Chapter 174: Each with Their Own Agenda; The Cauldron Is Recognized

Yu Xian’s brow twitched, and he stepped back slightly.

Ling Shuxian’s actions made him very uncomfortable.

But she had already gracefully disappeared behind the hall, and what could he do?

Letting out a soft breath, he steadied his mind. Since he was already here, he might as well settle down. Yu Xian didn’t bother with more words and simply sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to rest and recover.

He would soon be participating in a pill duel.

And not just with anyone—his opponent was a disciple of a high-level alchemist from the ruins of the Medicine King Valley.

Even though Yu Xian was confident, he dared not claim certain victory.

After all, who knew what tier of pills his opponent could refine?

This was the Medicine King Valley they were talking about—the holy land of pill refinement across the entire Eastern Continent, a sect that truly rose to power based on its alchemical prowess!

Of course, now the Medicine King Valley was completely destroyed.

The other two sects had at least been taken over by the Blood River Sect, their gates still standing, and most disciples either surrendered or were rebranded—same essence, different name.

But Medicine King Valley?

It was simply gone.

Under a massive sealing formation, over ninety thousand Sky Demons roamed within the valley. The basin, spanning several thousand miles, had become a complete demonic domain.

Half of the valley’s cultivators were devoured by the demons, and the rest dispersed—some joined the Blood River Sect, but the majority scattered across the Eastern Continent as rogue cultivators.

This alchemy expert named Chen Manman was likely one of those.

A gold-tier alchemist was a true grandmaster.

Not someone who was just praised by others—but someone who could easily refine fifth-tier treasure pills.

And to be chosen as a disciple by such a master, and to be trained closely…

Such a person couldn’t possibly be ordinary.

Unlike Yu Xian—who had walked the wild path alone.

“Wait a minute…”

Yu Xian suddenly opened his eyes, a glint flashing within.

“When I was forced into the Demon Valley by Medicine King Valley, those gold-tier elders had seen me… Could Chen Manman have been one of them? If she recognizes me…”

Yu Xian still carried deep guilt over the Demon Valley incident.

Though the cause wasn’t entirely his fault, the outcome was still partially related to him.

He had broken a key component of the formation that sealed the Ten Thousand Sky Demons.

Later, when the demons were released and the land plunged into chaos and bloodshed, he had every excuse in the world—he’d been forced in by Gu Hanfeng, he had only been trying to survive—but still, the guilt lingered.

It wasn’t until he heard that over ninety thousand Sky Demons had been re-sealed in the valley by the Blood River Sect’s leader that he finally felt somewhat at ease.

The more sincere someone is, the more likely they are to blame themselves for things even if they’re not truly at fault.

On the other hand, those with twisted thoughts? They don’t even feel guilty for disasters caused by their own greed—they always find excuses, even blaming the world.

So… if that Chen Manman recognized him, she might very well begin questioning how he escaped from the Demon Valley alive.

And if she thought deeper, she might directly assume he was a remnant of the Sky Demons!

That absolutely couldn’t happen. If he were accused of being a Sky Demon remnant, he might be killed on the spot by either Chen Manman or Ling Shuxian.

Flee?

Impossible. Ling Shuxian wasn’t a fool…

After some thought, Yu Xian began rummaging through his storage bag.

Soon, he pulled out a wide-brimmed hat with a black veil attached.

This was something he had used for disguise long ago—now it seemed useful again.

He put on the hat, covering his face with the veil. Clad in white, Yu Xian immediately gave off an air of mystery.

No one could see his face through the veil.

Of course, some legends claimed that powerful cultivators could see through such things with their divine sense.

But Chen Manman was only a gold-tier alchemist—it was unlikely she had such a divine ability.

Feeling more at ease, Yu Xian closed his eyes again and began cultivating.

About three hours later, Ling Shuxian returned from the back hall. Seeing Yu Xian wearing the veiled hat, she was briefly surprised before chuckling.

“Oh? Afraid of being remembered after winning the duel? You’re all wrapped up.”

Yu Xian opened his eyes and stood up, bowing slightly. “Senior’s insight is accurate. I only seek caution. Please protect me—otherwise, I wouldn’t dare go all out.”

“Relax.”

Ling Shuxian stopped smiling, her tone turning calm. “You can wear it as you wish. Aside from me, no one will know your appearance. Even if she wants to see, I won’t let her satisfy her curiosity. Come on, she’s arrived.”

Yu Xian nodded and followed Ling Shuxian outside.

Outside, several female cultivators were still sweeping fallen leaves. When they saw Ling Shuxian, they bowed immediately.

Ling Shuxian waved them off and looked to the skies.

Yu Xian looked up too and saw two black dots approaching rapidly from the southern sky.

Within fifty breaths, the figures became clear.

It was two women—one leading, one following.

The leading woman’s aura was powerful, with gold-tier fluctuations, her feet treading red clouds as she rode the air.

The woman behind had a weaker aura, but she was also at the late Foundation Establishment stage, standing calmly on the cloud the first controlled.

Both were stunningly beautiful.

The gold-tier alchemist at the front was especially so—curvy, graceful, dressed in a flowing blue gauze gown with dancing sashes, her beauty otherworldly.

The woman behind, though less curvy, had a colder, more elegant charm.

After getting a clear look at the two, Yu Xian calmed down slightly.

Chen Manman’s brows were furrowed as she looked at her disciple You Xiaohua’s calm and determined expression.

Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Fine. If you insist on breaking through today, so be it.”

She waved her hand, and a storage bag flew to You Xiaohua.

You Xiaohua caught it, flipped it open, and took out a pill recipe—Ziwu Zhenxin Pill, a mid-tier fifth-rank treasure pill.

Silence fell over the hall.

Yu Xian bowed his head to study the pill recipe.

You Xiaohua did the same.

Ling Shuxian appeared calm.

Chen Manman looked somewhat worried.

Her disciple was going to try learning and refining a complex fifth-rank pill on the spot—something even Chen Manman wouldn’t dare promise to succeed at.

Her eyes drifted to Yu Xian, whose face was covered, showing no expression.

Perhaps this guy was just pretending to read the recipe!

A fifth-rank treasure pill was extremely complicated.

Yu Xian studied the pill recipe for four whole hours, until dusk, before finally setting it down.

Opposite him, You Xiaohua also exhaled slowly and placed the recipe down.

They had each simulated the pill process thousands of times in their minds.

But theory was one thing—actual refinement was another.

Whether this cauldron would succeed… neither was confident.

Still, pills had to be refined.

Yu Xian flicked his wrist, and a cauldron flew out.

The Lian Cao Furnace.

When it landed, You Xiaohua glanced over out of curiosity.

But her eyes froze immediately.

“The Lian Cao Furnace!? That’s my sister’s furnace!”

Yu Xian’s calm expression cracked.

Damn…

He’d been so focused on the pill recipe, he forgot—this furnace wasn’t originally his.

He had taken it from a Medicine King Valley female cultivator during the Ascension Conference…

And now, You Xiaohua had recognized it.

She rushed forward, confirmed the carved characters under the handle: “Lian Cao.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “This is my sister’s furnace!”

Chen Manman was shocked. “What’s so special about it? It’s just a third-tier cauldron!”

“Sister… she went missing after the Ascension Conference…”

Gone missing?

That meant she was dead.

Yu Xian remained calm beneath the veil.

Yes… he had killed her sister. In a life-or-death struggle.

If he hadn’t, someone else would’ve. Or she might have killed him.

It was survival of the fittest.

She was innocent—but not completely.

The Ascension Conference was a brutal arena.

Still… he hadn’t expected to run into her sister.

“I bought the furnace,” he said flatly.

You Xiaohua, though unconvinced, didn’t argue further.

Soon, they were back inside the temple hall.

Chen Manman turned and asked with confidence, “So, what are we dueling on? Pill grade? Quality? Speed? Quantity? Or do we each refine our best pill and compare?”

Yu Xian nodded calmly. “Then I’ll choose. Let’s compare pill rank. If rank is the same, then quality.”

“Oh?”

Chen Manman raised a brow, surprised.

This rogue cultivator had guts—to suggest pill rank?

Could he refine a fifth-tier pill?

You Xiaohua smiled. “Very well. We’ll go by rank, then quality.”

Yu Xian asked Ling Shuxian, “Senior, have you prepared the herbs?”

She smiled and tossed him a storage bag.

Inside was a fifth-tier recipe: Xiangling Powder, a valuable mid-tier pill especially useful for female cultivators.

He began studying the recipe intently.

Chen Manman frowned. “Are you studying the recipe for the first time?”

This was unheard of!

Who studies a recipe during a pill duel?

Still, You Xiaohua changed her plan too. “Master, give me the Ziwu Zhenxin Pill materials. I’ll refine that instead.”

“But it’s too hard!” Chen Manman protested.

“It’s my choice,” her disciple said firmly.

Yu Xian had no regrets. The duel was set.

Though shrouded in mystery, he would prove himself not with words—but fire and pill.