C3 Pill Emperor!

"Wake up!" someone yelled.

Hsiao Rann was jolted awake by the commotion. It sounded like the shout of a young boy, prompting him to furrow his brow in annoyance.

Reluctantly, Hsiao Rann opened his eyes to find himself engulfed in darkness.

"Wasn't I crushed to death by a meteor?" he cried out in alarm. "It's pitch black here. Have I ended up in hell?"

Memories of the moments before he lost consciousness flooded back, and anxiety gripped him. But as unease set in, the boy's voice reached him once more. "Oh, I forgot you're just a regular person," the boy remarked.

Abruptly, a blinding light filled the space. Hsiao Rann instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes. It took a moment, but he eventually adjusted to the light and lowered his arm.

What he saw next left him utterly astonished.

There truly was a young man before him!

Yet, the boy's attire was peculiar. He was dressed in a long robe that seemed ill-fitting for his small frame, and his hair was styled into two topknots.

Hsiao Rann rose to his feet and inquired, "Who are you, kid? Where are your parents?" All the while, his gaze swept over his surroundings.

To Hsiao Rann, the place looked nothing like a hospital but rather like the main hall of a Taoist temple.

Behind the boy stood a colossal Pill Furnace, towering at ten meters, with plumes of green smoke curling from its top. Beyond that, the hall was bare.

Turning to the boy before him, Hsiao Rann asked with a mix of bewilderment and concern, "Why am I not in a hospital, but brought to this place instead?"

The boy, appearing no older than eight or nine, bristled at being called a child. Stamping his foot, he retorted, "You're the child!"

Hsiao Rann's frown deepened, his expression darkening. The boy, however, seemed utterly indifferent to Hsiao Rann's evident displeasure.

Hsiao Rann mused to himself, "This little boy in traditional garb sure lacks manners." Yet, despite his irritation, he didn't take the boy's words to heart. After all, the Daoist boy was just a child.

Upon noticing Hsiao Rann's expression, the Daoist boy challenged, "Why the anger? I might be older than your ancestors. How can you call me a child?"

Hsiao Rann couldn't help but wonder, "Is this Daoist boy actually boasting?"

In that moment, Hsiao Rann felt a twinge of helplessness in the face of the Daoist boy.

Arguing over age with a child who appeared to be no more than seven or eight seemed utterly foolish, so Hsiao Rann dropped the subject. What he really wanted to know was his current location.

"Since you claim to be so much older, you must be quite wise, right?"

With a sycophantic smile, Hsiao Rann gazed at the child and inquired gently, "So, can you tell me where we are? And who brought me here?"

The child's face lit up with pleasure at Hsiao Rann's flattery. He squinted his eyes in delight, taking a moment before opening them again.

"We're in the Pill Hall. I'm the one who brought you here," the Daoist boy said, his head tilting back in pride as if escorting Hsiao Rann to the Pill Hall was a feat of great significance.

"What is the Pill Hall exactly?"

Hsiao Rann looked past the Daoist boy to the enormous pill furnace at the heart of the hall, his face etched with curiosity.

"The Pill Hall is a treasure beyond measure," the Daoist boy said, following Hsiao Rann's gaze to the pill furnace. A look of nostalgia crossed his face.

"It's a peerless treasure, forged by the Pill Sovereign over his lifetime, with his dear friend, the Chengde Immortal Sovereign, dedicating eons to its creation. It has been with its master through the journey of his life."

Hsiao Rann's mouth hung open as he stared at the back of the Daoist boy's head, dumbfounded. The boy's words were beyond anything he could have imagined.

Could the Immortal Sovereign truly exist?

Hsiao Rann had read about Qi Refiners in ancient texts, always believing immortals, gods, and demons to be fabrications of later generations. He had never truly entertained the possibility of their real existence.

Hsiao Rann had a sneaking suspicion that the Daoist boy was telling the truth.

It seemed quite possible, just as the boy had claimed, that he had outlived even Hsiao Rann's ancestors.

"Am I inside the supreme treasure forged by the Pill Sovereign?"

Hsiao Rann inquired again, "And where is the Pill Sovereign now? Who are you, exactly?"

The question caught the Daoist boy off guard, and a look of sorrow crossed his face.

"The Pill Sovereign has passed away."

The Immortal Sovereign can die?

Hsiao Rann's mouth hung open in astonishment. He watched the grieving Daoist boy, unsure of how to offer any words of comfort. It took a good half a minute before the boy's expression of sorrow faded. He fixed his gaze on Hsiao Rann.

"Immortal Sovereigns may not die, but the Pill Sovereign was different. His constant pill refining led to a hidden illness that was incurable."

That was the fate of the Pill Sovereign.

Hsiao Rann nodded in understanding, but soon a new question arose.

"Why is the Pill Hall here, then?"

Hsiao Rann might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had pieced together that the meteor which had struck his back was indeed the Pill Hall the Daoist boy referred to.

"The Pill Hall is exceedingly valuable."

The Daoist boy's gaze lingered on the pill furnace as he spoke with a youthful voice that carried through the air.

"It ranks among the top three treasures in the Three Realms. Not to mention, it was crafted by my master alongside Chengde Immortal Sovereign."

"Should word get out that my master is gone and the Pill Hall masterless, the entire Three Realms would be plunged into a tumultuous struggle for it. So, to maintain peace across the realms, my master expended his entire cultivation to send the Pill Hall to a lower plane before his death."

Hsiao Rann was puzzled. He hadn't anticipated that the Pill Hall, a mere object, could potentially unleash such calamity.

While he was unclear on the expanse of the Three Realms, he surmised that Earth paled in comparison.

He then posed the question, "Do you intend to conceal this treasure as per the Pill Sovereign's last wishes?"

The Daoist boy gave Hsiao Rann a quizzical look before continuing, "I had hoped to conceal it, but alas, I'm unable to do so. Something's amiss with the Pill Hall, but now it's merged with you, indistinguishable from your own being. It has chosen you as its master."

Upon hearing this, Hsiao Rann was rooted to the spot in disbelief. The Daoist boy went on, "Still, there's a silver lining—I won't be trapped here indefinitely. A treasure like this was never meant to lie dormant."

As the Daoist boy spoke, Hsiao Rann noticed his form growing translucent. After just a short conversation, Hsiao Rann could see the massive pill furnace behind the boy's fading figure.

Shock painted Hsiao Rann's face; words failed him. Confronted with such an eerie spectacle, he was at a loss. Yet, the Daoist boy, perceiving Hsiao Rann's concern, offered a reassuring smile. "Rest easy. I am but a false Artifact Spirit, born from the Pill Sovereign's lingering will. To see you inherit the Pill Hall brings me joy. My only wish is that you uphold the Pill Sovereign's legacy, even if you remain a common man all your life."

The Daoist boy's hopeful words lingered as he gazed at Hsiao Rann, his smile softening with a tender gaze akin to that of an elder watching over his kin.

It took a few moments, but as the Daoist boy's silhouette nearly vanished, Hsiao Rann snapped out of his stupor, nodding vigorously. "Elder, have no fear. I will honor your expectations."

Before Hsiao Rann could finish, the Daoist boy had faded away completely. Yet, in those final moments, Hsiao Rann saw a subtle nod from the Daoist boy, an affirmation of his promise.

And then, the Daoist boy was gone, leaving Hsiao Rann alone in the vastness of the Pill Hall, the surreal encounter lingering in the silence.

Hsiao Rann gazed down at his hands in disbelief, struggling to accept the reality of the events that had just unfolded. Yet, what was to come would shake him even more profoundly.

Seconds after the Daoist boy vanished, a solitary Furnace Cauldron within the desolate Pill Hall began to spew forth billows of green smoke. This smoke transformed into a collection of ancient tomes, ethereal yet tangible, hanging in the air. The cursive script inscribed upon their pages was ancient, but Hsiao Rann needed only a glance to grasp their profound meanings.

Contained within these volumes was a wealth of critical knowledge and skills: the Qi Gazing Technique, low-rank pill formulas, the Nine Needles Ten Meridians Life and Death Technique, and more. These were the bedrock of Alchemy practice. Moreover, the tomes held the Pill Sovereign's own reflections—a treasure beyond measure!

Should anyone fully absorb and master the contents of these books, they would rise as the next Pill Sovereign. But for Hsiao Rann, the true fortune lay in the chance to ascend as a Holy Sovereign. The foremost of these ancient books was titled "Qi Gazing Technique."

As Hsiao Rann was enveloped in his astonishment, the Qi Gazing Technique book disintegrated before him, its essence merging into a wisp of green smoke that drifted toward him. "The Qi Gazing Technique is the cornerstone of both Alchemy and the Medical Dao," a voice, laden with mystery, resonated within his mind. A sense of understanding washed over him; his features softened, and his eyes slowly closed as he delved into the depths of Alchemy's wisdom.

One by one, the ancient books dissipated into smoke, etching their knowledge deep within Hsiao Rann's consciousness. A verdant glow emanated from the back of his head, intensifying with each passing moment, accelerating his enlightenment.

The legacy of the Pill Sovereign had not only bequeathed to him the essential lore of Alchemy but had also, subtly and profoundly, expanded the horizons of his thought.