Strongest War Emperor

Shen Lang set down his teacup and smiled. ”Your eye for quality is impeccable, sir. It’s true that for certain reasons, this medicinal liquid’s grade didn’t improve as it could have. Still, it’s passable. At this level, a slight increase in power wouldn’t make much difference.”

He paused, having suddenly thought of something. He hesitated for a moment before asking, ”If I were to give you this formula to auction, is there anyone in Celestial Phoenix City who could afford it?”

Shen Lang’s casual question made Sima Qing gasp. ”A formula? My heavens...”

Lanlos, who was standing nearby, suddenly felt his vision go black, and his hands flailed wildly in the air. Fortunately, Zhan Lan steadied him, saving him from the disgrace of fainting on the spot.

Just a moment ago, he had been wondering, ’How could a Spirit Grass like Purple Magnolia be used to concoct a Giant Potion?’

’What role could this spirit grass possibly play in a Giant Potion?’

’The formula for a Giant Potion...’

Even a common formula was an Alchemist’s lifeblood, something they would never sell unless they had no other choice.

A formula for an ordinary Giant Potion might have been enough to shock him, Lanlos, but it wouldn’t have made an old-timer like Sima Qing exclaim in such a way.

In truth, Lanlos was so utterly terrified mainly because he had overheard Sima Qing’s muttering earlier. He knew this had to be an unprecedented, supreme-quality formula!

Many of the ingredients were likely very easy to obtain. If so, the difficulty of concocting the Giant Potion would be drastically reduced, and the cost would be compressed to an absolute minimum!

To put it bluntly, if a formula like this fell into the hands of a minor Noble Family or influence, they could rise to power on the back of this one formula alone!

Lanlos could even picture it: batches of Giant Potions being mass-produced, bottle after bottle flying past his eyes...

”Forgive me for being so bold,” Sima Qing began, his voice trembling uncontrollably, ”but are the ingredients in this formula truly free of anything exceedingly rare or expensive? And the concoction method—is it not incredibly complex and difficult?”

Shen Lang looked at him in surprise and gave a wry smile. ”Indeed, none of the ingredients are particularly rare. And with my unique Secret Technique, it’s very easy to make... But you needn’t be so tense, sir. It’s just a formula for a Giant Potion. For cultivators in the Middle to Late Stage of the Spirit Martial Realm, its effects are already quite limited, and they only diminish further. For Xuanwu Realm Powerhouses, it’s practically useless...”

’No rare materials... easy to concoct... For such a heaven-defying formula to exist... No influence in Celestial Phoenix City can handle it...’ Sima Qing shot to his feet, his face flushed. He paced back and forth a couple of times before turning to Shen Lang, panting heavily. ”Young friend, could you wait here for a moment? I will be right back...”

”Alright...” Shen Lang said with a wry smile, taking in the old man’s frantic state.

Just then, Sima Qing pulled a translucent Crystal Card from his robes and handed it to Shen Lang. ”This card has a limit of ten million Gold Coins and can be used at any time. I hope you’ll find it useful, young friend. I must excuse myself for a moment. We’ll speak more when I return... And please, rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory answer!”

Without another word, the old man pressed the card into Shen Lang’s hand and rushed out the door in a great hurry.

Just before he left, however, he called Lanlos over. ”Lanlos, entertain Young Master Lang for me in my absence. You must treat him with the utmost respect. If you slight him in any way, I will skin you alive! Furthermore, not a single word about anything that has happened here can get out. Not from you, not from Zhan Lan! I don’t need to remind you of the Treasure Pavilion’s rules, do I?”

”Yes, yes, of course...” In truth, Sima Qing didn’t even need to warn him. After witnessing everything, Lanlos was already scared witless and hadn’t yet recovered from the shock.

”Young Master, your tea...” Although Zhan Lan had been just as stunned, she was the first to recover her wits, quickly stepping forward to refill Shen Lang’s cup.

All the things Lanlos had planned to say evaporated. His mind went completely blank. He walked over, sat down across from Shen Lang, and just kept chuckling foolishly. ”Hehe...” Shen Lang couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

...

A short while later, in a stone chamber deep within the Treasure Pavilion, Sima Qing and Lin Qingfeng, the Pavilion Master of the Celestial Phoenix City branch, stood before a curtain of light. Both were completely deferential, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

The light screen glowed with greater intensity, revealing the image of a veiled woman reclining on a chaise lounge.

”Using the Thousand-Mile Mirror Image in such a rush... what for? Didn’t I tell you two not to contact me unless it was something truly important?”

The woman’s voice was slightly husky and filled with an otherworldly charm that was inexplicably pleasing to the ear.

Her face was hidden by a light veil, but her figure was graceful and her curves enchanting. Her eyes were as clear as autumn pools, and she carried the ethereal air of a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm.

”My Lady, this is what happened...” Lin Qingfeng recounted everything Sima Qing had told him.

”Oh? Is that so? A formula that can turn decay into magic is rare indeed. Across the entire Star Continent, likely only the Witch Race possesses such things... You are to win this young man over, at any cost! Provide him with any resources he asks for. As for the formula, the few Cyan Wood Level Influences in Celestial Phoenix City can’t handle something of this magnitude. Send word to Evil Wind Valley, the Holy Light Sect, the White Rainbow Sect, and the other Profound Iron Level Influences. They will know what to do,” the veiled woman said in a low voice.

Sima Qing hesitated for a moment. ”The Imperial Dragon Sect is a Spirit Copper Level Influence, and Jialan Academy is a special entity that ranks above even the Profound Iron Level Influences. Coincidentally, they are not far from Celestial Phoenix City. Should we notify them as well?”

The veiled woman huffed lightly. ”Elder Qing, I understand what you’re getting at. You merely wish to curry favor with the Imperial Dragon Sect. The three most powerful sects in the Purple Chu Country are all Spirit Copper Level Influences. Besides the Imperial Dragon Sect, there are the Flower Sect and the Li Hen Sect. One is in the southeast, the other in the far northwest; they won’t have time to participate. No other influence is qualified or dares to compete with the Imperial Dragon Sect. If the Imperial Dragon Sect makes a move, it will be an easy win for them, and the price won’t go too high. While that would bring us closer to the Imperial Dragon Sect, it would risk offending that genius Alchemist... Weighing one against the other, we’re better off siding with the boy, Shen Lang.”

”This...” Sima Qing and Lin Qingfeng exchanged a look, each seeing the astonishment in the other’s eyes.

A sixteen-year-old capable of creating a Spirit Level Fifth Grade potion was certainly incredible and worth recruiting.

But compared to a behemoth like the Imperial Dragon Sect, he surely didn’t carry enough weight. And yet, their Lady’s intention was...

”I shouldn’t need to say anything more. You two handle it as you see fit. If you manage this task well, it will be a great merit for you both, and you will, of course, be well rewarded...”

”We will give our all until the very end!” Sima Qing and Lin Qingfeng declared in unison.

’For such a person to appear in little Celestial Phoenix City... I’m quite curious, hehehe...’ The woman on the light screen stretched languidly. With a casual wave of her fair hand, the screen went blank, leaving only a vast expanse of white where her image had been.

”Pavilion Master, what are our next steps...”

Lin Qingfeng waved his hand decisively. ”Postpone the auction by six hours. At the same time, send thousand-mile-transmissions to notify Evil Wind Valley and the other nearby Profound Iron Level Influences. The Celestial Phoenix City Treasure Pavilion is about to have a very lively event!”

...

Meanwhile, back in the reception room, only Shen Lang, Lanlos, and Zhan Lan remained after Sima Qing’s departure.

Zhan Lan was composed enough, simply refilling Shen Lang’s tea while looking at him with a gaze full of admiration and gratitude.

Lanlos, on the other hand, was not. For him, being made to stay here was pure torture...

In truth, you couldn’t really blame him. Any other Medicine Appraiser would likely have met the same fate; it was just that Lanlos had been particularly unlucky.

His alchemy session had already been going poorly, and then he was interrupted.

The visitor had been so young... While sixteen was considered the age of adulthood on the Star Continent, in the alchemy profession, a sixteen-year-old was just a kid. They couldn’t have even scratched the surface of alchemy, so who would expect a mere child to be able to refine a decent Spirit Medicine?

Besides, Lanlos knew basically all the young masters of the Noble Families in Celestial Phoenix City, not to mention the more capable alchemists from Tayun Academy and Celestial God Academy... and among all the people he knew, there was no one named Shen Lang.

So, this time, he could only blame his own abysmal luck...

’Who could have thought that a mere boy would startle Sima Qing?’

’Who could have thought that this boy could not only concoct a Giant Potion, but a Spirit Level Fifth Grade one?’

’Whatever. At this point, what’s done is done. It’s no use crying over spilled milk...’

The moment he recalled Sima Qing’s murderous glare—a look that said he wanted to hack him into pieces—Lanlos’s legs went soft and a chill shot up his spine.

’Best not to even think about it. I really, really offended him back there. I stopped just short of cursing him out... No, wait, I basically did curse him. Calling a Spirit Level Fifth Grade potion ’trash’—what is that if not an insult?’

’Thankfully, this Shen Lang doesn’t seem too hard to deal with. He just made me apologize to Zhan Lan and let the matter go...’

’But the problem now is, who knows if he’s really let it go?’

’With his status now, all he has to do is say one word to the Treasure Pavilion’s leadership, and I, Lanlos, will be in for a world of hurt!’

’Forget about my career at the Treasure Pavilion, I might not even be able to survive in Celestial Phoenix City anymore!’

As Lanlos’s thoughts spiraled, his face grew pale...

But he had completely misunderstood Shen Lang. As Shen Lang chatted with Zhan Lan, his thoughts had already drifted to the potion he needed to concoct to heal his father’s poison injuries. He had long since tuned Lanlos out completely.

”Zhan Lan, for a place as large as the Treasure Pavilion, you really don’t have any Seven-Star Begonia?” Shen Lang asked, his brow furrowed.

Zhan Lan replied a little timidly, ”Seven-Star Begonia is very difficult to find and doesn’t have much value, so it rarely shows up... But it’s different for you, Young Master! You’re a genius Alchemist, one of our Treasure Pavilion’s most honored guests. If you wish, we can post a procurement quest, and we will definitely be able to find it for you.”

”I understand. With the Treasure Pavilion’s reach, finding a Seven-Star Begonia is only a matter of time. The problem is, I need it urgently. I’m afraid I can’t afford to wait too long...” Shen Lang sighed.

THUMP! In a flash, Lanlos threw himself down at Shen Lang’s feet, desperately clutching his right leg.

”Young Master Lang, I was wrong! I was a blind fool to look down on you! I’m worthless trash! Please forgive me, I’ll never dare to do it again!”

”...” Zhan Lan stared, completely dumbfounded, unable to process what was happening.

Shen Lang’s eyes went wide as well. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry...