’However, this matter isn’t urgent. I need to take my time.’
Xia Wuyang put away the *Enchanting Soul Scripture*.
He had too much to work on right now. He needed to consolidate his Spiritual Veins for Qi Refining and his Spirit Body for Body Refining. He also had to comprehend the *Enchanting Soul Scripture* and improve his Alchemy. Each of these tasks required time.
Fortunately, he still had plenty of time.
Emperor Xia was tied down by the Northern Desert and Southern Barbarians, the Imperial Court was in disarray from the war, and the various factions were too preoccupied to make a move. The other Princes and Princesses were all just trying to ensure their own survival.
His Wenhua Hall, in contrast, had become one of the calmest places in the eye of the storm.
He put away the Jade Bottle and continued his cultivation. The days passed peacefully.
This continued until one night, just past midnight. Xia Wuyang, who had spent the evening comprehending and practicing Alchemy, finally felt the opportune moment arrive.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, three hundred and ninety points of Spiritual Power shimmered like a brilliant river of stars. The newest point, having just finished forming, emanated a gentle, moon-like radiance.
The arrival of this point of Spiritual Power triggered an opportunity for an epiphany, one that had been accumulating thanks to his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent. And just like that, another epiphany began.
WHUMMM...
Deep within his mind, it felt as if countless Pill Furnaces were roaring in unison, while all manner of spiritual lights flashed without cease.
Countless insights into Alchemy surged forward like a bursting dam, completely overwhelming Xia Wuyang.
His Qi Refining Cultivation had already broken through, and he had been accumulating power for so long. It was about time for his Alchemy to break through as well.
If he hadn’t been so busy with other matters and the demands of his three cultivation disciplines, Xia Wuyang probably would have achieved a breakthrough in his Alchemy long ago.
He recalled his initial clumsiness in identifying herbs when he first learned the Mortal Pill Technique, and his later proficiency in refining Hemostatic Powder and Blood Replenishing Pills. Now, even Top Level Mortal Elixirs and Medicines were nothing to him.
From the tension of his first attempt at refining a Low Level Mortal Pill to the calm confidence he now felt when successfully creating a Top Level one... every alchemical experience of the past several months—every lesson from failure, every joy from success—replayed in his mind before merging into a single, comprehensive understanding.
Even more astonishingly, those once obscure and difficult Spirit Pill Techniques—the True Fire Tempering Method for extracting the Essence of Spiritual Medicine, the Five Elements Balance Skill for fusing medicinal properties, the Pill Formation Seal Technique for condensing a pill’s shape—all became simple and clear. It was as if he had already practiced them thousands of times, reaching an astonishing level in a short period.
’So that’s how it is...’
An understanding welled up in Xia Wuyang’s heart. ’The Alchemy Skill is not about the refining, but about the Sensing. Sensing the Spirituality of the ingredients, sensing the changes in the heat, sensing the fusion of medicinal properties... Only when the heart and the pill are one can Pill Formation occur, granting it Spirituality and allowing one to step onto the Extraordinary Alchemy Dao.’
In that instant, the shackles of the Mortal Pill Technique that had constrained him for so long shattered completely, leaving no obstacle in his path.
At that moment, his mastery of Alchemy naturally and smoothly ascended from the pinnacle of the Mortal Pill Technique to the realm of the Spirit Pill Technique!
Having mastered the Spirit Pill Technique meant he was now a Spirit Pill Master.
The Spirit Pill Technique was also divided into four levels: Low Level, Middle Level, High Level, and Top Level, corresponding to the different ranks of Spirit Pill Masters.
From now on, he could refine various Low Level Spirit Pills, and his success rate would rise rapidly.
Once he grew more familiar with the process, his success rate would climb even higher.
’And there’s more...’ A thought suddenly occurred to Xia Wuyang.
He thought of Pan Mo, still in a coma. The Heart-devouring Poison was still ravaging the woman who had been loyal to him unto death. Now, he could dedicate more time to developing an antidote.
The abilities of a Spirit Pill Master weren’t just limited to refining Elixirs that improved Cultivation; they could also refine Spirit Pills for detoxification, healing, and life extension. Moreover, he was an orthodox Spirit Pill Master, walking the dual paths of alchemy and healing, so his medical skills were equally astonishing.
As long as he could develop a suitable Pill Formula, gather the ingredients, and refine the antidote, Pan Mo could be saved!
’If I spend a bit more time on it, it shouldn’t take too long,’ Xia Wuyang resolved. The tide of his epiphany gradually receded.
Xia Wuyang slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing within them—a sign that his Spiritual Power had advanced yet again.
He could clearly feel that the Spiritual Power in his Sea of Consciousness had become denser, and his control over his True Qi had grown more precise.
To his pleasant surprise, this epiphany also made the feeling of an imminent new Companion Talent much clearer—far more distinct than it had been when his Spiritual Power was at three hundred and eighty points.
The Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent granted him an opportunity for an epiphany with every ten-point increase in his Spiritual Power.
And as his Spiritual Power broke through three hundred and ninety points, he faintly sensed something gestating and awakening in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness... If he wasn’t mistaken, it had to be his next Companion Talent.
As for what it was, Xia Wuyang didn’t know, but he was very much looking forward to it.
One more Companion Talent meant one more trump card, a greater asset for surviving and even turning the tables in the chaos of the Deep Palace. It could even cause his Cultivation Realm to advance by leaps and bounds.
He reigned in his thoughts and refocused on his cultivation.
Suddenly, his days became incredibly full.
So full, in fact, that he almost forgot he was still the "sickly and dying" elder Crown Prince, which was what the outside world believed him to be.
Outside the window, night fell.
Inside Wenhua Hall, lanterns were lit once more. The faint sounds of music and sweet laughter drifted through the air as a new round of nightly revelry was about to begin. ’While they perform, I can also relax a bit,’ he thought. ’A balance of work and rest, one might say.’
Meanwhile, in the Practice Room, Xia Wuyang had already applied his disguise, resuming his decrepit appearance and looking as if he were at death’s door.
He pushed open the stone door, walking toward that seemingly absurd, yet truly safe, sanctuary of pleasure.
He was well aware that Emperor Xia was still furious, Princess Jinping was still suspicious, the Northern Desert and the Southern Barbarians were still at war, and the Imperial Court was still mired in arguments...
But for now, none of that had anything to do with him.
By the time it did, he should have enough Power to settle everything.
For now, he just needed to continue growing stronger in this pocket of peace that belonged to him, advancing toward a higher level by leaps and bounds.
Until the day he was strong enough to flip the entire board, reset the rules of the world, and make all under heaven tremble.
The night was as black as ink, blanketing the Deep Palace and sparing no corner.
And some people were destined to go further, climb higher, and become stronger in the darkness.
「At this moment in White Jade City, the heatwave was already showing its fangs.」
The afternoon sun was so vicious it could bake shimmering heat from the bluestone slabs.
The drone of the cicadas was maddening. Even the lotus flowers in Taiye Pool drooped their heads listlessly, as if they had no strength left.
Only under the deep shade of the weeping willows by the pool’s edge did a pitiful sliver of coolness remain.
But such scorching heat could not temper the passions of certain people in the Deep Palace; it even made them more restless.
Ever since Consort Ji and the Chief Wet Nurse died one after the other, Emperor Xia’s temperament had grown ever more gloomy and tyrannical. In the Imperial Court, he would scold high officials at the slightest provocation, and in the Harem, no one dared to approach him.
Clearly, in Emperor Xia’s eyes, neither the Empress nor the previously murdered Princes and Princesses could compare in value to Consort Ji—his key to a breakthrough—and the Chief Wet Nurse, who had cared for him.

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