Immortal Martial Emperor

Chengyun Long quietly watched the crowd, his words laced with hidden meaning as his eyes locked onto Hong Yu.

Master Hu frowned slightly. His relationship with this Chengyun Long was anything but harmonious. He said in a low voice, "Elder Cheng, I wonder what you mean by that?"

"Elder Hu, no need to be nervous. I have no other meaning. It’s just that..."

Chengyun Long paced a few steps as if strolling through a garden, then rested his hands on another elder’s shoulders. He said lightly, "While the Guild may not be one of the Kingdom’s major powers, no one can deny its importance to the Kingdom. The position of Elder, in particular, wields power on par with a Kingdom Marquis. It is of the utmost importance, so how can we allow an outsider to take it so casually?"

The moment he spoke, his words drew a wave of support.

Half of the Spiritual Craftsman Guild Elders seated at the head table nodded in agreement with Chengyun Long’s words.

This caught Master Hu completely off guard.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to handle the situation.

He had spent his entire life immersed in the Alchemy Dao, and when it came to worldly affairs, he was less savvy than a common street vendor.

Tang Zhan and Cheng Zhen both looked at Hong Yu and said in a sardonic tone, "Hong Yu, you’re really putting us all in a difficult position!"

"Heh heh, anyone with a bit of sense would have already given up. Aren’t you just making things difficult for Master Hu?"

The two chimed in, one after the other.

Xu Rongchang frowned slightly, but seeing Hong Yu’s expressionless face, he didn’t say anything either.

Xu Wudi, however, with her explosive temper, couldn’t stand to watch any longer.

She was holding a piece of chicken tail. Hearing their words, she flicked her wrist, and the chicken tail split in mid-air, striking Tang Zhan and Cheng Zhen across the face with two sharp SLAPS.

This was a red-braised chicken tail!

Even though it had been cut, it was still firm, shaped almost like a small conical hat.

And just like that, they were stuck to the two men’s faces.

"You... you..."

Tang Zhan and Cheng Zhen flew into a rage, pointing furiously at Xu Wudi.

Xu Wudi glanced at them, her aura peerlessly domineering. "What about me? I just figured some people have such filthy mouths that they need a chicken tail to wash out the stench!"

"I... I..."

The faces of Tang Zhan and Cheng Zhen alternated between pale and ashen, a truly ugly sight.

’Xu Wudi said their mouths were so foul they needed to be washed with a chicken tail. Isn’t that saying that they, the dignified Patriarchs of two great families, were worth less than a chicken’s tail?’

Though they were seething with rage, the two of them truly didn’t dare to do anything to Xu Wudi.

It wasn’t because her combat prowess was on par with theirs, but because she was the number one True Dragon, sheltered by a thirty-five-zhang True Dragon Martial Fortune. She was a demonic-level prodigy, the kind that had even moved the Inspector from the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom to want to take her as his disciple.

If Xu Wudi hadn’t sworn to wait for the True Dragon War to choose an even stronger master, she would have already become that Inspector’s disciple, and their two families would never have dared to move against the Xu Family again.

Even so, until their two families produced a genius who could surpass Xu Wudi, neither of them dared to make a move against her.

Consequently, they could only vent their anger on Hong Yu. "Hong Yu, I, as Patriarch, representing two of the great families of Frozen City, declare that you are not fit to join the Spiritual Craftsman Guild. You don’t even have the right to attend this annual meeting. You’d better be smart and get the hell out of here yourself, before you’re utterly humiliated."

Tang Zhan snorted coldly. "Hong Yu, stop embarrassing yourself by sitting here."

At the head table, Chengyun Long also fixed Hong Yu with a disdainful gaze. "Young man, you should just leave on your own. If we have to have you thrown out, it won’t be a pretty sight for anyone."

Master Hu flew into a rage. "Elder Cheng, don’t you go too far! Master Hong Yu is..."

"Elder Hu, you’re really becoming more childish with age!"

Chengyun Long waved his hand dismissively and said lightly, "You’re calling a wet-behind-the-ears punk like him ’Master’? Don’t forget your status. You represent the face of the Ice Kingdom’s Spiritual Craftsman Guild! If a mere boy is a ’Master’ in your eyes, where does that leave the rest of us?"

"You... what do you know? Master Hong Yu, he..."

Master Hu tried to say more, but Chengyun Long ignored him completely, staring straight at Hong Yu. "Young man, look what you’ve done to Elder Hu. You’d better be smart and scram!"

"Yeah, just get lost!"

"If you insist on staying in this situation, you’re just putting Master Hu in a terrible position!"

"Young people are so clueless."

One by one, the opportunistic Elders and powerhouses of the Ice Kingdom chimed in.

They had long been displeased to see Hong Yu sitting at table number two. Furthermore, Chengyun Long represented the Cheng and Tang families, and on top of that, Hong Yu had also offended the Blood Demon Palace. Everyone was more than happy to help suppress Hong Yu to curry favor with these three major powers.

Seeing Hong Yu become the target of public condemnation, the anxious Master Hu shot a helpless, pleading look toward the Spiritual Craftsman Guild’s Chairman, Lantian Dou.

Lantian Dou, however, simply poured himself a drink, seemingly unconcerned by it all.

At table number two, a playful smirk appeared on Hong Yu’s lips. He seemed completely unfazed by the situation. He rose slowly, scanned the crowd, and then, with a teasing smile, said, "You must be Elder Cheng, correct?"

"Hmph. I am Chengyun Long, a Tier Four, Low-Level Alchemy Spiritual Craftsman!"

Chengyun Long declared with a look of immense pride.

Hong Yu rubbed his nose. "And might I ask Elder Cheng’s venerable age?"

"Eighty-two!"

Chengyun Long’s face was still filled with arrogance.

In the entire vast Ice Kingdom, only he and Master Hu had reached the level of a Tier Four Alchemy Spiritual Craftsman.

However, Master Hu had reached that level at the age of ninety, while Chengyun Long had done it at a mere eighty-two, making him the fastest in the history of the Ice Kingdom. This was the main reason he had never held Master Hu in high regard.

Hong Yu nodded, clicking his tongue in admiration. "Truly incredible. A Tier Four Spiritual Craftsman at only eighty-two!"

Chengyun Long’s expression softened slightly. He then said with a faint smile, "Even the Inspector from the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom praised my talent in the way of the Spiritual Craftsman when he heard my age!"

Hong Yu grunted in acknowledgment, then theatrically cleaned out his ear. With a beaming smile, he asked, "Well then, Elder Cheng, do you know how old I am?"

"Hmph. Why would I care about the age of a snot-nosed brat who’s barely grown any hair?" Chengyun Long said disdainfully.

Hong Yu let out a "Ha!" then said unhurriedly, "It’s true, I’m not very old. In five months, I’ll be exactly seventeen!"

"Hm?"

Chengyun Long froze.

He knew, of course, that Hong Yu was young, but he had never imagined the boy wasn’t even seventeen.

Recalling that even Tang Rui, Qi Feng, and Qi Tian had all fallen at this young man’s hands, and seeing Hong Yu’s confident, playful smile, Chengyun Long’s heart lurched. He had a very bad feeling.

And just as he’d feared...

Hong Yu’s next words made Chengyun Long’s expression turn completely rigid.

Hong Yu calmly continued, "Though I’m not yet seventeen, I admit my talent in the path of alchemy is only average. However, a year ago, I was already able to refine a Third-Grade Spirit Pill. As for now... well, this humble one hasn’t had many chances to refine Spirit Pills. I’ve only made the Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder twice in the last few days."

"Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder? What’s that?"

"It’s an Ancient Medicine from legends, lost for hundreds of years! By today’s standards, it would be a Fifth-Grade Pill!"

"A Fifth-Grade Pill? Him? You’ve got to be kidding, right?"

"Even if he started refining pills in his mother’s womb, he couldn’t possibly be that good, could he?"

After a moment of shock, Chengyun Long burst into laughter. "Young man, you really know how to spin a tale! I have to admit, your Martial Force is impressive for someone not yet seventeen, but the way of the Spiritual Craftsman isn’t something you can conquer with brute force alone. If you can refine a Fifth-Grade Pill, then I will eat this table on the spot!"

As he spoke, he pointed to table number one.

This table was made entirely of hard Hua Gang Cyan Rock, as tough as iron!

Hong Yu chuckled. "Elder Cheng, you truly are vigorous for your age, with such sharp teeth. You can really eat Hua Gang Cyan Rock?"

"Hmph, you’re just bluffing, boy!" Chengyun Long said.

Hong Yu spread his hands, looked toward Chairman Lantian Dou at the head table, and cupped his fists respectfully. He smiled and said, "Chairman, would it be possible to prepare some medicinal ingredients so this junior can attempt to refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill? Otherwise, I’m afraid certain... ill-informed individuals will find it hard to believe me."

"Heh heh, of course. What ingredients do you need?" Lantian Dou asked with a chuckle.

He appeared to be a plain and unremarkable old man, but his eyes held a suppressed, sharp glint, as if they could see right through a person’s soul.

Just as Hong Yu was about to speak, Chengyun Long interjected, "Chairman, since this little punk wants to prove he can refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine, we can’t just let him pick any recipe. As it happens, I have a recipe for a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine right here: the ’Three-Colored Fetus Spirit Pill.’ If you want to prove you can refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill, then refine this!"

"Oh? The Three-Colored Fetus Spirit Pill?"

Hearing this, the eyes of many of the powerhouses present lit up.

The Three-Colored Fetus Spirit Pill was a precious Spirit Pill that could increase the chances of condensing a Primordial Embryo by fifty percent! It was something one could only hope to encounter by chance, never seek out deliberately.

Lantian Dou looked at Hong Yu with a smile. "Hong Yu, what do you think?"

Hong Yu laughed loudly. "I don’t mind!"

Chengyun Long added, "Of course you don’t mind. The worst that can happen for you is failure. But the ingredients for a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill are incredibly precious. If you fail, it’s our Spiritual Craftsman Guild that suffers the loss!"

"Then what do you propose?" Hong Yu asked.

Chengyun Long pretended to ponder for a moment before giving a sinister smile. "You crippled my grandnephew, Cheng Gong. If you fail, I want you to pay it back double!"

Cheng Gong hadn’t just had his hands and feet crippled; he was paralyzed from the waist down. To pay that back double could only mean death.

How could Chengyun Long be so vicious?

Even though Master Hu and the others had seen Hong Yu refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill before, they now looked at him with worry.

But Hong Yu just smiled faintly. "Then let’s begin!"

And so, the Spiritual Craftsman Guild prepared the ingredients for the Three-Colored Fetus Spirit Pill and provided them to Hong Yu. Normally, it would take a Spiritual Craftsman several days to refine such a pill.

But Hong Yu just smiled and said to wait a moment.

He then summoned the Nine Dragon Celestial Cauldron. This Divine Cauldron’s capabilities grew with Hong Yu’s strength, allowing it to refine pills of a corresponding grade. Now that Hong Yu’s power was comparable to a Primordial Embryo Realm powerhouse, and with the boost from his Martial Fortune, he could refine any Spirit Pill below the Fifth Grade, High Level.

One Spirit Medicine after another flew into the Nine Dragon Celestial Cauldron. Hong Yu’s hands formed a series of Seal Techniques as a golden light erupted from his body, obscuring the sun like the descent of a deity.

Time flew by, and Chengyun Long’s expression began to change.

His initial disdain had already turned to gravity and gloom.

’An expert reveals their skill the moment they act!’

Hong Yu’s technique was undeniably that of a profound Alchemy Spiritual Craftsman!

’No, it’s impossible. At his age, he absolutely cannot refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill,’ Chengyun Long kept telling himself.

However, five hours later, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out from the Nine Dragon Celestial Cauldron. With a single-handed gesture, Hong Yu retrieved the fully formed Three-Colored Fetus Spirit Pill.

Staring at the three-colored Spirit Pill, Chengyun Long was utterly speechless.

His face turned the color of liver.

He looked as if someone were strangling him.

Hong Yu, however, just grinned, waving the Spirit Pill in his hand. "Elder Cheng, are you convinced now?"