In the refining room, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged, adopting a meditative pose. His gaze was turned inward and his palms faced the heavens as he sank into the process of tempering his physical body…
「Outside, in the Alchemist Association's main hall.」
"As servers, we must be sharp-eyed and quick on our feet, and polite to everyone. Every customer who comes to our Alchemist Association is to be treated like royalty. Some people shouldn't be so focused on sucking up to so-called 'alchemists' that they completely forget their duties. A little brat makes her lose all sense of proportion. Does she really think he's some kind of Alchemy Master?"
Chen Yan was venting her anger on Lu Yue, her words dripping with scorn.
The earlier incident with Ye Xuan had put her in a foul mood, and she was still fuming. When a customer left the Alchemist Association a moment ago, Lu Yue failed to bow in time, giving Chen Yan the perfect opportunity to lash out with disdainful, cutting remarks.
Across from her, Lu Yue looked utterly wronged, on the verge of tears from the verbal assault, but she didn't dare to talk back. The other servers nearby watched with detached indifference.
"Sister Chen, who's gotten you so upset? Tell your big brother all about it." A portly, middle-aged man in his thirties walked up to Chen Yan's side.
The man had a sleazy look on his face, and his groping hand gave her cheek a quick pinch.
"Oh, it's Brother Lai." Seeing him, Chen Yan immediately broke into a seductive smile. She made no move to avoid his advances, laughing flirtatiously. "What brings Brother Lai here today?"
"Wouldn't I, when I've been missing my little treasure?" Lai Mao flashed a set of yellow teeth, his eyes greedily tracing Chen Yan's beautiful features as his hand began to wander over her body.
"Stop it. This is the Alchemist Association. It wouldn't do for the manager to see," Chen Yan said, pushing the sleazy fatty's hand away. But her push was feather-light, and she giggled as she did it.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Lai Mao chuckled. "I just got my hands on a formula for a First-Grade Pill yesterday. If I can successfully refine it, I'll be able to get certified as a First-Grade Alchemist. Once I'm a First-Grade Alchemist in the Alchemist Association, who would dare to bother you then?"
"Really?" Chen Yan was overjoyed.
Lai Mao was over thirty but only a Tier One Warrior; he'd likely never amount to more in his life. He was sleazy and unattractive, but he had a decent talent for Alchemy. He could already concoct some basic potions and was considered a high-level alchemy apprentice. The only reason Chen Yan flirted with him and let him take liberties was her hope that he would one day become a First-Grade Alchemist.
A First-Grade Alchemist could completely transform her life.
"Heh heh, would I lie to you, my little treasure? Wait for me to finish my work. How about you come over to my place tonight?" Lai Mao said with a sleazy grin.
"Oh, stop. We can talk about that after you actually succeed," Chen Yan said, lowering her head in a display of feigned coyness. The implication was clear: if he succeeded, she would be his for the night.
"Heh heh," Lai Mao let out a lewd laugh. "Then you just wait. First, get a refining room ready for me."
Chen Yan checked the register, and her brow immediately furrowed. "What awful timing, Brother Lai. All of the association's basic refining rooms are full today. Could you wait for a little while?"
"Wait? No way. My inspiration is peaking right now! If you make me lose my momentum, the loss will be huge. Can you afford to compensate me for that?" Lai Mao's brow furrowed in annoyance.
Chen Yan racked her brain. Lai Mao was her meal ticket; getting on his bad side meant jeopardizing her own future. Then her eyes darted to Lu Yue, and an idea struck her. "Don't worry, Brother Lai. A little while ago, Lu Yue took some kid to Refining Room 15. He only paid for an hour, and his time should be just about up. You can use that one. The kid is only ten or so. What could he possibly know about Alchemy? He's probably just here to mess around."
"Sister Chen, that's against the rules, isn't it?" Lu Yue immediately protested.
"What are you talking about, 'rules'? You don't actually think that little brat is a real Alchemist, do you? Besides, his time is up. It's his good fortune to get the chance to meet Brother Lai."
"Fine. Take me there now."
Lai Mao couldn't care less about some ten-year-old kid. 'It's the boy's honor to give up his room for a future First-Grade Alchemist like me.'
Inside the refining room, Ye Xuan was still deep in his cultivation.
He could feel his once porous bones, weak muscles, and fatigued internal organs rapidly strengthening under the effects of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid. Although it was only a first-grade concoction, its body-tempering effects were the best among all low-grade potions.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the effects of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid had been fully released. On the surface, Ye Xuan might not have looked any different, but in truth, his physical strength was now several times greater than before. All the minute damage to his meridians, capillaries, cells, and organs had been completely healed.
'With the help of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Liquid, my body has finally been conditioned to its peak state.'
A sharp glint flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes. He stood up and, with a slight shake of his body, the crusted layer of black filth flaked off, revealing skin as smooth as white jade beneath. Its texture was fine, radiating a sense of aesthetic power.
Getting dressed, Ye Xuan heard a commotion outside the refining room.
"Sister Chen, sir, this is against the rules! His time in the refining room isn't up yet!"
"Rules? What rules? Is some little brat more important than Master Lai Mao's Alchemy? Open the door!"
"Sister Chen, I can't do that!"
"Damn it! Who the hell do you think you are, getting in my way? Scram!"
SLAP!
Inside the refining room, Ye Xuan frowned. Refining rooms were supposed to have excellent soundproofing, yet the voices from outside were coming through with crystal clarity. It was obvious how loud the people outside were being.
'What's all this ruckus?' Ye Xuan thought, a flicker of anger rising as he walked toward the door.
BANG!
Before he could take two steps, the door to the refining room was kicked open. A man and a woman stood in the doorway. The man was fat, and the woman was one of the Alchemist Association's servers. Another figure was sitting on the floor—it was the very same girl who had arranged the room for him. A clear red handprint was emblazoned on her face, and her eyes were brimming with tears. She had clearly been slapped.
Ye Xuan's expression darkened. He looked at Lu Yue and asked in a cold voice, "What happened?"
The main hall wasn't packed, but there was a constant flow of people. The loud shouting had quickly drawn a small crowd.
"What's going on? Looks like there's a fight."
"This is the Alchemist Association. Who would dare cause a scene here?"
"I recognize that fat guy. I think his name is Lai Mao. He's a high-level alchemy apprentice who's here often, just one step away from becoming a First-Grade Alchemist."
"Oh, it's him. No wonder. I overheard that Lai Mao wanted to do some Alchemy, but there weren't any rooms available, so he decided to take this boy's room by force."
"So that's what happened. This kid is in for it now. Lai Mao is not someone you want to cross."
Hearing the crowd's whispers, the middle-aged fatty puffed up with pride. He strode into the refining room as if he owned the place and announced in a condescending tone, "Kid, this master is commandeering this room. You can get out."
Ye Xuan's expression grew even colder. "And who the hell are you? I'll give you three breaths. Get out. Now."
The middle-aged fatty was stunned speechless for a moment. His face turned livid. "Kid," he snarled, a twisted smile on his face, "do you have any idea who I am? How dare you speak to me like that? Are you looking for a death wish?"
"I don't give a damn who you are, you fat pig. Now, get out."
Lai Mao's expression was absolutely foul. He had expected the boy to be grateful and obediently hand over the room. Since when did little brats have the nerve to speak to him this way? He was so furious he laughed. "Fine. You've got guts. For a little brat to talk to me like that… I'll just have to teach you a lesson on your parents' behalf and show you what 'rules' really are."
As his words fell, Lai Mao roared. The aura around him suddenly erupted as he formed his hands into claws. A fierce vortex of wind gathered in his palms as he lunged for Ye Xuan.
"It's the Eagle Claw Skill! Even though Lai Mao is only at the First Layer of the Warrior realm, he is a Warrior, after all. A single strike from his claws has air-rending power."
"A Warrior is nothing. Lai Mao's greatest strength is his talent for Alchemy. Once he becomes a First-Grade Alchemist, even a Tier Two Martial Artist of the Martial Profound Realm would have to address him respectfully as 'Master'."
"True. Tsk, tsk… a First-Grade Alchemist… I wonder if I'll ever have a chance at that in my lifetime."
Hearing the crowd's comments, Lai Mao's heart swelled with pride. He sneered, "Kid, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll just break all four of your limbs. In the future, learn to watch who you're dealing with. Some people are not for you to provoke."
WHOOSH!
Amidst a fierce gust of wind, a pair of chubby yet sharp claws rapidly closed in on Ye Xuan's limbs.
Ye Xuan looked up, his expression cold and his body as still as a mountain. "Three breaths are up. It seems you have no intention of leaving on your own. Very well. In that case, you won't be leaving at all."
The onlookers were dumbfounded. 'At a time like this, how can he still have the composure to say something like that?'
SNAP!
The sharp claws descended. Just as everyone expected Ye Xuan to be grievously wounded, Lai Mao's attack hit nothing but air.
With a mere flicker of his body, Ye Xuan had already evaded the attack. The powerful aura of Profound Qi didn't affect him in the slightest.
"Is that your Eagle Claw Skill? It looks more like a Chicken Claw Skill. Tsk tsk, to only be a First Layer Warrior at your age… you've wasted your entire life, haven't you?" Ye Xuan sneered with utter contempt. Lai Mao might have been a First Layer Warrior, but having never faced real danger, his actual combat strength was likely inferior to even a high-meridian Martial Artist from one of the academies.
The crowd was stunned. 'What just happened? How did a ten-year-old boy dodge a strike from Lai Mao, a First Layer Warrior?' Still, his description was spot on. Lai Mao's hands were indeed fat and pudgy. Without the Profound Qi of a First Layer Warrior backing them up, they really did look more like a pair of fat chicken feet than eagle claws.
"You little bastard, you're courting death!" Lai Mao was both shocked and enraged. He couldn't understand what had just happened. 'Could this kid be some kind of genius?' But when he looked closely at Ye Xuan, he couldn't detect the slightest fluctuation of Profound Qi. This immediately put his mind at ease, and his expression twisted into an even more ferocious snarl. Originally, he had only planned to break the boy's limbs as a lesson. Now, he was determined to cripple him completely.