Su Yueli nodded and stepped forward to follow him.
She was not afraid of any tricks they might try. With her current strength as a Thirteenth Realm Flawless body, although the imperial palace was vast, if she wanted to leave, absolutely no one could stop her.
Following the golden-armored guard around several quiet corridors, the two stopped in front of a side hall.
The guard pushed open the doors and gestured for Su Yueli to enter.
The layout inside the hall was very meticulous. The four walls were covered with hidden cabinets made of agarwood, with hundreds of small jade drawers neatly arranged. A rich but not overpowering herbal fragrance filled the air.
In the center of the hall stood an ancient, simple alchemy furnace that was entirely green. The bottom of the furnace glowed faintly, clearly having just been extinguished not long ago.
The guard bowed slightly toward the interior, then pulled the door shut and withdrew, leaving Su Yueli alone.
On a wooden chair deep inside the alchemy room sat an elderly man who had been waiting for a long time.
The old man wore a clean, grayish-white Taoist robe. His hair and beard were completely white, but his complexion was ruddy, and his body faintly exuded the scent of herbal medicine and fire fiend accumulated from years of alchemy.
Su Yueli cupped her fists and greeted him politely, “Master Yun.”
The old man looked up and sized Su Yueli up. Stroking his long beard, he smiled and said, “No need for such pleasantries. My name is Yun Tianheng. For you to barge into the inner palace grounds alone, you certainly have courage. May I ask what business you have with me?”
Su Yueli went straight to the point. “I have heard that Master Yun is a Grade Eight Alchemist who has refined peak Grade Eight pills. I have come specifically to ask you to refine a pill for me.”
Yun Tianheng raised an eyebrow, a trace of playfulness in his eyes. “Oh? Are you so certain that I will do you this favor?”
Su Yueli’s expression remained calm, her tone completely flat. “Refine it, or I will kill you.”
“...”
Yun Tianheng’s hand stroking his beard froze, and his smile stiffened on his face.
He clearly never expected that this clean-looking woman in light blue robes, who had been speaking so politely just a moment ago, would suddenly blurt out such a bloody threat in the next breath.
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Yun Tianheng snapped back to reality and let out a helpless laugh. “Miss, those words are a bit too blunt. Although I am an alchemist, I am still at the Tenth Realm after all.”
He then swept his hand across the surroundings. “Furthermore, within this imperial palace, there are quite a few consecrated experts of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Realms. Are you certain you can kill me?”
Su Yueli shrugged, her expression very casual. “Just a joke. I have no intention of starting a fight. However... if I truly wanted to kill you, it wouldn’t be difficult.”
After all, a Tenth Realm cultivator without a life-saving treasure would only take a single punch.
Having said that, Su Yueli cupped her hands again, putting away her previous casual attitude. “I am Su Yueli, and I have come specifically to ask Master Yun to refine a pill. May I know if you are willing?”
Yun Tianheng narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the woman before him.
Within the perception of his Tenth Realm divine sense, there was not even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation or blood qi pressure on her. She seemed as ordinary as a mortal woman with no cultivation at all.
Yet, she had managed to sneak into the depths of the imperial palace completely unnoticed, and even the Golden Armor Guards could do nothing to her. The only explanation was...
This person’s strength had long surpassed his imagination. She was at least in the Thirteenth Realm, or perhaps an even more terrifying existence.
Facing such an incredibly powerful expert, making an enemy of her was simply looking for trouble. Helping her refine a pill would build goodwill and secure a favor.
If he encountered trouble in the future, she might turn out to be a massive trump card.
As for the emperor, he could just find an opportunity to report it later.
With that thought, Yun Tianheng’s expression softened, and he nodded. “Very well. I will take on this task.”
Su Yueli raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting him to agree so readily. “You agreed just like that?”
“It is merely to build goodwill. I have no wish to make an unfathomable enemy out of thin air.”
Yun Tianheng waved his hand and asked curiously, “May I know what kind of pill Miss Yueli wishes to refine?”
“A Grade Eight extreme blood qi pill,” Su Yueli said directly.
“A Blood Qi Pill?”
Hearing this, Yun Tianheng’s brow furrowed deeply, his face filled with confusion.
Blood Qi Pills were meant for low-level martial artists to strengthen their bodies; cultivators had absolutely no use for them.
Furthermore, even for martial artists, once they reached a profound realm, they used astral qi. Why would they need a Grade Eight Blood Qi Pill?”
If an ordinary martial artist consumed a Grade Eight Blood Qi Pill, the immense medicinal efficacy would instantly cause their body to explode...
At this thought, Yun Tianheng’s expression suddenly froze as if he had remembered something.
A female martial artist...
An unimaginable demand for blood qi...
A terrifying, elusive cultivation...
Yun Tianheng seemed to recall a certain earth-shattering rumor. His face instantly turned pale, and even his fingers resting on his beard began to tremble slightly.
He swallowed hard and asked tentatively, “Could it be... you are the one who caused a massive uproar in the Cangyun Sect a hundred years ago, severely wounding them and causing their sect to fall to a second-rate power?”
Hearing this, Su Yueli did not hide it and nodded. “It’s me.”
After all, her identity was too unique. She had broken through the barriers on her own, reaching an unprecedented Thirteenth Realm of the martial path.
In this world, she was unmatched, without predecessor.
This alone made it impossible to hide.
Yun Tianheng sucked in a breath of cold air and instinctively stood up from his wooden chair, his eyes filled with shock and awe.
The battle from a hundred years ago had long become a forbidden legend in the cultivation world. Now that the actual person was standing right before him, he could not help but be terrified.
Only after a long while did Yun Tianheng forcefully suppress the turbulent waves in his heart. He sat back down and smiled bitterly. “So it is Your Excellency in person... I have lost my composure.”
He pondered for a moment and decided not to expose Su Yueli’s identity.
This way, she would owe him another favor, and he could also avoid bringing trouble upon himself.
After all, this was a realm that had not appeared in ten thousand years, and her courage to single-handedly challenge the thousand-year-old Cangyun Sect was proof enough of her strength.
After a moment of contemplation, Yun Tianheng said seriously, “To be honest, in my hundreds of years of refining medicine, I have rarely refined a pure blood qi pill of the Grade Eight level. However, if it is to break through physical shackles, there is indeed a miraculous pill recorded in ancient texts.”
“Is there a possibility of failure?” Su Yueli asked.
“Grade Eight pills involve the laws of heaven and earth. I cannot guarantee a hundred percent success; there is a certain risk of failure,” Yun Tianheng admitted candidly.
Su Yueli nodded. “Naturally. There are no absolute certainties in this world. You just need to do your best, Master. What is the name of this pill?”
“This pill is called the Dragon Blood Red Marrow Pill. It is specifically designed to replenish the deficiencies of a Ji Dao physical body in this world.”
Yun Tianheng paused, then continued, “I have the pill recipe here, but the medicinal ingredients required for refining are extremely rare and demanding. Even the palace's imperial treasury might not have them all. I'm afraid you will have to search for them yourself.”
Su Yueli reached out and flicked the cuff of her light blue robe, her expression steady.
“The ingredients are not a problem. Just tell me what you need, Master.”
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