“Senior Brother Ye, this is Junior Sister Zhang Lin, the daughter of a marquis of Jin Nation.”

“This is Jiang Peng, the son of the Jiang family of Jin Nation.”

In the Jin Nation Academy, Ye Ping walked together with the crowd and Li Yue introduced those two people to Ye Ping.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Ye.”

With Li Yue’s introduction, the two hurriedly bowed at Ye Ping and greeted him.

In the eyes of the newly matriculated disciples, Ye Ping was not as simple as the leader of the fifth generation disciples but a god-like existence.

“Greetings to both of you.”

Ye Ping returned the gesture.

However, in the next moment, Li Yue continued to speak again.

“Senior Brother, do you know that a peerless genius has emerged from Nan Nation?”

Li Yue asked.

“Peerless genius from Nan Nation?”

Ye Ping’s eyes were filled with some curiosity as he really wasn’t aware of that matter.

“Yes, Senior Brother Ye, you may not know yet, but there’s a piece of news from Nan Nation. It’s said that there’s a peerless demon from the Nan Nation Academy who’s only 18 years old but has already cultivated to the sixth level of the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique.”

Li Yue told him about the matter.

“Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique? He reached the sixth level at the age of 18?”

In the Kṣitigarbha Pavilion, Ye Ping read millions of scriptures and hence, was aware of what the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique was. He had even studied it before.

After all, the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique was rather special as it was the best Body Tempering technique in the Ten Nations, and the more one cultivated it, the more powerful it would be.

Ye Ping also remembered that there were a total of 13 levels to the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique. When one reached the tenth level, they would have extremely terrifying power that would allow one to break even mountains with a single punch.

The sixth level of the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique was a huge milestone, after which every increment in level would result in a drastic difference.

Hence, after hearing those news, Ye Ping was indeed astonished.

Ye Ping was no longer as clueless as he used to be and was in fact rather knowledgeable.

“Yeah, Senior Brother Ye, these days, there are geniuses everywhere and this is only the case in Nan Nation. There must be other experts hidden in Chen Nation, Li Nation, and Jing Nation, which are the strongest of the Ten Nations.”

“The Jin Nation is indeed a little subpar.”

Li Yue nodded and answered Ye Ping while also lamenting about Jin Nation.

However, Jiang Peng soon spoke.

“Senior Sister Li, actually there are geniuses in the Jin Nation too. I heard that during the Great Xia Dynasty’s heyday, many sects have been suppressed after a luck-exterminating battle. Of course, that’s just based on hearsay.”

“The powerhouses of those sects have been stranded in the Ten Nations and many of them came to Jin Nation. However, they remain anonymous and their whereabouts are unknown.”

Jiang Peng revealed a secret.

“Luck-exterminating battle?”

In an instant, the crowd had their curiosity piqued, especially Ye Ping who heard that the geniuses remained anonymous.

Sensing the curiosity of the crowd, Jiang Peng stopped keeping them in suspense and talked while walking.

“The so-called luck-exterminating battle should have happened a few hundred years ago. Actually, to get a clear idea, we have to start from two thousand years ago during the Great Ying Dynasty, the predecessor of the Great Xia Dynasty.”

“However, the Great Ying Dynasty did not obey the will of heaven and ignored the public opinion. The last king of the dynasty was a tyrant and the people died. Hence, they were replaced by the Great Xia Dynasty.”

“The Great Xia Dynasty obeyed the will of heaven, respected public opinion, and had nine kings in the line of succession. Hence, the Great Xia Dynasty prospered and enjoyed glory until a few decades ago, when a peerless divine fortune teller predicted that the tenth king of the Great Xia Dynasty would become the king of the world.”

“He will unify the five dynasties, resolve the troubles and misfortune of the world, and become the first king of the world.”

“Hence, there are rumors going on among the folks.”

“For the sake of the tenth king of the Great Xia Dynasty, the ninth generation king started the luck-exterminating battle to suppress the powerful immortal sects of the Great Xia Dynasty. He even killed all of them to obtain their luck before using the Supreme Array Formation to condense the luck of the Great Xia Dynasty.”

“The terrifying luck was all added to the body of the then empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who was already pregnant with a son at that time.”

“Indeed, on the day that the empress gave birth to her son, endless phenomena appeared in the Great Xia Dynasty Imperial Palace, such as Golden Lotuses scattering all over the ground and even 99 golden dragons emerging from the sky dome. They were all auspicious signs.”

Jiang Peng revealed the secret that made the crowd feel fascinated and mesmerized.

“What happened after that? Why hasn’t the Great Xia Dynasty unified the world? Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the tenth king. Aren’t there only nine in the Great Xia Dynasty?”

The first to speak was Mo Xuan who was very interested in such strange tales. Hence, she naturally could not help but continue to ask. The people were extremely curious too.

At that moment, Jiang Peng paused, and he then continued to speak.

“What happened later was something bizarre.”

“The birth of the tenth prince was auspicious and it should have been a good thing for the Great Xia Dynasty. However, to everyone’s surprise, one day, the tenth prince of the Great Xia Dynasty strangely disappeared, but rumor had it that he had been assassinated and it was only told to the public that he had gone missing.”

“That’s also the reason why the Great Xia Dynasty’s luck has been faltering and they have suffered countless calamities over the years. When one gets unlucky, there will be endless trouble. Whenever a calamity strikes a nation, it will affect countless citizens.”

“So, everyone in the world feels that the tenth prince of the Great Xia Dynasty was assassinated. Otherwise, if he was alive, the Great Xia Dynasty would not be in such a terrible state. But that’s just a rumor.”

“The luck-exterminating battle was because of this matter. It resulted in countless powerhouses staying hidden in the mountains. Some are secretly planning their revenge and some have already terminated their line of succession.”

“The Great Xia Dynasty is indeed at fault for this matter but that’s not the worst. The worst is that…”

At this point, Li Yue spoke up again and interrupted Jiang Peng.

“Jiang Peng, what you said is just a rumor. I asked my father about it and he said that there’s no such thing at all, and that it’s just a rumor spread by someone to dishonor the Great Xia Dynasty.”

“Also, there are some things that should not be said indiscriminately. These are just rumors, and you and I ought to be discerning. Otherwise…”

Li Yue interrupted Jiang Peng.

The three of them couldn’t help but be stunned.

They were indeed full of curiosity, but after hearing this, they also understood that Li Yue did not treat them as outsiders. However, it would be good to be wary.

If word about it were to get spread, others would not pay attention to it if it was just a folk rumor. However, they were different because they were the son of the Jiang Family, the princess of Jin Nation, and the daughter of a marquis of Jin Nation.

Their words represented the upper echelons of Jin Nation, and if they made a mistake, their entire family would be in trouble. There had been various instances of such things.

Although everyone was curious, they understood the rationale too.

“Yes, yes, yes, these are all rumors. I was just too quick to run my tongue off. Everyone, just take it that I was making up stories.”

Jiang Peng hurriedly spoke. He also realized that he had said something wrong and hurriedly kept his mouth shut.

The crowd did not say anything either. It would be best not to mention it.

“Let’s continue talking about the matter of the genius of Nan Nation.”

Zhang Lin shifted the topic back to the genius of Nan Nation.

However, although they decided to drop the subject, Ye Ping somehow felt that the Qingyun Dao Sect was a peerless sect after hearing the story.

All the signs and descriptions pointed to the Qingyun Dao Sect.

“Perhaps the sect has an unpleasant history that they don’t wish to find out yet. It seems I have to be respectful to the people of the Great Xia Dynasty in the future.”

“If the Qingyun Dao Sect really has an enmity with the Great Xia Dynasty and I get too deeply involved in it, I might be in trouble.”

Ye Ping thought to himself.

He secretly warned himself to be respectful and stay away from the powerful figures of the Great Xia Dynasty in the future, lest he got embroiled. By then, he would be in trouble if he had to choose between the sect and friends.

Ye Ping did not care about the origin of the Qingyun Dao Sect and it didn’t matter to him which position he was in. He was just grateful to them for the kindness that they had shown him.

“That genius of Nan Nation is planning to go to Chen Nation in a few days’ time and he wants to challenge all the enemies in the Ten Nations. However, I wonder if the Chen Nation has a genius too. It’d be best to let them fight and reach an internecine outcome. We will then rise.”

Jiang Peng continued to talk about the matter regarding the genius of Nan Nation.

“Why doesn’t he go from low to high?”

Mo Xuan sounded curious. Since it was a challenge, one theoretically ought to start by fighting the weakest and lastly the strongest. Why did he do it the other way around?

“Don’t you get it? The genius of Nan Nation is challenging according to the route. I’ve calculated the time. His last stop is the Wei Nation, and this time, the venue of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament is near Wei nation. If he can push through, he’ll have it easy during the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.”

Jiang Peng’s answer made the people understand immediately.

“He managed to reach the sixth level of the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique at the age of 18 years old. Senior Brother Ye, how old are you this year?”

Mo Xuan exclaimed and couldn’t help but be curious.

“22.”

Ye Ping revealed his age straightforwardly.

After hearing this, the crowd could not help but be slightly surprised. Although 22 years old was older than 18, it was shocking that he could condense the Blood and Qi Furnace at the age of 22.

Unfortunately, the world would only see the brightest star. With the emergence of an eighteen-year-old genius in Nan Nation, Ye Ping’s reputation was naturally suppressed.

“Senior Brother Ye, what kind of technique are you practicing? It feels like your physical body is also terrifying.”

“Yes, Senior Brother Ye, what kind of cultivation technique do you practice? It seems to be on par with Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique.”

Speaking of this, everyone couldn’t help but look a little curious and asked Ye Ping what kind of technique he was practicing.

“It’s a secret method of the clan, but it’s stronger than the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique.”

Ye Ping did not say that it was the Ancient Godfiend Body Tempering Technique because he was proud and felt that it was definitely more than a hundred times stronger than the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique.

“Stronger than the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique?”

“Senior Brother Ye, can you beat that Nan Nation genius then?”

“If that Nan Nation genius is defeated by Senior Brother Ye, we’ll gain a lot of glory this time.”

The few of them were overjoyed and praised Ye Ping.

“I haven’t seen him before and I don’t know his strength either. We’ll just wait for him to come.”

Ye Ping was unsure if he could defeat him. After all, he had never seen the Nan Nation genius before. If he said that he could beat him, it would be delusional. However, if he said he couldn’t, he would seem less mighty.

At this time, the crowd also came to the Pill Pavilion.

The Pill Pavilion of the Jin Nation Academy was extremely luxurious, and when one crossed the threshold, they would see a copper ancient beast pill furnace. Each pill furnace was a supreme-grade spirit artifact. The pill furnace was made using bronze too.

The bronze would effectively enhance the quality of pills and was highly resistant to heat. Besides, it contained 36 array formations, and as long as the materials were placed instead, pills could be refined without requiring supervision.

Outside the Pill Pavilion.

There were a total of 108 pill furnaces which were extremely expensive and each sect would have only one of such. Only the Jin Nation Academy was wealthy enough to have 108 pill furnaces.

At this moment, all the newly matriculated disciples were present. They had been waiting there for a long time. As newly matriculated disciples, they naturally have to show up early to a lesson imparted by the elders, so as to not leave a bad impression.

There were also some third and fourth generation Senior Brothers not far away who were also there to learn.

However, as Ye Ping appeared, everyone could not help but look at him.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Ye.”

They greeted Ye Ping with a bow and were extremely respectful.

Even the third generation and fourth generation disciples dared not call Ye Ping their junior brother.

Even Elder Li Jiang dared not see Ye Ping as his junior. How would they dare do that?

Before Ye Ping could return the gesture, a figure walked out of the pill pavilion.

It was an elder.

He seemed much older than Li Jiang.

He was the best pill refinement master in Jin Nation Academy and Jin Nation.

He was Xu Chang, Elder Xu.

“Greetings, Elder Xu.”

After Xu Chang appeared, everyone couldn’t help but look at him.

Outside the Pill Pavilion.

Xu Chang walked out slowly. He seemed a little distracted and was in a good mood today, but because of what the Academy Master said previously, he was in a somber mood.

Initially, he also planned to go and look for the princess of the Great Xia Dynasty, but because he had to teach, he did not want to cause any panic or suspicion. In the end, he decided to stay in the sect.

To be honest, if it were not for Ye Ping, Xu Chang would have left long ago.

He retracted his thoughts.

Xu Chang glanced at the crowd but soon looked at Ye Ping again.

Not far away, Ye Ping was clad in a white shirt and he looked just like a Confucian scholar.

“My disciple is really handsome.”

Xu Chang’s eyes were filled with appreciation and admiration. All his negative emotions dissipated at this moment.

At the thought of this, Xu Chang slowly walked down from the Pill Pavilion while secretly telling himself to pretend to be impressive and not lose his might in front of Ye Ping.

“Forgo the formality.”

Xu Chang walked towards the people. There was a copper tripod behind.

Soon, the people got up and looked at Xu Chang.

After the crowd got up, Xu Chang looked away and then raised his hand. In an instant, the lid of the tripod floated upwards.

Immediately afterwards, the medicinal herbs floated up and landed in the pill tripod.

There were a total of 36 medicinal herbs, and a spiritual spring entered the pill tripod from the storage ring.

After the medicinal herbs and the spiritual spring all entered the tripod, Elder Xu Chang released several Dharmic Dao.

In order to make himself seem powerful, Elder Xu Chang cast 72 Dharmic Dao, each of which was a pill refinement Dharmic Dao.

He just seemed very strong.

However, soon, as the copper lid was lifted, he began to officially refine pills.

Elder Xu Chang did not give a long speech and instead began to refine pills.

He wanted to let Ye Ping have a clearer look, so as to show his abilities.

The flames began burning under the tripod, and white fog spread while the fragrance of the pills filled the entire Pill Pavilion.

When smelling the fragrance, the disciples could not help but look relaxed.

After seeing the disciples’ reaction, Elder Xu Chang was in a much better mood.

When looking at Ye Ping, he remained calm.

All of a sudden, Elder Xu Chang could not help but be stunned.

He had almost showcased all his skills. ‘Can you give me an expression?’

However, Elder Xu Chang soon realized.

As a genius, Ye Ping naturally had a lot of knowledge, he could not shock him with his alchemy method.

Thinking of this, Elder Xu Chang immediately controlled the flames and began refining seriously.

Four hours later, the fragrance of the pill became richer and Elder Xu Chang could sense that the pill had been refined!

In the next moment, Elder Xu Chang waved his hand again, and at once, the lid of the tripod flew up, and then pearl-like pills flew out from the tripod.

Each pill was the size of a longan and was crystal clear, emitting a strong fragrance of pills.

He had refined twelve pills in a row, which were like valuable pearls.

“This is a superior-grade Foundation Establishment pill!”

“Ah, I was wondering why the fragrance was so rich. It turns out it’s a superior-grade Foundation Establishment pill.”

“No wonder the fragrance is so strong. Elder is really worthy of being the number one alchemist in Jin Nation. He casually refined a Foundation Establishment pill!”

“Terrifying, terrifying, truly terrifying.”

When the pills appeared, some people immediately recognized them and exclaimed in shock.

“Each superior-grade Foundation Establishment pill is very high in value. It can increase the chances of the Foundation Establishment cultivators to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm.”

“Normal Foundation Establishment cultivators only have a 40% probability of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm. If they have powerful Qi and blood, the probability can be raised to 50%, but if he fails, it’s not as simple as starting over. One such pill can be worth tens of thousands of superior-grade Spirit Stones.”

“Each middle-grade Foundation Establishment pill is sold for 30,000 inferior-grade Spirit Stones, so a superior-grade one can be sold for at least 60,000 to 70,000 inferior-grade Spirit Stones. The value of 12 of the superior-grade pill is worth almost close to one million inferior-grade Spirit Stones.”

The disciples murmured, each looking stunned.

However, at this moment, Xu Chang’s voice sounded.

“The art of alchemy is the art of turning waste into treasures. With some refinement, ordinary medicinal herbs can be turned into pills of great value.”

“Pills can allow us to save a large amount of time on cultivation, but you can’t be overly reliant on them.”

Elder Xu Chang said calmly.

He immediately continued again, “However, take note of one thing, and that is the rule of thumb of pill refinement.”

Xu Chang’s expression became extremely serious as he looked at the crowd.

“There is poison in pills and there are no non-poisonous pills in this world. If someone says that there is a non-poisonous pill in this world, he must be a conman. Do you understand?”

Elder Xu Chang taught his disciples.

He shocked them with his alchemical skills before revealing the rule of thumb for pill refinement to establish dominance.

Even Xu Chang couldn’t help but want to praise himself.

Soon he looked at Ye Ping in a bid to see his reaction.

‘Is it shock?’

‘Is it astonishment?’

‘Or is it excitement?’

However, when Elder Xu Chang looked at Ye Ping, he found that Ye Ping frowned again.

‘Uh?’

‘Frowning?’

Xu Chang couldn’t help but be shocked.

However, before he could continue speaking, Ye Ping suddenly spoke up again.

“Elder, there’s something wrong with what you said.”

A voice sounded.

All the disciples were shocked.

Even Xu Chang was dumbfounded.