Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

"Ling Fei, this is the Peak Master of Medicine Peak, Master Yuan Chun. This is our Lingyun Sect's Sect Leader Yuan. That's the Supreme Elder, Elder Fang..." As Ling Fei stared in astonishment, the nearby Steward Fang smiled and began introducing the Sect elders who had suddenly appeared.

"Sect Leader? Peak Master?" Ling Fei froze for a moment before it dawned on him. He murmured, 'Is it because they found out I triggered the Pill King Cauldron?' Although he had activated the Pill King Cauldron, he had no idea it had created a spectacle that had alarmed the entire Lingyun Sect.

"Ling Fei greets the Sect Leader and all the Peak Masters." After snapping out of his daze, Ling Fei bowed to the elders before him.

"Hehe, no need for such formalities." The various Peak Masters smiled.

Even Sect Leader Yuan wore a very amiable expression.

"Ling Fei, did you receive the Yuan Feng Pill Ancestor's inheritance?" Master Yuan Chun asked, his face full of anticipation.

"I did indeed receive guidance from the Yuan Feng Pill King," Ling Fei said.

"Excellent, excellent!" Master Yuan Chun exclaimed. 'This means our lineage of alchemy finally has a successor!'

"Hehe, perhaps our alchemy branch can produce another Pill King!" the nearby Vice Peak Master Fang said, his face alight with excitement.

"A Pill King?" Master Yuan Chun's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of longing in his gaze.

"If another Pill King emerges, our Lingyun Sect will surely reclaim its former glory!" Sect Leader Yuan sighed wistfully.

"Let's hope so." The surrounding elders all nodded slightly.

Judging by their tone, however, it seemed they didn't hold out much hope.

After all, it was incredibly difficult for a Pill King to emerge in the Southern Wilderness.

At present, the most powerful Alchemist in the entire Southern Wilderness was just Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun.

And yet, he was not a Pill King.

Though he was close to the rank of Pill King, taking that final step was exceedingly difficult.

This required not only a talent for alchemy but also the support of powerful Martial Arts Divine Techniques.

It was already hard enough to nurture an Alchemist; turning them into a Martial Arts Master as well was nearly impossible.

Such a genius was a rare sight in the entire Southern Wilderness.

For this reason, no one held high hopes that Ling Fei could actually become a Pill King. The suggestion was merely a fleeting wish.

"Hehe, whether a Pill King emerges remains to be seen. Ling Fei, for now, come to my Medicine Peak for a test!" Master Yuan Chun said with a laugh.

"That's right. Let's test him first," Vice Peak Master Fang added with a smile.

And so, under Master Yuan Chun's lead, the group escorted Ling Fei toward the grand hall on an adjacent peak.

The Peak Masters of the various peaks followed along.

Such a grand procession made Steward Fang, who had brought Ling Fei, feel immensely proud.

'After all, no new disciple's assessment in the Lingyun Sect had ever attracted the attention of so many Peak Masters!'

Steward Fang murmured to himself, 'If we're talking about disciples who've been in the spotlight recently, only Miss Lian Shuang managed to attract the attention of the various Peak Masters, but even that didn't cause such a commotion.'

That time, many elders were stirred, but they hadn't come out of seclusion to welcome her, least of all the elders from Medicine Peak.

But this time was different.

The Pill King Inheritance was simply too important to the Lingyun Sect.

The Southern Wilderness had no shortage of Martial Arts geniuses, but geniuses of the Alchemy Dao were exceptionally rare.

WHOOSH!

Figures flickered, and soon everyone was gathered before the grand hall on the adjacent peak.

"Ling Fei, to join my Medicine Peak, you must pass an assessment," Master Yuan Chun said inside the grand hall. "First, you must possess powerful Soul Power. Second, you must be able to cultivate True Fire. Only then can you become a qualified Alchemist. Since you triggered the Pill King Cauldron, you obviously possess powerful Soul Power, so you can skip that part of the assessment. Next, we will test whether you have a Fire Spirit Body and can cultivate True Fire."

In the hall, the other Peak Masters also watched with anticipation.

If the young man before them possessed a Fire Spirit Body, he could certainly become an Elixir Master.

"This is a Five Elements Elemental Ball. Just place your palm on it, and it will determine your constitution." With that, Master Yuan Chun flicked his wrist, and a sphere shimmering with five colors of light floated toward Ling Fei. Upon seeing the ball, Ling Fei's brow furrowed slightly.

The Yuan Feng Pill King had told him he didn't possess a Fire Spirit Body.

'I'll give it a try anyway.' With a sliver of hope, Ling Fei pressed his palm against the sphere.

Instantly, the light patterns on the sphere began to flicker.

WHOOSH!

As Ling Fei's palm rested on the sphere, he immediately felt a current of energy surge into his hand and pour into his meridians and bones.

A moment later, the light patterns flashed and the ball emitted a resonant hum, as if something had been activated.

Then, everyone watched as an ice-cold pillar of water shot toward the ceiling like a True Dragon.

A chilling Cold Intent radiated from the pillar of water as it shot a full ninety feet into the air. A wave of Extreme Cold Qi spread out, causing the expressions of all the elders in the hall to shift in astonishment.

"It's a Cold Dao Essence Body!"

"Such a dense Cold Dao aura!"

"A ninety-foot pillar! A constitution of this caliber is a rare sight, even on my Water Essence Peak!"

As the pillar of cold shot skyward, gasps of astonishment immediately filled the hall.

The Peak Master of Water Essence Peak, in particular, was inwardly stunned and felt an inexplicable rush of excitement.

The Water Essence element encompassed both the Cold Dao and the Ice Dao; Ling Fei's constitution was clearly a perfect match for their lineage.

Although he already knew Ling Fei had a constitution suited for the Cold Dao, he had never imagined his aptitude would reach this level. It completely surpassed his expectations.

'It's not hard to imagine what heights his accomplishments in the Cold Dao could reach if this young man were to cultivate properly on Water Essence Peak.'

"A true genius indeed," Sect Leader Yuan nodded slightly, but said nothing more.

For the Lingyun Sect, there was no shortage of Cold Dao geniuses.

What they lacked right now was a prodigy of the Alchemy Dao. So, after their initial surprise, the crowd calmed the excitement stirring in their hearts.

Immediately, their gazes returned to the testing sphere.

They were waiting in anticipation, hoping Ling Fei also possessed a Fire Spirit Body.

However, though the light patterns on the sphere continued to swirl, the fire patterns showed no sign of emerging.

After a moment, the light patterns dimmed.

"No Fire Spirit Body?" Seeing this, all the elders in the hall frowned, their disappointment palpable.

Even Vice Peak Master Fang fell silent.

Not having a Fire Spirit Body meant Ling Fei would be unable to cultivate True Fire. He could still control Earth Fire by relying on his powerful Soul Power, however.

But Earth Fire was ultimately no substitute for True Fire. Refining higher-quality elixirs with it would be incredibly difficult.

This meant Ling Fei's future in the Alchemy Dao was limited. Even with the Pill King's Inheritance, reaching that same height would be incredibly difficult.

His path in alchemy was destined to be fraught with hardship.

"How could this be?" Several elders from Medicine Peak looked crestfallen.

'Logically, a young man who received guidance from the Yuan Feng Pill King ought to have a constitution suited for alchemy!'

What they didn't know, however, was that the Yuan Feng Pill King had placed far more importance on Ling Fei's Divine Soul and Martial Arts talent.

After all, the True Dragon Roar Ling Fei had unleashed earlier had clearly contained a Martial Arts Mental Realm.

It was precisely that roar that had moved the Yuan Feng Pill King.

As for the lack of an Alchemy Fire, it wasn't an unsolvable problem.

In his time, the Yuan Feng Pill King had seen many Alchemy Masters in the Cultivation Realm who had fused with Celestial Fire.

That was why he hadn't paid it any mind.

The people in the hall, however, were different.

In their eyes, fusing with Celestial Fire was as difficult as ascending to the heavens; one could very well lose their life in the attempt.

And so, when the test results were revealed, all the elders in the hall fell silent.