"It seems the Alchemist Association is in need of a thorough house-cleaning."
Zhou Huarong's expression was terrifyingly grim. Today's farce had not only severely damaged his own reputation but would also drag the Alchemist Association's name through the mud. At this thought, the frosty aura emanating from Zhou Huarong could practically freeze the air, sending a chill through the surrounding onlookers and scaring them into silence.
"Hm?"
Just as Zhou Huarong was about to turn and leave, his gaze suddenly fell upon a corner of the refinement room.
"What's this..." His figure blurred as he swiftly arrived at the refinement table. He picked up a potion bottle containing a small amount of residual purple liquid. After sniffing it, a look of surprise appeared on his face. He then dipped a glass rod into it, dabbed a tiny amount onto the tip of his tongue, and his expression shifted from surprise to shock, and finally to utter disbelief.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he sprinted out of the Alchemist Association. A moment later, he rushed back to Lu Yue, his face a mask of anxiety. "Lu Yue, you were the one who registered that kid, right? What's his name? Where's he from? Did he say what kind of potion he was planning to make? And did he leave any contact information?"
Lu Yue, looking completely bewildered, shook her head, having no idea what was going on.
"Forget it, let's check his registration information first." Zhou Huarong frantically brought over the registration book. With Lu Yue's help, he found the line Ye Xuan had filled out, only to see that aside from Ye Xuan's name, there was no other useful information.
Lu Yue mustered her courage and asked cautiously, "Lord Zhou, what happened? Did he damage the equipment in the refinement room?"
Shaking his head, Zhou Huarong said gravely, "In the refinement room that kid used, there was some residual liquid left behind. Judging by its effects, it's very likely a type of Tier One potion that has never been seen before."
"What?" Lu Yue cried out in surprise, her cherry-red lips forming an 'O'. She was utterly shocked. 'To refine a Tier One potion that could startle even Lord Zhou Huarong... could that young man be an Alchemist even more powerful than him?'
"Why am I even telling you all this." Zhou Huarong waved his hand in resignation, then said to Lu Yue with utmost seriousness, "If that young man comes back, you must find a way to keep him here, then notify me as quickly as possible!"
"Yes!"
Filled with shock and apprehension, Lu Yue departed.
'Did that young man really refine this purple potion? A Tier One Alchemist so young... is that even possible?' Zhou Huarong murmured to himself. 'Forget it. What's the point of overthinking it? Whether he refined it or not, it at least means he possesses this mysterious potion. No, I have to show this potion to the Chairman.'
Like a gust of wind, Zhou Huarong dashed up to the upper floors of the Alchemist Association.
The Chairman's Office.
A scruffy, bearded old man was vigorously picking his nose. His face was contorted in a ferocious grimace as his right index finger waged a fierce war against a stubborn booger stuck deep inside his nostril. Finally, after a heroic struggle, he forcefully excavated a grayish-white piece of snot.
"Whoa, it's so long! You little rascal, thought you could get the better of me, did you?"
The old man stared triumphantly at the booger in his hand. Having extracted it, a feeling of immense satisfaction washed over his entire body.
BANG!
Suddenly, the office door burst open and a figure rushed in frantically, holding up a potion bottle and shouting, "Chairman, you have to see this—"
Their eyes met, and both of their expressions froze. Their poses were strikingly similar—one was holding up a potion bottle, while the other was holding up a lump of... booger!
"Huarong, my boy, how many times have I told you? As Alchemists, we must remain composed. Whether in alchemy or in daily life, if you're always this reckless, how will you ever become an Alchemy Master?" the old man said calmly, all the while wiping the booger from his hand onto the underside of his desk. "Right, what did you need to see me about?"
The corner of Zhou Huarong's eye twitched. He forced himself to ignore the old man's actions and said, "Chairman, please take a look at this potion."
"Oh? Did you develop another new potion?"
The old man took the potion bottle and gave it a light sniff. His puzzled expression immediately turned to one of surprise. "Huh, this potion is rather interesting."
Using the very same finger he had just used to pick his nose, he gently dabbed a bit of the purple liquid and placed it in his mouth to taste it. The sight made Zhou Huarong's stomach churn violently, and he nearly threw up last night's dinner.
As the potion's effects took hold, the old man's surprised gaze turned to shock, and then to a stunned stupor. He grabbed Zhou Huarong's shoulders, his body trembling, and roared with a flushed face, "Where did you get this potion?!"
The old man's grip made Zhou Huarong's bones creak. Enduring the pain, he recounted everything that had happened from start to finish.
"Quick, take me to see!"
As if his pants were on fire, the old man shot out of the office like a gust of wind.
In the first-floor hall, the crowd that had gathered earlier had not yet fully dispersed when they saw Zhou Huarong charging over with an old man in a great rush.
"Chairman Hua."
"Chairman!"
Along the way, many Pharmacists from the Alchemist Association immediately stopped to bow respectfully upon seeing the old man, their expressions humble. This left many of the onlookers stunned. 'This scruffy, slovenly old man is actually the Chairman of Blue Moon City's Alchemist Association, Hua Luoxuan... Chairman Hua?'
The old man was seen rushing into the refinement room Ye Xuan had used. He touched things here and there, looked all around, and even sniffed about the room like a dog.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."
The old man's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Demon Flame Flower, Thousand Leaves, Muscle Fruit, and Blood Abyss Essence... to think these four ingredients combined could create such a heaven-defying potion! This potion must be specifically for improving a Martial Artist's physical strength. If every Martial Artist could take a potion like this, the chance of breaking through to the Samurai realm would increase by at least fifty percentage points. Truly brilliant!"
"However, there must be one other ingredient. What could it be? Why is there not a single trace of it?"
The old man was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. By sniffing the air in the refinement room and examining the residual materials on the table, he had instantly identified four ingredients of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid. But no matter how he searched, he couldn't find the final ingredient, and he paced around in frantic circles.
In truth, the old man didn't know that even if he managed to gather all five ingredients, he still wouldn't be able to concoct the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid. For any potion's formula, the process is just as crucial as the ingredients. This was also why Ye Xuan hadn't bothered to clean the refinement table.
Ye Xuan, of course, had no idea what chaos his alchemy session had thrown the Alchemist Association into. Having returned to the academy, he made his way to the training room.
'First, I need to test how high my body's strength has reached. The minimum requirement to practice the Nine Profound Prideful Art is to first have the physical strength of a Tier One Warrior. In my past life, I obtained the Nine Profound Prideful Art too late. I was already a Tier Eight Martial Emperor and long past the stage of building a foundation, so I couldn't start over. Now that the heavens have given me another chance, it would be a complete waste of my rebirth not to cultivate this legendary technique,' Ye Xuan murmured to himself.
The Cultivation Techniques of the Celestial Profound Continent were divided into five levels: Mortal Grade, Earth Grade, Celestial Grade, Profound Grade, and King Grade. Above King Grade was the legendary Holy Grade.
He had obtained the Nine Profound Prideful Art in his previous life from an extremely dangerous ancient ruin. It was the strongest Cultivation Technique he had ever acquired. According to the records in that ruin, the Nine Profound Prideful Art was a supreme technique passed down from the Celestial Realm in ancient times, possessing heaven-defying might. A technique of this caliber had to be at least Holy Grade.
This was a legendary, peerless, and invincible Cultivation Technique. If word of it ever got out, every Nine Heavens Martial Emperor on the continent would go insane for it.
The Ye Xuan of the previous life had been unable to cultivate it. In this life, he naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.
Ye Xuan stepped into the academy's training room. He glanced down at the counter, and a familiar figure came into view, causing his steps to falter instinctively.
'What's wrong?' Ye Xuan felt his body's resistance and paused, slightly startled. A moment later, memories flooded his mind.
So that was it.
Ye Xuan immediately understood.
The cashier at the counter was named Li Yue. Speaking of which, this body's previous owner and Li Yue had quite a bit of history. The Li family, to which Li Yue belonged, was also from Cyan Mountain Town. They were a small family, but they happened to be on good terms with the Ye family. As a result, Ye Xuan and Li Yue often hung out together as children, and back then, Li Yue had been quite adorable.
During that time, Ye Xuan had been infatuated with her for a while. And Li Yue, because of Ye Xuan's status as the young master of the Ye family, had been very warm toward him. Especially after Ye Xuan spontaneously awakened his Martial Soul, she came looking for him every single day, a development the Li family was more than happy to see.
However, after Ye Xuan was judged to be a waste, everything changed. Li Yue never came looking for him again. At that time, both of them had entered Xingxuan Academy. The clueless Ye Xuan had even sought out Li Yue to ask her why. Li Yue's reply was: "My future husband must be a peerless expert, a great hero. Look at yourself. A waste. Do you meet my requirements?"
Ye Xuan had never expected Li Yue's reply to be so harsh. It dealt him a massive blow, and he had been sullen and depressed ever since. He never managed to escape that shadow, right up until the moment Ye Xiaoyao was reborn into his body.
Later, Ye Xuan sought out Li Yue a few more times. But Li Yue was even more ruthless—she actually got together with Wang Yue, the very person who had always bullied Ye Xuan and worked against him, dealing Ye Xuan another devastating blow.
So that's how it was. No wonder this body's original owner had such an aversion to this girl and was always so gloomy. He was even in a daze during the training expedition to Black Wind Ridge, which is why he tripped and hit his head on a rock while trying to escape, allowing my soul to be reborn and take over. Although that Ye Xuan wasn't him, his expression still darkened.
Talk about a small world for enemies.
The training rooms belonged to the academy, and students had to pay Profound Coins to use them. Therefore, the academy would select students who wanted to work part-time to act as cashiers. The old Ye Xuan had never come to the training rooms before. He never imagined he would run into her on his very first visit.
Although he felt it was a raw deal for this body's previous owner, the current Ye Xuan wouldn't go out of his way to cause trouble for a young woman. He simply didn't consider her worth his attention.