The bustling heart of Pill King Market is filled with countless people.
Fragrance of spiritual herbs, and sounds of bartering and laughter fused into a chaotic symphony. It was a realm of treasure and temptation.
Kent walked silently beside Lin Lin, hands behind his back, his gaze calm but calculating.
“I thought you’d be excited to buy things,” Lin Lin asked as she turned to him. “Most of them started shopping the moment we landed.”
Kent gave a faint smile. “Prices are always highest on the first day. They drop drastically before final bidding. I’m just… observing.”
Lin Lin raised a brow. “You really act like an old man sometimes.”
Just as she spoke, a wave of snide laughter echoed from behind.
“Look at them, wandering like beggars.”
“Hahaha! The great Kulu Nation can’t even afford to rank two pills?”
“Maybe their sect teaches them patience instead of prosperity.”
Kent didn’t need to turn to know—it was the White Fox Clan disciples.
Dressed in fine robes embroidered with silver flames, the group moved like entitled nobles. One disciple, with icy-blue hair and a mocking grin, tossed a pouch of pearls to a vendor without counting.
“I’ll take ten Sky Ice Lotuses. Keep the change.”
Another girl smirked and clutched a glowing pill box. “Ah, this will boost my beauty. Not that I need it, unlike some of these ragged travelers.”
Some Kulu Nation disciples clenched their fists. One of them, Mu Fan, stepped forward and bought a Beast Essence vial for 5,000 pearls.
“See? We can buy too,” he growled.
The White Fox boy laughed harder. “You just spent half your savings to prove your pride. Cute.”
More Kulu disciples followed, spending here and there, trying to silence the humiliation—but the White Fox clan bought without care, emptying stalls just to provoke.
Vice-Master Yun Rou stood still, her expression unreadable as she watched from afar.
After a while, she raised her voice coldly. “Enough. The market is large. You don’t need to walk like a bunch of monkeys.”
The disciples looked at her in confusion.
She gestured toward the bustling streets. “Roam freely. Explore the market on your own. But return to Half-Moon Inn by midnight. If you’re late—don’t bother returning at all.”
With her sharp glare, the crowd dispersed like water. Pairs formed—some out of habit, others for safety. The tension thinned.
Most of the disciples moved toward colorful alleys, gossiping and hunting for deals.
Lin Lin, however, remained beside Yun Rou.
“So you won’t roam?” Yun Rou asked, glancing at her.
“I came to learn, not just shop,” Lin Lin said firmly. “Besides, I want to watch how you negotiate.”
Yun Rou gave a rare smirk. “Good. That’s how you grow.”
Kent, still behind them, nodded. “Count me in. I learn more watching calm waters than rushing rivers.”
Yun Rou tilted her head slightly toward him. “You talk in riddles. But I suppose you walk with Lin Lin.”
Together, the three of them—Vice-Master Yun Rou, Lin Lin, and Kent—headed deeper into the inner rings of the Pill King Market, where the rarest treasures were sold, and where real games of status, strategy, and spirit would unfold.
And behind them, the White Fox disciples narrowed their eyes. Soon, the top 3 disciples and their master followed behind to take any chance to humiliate Yun ROu.
–
The midday sun cast a golden glow over the sky-high structure labeled in flowing, divine script—
“Pill King Balcony.”
It stood like a tower of clouds, thirteen stories tall, carved from sky jade and white soul crystal. Its steps shimmered with spirit runes, and the entrance was crowded with alchemists from all over the realms.
Outside the entrance, a wide board was erected:
“Prove your worth by lighting these candles. Based on the quality of alchemy fire, You can climb higher floors. Purity, Will, and Intent shall light the way. Thirteen Floors. Thirteen Candles.”
Beneath the sign stood thirteen golden candle stands, each engraved with ancient beast patterns. Thin wisps of flame swirled gently above some—but most were unlit.
Dozens of disciples stood in line, palms raised, flames blooming from their fingertips, each attempting to light the delicate soul-candles. But the candles resisted like proud spirits.
“Next group!” barked a girl in red robes from the Pill King Balcony. “Line up—five at a time!”
People moved forward hesitantly. One disciple summoned green flames and tried desperately to light even the third candle, only to burn out by the fourth.
“Failed at four!” someone snorted from the back.
“He claimed to be a two-star alchemist from Fire Wind Academy,” another laughed.
Soon, the next group stepped up—three girls in silver robes.
They burned their alchemy fire proudly.
Only one reached five.
“That’s the average,” whispered Lin Lin. “Lighting more than six means you’re extraordinary.”
Just then, a flutter of wind and mocking laughter interrupted.
Master Dan of the White Fox Clan walked up, his fox-like eyes glinting with arrogance. “Step aside. Let real talent show the way.”
His disciples followed, each beaming with false humility.
“Let’s not intimidate the rest too much,” one girl teased, then summoned silver-white flames.
Together, the four of them attempted the test.
Flicker. Flicker… puff.
The flames vanished on the fifth candle. Two of them couldn’t pass the third. Master Dan narrowed his eyes, hiding his disappointment behind a forced chuckle.
“Tch. Must be faulty candles.”
“Right,” a disciple nodded. “Or someone making fun of everyone.”
Lin Lin rolled her eyes and stepped forward.
With a calm breath, she extended her hand. A bright green-gold flame swirled into existence—gentle, focused, and warm.
One… two… three…
The first seven candles ignited gracefully before her fire dissipated like falling mist.
“Seven! That’s a true three-star flame!” one girl from the tower gasped.
Lin Lin stepped back, proud but composed.
Yun Rou followed.
Her flames were pale purple, cold and noble. Eight candles lit up before the flame curled inward.
“A Vice Master indeed,” murmured onlookers in awe.
Then came Kent.
He walked forward slowly, drawing a few mocking chuckles from White Fox onlookers.
“A one-star alchemist? This should be fun.”
But Kent raised his hand calmly.
And then—a storm erupted.
Black fire, glowing with Nirvanic light, mixed with a silver-gold core at the center. The very floor beneath him shimmered, reacting to the ancient aura of his flame.
One… two… five… eight… twelve… thirteen!
Fwoosh!
All thirteen candles burst into radiant light, illuminating the tower entrance like a sun had risen.
The girls from the Pill King Balcony gasped in unison.
“Thirteen?! Not even our Deputy Elders reached the top flame!”
“Who is this man?!”
“This is definitely a scam!”
Before anyone could blink, the two red-robed attendants from the Pill King Balcony walked toward Kent with respectful bows.
“You… please come with us. The Elders would like to meet you personally.”
“Fake… this is all fake. Stop playing with us all. How can 1 star alchemist light all these candles?” The white fox clan members began shouting in protest.
Not only them, many of the onlookers were utterly surprised because of Kent’s act.
But ignoring all the drama, the red-robed attendants, glowing with awe and anticipation, bowed deeply to Kent as they opened the path toward the private lift meant for honored guests.
“Please, Sir Alchemist,” one of them said, voice soft and respectful. “Our elders on the thirteenth floor would like to welcome you personally. We shall guide you.”
But Kent lifted his hand and gave a gentle shake of his head.
“I’ll visit the elders later,” he said, his tone steady and calm. “For now, I wish to accompany my companions.”
The two girls blinked, clearly unaccustomed to being refused, especially by someone with the right to enter the highest floor. But after a moment, they bowed again.
“As you wish, honored guest. You are free to roam the floors at will.”
With that, Kent turned to Lin Lin and Yun Rou. Lin Lin smiled in quiet satisfaction, while Yun Rou looked at him with a faint glimmer of admiration in her usually calm eyes.
As they ascended the spiral staircase, each floor unveiled a breathtaking array of treasures—
beast cores, primordial herbs, spirit crystals, and rare cauldrons carved with ancient patterns. Each item gleamed with auras of time, and their prices—unbelievably low.
“The Pill King Balcony truly lives up to its name,” Yun Rou murmured. “Outside, the market triples the price for half the quality.”
They reached the seventh floor, where spirit mist hung in the air, nourishing the herbs in open jade trays. Lin Lin paused before a stand displaying a luminous pill lotus. “I’ll stay and examine these healing herbs,” she said, already immersed in their vitality.
Yun Rou hesitated briefly but then continued upward beside Kent, her expression unreadable.
As they entered the eighth floor, silence greeted them. The crowd had thinned; fewer than ten visitors roamed, all quietly inspecting the rarest ingredients.
Kent walked a few steps ahead, giving Yun Rou space. She stopped near a glass dome that sheltered a Heart-Vein Starlotus, its silver leaves dancing with soul light. Her eyes widened in wonder. Carefully, she cupped the herb between her palms, caressing it like a precious treasure.
Suddenly, a loose tile near her foot gave way—she stumbled with a gasp.
“Ah—!”
A hand caught her waist swiftly.
Another caught the falling herb.
Yun Rou blinked up—her face barely inches away from Kent’s. His arm was firm around her, his other hand gently holding the herb. Her breath hitched as she felt the strength in his grasp, the warmth of his presence. For a moment, the bustle of the market disappeared. The heartbeat between them was all that existed.
Kent looked into her eyes calmly, then offered the herb with a faint smile.
“You like it?”
Yun Rou, cheeks suddenly tinged with red, took it and nodded awkwardly. “I… it’s rare. I didn’t expect to see it here.”
He gently released her waist.
Both of them stepped back with faint, embarrassed smiles.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks…”
Kent nodded. “Careful where you step. Some treasures can distract even the calmest mind.”
Yun Rou laughed lightly, her voice like wind on water. Unknowingly she felt close to Kent. But after remembering their age gap, where she looked like a middle aged woman, she poured water on her thoughts.
