Inside the Pill Academy's private alchemist chamber, the air shimmered with concentrated heat and rising medicinal fragrance.
Dozens of jade cauldrons glowed beneath arrays of runic lamps, their polished surfaces reflecting shifting hues of fire. Shelves stacked with rare spiritual herbs lined the walls like a botanical treasury, each sealed jar humming faintly with dormant qi.
Lin Xian stood calmly at the center, sleeves rolled up, posture straight yet relaxed — as though he had been born in a place like this.
Beside him, Bai Yusheng stood there nervously but with a spark of expectation in her eyes. Xu Tian, on the other hand, bounced on his heels like an excited child at a festival, while three disciples clutched brushes and notebooks as if preparing to witness a miracle.
Xu Tian grinned broadly.
"Alright, Young Master Lin — the stage is yours! Just… try not to embarrass me in front of my own disciples, okay?"
Lin Xian smirked under the lamplight.
With a flick of his wrist, he infused a thin strand of qi into the cauldron. The herbs inside immediately stirred, as if awakening from sleep, their fragrances merging into a crisp, refreshing scent that washed over the room.
Everyone leaned in.
The moment his hand seals formed — swift, precise, seamless — time seemed to halt. His fingers moved like cutting wind, each motion guiding the flames with terrifying accuracy.
Xu Tian blinked repeatedly.
"Wait—what technique was that?! That's not in any alchemist manual I've ever seen!"
Lin Xian replied with infuriating calm, "That's because I created it."
The flames shifted colors — red to azure, azure to pale gold — wrapping the herbs in a perfect spiral of heat. Every subtle gesture of his hand controlled the temperature like invisible threads.
No wasted qi.
No trembling flames.
Only absolute mastery.
After a long, breathless moment, Lin Xian spoke:
> "The key isn't to force the herbs to merge. It's to let their essences balance. If they conflict, your pill fails. If they are in harmony, the medicine merges on its own."
Even Xu Tian's oldest disciple looked at him like he was witnessing the birth of a god.
"Let… the herbs in harmony?" he whispered, dazed.
Xu Tian spluttered.
"Since when can herbs harmonize themselves?!"
Lin Xian shot him a flat look.
"Since you started failing three batches in a row."
Bai Yusheng pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
Minutes later, a faint golden radiance rose from the cauldron. The fragrance deepened, thickening with spiritual potency. When Lin Xian lifted the lid, ten perfect pills floated inside — each one shining softly like miniature suns.
The room fell silent.
Xu Tian gasped loudly.
"Heavens above… that purity… We've never produced anything close!"
His disciples nodded frantically.
"No impurity residue at all! This should be impossible!"
"Not impossible," Lin Xian said, voice steady. "Just lost in time."
Bai Yusheng picked up a pill with trembling fingers.
"Fifty percent recovery… yet it feels so refined… so pure."
Xu Tian whistled.
"Boy, you're either a reincarnated saint or the Sovereign of Pill himself ."
Lin Xian simply smirked.
"Three days. We'll produce enough for the first sale. After that… the city will wake up to a new era."
And so, for the next three days, the chamber became a sanctum of roaring flames, shimmering cauldrons, and disciplined focus.
By the final night, hundreds of luminous pills filled rows of jade bottles — each one capable of altering the city's balance of power.
---
Morning sunlight spilled over Azurecloud City like golden silk.
Before a newly painted storefront, a crowd buzzed with curiosity. "Nine Tails Apothecary," read the sign in elegant gilded strokes. A plump golden cat mascot with nine flowing tails hung above the entrance, grinning smugly with one paw raised as though blessing customers with wealth.
Right beside it loomed the Zhao Clan's giant flagship store, its attendants staring in shock and indignation.
Bai Yusheng, dressed in graceful green robes, supervised the decorators with practiced authority. Xu Tian was already stuffing his face with roasted buns from a street stall. Lin Xian calmly adjusted the angle of the hanging sign.
At his feet, Xiao Jin — the little golden-furred cat — eyed the chubby mascot with utter betrayal.
"Meow?"
His entire expression screamed: You think THAT looks like me?!
Lin Xian coughed lightly.
"It's a mascot. Not a mirror."
Xiao Jin fluffed up indignantly and spun in circles to show off his sleek, elegant figure — clearly declaring: See? I am not fat!
Xu Tian nearly choked on his bun.
"Hahaha! Young Master Lin, even your cat has pride issues!"
Bai Yusheng giggled behind her hand.
"He's right though… that mascot looks a little too round."
Lin Xian sighed.
"It's marketing. People trust something that looks prosperous."
Xiao Jin swatted his ankle, entirely unconvinced.
Soon the final crimson ribbons were hung, banners unfurled, and the fresh medicinal scent of newly refined pills drifted into the streets. Passersby paused, whispering and pointing at the bold new shop daring to challenge the mighty Zhao Clan.
Xu Tian leaned in.
"You sure about this location? It's practically slapping Zhao in the face."
Lin Xian's expression stayed calm, even amused.
"That's the idea."
He gazed at the smiling fat cat mascot. Under the morning sun, its golden paint shimmered mysteriously.
> "Let's see if they still laugh when the cat starts to roar."
---
Inside the Zhao Clan's lavish main hall, laughter echoed like rolling thunder.
Servants poured wine while elders lounged comfortably, faces gleaming with arrogance.
A scout kneeled before Patriarch Zhao Qingtian.
"Patriarch, a new apothecary has opened next to our main shop. Calls itself 'Nine Tails Apothecary.' It's drawing a crowd."
Zhao Rui burst into mocking laughter.
"Nine Tails? What kind of idiotic name is that?"
Another elder scoffed.
"Probably another foolish merchant trying his luck. The last three who opened beside us went bankrupt within weeks."
Zhao Qingtian smirked confidently.
"Good. Another lamb walking into the tiger's mouth."
"Remember that 'Heavenly Herb Pavilion' from two years ago? They had a fancy sign too. We bought their owner's shop and made him sweep our floors. This will be no different."
He raised his wine cup lazily.
"Let them open. The louder they bark, the easier it will be to buy their corpse later."
The elders roared with laughter.
But Zhao Feng, the strategist, frowned slightly.
"Patriarch… something about this feels unusual. That shop appeared too suddenly, at perfect timing when we are having trade war with the Lin's. And the golden cat mascot — 'there's symbolism—"
Zhao Qingtian waved dismissively.
"You overthink. No one can challenge us in pills. Not Lin Clan, not some unknown street shop."
He leaned back, wearing a smile of absolute certainty.
"Let them enjoy their brief fantasy. The Zhao will crush them soon enough."
Outside the hall, distant thunder rumbled across the mountains — soft but ominous.
As if the heavens themselves were laughing at the Zhao Clan's confidence.