64: Chapter 64: One sentence uttered, and everyone was astonished.

It wasn't that he was arrogant; it was simply that the content of these discussions on the Dao was completely insignificant compared to what was described in the Scripture of Alchemy.

Although he had only barely comprehended thirty percent of the first volume, every sentence within that thirty percent was enough to give him the upper hand in this current discussion.

He just didn't want to steal the spotlight.

Just after noon, a figure hurried in from outside the altar. After paying respects to Grand Elder Dan Qingzi, the figure walked toward Zhou Tianchen.

The newcomer was tall and slender, dressed in the distinctive cyan-gray Daoist robes of Medicine King Valley.

He had a handsome face, though his brow carried a hint of travel-worn exhaustion, clearly having just rushed back from outside.

He stopped beside Zhou Tianchen, a smile appearing on his face, his voice clear and filled with familiarity:

“Fellow Daoist Tianchen, long time no see.”

Zhou Tianchen looked up, and upon seeing the newcomer's face clearly, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

He immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said, “Fellow Daoist Cihui!”

Shen Cihui, the young Disciple of Dan Qingzi.

Shen Cihui smiled and sat down beside Zhou Tianchen.

“I was out searching for spiritual plants and herbs. I rushed back as fast as I could and finally made it.”

He paused, looking Zhou Tianchen up and down, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes. “Fellow Daoist Tianchen, your aura is much more Perfected than before. It seems you've had quite the Opportunity over this past half-year.”

Zhou Tianchen smiled slightly.

Shen Cihui patted his shoulder, his tone eager. “In the Alchemy competition the day after tomorrow, you and I must have a proper match.”

“Alright!” Zhou Tianchen replied.

As they were talking, Shen Cihui's gaze inadvertently swept past Zhou Tianchen and landed on Jiang Changge.

The youth in white had a relaxed posture, as if the surrounding clamor had nothing to do with him.

Shen Cihui was slightly stunned and asked in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist Tianchen, is this person also a Disciple from your Zhouwu Dynasty participating in the competition?”

He had never seen this person before.

He knew most of the young Alchemists from the Zhouwu Dynasty, but the one before him was a very unfamiliar face.

Hearing this, Zhou Tianchen's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly stood up and bowed slightly toward Jiang Changge, his tone solemn: “Revered Master, this is Shen Cihui, a Disciple of Senior Dan Qingzi of Medicine King Valley and a friend I made in the past.”

He then turned to Shen Cihui and said seriously, “Fellow Daoist Cihui, this is my Revered Master.”

Shen Cihui was stunned.

Revered Master?

His gaze fell upon Jiang Changge, sizing him up from head to toe.

This youth looked even a few years younger than Zhou Tianchen, yet he was actually Zhou Tianchen's Revered Master?

He was about to say a few polite words when his gaze suddenly froze.

He saw that the seat Jiang Changge occupied was the seat of honor, while the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family was sitting below him with a respectful posture.

Shen Cihui's pupils constricted, and he forced himself to swallow the words that were at the tip of his tongue.

He finally noticed the details he had overlooked just a moment ago.

Shen Cihui's heart jolted. He hurriedly straightened his robes and gave a deep bow toward Jiang Changge:

“Junior Shen Cihui greets Senior. I was rude just now; I hope Senior can forgive me.”

Jiang Changge glanced at him and said in a flat tone, “No need for such formality.”

Shen Cihui straightened up and took half a step back, but a storm was raging in his heart.

Just what was this person's background?

Zhou Tianchen's Revered Master, whom even Ancestor Zhou Huaixu treated with such respect—when did such a figure appear in the Southern Barrens?

He suppressed the shock in his heart and sat back down beside Zhou Tianchen.

Just then, a voice rang out from the altar.

The one speaking was a Loose Cultivator Alchemist.

He stood up from his seat, bowed toward the several Earth Rank Alchemists in the center of the altar, and spoke with a tone that was respectful yet carried a hint of stubbornness:

“Seniors, Junior has a question that has troubled me for decades. Today, I take the liberty of asking for guidance.”

Huo Lingzi tilted his chin. “Speak.”

The Loose Cultivator took a deep breath and spoke slowly, “What exactly is the ultimate peak of the Dao of Alchemy?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the altar fell silent for a moment.

Huo Lingzi frowned slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he was the first to speak: “The ultimate peak of the Dao of Alchemy is to enter the Dao through pills, to prove the Dao through pills, to refine Heaven Rank Medicinal Pills, and to achieve Immortal Ascension.”

His voice was loud and resonant, carrying great weight.

The other Earth Rank Alchemists also spoke up. Although their phrasing differed, the core was largely the same—to enter the Dao through Alchemy, transcend the mortal world, and achieve a celestial rank.

The Alchemists present nodded one after another, their eyes filled with yearning.

Shen Cihui was also listening intently and nodded subconsciously.

He turned to look at Zhou Tianchen beside him, wanting to share some insights, only to see that Zhou Tianchen's expression was calm, even carrying a hint of disapproval.

Shen Cihui was slightly taken aback.

At that moment, Zhou Tianchen spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

“The ultimate peak of the Dao of Alchemy?”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Earth Rank Alchemists on the altar, his tone as calm as water.

“What you all speak of is merely the form of the Dao of Alchemy, not its ultimate peak.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field went silent.

Countless gazes simultaneously turned toward Zhou Tianchen—some shocked, some confused, and some displaying a hint of displeasure.

Huo Lingzi's brow furrowed, and just as he was about to berate this Junior who didn't know the heights of the heavens, Zhou Tianchen continued speaking.

His voice remained calm, yet it carried an indescribable certainty.

“Let Heaven and Earth be the furnace, and Creation be the craftsman. Let Yin and Yang be the charcoal, and the myriad things be the copper.”

These four short lines were like four claps of thunder, exploding one after another within the Hundred Herbs Altar.

Huo Lingzi swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue, his pupils shrinking violently.

Daoist Xuandan stood up abruptly, nearly dropping the horsetail whisk in his hand.

Yun Yin snapped her eyes open, an expression of disbelief appearing on her cold face.

Yang Danzi put down his wine gourd, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

Yao Li's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Zhou Tianchen, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

Shen Cihui was even more shaken, his mind going completely blank.

Those four lines were like a divine revelation, like a morning bell or an evening drum, shattering all his previous understanding of the Dao of Alchemy into pieces.

This... what kind of breadth of mind, what kind of Realm was this!

These four lines directly elevated the Dao of Alchemy to a height he had never even imagined.

The entire Heaven and Earth was a single Pill Furnace!

All things in the world were the medicinal ingredients within that furnace!

Refining pills was not about refining pills; it was about refining Heaven and Earth, refining Creation, refining Yin and Yang, and refining the myriad things!

This wasn't Alchemy; this was—Creation!

A deathly silence filled the altar.

Everyone was stunned by these four lines, unable to speak for a long time.

Huo Lingzi's lips trembled slightly. He wanted to say something, but found he didn't even know what to say.

He had just been talking grandly about the Dao of heat control, believing his understanding of the Dao of Alchemy was already profound.

But before these four lines, his bit of insight was like a firefly before the bright moon, not even worth mentioning.

Daoist Xuandan's face turned shades of blue and white. He had just been discussing compatibility, talking about the roles of Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, and Envoy, and the principles of Mutual Necessity and Mutual Enhancement, believing he had grasped the essence of ingredient pairing.

But the phrase 'the myriad things be the copper' directly crushed his Dao of compatibility into fine powder.

Yun Yin closed her eyes and murmured to herself, repeatedly chewing over these four lines; with every recitation, she gained a bit more enlightenment.

Yang Danzi was uncharacteristically silent. He held his wine gourd, his gaze dull, as if he were still digesting the profound meaning contained in those four lines.

Yao Li took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart, and looked at Zhou Tianchen with a complex gaze.

The Zhou Tianchen he knew—when had he become capable of saying such things?

In the center of the altar, atop the seat of honor.

Dan Qingzi stood up abruptly, and everyone's gaze fell upon him.

The face of this top-tier Heaven Rank Alchemist of the Southern Barrens was flushed, and an unprecedented light burst from his cloudy eyes.

He stared fixedly at Zhou Tianchen, his lips trembling slightly, his voice raspy yet filled with uncontrollable excitement.

“This is the true... essence of the Dao of Alchemy... where its core meaning lies.”

Dan Qingzi's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.