The ancient sounding voice reverberated in John's ears, like a thunderclap directly inside his mind. He hastily flared his cultivation base to wash away the lingering effects of the voice, just barely managing to maintain his consciousness.
The source of the voice was a man who was seated on the opposite side of the large room with his back turned to John and the Elder. A large cauldron sat on the floor in front of him, and exquisite glowing runes were carved into its surface. An extremely powerful flame emanated from the man's hands and onto the cauldron, causing the room to be quite hot.
A dense medicinal aroma wafted out from the cauldron.
"Pill Emperor Thunderpill, apologies for the interruption, but we come here on important business," the Elder escorting John hastily spoke up in an attempt to quell Thunderpill's anger. The Elder alongside John was in the Meridian Forging realm, and so the Heavenly Tribulation aura that pressed down affected him as well.
"Important business? What could be so important as to interrupt my alchemy?" Thunderpill bellowed out. Their sudden interruption had ruined his concentration, causing him to lose control over his pill flame.
Although he quickly regained control and steadied his flame, the slight increase in temperature, even for just a moment, would result in a lower grade pill. Thunderpill had used valuable resources in this alchemy session, and so he was beyond livid at having it reduced in potency.
"It's about the Undying Vitality Fruit you expressed interest in a while ago." The Elder quickly spoke up before Pill Emperor Thunderpill did anything in anger.
"Undying Vitality Fruit?" Thunderpill replied with complete shock.
He immediately stood up and walked towards John and the Elder, leaving the cauldron to cool. The materials inside the cauldron were now useless, showing just how much value he placed on the fruit.
John inspected the man as he turned around. The man had an extremely aged face, and it appeared as if he was nearly on the verge of death. A long, grey frazzled beard hung from his face, and the white hair on his head stuck out in every direction. He quickly walked over towards the Elder and John, and John was able to notice that he walked with an arched back.
'He seems to be nearly on the verge of death. I wonder how old he is? Close to ten thousand years I would presume.'
Pill Emperor Thunderpill was a Heaven Tribulation expert, and Heaven Tribulation experts had lifespans of nearly ten thousand years. When a cultivator passed their heaven tribulation trial, they would shed their mortal bodies and ascend to a higher realm of existence. This allowed their lifespans to increase ten times immediately when compared to Meridian Forging cultivators.
"Yes, the Undying Vitality Fruit," the Elder confirmed, causing Pill Emperor Thunderpill's eyes to widen once more in anticipation. He had issued the order to find the pill many decades ago, but no one had been able to find one. He had just about given up hope of ever finding it until today.
"What about it. Have you found one?" Thunderpill asked in a hurry.
Although he was wizened with age, Pill Emperor Thunderpill still carried the air that a Heaven Tribulation expert should. However, upon hearing about the fruit, he had become like an excited child ready to receive a gift.
"I didn't. This boy here did. I brought him here as soon as I found out he had it," The Elder hastily replied.
Pill Emperor Thunderpill's eyes immediately darted over towards John, who he had completely ignored up to this point. He briefly examined John, and raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise at how low his cultivation was. He expected someone who was able to find the fruit would have a higher cultivation.
"You have it? Give it to me," Pill Emperor Thunderpill said to John.
John frowned as he heard Thunderpill's words. Clearly he was just trying to take it without giving anything in return.
As a Pill Emperor, Thunderpill had always had an elevated position, even when compared to other Heaven Tribulation experts. As such, he was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it, especially when dealing with young disciples. Most disciples wouldn't even dare look at him in the eyes, scared of offending him.
However, John was not like most disciples.
"What are you waiting for? Give it to me," Thunderpill spoke up again, as if waiting a few seconds was an insult.
"Then what will I get in return for this pill? I'm not giving it to you for free," John replied bluntly. Thunderpill was treating him with no respect, and so he returned the favor equally.
The nearby Elder's eyes widened as he heard John's response, and he was just about to rebuke him when a powerful aura once again filled the room. Thunderpill's aura began to press down on John as his rage climbed.
"You dare speak to me like this boy?" Thunderpill replied in a raised tone, his face filled with anger.
"You're trying to rob me, and I'm supposed to thank you? I don't think so," John grunted through gritted teeth as he struggled against the aura pressing down on him.
Thunderpill's eyes narrowed as he stared directly at John. He had never been treated in such a way, especially from a disciple.
His anger calmed down slightly as he tried to reason with John. "How about this, if you give me the Undying Vitality Fruit, I'll owe you a favor," Thunderpill remarked.
However, he had no intention of repaying a brat like John, and was only saying this to get the fruit. While he could forcefully take it, the Sect prohibited stealing of any kind from anyone, and he wasn't about to break its rules.
John's eyes narrowed as he stared at Pill Emperor Thunderpill. His expression relaxed as well as he replied. "Fine, I can accept that deal."
A small smirk appeared on Thunderpill's face, but he quickly repressed it. However, John's next words caused his expression to drastically change once more.
"And I'll be cashing in that favor right now. The favor I ask of you is to pay me the appropriate value for this fruit," John replied with a calm tone, showing that he would not be swayed.
Although he wanted to have the fruit turned into a pill to improve his cultivation, he could tell that the fruit was of utmost importance to the Pill Emperor. Just the fact that no one had managed to find the fruit over the past several decades showed that John could basically name his price for the fruit.
The Elder standing to the side could hardly believe his ears. He had never seen someone with as much guts as John, and even he was beginning to respect him more. He had always been treated poorly by the other higher up Pill Elders, and seeing them taken down a notch was quite refreshing.
"You dare play these games with me?" Thunderpill raged once more. His temper was wild, and he would be set off with the slightest disrespect.
John scoffed as he continued to struggle against the aura pressing down on him. He could unleash his Supreme Battle Art to resist it more easily, but he was sure Thunderpill would just increase the pressure of the aura then.
Thunderpill was not trying to hurt John, but instead just intimidate him with his power. It worked nearly every time, but against John, such a tactic was useless.
"Hmph, I dared to directly attack the Vice Sect Leader, why wouldn't I dare to argue with you?" John replied coldly.
Thunderpill's eyes widened considerably, before turning back to normal.
"If you had done such a thing, you would be dead by now. What's the point in lying about such things?" Thunderpill rebuked.
He spent his entire time up in this room making pills, and so he cared not for what was happening in the rest of the sect. As such, he had not yet heard about John attacking the Vice Sect Leader, despite it being the talk of the sect.
However, the other Elder in the room had heard about the event.
"That was you?" The nearby Elder spoke out loud.
Thunderpill's expression changed as he looked towards the Elder who had just spoken. Based on the Elder's words, such a thing had actually taken place. His expression became complicated as he looked back towards John.
If the boy in front of him truly had done such a thing, then he was dealing with an actual madman. Not only that, but the fact that the Vice Sect Leader hadn't outright killed him showed that she valued him somewhat.
Thunderpill took note of John's clothes, and recognized them as the colors of the War Hall. A first year in the War Hall was unprecedented, and gave even more credibility to his story. Not only that, but Thunderpill was surprised that John could resist his aura this long without breaking down even slightly. Clearly his talent was far above the norm.
Thunderpill sighed as his aura began to fade.
"Clearly I'm dealing with a madman. Tell me, what do you want? And don't you dare try to take advantage of me," Thunderpill said to John.
John breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had been able to resist the pressure, it had still taken some effort to do so. However, he was pleased to hear that his stubbornness had won out.
"I'm glad we could come to an understanding," John replied.
His comment caused Thunderpill's anger to rise again, but he quickly repressed it as it would do him no good here.
John began to think about the price he should ask for.
'Based on his age, the fruit's nature, and his eagerness to obtain it, I believe the pill he's trying to create will extend his lifespan, allowing him to live longer. As such, this fruit is the most important thing to him right now, and I'm sure he'll pay any price to obtain it.'
John thought about it for a moment before coming to a decision.
'I might as well start super high and get him to come down to something more reasonable. I don't want to sell myself short here.'
The fruit suddenly appeared in his hands, as he was trying to get into Thunderpill's head. Thunderpill immediately looked over to the pill, and his face became full of anticipation. However, he quickly returned back to normal, not trying to show his eagerness.
John cleared his throat and spoke up.
"For this Undying Vitality Fruit, I want….a million sprit crystals!"