Chase's face lit up in surprise at John's words, as it was the last thing he was expecting to hear. A small smile formed on his face after his surprise faded, and he nodded his head with much enthusiasm.
"Good, then follow me."
John turned around and strode out of the room, and quickly left the building. Chase followed behind closely, and the two of them quickly made their way through the Heavenly Lightning Sect towards the Pill Hall.
Chase's face was filled with emotional wonder as he looked from building to building and person to person.
"It's...its so calm, and peaceful!" Chase couldn't help but exclaim.
In the Bloodfiend Sect, it was commonplace to see fights break out in the streets, and weaker disciples bullied and beaten bloody. Compared to the Bloodfiend Sect, the Heavenly Lightning Sect looked like a tranquil paradise, which suited Chase's nature perfectly.
"It's not really that our sect is peaceful, its just that the Bloodfiend Sect was way over the top," John replied. "I mean, just the life and death battles were surprising, let alone the disciple placement battles which resulted in over one thousand deaths. That's just crazy that it was allowed to happen."
"You don't have monthly life and death battles here?" Chase asked with a surprised voice.
"No," John replied quickly. "Life and Death battles must be requested individually, and only one life and death battle has occurred during the last year."
"Only one?" Chase exclaimed, as if it was the most shocking thing to hear.
"Who fought in that battle?" Chase couldn't help but ask to sate his curiosity.
A wry smile appeared on John's face as he scratched his cheek. He was just insulting the Bloofiend Sect's brutality, and yet he was the only one in the Heavenly Lightning Sect to have a life and death battle over the last year.
'Maybe I truly do fit in better in such a brutal sect,' John mused as he shook his head at himself.
"Oh look, we're here," John shifted the topic of conversation as they arrived before the Pill Hall.
Chase's face lit up again in surprise once again, as the Pill Hall was much larger and grander than the Pill Hall in the Bloodfiend Sect. The Heavenly Lightning Sect placed much more importance on Pill Experts than the Bloodfiend Sect, as the cultivation methods of the Honorable Alliance sects focused more on pills, while the cultivation methods of the Forbidden Alliance sects focused more on using blood.
As such, the Pill Hall in the Heavenly Lightning Sect dwarfed that of the Bloodfiend Sects, both in its size, as well as its member count.
"Follow me," John once again instructed as he entered the building.
...
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A series of knocks at a door sounded out within a room, startling the one within.
"What the...whoever is at the door, go away!" an angered shout boomed out from within the locked room.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The knocks continued once more, yet again startling the one within from their work.
"Who the hell dares disturb me?" the one within the room shouted out as they stood up angrily and walked briskly towards the door. The door flung wide open, and the one inside who was about to yell out with absolute agitated anger bit his tongue.
"You…" Pill Emperor Thunderpill exclaimed as he noticed who it was who had knocked.
John had not visited him in nearly half a year, and he had almost forgotten about him.
John walked into Thunderpills room without his permission, causing Thunderpill to get a bit huffy. Chase followed behind closely, further igniting Thunderpill's frustration.
"What is going on?" Pill Emperor Thunderpill asked. "I'm in the very middle of an important concoction. If you have no specific business, then leave."
John gestured to Chase at his side, who stared at the room with awe. There were many pill related objects that he had never seen before, drawing his intrigue.
"This is my friend Chase," John began to explain. "He's quite talented in the Pill Dao. I want you to take him under your wing and train him regarding the Pill Dao."
"What? Why would I do such a thing?" Pill Emperor Thunderpill exclaimed with slight ire. "I have much more important things to do than teach a brat how to make pills."
"Just give it a shot," John replied quickly. "If nothing else, he can be a valuable pill assistant while you concoct your pills."
Pill Emperor Thunderpill was one of the sect's most prominent pill experts, and John knew Chase would learn a lot from him.
John's suggestion caused the Pill Emperor to pause for a moment as he thought it over. However, after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head in refusal.
"Forget about it. I've already looked for pill assistants before, but they're all useless and only slow down my alchemy. I'm sure this brat is no different."
Chase's normally genial and warm expression turned sour upon hearing this, as the Pill Dao was the one thing he held sacred and considered himself to be best at. Without pause, he walked over towards Thunderpill's cauldron, which was in the middle of making some pills.
"What are you doing, you brat?" the Pill Emperor exclaimed as he saw Chase get near his cauldron. "Get away from there."
Chase ignored the Pill Emperors instructions, and leaned in close to inspect the cauldron closely. He took in a deep whiff of the cauldron's thick medicinal aroma, and his eyes quickly lit up in surprise.
"You're actually making a Nine-Lotus Ice Pill?" Chase exclaimed.
Thunderpill's angered expression quickly turned to one of shock upon hearing Chase's words.
"You can tell what I am making, just from the aroma?" Thunderpill asked.
"I can clearly smell the extracts of the Nine-Lotus flower, as well as the Ice-Heart plant. With this in mind, the Nine-Lotus Ice Pill seems the most logical, although I can't be certain as I've never made it myself," Chase replied quickly.
The Pill Emperor was speechless for a moment before a smile appeared on his face as he nodded his head in confirmation of Chase's guess.
"You are correct. I am making the Nine-Lotus Ice Pill. The Ice Cliff Sect pays quite a handsome price for these pills, and have ordered a batch from me," Thunderpill replied.
"But something seems off," Chase said as he took in another whiff. "It seems as though you have added something else, although I'm having a hard time identifying it...did you add Nether Ice Root as well?" Chase asked after thinking for a moment.
Thunderpill's face lit up once more as he strode over to Chase and began to excitedly converse with him, as if he had forgotten his frustration at John's interruption just moments ago.
"I did," Thunderpill replied. "I'm testing out a new pill recipe, to see if I can make the Ice potency of the pill even stronger."
Chase tilted his head to the side as he frowned at these words. "Won't the different ice natures of the Nether Ice Root and the Nine-Lotus Ice Flower conflict with each other, making the entire batch unstable?" Chase asked as he tried to piece together what the Pill Emperor was doing.
"You're exactly right," Thunderpill exclaimed. "That's why I've also added the Willow Water Flower, which is quite soft and supple in its properties. I am testing out whether it's the perfect additive to meld the two conflicting plants together."
John smiled as he saw the two of them start to excitedly discuss the Pill Dao, as if the previous events did not occur. He began to leave the room, and as he was about to walk out, he turned to Thunderpill once more.
"Oh, and one last thing. Chase has a Wood-Attribute constitution, so you better teach him all you know now so you can claim he was your disciple. Before long, he'll far surpass you, and the honor of being his master won't be possible for you anymore."
The Pill Emperor's mouth opened wide in shock as he heard this, and John smiled once more before he left the room, leaving Chase behind to learn all he could from the Pill Emperor.
John explored the rest of the Pill Hall for the next several hours, and bought many pills suitable for his Meridian Forging cultivation, before he left the Pill Hall and stood outside.
"What should I do now?" John mused out loud.
However, before he could think of what to do next, an Elder suddenly landed in the Pill Hall courtyard next to him. The Elder was wearing the robes of the War Hall, and John instantly recognized him.
"Elder Balor, what brings you here?" John asked, as he could tell the Elder was here for him.
The Elder bowed his head ever so slightly, as John was now considered the young master of the War Hall, and his status was only second to Lilian's.
"The Vice-Sect Leader has instructed you to return to the War Palace," Elder Balor replied.
"Hmm? What for?" John asked curiously.
"A representative from the Supreme Battle Sect has arrived, and the Vice-Sect Leader has summoned you as a result."