Chapter 555: Chapter 555: Two Hall Masters
Someone else is coming!
The crowd below all turned to look at the lights streaking across the sky, and within moments, three figures appeared upwind, facing the Lord of the Western Town from afar.
The person at the front was a woman, who appeared to be around thirty years old. She had an attractive face and was dressed in a long blue dress. Her hair fluttered in the wind, giving her an impressive aura.
Behind her were two beautiful maids who, although they seemed delicate and weak, were actually powerful individuals of the Heavenly Origin stage.
“Lord of the Western Town, you’re quite fast,” the woman in the blue dress said nonchalantly.
The Lord of the Western Town snorted lightly, “The Lord of the North Town isn’t slow either. As soon as I arrived, you followed.”
The crowd below was shocked. Another Lord had arrived in person!
This woman in the blue dress was indeed a Hall Master, ruling over the North Town Hall. Even though the North Town was quite far from Xuan Country, she still decided to come here.
Chen Yongnian was also surprised that two Lords had arrived at the same time. Initially, he had expected only the Lord of the Western Town to come, but now even the Lord of the North Town had arrived.
The Thirty-Two Lords of the Pill Alliance were essentially equal in status without any clear hierarchy. However, they harboured different allegiances.
Above the Thirty-Two Lords were eight elders. Thus, each of these elders had four Lords serving under them. Consequently, the Thirty-Two Lords were divided into eight factions, and harmony was rare among them.
The Lord of the Western Town and the woman in the blue dress, though both Lords, served different elders.
To outsiders, the Pill Alliance might seem like a monolith, but the larger the entity, the more internal issues it tends to have.
Such was indeed the state of the Pill Alliance!
The Four Heavenly Kings, who stood high above others, delegated their authority to the eight elders while they sought higher peaks of power.
However, each of the eight elders was cunning, each hiding personal ambitions, leading to frequent conflicts within the upper echelons of the Pill Alliance.
The eight elders firmly controlled the core power of the Pill Alliance, the Thirty-Two Lords, maintaining a balance among themselves.
Nowadays, the Lords were completely controlled by the elders, and both the Lord of the Western Town and the Lord of the North Town were engulfed in the vortex of the power struggle within the Pill Alliance.
These two Lords had a strained relationship, and their encounter here hinted at an underlying rivalry.
“We must apologize for not knowing that the Lord of the North Town will grace us with her presence,” Chen Yongnian said loudly while leading the salutation towards the Lord of the North Town.
“On behalf of the royal family of Xuan Country, I salute the arrival of the North Town Hall Master,” the Co-King also declared in a loud voice.
Ignoring the Co-King, the North Town Hall Master turned to Chen Yongnian, her eyes filled with admiration. “Elder Chen, there is no need for formalities. If not for your guidance all those years ago, I wouldn’t be in this position today.”
Hearing this, Chen Yongnian felt somewhat gratified. He had once provided assistance to the North Town Hall Master when he was a part of the Pill Alliance’s upper echelons. At that time, she was not yet a Lord but merely a talented Pill Refiner.
Because of Chen Yongnian’s recognition and endorsement, the North Town Hall Master was able to prosper and ascend to her current position of power.
It was commendable that someone like her would still remember the assistance she had once received from Chen Yongnian.
“May I ask why the North Town Hall Master is visiting today?” Chen Yongnian inquired.
The woman in the blue dress replied, “I heard that a genius with three Soul Commanding Pill Fires has emerged from the Pill Alliance in Xuan Country, and so I came to see this person.”
Upon hearing this, the crowd turned to look at Fang Lin. They were stunned that Fang Lin had become the main attraction, not just attracting the Lord of the Western Town but also the Lord of the North Town, who had traveled a long distance to get here.
“Elder Chen, is Fang Lin present?” the woman in the blue dress asked.
Chen Yongnian immediately turned to Fang Lin, who, helpless under the circumstances, stepped forward and saluted the woman in the blue dress respectfully, “Junior Fang Lin, pays respect to the North Town Hall Master.”
Looking at Fang Lin, the woman in the blue dress had a calm expression, her eyes held a trace of appreciation. “Indeed, you are commendable. They say you are talented in both alchemy and martial arts. It seems you have already reached the peak of the Earth Element stage and your physical strength is comparable to the Heavenly Origin power users.”
Fang Lin secretly tensed up, realizing that the Hall Masters were indeed formidable. They could gauge his strength at a mere glance.
However, there was one thing Fang Lin didn’t agree with in the woman’s statement.
He hadn’t yet reached the peak of the Earth Element stage. The woman in the blue dress was referring to the “peak” as compared to ordinary martial artists. But for Fang Lin himself, it was far from the peak.
Reaching the tenth layer of the Earth Element stage was the true peak—the ultimate limit. This stage is seen as the most important first step on the road to becoming a supreme power user and is regarded as the cornerstone.
“You speak highly of me, Hall Master,” Fang Lin humbly responded, his mind buzzing with thoughts.
If the North Town Hall Master was also here for him, then he could choose to join her instead of going with the Lord of the Western Town.
The North Town Hall Master, with a look of undisguised appreciation in her eyes, said, “Would you be willing to become my disciple, join the North Town Hall, and when you become a Master of Pill, I’ll recommend you as my successor.”
When she said this, the crowd was stunned. Everyone felt as if the world was spinning, especially the Pill Refiners of the Pill Alliance, who looked as if they were on the verge of going mad.
What does it mean to rise to the top in a single step? This was it! A youngster from the Lower Three Kingdoms, who was initially disregarded by everyone, had now become a candidate for the next Lord of the North Town in such a short span of time!
If Fang Lin indeed became the disciple of the North Town Hall Master, based on his current talent and potential, it seemed that it wouldn’t be long before he becomes the next Lord of the North Town.
To make matters even more consequential, Fang Lin was still so young, he had plenty of time to improve. Anyone with insight could see that if Fang Lin truly followed the Lord of the North Town, becoming the next Lord of the North Town was almost a certainty.
Qi Sanxuan, one of the elders in the Pill Alliance, started to panic. He was truly in a frenzy now and cold sweat was pouring down his forehead.
“Damn it! How could this Fang Lin have such good luck?” Qi Sanxuan inwardly cursed. But he had to admit, if Fang Lin truly followed the North Town Hall Master, Qi Sanxuan would have to humble himself before Fang Lin in their future encounters.
Fang Lin too was somewhat dazed by these sudden good news, but he did not lose his senses and instead pondered the pros and cons calmly.
“Lord of the North Town, shouldn’t there be an order of precedence in all things?” said the Lord of the Western Town, sounding slightly dissatisfied.