521: Chapter 521 Mystic Pill Pavilion

The Imperial Capital.

The Third Prince's residence.

The cat in the Third Prince's arms had changed again. A white Persian cat with heterochromatic eyes curled up nervously in his embrace, maintaining a "well-behaved" appearance as it allowed the Third Prince to stroke it.

He lay on his side on a soft couch placed in the pavilion, eyes squinted with a look of complete contentment.

"Is everything settled?"

"It is settled."

The manager kneeling outside the pavilion hurried to respond.

The Third Prince waved his hand, dismissing the manager.

The old man in the black cloak beside him smiled and said, "In that case, as expected, no one dares to kick a man while he's down anymore."

"The hearts of these people could never truly be united anyway." Now that the deadlock was broken, the Third Prince's tone was much lighter. He continued, "Blessing is where misfortune lurks, and misfortune is where blessing hides."

"Although I came out on the losing end in the previous dispute, I also took the opportunity to purge quite a few factions."

"They wanted to use me as a blade and reap the benefits while I did the work? Well, let's see if they can even wield this blade of mine. If they cut themselves, that's none of my business."

"But the best part was taking the chance to win over some Pill Refining Noble Families who wanted to take a gamble. Although these Noble Families aren't as good as the others, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse."

"It's still much better than us going to Da Gan to find those second or third-rate Alchemist factions."

"The crisis has passed, the ship on the river has stabilized, and it's time to reward the friends who stayed in the same boat. The next focus will be to support these Noble Families; tilt more resources toward them."

"Let them grow strong."

"Additionally, have these families establish a new Alchemist faction. I want to dig out the very roots of the Spirit Pill Hall!"

The cat in his arms relaxed its nerves under his touch, letting out a comfortable purr.

The Third Prince chuckled. "Doesn't the Spirit Pill Hall look down on me? No matter. Then there's no need for the Spirit Pill Hall to exist. I will make my Alchemy faction surpass them."

"Once I succeed, I see no need for Da Gan to have a Spirit Pill Hall. What use is such a loose faction that maintains neutrality and lacks reverence for imperial power?"

The old man nodded. "Your Highness is absolutely right. However, supporting these Noble Families isn't something that happens overnight. The reason they gradually declined is, fundamentally, a lack of high-level Alchemists who can carry the heavy burden."

"That point will be difficult to manage."

The Third Prince pondered.

After a long while, he said, "I'll make a trip to the palace. I remember my mother once did a favor for a palace Alchemist; I'll go call in some favors."

"Is that wise?" The old man frowned. "His Majesty is suspicious. If you use this palace Alchemist, it will inevitably arouse His Majesty's suspicion, and he might even be annoyed that Your Highness is reaching into the palace."

"It might backfire..."

"It's nothing." Since there were no outsiders here, the Third Prince spoke bluntly. "To my Imperial Father, we sons and daughters are just Gu he's raising."

"How could he easily give up on a Gu like me? I think he would be willing to give me such an opportunity."

The old man in the cloak was still somewhat worried, but seeing that the Third Prince didn't want to discuss it further, he dropped the subject.

"Your Highness, if you can persuade that palace Alchemist, we'll have someone to represent us. Then, creating a new Alchemy faction shouldn't be difficult."

"Has Your Highness thought of a name for this new Alchemy faction?"

The Third Prince stood up, holding the cat with one hand. He picked up a brush with his right hand and gave it a light flick. Ink splattered, gradually forming three words in the air: Wonderful Elixir Pavilion!

...

"Wonderful Elixir Pavilion?"

Inside the room.

Jiang Ning was stunned when he heard the news from Qing Dai.

Spirit Pill Hall, Wonderful Elixir Pavilion—this Third Prince was directly declaring war on the Spirit Pill Hall!

Qing Dai said, "Yes, the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion. On the surface, it's an Alchemist faction founded by the Liu and Sun Families along with other small Alchemy families. But anyone who understands the depths of this knows that the Great Buddha sitting behind this Wonderful Elixir Pavilion is the Third Prince."

Jiang Ning frowned. "If it's just the Liu and Sun Families—two bottom-tier Noble Families—initiating and co-founding it, at most, it's just a first-rate Alchemist faction."

"Compared to the Spirit Pill Hall, first-rate isn't enough! It has to be a top-tier power."

"Is this all the Third Prince has up his sleeve?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. After Jiang Ning said "Come in," Yun Qingqing walked into Jiang Ning's room in a huff.

Qing Dai brewed tea for Yun Qingqing and brought out some of the snacks she liked.

Jiang Ning asked, "What happened? What could make you this angry?"

Yun Qingqing frowned and didn't speak.

She took a sip of tea.

She wanted to eat a snack, picked one up, but then put it back down.

This shocked everyone in Jiang Ning's room.

Yun Qingqing said, "I'm so full of anger I can't eat any of this."

Jiang Ning smiled. "Is it because of the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion?"

"You know about it too!"

Yun Qingqing stared at Jiang Ning.

Shen Jinhuan walked to Jiang Ning's side and sat down calmly. She poured tea for Jiang Ning and didn't say a word, just listening intently to their conversation.

Jiang Ning: "I've heard of it, but the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion can't compare to the Spirit Pill Hall. The Elders of the Spirit Pill Hall alone are living advertisements, not to mention having a big shot like Elder Dan presiding over it."

"Furthermore, there are secret methods like the Ascension Spirit Secret Method."

"No matter how you look at it, the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion has no chance of winning."

"You don't know?" Yun Qingqing was surprised, then realized. "Right, you probably can't get news from the palace at the Spirit Pill Hall. My Family learned through their channels that a palace Alchemist is going to hold the title of Pavilion Master at the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion."

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow.

Yun Qingqing continued to explain, "This palace Alchemist is named Quiet, and he is an Alchemist of extremely high rank! Although his strength isn't equal to the Hall Master, he is much higher than those from the Noble Families."

"Even among the palace Alchemists, he can be considered outstanding. His rank is second only to the Great Master Alchemist who attends to the Emperor!"

"With him as the Pavilion Master, the level of the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion rises significantly all at once."

"And I heard that Quiet will also be teaching at the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion. The specific rules haven't been found out yet."

Jiang Ning said, "So with Quiet as the Pavilion Master, the heads of the Liu and Sun Families will be the Deputy Pavilion Masters?"

"Correct!" Yun Qingqing said, feeling tired. She picked up the snack she hadn't eaten and popped it into her mouth. After quickly finishing one, she said, "Palace Alchemists have a special status after all."

"The Third Prince must have used immense effort to invite Quiet to preside over it, but Quiet can only hold a nominal position. The Wonderful Elixir Pavilion will still be controlled by the heads of the Liu and Sun Families."

Jiang Ning analyzed, "In that case, although the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion isn't as good as the Spirit Pill Hall, it now has the potential for competition. The Third Prince has solved the initial problem of not having a big shot to oversee things."

"Some Alchemists who haven't joined the Spirit Pill Hall will definitely join the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion. The beginning of a faction is the most beneficial time. The Third Prince will have no problem using some methods to keep those Alchemists."

"More importantly, some Pill Refining Noble Families who are still in the Spirit Pill Hall but have been wavering might defect once they see the tangible benefits offered by the Third Prince."

"Of course, all of this is on the premise that the Spirit Pill Hall doesn't take any action to respond."

"Right now, the Spirit Pill Hall is going to establish an academy. This looks much more attractive than the Wonderful Elixir Pavilion."

Especially since Elixir Patrol used a volume of the 'Ascension Spirit Secret Method' to firmly hook these Pill Refining Noble Families onto the great ship of the Spirit Pill Hall.