Chapter 1104: 12 Pill King Steps
A middle-aged man sneered. “He’s planning his own city—he renamed the Dual River City of the Han Liang empire Mo Yue City. He’s focusing on its construction now and will likely return after the tournament. We simply need to wait there, or along the path.”
“Han Liang empire? The empire that gave the Lan Rock Fire to the Green Pill Sect?” an elder asked.
The middle-aged man nodded. “Precisely. Because of that, the Green Pill Sect gave two spots in the Truth Fall Palace to them. Ye Mo took one, but I was present when the Truth Fall Palace opened. He wasn’t there…”
“I understand,” the elder said, suddenly enlightened. “Infinity Sect’s Yuan Guannan also disappeared there. He was probably killed, and Ye Mo is hiding this. He’s quite possibly the culprit—the man has immense audacity. I’ve never seen a cultivator so bold.”
“Infinity Sect, excellent, excellent…” Tian Ji said, clearly pleased that Ye Mo had offended the Infinity Sect as well.
…A Golden Core state level six cultivator who consumed the Heaven Glory Pill suddenly had his spirit chi form a small whirlpool as his power rapidly increased. Soon, the cultivator howled and stood up. His power and cultivation essence wave clearly indicated he had reached Golden Core state level seven.
“Great pill, great pill…” the Golden Core cultivator exclaimed joyfully.
Shen Guanqing nodded and approached the cultivator. “You just consumed the Heaven Glory Pill and broke through. Tell everyone about your experience.”
“Yes, City Lord Guanqing.” The Golden Core cultivator bowed and addressed the other cultivators. “This is the first time I, Yan Ping, have witnessed such a miraculous pill. I’ve never consumed a Cao Huan Pill, but I’m certain its value is no less. The Heaven Glory Pill has no side effects and uniquely strengthens the spirit sense. With my talent, reaching the Golden Core tertiary stage would have taken eight to ten years, but now I only need one or two months to stabilize my power level. It’s truly a remarkable pill.”
A pill that could reduce ten years of cultivation with no side effects—the crowd erupted.
Shen Guanqing dismissed the Golden Core cultivator and stepped onto the stage. “Everyone, calm down. The pill’s efficacy has been proven; further explanation is unnecessary. You’ve all witnessed it. Now, I will announce the top fifty contestants.”
“Solo cultivator, level seven spirit pill master Luo Xiaomo—full marks for the second round as well, 200 points, rank one…”
“Luo Xiaomo…”
“Luo Xiaomo…”
Countless cultivators saw Luo Xiaomo as an idol and inspiration. Female cultivators enthusiastically called out his name. Having a pill master dual cultivation partner like him would eliminate all cultivation worries.
While South Peace State had many prodigious cultivators, ordinary cultivators were far more numerous. As a solo cultivator who used soul flare to concoct pills, Ye Mo was a tremendous inspiration to them. Countless sects and cultivators planned to contact Ye Mo after the tournament, hoping to make him a guest elder.
Ye Mo breathed slowly. He knew he was only halfway to success. As long as he didn’t fail the third round, even if the Lightning Cloud Sect and the Infinity Sect learned he killed Tian Aofeng and Yuan Guannan, they couldn’t act against him for now. He just needed time. Given enough time, Ye Mo believed he could crush a nine-star sect without relying on the Pill City.
Shen Guanqing continued, “Solo cultivator, level nine spirit pill master Jiu Qian, 90 points for the second round, total points: 180, rank two. Pill City level five pill king Xu Banchang, 78 points for the second round, total points: 155, rank three. Level four pill king Ji Youting, 75 points for the second round, total points: 149.9, rank four…”
But this time, the audience largely ignored the remaining pill masters. Their attention was fixed on Ye Mo.
Despite Ye Mo’s overwhelming popularity, the top fifty pill masters were thrilled. Reaching the top fifty meant not only fame but also fortune.
Luo Xiaomo’s name was previously unknown, yet he’d received full marks for two rounds. After two rounds, he remained the undisputed number one, a topic of intense discussion, his life story and background rapidly spreading among major sects.
…After the second round, only fifty pill masters and pill kings remained on the stage. After the disqualified contestants left, Shen Guanqing continued, “We’ve determined the top fifty pill masters. The additional two rounds were equally exciting. Now, I hope the third round, the most anticipated, will bring even greater fascination from our pill master and pill king contestants.”
A thunderous applause followed. Ye Mo had never seen the twelve Pill King steps and wanted to ask the cultivators beside him, but speaking was prohibited.
Fortunately, Shen Guanqing explained. “Many pill masters and pill kings are participating in this tournament for the first time, so they may not know the twelve Pill King steps, but you'll understand once you see them.”
Then, Shen Guanqing left, and Ye Mo saw Ji Ling and several cultivators, at least above the Body Condensation state, approach where Shen Guanqing had stood. Ji Ling and those cultivators began setting out formation flags. Ye Mo realized there was a formation on the stage—at least level nine, as he couldn't perceive it.
The audience seemed highly excited in anticipation of the twelve Pill King steps. Ye Mo was also curious. He’d heard that in past Pill King tournaments, the top fifty were decided in the first round. What were these twelve Pill King steps?
Soon, he discovered. As more formation flags were deployed, the stage shook violently, and the sound grew louder.
Rumble
A massive ten-meter-tall rock formation suddenly appeared, featuring twelve steps. Steps one through six were yellow; steps seven and above displayed different colors: yellow, red, green, aqua, blue, and purple. Each step was exceptionally wide; even a few hundred pill masters concocting pills simultaneously wouldn't feel cramped.
Seeing this, Ye Mo recalled the rare flame's upgrade. The first level was yellow, changing color with each subsequent upgrade. From low to high levels, the colors corresponded precisely.
Ye Mo subconsciously looked at his level seven spirit pill master badge; it was yellow. He examined others' badges. Those below level four pill king were yellow, with varying shades. Level four pill kings had orange badges, and level five pill king Xu Banchang had a red badge. Ye Mo then looked at Shen Guanqing; his badge was aqua.
The difference between those above and below level four seemed immense.