Chapter Eighteen: Effort Is Worthless Before Talent

The echoes roared, and murderous intent surged like a tide, alarming the entire Tianbao City.

The terrifying aura of a Master at the Transformation Yuan Realm made everyone within Tianbao City tremble in fear.

Yet, in the face of such killing intent from a master of the Transformation Yuan Realm, the three Lin brothers did not even glance over, chatting casually around the stone table.

“Judging by his look, today even a single egg of the Lin family will be shaken and smashed,” the Eldest Elder said with a smile.

“Has Ah Hao been digging up someone’s ancestral grave? Such intense resentment,” the Second Elder slowly raised his head, looking toward the furious Li Kaixian, and said, “Brother, you’re in the wrong place.”

“That’s right. The family I want to destroy is the Lin family of Tianbao City. Lin Hao killed my only son, so I’ll annihilate the entire Lin clan, making that beast regret it for life,” Li Kaixian gritted his teeth, cutting off his words. “I’ve already sealed the whole Lin family with an array formation. Not a single mouse will escape today. I will use the blood of your entire Lin family to honor my son’s spirit.”

“So it was your son who was killed. In that case, seeking revenge is quite reasonable,” Lin Zhennan said calmly.

“Brother, with your strength, avenging your son is absolutely impossible. However, you can go down and accompany him,” the Second Elder said as he suddenly struck. Sitting still below, he stretched out his palm and grasped at the air.

A huge hand of crimson gold materialized, tearing apart the array formation Li Kaixian had set up and swiftly snatching him from the sky.

“Ask clearly before killing,” Lin Zhennan reminded in time.

The crimson golden hand immediately shifted tactics, turning into a cage that grabbed Li Kaixian and pulled him down.

“Kneel and talk,” the Second Elder sneered, disdainful. “So weak and yet you want to annihilate a family?”

Li Kaixian was stunned. Kneeling before the stone table, he bore an overwhelming pressure that made him unable to even lift his knees from the ground, let alone resist.

“No, this can’t be,” Li Kaixian’s face went pale. He slapped his own face fiercely, thinking it was a dream, trying to wake himself up.

How could this be?

Things shouldn’t have turned out like this.

He was a ninth-level master in the Transformation Yuan Realm, a strong contender to break through to the Heavenly Yuan Realm within five years.

Yet just now, he had no power to resist—like a chick being snatched up.

Yes, he couldn’t offer the slightest resistance.

For the first time, Li Kaixian felt like a weakling despite being a ninth-level Transformation Yuan master.

The blow was undoubtedly fatal to his pride.

“Speak. What is your name?” Lin Zhennan asked calmly.

“Li Kaixian,” Li Kaixian answered instinctively, only realizing afterward that in front of these three, his subconscious dared not defy.

It was the pressure of confronting true power. At this moment, all his previous fury and killing intent had vanished, replaced by a deep awareness of the gulf between them—worlds apart.

Tianbao City, a small border city, hid such profound secrets.

“Kill if you must,” Li Kaixian steeled himself and closed his eyes.

Knowing death was certain, he chose to be defiant.

In fact, even facing death now, Li Kaixian did not think his plan for revenge was flawed.

With his ability, he indeed could not kill Lin Hao, who was at Tai Xuan Sect.

So he came to take revenge on Lin Hao’s family.

Is there a problem with that?

No. He was clever, intelligent, and not reckless.

He just never imagined the Lin family was completely different from what he thought.

Not just him—no one could have guessed.

“There really is such a person in the Taiyang City Li family, at the ninth level of the Transformation Yuan Realm,” the Eldest Elder said.

Upon hearing the Li family of Taiyang City, Li Kaixian, who had closed his eyes, suddenly opened them wide in terror, trembling as he looked at the three before him. “What... are you going to do?”

“Naturally, we’ll do what you wanted but couldn’t—wiping out your family. You like to talk about annihilation, don’t you?” the Second Elder sneered.

“No, I was wrong. Please don’t harm the Li family...”

Before Li Kaixian could finish, the Second Elder struck his head, shattering it—he died instantly.

“That’s why you ask before killing, and clean up thoroughly afterward,” Lin Zhennan flicked his fingers, a wisp of flame sparking from his fingertip and landing on Li Kaixian’s body, instantly burning the corpse to ashes.

“Second Brother, go pay a visit to the Li family. If we don’t reciprocate, it would make us seem rude,” Lin Zhennan said calmly.

“Alright, I’ll be back soon,” the Second Elder replied, then vanished without a trace, as if he had never appeared.

At Tai Xuan Sect, Danyang Peak, inside Ren Baichuan’s alchemy room.

White-haired and bearded, Ren Baichuan stood like a wooden stake in the center of the alchemy room, gazing at the three pills freshly produced in his hand, lost in thought.

Yes, these three pills were refined by Lin Hao alone.

Lin Hao had only been exposed to alchemy for half an hour.

Moreover, Ren Baichuan had only demonstrated the steps once, explaining the process.

And yet, Lin Hao’s first batch of three pills appeared flawlessly before Ren Baichuan.

Zero mistakes. The entire refining process flowed like a river.

The three pills exuded a rich medicinal fragrance, deeply soothing.

On the surface of the pills were eight distinct pill markings, with a faint trace of a ninth.

“Eight-mark pills, eight-mark pills, hehe, hahaha...”

Ren Baichuan first chuckled softly, then burst into loud laughter, tears streaming down his face.

“Master Ren, don’t scare me. This is my first time refining pills. If it’s not good, just say so,” Lin Hao said nervously.

Ren Baichuan ignored him, watching the pills in his hand with mixed tears and laughter.

“He’s lost his mind, the old man’s gone mad,” Lin Hao said helplessly, “No more pill refining from me. The old man’s acting strange and it’s scary.”

“Go out for now. Let me calm down alone,” Ren Baichuan waved him off.

Lin Hao tiptoed out of the alchemy room, closing the door behind him.

Moonlight like rippling waves brushed his skin, carrying a touch of coolness. Sitting on a large stone, Lin Hao stared at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, then glanced at the closed alchemy room door, muttering, “I said I wouldn’t learn, but he forced me to. Whether that’s good or bad, he won’t say—just acting crazy by himself.”

Inside the alchemy room, Ren Baichuan’s eyes remained fixed on the pills in his hand, unable to shake off his emotions.

“Eight-mark pills... no, this should almost reach the rank of a nine-mark pill. His first time refining, shortest time taken, and a 100% success rate producing a near nine-mark pill. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t believe it,” Ren Baichuan murmured.

“Alchemy has always been my passion. Being an alchemist is my pride. Since childhood, I’ve had a profound sensitivity to various herbs—that’s an essential skill for becoming an alchemist. After so many years of studying the Pill Dao, my lifelong dream was to one day refine an eight-mark pill.”

Ren Baichuan suffered an unprecedented blow. His lifetime achievements could not compare to pills someone else produced with a mere glance.

In the end, he accepted the truth: effort means nothing before innate talent.

After calming down, Ren Baichuan laughed heartily again, his eyes shining as he looked at the pills like admiring a peerless beauty.

“I’ve found a treasure. Perfect timing—the invitation from the Pill Pavilion hasn’t been declined yet. But the Pill Pavilion is in the Imperial Capital. If I want to bring Lin Hao, I’ll need the consent of the Saintess and Mr. Ximen.”

Ren Baichuan pushed open the alchemy room door, fully recovered. He glanced at Lin Hao and said, “Wait here. Don’t go anywhere.”

With that, Ren Baichuan soared into the air and disappeared.