Chapter 149: Celebrating Early
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Elder Wang noticed Mu Ye’s arrival and, flustered, stood up in protest.
“Mu Ye is late. According to the rules, she is disqualified from the assessment!”
“Stop spouting nonsense! The assessment hasn’t even started yet; Mu Ye is not late!” countered Elder Lotus.
“Elder Lotus, you can’t favor Mu Ye just because she’s your disciple! That’s blatant disregard for sect rules!”
“Elder Wang, it’s not favoritism—it’s your own bias at play!”
As Elder Lotus and Elder Wang argued fiercely, Yu Zhao and Mu Ye rushed onto the sect square.
Mu Ye gave Yu Zhao a quick nod before leaping to stand next to Wang Qian at the alchemy platform. She announced confidently, “Mu Ye, number 439, reporting in!”
Wang Qian pointed at her, shouting indignantly, “Elder Luo, Mu Ye is late! She should be disqualified from the assessment!”
Elder Luo glanced at him, his tone calm. “Did I announce the start of the assessment?”
Wang Qian was momentarily stunned and could only shake his head.
Elder Luo ignored him and turned to bow toward the main stage. “Sect Master and esteemed elders, all disciples of the Pill Hall are present.”
“Hmph,” Elder Wang snorted heavily. Elder Luo’s partiality toward Elder Lotus was evident and had let Mu Ye off the hook. However, Wang Qian comforted himself—if Mu Ye wasn’t part of the competition, Wang Qian’s potential victory as the Young Sect Master would be controversial. Only by defeating Mu Ye in the assessment would his success be beyond question.
Sect Master Wu Sang smiled and nodded. Elder Luo immediately declared, “This assessment will follow the usual rules: a five-day time limit, judged collectively by the Sect Master and elders. I now declare the Pill Hall assessment officially open.”
The moment the words were spoken, the disciples on the alchemy platforms sprang into action.
Yu Zhao watched Mu Ye, who was fully immersed in the assessment, and felt a wave of relief. They had barely made it.
Three days ago, Mu Ye had finished her training and adjusted her state of mind, ready to tackle the assessment with her full strength. But plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Perhaps it was the accumulation of her efforts or the perfect resonance between her and the Five Poisons Pill, but shortly after stopping her pill refinement, she experienced a sudden epiphany. She barely had time to grab her pill refining furnace before diving into the process again.
As a rule, an alchemist cannot be disturbed during pill refinement. Yu Zhao, though anxious, didn’t dare interrupt Mu Ye. Thankfully, Mu Ye remembered the importance of the assessment and completed her refining just in time.
While Yu Zhao sought a quiet corner to observe the assessment, she felt a scorching gaze fixated on her, as though it could melt her. She frowned and turned to see Fang Cheng Lang’s slightly aged yet delighted face.
Yu Zhao was speechless. Four words popped into her mind: “Persistent as a ghost.”
Her first thought was that Fang Cheng Lang was secretly investigating her again. But recalling the state of Fang Cheng Lang and Cui Jue when they last parted, she guessed why he was here.
The poison created by Yao Wu Ji could only be treated with confidence by the alchemists of the Green Wood Sect, the nearest sect to the Marsh Forest. Fang Cheng Lang, unless completely addled by the poison, would naturally seek help here.
Yu Zhao found it amusing.
In her past life, she had clung to Fang Cheng Lang and his companions for the tiniest scraps of gratitude, behaving like a thoughtless shell eager to stay by their side. In this life, having broken free from those delusions, she worked hard to distance herself from them, yet they seemed obsessed, entangling her in a mess she couldn’t sever or explain.
Thinking about returning to the sect after forging her life-bonded artifact, only to meet these people again, Yu Zhao felt her good mood vanish completely.
Fang Cheng Lang, oblivious to the trouble his presence caused, gazed at her with excitement.
He only knew that he was truly happy—genuinely happy from the depths of his heart. Meeting Yu Zhao at the Green Wood Sect was undoubtedly a delightful surprise.
He wanted so badly to rush down from the high platform and tell Yu Zhao how poorly he and Ah Jue had been faring. That they missed her terribly. That Ah Jue, poisoned and unconscious, still murmured her name before collapsing.
But Fang Cheng Lang couldn’t do it.
In the past, he had wronged Yu Zhao far too much. He had no right to demand anything from her now, let alone plead for her help. Deep down, another fear lingered in his heart—an even greater worry.
What if, upon learning about Ah Jue, Yu Zhao remained indifferent? Her previous actions had made it clear she was determined to sever ties with them. If even Ah Jue’s dire state couldn’t sway her, then Fang Cheng Lang had no idea what could repair the shattered bond between them.
For the first time, Fang Cheng Lang felt the emotion called cowardice. His head lowered, his shoulders slumped, and an air of sadness and helplessness clung to him.
No one noticed Fang Cheng Lang’s unusual demeanor; everyone’s focus was on the Pill Hall disciples undergoing their examination. The next Young Sect Master of the Green Wood Sect would soon emerge from their ranks.
Naturally, the greatest attention was drawn to Mu Ye and Wang Qian.
Both were meticulously preparing for their alchemy, simultaneously retrieving various spiritual herbs from their storage spaces and placing them on their respective pill refining tables. At the same time, they carefully controlled their spiritual flames to preheat the furnaces.
“Judging from the dozen or so herbs Wang Qian has selected, it seems he intends to refine a Departing Fire Pill,” one elder speculated.
The Departing Fire Pill was a relatively common third-grade pill in the Green Wood Sect, known for expelling residual fire toxins from the body. It was particularly suitable for alchemists and artifact refiners who often worked with spiritual flames.
Another elder clicked his tongue in wonder. “The refining difficulty of the Departing Fire Pill isn’t particularly advantageous among third-grade pills. Elder Wang, could you enlighten us as to why Wang Qian chose it?”
Elder Wang grinned confidently. “You’ll see soon enough.”
Seeing his calm and assured demeanor, the other elders understood Wang Qian must have something up his sleeve, their curiosity piqued.
“Look, Elder Lotus, the pill Mu Ye is preparing to refine seems rather unusual,” another elder remarked.
The group shifted their attention to Mu Ye and noticed the spiritual herbs on her pill refining table were not among the commonly used ones from the Medicine Hall.
Elder Lotus’s brows furrowed heavily. She knew that Mu Ye had initially planned to refine a Stabilizing Essence Pill, but changing the prescription on the spot? That was a grave mistake.
“Wait a moment, these herbs look like they belong to the recipe for the Five Poisons Pill.”
The so-called Five Poisons in the pill weren’t fixed. Any combination of five complementary poisonous herbs, along with specific supporting materials, could be used to refine the Five Poisons Pill.
“That does seem to be the case. But why would Mu Ye refine such a pill?”
Poison pills were the least favored and cheapest category of pills, and there were very few alchemists who specialized in their refinement.
A glint of schadenfreude appeared in Elder Wang’s eyes. Clearly, Zhao Liang must have swapped out the herbs Mu Ye needed, forcing her to change her prescription at the last minute. A month’s preparation wouldn’t suffice to perfect such a change. Expecting her to outshine his dear Wang Qian now? Wishful thinking.
It seemed he could already start celebrating Wang Qian’s impending victory.
Mu Ye, you can do it!