77: Chapter 77 This is the rule, and also reality.

Night fell, and the lights of Medicine King Valley began to shine.

The Hundred Herbs Altar had already changed its appearance.

The bluestone Alchemy platforms from the daytime had been removed, replaced by long tables draped in brocade.

On the long tables, spirit fruits were piled up like small hills, and the medicinal wine in jade pots emitted a mellow aroma that intertwined with the medicinal fragrance permeating the valley, refreshing the heart and spirit.

Lamps of spiritual light floated in mid-air, emitting a soft white glow.

Under the Myriad Spirit Tree in the center of the altar, Disciples of Medicine King Valley were busy shuttling back and forth, delivering various spirit meals to the long tables.

Those spirit meals were all meticulously prepared using rare Spirit Medicine as ingredients, supplemented by the secret cooking methods of Medicine King Valley, and every dish was of great value.

The viewing stands had been rearranged into a banquet, with the seats of various factions arranged in order according to their positions during the day.

This was a once-in-a-century grand event for Medicine King Valley; according to past customs, after the Alchemy Exchange Conference ended, Medicine King Valley would always host a banquet to entertain all guests.

One reason was to fulfill the duties of a host, and the second was to give the Alchemists from various factions a chance to interact.

After all, these Alchemists were usually scattered across the Southern Wasteland, and it was rare for them to gather in one place.

The seats for the Zhouwu Dynasty were set on the east side of the altar, a position that remained conspicuous.

Jiang Changge was still sitting in the main seat, leaning back against the chair, holding a spirit fruit in his hand and taking occasional bites.

His gaze swept casually over the figures clinking glasses in the altar, as if all this bustle had nothing to do with him.

Zhou Tianchen sat on the other side of Jiang Changge; by now, he had changed into a clean cyan robe.

The exhaustion from his Alchemy during the day had long since faded, replaced by a composed and calm demeanor.

In the altar, the banquet had already begun for a while.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, everyone's gaze would unconsciously drift toward the white-clad figure on the east side of the altar.

"Is that Zhou Tianchen's Revered Master?" a Loose Cultivator Alchemist lowered his voice and asked his companion.

"Who else could it be? There isn't a second person in the entire Southern Wasteland who could make Old Ancestor Zhou treat them with such respect."

"But he looks so young, and there is no Spiritual Qi fluctuation on him at all; he looks like an ordinary person."

"What do you know? Once one reaches that Realm, they return to simplicity. You think a Revered Master is someone with overflowing aura and surging spiritual power, but a true Revered Master standing right there, you wouldn't feel a thing."

"That makes sense!"

Similar hushed discussions rose and fell in every corner of the Hundred Herbs Altar.

But most of the crowd's gaze still fell on Zhou Tianchen.

After all, the shock of that Earth Rank Low Stage High Grade Medicinal Pill from the daytime had not yet dissipated, and everyone wanted to see this young man who had created a miracle up close; even just saying a few words to him would be enough to brag about for a long time.

"Fellow Daoist Tianchen!"

A clear voice came from the banquet.

Zhou Tianchen looked toward the sound and saw a young Alchemist dressed in a cyan Daoist robe walking toward him.

The person had a refined face with a scholarly air between his brows, and Zhou Tianchen recognized him.

He was the Alchemist who had refined the Profound Rank Intermediate Stage High Grade Medicinal Pill during the day, a Disciple from a medium-sized faction in the Southern Wasteland.

"I am Wen Ruyu, a Disciple of the Qingxuan Sect. Please forgive my presumption in coming here, Fellow Daoist Tianchen."

Wen Ruyu stopped in front of Zhou Tianchen, cupped his hands in a salute, his posture respectful yet carrying a hint of eagerness.

Zhou Tianchen stood up and returned the salute: "Fellow Daoist Wen is too polite, please sit."

Wen Ruyu's eyes lit up, and he quickly sat down beside Zhou Tianchen, his gaze full of admiration: "Fellow Daoist Tianchen, I witnessed that Earth Rank Medicinal Pill during the day with my own eyes, and I still feel shocked even now."

"Refining an Earth Rank Low Stage High Grade pill at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, with natural dao rhyme—this is likely unprecedented in the history of Alchemy in the Southern Wasteland."

Zhou Tianchen shook his head slightly, his tone indifferent: "Fellow Daoist Wen overpraises me; it was merely luck."

Wen Ruyu waved his hands repeatedly and said earnestly: "Fellow Daoist Tianchen, you are too modest. Luck cannot refine an Earth Rank Medicinal Pill, nor can it create natural dao rhyme."

Zhou Tianchen smiled slightly and did not reply.

Wen Ruyu did not mind and said a few more complimentary words before standing up to take his leave.

He was the first, but not the last.

As soon as Wen Ruyu left, several other Alchemists rose from their seats and walked toward Zhou Tianchen.

"Fellow Daoist Tianchen, I am Chen Xuan of the Xiayun Sect. I have long admired your name!"

"Fellow Daoist Tianchen, I am Liu Ruyan of the Biluo Sect. May I ask a few questions regarding Alchemy?"

"Fellow Daoist Tianchen..."

For a time, Zhou Tianchen was surrounded by seven or eight Alchemists, unable to keep up with them all.

Some of those Alchemists came from major Sects, some from small and medium-sized families, and there were also a few Loose Cultivators.

Their Alchemy proficiency ranged from Profound Rank Low Stage to Profound Rank Advanced Stage.

Yet at this moment, they had all laid down their airs and were eagerly asking Zhou Tianchen for guidance.

Zhou Tianchen responded to them one by one, his attitude composed, neither arrogant nor servile.

In the circle of Alchemy, strength is everything; if you refine a Profound Rank Medicinal Pill, others treat you as a peer; if you refine an Earth Rank Medicinal Pill, others treat you as a Senior.

This is the rule, and also reality.

Shen Cihui sat at the Medicine King Valley seats not far away, watching the figure of Zhou Tianchen surrounded by the crowd. He lifted his wine cup, took a light sip, and a flash of complexity crossed his eyes, but it was mostly relief.

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu sat upright below Jiang Changge, his expression calm, but his gaze occasionally swept over the gazes cast toward this side.

He could feel that among those gazes, many were falling on him—or to be precise, on the white-clad figure beside him.

Just then, a figure rose from under the Myriad Spirit Tree in the center of the altar and walked slowly toward the seats of the Zhouwu Dynasty.

In the altar, the Alchemists who were clinking glasses all stopped their movements, their gazes uniformly cast toward the grey-clad figure.

Dan Qingzi—a Heaven Rank Alchemist, the titan of Alchemy in the Southern Wasteland.

Everyone's gaze followed Dan Qingzi's footsteps, watching him stop in front of the Zhouwu Dynasty's seats, watching his gaze fall on that white-clad figure.

"Senior."

Dan Qingzi spoke, his voice hoarse but carrying a rare hint of respect.

"I am presumptuous, but may I share a cup with you, Senior?"

Jiang Changge raised his eyes and took a look at Dan Qingzi.

Dan Qingzi stood before him, his posture respectful, his gaze carrying a hint of eagerness as well as a hint of trepidation, as if a student were standing before a teacher.

Jiang Changge put down the spirit fruit in his hand, picked up the wine cup in front of him, and raised it slightly toward Dan Qingzi.

"Please."

A single word, light as a cloud.

Dan Qingzi was overjoyed and quickly took a wine cup from a Medicine King Valley Disciple beside him, holding it with both hands, and gently clinked it against Jiang Changge's wine cup.

"Clink!"

The crisp sound of the clinking glasses echoed in the silent Hundred Herbs Altar.

Dan Qingzi drained the wine in his cup; as the liquid entered his throat, a wave of warm Spiritual Qi spread through his body. He put down the cup and bowed deeply to Jiang Changge.

"Thank you for your favor, Senior."

Jiang Changge nodded slightly and also finished the wine in his cup.

Dan Qingzi straightened up but had no intention of leaving.

He sat down in the seat beside Ancestor Zhou Huaixu, his gaze falling on Jiang Changge, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Ancestor Zhou Huaixu took a look at him, a flash of realization crossing his eyes.

This old fellow was probably just like him, wanting to ask the Senior for some guidance.