The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Even a hundred years from now, the disciples of Divine Sword Mountain would never forget the era when they were constantly and crazily challenged. And the challenger was a woman, no less.

Ever since Li Peiyi stumbled upon Divine Sword Mountain during her travels, passed its trials, and became an ordinary Outer Disciple, she began a series of maddening actions that ultimately shocked the entire Divine Sword Mountain.

When she joined Divine Sword Mountain, she was merely at the ordinary Extraordinary Realm. Any random disciple could defeat her, and no one took her seriously. But later, she cultivated relentlessly, her progress was astonishingly fast, and she began challenging every disciple, one after another.

At first, she couldn’t even defeat the Outer Disciples. She would return battered and bruised after every challenge, but she would be even stronger the next time. She grew at a nearly terrifying pace until, at last, under the watchful eyes of countless admiring Outer Disciples, she took first place in the assessment and became an Inner Sect Disciple!

Afterward, she repeated in the Inner Sect what she had done in the Outer Sect. It took her only one year to go from an ordinary Celestial Human to defeating the number one Inner Sect Disciple. Because of this terrifying track record, she was immediately designated by the Sect as a key figure to be nurtured!

Seeing the looks on the faces of the Divine Sword Mountain disciples, Qin Ya suddenly felt a sense of empathy. He asked curiously, "Does she challenge you all to duels often?"

One of the Divine Sword Mountain disciples, a Half-Step King, hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Miss Li challenged me thirteen times. The eleventh time, she barely defeated me by a single move. The twelfth time, after we exchanged over a hundred blows, she defeated me without a scratch. And the thirteenth time... beating me was already effortless for her."

At this point, another person said, "It was the same for me. I was challenged seven times. She grew stronger each time. After the sixth challenge, I could no longer defeat her."

"Hah, you guys had it easy. I was challenged twenty-one times!"

"Tsk tsk, then I had it better than all of you. I was only challenged twice. But she never came looking for me after those two times. Does that mean I’m too weak?"

"It’s possible. You have to know, she only challenges the strong."

"Mmm."

Just then, the ring of a sword sounded. Li Peiyi was seen holding her longsword, her gaze sweeping over the crowd rather unkindly. The disciples immediately shrank back and shut their mouths. This scene made Qin Ya break out in a cold sweat, and he pitied them for a few seconds.

Meanwhile, Leng Qiushan and the others couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. ’As expected of Brother Qin’s friends, every single one of them is so fierce.’ They knew that the commotion Qin Ya had caused in Kunyun Palace was no less than what Li Peiyi had stirred up—in fact, it was even more extreme. Otherwise, how do you think he became the youngest Elder of Kunyun Palace?

"Sigh, birds of a feather flock together. It’s really true."

"Indeed. So Brother Qin’s friends are just as monstrous."

Leng Qiushan glanced at his sect-mates who were discussing nearby and said, "I’d advise you to keep your voices down, unless you want that woman to challenge you eight or ten times."

Those few disciples immediately fell silent. Gu Lin, however, said coldly, "Don’t worry, she won’t. She only challenges people stronger than her. You clearly don’t qualify."

"..."

Alright, that could be considered a form of comfort, I suppose.

"Hahaha, I didn’t expect people from Lingxiao Palace, Kunyun Palace, and Divine Sword Mountain to all be gathered here! How could the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect possibly be left out?!"

Just then, a powerful, resonant voice rang out as a figure flew over.

The man wore a black and white robe and appeared to be in his thirties or forties. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, a stocky and powerful build, and exuded a bold and forthright aura.

And behind this middle-aged man, a group of young men and women with extraordinary auras also walked in. They were dressed in cyan robes embroidered with white clouds.

These were clearly the elites from the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect who were entering the Void Mausoleum.

And so, the four sects had gathered.

"Ha, Elder Xu, Elder Yue, and Helian..."

"Benefactor!"

Before the big man could finish his sentence, a cry of surprise erupted from his own group.

Immediately after, a figure leaped out and rushed toward Qin Ya. The person was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, with delicate and well-defined features. The aura he emitted, however, was extraordinary, and his Cultivation had even reached the Celestial Human Perfection Realm.

Leng Qiushan and the others’ expressions turned very peculiar. Even Elders like Xu Zhenhong were somewhat stunned. ’Benefactor? What’s going on? Is this another acquaintance?’

"Benefactor, it’s me."

"I’m Nanle! Back in the Yunxiao Empire, in the Wang Family’s household, I was one of the human punching bags you saved! I was on the verge of death back then, but you stepped in and saved me."

"Nanle, do you remember now?"

The young man’s face was anxious as he explained continuously.

And Qin Ya finally remembered. This person was indeed Nanle, the "human punching bag" he had saved back in the Yunxiao Empire when he went to settle a debt with the Wang Family after they had schemed against him.

Back then, Qin Ya had noticed his special constitution and decided to save him. Later, seeing his unwavering determination to pursue Martial Arts, he gave him a Celestial-Level Martial Arts Secret Manual. After Nanle left, he had heard no news of him since. He never expected to meet him here.

"I remember now. It looks like you’ve been doing quite well for yourself."

Qin Ya smiled, feeling a bit emotional. ’Today really is a day for reuniting with old friends.’ Not only had he found clues about Leng Ningshuang and the others, but he had also met Li Peiyi and Nanle. More importantly, all of them were safe and sound, each with their own fortunate encounters.

Seeing that Qin Ya remembered him, Nanle’s face lit up with joy. He said, "I never thought I’d meet you here, Benefactor. A while ago, I even went back to the Yunxiao Empire to look for you, but both you and Miss Ningshuang were nowhere to be found. The world is so vast, I had no idea where else to search. The heavens must have been watching over me for us to meet here today."

Seeing Nanle’s insistence on remembering the kindness he’d shown, Qin Ya smiled. "Don’t call me Benefactor anymore. What I did that day was merely a small effort."

Beside them, Leng Qiushan and the others were already speechless. ’Sigh, you know this one, you know that one too. One is an old friend, and the other calls you his life-saving benefactor. Brother Qin, do you really have to be so well-connected?’

Just then, a quirky and mischievous girl walked up, patted Nanle on the shoulder, and said, "Blockhead, so this is the benefactor you’re always talking about? He looks way more handsome than you. Back then, I just thought he was some genius from a backwater corner of the world. I never expected him to grow to this level. Not bad."

When the girl had taken Nanle away, she had heard of Qin Ya, who was famous in the Yunxiao Empire at the time. She hadn’t paid it much mind. In her eyes, the entire Yunxiao Empire was just a small place, and any genius from there would only have an undeserved reputation.

But she never expected to be proven so wrong today.

"Um... Brother Qin, her name is Lingxi. She was the one who brought me to the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect back then." Nanle introduced the girl, then added with great solemnity, "If it weren’t for Brother Qin and her, the me of today would never exist."

"Hmph, that’s right. So you should be sure to properly thank our dear Lingxi for nurturing you." At this moment, a sarcastic voice slowly drifted over.

From within the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect’s group, a handsome young man walked directly toward Qin Ya’s group and said, "I must thank you, Your Excellency, for saving the life of this worthless junior brother of mine back then. I, Ximen Yu, thank you on his behalf."