Chapter 12

At this moment, Song Xinghai finally understood. It turned out that his son had taken his wife's elixir, which not only healed his injuries but also boosted his cultivation realm... However, Lier had taken many elixirs before, so why didn't they work? He didn't want to think about it anymore. Regardless of the reason, as long as his son was out of danger and had recovered his cultivation talent, it was a great joy. So he and his wife Yun Lin exchanged a glance, and they could see the joy in each other's eyes. However, in the grand hall, they couldn't show it too obviously.

It turned out that his son's realm had been boosted by his mother's elixir. No wonder the famous cultivation waste of the capital suddenly became so powerful. However, this kind of forced enhancement through elixirs was not as solid as gradually advancing step by step. After reaching a certain level, it would be very difficult to improve further, especially during the foundation-building stage. Due to the unstable foundation, it would be very hard to succeed in foundation building.

After the ministers in the golden hall understood the reason, they all breathed a sigh of relief. They thought the Song family had produced another cultivation genius, but it turned out to be a medicine jar. Pfft. In the future, he definitely wouldn't be as good as their own sons.

Song Xingtian listened carefully from beginning to end. Although some parts of what Song Li said were somewhat exaggerated, the general direction should be basically correct. He could also guess how absurd the actions of a group of rich and powerful young men were. The more he looked at Song Li, the more he felt that the boy suited his taste. This little guy, despite his extremely low cultivation, had the courage to meddle in other people's affairs, which was much more resolute than the sixth prince. Even his own princes didn't have this kind of courage and character. Hmm, this child has potential.

"Since you were injured first, I think..." Song Xingtian was about to speak when the Seventh Prince, Song Xingguang, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, although Song Li was injured first, he is now unharmed. The ones lying on the stretcher are Cheng Zhengxiang and Little Levi. Moreover, Duke Song Xinghai forcibly entered the residence of an important minister of the empire, destroyed others' property, severely injured others' retainers, trampled on the empire's laws, and ignored the dignity of the Holy Emperor. If such evil deeds are not punished, it will be hard to convince the people!"

At this moment, the Ninth Prince, Song Xingyun, who had been silent, also stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, although the Duke is of royal blood and has a familial relationship with the Holy Emperor, compared to the thousand-year foundation of the empire, which is more important? If Your Majesty shows favoritism today and lets the Duke's family off, the court and the people will inevitably talk, saying that Your Majesty is unfair and favors relatives. The authority of the empire's laws will be like a river breaking its banks, and once a breach is opened, who will still take the law seriously? How will Your Majesty govern the country?"

The Ninth Prince, Song Xingyun, was known as the Duke of Kang. He was always treacherous, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows. He wouldn't act unless it was a major move, and when he did, it was to take a life! He had clearly seen that Song Xingtian wanted to favor the Song Xinghai family, so he immediately made his move, blocking the Holy Emperor's retreat. If you favor the Song Xinghai family, you are placing personal feelings above the empire's laws. If this news spreads, the Holy Emperor's authority will be further weakened, and the Duke of Zhong's prestige will be further enhanced. No matter what Song Xingtian does, it will benefit them.

The Duke of Zhong, Song Xingchen, still had that kind and peaceful expression, and throughout the process, he didn't say a word. But Song Xingtian knew that what he wanted to say, others had already said for him. This matter had evolved from a simple family dispute into an open struggle between the Holy Emperor and the Duke of Zhong.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say." Yun Lin, who had been watching coldly, saw that the Holy Emperor was in a difficult position and the situation was at a stalemate. She bowed and said, "I came to see Your Majesty today not only to deal with family matters but also to offer medicine."

"Offer medicine?" Song Xingtian, seeing that someone had broken the deadlock, was happy to take the opportunity to step down. He asked with great interest, "Has Yun Aizhen refined some new elixir?"

"That's right," Yun Lin raised the white porcelain bottle in her hand and said loudly, "This is the 'Mystic Ice Qi Gathering Pill' I just successfully refined, a mid-grade Earth-level elixir. This pill can increase the success rate of advancing from the peak of the Body Tempering stage to the Qi Induction stage to 70%! The first batch produced twelve pills, and I plan to offer them all to Your Majesty. Not only that, but I have already mastered the complete method of refining this pill. As long as the materials are available, I can mass-produce it. In the future, as long as the materials are sufficient, I can supply as many as Your Majesty needs."

"Buzz..." When Yun Lin said this, the court was in an uproar, as if a powerful bomb had been thrown into the grand hall!

A mid-grade Earth-level elixir? Yun Lin could actually refine a mid-grade Earth-level elixir? Wasn't this something only a high-level alchemist could do? How did she, a mid-level alchemist, manage to do it? And the elixir she refined was the 'Mystic Ice Qi Gathering Pill,' a high-quality elixir. The advancement from the Body Tempering stage to the Qi Induction stage is very difficult, with a success rate of less than 30%. This means that most low-level cultivators would fail at this stage, with only a few managing to succeed. The 'Mystic Ice Qi Gathering Pill' could allow most people to succeed, becoming Qi Induction stage experts. Wasn't this too fantastic?

Imagine, every additional 'Mystic Ice Qi Gathering Pill' would mean one more Qi Induction stage expert among their subordinates, increasing their strength. Now, Yun Lin had offered twelve 'Mystic Ice Qi Gathering Pills' at once, meaning that the Holy Emperor would have twelve more Qi Induction stage experts! And Yun Lin had promised that as long as the materials were sufficient, she could supply these elixirs in large quantities. What was the point of all their hard work and careful planning? No matter how strong their power or how good their reputation, if they couldn't defeat the others, they would still be at a loss.

So the Duke of Zhong's face turned green!

In contrast to the Duke of Zhong's green face, the Holy Emperor's face turned a rosy red, clearly very excited. He laughed heartily and said, "Yun Aizhen truly lives up to being the daughter of a Holy Alchemist, capable of what others cannot. With Yun Aizhen here, how can our empire's great cause fail? Come, give Yun Aizhen a seat!"

During the court session, even the Duke of Zhong had to stand, but the Holy Emperor actually wanted to give Yun Lin a seat. This was definitely a great honor. An attendant brought over a wooden chair wrapped in brocade and invited Yun Lin to sit down. Yun Lin didn't hesitate and sat down boldly, handing the porcelain bottle to the attendant, who then passed it to the Holy Emperor.

Song Xingtian took the porcelain bottle, opened the stopper, and a strong fragrance of elixir spread throughout the grand hall, making it fragrant and refreshing. The Holy Emperor, with his keen eyesight, saw that the elixirs in the bottle were the size of longan, as round as pearls, with white mist swirling around them and a chilling aura. He was overjoyed. This was definitely a top-quality elixir. It seemed that his decision to support Song Xinghai was absolutely correct, and just the fact that the Duke's wife, Yun Lin, was the daughter of a Holy Alchemist was enough reason.

The Seventh Prince and others looked at Yun Lin with eyes like knives.

Yun Lin was not afraid at all and said calmly, "Just now, someone asked Your Majesty to punish my husband and uphold the empire's laws. I have no objection to this. However, the empire's laws not only include the principle of 'a life for a life' but also 'a debt for a debt,' right?"

"A life for a life, a debt for a debt, this is a natural principle. Yun Aizhen, has someone owed you a debt and not repaid it? Don't worry, as long as you tell me who it is, I will certainly uphold justice for you." Song Xingtian, having received the elixir, was in a great mood. Now, even if the Duke of Zhong himself came forward, he couldn't stop him from favoring the sixth prince's family. He would rather lose his reputation and be criticized than disappoint Yun Lin, who represented a large number of elixirs. With these, his strength would increase exponentially. As for the criticism, who cares? As long as his strength was strong enough, he could destroy them whenever he was unhappy!

"As for the debt, there isn't one yet, but it will be soon," Yun Lin's lips curled into a hard-to-read smile. "Your Highnesses, Admiral Cheng, Duke Li, and all the ministers, I want to settle an account with you. Although you see that Lier is now unharmed, it's because he took my elixir. Since you injured him, you should bear the medical expenses, right?"

"Hmm, this request is very reasonable. Yun Aizhen, what elixir did Lier take, and what is its value? You can report it, and I will handle it fairly." Song Xingtian and Yun Lin were playing a duet, one singing and the other responding.

"Very well, then I won't be polite to you all," Yun Lin, with a serious face, counted on her fingers and said crisply, "Since Lier's injuries were quite severe, I gave him all nine of the peak Holy-grade 'Nine-Transmutation Life Pill' that my father left me! Although Holy-grade elixirs are extremely rare and have no market price, let's still calculate it based on the market price. According to the most authoritative Mandala Auction House in the capital, a peak Holy-grade elixir is worth 50 million gold coins. Lier took nine pills, nine times fifty is four hundred and fifty, so it's a total of 450 million gold coins! I believe the princes and ministers won't default on this debt, right?"

"Thud..." Cheng Guangde and over a dozen ministers almost fell to the ground. What? Nine peak Holy-grade elixirs? 450 million gold coins? The entire empire's treasury doesn't have that much money! They, as powerful ministers, had made a lot of money, but even if they sold all their bones, they couldn't get that much money!

They looked at Yun Lin with doubtful eyes. They weren't alchemists, so they didn't know if such a 'Nine-Transmutation Life Pill' existed. Even if it did exist, they didn't know if Song Li had really taken it. But this matter had no witnesses, and they couldn't cut open Song Li's stomach to check. Even if they did, the elixir would have already been absorbed into his blood and bones, leaving no trace.

Song Li was quite impressed by his mother's "shameless" spirit. She had only given him one low-grade Earth-level 'Three-Transmutation Return Pill,' but she had fabricated it into nine peak Holy-grade 'Nine-Transmutation Life Pills'! However, seeing these officials turn pale and tremble, Song Li was extremely