Alchemy Dao, for Jing Yan, was merely an auxiliary pursuit, or one might call it a side job.
Jing Yan’s main focus was still Martial Arts.
Had Jing Yan dedicated himself solely to Alchemy Dao, he could indeed have entered the Holy City Holy Palace, where he would likely have obtained ample materials to reach higher achievements in alchemy. Immersing himself in Alchemy Dao would not require special tempering.
But Martial Arts did not work that way!
Jing Yan was no longer the naive youth he had been back in Donglin City. His understanding of the Heavenly Origin Continent had deepened significantly. On the continent, there seemed to be no strong veteran who grew up under protection.
Thus, when Chang Huan extended his invitation, Jing Yan considered it only briefly before making a decision.
"Thank you for your high regard, but I currently have no plans to head to the Holy City. Should the opportunity arise in the future, I will consider it!" Jing Yan said diplomatically.
Chang Huan was slightly taken aback.
He had anticipated that Jing Yan might not follow him to the Holy Palace. However, he had not expected Jing Yan to be so decisive. He thought that even if Jing Yan ultimately declined his offer, he would consider it for a while.
Therefore, when he heard Jing Yan’s refusal, he was momentarily stunned.
While Chang Huan was lost in thought, City Lord Hu Donghe’s eyes lit up. He nodded almost imperceptibly, as if even he could not fully understand Jing Yan, who was only twenty-three. The allure of the Holy Palace was not something most people could resist.
"Alchemist Jing Yan, don’t rush your response. I will be in Pill Country until the Pill Spirit Conference concludes. During this time, you can consider my proposal," Chang Huan still did not want to miss out on a talent of the Alchemy Dao like Jing Yan.
Jing Yan smiled and nodded.
Having already made up his mind, he was not one to easily change it.
Chang Huan’s gaze shifted from Jing Yan to Hu Donghe, and he shrugged, showing a look of resignation.
Hu Donghe squinted his eyes, his smile somewhat peculiar.
Hu Donghe looked at Jing Yan.
"Alchemist Jing Yan, you just mentioned that your talent in Alchemy Dao is the best I have seen in my life. I wonder if you would like to join my tutelage!" Hu Donghe was a straightforward man, directly asking if Jing Yan wished to become his disciple.
However, Hu Donghe’s words also had a probing intent.
He suspected Jing Yan was a disciple of the Great Alchemist King, so his question was a test to see if his guess was accurate. If Jing Yan had no master, he would gladly accept becoming Hu Donghe’s disciple. If Jing Yan already had a master, he would refuse.
Jing Yan stared blankly at Hu Donghe.
Become a disciple of Hu Donghe?
Jing Yan had never considered it!
While Jing Yan admitted that Hu Donghe, the Great Alchemist King, possessed unmatched prowess in Alchemy Dao, the issue was that he had the Qiankun Pill Path! With the Qiankun Pill Path, did he need a master?
Moreover, in the Qiankun Space, he also had the residual soul of Senior Tianshui. Even if he encountered unsolvable problems or couldn’t find answers, Senior Tianshui would assist him, meaning he truly didn’t need a master.
"City Lord, this...I might..." Jing Yan struggled somewhat with his words.
He found it very difficult to outright refuse Hu Donghe.
Noticing Jing Yan’s expression, Hu Donghe realized what was happening and laughed, waving his hand.
"I understand, you already have a master, right?" Hu Donghe said.
"Yes!" Jing Yan nodded.
His response wasn’t entirely untrue. Tianshui could, to some extent, be considered his master, in both Martial Arts and Alchemy Dao.
"Alchemist Jing Yan, could you tell me who your master is?" Hu Donghe was genuinely curious.
A master who could train a talent like Jing Yan was certainly not unknown. But the problem was that he couldn’t guess who Jing Yan’s master was. Thus, he was even more eager to find out.
"City Lord, my master does not allow me to mention his name outside, so even to you, I cannot say," Jing Yan replied.
Of course, he couldn’t mention Tianshui’s name.
The name Tianshui might not be remembered by many martial artists today, but Hu Donghe, a well-read alchemist, might have seen this name in some ancient classics. Tianshui was once considered the strongest on the continent.
"Alright, I understand!" Hu Donghe felt somewhat disappointed but he also respected Jing Yan’s decision.
Jing Yan’s adherence to his master’s instruction also demonstrated his strong character; hence Hu Donghe naturally would not trouble him.
"Let’s go out now. The New Pill King List should be updated," Hu Donghe glanced at Jing Yan and then said to Chang Huan.
A Pill Assembly occurs every session, a new Pill King for each.
The dense crowd of martial artists had not left. Although they could not see the finals, they all stayed, waiting for the update of the New Pill King List.
At the center of the lower Stair Plaza, there was a giant monument stone, known as the Pill King Tablet.
The Pill King Tablet was updated every hundred years. With each update, twenty alchemists’ names appeared. On the continent, having one’s name on the Pill King Tablet was almost every young alchemist’s dream.
Getting on the Pill King List was not an easy task.
The establishment of the New Pill King List had a history of a thousand years. In that time, only just over two hundred alchemists had managed to get their names on the list. Most of these alchemists became High-level Alchemists during their lifetimes, and some even eventually became Great Alchemist Kings.
Even Hu Donghe himself had once been on the New Pill King List.
The New Pill King List was undoubtedly one of the most watched ranking lists on the entire continent.
"They’re back! It seems the finals are over, and the alchemists are coming out," someone exclaimed as the alchemists and judges participating in the finals appeared in view.
"It seems it’s over, but I wonder what the rankings are. I wonder which alchemist won first place!"
"I’m rooting for Alchemist Jing Yan!" someone believed Jing Yan would take the first place in the Pill Assembly.
"Hehe, Alchemist Jing Yan is still a bit green, I don’t think he’s likely to take first," another person doubted Jing Yan.
"Huh? Only seventeen of the twenty-final alchemists have come out. It looks like Alchemists Wan Lai, Ma Rong, and Jing Yan aren’t among them," someone with sharp eyes noticed that out of the twenty alchemists in the finals, only seventeen had appeared, with three yet to show up.
"That means Alchemists Wan Lai, Ma Rong, and Jing Yan are the top three of this Pill Assembly," one person stated gravely.
"Why do you say that?" someone else, presumably a first-time spectator, was not very clear about the process.
"Idiot, the top three of the Pill Assembly receive their awards directly from City Lord Hu Donghe, so naturally, they appear a bit later," the person said disdainfully, casting a glance at the martial artist who had asked.