In the imperial city, there were many buildings of peculiar shapes. Some were whimsically created by the powerful, some were the result of the powerful’s lack of artistic sense, and some existed as a symbol of something.

A bronze cauldron stood tall in a corner of the imperial city, as large as a small mountain. Its surface was smooth as a mirror, filled with intricate details. From afar, one could appreciate its rustic beauty.

This was the most prosperous area of the imperial city, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. The cost of placing such a bronze cauldron here was astronomical.

Apart from a few powerful forces like the Money Landing Guild, no one could afford this.

Many elderly men with white hair and robes, emanating the fragrance of elixirs, walked into the bronze cauldron with an air of indifference.

Passersby who saw these old men entering the bronze cauldron showed looks of admiration and envy.

These were all renowned masters in the field of alchemy, and many of them were the pioneers of certain alchemy methods.

This was the Alchemy Alliance, representing the authority and pinnacle of alchemy. Every year, countless elixir formulas were announced to the public, showcasing their impressive achievements. It was considered a holy land for all alchemists, second only to the Alchemy Peak of the Seek Tao Sect.

Inside the bronze cauldron, silent alchemists sat around a delicate stone table, their faces expressionless.

A figure arrived late, marking the start of the meeting.

He was Qingyunzi, the chief alchemist of the Alchemy Alliance. His skills were unparalleled, making him the undisputed top alchemist.

Those sitting here were all veteran alchemists with unique skills, but they all acknowledged Qingyunzi’s status.

Even the always arrogant Seventh Elder admitted that Qingyunzi was the second best alchemist after him.

Qingyunzi smiled faintly, in a calm and composed manner, “This regular meeting, as usual, is for the exchange of alchemy insights. Everyone is free to speak.”

“Can we really say anything?” An alchemist raised his hand and asked.

“Yes.”

The alchemist’s face changed, and he slammed the table angrily, “Qingyunzi, you’re late and still acting high and mighty here. We’ve been sitting here for half a day, just waiting for you!”

Clearly, acknowledging Qingyunzi’s status in alchemy did not mean they could tolerate his tardiness.

“Sorry, sorry, I was studying a formula just now and made a major breakthrough. I was so excited that I lost track of time.”

“What kind of elixir were you researching that you were so engrossed?”

Qingyunzi gave a mysterious smile, “An ancient formula, the Fertility Pill.”

“You’ve succeeded in refining it?!” Everyone was surprised. They all had the formula for the Fertility Pill, but no matter how they refined it, it could only be used for beauty and skincare.

Recently, many beauty and skincare elixirs had been circulating in the black market, all of which were failed products they had refined. Apart from making the users look better, they were useless.

“Not yet, but I’ve made some progress. According to my research, the owner of the Fertility Pill formula is called Qinghe. She seems to have a close relationship with a certain immortal. Perhaps the Fertility Pill is also related to this immortal!”

“It makes sense if it’s related to an immortal.” Everyone was first surprised, then understood. It must be because there was a celestial fruit in the alchemy materials, which made it difficult for them to replicate.

“Heh, I thought you made a major breakthrough. So it’s just this?” The Seventh Elder sneered at Qingyunzi’s so-called research after hearing it.

“Who do we have here? It’s Wuji Zi from the Alchemy Peak. Do you have any better ideas?” Qingyunzi saw the Seventh Elder and immediately changed his calm expression. His words were filled with provocation.

Qingyunzi and the Seventh Elder locked eyes, their rivalry palpable.

Everyone else didn’t know what to say, as they all knew about the feud between these two.

These two had fallen in love with the same girl when they were young. After a fight, mainly involving the Seventh Elder beating Qingyunzi up, the girl eventually chose the talented Seventh Elder.

Thus, their feud began.

Because the Seventh Elder often refined strange elixirs, no one could judge his alchemy skills.

But one thing was certain, in terms of combat, none of the people present were a match for the Seventh Elder.

The Seventh Elder leisurely said, “According to my research, the key to the formula is not the elixir itself, but the method of consumption.”

“Have you noticed that the formula begins with the method of consumption ‘Take with river water, and you can conceive’.”

“Why specifically mention ‘river water’? Wouldn’t ‘water’ suffice?”

“With this question in mind, I searched through ancient books, consulted young scholars who knew about the ancient times, and finally found the answer.”

“The ‘river water’ mentioned in the formula is not ordinary river water, but the water from the Mother-Child River, refined by an immortal in ancient times!”

“Consuming the water from the Mother-Child River can lead to pregnancy!”

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, “What?!”

“The Mother-Child River?”

“There’s such a magical river?!”

Although the elixirs refined by the Seventh Elder were always strange, he had never joked about such matters!

“Which immortal was it?” Qingyunzi, forgetting his feud with the Seventh Elder, asked eagerly.He had searched through ancient books and even borrowed treasured volumes from the imperial palace, but he could not find the name of that immortal. It was as if it had been deliberately hidden!

The Seventh Elder nodded solemnly, revealing a secret: “It’s Heavenly Immortal Ying.”

Qingyunzi suddenly realized: “So it’s him? That explains everything.”

“What do you mean?” The crowd didn’t understand why Qingyunzi said this. They had never heard of Heavenly Immortal Ying concocting the Mother-Child River.

Qingyunzi mysteriously said: “I found an ancient book in a ruin, called ‘The Complete Guide to Cooking’. Although I haven’t fully deciphered it yet, I can be sure of one thing. This book seems to teach people how to cook, but it actually contains hidden secrets.”

The crowd was puzzled. The book sounded like an ancient cookbook, wasn’t it?

“Initially, I thought the same as you all, that it was an ancient cookbook. But when I casually cooked a few dishes, I found that anyone who ate these dishes ended up at least in a coma!”

“This is not a cookbook, but a poison manual!”

The crowd gasped. An ancient poison manual, that sounded terrifying.

“And the author of this poison manual is Heavenly Immortal Ying!”

“Alchemy and poison are inseparable. If Heavenly Immortal Ying could write this poison manual, he must be very proficient in the principles of elixirs!”

“I’ve heard an ancient saying, the strongest alchemist is not the one who seeks herbs, but the one who invents them!”

“The Mother-Child River must be a herb concocted by Heavenly Immortal Ying!”

“No, maybe the water of the Mother-Child River is not a herb, but a poison!”

“Using the water of the Mother-Child River to poison the enemy during a battle, if the enemy becomes pregnant, wouldn’t they be unable to fight?” Qingyunzi’s eyes brightened as he spoke, feeling that his analysis was coherent, as if he had uncovered a layer of mystery from the ancient times!

“How many women must have become pregnant due to the water of the Mother-Child River concocted by Heavenly Immortal Ying?” The crowd marveled at Heavenly Immortal Ying’s power.

Truly worthy of an immortal, capable of concocting such a miraculous thing.

After the servant finished pouring water for everyone, he quietly left. These were all master alchemists, and their conversations were all about immortals. He was terrified and dared not linger.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was surrounded by his companions.

“What happened, what did they say?”

This was the top alchemist conference, representing the most advanced knowledge in the alchemy world. Hearing a bit of it was enough for them to show off.

The servant was a bit embarrassed. He had been too scared earlier and hadn’t listened carefully.

He tried to recall the conversation of the master alchemists, somewhat uncertain:

“It seems they said that the ancient immortal, Heavenly Immortal Ying, made countless women pregnant?”

His companions gasped.

This was an ancient secret.

(End of the chapter)