"That bitch! How could she do something like this?"
Jiang Chen's parents were consumed by fury.
Their son Jiang Chen's fiancée was a woman from the Qin Family of Guyue City, which neighbored Hanwu City.
The two had been betrothed since childhood.
And their son, Jiang Chen, had been quite fond of Qin Muxue, often sending her all sorts of treasures to win her affection.
But his kindness was repaid by having his son's Martial Vein gouged out.
"Damn it! I, Jiang Han, will not let this rest."
Now that he knew the truth, Jiang Han could not tolerate it.
Xiao Yun also ground her teeth, nearly fainting from rage.
"That woman is too vicious!"
"But she has a Seventh-Grade Martial Vein herself. Why would she steal yours?"
Xiao Yun knew that Qin Muxue was a Martial Cultivator with a Seventh-Grade Martial Vein and considerable potential.
The engagement had only been arranged back then because both families saw that Jiang Chen possessed an Eighth-Grade Martial Vein.
"Young Master, the Ginseng Porridge is ready."
Just then, Yiyi walked over, carrying the Ginseng Porridge.
Xiao Yun quickly said to Jiang Han, "Chen'er must be feeling awful right now. We shouldn't disturb him."
"Let's let him rest for a while."
Xiao Yun pulled her husband out of the room.
Yiyi naturally began to feed the porridge to Jiang Chen.
Outside, Xiao Yun said to Jiang Han, "Our son's Martial Vein was stolen, and now the entire clan knows about it."
"Our son has lost his Martial Vein. What will happen to him now?"
It was already a fact. Assigning blame wasn't the most pressing issue; rather, it was Jiang Chen's status in the family and the fact that he might not even live much longer.
The world of Martial Cultivators was incredibly treacherous.
Jiang Han's expression was grim. "As long as I'm here, I will protect our son."
But Xiao Yun sighed.
"I'm afraid that with Chen'er having lost his Martial Vein, your position as Clan Leader will be coveted by others."
Originally, if Jiang Chen had kept his Eighth-Grade Martial Vein, he might have even inherited the position of Patriarch of the Jiang Family in the future.
But now, not only was Jiang Chen in danger, but even the current Patriarch, Jiang Han, found his position threatened.
Just a moment ago, Jiang Han had sought out his clansmen to avenge his son, but very few had responded to his call.
Their intentions were devious; clearly, some clansmen were already eyeing the Patriarch's seat.
He was furious.
He clenched his fists tightly.
"As a man, I won't let you and our son be wronged."
He hugged his wife tightly.
After finishing the bowl of Ginseng Porridge, Jiang Chen felt some strength return to his body.
The Ginseng Porridge was quite effective.
"Help me out of bed," Jiang Chen said to Yiyi.
Yiyi immediately supported Jiang Chen.
"Young Master, be careful."
She was remarkably considerate.
Jiang Chen didn't overthink it and let Yiyi help him out of the room.
He sat down on a chair in the courtyard.
Jiang Chen began to contemplate his life.
'A Martial Cultivator's journey begins with their Martial Vein.'
'If I want to recover now, the first step is to create a Top-Grade Martial Vein.'
He knew he had to forge a Top-Grade Martial Vein as soon as possible.
'For me, this isn't difficult.'
In fact, as the Pill Emperor in his previous life, Jiang Chen had refined countless Elixirs and had always been engrossed in the study of Elixirs.
Logically, enabling an ordinary person to possess a Top-Grade Martial Vein was an act that defied the heavens.
And refining an Elixir for a Top-Grade Martial Vein should have been incredibly difficult.
In reality, the opposite was true.
There's a saying: when things reach an extreme, they reverse.
When something becomes difficult to the extreme, it instead becomes simple.
Jiang Chen had summarized it in four words.
"Return to true simplicity."
That's right, returning to true simplicity.
Originally, he could already refine Ninth-Grade Elixirs.
He had been searching for a method to refine a Tenth-Grade Elixir, always assuming that it would be more complex than a Ninth-Grade Elixir.
But after an unexpected discovery, he realized he was wrong.
The simpler something was, the more truth it contained.
And so, he had created a method to make an Elixir that could produce a Top-Grade Martial Vein.
The Elixir capable of creating a Top-Grade Martial Vein, he named the Unparalleled Pill.
The name was domineering, but the method was, in fact, incredibly simple.
After thinking it through, Jiang Chen rested for a while.
Then he said to Yiyi, "Yiyi, go get my father."
Although the things he needed weren't hard to find, he couldn't move around easily.
Most importantly, some of the materials might be available within the family, and if his father stepped in, they could be gathered quickly.
A short while later, Jiang Han arrived in a hurry.
"Son, you should be resting. Why did you call for me?"
He didn't know that his son had already changed.
Jiang Chen saw the deep worry in his father's eyes and knew he must have run into trouble.
But he didn't expose his secret just yet.
Instead, he said to his father, "Dad, I need a few medicinal ingredients right now. Please help me get them. I have a use for them."
He handed a list he had written to his father.
Jiang Han took one look and was surprised.
"These seem to be materials for Alchemy."
"But they're all the most common ingredients, some are even plants you can find on any roadside."
"What do you need these for?"
He was bewildered.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Dad, just help me get them."
"We can talk about the rest later."
He didn't explain further.
Right now, the priority was to finish creating the Martial Vein.
Jiang Han left, full of questions.
As the Patriarch of the Jiang Family, his efficiency was still very high.
After all, the materials Jiang Chen needed were mostly common things you could grab a handful of from the roadside.
They cost nothing at all.
He just grabbed a few handfuls on his way.
"Son, here are the materials you wanted."
Jiang Han gave the materials to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen nodded.
Then, he said to Jiang Han, "Dad, I imagine things are getting lively in the clan?"
"Have they started making a move against you?"
Jiang Han was shocked.
His son actually knew about this.
It was true. Many within the clan had already started spreading rumors about replacing the Patriarch.
The storm had already begun. He feared that someone would definitely step forward to challenge him at the clan meeting in the next few days.
It was inevitable.
The situation was not in his favor.
His son's Martial Vein had been stolen, yet not a single clansman showed sympathy. They only coveted the Patriarch's position.
He let out a sigh.
He said to Jiang Chen, "Son, don't worry about the clan's affairs."
"Just rest well. As long as I'm here, no one will lay a finger on you," he said with great determination.
Jiang Chen was moved.
He suddenly said to his father, "Dad, just hold on for a few days. I'll give you a surprise in a few days."
Before his father could react, Jiang Chen had Yiyi help him back to his room.
Jiang Han stood there, stunned for a long moment.
He couldn't make sense of his son's behavior at all.
He left with a wry smile.
"Yiyi, bring me a brazier," Jiang Chen ordered.
Yiyi immediately brought the brazier, not even asking what it was for.
Although Jiang Chen was weak, he could at least move his hands and feet.
He had Yiyi set up the brazier.
He lit a fire and began to refine the Unparalleled Pill.
That's right. A brazier and a pile of common materials—this was the secret recipe for refining the Unparalleled Pill.
A secret recipe that countless people in his past life could only dream of obtaining.