While the Xuantian Monastery and Skyood Palace were undergoing massive transformations, another powerful shift was taking place within the heart of the Eastern Wasteland.
In the world of alchemy, where the finest minds crafted elixirs and poison, where the most profound techniques were passed down from generation to generation, the Pill Tower held unmatched dominance. And now, a new force had stirred within it.
Master Yun, Long Chen's master, and an undisputed Pill Emperor, had been refining Tier-6 pills with near-perfect purity, surpassing the limits of any alchemist in the Eastern Wasteland. His skills were beyond comparison, and now his cultivation was stepping into a whole new realm, one that no one could have predicted. He had already reached the Foundation Forging Realm, an achievement that only the most powerful cultivators could hope to attain in the entirety of Eastern Wasteland.
Master Yun's cultivation level, coupled with his ability to refine Tier-6 pills with 90% purity, meant that he was no longer just a Pill Emperor— his alchemical abilities were of such a high caliber that even the legendary alchemists of the Eastern Wasteland, those who had refined their skills over centuries, couldn't match his genius and he could be compared to the Geniuses from Centrak Mainland's Pill Tower.
The Pill Tower, the very epicenter of alchemy in the Eastern Wasteland, was controlled by three families under the command of Centrak Mainland's Pill Tower.
These families had maintained their hold over the region for centuries, their influence stretching across multiple sects and regions.
But all of this was about to change. When Master Yun arrived at the Pill Tower, the balance of power in the Eastern Wasteland was about to shift in a way no one could have anticipated.
The moment Master Yun stepped into the Pill Tower, the entire building seemed to pulse with his presence.
The three families, the most powerful sects within the Pill Tower, had been expecting his arrival but were not prepared for the sheer intensity of his presence. His Aura alone was so overwhelming that even the elders and grandmasters who had long ruled the Pill Tower couldn't help but feel a deep sense of unease.
As the elders of the three ruling families gathered to confront Master Yun, their expressions ranged from apprehension to outright disbelief. They had heard rumors of his advancement, but standing before him now, they couldn't comprehend the depth of his power.
One elder, his face pale, stepped forward, his voice trembling with both respect and fear.
"Pill Emperor Yun…" the elder began, his voice faltering slightly. "You… you've stepped into the Foundation Forging Realm?"
The room fell silent. This was a revelation that shook the very core of the Pill Tower. The Foundation Forging Realm was a level so high that only the most exceptional cultivators of the Eastern Wasteland could hope to enter it. It represented the pinnacle of cultivation for cultivators in Eastern Wastelands.
But that wasn't all. The difference between the Sea Forming Realm—the realm most of the Pill Tower's elders were in—and the Foundation Forging Realm was astronomical. The disparity between the two was not just in strength, but in the quality of their cultivation. The gap was so vast that it was said that for every Sea Forming Realm cultivator, a Foundation Forging cultivator was 100 times stronger, if not more.
And that wasn't the most remarkable thing about Master Yun.
His Grade-7 Celestial Aura emanated from him like a torrent of raw power, reverberating through the stone walls, causing tremors that seemed to shook and suffocated the entirety of the Pill Tower.
His Grade-7 Celestial Aura, an energy far surpassing anything that the elders had ever encountered, rippled through the air like a tempest, cutting through their defenses with a mere thought. The energy that emanated from him was as if he were not merely a Pill Emperor, but a celestial being, standing at the peak of all cultivation.
As Master Yun stood in the center of the Pill Tower, the elders and heads of the three ruling families exchanged glances. They knew that the balance of power had already shifted.
An Elder, from Central Pill Tower who had came here for some work, a dignified figure with a long white beard and cold, calculating eyes, stepped forward. His expression was one of deep contemplation, as though he was measuring Master Yun's strength.
"Pill Emperor Yun," the elder said, his voice even but with a hint of tension, "What is your intention here? You've come a long way, and we know of your skills, but we've built this Pill Tower into something grand over many centuries. What claim do you have to our authority?"
Master Yun's eyes gleamed with a quiet certainty, and he spoke with a calm, yet undeniable authority that resonated in the bones of all who heard it.
"I've come to take what is rightfully mine. Isn't that the rule that the most capable one gets the authority?"
There was a heavy silence in the hall, and then a murmur spread among the gathered elders. The words struck like a thunderclap, reverberating throughout the entire Pill Tower. The meaning of those words was clear.
Master Yun was not here to negotiate or compromise. He had come to take control—to claim the Pill Tower for himself.
At that moment, the leaders of the three families realized that Master Yun's power was beyond anything they could hope to challenge.
The Foundation Forging Realm was a threshold that separated mere ordinary from capabke and talented. Master Yun was no longer just an alchemist; he was a being of unimaginable strength, and his aura alone had proved it.
Even though they had spent centuries cultivating their techniques and methods, they were no match for his absolute mastery over both the Pill Dao and the art of cultivation. The Grade-7 Celestial Aura he wielded alone was sufficient to crush their entire lineage.
The elder who had spoken before, the one who had questioned Master Yun, took a deep breath and then nodded slowly. His eyes betrayed his respect for the powerful Pill Emperor. "Pill Emperor Yun,, you could be a promising figure even in Mainland's Pill Tower, but--" he said, his tone now more subdued, "Your eyes tell the difference--The Pill Tower is yours to command."
And just like that, with one proclamation, the balance of power in the Eastern Wasteland's alchemical world had irrevocably shifted.
As Master Yun ascended to the position of Pill Tower Master, his authority was absolute. His name reverberated throughout the Pill Tower and its branches across the Eastern Wasteland. His commands were no longer to be questioned. The three ruling families, once the undisputed rulers of alchemy in the region, now bowed to his will, and their power was subsumed by his superior cultivation and alchemical abilities.
Master Yun's first act as the Pill Tower Master was to begin reforms, not just within the Pill Tower but across all of Eastern Wasteland. He sought to eliminate corruption, to elevate the quality of alchemical practices, and to provide the people with the finest elixirs and pills that could be crafted by a true Pill Emperor.
As the news of Master Yun's ascension spread, the entire Eastern Wasteland began to feel the shift in power. The once unshakable dominance of the Ling, Xue, and Shiao families had crumbled, and the Pill Tower now stood as a new bastion of power—one that was firmly under the control of the one man who had proved himself worthy of such a position.
In the Xuantian Monastery, Long Chen stood atop a high platform, gazing toward the horizon. He had heard the news of his master's rise to power, and though he had expected great things from Master Yun, the extent of his mastery and his ability to reshape the world of alchemy still amazed him.
Long Chen smiled to himself, his heart filled with pride. He knew that with Master Yun in control of the Pill Tower, the Eastern Wasteland would experience an era of unprecedented growth and prosperity.
But this was only the beginning.
To Be Continued...