"Come see me after you consume that pill. Until then."
Kulas didn't linger and immediately left.
Tian Yang returned to his room shortly after to show Ren Xia the pill.
"Have you ever heard of the Heaven Defying Ascension Pill before?" he asked her.
"No, but it sounds very powerful. What kind of pill is it?"
"I don't know. Kulas didn't tell me. He said it's a surprise."
Ren Xia inspected the pill for a moment before speaking, "This pill contains ingredients other than the ones you gave him. A lot of them, actually."
"I guess I'll find out its effect soon."
"Are you going to consume it now?"
He quietly nodded.
Moments later, he tossed the pill into his mouth and closed his eyes to concentrate.
The pill dissolved almost instantly upon contact, flooding his mouth with a rich medicinal taste before flowing smoothly down his throat.
Ren Xia stood quietly at his side, her attention fixed on every subtle shift in his aura and physique.
Then, without warning, a tremendous burst of energy exploded from Tian Yang's body. The resulting shockwave tore through the room, destroying every piece of furniture in an instant.
"Heavens! What is this amount of energy?!"
Before Ren Xia could even fully grasp the situation, she noticed that Tian Yang's cultivation, which had only recently entered Golden Immortal, was soaring to the next realm.
In the span of several breaths, Tian Yang's cultivation reached the peak of Golden Immortal, and after another moment, surged into the next realm, becoming a True Immortal.
However, it didn't stop there, and Tian Yang's cultivation continued to grow.
It was only when his cultivation reached the pinnacle of the True Immortal realm that his aura began to subside.
Tian Yang opened his eyes almost immediately and turned to Ren Xia with a dumbfounded expression.
Ren Xia stared back at him with the exact same look on her face.
"How long was I cultivating just now?" he asked in a somewhat nervous voice.
"A minute… two minutes at most," she replied.
Then she asked, "Did time feel different for you?"
Tian Yang shook his head and explained, "Everything happened so quickly that I was only able to watch. I didn't even do anything after swallowing the pill."
"I've never seen anyone's cultivation rise that fast," Ren Xia murmured.
But soon, a worried look clouded her face. "It's incredible that your cultivation improved so quickly… but I'm afraid there might be side effects. Something this powerful can't be without at least one or two drawbacks."
Tian Yang inspected his body and said, "Besides the overflowing energy coursing through my body, I don't feel any different."
He then stood up and continued, "But I should speak with Kulas just in case."
Ren Xia nodded, and the two of them went to meet Kulas together.
"You've returned quicker than I thought." Kulas smiled the moment he saw them. "How was the pill?"
"It was amazing… a little too good, if I have to be honest. What did you even feed me? And do I have to worry about any drawbacks?"
"I told you what I gave you. The Heaven Defying Ascension Pill," Kulas calmly responded with a playful smile on his face. "And you don't need to worry about drawbacks because there are none. I also consumed one, after all."
Tian Yang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is that how you achieved True Immortal?"
He nodded, "Yes, and I consumed it a hundred years ago."
"So, what exactly is this pill? It's the first time I'm hearing its name," Ren Xia spoke up.
"It's a pill that will instantly improve one's cultivation by half a realm, even if they're an Immortal."
"Wait… half a realm? Are you sure?" Tian Yang asked in a doubtful voice. "After all, my cultivation improved by nearly two realms."
"What?" Kulas raised his eyebrows, looking puzzled by his statement.
It was at this moment that Kulas realized Tian Yang's cultivation had already reached True Immortal. No, it was at the peak of True Immortal! "What the hell?" Kulas exclaimed as he stood up with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"You were only at the early stages of Golden Immortal, so you couldn't have reached True Immortal, much less the peak with the Heaven Defying Ascension Pill! I was already at the peak of Golden Immortal when I consumed the pill!" Tian Yang shook his head.
"I don't know what to tell you since it's your pill."
Kulas fell silent for a long moment to ponder the possibilities.
"Could it be due to the ingredients you gave me? They were much more potent than what I used for my own pill, after all. However, even then, it shouldn't have increased the pill's effect so drastically."
"Now you're making me worried…" Tian Yang sighed.
Kulas awkwardly cleared his throat before speaking, "Come with me. We'll have an Alchemist take a look at your condition."
"The Alchemist is still here?" "Not the one who concocted the pill, but we have another Alchemist staying with us."
Kulas didn't wait around and immediately led Tian Yang to said Alchemist.
"Hello." A giant woman greeted them shortly after Kulas knocked on her door.
"You are… one of Kulas' wives?" Tian Yang recognized this woman.
Although this is only his second time seeing her, he remembered her from the family introduction a few months ago.
"And you are His Majesty's sworn brother. Senior Tian Yang, correct?" she responded with a calm smile.
"Chao Shuying, I need you to take a thorough examination of his body immediately," Kulas immediately cut to the chase.
The woman named Chao Shuying transformed in the next moment, shrinking her massive form until she stood at their height.
"What's wrong with his body? Did he get hurt during your spar?" she asked.
"No, he consumed the Heaven Defying Ascension Pill, and his cultivation improved more than what should be possible. I'm worried that something might be wrong with his body," Kulas explained.