Majestic Mount Tai loomed above all, reigning supreme among the mountain range that surrounded it like loyal vassals. Its awe-inspiring presence alone made it the undisputed sovereign of the peaks.
Even though the Huo family held the most power in Taishan Market, no one dared to disrespect the Kang family of Taishan. After all, the Kang family’s ancestors hailed from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, their background was deeply rooted. This entire market town was named after the Kang family’s ancestral land.
A sound-transmitting paper crane, riding on a swift wind, quickly slipped into the formation mid-mountain. Not long after, someone approached Kang Dongyue with the message.
"Grandfather, a message from Golden Stone Pavilion, someone wants to sell pills."
Kang Dongyue frowned. "Wasn’t there an elder stationed at the pavilion? Xianqiong, stop running to me with every little thing. You should be learning to take over family matters by now."
Kang Xianqiong replied helplessly, "This time, they specifically asked for you by name to do the appraisal."
Hm?
"A first-tier supreme-grade pill. And it seems there are many of them!" As she spoke, Kang Xianqiong took out a pink jade bottle.
Surprised, Kang Dongyue carefully uncorked the bottle. A wave of heated, agitating pill fragrance immediately spread outward.
His brow twitched and instantly held his breath. The young woman beside him wasn’t as cautious. After inhaling just one breath, her heartbeat involuntarily surged with excitement.
"This is... a Myriad Wonders pill?" Kang Dongyue muttered, then seemed to fall into thought.
"Looks like that young friend from Dahe Market has arrived. I didn’t expect his alchemy to progress so swiftly, supreme-grade pills in just a few short years. Now that Dahe Market has changed, he’s probably trying to use these pills to seek the Kang family’s protection.
"With such outstanding alchemical talent, perhaps I can..." As he muttered to himself, he suddenly sensed an ambiguous atmosphere in the air.
He turned his face sharply to the side.
His granddaughter Kang Xianqiong’s cheeks were flushed, her gaze hazy and her watery eyes almost seemed to glisten with thread-like allure. One of her hands had unconsciously drifted toward her heaving chest.
"Utterly disgraceful!" With a stern shout, he flicked a splash of water onto Kang Xianqiong’s face.
Splash!
Kang Xianqiong jolted and snapped back to her senses in confusion. Seeing her grandfather’s dark expression, she immediately shivered.
"I-I..."
"What do you mean you?!" Kang Dongyue glared at her, deeply disappointed. "You’ve cultivated too quickly and neglected your mental discipline! If you can’t even resist this tiny wisp of pill fragrance, how can you inherit the Kang legacy? Even Huo Hu from the Huo family has returned from the Flame Alliance already reached Foundation Establishment Realm... and you’re still stuck at Qi-Refining..."
He scolded her endlessly, leaving Kang Xianqiong with a trembling lip, nearly in tears. As a girl, in the presence of her most trusted and powerful grandfather, she had let her guard down completely.
Who would’ve thought the pill would be so... indecent and provocative? Just a single breath had stirred her body. And now she was getting scolded for it.
"All this crying, clearly, I’ve spoiled you too much."
Hmph!
"Three months of confinement at the Cliff of Reflection!" With a flick of his sleeve, Kang Dongyue turned and left without another word.
Judging by the direction of his escape light, he was clearly headed straight for Taishan Market below the mountain. Kang Xianqiong puffed up her cheeks in frustration, her little face round and taut with anger.
"It’s all that damn alchemist’s fault! Made me embarrass myself so badly in front of Grandpa!
"Just wait till I find out who you really are—"
After venting her anger, Kang Xianqiong obediently began walking toward the Cliff of Reflection.
Halfway there, her eyes spun with a clever glint.
"Three months... but he never said which day it starts. I’ll just go pick up a few daily necessities first, totally normal, right?"
Hehe! She let out a sneaky giggle, then rode her enchanted flying artifact and quietly descended Mount Tai.
***
"Young friend, long time no—Eh? You are?"
Inside the second-floor Honored Guest Hall of the Golden Stone Pavilion. Kang Dongyue hesitated as he stared at the man before him.
Luo Chen wiped his face, dissolving the altered features from his concealment and revealing his true appearance. He smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Senior, it's been a while!"
"You—!" Kang Dongyue’s expression shifted instantly as he stared at Luo Chen in disbelief.
Not because of the disguise technique but because of the spirit power Luo Chen now radiated. It was unmistakably the same stage as his own Foundation Establishment Realm. Though a bit lower than his own stage, it was still undeniably the real second stage of Foundation Establishment!
How many years had it even been! He still remembered when they first met, Luo Chen had been at most fourth or fifth stage Qi-Refining!
Kang Dongyue’s mind went dazed for a moment.
Even after they sat down and Luo Chen began reminiscing with him, he still hadn’t quite recovered. With such cultivation speed, even in a major sect, he’d be treated as a True Inheritor or even a Dao Scion!
"Senior?
"Don’t call me ‘Senior’ anymore. Now that you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, we’re fellow cultivators. Just call me Fellow Daoist." Despite his amazement, Kang Dongyue quickly regained his composure.
Looking at Luo Chen, he sighed in admiration and nodded repeatedly. "No wonder you could refine a supreme-grade Myriad Wonders pill. So you’ve already reached Foundation Establishment, you're probably ready to try second-tier pills now, aren’t you?"
Try? I’ve already done it. thought Luo Chen.
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "You flatter me, senior. It’s been years, and you’ve improved as well. You’re already in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment now!"
Nothing wrong with exchanging compliments. Flattery? That’s just part of the game. Everyone knows how to toss around a few pretty words.
Kang Dongyue sighed inwardly. His progress was nothing to boast about. He had already been at the third stage of Foundation Establishment when he went to Dahe Market. Only after acquiring a large amount of cultivation resources from the auction had he barely advanced to the mid-stage over the past two years.
"Let’s cut the pleasantries!" Kang Dongyue took out the pink jade bottle. "I already evaluated this pill on the way here. It truly is supreme-grade. The medicinal power is remarkable, an ordinary Qi-Refining cultivator would be affected just by inhaling the fragrance.