakthrough Pill before. On top of that, the Breakthrough Pill also carries the benefits of the Beauty Pill as well. It can make your skin more supple, heal your internal traumas, and extend your lifespan... "And most importantly of all, it's delicious!"

"Increase the probability of making a breakthrough by fifty percent?"

"That's almost an assurance of a breakthrough!"

"It also has the effects of the Beauty Pill too?"

"Most cultivators can increase their chances of making a breakthrough by twenty percent by reinforcing their cultivation properly. If they consume the Breakthrough Pill on top of that, the chances will be raised to a mind- boggling twenty percent! That's insane!"

"What's more, he mentioned that there are no side effects! Isn't that crazy?"

Such discussions could be heard throughout the crowd. Many of the experts riding on aerial divine beasts were tempted by what Zhang Xuan had said.

They might not need the pill themselves, but they could still get one for their offspring. It would allow them to bulk up their forces within a short period of time, and that would be the key for them to expand their influence.

Standing on top of an aerial celestial beast, Zhou Feng looked at the elder sitting in front of him and asked in bewilderment, Teacher, is it really possible for such a pill to exist?"

The most famous apothecary of the Firmament, Fu Jiangchen!

"I can't say for sure whether it truly exists or not, but it's best not to make judgements too quickly. There are far too many things that are beyond our understanding in this world... Let's continue watching. We'll be able to tell once the pill appears," Fu Jiangchen replied without tearing his eyes away from the stage.

As a God King, he had already lived for several thousand years and encountered many unbelievably talented individuals.

Going by his common sense, he thought that a pill that could increase a person's chances of making a breakthrough by fifty percent was utterly ridiculous, and something as convenient as that could not possibly exist... But nothing was absolute.

Just a few decades back, the Heaven Subjugation Monarch had also achieved what most people thought was impossible.

It might be the same for this young man.

"I understand that you may harbor some doubts regarding what I have just said, so I have brought the pill here in order to demonstrate its effects!"

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Xuan took out a jade container and opened it. A round pill appeared before everyone's view.

There was no amazing pulsation of spiritual energy or incredible emanation of aura. Looking at it from afar, the pill simply looked ordinary.

"That is a middle-tier God Essence Pill, right?"

"I have been forging that pill for a hundred years now, so there's no way I wouldn't recognize it..."

"The Beauty Pill looks identical to the low-tier God Essence Pill whereas the Breakthrough Pill looks identical to the middle-tier God Essence Pill... Can't he choose another look for his pills?"

The crowd frowned upon seeing the pill. Even Fu Jiangchen was speechless.

He had thought that he would at least be able to discern the effectiveness of the pill just by looking at it... but it seemed like he was thinking too much!

From the moment he saw the Breakthrough Pill, he realized that it would be just like the Beauty Pill. Even if he sliced it apart and analyzed it for days, he still would not be able to figure out the secrets behind it.

"That person sure is a rare prodigy when it comes to forging pills..." Fu Jiangchen sighed deeply.

"Teacher, what makes you say that?" Zhou Feng asked.

The young man had not even demonstrated the effects of the pill yet, but his teacher was already complimenting him in advance.

"No matter what kind of pill it is, there are usually signs that allow us to identify its true nature. Recovery pills are bound to contain the Blood Agglutination Grass or the Anti-clotting Flower. Breakthrough Pills are usually made with the Breakthrough Flower or the Meridian Soothing Fragrance... However, the Beauty Pill that the young man has made, despite its amazing effects, appears to be no different from a God Essence Pill. Do you know the reason behind that?" Fu Jiangchen asked.

Zhou Feng shook his head.

If he knew the truth, he would not have gone to the extent of inviting his teacher there to decipher the young man's secrets.

"It's simple. The young man used a special forging technique to conceal the secrets behind his pill," Fu Jiangchen replied.

"Conceal? Is that possible?" Zhou Feng asked in confusion.

Instead of answering his disciple's question directly, Fu Jiangchen asked him a question instead. "The Low-tier God Essence Pill is one of the most basic pills in the Firmament. With your current ability, in how many ways do you think you are able to forge a low-tier God Essence Pill?"

"About several hundred ways, I guess," Zhou Feng replied.

To put it simply, the low-tier God Essence Pill was basically the act of drawing out spiritual energy from medicinal herbs and sealing it within a physical container. There were many different combinations of medicinal herbs and forging techniques that could achieve the same effect, so the only issue was with finding the most efficient and economical way to do it.

"The reason you are able to deduce hundreds of ways to forge a low-tier God Essence Pill is mainly due to your strong foundations as an apothecary. You don't just blindly follow pill formulas. You understand the nature of medicinal herbs well, and you are able to deduce how different medicinal herbs interact with one another under different conditions. That, in turn, allows you to come up with multiple ways to create a certain effect."

Fu Jiangchen's gaze moved over to the young man on the stage, and a hint of reverence flickered across his eyes.

"It's the same for the young man over there! Even though the Breakthrough Pill that he's forged appears to be no different from a middle-tier God Essence Pill, such that it's impossible to perceive the difference by Spiritual Perception, in truth, he has already refined it with many invaluable medicinal herbs. He intentionally chose to forge it in the form of a middle-tier God Essence Pill in order to conceal his pill formula and prevent copycats from emulating what he has done!"

"That would really be an amazing feat!" Zhou Feng widened his eyes in realization.

In a sense, what that young man did was similar to how poison users in the Firmament could sneak lethal poison into ordinary pills without anyone noticing.

It was just that what the young man was concealing was not poison but the true nature of his Breakthrough Pill!

And that made perfect sense. After all, how could a middle-tier God Essence Pill increase the chances of a person making a breakthrough by fifty percent?

Over on the stage, Zhang Xuan was still going.

"All words are empty until they are proven to be true. Since I have brought the pill out, it goes without saying that I should demonstrate the effects to assure all of you that this is no sham!

"Is there anyone who is interested in trying out the Breakthrough Pill? In order to eliminate speculations that I am putting on an act, I'll need that person to be a distinguished individual who has great credibility in Drifting Specter Royal City. On top of that, they need to be on the verge of a breakthrough."

The purpose of the demonstration was to convince the crowd that the Breakthrough Pill was truly as effective as he had made it out to be. Thus, it would be meaningless if the person that he selected was not credible enough to convince everyone that they were not conning them.

"I am Zhang Heng from Drifting Specter Royal City's City Guards. My cultivation has been stuck at high-tier God pinnacle for more than a decade now, and all of the guards in the city can testify on my behalf!"

Before anyone could react, an old man had already volunteered himself and leaped onto the stage.

"What's the use of having the guards testify for you? Who knows whether they are covering up for you? Let me do it instead! I am a mercenary from the Awesome Escort Group. My cultivation is currently at low-tier Celestial God pinnacle, and the butler of the Qi Clan can vouch for me!"

"All of you lack credibility! Let me do it instead!"

A huge uproar broke out, and within just a few moments, forty people had already leaped onto the stage.

They were not fully convinced that the Breakthrough Pill was true, but the young man's act of gathering such a huge crowd to announce the product's launch, as well as the fact that the Qi Clan was giving him their full support, sparked some hope in them.

There was a fair chance that it might just be real, and it would be the golden opportunity for them to make a breakthrough.

So, they decided to take the risk and volunteer themselves.

"This..."

Seeing that there were suddenly so many people standing before him, Zhang Xuan was left a little conflicted as to who he should choose.

At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded in the air. "May I volunteer one of my juniors instead?"

Following that, Fu Jiangchen finally rose to his feet.