7: Chapter 7 Pill King Competition

[A year later, you finally achieved a Breakthrough to the Dark Realm.]

[You now feel terrifyingly strong.]

["I am a Dark Realm expert now!" you shouted in the Cultivation room.]

[Even Mu Xue looked at you with newfound respect; she was still at the Peak of the Transcendent Realm, having yet to achieve a Breakthrough to the Innate Realm.]

["Don't tell me you still won't have achieved a Breakthrough by the time I reach the Innate Realm," you mocked her.]

[You were punched by Mu Xue and couldn't stand up, clutching your stomach.]

["Trash," she said, rolling her eyes at you again.]

["The Ming Realm and Dark Realm are both ordinary Realms, but the Transcendent Realm is a massive Breakthrough. Forget it, you'll understand when you finally achieve a Breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm," Mu Xue paused before continuing, "As for the Innate Realm, it can also be called a Martial Arts Grandmaster. In this world of Martial Artists, they are figures capable of founding sects and establishing lineages. It's not that easy to achieve a Breakthrough to that level."]

[You didn't speak, just clutched your stomach, feeling the pain.]

[Two more years passed, and you finally reached the Peak of the Dark Realm. You felt stuck, unable to achieve a further Breakthrough no matter how you Cultivate, unable to reach the Transcendent Realm.]

[You were now twenty-five. Thinking about the events twenty-five years from now when cracks would appear in the sky, you felt a bit afraid.]

[Another year passed, and you still hadn't achieved a Breakthrough; you were still at the Peak of the Dark Realm. You felt a bit depressed, but fortunately, Mu Xue hadn't achieved a Breakthrough either. Four years ago, she claimed to be at the Peak of the Transcendent Realm, and she still was.]

[You had originally wanted to wait until you achieved a Breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm to properly mock her, but you hadn't achieved it.]

[What a pity, you thought.]

"It took a year to achieve a Breakthrough to the Ming Realm, and then three years without another Breakthrough?" Lin Heng said.

He didn't know if this speed was considered fast or slow in the world of Martial Artists, but he should be considered a Prodigy, right? His 182 Talent points should be considered quite high.

[You began to accept missions from the Dragon Group. Dragon Group members are required to complete at least one mission every year, though you didn't know why there were no strict requirements for you in this regard.]

["Big Brother Team Leader Bai Ran," you said to a member of the Dragon Group.]

["Brother Lin Heng!" Team Leader Bai Ran said, cupping his hands in a salute.]

["I wonder why Comrade Lin Heng is looking for me?" Team Leader Bai Ran asked.]

[This was the first time Team Leader Bai Ran had interacted with you, but he had long known of you. Reaching the Peak of the Dark Realm in three years made you a top-tier Prodigy within the entire Dragon Group.]

["It's like this, Senior Brother. I heard that Danwang Valley will be holding the Pill King Competition in a while, inviting Prodigies from all over the Dragon Kingdom to compete. I heard that Big Brother Team Leader Bai Ran is in charge of this for our Dragon Group," you leaned in close to Team Leader Bai Ran, "I was wondering if this little brother might have a chance to participate."]

["I see. That's not impossible. Brother Lin Heng, you aren't over thirty-five, are you?" Team Leader Bai Ran said.]

[You nodded, "I'm only twenty-six this year. That should be fine, right?"]

["Hmm, well then, I'll send you a form when the time comes, just fill it out," Team Leader Bai Ran said.]

["Then thank you, Big Brother Team Leader Bai Ran!" you said.]

["That's not necessary. I just ask that when Brother Lin Heng becomes successful in the future, don't forget about me," Team Leader Bai Ran said.]

["Understood, understood. 'If we become rich and famous, let us not forget each other,' right?" you said.]

[The Pill King Competition is held by Danwang Valley every five years. The top three finishers get the opportunity to enter the ancestral Spirit Liquid Pool of Danwang Valley.]

[Even those who don't place in the top three can receive Medicinal Pills refined by the Pill King, and participating in this conference also earns Dragon Group points.]

[There are about ten days left until the Pill King Conference.]

[You don't plan to Cultivate anymore; your cultivation has not budged for a year.]

[You went to find Mu Xue. She had just finished a mission, seemingly related to some Western vampires, but you didn't pay much attention to it.]

[Anyway, since the Dragon Kingdom has Martial Artists, it's no big deal if the West has vampires.]

"Vampires?" Lin Three in the simulator didn't care, but Lin Heng himself was very concerned.

However, what he was concerned about wasn't vampires. Lin Heng thought, if vampires exist, then could there also be succubi?

Thinking of this, Lin Heng felt his tower reacting again.

["What?"]

["You are also going to participate in the Pill King Conference?"]

[You were shocked when you heard Mu Xue's words.]

[Mu Xue, filled with Life Qi, punched towards you, but this time you caught it.]

[She glanced at you and smashed a more powerful fist towards you, which you caught with your palm again.]

[You felt all the bones in your palm shatter.]

["No, why are you using so much force?" you shouted at her while shaking your hand.]

["It's because you are too much of a trash," Mu Xue said, still holding a lollipop, looking cold and arrogant, "And it's not a big deal anyway."]

[However, she was right about this point; it really wasn't a big deal. The Dragon Group's medical level was extremely superb; even if your arm fell off, it could be restored to its original state within an hour.]

[Dragon Group members often spar with each other, and sometimes having all the bones in the body shattered is common.]

[You have seen it many times, but you have never participated once.]

[The reason is simple: you are afraid of pain.]

"Coward!" Lin Heng's eyes were full of contempt.

Having finally become a Martial Artist, yet because of being afraid of pain, he didn't dare to spar with others.

In his heart, he was full of contempt for such people.

["And what do you mean I can't participate?" Mu Xue looked at you with a cute, fierce expression.]

[According to your understanding, the presiding judge of the Pill King Competition only had strength around the Middle Stage of the Transcendent Realm, while Mu Xue was already at the Peak of the Transcendent Realm. Isn't this an adult bullying children?]

["I'm only twenty-five years old, I can still participate several more times!" Mu Xue said to you, "And don't you know? I was the champion of the previous two Pill King Conferences."]

[Mu Xue said this with a proud face.]

[You looked at her with contempt.]

[This kind of behavior is called bullying the weak.]

["Is there no regulation in the Pill King Competition about what cultivation level cannot participate?" you sighed. No need to guess, the champion of this year's Pill King Conference would be Mu Xue again.]

["None." Mu Xue shook her head, looking indifferent.]

["Then what if someone reached the Martial Arts Saint level at thirty-five, then..." you thought about it and felt it was funny.]

[You suddenly thought of a novel you read, where a certain male protagonist, after becoming a god, still hadn't exceeded the age limit for participating in their continent's elite competition.]

[Others were shouting there, "I am Level XXX," but he could directly say there that he was a god, shocking the continent for ten thousand years.]

["If you had that ability, would the Pill King Competition dare not let you participate?" Mu Xue said, "A Martial Arts Saint, honestly, I don't even know if I can achieve a Breakthrough to the Innate Realm by thirty-five."]

[You didn't speak.]

[Now, after Cultivating, you know that what Mu Xue said is a fact.]

[The Innate Realm is also known as a Grandmaster; there is a saying in the world of Martial Artists.]

[Below the Grandmaster, all are ants.]

[Ten days later, the Pill King Competition was held.]