Chapter 220: Confidence or Conceit? (1)

[A/N: We are just a few more golden tickets away from reaching another milestone!!]

Mu Qing took Chen Chuan and steered a radiant flying boat, piercing through the clouds and speeding toward the distant horizon where the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land lay.

Aboard the flying boat, Mu Qing was in high spirits. He looked at the youth in green standing beside him with hands behind his back, gazing at the sea of clouds, feeling more satisfied the more he looked.

He habitually wanted to check Chen Chuan’s cultivation progress to see if he had slacked off during these three days.

However, when his Divine Sense swept over Chen Chuan’s body, the smile on his face instantly froze, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief.

"Half-Saint Realm, First Level?"

Mu Qing’s voice trembled slightly. He rubbed his eyes vigorously and checked again, but the result remained the same.

That wave of Saint Power, though restrained, was incredibly solid—a clear sign of stepping into the Half-Saint Realm.

He remembered clearly that three days ago, Chen Chuan was obviously at the Spirit Transformation Realm First Level.

How long had it been?

Three days!

Only three days!

Crossing two major Realms to directly reach the Half-Saint Realm?

This wasn’t just cultivation anymore; it was a literal leap!

"Disciple, what’s going on with your cultivation?" Mu Qing couldn’t suppress the stormy waves in his heart, his voice even cracking: "I remember you were clearly at the Spirit Transformation Realm three days ago!"

Chen Chuan had already expected Mu Qing to ask this. With a calm expression, he turned around and smiled slightly:

"Master, please do not be alarmed. While I was out training before, I habitually hid part of my true cultivation to avoid unnecessary trouble."

This explanation was reasonable.

When exceptionally talented disciples traveled, it was common to hide their cultivation and "play the pig to eat the tiger."

The shock in Mu Qing’s heart subsided slightly, replaced by a surge of immense joy.

"You hid your cultivation? So that’s it!"

Mu Qing let out a long sigh of relief, clutching his chest as if to steady his racing heart.

He looked at Chen Chuan again with burning eyes, as if trying to see through him completely.

At such a young age, not only did he possess peerless Alchemy skills and could refine Top-Grade Great Saint Pills, but his own cultivation had also reached the Half-Saint Realm.

What kind of brilliant and awe-inspiring talent was this?

In both Alchemy and cultivation, reaching such achievements in either path would be considered a monstrous talent.

Yet Chen Chuan advanced in both simultaneously, reaching a level that left people speechless.

"Good! Excellent!" Mu Qing’s face flushed with excitement as he slapped Chen Chuan’s shoulder hard:

"Disciple, you have truly given me a massive surprise."

"At such an age, with Half-Saint cultivation and your uncanny talent in the Dao of Alchemy, in time, you will surely become famous throughout the Desolate Heaven Immortal Domain and become a titan of your own."

He could almost see Chen Chuan standing at the peak of the Immortal Domain in the future, looking down upon all living beings, and he, as his guide, would surely leave a mark in history.

Hearing Mu Qing’s praise, a slightly smug curve appeared at the corner of Chen Chuan’s mouth, and he said as if it were only natural:

"Master, you overpraise me."

"However, since I am the husband of the future successor of Taiyi Holy Land, I naturally cannot be too mediocre. Otherwise, wouldn’t I be losing face for her? I must be worthy of her."

Upon hearing this, the excitement on Mu Qing’s face was instantly replaced by speechlessness. He scolded with a laugh, "You Rebellious Disciple, give you an inch and you take a mile..."

Although he verbally disparaged Chen Chuan’s narcissism, he had to admit in his heart that with this boy’s level of talent, it might not be impossible in the future.

Pushing down the stray thoughts in his heart, Mu Qing looked into the distance, his eyes full of anticipation.

The Myriad Medicine Sacred Land Pill Refining Assembly—this time, bringing this monstrous talent disciple along, he would definitely avenge his past humiliation!

...

The flying boat was extremely fast, traversing the void. A day later, a massive mountain range, even more majestic and surrounded by countless spiritual mountains, beautiful waters, and misty medicinal fields, appeared at the end of the horizon.

The medicinal fragrance permeating the air was several times denser than that of the Taiyi Holy Land’s Pill Hall. This was the sacred land of Alchemy, the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land.

The Pill Refining Assembly would only officially begin tomorrow; today was the time for various forces to arrive and settle in.

The flying boat slowly descended before the massive mountain gate of the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land, which was engraved with patterns of countless Spirit Herbs and Alchemy Furnaces.

Mu Qing straightened his robes and was about to lead Chen Chuan inside when his brow suddenly furrowed, and his face darkened at a visible rate.

At the mountain gate, three familiar figures stood side by side, smiling. They looked over with playful eyes, clearly having waited for a long time.

"Oh, I was wondering who it was. Isn’t this Elder Mu Qing of the Taiyi Holy Land? What a coincidence!"

An old man in a sea-blue robe with a slightly feminine face spoke first. He was Elder Hai Yan of the Fengyun Holy Land.

"Brother Hai is right, it is indeed a coincidence. Elder Mu Qing, how have you been?"

Beside him, an old man wearing a white robe with cloud patterns from the Jade Pool Holy Land, who looked refined but had shrewd eyes, chimed in.

He was Elder Wang Shishan of the Jade Pool Holy Land.

The last one, dressed in a black brocade robe with an aura as heavy as a mountain, was an Elder of the Immortal Ye Family, Ye Qingfeng.

Although he didn’t speak, the faint, lingering sneer at the corner of his mouth said everything.

Seeing these three old rivals, Mu Qing’s good mood instantly vanished.

He snorted coldly, not bothering to exchange pleasantries: "I don’t have time for your nonsense. I still need to take my Disciple inside to settle in."

With that, he tried to lead Chen Chuan around the three of them.

"Hey, why is Elder Mu Qing in such a hurry?" Wang Shishan moved his feet and blocked the path again, a fake smile plastered on his face:

"Old friends haven’t seen each other for a long time; let’s catch up."

"It’s just that I vaguely remember after the last Pill Refining Assembly, Elder Mu Qing swore in front of the three of us that he would never bring a Disciple to the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land to embarrass himself again."

"What, has only a few years passed and Elder Mu Qing has become so forgetful that his words are like farts?"

"Hahaha!" Hai Yan and Ye Qingfeng burst into laughter in coordination, causing people from other forces nearby to look over.

Hai Yan added sarcastically, "Brother Wang, you don’t understand. Perhaps Elder Mu Qing felt that losing face last time wasn’t thorough enough, so he specifically came back this time to provide more gossip material?"

Ye Qingfeng finally spoke, his voice low and mocking: "A dignified Elder of the Taiyi Holy Land, breaking his word—it’s truly lamentable."

Being ridiculed publicly by the three of them, Mu Qing’s beard curled up in anger, and his face turned ashen:

"Bullshit!"

"I came here today to let you three old geezers see clearly how my Disciple will suppress your worthless Disciples until they can’t even lift their heads at this Pill Refining Assembly."

"Oh?" Wang Shishan raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard the world’s biggest joke:

"With just this kid behind you?"