War God Long Ao

"Very well, City Lord. For your sake, I'll let this go."

With a cold glance at the blood-soaked youth, Long Yancheng turned and left with Long Yulang.

"Thank you, City Lord," Long Yi and Mu Lin immediately said with gratitude. It was all thanks to the City Lord that their son had managed to escape this disaster.

"Father, why did you save this piece of trash?"

Hearing Liu Ji call their son trash again and again, Long Yi and Mu Lin were more than a little displeased, but given her status, they couldn't act on it.

"Enough of your rudeness! A young lady like you, all you do is cause trouble. Now go home."

Liu Ji was used to being spoiled and was typically arrogant and willful, but when Liu Mu was truly angry, she didn't dare disobey in the slightest. She huffed, and just as she was about to leave, she said fiercely, "I will get my revenge for this."

"I'll be waiting," Wang Yuyin retorted, having no patience for her antics and completely ignoring her status.

"Very impressive. Go home and recuperate. I will await you at the City Lord's Mansion tomorrow. I hope you can arrive early."

Now that a formal invitation had been extended, Long Ao was certainly not arrogant enough to disrespect the City Lord. After all, if the man hadn't intervened just now, he might be dead for all he knew.

"Thank you. I will be there tomorrow, but I have one more thing to do right now."

Seemingly intrigued, Liu Mu glanced at the fatty not far away, nodded, and said, "I've also heard about the matter between you and the Pill Alliance. If you don't mind, how about I act as a judge for you?"

"To have the City Lord act as our judge is something the Pill Alliance could only hope for. Please," the fatty said with utmost respect. Although the Pill Alliance was powerful, he was merely the manager of a branch, a status that couldn't possibly compare to that of the City Lord of Thundercloud City.

Outsiders were not permitted to watch this contest. Only a select few entered the Pill Alliance to witness the competition. The terms of the contest were simple: as long as Long Ao could successfully refine a Spirit Gathering Pill, he would win.

Liu Mu sat in the seat of honor, watching the young man with great interest. Long Ao, now cleaned up, stood proudly by the Pill Furnace. On a nearby table, the various medicinal herbs for refining a Spirit Gathering Pill were already laid out.

"Long Ao, are you confident?"

"Completely."

'Completely?' Seeing the absolute confidence written all over the young man's face, a trace of admiration appeared in Liu Mu's eyes. But to the fatty, the youth was a joke—a complete and utter joke.

"Long Ao, about the bet between us: if you win, I give you a Spirit Gathering Pill and add a Celestial Essence Pill on top of that. If you lose, you kneel outside the Pill Alliance, kowtow, and admit you were wrong. Are those terms correct?"

"That's right."

"In that case, let's begin," the fatty snorted, shooting Long Ao a vicious glare. His face was a mask of contempt and ridicule. After all, strength didn't equate to skill in Alchemy. On the Celestial Martial Continent, there were countless powerful experts, but how many powerful Alchemists were there?

Ignoring the fatty's scorn, Long Ao was on familiar ground when it came to refining Spirit Gathering Pills. He tossed all the nearby medicinal herbs into the Alchemy Furnace, sealed the lid, and began the refinement process.

The fatty chuckled mockingly and said with disdain, "City Lord, although I'm not an Alchemist myself, I have studied the Alchemy Technique extensively. As far as I know, refining an Elixir must be done step-by-step. Take adding the herbs, for instance. The order in which you add them is extremely particular. One wrong step, and every step that follows is also wrong."

"Furthermore, I've received word that this boy is not an Alchemist at all."

Waving his hand, Liu Mu wore an unreadable smile and said, "Regardless of whether this boy wins or loses, I hope the Pill Alliance won't make things too difficult for him. Consider it a favor to me, how about it?"

The fatty was astonished. He couldn't figure it out. 'What is wrong with the City Lord today? First, he stopped Long Yancheng for this piece of trash, and now he's asking the Pill Alliance to do him a favor. Could it be that this person has some connection to the City Lord?'

"Since the City Lord has personally requested it, I will let the boy off the hook."

「Inside the Pill Alliance.」

Mu Feng, Mu Yong, Mu Yihao, Mu Yihang, and another youth with a cold and arrogant expression were all watching Long Ao's Alchemy.

Mu Yihao and Mu Yihang's expressions were exceptionally ugly and cold. Mu Yihang whispered, "Second Brother, that's him. We hope you'll stand up for us."

"This boy fought Long Yulang while at the Postnatal Realm. Not only did he not lose, but he actually broke through to the Innate Realm during the fight. Based on that alone, his talent and potential are far beyond what you can compare to."

Hearing their second brother's words, the four of them seemed a little surprised. They knew their second brother's personality well; normally, with his prideful nature, he wouldn't give anyone the time of day.

"For the sake of the Mu Family, this person must be eliminated. You all head back first. I have something important to attend to."

"Thank you, Second Brother," the four said, their faces lighting up with joy. They all knew what their second brother was about to do. They had absolute confidence in his strength; even someone like Long Yulang was no match for him.

At that moment, Long Ao was completely focused on refining the Spirit Gathering Pill. He had discovered that every alchemy session was, in fact, a form of Cultivation and was very helpful for comprehending the Martial Arts.

While refining the Spirit Gathering Pill, his soul was also communicating with the Dragon Seal, allowing him to enter the Dragon Seal Space. If anyone else knew that he was actually multitasking while refining a pill, it would surely scare them senseless.

「Within the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Long Fu, didn't you say that because of my Desolate Constitution, breaking through would be exceptionally difficult? Why was it so smooth for me to break through from the Postnatal Realm to the Innate Realm this time?"

"Master, your successful breakthrough this time was all due to your own efforts. Although your constitution requires a vast supply of power, the pressure and enlightenment gained in a moment of life and death allowed you to break past your limits. There is also your dedication and perseverance. To be frank, Master, your willpower and persistence are among the absolute best of your generation."

'So that's how it is.'

'It seems that the pressure of a life-or-death moment really can help my Cultivation break through quickly. In that case, I'll have to seek out more life-and-death experiences in the future.'

A raging fire blazed beneath the Pill Furnace, devouring the entire vessel in its Flames. A crackling sound came from within, but Long Ao's expression remained indifferent. He seemed to be refining the Spirit Gathering Pill with ease. To an outsider, it didn't look like he was refining a pill at all—it looked like he was just playing around.

"It's done."

'Done?' Before anyone could react, the lid of the Pill Furnace burst open. Two black specks of light shot out from within and were caught directly in Long Ao's palm. They were the Spirit Gathering Pills from this refinement—two of them, in fact.