"Not a human?" The hair on Xiao Yan's scalp instantly stood on end. His mouth twitched, and after a moment, he lowered his voice and murmured, "A legendary Imperial-grade elixir? Generally, any elixir that has undergone the Nine-Colored Dan Lightning gains intelligence. However, such elixirs usually transform into beast forms. Though intelligent, they still fall short of matching human capabilities. Some legendary Nine-Rank elixirs can even take on human form and cultivate further. But something like this—something that can truly manifest in human form—Xiao Yan has only seen mentioned in ancient texts. "Ah, an Imperial-grade elixir? Even in ancient times, such elixirs were exceedingly rare. Now, how could anyone possibly create one?" Xuan Kongzi found Xiao Yan's stunned expression quite familiar. In fact, when he first heard of his elder ancestor's true form, he had been equally astonished, taking a long time to recover. "The elder who was crafted by the senior ancestor is also one of the founders of the Dan Tower. However, that senior ancestor has long since passed away. In the year preceding his final departure, he devoted all his energy to refining a pill. During this process, he exhausted himself completely and passed away at the very moment the pill was completed. Yet, at the time of his passing, a fragment of his consciousness entered the nine-rank pill in an unusual manner, causing a mutation in the nine-rank spiritual pill. Later, this pill took on human form but did not leave the Dan Tower; instead, it remained as a guardian of the Tower. In a sense, this elder can be regarded as an alternative embodiment of that senior ancestor—though the relationship between the two in terms of primary and secondary roles is rather complex." "Xuan Kong smiled and said, 'As time passed, the Elder had saved the Dan Tower from destruction on numerous occasions. Eventually, his status within the Dan Tower became unrivaled. Yet he showed little interest in these achievements. After the Tower stabilized, he simply vanished without a trace—no one could ever find him.' Xiao Yan wiped a cold sweat. He had never imagined the Elder's origins to be so extraordinary, especially with the mutated Ninth-Rank Xuan Dan. He was well aware of the classification of Ninth-Rank pills: divided into three tiers—Ninth-Rank Treasure Pills, Ninth-Rank Xuan Pills, and Ninth-Rank Golden Pills. Today, most Ninth-Rank pills found on the world stage are of the Treasure Pill level, and Xuan Pills are nearly extinct. As for the even more distant Ninth-Rank Golden Pills, they likely only appeared in ancient times. Beyond that lies the legendary... Imperial Pill. To this day, no one on the continent is believed capable of crafting such a pill." "That elder was able to stabilize a ninth-rank Xuandan and ultimately induce its mutation—his strength must have reached at least five-star or even six-star Battle Saints level...” As he thought about this, Xiao Yan was no less impressed by the former strength of the Dan Tower. "Well, regarding the Elder's matter, I'll simply leave it at that. He's been missing for years, and it's unclear when he'll reappear. Perhaps now he's once again a baby, engaged in some so-called 'experience of life' endeavor." Xuan Kongzi waved his hand, expressing clear frustration toward this legendary elder—last time he saw him, he was a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, and now it was entirely unclear what form he had taken. "As for the Alliance's matter?" Xiao Yan's astonishment gradually settled, asking. "With the Elder absent, the major decisions of the Dan Tower now rest with the voting of the Grand Elders of the Small Dan Tower," Xuan Kongzi replied. "Shall we go through the Grand Elder Council? That would be quite troublesome. The elders there are mostly rigid and inflexible; getting them to vote in favor of the alliance will be no easy task." The Herbal Elder furrowed his brows. "The Council has ten seats, and among them, the three of us—representing the three pillars of the Dan Tower—are also part of it. Yet even then, we only have three votes ourselves." Xuanyi sighed, somewhat helplessly, "Moreover, the other seven elders have far more seniority than we do. To them, our voices carry little weight." "With only three votes, that's simply not enough," the Herbal Elder shook his head. Though the Grand Elder Council is quite democratic, relying entirely on the balance of votes between supporters and opponents, many of the elders are stubborn—especially when it comes to matters like this alliance. In fact, within the Council, a mere one-vote difference can make the outcome final and unshakable. "It's not entirely hopeless. Among the seven elders, two harbor deep enmities with the Spirit Pavilion. If we can persuade those two, our vote count will reach five, matching the others." Xuan Kongzi paused and said. "Oh? Can this be confirmed?" Upon hearing this, Yao Lao's eyes brightened. With a five-to-five tie, the prospects looked quite promising. "I can't be certain, but we must at least try. Would you and Xiao Yan join us on a visit to the Small Dan Tower? Once we report this, the older elders will surely be stirred." Xuan Kongzi smiled. "Yes, that sounds good. It's been quite some time since we last visited that place." Yao Lao hesitated slightly, then nodded, turning to Xiao Yan and smiling, "The Small Dan Tower has gathered nearly all the renowned alchemical masters who once held great reputations in the Central Plains. You'll certainly gain valuable insights from this visit." "Hehe, with Xiao Yan's current abilities, he's likely to impress those elders," said Xuan Yi, smiling. Xuan Kong stood up and walked to the far end of the hall, placing his palm on the smooth, jade-like wall. A ripple spread from his palm, and soon the crowd witnessed the wall begin to ripple and move, transforming within moments into a slowly rotating spatial passage. "A self-formed space—indeed, this Xiao Dan Tower must exist within its own independently created space," Xiao Yan murmured to himself. "Let's go." With the spatial passage now open, Xuan Kong smiled and stepped in first. Seeing this, the others followed one by one. As the last person entered, the passage gradually faded away and reformed into a solid wall once more. … After a brief transit through the spatial channel, barely under a minute had passed, when the light before Xiao Yan suddenly intensified dramatically. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself standing atop a towering, immense emerald peak, the clouds swirling around him, creating a sense of ethereal serenity. "Such a rich aroma of medicinal herbs…" Xiao Yan moved his nose, scanning the surroundings, and was amazed to discover that the entire mountain was densely covered with countless medicinal gardens, where various herbs—rare outside this region—grew in vast, flourishing patches. "This place is truly another realm of alchemical cultivation…" With these sights, astonishment flickered across Xiao Yan's eyes. "These herb gardens each belong to their own, being the very lifelines of those old masters..." Xuan Kongs smiled, then lifted his foot and headed upward toward the mountain peak. Xiao Yan and the others quickly followed. Along the way, among the lush herb seas, one could see several elderly figures. Though they appeared like ordinary herb farmers, Xiao Yan sensed a remarkably strong spiritual resonance emanating from them—clearly, these elderly men possessed an exceptionally high level of mastery in spiritual energy. As for Xiao Yan, a stranger, few paid any attention. On the contrary, the elderly herb master attracted a good deal of astonishment. Throughout the journey, several older figures approached him regularly, greeting him warmly—clearly, they had known him before. After traversing several mountain paths, the last group finally came to a halt at the summit. Xuangongzi and his two companions first arranged the old doctor and Xiao Yan in a simple yet neat stone cottage, then hurried off, presumably to inform the alliance. Both Xiao Yan and the old doctor knew that this matter could not be delayed. Thus, they settled into the cottage and sat in quiet stillness, waiting for several hours. Eventually, Xuangongzi and his companions returned slowly. "The bad news is that in three days, the Grand Elder Council will elect a new elder, and this new elder will also hold one vote. Unfortunately, among all the candidates most likely to be chosen, the one who stands out the most is another extremely rigid old fellow—someone you’ve met before." As he spoke, Xuan Kongzi turned his gaze toward Yao Lao. "If that old man truly votes against it, then the alliance's chances are basically over," Tian Lei said solemnly. At his words, Xuan Kong and Yao Old Man also fell silent. "It's not impossible—just as long as we don't make that monkey old master the new senior elder, that would do it," Xuan Yi remarked. "Say it so easily, though. In today's Dan Tower Mountain, who could possibly challenge the elder master? Yao Old Man is a viable candidate, but he himself stepped down from the junior Dan Tower back then. According to the rules here, he doesn't qualify for a challenge." Xuan Kong shook his head. Xuan Yi brushed aside a strand of hair from his forehead, offered a strange smile, and his gaze turned toward Xiao Yan. "Yao Old Man may not qualify, but Xiao Yan does—he's the Dan Assembly Champion and a leading contender for the next head of the Dan Tower. That alone gives him the standing to compete. The only question is whether he can actually outmatch that monkey old master. After all, back then, that very elder master nearly dethroned Yao Chen as the Dan Assembly Champion."