Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

“Dean Long Chen… All the Elders of the Pill Institute… were killed,” the disciple reported awkwardly.

“Damn, is the Pill Institute that rotten?” Long Chen was speechless.

With a bitter smile, the disciple explained, “The Pill Institute was the lifeblood of the entire academy, and even the vice deans had to be respectful of us. Naturally, that led to the Pill Institute becoming almost out of control…”

Long Chen turned to Lu Chengkong, who sighed heavily. “If the academy has tumors in its body, then the Pill Institute is one of those tumors.”

Lu Chengkong’s sigh reflected the deep-rooted problems within the academy. After being sent into the minor world, their various departments nearly lost their functions. Due to the lack of battles, institutes like Item Forging, Talisman, and Formation gradually became neglected. Only the Pill Institute’s position remained untouched.

The Pill Institute nourished the entire academy, which placed them at the core of the academy’s operations. Over time, they grew increasingly arrogant. After all, the academy wouldn’t survive without their support, and although attempts were made to discipline them, the results were always disappointing. A stern dean in the past managed to suppress the Pill Institute for a time, but that only drove them to covertly control the supply of medicinal pills. Their disciples would work minimally, causing the supply to become tight and inconsistent.

When the stern dean ordered the Pill Institute to increase their production, they pretended to comply but instead caused furnace explosions and produced low-quality pills. It was clearly sabotage, but the dean was powerless to stop it. In the end, the academy was forced to compromise, granting the Pill Institute a special status that made them nearly untouchable by the other departments.

As a result, the Pill Institute became a symbol of supremacy within the academy, and their institute head looked down on even Lu Chengkong and others. This position made them a breeding ground for corruption, and this virus started to spread throughout the academy.

When Long Chen executed the corrupt members of the academy who had killed their comrades, all the Elders and senior members of the Pill Institute were among those killed. Most of the remaining disciples had also been involved in unsavory activities, using their connections to secretly eliminate competitors. As a result, of the original eight hundred thousand disciples, only three hundred thousand remained.

The disciple speaking to Long Chen was only at the mid-Eternal realm, but he had the highest cultivation base throughout the entire Pill Institute. He was also the oldest, so he had to step up and greet Long Chen despite the shame of it all.

After hearing the disciple’s explanation, Long Chen was speechless. “To refine pills is to refine the heart, to refine the soul, and to refine the self. If you cannot overcome your greed, you will never touch the grand Dao of alchemy.”

“It is as you say, Dean. To refine pills is to refine the heart. If the heart is impure, then the higher your cultivation, the further you stray from the true Dao,” said the disciple. Long Chen’s words struck a chord in him, and his respect for Long Chen instantly grew.

Long Chen looked at the disciple. Staring into his eyes, Long Chen nodded. This person had decent potential. The fact that he dared to come forward meant he had a clear conscience.

“You’re not bad. Focus on alchemy without selfish desires. Starting today, you can be the temporary institute head,” said Long Chen.

“Dean, you can’t! I am completely talentless. How could I possibly bear such a heavy burden?” exclaimed the disciple, horrified by the idea.

“Talent can be nourished. Skill can be trained. But a person’s moral character is much harder to change. Don’t be afraid. It’s only temporary. If someone more suitable shows up, you can step down. Don’t feel too much pressure. No matter how badly you do, do you think you can be worse than the last one?” Long Chen reassured him.

The disciple smiled bitterly but knew that refusing further would be ungrateful. Whether or not he could do the job, he had no choice but to thicken his face and accept it.

The disciple then led them inside. The Pill Institute was beyond luxurious—extravagant would be an understatement. Even a single brick here was carved with countless runes, requiring an inscription master several days to complete.

The gate posts were carved intricately, with images of dragons and phoenixes on them. The eyes of these creatures were made from real phoenix and dragon eyes, giving them a lifelike appearance. With the support of the formations, it was as if real dragons and phoenixes were circling them.

Long Chen couldn’t help but be impressed, though the mocking smile on his face made Lu Chengkong feel embarrassed. The Pill Institute’s decadence was a reflection of his incompetence as the dean.

The disciple showed them around the alchemy hall, the medicinal pill storage, the Heavenly Flame cave, and other treasuries of the Pill Institute. The first academy was indeed rich; the Heavenly Flame cave alone had over one hundred and eighty Heavenly Flame seedlings, excluding the top twenty Heavenly Flames.

However, when they reached the storage of medicinal ingredients, Long Chen’s expression darkened. The storage area was divided into two parts: dried ingredients and a medicinal farm. The farm was a tragic sight, with many empty plots that once held precious ingredients.

Long Chen learned that the previous institute head had put an incompetent relative in charge of the farm, resulting in many ingredients dying due to improper care. The vast medicinal farm was filled with empty plots, each representing the loss of a precious medicinal ingredient.

Long Chen clenched his teeth furiously. The dead medicinal ingredients were particularly valuable because they were so hard to grow and needed meticulous care. The slightest slip could cause their death. When he read their names, his heart bled. If those responsible were still alive, he wouldn’t have let them off easily.

Yu Qingxuan was also sad to see those empty plots. As an alchemist, these ingredients were like her life, and seeing them lost so carelessly was hard to bear.

“Let’s go!” Long Chen said abruptly. He didn’t dare stay any longer, fearing he might explode from rage. He headed directly to the main palace to inspect the pill furnaces. Staying here was just torture.

When they arrived at the main palace, they saw glorious pill furnaces shining vibrantly. In an instant, Long Chen’s mood improved.

As Yu Qingxuan entered the room, all the pill furnaces lit up, their runes quivering. The room became filled with divine light as clumps of light appeared and encircled her, as if paying homage to her.

This scene stunned Long Chen and Lu Chengkong. Yu Qingxuan seemed to have formed a resonance with the entire palace.