Chapter 437: Heading to the Little Pill Tower
"Can I be a registered disciple instead, Young Pavilion Master?"
Youquan frowned and hesitated for a moment before biting her lip and raising her head to ask.
"Huh???"
Xiao Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief.
With his current status, if he announced he was accepting disciples, people would line up and fight to the death for the chance. Yet this girl in front of him was being reluctant and only agreed to be a registered disciple?
"Fine, do as you wish."
Xiao Yuan shook his head helplessly. Since this was something Yao Lao requested, he didn't care much whether she was registered or formal. A disciple was a disciple.
Upon hearing this, Youquan's pretty face lit up with joy.
A registered disciple was far less binding. Once she became stronger, there'd be fewer restrictions. Ethics and such wouldn't pose much of an issue…
Xiao Yuan, of course, was unaware of what his new disciple was secretly thinking. If he knew, he might have expelled this bold and reckless girl immediately. Still so young, yet so daring!
But it wasn't a big deal.
Even if Youquan was a genius, catching up to Xiao Yuan's cultivation speed was nearly impossible. Fortune, hard work, and talent were all necessary—and she lacked at least one.
Buzz!
As Xiao Yuan shook his head, space within the Star Realm suddenly trembled violently. A powerful spatial fluctuation spread from the rear mountains.
Sensing it, Xiao Yuan was first startled, then his eyes lit up with joy.
"The space tunnel is finished…?"
"Youquan, I'm going to the rear mountain. Go back to cultivating."
He turned to her with a smile.
"Yes, Young Pavilion Master."
Youquan nodded obediently.
"That's not what you should be calling me anymore."
Xiao Yuan teased with a grin.
"Yes… Teacher."
With a faint blush, she lowered her head and said it reluctantly.
Satisfied, Xiao Yuan ruffled her hair and said, "Train hard. Don't slack."
Then, without lingering, he tore open space and disappeared, stepping through the rift under many awed gazes.
Watching him vanish, Youquan pouted.
"Ugh! I actually became his disciple… that ruins my chances! No, I can't give up just because I'm a registered disciple. I have to persevere!"
She clenched her tiny fists and muttered, "Even teachers can be... nurtured."
Back to Xiao Yuan—
Upon stepping into the rear mountain, he saw a ten-zhang wide pitch-black void hovering atop a stone platform, surging with wild spatial energy.
"Teacher, it's done?"
Xiao Yuan appeared near the tunnel and beamed at the white-haired man standing ahead.
"Yes."
Yao Lao turned and smiled. "That girl—Youquan—have you met her?"
Xiao Yuan knew he meant Youquan. He smiled wryly and nodded.
"Yes. Her talent is exceptional. If nurtured properly, she'll achieve great things."
"You took her as a disciple, didn't you?"
Yao Lao chuckled. With his keen eye, few ever earned his attention. That alone showed Youquan's extraordinary potential.
Xiao Yuan nodded again and briefly explained what had happened. When Yao Lao heard she only agreed to be a registered disciple, he chuckled, then shook his head and said:
"Registered or not, it doesn't matter. You're too busy. I'll end up teaching her anyway."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Xiao Yuan replied with a smile.
"This spatial tunnel's success is thanks to Senior Xiao Xuan. At his level, if he had a body, opening a new space would've been effortless. Tian Huo Zun Zhe sent word—the Jia Ma Empire issue has been resolved. They'll return to Starfall Pavilion soon."
Yao Lao continued.
Xiao Yuan's face lit up. "That's great. Finally, we can relax a little."
"By the way, Teacher, how's Ancestor doing?"
"Don't worry. I'm preparing to refine a ninth-tier pill that aids the soul. I just need some reference formulas. That's why I plan to visit some old friends. Given your soul power, even crafting a Nine-Rank Profound Pill isn't out of reach. Come with me to the Pill Tower—it's time you saw its true strength."
Yao Lao said with a grin.
"Little Pill Tower? Aunt Xuan mentioned it."
Xiao Yuan thought aloud.
"Yes, that's the one."
After calling for Venerable Feng and Xiao Yan to handle affairs, Yao Lao took Xiao Yuan and entered the space tunnel Xuan Yi had created, linking the Star Realm and Pill Tower.
With Xiao Xuan watching over Starfall Pavilion, it was perfectly safe.
He might not act directly, but possessing Xiao Yan's body would be enough to suppress even a Hall Master from the Soul Hall.
They say a starved camel is still bigger than a horse—and in the Dou Sheng realm, each star was a massive gap.
Plus, under the Gu Clan's surveillance, the Soul Hall's leader wouldn't dare touch Starfall Pavilion.
With Xiao Yuan and Yao Lao's current strength, traveling through the tunnel was fast. In less than half an hour, they crossed half of the Central Plains and reached the Pill Tower.
—
At the top floor of the Pill Tower, inside a grand hall—
Xiao Yuan and Yao Lao sat together. Across from them were Xuan Yi, Xuan Kongzi, and Tian Leizi, who stared at Xiao Yuan in surprise.
Even they could feel a strong pressure coming from Xiao Yuan.
And it wasn't Dou Qi—it was soul power!
"You lucky bastard. Reaching Dou Sheng is one thing—but your disciple's soul has already reached Heavenly Perfection?"
Xuan Kongzi sighed in envy.
"It's not just Perfection. It's stronger."
Xuan Yi shook her head.
She had just returned to the Pill Tower, having broken through to Half-Saint thanks to Yao Lao's help and a batch of pills she delivered to Xuan Kongzi and Tian Leizi.
While they were preparing to break through, Yao Lao and Xiao Yuan had shown up.
"Madam Xuan's eye is sharp. I'm at quasi-Emperor soul level—stronger than Heavenly Perfection."
Xiao Yuan smiled.
At this, Tian Leizi and Xuan Kongzi nearly tore out their beards.
Quasi-Emperor?
Even with the "quasi" prefix, anything with the word "Emperor" was in a league of its own!
"Just a stroke of luck—gifts from the ancients."
Xiao Yuan quickly played it down.
"Your luck's better than Yao Chen's! I'm jealous."
Xuan Kongzi sighed bitterly.
He'd trained for decades and hadn't even reached Heavenly Perfection.
This kid had trained less than ten years.
Less than ten years!
He and Tian Leizi exchanged glances, doubting life itself.
"A quasi-Emperor soul… that's comparable to a four-star Dou Sheng, right?"
Xuan Kongzi murmured.
"About that."
Xiao Yuan was confident he could beat a five-star, but without testing it, he remained modest.
"So in all of Pill Tower, Xiao Yuan is second only to the founder."
Tian Leizi added.
"That old guy's still alive?"
Yao Lao raised a brow.
The trio sighed and nodded.
"He's alive—but missing. No news for years. If not for his soul jade still being intact, we'd think he was dead."
"Founder?"
Xiao Yuan perked up curiously.
Xuan Kongzi sighed.
"He's one of the founders of the Pill Tower—and the oldest one alive. But he likes to wander and vanish. Even we've only met him once."
"His favorite hobby is… experiencing life. He finds pregnant women, not for them, but for the unborn child—specifically those who died in the womb. He then uses a special method to enter the womb, be reborn, grow up, live an entire lifetime, then leave the body when it dies."
"According to him, it's how he experiences life and comprehends the Dao."
Xiao Yuan mused. That was indeed an interesting cultivation method. A profound tempering of the heart—but not something he had the patience for.
"That's not all. He isn't even human."
Xuan Kongzi stared at Xiao Yuan.
"His true form… is a pill."
"A pill? Like a Golden Core?"
Xiao Yuan tried to recall. But it certainly wasn't an Emperor-tier pill.
Any pill that had survived a nine-colored lightning tribulation could gain sentience—usually becoming beast-like. But some rare Nine-Rank pills could become fully human and even cultivate.
Still, Xiao Yuan had only read about this in old texts.
"No, not a Golden Core. He was created by one of the Pill Tower's founders. That founder died shortly after refining a Nine-Rank Profound Pill. His remaining soul fused into the pill, mutating it."
"That pill took human form but stayed in the Pill Tower as its guardian. In a way, he was like the founder's alternate self—though the relationship was complex."
"Over time, he saved the Pill Tower many times. Eventually, no one could match his status. But he never cared about that. Once the Tower stabilized, he vanished."
Xuan Kongzi explained.
Xiao Yuan nodded thoughtfully.
A Nine-Rank Profound Pill...
He might try to refine one someday.
But not yet. His soul might suffice, but his technique wasn't ready.
"Let's stop talking about the founder. Who knows where he is now—probably reborn again as a baby."
Xuan Kongzi shook his head, speechless. Last time he saw the man, he looked like a 17-year-old teen.
"But you didn't come here for small talk. Yao Chen, what's the real reason you brought your disciple?"
Yao Lao's smile faded. He grew serious.
"To visit the Little Pill Tower."
The three were stunned.
"You want to enter Little Pill Tower?"
"I need some reference formulas for a Nine-Rank pill. Those old geezers probably have a few. Also, I want Xiao Yuan to gain some experience."
Yao Lao replied.
"With his ability, I think he'll open their eyes instead."
Xuan Yi chuckled.
Xuan Kongzi smiled, stood, and pressed his hand against a smooth wall. A spatial ripple spread—and a portal appeared.
"Let's go."
With a smile, he stepped inside. Xiao Yuan and the others followed. The passage closed behind them, and the wall returned to normal.
(END CHAPTER)
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