Chapter 648 - 262: Split Pill

In an instant, ten thousand rays of rosy light shot out and a thousand wisps of auspicious aura unfurled. An indescribable, soul-refreshing medicinal fragrance filled the entire hall. A single breath of it cleared the mind and invigorated the spirit.

Elder Li gestured with his hand, and eighteen perfectly round Elixirs flew out from the Pill Furnace, landing on the Cold Jade Plate he had prepared.

On the surface of the Elixirs, specks of light flowed like shimmering starlight, looking exceptionally profound.

"Eighteen Pills were formed. Nourishing God and Nourishing Soul Pills, all of Upper Grade quality."

Elder Li’s voice carried a trace of exhaustion, but even more so, relief.

Eighteen!

Hearing this number, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of everyone present.

The True Disciples present began to calculate in their minds, secretly considering how many they should take.

Seeing the eighteen Elixirs, Ruan Lingxiu pondered for a moment before being the first to speak. "According to the current distribution of True Disciple seats, the Nine Heavens and Mystic Sun lineages each hold three, while my Jade Celestial and the True Martial lineages each hold two. There are eighteen of these Pills in total. In my opinion, the Nine Heavens and Mystic Sun lineages should each take five, and the Jade Celestial and True Martial lineages should each get four. What does everyone think?"

Her proposed distribution seemed to be based on the proportion of seats, but in reality, she had already taken into account the True Martial Lineage’s weakness and tilted the balance slightly in their favor, not calculating purely based on top-tier combat strength.

Upon hearing this, a glint appeared in Luo Chengxuan’s eyes, but he didn’t speak immediately. He simply turned his gaze toward Zhong Yu.

Among everyone present, Zhong Yu was undoubtedly the leader, whether in terms of strength or seniority.

Zhong Yu’s expression was placid. His gaze swept over the eighteen Elixirs brimming with Spiritual Qi, and his tone betrayed no emotion. "Junior Sister Ruan’s proposal is largely fair, but..."

His tone shifted. "Junior Brother Chen is a rare genius, which is admirable, but it seems... his Cultivation has yet to break through to the True Essence Realm, has it? This Nourishing God and Nourishing Soul Pill is mainly for nurturing one’s Divine Sense and stabilizing the Sea of Will. It’s of great benefit to those in the True Essence Realm, but for someone in the Astral Force Realm, I’m afraid not even a tenth of its effects would be utilized. It would be a complete waste."

"Several of my senior brothers in the Nine Heavens Lineage are at a critical point in their breakthrough and are in urgent need of this Pill to stabilize their Realms. The demand is quite high. How about this: the Nine Heavens Lineage will take seven. Since Junior Brother Chen can’t use so many right now, the True Martial Lineage will temporarily take two, just to have them for future needs. When Junior Brother Chen ascends to the True Essence Realm someday, we can renegotiate the distribution of such Elixirs then. It won’t be too late."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became delicate and tense.

Zhong Yu’s words seemed reasonable and well-founded, but they were, in fact, just an excuse to suppress Chen Qing using his insufficient Cultivation as a pretext.

The Nine Heavens Lineage was taking two extra, squeezing out the True Martial Lineage’s share.

Chen Qing’s brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

"What Brother Zhong says is not without reason," Luo Chengxuan said with a faint smile, seizing the opportunity to chime in.

He was happy to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Chen Qing had defeated Lu Chenming on the Seven-Star Platform, causing the Nine Heavens Lineage to lose a great deal of face. It was only natural that Zhong Yu would now use this opportunity to suppress him.

Within the Sect, strength and backing were the only things that truly mattered. In his early years, Luo Chengxuan himself had suffered countless similar setbacks and grievances; he was long used to it.

He didn’t want to get involved in these muddy waters, and he certainly wasn’t willing to offend the currently ascendant Nine Heavens Lineage over it.

Besides, his relationship with Qu River was already poor, and with the prior matter involving Han Xiong, his relationship with Chen Qing wasn’t exactly harmonious either.

With that, Luo Chengxuan swept his sleeve, unceremoniously taking five of the Elixirs. He cupped his fist to the two Elders, Zhang and Li, and to Zhong Yu. "Elders, Brother Zhong, Junior Sister Ruan, I will take my leave first."

He completely ignored Chen Qing and left directly.

Ruan Lingxiu’s lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to speak but held back.

Although she wasn’t close with Chen Qing, she had been entrusted by Shen Xiuyong to help him out a little.

However, since Zhong Yu had already made his position clear, if she were to force the issue, not only would it be unlikely to change the outcome, but it would also cause unpleasantness.

After all, he was a True Disciple representing the Nine Heavens Lineage.

Here, you either had to be powerful enough on your own, or have a lineage behind you strong enough to deter your rivals.

In the end, she only sighed silently to herself and said no more.

"In that case, I’ll be taking these seven."

Seeing no objections, Zhong Yu delayed no further. He reached out and snatched through the air, sweeping up seven Elixirs and depositing them into a Jade Bottle he had prepared.

The motion was crisp and efficient, as if this was how it was always meant to be.

After collecting the Elixirs, Zhong Yu turned his gaze to Ruan Lingxiu, his tone softening slightly. "Junior Sister Ruan, I will wait for you outside."

With that, he didn’t spare Chen Qing another glance and strode out of Yundan Hall.

Only Chen Qing, Ruan Lingxiu, and the two Elders in charge of Alchemy remained in the hall.

Ruan Lingxiu looked at Chen Qing, a helpless, apologetic look on her face. "Junior Brother Chen, I’m sorry. These four Elixirs are the required amount for the Jade Celestial Lineage. I must take them back, or I won’t be able to answer to my lineage."

The most she could do was secure her own share; she couldn’t give any of it to Chen Qing.

After all, she represented the collective interests of the Jade Celestial Lineage.

Chen Qing took a deep breath, his expression calm, and cupped his fist toward Ruan Lingxiu. "Senior Sister Ruan, you’re being too serious. This has nothing to do with you. Thank you for speaking up just now."

He was thanking her for the initial distribution plan she had proposed, even though it hadn’t come to pass.

Seeing how composed he was, Ruan Lingxiu said no more. She took the four Elixirs, bowed to the two Elders, and also turned to leave Yundan Hall.

In the blink of an eye, only two lonely Nourishing God and Nourishing Soul Pills remained on the Red Jade Plate.

......