Besides the deputy and the guild head, Taline's standing was the absolute highest. Not only was she a Peak Immortal Essence expert, but she was also of the Higher Venerable Grade, a step away from the peak. She wasn't someone they wanted to cross.
But it seemed that her rise wasn't so… organic.
Dyon smiled. "I'll take that as a yes."
Turning toward the crowd, Dyon's grin widened.
"If you all want to buy pills from the youngest Venerable on the Immortal Plane, be ready to open your wallets!"
Taline's pupils constricted, but she said nothing. As a mortal, he couldn't live for very long… So he very well might be telling the truth. It was just that she couldn't see through him.
With a wave of her hand, Taline threw a plain gray cauldron to Dyon. With another wave, the first set of ingredient appeared before him as well.
First, they were analyzed by the formation plate set for this segment of the exam. After checking that there was nothing untoward happening, the array nodes flashed, signifying the start of the exam.
In the distance, those who had come to spectate felt their blood boiling. On the one hand, a mortal was the last individual they wanted to buy a pill from. But, on the other, even as laymen, they knew well that Dyon performance to now was impressive beyond belief. And that feeling only grew wilder when a golden soul qi suddenly shone forth.
'Innate Aurora!'
The venerables almost fell from their platforms.
For ten minutes, Dyon didn't move. But, his soul qi was so oppressive that no one else dared to either. The only two who seemed to experience any sort of comfort were Saru and Lilith.
In a blaze, Dyon's eyes opened, a goldish red flame appearing to his palms.
'[Fire Calming Breeze].'
Seeing this, Taline and Piers relaxed a little. Everyone knew this technique was one for beginners amongst beginners. In addition, Dyon's pill flame didn't seem very impressive either. Even if he had an innate aurora, as a mortal, how could he afford to practice? This was nothing but a farce.
Unfortunately for them, it had only been ten minutes ago that Dyon started meditating, but he had already concocted the Heart Cleansing Pill countless times over.
Not only had he circulated [Simulating the Hands of a Deity], but he had split his mind thousands of ways, each concocting on their own. Seeing the ingredients before him was all he had needed. With his foundation, for such a low grade pill, why wouldn't it be easy for him?
Dyon was said to have taken 80 years to rebuild his foundation, but what was the effective time? With how many ways he could split his mind, his 80 years was worth more than 80 000 years. In fact, even 80 000 000 wasn't an exaggeration.
The reason Dyon used this weak pill flame wasn't because he was hiding his innate flames, but rather because this pill cauldron was too weak to handle them. This flame… it was enough.
Dyon's overwhelming soul strength lifted the cauldron to hover into the air, his hand seals quickly shifting from one symbol to another as a beautiful red and green aura wrapped around his body.
His hand struck the cauldron, a beautiful ring echoing as he entered a rhythmic tempo.
The Venerables were stunned once more. This wasn't just [Fire Calming Breeze]….
'One with Self…'
Dyon had only just started, but the hope they had in taking his life was already gone. When he passed this exam, he would become a Lower Grade Venerable. With such a status, his life was protected even more so than it was now, especially from other alchemists. The penalty for killing one of their own was staggering. Only an Empyrean could kill a Venerable without consequences…
But Dyon had another layer of protection. If he was truly as young as he said, even a Alchemy God wouldn't dare lightly lay a hand on him. His test results would cause too much of an uproar in Pill Sword Mountain…
The grey cauldron blasted apart, revealing two beautiful pills.
But Dyon acted quickly, coating one in a concealment array. Though he enjoyed being reckless, revealing his Endowment of Multiplicity was just asking for trouble. If news got out, he'd be hunted down by even Immortal Gods to refine pills for them till his arms fell off. If he kept it hidden, though, he could raise his fame and get people to come to him with pill orders. Then he could pocket the extra pill and make a fortune.
The presence of a top-grade pill obviously shook the Venerables to their core. Taline slouched from her meditation platform, a dark expression covering her brows.
Her mood only became worse as Dyon subsequently concocted top-grade Qi Coagulation and Soul Replenishment pills. It seemed effortless to him.
Every time the inferior grade cauldron exploded, Taline and Piers would hope against hope that the pill would be damaged. But every time, their aspirations were dashed. In the end, three gorgeous pills sat on Dyon's palms.
"Hm, we need a symbol. How about… A crown."
Dyon's arrogance shone forth, his soul qi sweeping out like a blade to etch each pill with a vibrant crown that was almost brighter than the pill itself.
"You…"
Taline bit back her words. Etching a crown onto your pills? He was asking for death! If that man found out, he was finished. Pill Sword Mountain didn't take kindly to such slights. After that event all those years ago… they were especially sensitive to protecting their face.
In truth, Dyon actually wanted to use a scythe. But, he felt that associating his pills with death wasn't good for business.
"Now, shall we begin that auction? I'm a busy man!"
Dyon quickly sold his pills for exorbitant prices to merchants who would likely attempt to sell them for more. Like this, he made 300 lower crystals. In this place, that amount was enough to buy a small city!
