NOVEL NEXT Chapter 106: The Celebration
On this day.
The square beneath Pill Furnace Peak of Qinghua Sect was adorned with great solemnity.
The bluestone ground was covered with a light golden spirit pattern carpet, stretching from the entrance of the square to the high platform at the center.
Scarlet banners embroidered with the character "Dan" hung around, fluttering in the wind with a rustling sound.
Above the square, a Tier Three Array was continuously operating, and the rich spiritual energy gathered into faint auspicious clouds, making the air carry a hint of refreshing pill fragrance.
Today is the day Qinghua Sect holds the "Celebration of the Alchemy Grandmaster" for Chen Sheng, also marking the day when Chen Sheng officially removes the title of "Vice Hall Master of the Pill Hall" to become the sole Hall Master.
Since Li Yuan long stationed himself at West River Immortal City, the affairs of the Pill Hall were indeed managed entirely by Chen Sheng.
Now that he has advanced to a Tier Three Grandmaster, the sect simply went with the flow and completely removed the "Vice" title.
Making him the youngest Hall Master in the history of the Pill Hall.
As for Senior Brother Li Yuan, he probably will be stationed at West River Immortal City for a long time.
For him, this is also a good thing, after all, the Tier Three resources near the sect have long been divided cleanly.
As a newly promoted Tier Three Fake Pill Master, only in West River can he secure a share for the family behind him.
...
On the square, the cultivators' discussions were incessant, yet everyone's eyes were fixed upon the square's entrance.
The guests arriving to celebrate were coming one after another.
The patriarchs of Foundation Establishment Families affiliated with Qinghua Sect all personally attended, followed by the core disciples of their family, each wearing a respectful smile.
The other two sects spared no effort, each sending a Fake Pill Master to lead a team, accompanied by three Late-stage Foundation Establishment Elders, carrying congratulatory gifts of Tier Three Spiritual Materials, showing their emphasis on the celebration.
"Grandmaster Chen has arrived—!"
With a high-pitched proclamation, a subtle wave of spiritual power suddenly emerged at the entrance of the square.
Soon after, a purple figure slowly approached—Chen Sheng, dressed in a purple Danlong Robe, with complex pill patterns embroidered with gold threads on his attire.
The most eye-catching was the pale blue-colored canopy floating above his head—a canopy with a diameter of three feet, its surface flowing with five-colored spiritual light of blue, red, yellow, white, and black.
It is one of the Three Treasures of Qinghua, the "Five-Colored Canopy"!
At this moment, it floated gently above his head with his steps, emitting a heavy yet non-oppressive spiritual pressure.
This scene abruptly halted the discussions on the square.
All cultivators' eyes were fixed on Chen Sheng, full of astonishment.
That Five-Colored Canopy is the symbol of successive Sect Leaders, yet now it adorns the head of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Such a formality, not even Dragon Void Daoist had back in the days, let alone the founding ancestor of Qinghua Sect!
"Is that... the Sect Leader's Crown? No, it's Grandmaster Chen!"
"What Sect Leader's Crown, that is the Five-Colored Canopy! One of the Three Treasures of Qinghua, the treasure capable of resisting attacks from Golden Core Cultivators within the sect!"
The Foundation Establishment Elder beside whispered with a tone of excitement:
"Grandmaster Chen being able to wear this shows that the Sect Leader truly regards him as the future pillar!"
"Oh my, Dragon Void Old Hall Master when he became a Tier Three Grandmaster, had this kind of presence?"
On the other side of the square, the Fake Pill Masters from the other two sects, Liu Qing, exchanged a glance, seeing amazement in each other's eyes.
Master Wang Lie lightly shook his head, with a tone carrying some emotion:
"Hua Taixuan indeed is generous! The Five-Colored Canopy is the symbol of the Sect Leader, just giving it to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, is openly telling everyone that Chen Sheng's status in Qinghua Sect is on par with a Fake Pill Ancestor!"
Liu Qing's mouth curled up into a bitter smile:
"If it were you, you'd be generous too, for a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Tier Three Alchemy Grandmaster, looking across Chu Country, is a singular case!"
"Not just giving a canopy, even if I were to call him 'Senior', I would be willing."
"With him around, Qinghua Sect won't have to worry about Tier Three Elixir Pills in the future; we'll have to see his mood if we want to request pills from him!"
Presently, Chen Sheng's status can no longer be defined as "Foundation Establishment Cultivator."
His value even surpasses ordinary Fake Pill Masters, as Fake Pill Masters are common, whereas Tier Three Alchemy Grandmasters are rare.
On the high platform, Hua Taixuan stood in the shadow, observing the reaction of the cultivators on the square, revealing a satisfied smile.
This was the effect he wanted—through this celebration, through the symbolic meaning of the Five-Colored Canopy, to elevate Chen Sheng's status to the height of being a "pillar of the sect."
In his heart, Chen Sheng's importance has long surpassed Dragon Void Daoist.
Dragon Void only became a Tier Three Grandmaster after achieving Fake Pill, while Chen Sheng achieved it in Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, this talent may not be unable to reach Tier Three Middle Grade, even High Grade in the future!
"When he becomes a Tier Three Middle Grade Alchemist, that will be the truly glorious moment of my Qinghua Sect."
Hua Taixuan muttered in his heart, gazing towards the distant mountains beyond the square.
Eighteen hundred years ago, Qinghua Sect once had a Tier Three Middle Grade Alchemy Grandmaster.
It was relying on the pills refined by that grandmaster that the sect's Fake Pill Ancestors and Golden Core Ancestors could dominate far and wide in magical combat.
Forcefully elevating Qinghua Sect to the top position among the sects in Chu Country, the glory he dreamt of repeating.
...
This celebration was meticulously arranged by the sect, even moving the Dragon Void Platform to the scene.
It is also the core event of the celebration, inviting several Tier One, Tier Two Top Level Alchemists from the Pill Hall to take the stage and share insights on the Dao of Alchemy.
Inheritance of the Alchemy Dao, then invite Grandmaster Chen Sheng to critique and guide the junior alchemists.
Chen Sheng sat at the main seat on the high platform, his gaze resting on the podium.
The first to take the stage was Zhang Li—the first batch of disciples when he lectured at the Alchemy Alliance back then.
Now he was an elder over sixty, his hair grayed, his face full of wrinkles, though he was a Tier One Top Level Alchemist, he ultimately hadn't broken through Foundation Establishment.
When Zhang Li walked onto the podium.
Chen Sheng sighed inwardly, vaguely remembering decades ago when he first held a lecture at the Alchemy Alliance, Zhang Li was sitting in the front row, diligently recording every word he said.
Back then, Zhang Li was still a young man, full of vigor, and now he was already aging, the marks of time especially evident on him.
In the blink of an eye, decades passed, roles on and off stage changed.
Chen Sheng murmured to himself:
"Just like back then!"
...
"Fellow Daoists, today I wish to share some insights on the improvement of the Tier One 'Qi Gathering Pill'..."
Zhang Li's voice carried some age, yet was exceptionally clear, as he took out a jade scroll from his bosom and began to detail the improvement steps, clear in structure, meticulous in logic.
Evidently, these were decades of immersion in the Alchemy Dao.
Chen Sheng sat at the main seat, listening quietly.
He could discern that although Zhang Li's improvement methods did not involve high-tier alchemy, they were exceedingly practical and offered great help to low-tier cultivators.
This reminded him of when he first entered the Alchemy Dao, starting by improving Tier One pill formulas, step by step, to reach where he was today.
After half an hour, Zhang Li finished his presentation, deeply bowing to the main seat on the high platform, then walked off stage, heading directly towards Chen Sheng.
He Ping'an stood beside Chen Sheng.
This first disciple of Chen Sheng was now a Foundation Establishment Early-stage cultivator. Seeing Zhang Li, he quickly stepped forward with enthusiasm to greet him:
"Brother Zhang, long time no see."
Zhang Li nodded with a smile, his gaze shifting to Chen Sheng, bowing respectfully, speaking with heartfelt admiration:
"Greetings, Master Chen."
Chen Sheng raised his hand in a gesture of support, his tone gentle:
"Stand up, how have you been these years?"
Zhang Li straightened up, showing no hint of unease, rather displaying calmness:
"Thanks to master's teachings, I have been well these years."
"Ten years ago, I used the spirit stones I saved to buy a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object and attempted a breakthrough, but unfortunately, my spiritual root was too poor and I ultimately failed."
He spoke breezily, as if recounting something inconsequential.
Being able to become a Tier One Top Level Alchemist with a Lower Grade Spiritual Root and even afford a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.
This already surpassed ninety-five percent of cultivators in the Cultivation Realm, he had nothing to regret.
Chen Sheng nodded lightly.
Looking at Zhang Li, he couldn't help but remember his past life, back then he wasn't even as well off as Zhang Li, unable to afford a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.
In a rush before the age of sixty, struggling to achieve Qi Cultivation Perfection, relying on a Vascular Protection Pill to charge through breaking the realm.
Chen Sheng asked about the other disciples from the Alchemy Alliance lecture back then.
Zhang Li smiled, responding one by one:
"Junior Brother Li became a Tier One High Grade Alchemist and went to other markets to open pill shops."
"Junior Sister Wang married a Foundation Establishment cultivator, now focusing on raising her son, he has a Middle Grade Spiritual Root, very talented..."
"I now place all my hopes on my grandson."
"He has a Middle Grade Spiritual Root, just turned ten this year, I've saved up for years to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill for him, perhaps..."
Seeing the expectation in his eyes, Chen Sheng couldn't help but think—this is the cycle of the Cultivation Realm!
Countless cultivators spend their entire lives perhaps unable to break through to higher realms themselves, yet they always place hope in their descendants, paving the way with their own efforts.
Just as he had planned for Tang Xichen back then, just like Zhang Li was now planning for his grandson, generation after generation, never ceasing.
Chen Sheng spoke, his tone carrying a hint of promise:
"If your grandson has talent, in the future, let him come to the Pill Hall to try."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Li's eyes instantly brightened, hurriedly bowing in thanks:
"Thank you, Master Chen!"
In the corner of the plaza.
A smiling, plump cultivator was busily greeting the patriarchs of various noble families.
He was Fatty Zhao, a well-known merchant in the Chu Country's Cultivation Realm, who traveled frequently among the Three Great Sects, dealing in spiritual materials and elixir pills, extremely well-informed.
At this moment, although his smile remained warm, his gaze drifted to Chen Sheng on the main seat of the high platform, especially noticing the Five-Colored Canopy suspended above Chen Sheng's head.
Yet he inwardly sighed deeply:
"Damn, these sect cultivators, truly cautious!"