Chapter 149: Celebrating Early
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Elder Wang’s eyes darted toward the entrance as he noticed Mu Ye’s arrival, his heart skipping a beat. Rising abruptly, he pointed a trembling finger at her, “Mu Ye is late! According to the sect rules, she should be disqualified from the assessment immediately!”
“Ridiculous!” Elder Lotus’s voice cut through the air like a knife. “The assessment hasn’t even started yet. How could she be late?”
Elder Wang wasn’t about to back down. His face flushed with indignation, and his voice trembled with anger. “Elder Lotus, just because Mu Ye is your disciple, doesn’t mean you can twist the rules to suit your needs! This is blatant favoritism, a direct violation of sect principles!”
Elder Lotus’s expression darkened as she faced him, her eyes sharp and unyielding. “This isn’t favoritism, Elder Wang; it’s your own selfishness clouding your judgment!”
As the two elders argued fiercely, their voices rising, Yu Zhao and Mu Ye sped across the sect grounds, heading straight for the central plaza. Mu Ye, catching Yu Zhao’s glance, offered a quick nod of thanks before leaping onto the alchemy stage beside Wang Qian. Her voice rang out clear and confident, “Number 439, Mu Ye, reporting.”
Wang Qian, unwilling to let the matter slide, pointed accusingly at her. “Elder Luo, Mu Ye was late! She should be disqualified from the assessment!”
Elder Luo’s gaze shifted to him, his tone calm and detached. “Did I announce the start of the assessment?”
Wang Qian was left sputtering, his face twisting in frustration as he struggled to respond. Ultimately, he could only clench his fists in silent fury.
Seeing the matter settled, Elder Luo turned his attention to the elevated stage where the sect leaders sat. Bowing respectfully, he addressed them, “Sect Master, esteemed elders, all the alchemy disciples are present.”
“Hmph,” Elder Wang snorted heavily, still seething with displeasure.
It was clear to all that Elder Luo, who had always been aligned with Elder Lotus, was deliberately allowing Mu Ye to escape punishment. But Elder Wang comforted himself with the thought that Mu Ye’s inclusion wouldn’t change the outcome. In fact, defeating her fair and square might even enhance Wang Qian’s victory, eliminating any doubts about his son’s superiority.
The sect master, Wu Sang, nodded with a faint smile. Elder Luo then faced the disciples and proclaimed, “The rules for this assessment remain as they have always been. You have five days to complete your task. The evaluation will be conducted jointly by the sect master and the elders. I now declare the alchemy assessment officially begun.”
As his words echoed across the plaza, the disciples sprang into action, each focused on their preparations.
Yu Zhao let out a quiet sigh of relief as she watched Mu Ye immerse herself in the assessment. They had cut it dangerously close—just a few moments later, and everything would have been lost.
Three days earlier, Mu Ye had completed her training and was in perfect condition, ready to face the assessment head-on. But fate had other plans. Perhaps due to her accumulated experience or the unique synergy between her and the Five Poison Pill, Mu Ye had unexpectedly broken through a bottleneck right after finishing her training. Without even informing Yu Zhao, she had rushed to retrieve her alchemy furnace, eager to seize the moment.
As an unspoken rule, an alchemist must never be disturbed during pill-making. Despite her anxiety, Yu Zhao had no choice but to wait in tense silence, praying that Mu Ye wouldn’t lose track of time. Fortunately, Mu Ye had not forgotten the importance of the assessment. She completed the pill just in time and made it to the alchemy stage.
As Yu Zhao was about to find a quiet spot to observe the assessment, she felt a burning gaze on her, intense and unwavering, as if it could scorch her from afar. Frowning, she turned to see the source of this unsettling attention.
To her surprise, it was Fang Cheng Lang. His slightly aged but joyful face filled her with a mix of frustration and exasperation.
Speechless, Yu Zhao could only think of four words: Persistent like a ghost.
Her first instinct was to suspect that Fang Cheng Lang was once again investigating her. But as she recalled their last encounter, she quickly pieced together why he might be here. The poison that Yao Wuji had concocted could only be cured by alchemists from the Green Wood Sect. With the sect being the closest to the swampy marshland where Fang Cheng Lang had likely encountered trouble, it made sense for him to seek help here—unless the poison had addled his mind completely.
The situation struck Yu Zhao as almost laughable. In her past life, she had clung to Fang Cheng Lang and the others, desperate for their approval, willing to do anything for even the smallest favor. But now, after severing those ties and breaking free from her past, they seemed determined to drag her back into their lives, refusing to let her go.
The thought of returning to the sect after forging her life-bound artifact and facing these people again drained all the joy from Yu Zhao’s heart.
Fang Cheng Lang, unaware of the turmoil his presence caused Yu Zhao, was simply happy. Truly, deeply happy. Seeing Yu Zhao at the Green Wood Sect was an unexpected delight. He longed to rush down from the stage and pour out his heart to her, to tell her how badly he and Cui Jue had fared without her, how much they missed her. He wanted to confess that Cui Jue, poisoned and unconscious, had been calling out her name even in his delirium.
But Fang Cheng Lang couldn’t bring himself to do it.
He had wronged Yu Zhao too many times in the past. He knew he had no right to ask anything of her now. And deep down, he was afraid—afraid that if he told Yu Zhao about Cui Jue’s condition, she might not care. Her decision to cut ties with them seemed so resolute, so final.
If not even Cui Jue’s dire state could move her, Fang Cheng Lang had no idea how he could ever mend the broken bond between them.
For the first time, Fang Cheng Lang felt a sense of cowardice. He lowered his head, his shoulders slumping under the weight of his regret, his entire being shrouded in sorrow and helplessness.
No one noticed Fang Cheng Lang’s strange behavior; all eyes were on the alchemy disciples. The future leader of the Green Wood Sect would soon emerge from among them.
Naturally, most attention was focused on Mu Ye and Wang Qian.
Both were busy with their preparations, carefully removing various spiritual herbs from their storage spaces and arranging them on their alchemy platforms with meticulous precision. At the same time, they controlled the spiritual fire, heating their alchemy furnaces to the optimal temperature.
“Judging by the ten or so spiritual herbs Wang Qian has laid out, he seems to be preparing to make the Blazing Fire Pill,” one elder remarked, analyzing the situation.
The Blazing Fire Pill was a relatively common third-grade pill in the Green Wood Sect. It was particularly useful for expelling residual fire poison from the body, making it a popular choice among alchemists and artifact refiners who regularly dealt with spiritual fire.
Another elder clicked his tongue in wonder. “The Blazing Fire Pill isn’t particularly difficult to make among third-grade pills. Elder Wang, could you explain why Wang Qian chose this pill?”
Elder Wang smiled smugly, clearly enjoying the attention. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Seeing his confident demeanor, the other elders realized that Wang Qian must have something special planned, and their curiosity was piqued.
“Elder Lotus, the pill Mu Ye is preparing seems rather unusual,” another elder observed, drawing everyone’s attention to her.
They noticed that the spiritual herbs Mu Ye had laid out were not the usual ones found in the sect’s medicine hall.
Elder Lotus’s brow furrowed deeply. She knew that Mu Ye had been preparing to make the Spirit Consolidation Pill for the assessment. Changing pills at the last minute was a huge risk.
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“These herbs look like they’re for the Five Poison Pill,” an elder remarked.
The “five poisons” in the Five Poison Pill weren’t fixed; as long as one could find five complementary poisons and combine them with the right materials, the resulting pill could be classified as a Five Poison Pill.
“It does look like the Five Poison Pill. But why would Mu Ye choose such a recipe?”
Poison pills were the least favored and lowest-priced category of pills, and few alchemists specialized in them.
Elder Wang’s eyes gleamed with schadenfreude. He was certain that Zhao Liang, whom he had bribed, had switched out Mu Ye’s herbs, forcing her to change her pill recipe at the last minute. With only a month of practice, how could she possibly surpass Wang Qian? It seemed Elder Wang could start celebrating his son’s victory early.
Mu Ye, you can do it!