Chapter 3168: What Divine Operation Is This? Honorary Elder! Inherent...

What on earth is this!

That fellow Wang Teng keeps churning out giant pills at every turn—could he perhaps harbor some peculiar obsession?

Amidst their speechless bewilderment, the expressions of the crowd grew even more bizarre as they looked toward Elder Dan Chen, burning with the desire to ask Him:

—Was this taught to Wang Teng by someone?

Could it be some special heritage?

One dedicated solely to refining giant pills?

Yet, despite the vast epochs they had lived through, they had never heard of such an eccentric alchemical legacy.

"Do not look at me, for I know nothing of it either," Elder Dan Chen said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

Did he not know that Wang Teng was an oddity?

But what recourse was there.

The other party had completely vanished down this road with no intention of returning, and no amount of pulling could bend him back.

He wished to counsel the youth, to urge him toward normalcy, yet the words simply failed to leave His mouth.

Wang Teng's alchemical path held no errors whatsoever, nor had he strayed onto an evil track.

At most, he had merely taken a bit of a shortcut.

Furthermore, it was undeniable that the speed of refining such giant pills was truly enviable; even He desired to learn it.

How could one offer counsel in light of that?

"Ahem~"

Elder Tambeli let out a dry cough and said, "None of that matters."

"What truly matters is that Wang Teng's attainment has already reached such a height, which is undoubtedly magnificent!"

"Yes! Quite so! Indeed!" The crowd chimed in one after another, voicing their agreement.

As for the giant pills and the like, they simply brushed the matter aside without another word.

Harmless enough!

Perfect harmless!

"By the way, that Three Flower Jade Dew Pill refined by Wang Teng possesses ten-tenths medicinal potency, and it has given birth to a pill spirit!"

Elder Dan Chen seemed to have just recalled this detail, speaking once more in a deep, solemn voice.

"!!!"

Every single person was struck with shock anew, staring at Elder Dan Chen as though they had seen a ghost, their hearts filled with an even deeper sense of the inconceivable.

Ten-tenths medicinal potency!

A pill spirit!

These two pieces of information left the elders and grand elders present at the sub-profession alliance headquarters completely dazed and disoriented.

Even divine-grade and saint-grade sub-professionals rarely bore witness to such a phenomenon.

In the history of the sub-profession alliance headquarters, pills of ten-tenths medicinal potency were not entirely unprecedented.

Yet what Elder Dan Chen spoke of at this moment was a Saint-Grade Four-Tribulation pill!

The grade of the pill was simply too high!

Such a circumstance was undoubtedly exceedingly rare.

Moreover, this pill had manifested a pill spirit, rendering it a wonder seldom seen in the world.

To hear initially that Wang Teng could refine a Saint-Grade Four-Tribulation pill was already astonishing enough, but it turned out that this was merely the beginning.

The truly astounding revelation lay in what followed.

If they guessed correctly, that Three Flower Jade Dew Pill must have been Wang Teng's first attempt at refining it.

To achieve ten-tenths medicinal potency on the very first try, and to birth a pill spirit besides—what sort of divine artifice was this?

Those present looked at one another in mutual dismay, rendered somewhat speechless, at a loss for what to say.

After a long silence.

"Elder... Elder Dan Chen, you are surely not joking?"

An elder finally could not help but speak up, seeking confirmation.

Elder Dan Chen smiled faintly; He knew well that the crowd would be incredulous, and with a grand wave of His hand.

A light screen materialized before everyone, displaying the very image of His prior communication with Wang Teng.

Within it, the exact condition of that Three Flower Jade Dew Pill was vividly revealed.

A colossal pill filled the vision of all present, its surface bearing ten clear, mysterious pill veins.

Concurrently, a highly singular aura diffused around the pill, a resonance that the crowd could perceive even across the barrier of the screen.

"Hiss~"

Someone drew in a sharp breath of cold air, though it remained uncertain who.

Many finally recovered themselves, their eyes fixed with wonder upon the massive pill as they remarked, "What powerful spiritual resonance!"

"This is far more complex than a 'spirit' merely being born; the 'spirit' of this pill is remarkably potent."

"Truly a rare sight; a pill so freshly refined could actually birth such a powerful spiritual aura."

"Just how was this accomplished?"

……

The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion, no longer able to maintain their composure.

Elder Dan Chen gazed at the pill, a touch of complexity shifting within His own eyes as He said:

"Indeed, when I first beheld this pill, I too was thoroughly startled."

"Now you all should understand just how formidable Wang Teng's alchemical attainment truly is."

Everyone fell into silence.

Though they had already held a supreme estimation of Wang Teng's talent, it now appeared they had still underestimated him.

A monster!

An absolute monster!

The presence of such a monster, endowed with unparalleled talent in the sub-professions, was nothing short of a monumental blessing for the sub-profession alliance.

"I assent to granting Wang Teng the position of Elder!"

An elder seemed to make up his mind instantly, speaking up without delay.

"Yes! I assent as well!"

"With Wang Teng's talent and contributions, he is well worthy of becoming an Elder."

"We cannot allow such a heavenly genius to slip away; we must bind him deeply to the sub-profession alliance, and the position of Elder is an absolute necessity."

"Yet Wang Teng is still too young. I propose we establish a post of Honorary Grand Elder, retaining the stipends of a Grand Elder while curtailing some of his authority."

"An Honorary Grand Elder?!"

"That is indeed feasible. Given Wang Teng's current strength, he truly lacks the weight to fully command the masses, so a reduction in authority is quite fitting."

"As long as the benefits are there, it suffices!"

...

In an instant, the Grand Elders and elders of the Secondary Profession Alliance present spoke up one after another, agreeing to grant Wang Teng the position of Honorary Grand Elder.

In the end, not a single person opposed!

It was truly the unanimous desire of the people!

Grand Elder Dan Chen looked upon this scene, a smile of profound relief gracing his heart.

Though there were struggles for power and profit within the Secondary Profession Alliance, when it came to the grand direction, no one dropped the ball.

This was excellent!

At the very least, regarding Wang Teng's matter, he could see that everyone's thoughts were perfectly aligned.

Wang Teng's path within the Secondary Profession Alliance would surely lead much further in the future.

If he held the position of a Grand Elder today, his achievements tomorrow might well surpass his own.

Grand Elder Dan Chen held great anticipation in his heart.

As for it being merely an Honorary Grand Elder, which fell slightly short of a true Grand Elder, he did not particularly mind.

Just as the others said, Wang Teng's strength was still a bit lacking, and he feared it would be difficult to convince everyone, so reducing his authority slightly was indeed the optimal choice.

"Very well. Since that is the case, I shall announce this within the Secondary Profession Alliance and bestow this position of Honorary Grand Elder upon Wang Teng."

Grand Elder Dan Chen surveyed his surroundings and spoke.

The crowd harbored no objections, merely nodding their heads slightly.

...

On the other side, far away within the Great Gan Empire of the Flowing Light Domain, the empire's high officials also beheld Wang Teng's military merit ranking.

The eight great royal families!

And even the imperial family of the Great Gan Empire!

Every single one was struck with profound shock, falling into a long, deep silence.

The entire Great Gan Empire was shaken by this matter, as though a catastrophic earthquake had struck the realm.

The impact of this event was simply too immense.

Even when Wang Teng became a Seven-Path Saint, the influence had not been this vast.

A Seven-Path Saint, in the end, was merely a Saint-level secondary profession expert, still insufficient to sway the foundations of an empire.

After all, the status of a secondary practitioner lay within their craft, and while they could summon powerful experts to do their bidding,

To shake the core of an empire was undoubtedly a pipe dream.

The Great Gan Empire could stand tall in the Flowing Light Domain across countless eras and become one of its three titanic factions.

Its hidden heritage was bound to be terrifyingly immense.

However.

The present Wang Teng was entirely different.

The sheer weight of taking the top spot on the military merit ranking was terribly immense, obvious without a second thought.

Not to mention that the ones ranked directly beneath Wang Teng were none other than two True God level existences.

In the entire Great Gan Empire, the number of True God level existences that could be found was scarce.

Now, Wang Teng had actually surpassed True Gods.

Though it was merely a surpass in military merit, not in absolute strength.

Yet for a World Master level martial artist, this was already terrifying beyond measure.

Furthermore, the meaning contained within this was extraordinarily unusual.

Military merit represented honor!

It was also the elevation of status!

Behind that ranking, it was no longer a simple matter of merit points, but a truly unparalleled, matchless influence.

At the center of the Great Gan Empire's imperial capital, the massive palace complex representing the imperial family stood in quiet grandeur.

Lofty halls and palaces, a brilliant imperial majesty!

Gazing from afar, the palaces resembled a gigantic beast crouching amidst the clouds and mist, its aura boundlessly majestic.

The golden palace walls soared into the clouds, and the roofs shimmered with a golden brilliance under the sun, as though the entire palace were forged from gold and precious gems.

Standing before it, anyone would feel their own insignificance, as a sense of solemnity and reverence naturally arose.

Passing through layer upon layer of palace gates, the inner sights took one's breath away.

Inside the resplendent grand hall, every massive pillar was carved with exotic beasts, life-like as if they might break free at any moment.

Deep within the grand hall, there stood a divine throne!

That divine throne was carved into the form of a certain exotic beast, frozen in a posture of roaring toward the heavens, as a daunting and oppressive majesty diffused from it.

Kunwu!

This exotic beast was the guardian deity beast of the Great Gan Empire, the Kunwu Beast!

And at this very moment, upon this divine throne, a tall and stalwart figure sat enthroned, a terrifying gold-element aura spreading across the entire hall, imbuing the place with a silent sharpness and heavy solemnity.

Anyone stepping into this place would feel affected by that gold-element aura, as if they would be shredded into dust in the next breath.

A dense mist shrouded the face of that majestic figure, rendering it impossible to discern his true features.

Mysterious!

Majestic!

Powerful!

That was the most direct impression he gave to anyone.

"King Chongshan!"

Suddenly, a majestic voice rang out abruptly, echoing far and wide, reverberating throughout the entire grand hall.

"Your Majesty!!"

Below the hall, a figure knelt prostrate, responding loudly.

"On that day, it was you who conferred the title of Baron upon Wang Teng. Do you still have an impression of him?"

The Sovereign of the Great Gan Empire upon the divine throne asked indifferently.

King Chongshan's expression was complex as he said respectfully, "It remains fresh in my memory."

“Oh?”

The voice of the Great Qian Empire’s sovereign, seated upon his divine throne, carried a hint of surprise as he asked, “Was he already so extraordinary back then?”

King Chongshan weighed his words carefully before speaking. “He was unlike anyone else—there seemed to be nothing that could truly challenge him. Even when he was merely a planetary-level warrior emerging from a backwater world, he didn’t regard our Great Qian Empire’s baron title as an unattainable height. Instead, he treated it like just a small… step!”

At the end, he paused again, as if recalling the scene vividly.

That youthful face flashed once more in his mind—the gaze, the composure…

Finally, he uttered the word: “step.”

A baron’s title from the mighty Great Qian Empire—a mere step?

Had this been said earlier, even by the mouth of King Chongshan himself, it would have struck others as outrageous, too bold.

But now, those words seemed to confirm Wang Teng’s achievements today.

Perhaps, indeed, Wang Teng had once viewed the baron’s title as nothing more than a small step.

Without the ambition to soar above the heavens, how could one reach such heights?

There is a saying:

Let the great Confucians defend my doctrines!

Today, Wang Teng’s accomplishments have reached a level sufficient to make many powerful figures speak on his behalf.

“Hehe~”

“So the baron’s title of our Great Qian Empire is merely a small step?”

A light laugh echoed down from the divine throne.

“How interesting!”

“Truly fascinating!”

There was no mockery in the laughter—only curiosity and astonishment, leaving everyone present utterly stunned.

No one expected the Sovereign himself to hold Wang Teng in such high regard.

Some minds immediately stirred, making their decisions in silence.

Others turned their glances toward the direction of the Pyraxis family, their eyes now carrying a trace of mockery.

The events of the past, as Wang Teng continued rising, were now known clearly to all noble families. Many had long watched the Pyraxis family with anticipation, eager to see them fall.

At first, Wang Teng had only entered the Star Academy, becoming one of its prodigies. They hadn’t thought he could do much against the Pyraxis family.

At most, he posed some threat.

After all, his ranking was too high, his potential immense—eventually, he might become a major enemy of the Pyraxis family.

Of course, every great family has powerful enemies.

The only irony was that this formidable foe had been created by the Pyraxis family’s own spoiled scion.

Just thinking about it made one feel cheated.

If it had been their own child, they’d have crushed him long ago.

Why let him wander outside, stirring up trouble and creating enemies for the family?

And if Wang Teng entering the Star Academy had merely drawn attention from the great families, what followed was what truly forced them to regard him as a figure of immense influence.

As time passed, Wang Teng grew increasingly extraordinary.

First, he became one of the Seven Saints at the Auxiliary Profession Alliance headquarters. Now, he had achieved unparalleled feats.

Both accomplishments threatened the very foundation of the Pyraxis family.

One could say that Wang Teng now possessed both the strength and the standing to match them.

Indeed, his influence had transcended the boundaries of the Great Qian Empire, spreading across the entire cosmos.

This was beyond comparison for any of these families.

Even the imperial royal family, though powerful, could not rival Wang Teng’s current stature.

Simply the fact that the Sovereign had been moved to take notice was enough to illustrate the point.

When Wang Teng had become a Seven Saint earlier, it hadn’t warranted such attention.

Walter Goo, head of the Pyraxis family, had a face as dark as storm clouds, his facial muscles twitching violently. His inner voice roared:

“Rebellious son! Rebellious son! Rebellious son!”

If not for that rebellious son, how could the Pyraxis family have come to this?

Now, he had completely forgotten the decisions he had once made—or perhaps, this matter required a scapegoat.

He refused to bear the blame, so he could only vent his fury upon Alvis.

Alvis: Please feed me peanuts! (End of chapter)