Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

The plaque read: "Starting today, the Profound Light Pavilion is launching a premium custom order service for Pills. We can be commissioned to refine any Pill a customer requires, with no limits on type or grade, up to a maximum of Seventh Grade. The price for a single refinement is a minimum of three Tier Eight materials. This service is limited to three orders per day. Note: If refinement fails, there is no charge."

The announcement instantly sent the crowd of customers into an uproar.

In Celestial Capital Prefecture, customers could only buy whatever Pills the various shops had in stock. This left buyers with very little choice.

For example, when a Martial Artist who practiced a Fire Element Cultivation Technique wanted to achieve a breakthrough, a breakthrough Pill containing Fire Element ingredients was the best option. This type of Pill allowed its medicinal power to fuse perfectly with their own Profound Energy, leading to a higher chance of success and greater strength after the breakthrough.

However, these types of Pills were rare on the market, so the vast majority of people could only buy generic, non-elemental breakthrough Pills.

But the Profound Light Pavilion’s new service was different: they would refine any Pill you wanted, as long as you could provide the materials.

This completely broke from the traditional business model of every pill shop on the market.

It was, in effect, a private, custom service.

However, the price of refinement was steep. Three Tier Eight materials was definitely not a price an ordinary Martial Artist could afford.

But in Celestial Capital Prefecture, there were far too many top-tier experts. The one thing it didn’t lack was wealthy people.

"What kinds of Pills can your Profound Light Pavilion customize?"

As soon as the news spread, a Martial Artist immediately approached the service counter to inquire.

The attendant replied with a smile, "We at the Profound Light Pavilion can customize Pills of any type, any attribute, and for any purpose. You only need to describe the desired function, and we will provide a refinement quote. This quote does not cover the cost of materials. You’ll need to pay the refinement fee plus the cost of materials, and you can typically pick up your Pill the very next day. It’s important to note, however, that for certain specialized Pills, you must provide the materials yourself."

"What? You can refine any kind of Pill? Is that for real?"

The crowd was stunned, finding it hard to believe.

An Alchemist’s expertise is always limited. On the Celestial Profound Continent, most Alchemists could only refine the Pills they were already familiar with. It wasn’t that they couldn’t refine unfamiliar ones, but doing so required a long period of study and research just to manage it.

And that was only if they had the pill formula.

But now, the Profound Light Pavilion’s claim seemed far too bold.

The attendant smiled. "I won’t say much about whether it’s true or not. The Profound Light Pavilion has opened its doors here; we certainly won’t ruin our own reputation. Besides, if there’s a Pill our Profound Light Pavilion cannot refine, we will say so beforehand and refund the fee. I must remind everyone that this service won’t always be available. It depends on whether our Alchemist has time. So, if anyone wants a Pill refined, don’t miss this opportunity."

"Heh, quite the bold claim. In that case, I’ll be the first to test you."

Just then, a cold snort echoed as an old man stepped out from the crowd.

"It’s the Hawkeye Emperor, Qiu Wushuang!"

A cry of alarm rippled through the crowd.

The Hawkeye Emperor, Qiu Wushuang, one of the most prominent Loose Cultivators in the West District of Celestial Capital Prefecture.

His cultivation was terrifying, reaching the Peak of the Second Layer of the Martial Emperor realm. He was one of the strongest Loose Cultivators in the West District, known for his ruthless methods and overwhelming killing intent.

Over forty years ago, when he had just arrived in Celestial Capital Prefecture, he had inadvertently offended a family in the West District over a trivial matter. Although that family wasn’t a top-tier power, it was overseen by a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor and had several First Layer Martial Emperors. They held an illustrious reputation in the West District.

At that time, the Hawkeye Emperor, Qiu Wushuang, was merely a Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperor, yet he openly defied them. The family was furious and declared that they would leave Qiu Wushuang with no place to hide in Celestial Capital Prefecture, dispatching their powerful experts to hunt him down.

But who could have known? Not only did the family’s experts fail to kill Qiu Wushuang, they were instead slain by him.

When the family’s strongest expert went to hunt him down, Qiu Wushuang repeatedly escaped. Instead, Qiu Wushuang went into hiding and began to hunt them. He would kill any member of that family he saw outside, slaughtering them until the family was forced to hole up in Celestial Capital Prefecture, too afraid to even step outside.

Eventually, the helpless family sent a message in secret, attempting to compromise with Qiu Wushuang.

But Qiu Wushuang completely ignored them. Not long after, he broke through to Tier Eight Second Layer, devised a plan to lure out the Clan Leader, and killed him.

Afterward, Qiu Wushuang swaggered back into Celestial Capital Prefecture, becoming a legend among Loose Cultivators. His cruel and unscrupulous nature—doing anything to achieve his goals—was enough to make people’s faces pale at the mere mention of his name. Consequently, many of Celestial Capital Prefecture’s major powers dared not provoke him.

The moment Hawkeye Emperor Qiu Wushuang appeared, a stir went through the crowd, and they couldn’t help but worry for the Profound Light Pavilion.

’If they angered this menace, the Profound Light Pavilion would be in for a world of trouble.’

"What Pill would you like to have refined, sir?" the attendant asked with a smile on her face.

"I want to have a Seventh-Grade Bitter Heart Pill refined. Here are the materials for the Bitter Heart Pill. However, I only have one stalk of Bitter Heart Grass, so you absolutely cannot fail this refinement."

Qiu Wushuang stared at the attendant with a cold gaze. The intense Evil Qi emanating from him made her face turn pale, and she stammered, "We... we can’t guarantee that."

"Hmph. If you can’t guarantee it, then what’s this talk about a premium custom service? Is your Profound Light Pavilion just a scam?"

Qiu Wushuang roared, slamming his hand on the counter. BANG! Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t used much force, or the counter would have been pulverized. Despite this, the loud noise echoed throughout the hall.

"Why does it seem like this Qiu Wushuang is here to cause trouble?"

"Yeah, did the Profound Light Pavilion offend him somehow?"

"That’s strange. The Profound Light Pavilion used to be the Xiuyi Pavilion. I’ve never heard of any grudge between Su Xiuyi and Qiu Wushuang."

A clamor rose from the crowd. Most people had excited looks on their faces, clearly interested in seeing a scene unfold.

"What’s going on here? Why is this senior so angry?"

Just then, Dongfang Xuan, who had heard the commotion from the side, walked over. He addressed Qiu Wushuang with a smile.

Qiu Wushuang snorted coldly. "You should ask your attendant. She started by saying you could customize any kind of Pill, but when I asked her to arrange the refinement of a Bitter Heart Pill, this attendant said she couldn’t guarantee success. I only have a single stalk of Bitter Heart Grass. If you can’t guarantee success and it gets ruined, who am I supposed to hold accountable?"

"Manager, I..." the attendant said, feeling wronged.

"That’s enough." Dongfang Xuan waved his hand at her, signaling for her to be quiet. He then turned to Qiu Wushuang. "Senior, first, allow me to apologize. If you are dissatisfied with our Profound Light Pavilion’s service, it must be because we have not done well enough."

"However, what I wish to say is that no Pill refinement can be guaranteed to be one hundred percent successful. Your request..."

Qiu Wushuang impatiently cut Dongfang Xuan off. "Yes, I admit my request is a bit strict. But isn’t your Profound Light Pavilion supposed to be such a big deal lately? You even launched this so-called ’premium custom service,’ claiming you can refine any kind of Pill. Now I ask you to refine one Bitter Heart Pill, and you don’t even dare? What else is there to say? Fine, you don’t have to guarantee a one hundred percent success rate. But after you take my money, you must give me a Bitter Heart Pill. If you agree to that, I’ll agree too."

Qiu Wushuang said angrily.

"You wish to have a Bitter Heart Pill refined, and this is the attitude you bring?"

Just then, a cool voice drifted over. Everyone turned to look and saw a group of people descending the stairs of the Profound Light Pavilion.

Leading them was, surprisingly, a young man.

"Who are you?" Qiu Wushuang asked with a frown.

"Who I am isn’t important. However, I imagine you’ve already visited other pill emporiums and met with many Alchemists, but no one dared to take your business, correct?" Ye Xuan said, his tone indifferent.

When a Martial Artist cultivates, especially at higher levels, a single misstep can lead to qi deviation.

Qi deviation also has different levels of severity. The most serious, of course, is instant death. Others might suffer severe injuries and vomit blood, or experience a scattering of their consciousness, among many other symptoms.

Among the mildest forms of qi deviation is something called Demonic Heart Poison. Although its symptoms are slight, the consequences are severe. Over time, it slowly erodes the Martial Artist’s mind, causing their consciousness to gradually dissipate until it suddenly erupts, resulting in complete annihilation of body and soul.

And the Bitter Heart Pill is one of the rare Pills capable of curing this Demonic Heart Poison.

However, although the Bitter Heart Pill is an Initial Layer of Seventh-Grade Pill, its refinement difficulty is extremely high—so much so that it’s comparable to a Pill at the Peak of the Seventh Grade. It is one of the most difficult Seventh-Grade Pills to refine.

What makes it even more difficult is that the Bitter Heart Pill can only be refined from Bitter Heart Grass, but Bitter Heart Grass is exceedingly rare, a true treasure of the natural world.

’This Qiu Wushuang only has one stalk of Bitter Heart Grass. Even if he knew a Seventh-Grade Alchemist, it’s unlikely anyone would dare to refine the Bitter Heart Pill for him.’

"That’s right." Unexpectedly, Qiu Wushuang actually nodded. "I did indeed seek out many Alchemists, even two King Grade Alchemists, but no one dared to refine it for me. That’s because I paid a high price to acquire this Bitter Heart Grass from a faraway place, and I only have this one stalk. I only came in because I saw your Profound Light Pavilion was offering some kind of custom service. If you can’t refine it, then you shouldn’t have made the advertisement, and I wouldn’t have come in."

Qiu Wushuang stared sternly at Ye Xuan and his group.

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Who said the Profound Light Pavilion can’t refine it?"

"What? You can really refine it?" Qiu Wushuang was instantly shocked. After his initial surprise, he quickly calmed down and said in a chilling voice, "This is no joking matter. If you tell me now that you can’t refine it, I’ll just find someone else. But if you say you can and then fail in the end... then don’t blame me, Qiu Wushuang, for being merciless. Your Profound Light Pavilion will pay with your lives."