The alchemy furnace trembled.
Spiritual energy surged through the imperial study like a rising storm, pressing against the walls until the air itself seemed to thicken. Beneath a massive black iron cauldron, crimson flames rolled and twisted, striking the furnace with disciplined ferocity. Each pulse of fire followed an exact rhythm—neither wild nor restrained—like a ferocious beast that had learned absolute obedience.
At the center of it all sat Xiao Xuanyin.
He was dressed in a dark dragon robe, spotless and immaculate, its hem fluttering as if stirred by an unseen wind. His posture was straight, unmoving. His breathing was slow, steady, perfectly synchronized with the furnace before him.
Eyes closed, he formed one hand seal after another.
Each movement was precise.Each breath deliberate.
This was his third attempt.
The Ninth-Revolution Qi Condensation Pill.
A pill that allowed a mortal to sense spiritual energy.A pill that opened the gate to cultivation.A pill that separated rulers from legends.
For most emperors, ruling an empire was the peak of power.
For Xiao Xuanyin—
It was merely the beginning.
He had witnessed too much to believe in eternal dynasties. Thrones were inherited, yes—but they were also stolen, shattered, erased. Bloodlines thinned. Empires rotted from within. Even the greatest emperors eventually turned to dust beneath forgotten tombstones.
Only cultivation defied time.
Only immortality stood above history.
The furnace stabilized.
The flow of spiritual energy aligned perfectly with the pill formula engraved deep within Xiao Xuanyin's memory. The flames softened, then intensified again, responding flawlessly to his will.
Success was within reach.
Then—
Ding.
A crisp, unfamiliar sound sliced through the chamber.
The rhythm shattered.
Xiao Xuanyin's brows tightened.
For the briefest instant, the spiritual energy within his meridians wavered. Had his control slipped even a fraction longer, the furnace would have detonated—reducing months of preparation and half the imperial treasury's worth of materials into worthless ash.
His eyes snapped open.
Cold.Sharp.Absolute.
They turned toward the corner of the imperial study.
On a cushioned couch lay a young woman.
Su Wan.
She looked absurdly out of place among the jade screens, incense burners, and ancient scrolls. Half-reclined, one leg crossed lazily over the other, she held a thin black slab in her hands—smooth as polished jade, glowing faintly in the dim light.
Her fingers moved rapidly across its surface.
"Su Wan."
His voice was calm, yet carried the weight of unquestioned authority—the kind that had made ministers kneel and generals bow for decades.
"What are you doing?"
She looked up.
Met his gaze.
Did not kneel.Did not flinch.
"Ordering food."
Silence crashed down.
Even the flames beneath the furnace seemed to hesitate.
The cauldron let out a sharp crack, its internal balance pushed dangerously close to collapse.
Without looking away from her, Xiao Xuanyin raised one hand. His fingers tightened into a seal.
The flames steadied instantly.
Only then did he return his full attention to Su Wan.
She glanced back down at the glowing slab, completely unbothered.
"This is fried chicken. This is milk tea. And this—hamburgers." She paused, considering. "The reviews are pretty good."
Xiao Xuanyin stared at the object in her hands.
It was not jade.Not metal.Not wood, crystal, or spirit stone.
Nor did it emit even the faintest trace of spiritual fluctuation.
"What is it?" he asked.
"A phone."
"Who forged it?"
"People from the future."
"…From the Immortal Realm?"
"No." She shook her head. "From my world."
Xiao Xuanyin's gaze sharpened.
"You claim this object can summon food without servants?"
"Yes."
"Across distance?"
"Yes."
"Without formations?"
"Yes."
"Without spirit stones?"
"You just scan and pay."
"…."
He fell silent.
Not in disbelief.
But in calculation.
If such an object could retrieve food—
Then it could retrieve anything.
Information.Materials.Methods.
Xiao Xuanyin's mind moved faster than any scholar's abacus.
If knowledge could cross worlds…If resources were no longer bound by geography…
Then cultivation itself was no longer confined to sects, bloodlines, or fate.
The very foundation of this world could be rewritten.
"May I examine it?" he asked.
Su Wan blinked, then handed the phone over.
Xiao Xuanyin extended his hand.
Three inches away—
The glow vanished.
The screen darkened completely.
Text appeared, visible only to Su Wan.
[Binding in Progress][Unauthorized User Detected][Access Denied]
"…."
The Emperor withdrew his hand slowly.
His expression remained calm.
"It refuses me?" he asked.
Su Wan pressed her lips together, barely suppressing a smile. "It's bound to me. Probably doesn't like strangers."
"Or," Xiao Xuanyin said evenly, "it recognizes ownership."
The air seemed to chill.
Ownership.Control.Limitations.
Xiao Xuanyin had ruled long enough to understand a fundamental truth:
Anything without limits would eventually destroy its user.
Anything with limits—
Could be mastered.
Before Su Wan could reply—
Boom.
A wave of fragrance erupted from the furnace.
The pill was complete.
Xiao Xuanyin turned instantly, his hands moving in a blur of seals. The furnace lid lifted slightly, releasing a dense aroma rich with spiritual essence. Even the air itself grew heavy, oppressive.
Moments later, everything settled.
Within the cauldron lay a single pill—smooth, flawless, faintly glowing.
A perfect result.
Xiao Xuanyin stood.
He did not look at the pill again.
Instead, he turned to Su Wan.
"From this moment onward," he said evenly, "this object will not be shown to anyone."
"Understood."
"This matter will not be spoken of."
"Got it."
"You will move into the side hall of the imperial study."
Su Wan froze. "What?"
"I will study it."
Not you.It.
Su Wan glanced down.
The phone lit up again.
[Order Confirmed][Estimated Delivery: 30 Minutes]
She hesitated, then looked up carefully.
"Your Majesty… would you like some fried chicken?"
Xiao Xuanyin did not answer immediately.
His gaze drifted past her—past the furnace, past the pill, past the towering palace walls—toward a sky mortals believed unreachable.
Three seconds passed.
"…Add one order," he said.
And in his heart, a thought took shape—quiet, dangerous, and absolute.
If heaven stands above emperors…Then I will take heaven as well.