Chapter 152: The Yin-Yang Five Poison Pill
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Mu Ye was left speechless, her mind reeling. She had been rivals with Wang Qian for years, and no one knew his abilities better than she did. It was clear that while she had been working hard on her cultivation, Wang Qian had not been idle either. The pride she had felt after her recent breakthrough evaporated in an instant, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor.
“There’s always someone better,” she reminded herself, “and the sky stretches far beyond what we can see.” Her journey was still long, and she knew she had much to learn.
As the rankings were announced, Wang Qian felt a surge of relief. He held his head high, basking in the admiring gazes of the disciples around him. In his mind, he was already picturing himself as the future young leader of the Green Wood Sect.
“Number 439, Mu Ye, please step forward and present your pill,” Elder Luo’s voice cut through Wang Qian’s daydreams.
Wang Qian glanced at Mu Ye, his eyes full of challenge. However, Mu Ye did not immediately open her cauldron. Instead, she turned and scanned the crowd, searching for someone. It didn’t take long before her eyes found who she was looking for, and her gaze reflected a mix of anxiety and determination.
Yu Zhao stood among the disciples of the Medicine Hall, a faint smile playing on her lips. She gave Mu Ye a firm nod, silently conveying her belief in her.
“Believe in yourself. You can do it,” Yu Zhao’s eyes seemed to say.
Mu Ye drew strength from Yu Zhao’s silent encouragement. She returned the nod resolutely, then turned back to her cauldron and lifted the lid. Inside, she retrieved two pills—one black and one white—and placed them on a tray.
As the pills were revealed, the large crowd erupted into murmurs.
“Strange… Why are Mu Ye’s pills different colors?” someone whispered.
“And there are two of them! Did she mess up the process?” another questioned.
“But they don’t look ruined at all. Do you think she and Wang Qian planned this, saving their best techniques for the assessment?” others speculated.
The elders of the Green Wood Sect had been intrigued by Mu Ye’s unconventional pill-making techniques, and now, seeing the outcome, their interest only grew. Two pills of different colors, made in the same cauldron? Even they had never seen anything like it.
Wang Qian and Elder Wang were no longer smiling. Especially after seeing the elders’ reactions, they grew increasingly uneasy. What they had assumed would be an easy victory over Mu Ye was now in jeopardy. She had used an innovative technique that immediately nullified Wang Qian’s earlier advantage.
Holding the tray, Mu Ye stepped up onto the stage to face the elders. Her voice was steady as she spoke, “The pill I have refined this time is the Five Poison Pill, a third-grade pill.”
Before she could continue her explanation, Elder Lotus and another elder quickly took the pills from the tray. Elder Lotus held the white Five Poison Pill in her hand, inspecting its flawless appearance, which was comparable to Wang Qian’s Blazing Fire Pill. She then used her spiritual energy to taste a small amount of the powder on her tongue.
“Hmm, yes, it definitely has the taste of poison,” Elder Lotus confirmed, her tone thoughtful.
The other elder examined the black pill, noting that aside from the color, it was identical to the white one. The gathered elders were astonished.
“If they’re the same pill, why are they different colors?” they wondered aloud, their eyes turning to Elder Lotus, silently urging her to ask.
Elder Lotus, equally curious, asked, “Mu Ye, why are the two Five Poison Pills you’ve refined different in color? What is the explanation?”
If the only difference was color, Mu Ye’s assessment grade wouldn’t be very high, certainly not enough to surpass Wang Qian. In other words, Wang Qian was still likely to win.
At this moment, the most anxious person was not Mu Ye, but Wang Qian. He clenched his fists so tightly that he could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. “Please don’t have an explanation… please don’t…”
“I do.”
With just one word, Mu Ye shattered Wang Qian’s hopes.
“These two pills are both Five Poison Pills. Taking either one will cause poisoning, but as long as the other pill is taken within a certain time frame, it will act as an antidote. Separated, they are poisonous; together, they can neutralize each other. This is what I’ve created—the Yin-Yang Five Poison Pill.”
Her explanation left the entire hall in stunned silence.
“The Yin-Yang Five Poison Pill?” The crowd whispered in disbelief. “She managed to create both a poison and its antidote using the same ingredients in one process? Isn’t that impossible?”
“This can’t be true! You can’t have done this!” Wang Qian shouted, his face contorted in anger. As a fellow alchemist, he understood all too well the implications of Mu Ye’s success. While he was still following traditional methods, Mu Ye, someone his own age, had pioneered a new path in pill refining. From this moment on, Mu Ye’s name would be renowned among alchemists.
But Mu Ye remained composed. “Just because you can’t, doesn’t mean I can’t.”
This was her achievement, and she had no reason to feel inferior.
“No! I refuse to believe it! I refuse!” Wang Qian screamed, his voice hoarse as he tried to lunge at Mu Ye.
Elder Luo, however, wasn’t about to let Wang Qian act out. With a single thought, he restrained Wang Qian in place.
Elder Wang stood up abruptly, intending to ask Elder Luo to release Wang Qian. But seeing the crazed look in Wang Qian’s eyes, he felt both grief and helplessness. If Wang Qian were freed, the situation would only spiral further out of control.
The disciples of the Green Wood Sect exchanged uncertain glances, unsure how to react. They had never heard of a pill-making technique like Mu Ye’s, and their instincts led them to doubt it.
Many of the elders shared similar thoughts. They couldn’t bring themselves to believe that a disciple at the Foundation Establishment stage could single-handedly create an entirely new method in alchemy.
“Mu Ye, do you have a way to prove that your Yin-Yang Five Poison Pill is as miraculous as you claim?” one elder finally voiced the question they were all thinking, allowing Elder Lotus to ask on their behalf.
“I do. Please hand me the two Yin-Yang Five Poison Pills.”
Elder Lotus smiled slightly as she returned the black and white pills to Mu Ye’s tray.
Without hesitation, Mu Ye picked up one of the pills and swallowed it. The poison dissolved immediately.
Within moments, her complexion turned visibly pale, her lips darkened, and her body stiffened before collapsing backward.
The sect master: !
The elders: !!
The disciples: !!!
Elder Luo, who was closest, quickly caught her and grabbed the remaining pill, forcing it into her mouth.
A few seconds later, Mu Ye’s rigid body relaxed, and color returned to her face.
With Elder Luo’s help, she stood up again. “Master, fellow disciples, and elders… I’ve… I’ve shown that… it’s real…” she said, still a bit tongue-tied as the lingering effects of the poison wore off.
But her demonstration had been more than enough to prove her words true.
Elder Lotus looked at her with a mix of pride and concern. Many assumed she favored Mu Ye because of her talent, but few realized that what shone brightest in Mu Ye was her passion and dedication to the path of alchemy.
“Top grade,” one of the alchemy hall elders finally declared after a long silence, his tone serious.
“Agreed.”
“Mu Ye must be rated as top grade.”
“I have no objections.”
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
The other elders turned to the sect master of Wu Sang for the final decision.
The sect master beamed, “The honor is well deserved.”
Elder Wang slumped back into his seat, defeated. It was clear from the sect master’s attitude whom he had chosen to favor. Any hope for his son, Wang Qian, was now completely dashed.
“Mu Ye, your assessment grade is top grade.”
“Wow, two top-grade results! This must be the first time something like this has ever happened!”
“Wang Qian deserves his top grade because he earned it, but Mu Ye’s top grade… She’s far beyond what that ranking could even measure!”
“Mu Ye is incredible. I thought Wang Qian had it in the bag, but she outdid him! If she becomes the sect leader, I’ll have no complaints!”