Battle Through the Heavens: Marry Cao Ying, Reward is Devouring Ancestral Symbol

tryShen Wen’s heart, however, was perfectly clear.

His “talent,”

was certainly due in part to his powerful Soul Power and the maturity gained from living two lifetimes.

But what he relied on more was the almost cheating-like ability of the Future Non-Existence Sutra to deduce and comprehend the Dao.

As well as the divine efficacy of the Past Amitabha Sutra in stabilizing the Divine Soul and amplifying perception.

The research and application of the Soul within these two scriptures form a self-contained high-dimensional system, far surpassing the Fighting Qi Continent’s current crude understanding and utilization of the Soul.

Under such a dimension-crushing advantage, quickly mastering and optimizing the Spirit Ascension Method was entirely normal.

“But this scripture was also obtained through my ‘marriage’,” Shen Wen thought with a faint smile. “Opportunity is also my fortune; how can it not count as my talent?”

Xuan Danzi did not know Shen Wen’s inner thoughts and attributed everything solely to his astonishing Comprehension Ability and Aptitude.

He suppressed the shock in his heart and the impulse to take Shen Wen as a Disciple, restoring his calm, placid expression. However, his guidance became much more detailed and profound than before.

“Since your foundation is solid and you can perform independent evolution, there is no need to stick to ordinary practice anymore.”

Xuan Danzi stated directly, “Next, you will use actual Grade 8 Materials to refine a furnace of ‘soul cleansing and spirit purifying pill’.

This Medicinal Pill is ranked Elementary Eighth Grade, making it suitable for you to practice with.

I will be watching nearby; go ahead and act freely.”

“Yes!” A flash of light crossed Shen Wen’s eyes, and he accepted the instruction... Naturally, Shen Wen did not need to procure the Materials for the soul cleansing and spirit purifying pill himself.

Old Monster Lin frowned when he heard that his Disciple intended to start refining an Eighth Grade Pill right away.

In his view, what Shen Wen should be doing now was conserving his energy and wholeheartedly preparing for the official assessment in half a month, as that was the major event concerning rank and certification.

Rashly starting the furnace now, if it drained his mental energy or if a failed Alchemy attempt affected his mindset, it would be a huge loss.

But Shen Wen explained that this refinement was mainly for practical practice of the Spirit Ascension Method taught by Old Ancestor Xuan Danzi, solidifying his foundation and making more thorough preparations for the assessment.

Old Monster Lin listened, remained silent for a moment, and said no more, simply waving his hand to instruct someone to retrieve a set of soul cleansing and spirit purifying pill Materials from the Little Pill Tower’s storeroom.

If his Disciple had this drive to research, he, as the Master, could not stop him.

“You first draft an application. After all, refining an Eighth Grade Pill requires activating a Formation. I’ll go have an area cleared out.”

Old Monster Lin looked at Shen Wen and said.

Because refining an Eighth Grade Pill is no joke; an Eighth Grade Pill will trigger Pill Lightning, and if the Alchemist cannot resolve it themselves,

the resulting aftermath is enough to shatter an entire area.

Soon, Old Monster Lin specially cleared out a spacious and quiet location in the area of the Little Pill Tower reserved for high-grade Alchemists.

This small action still attracted the attention of some Alchemists who were refining or discussing nearby.

After all, this area was usually highly sought after, and for Old Monster Lin to personally clear the venue, it certainly wasn’t a minor matter.

The news quickly reached Xuan Yi, who was recently in charge of the daily affairs of this area.

Inside the Quiet Room.

A voluptuous woman wearing a plain white robe looked at the report submitted by the Alchemy area.

“Refining an Eighth Grade Pill? Activating a Formation?” Xuan Yi saw that the applicant was Shen Wen.

She was also one of the Examiners for Shen Wen’s upcoming Grade 8 assessment.

Hearing that Shen Wen intended to start refining the Eighth Grade Pill, the “soul cleansing and spirit purifying pill,” right now, a trace of surprise flashed across Xuan Yi’s cool eyes, followed immediately by deep suspicion.

“Refining now? And it’s the soul cleansing and spirit purifying pill?”

She murmured to herself, shaking her head.

She naturally understood Shen Wen and knew he was a young man with astonishing Talent.

But she was perfectly clear on just how high the threshold for a Grade 8 Alchemist was.

Even Yao Chen, who was stunningly brilliant back then, spent a considerable amount of time and countless efforts moving from Peak Seventh-Rank to stably refining Eighth Grade Pills.

In her view, being able to occasionally succeed in refining an Eighth Grade Pill during a burst of luck or an extremely good state, and being a Grade 8 Alchemist capable of stable output and passing a rigorous assessment, were two completely different concepts.

Throughout the Pill Tower’s history, there have been Peak Seventh-Rank Alchemists

who managed to refine an Eighth Grade Pill by chance under certain Opportunities, only to excitedly apply for the assessment and ultimately fail during the strict live refinement.

The assessment is not a one-time deal; if one fails, they can reapply.

But the cost is heavy.

They are required to compensate for one set of precious Eighth Grade Pill Materials.

These Materials often require components related to Tier Seven or even Tier Eight Demonic Beasts, making them scarce resources even for the Pill Tower.

The next application for the assessment also requires the Three Great Powers to reassess the applicant’s progress and confidence.

Previously, she had thought Elder Lin brought Shen Wen back simply to, firstly, create a buzz—after all, anyone assessing for a Grade 8 Alchemist is at least a Peak Seventh-Rank.

Secondly, to let Shen Wen test the waters.

She never expected Shen Wen would actually attempt to refine an Eighth Grade Pill directly before the assessment?

She felt a slight flicker of interest. She remembered that when Shen Wen was very young, he had said he wanted to marry her.

Of course, she had only taken it as a joke.

After all, the age gap between them was very, very large.

So, in Xuan Yi’s eyes, Shen Wen was indeed still just a child.

But if he managed to refine an Eighth Grade Pill this time, then for Shen Wen,

the Grade 8 Alchemist assessment would no longer be an issue, and they themselves were only Grade 8 Alchemists.

Even if a gap still existed, they would be entities on the same level.

The Alchemy area was currently packed.

When Xuan Yi, clad in her plain white robe, appeared at the entrance, the subtle noise in the venue quieted for a moment, then resumed in a lower murmur.

Her gaze calmly swept across the entire scene.

There were Elder seats, representatives from various Families, and even more Alchemists from the Pill Tower who had come upon hearing the news, many of them young faces.

Shen Wen’s name was simply too well-known among the younger generation of the Pill Tower.

An eighteen-year-old Seventh-Rank Alchemist who surpassed Cao Ying and Dan Chen, both carefully cultivated by the Cao Family and the Dan Family—this alone was enough to attract countless attention and comparisons.

Not to mention, he later gloriously married the high-and-mighty heir of the Cao Family.

There was envy, and even more jealousy. The Pill Tower ultimately respects Alchemy; no matter how strong one’s background, if their practical skill is lacking, it is difficult to gain public respect.

Previously, certain factions within the Tower often secretly spread rumors, implying that Shen Wen’s achievements were solely due to his status as “Elder Lin’s only Disciple” and luck, deliberately downplaying his own Genius status.

Furthermore, as the conflict between the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls intensified recently, resulting in considerable consumption, some voices privately complained, suggesting it was partly due to this Core Disciple’s frequent “trouble-making.”

During the time Shen Wen was away from the Pill Tower, such discussions never stopped.

Now he was back. Leaving aside the romantic gossip generated by his marriage to the Queen of the Snake-People Tribe, the mere announcement of the impending “Grade 8 Alchemist Assessment” was enough to ignite all topics.

A Grade 8 Alchemist under twenty years old?

What a joke.

Seventh-Rank and Grade 8 seem like only one rank apart, but they represent the chasm between a Grandmaster and a Titan.

The Pill Tower has quite a few Seventh-Rank Alchemists, but Grade 8... every one is a major figure capable of influencing the regional power structure.

If Shen Wen truly succeeds, he will rewrite the record for the youngest Grade 8 in Pill Tower history, completely towering over everyone in his generation.

Many people didn’t believe it, and didn’t want to believe it.

So today, they came.

Rather than observing and learning, they were waiting to witness a “reveal.”

If Shen Wen failed in this attempt and lost face, it would greatly damage his reputation, and perhaps even compromise the official assessment half a month later.

If his mindset was affected, the probability of failing the assessment would greatly increase.

For many who felt sour grapes, witnessing the downfall of this “Genius” firsthand would be a source of great pleasure.

Xuan Yi slowly walked towards the reserved Examiner seating area, various thoughts about Shen Wen flashing through her mind.

She remembered that when he was little, the child had innocently said he wanted to marry her; she had treated it as a joke.

Now... if he could truly refine an Eighth Grade Pill, he would be an existence on the same level as her.

Was it possible?