Chapter 176: Master Alchemist Hongyun

"Appeared?"

Lu Xun turned to look at his friend.

"Mm, today Master Liu and the others came to visit, along with Emperor Shen Zhui. They entered the courtyard, and before long, the three masters came out, looking very respectful. It seems this Master Yang is definitely a renowned master, and his rank is no lower than Master Liu and the others..."

Wang Chao relayed the information he knew.

"Higher than Master Liu... that would make him a two-star master?" Lu Xun's eyes lit up. "Quick, prepare—we'll go visit too!"

This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. If he could catch Master Yang's eye, he would surely soar to great heights.

"Mm!" Wang Chao nodded, then pulled a long face. "Once this news spreads, countless people will want to visit Master Yang. I'm afraid we won't get a turn!"

"And, you must have heard about Master Yang's rules. To visit, you first need to pay three million gold notes, otherwise, you can't even get through the door... That much money—my old man could scrape it together, but we..."

Even as star teachers, they only earned two or three thousand gold coins a month. Coming up with three million... was nothing but a dream.

Forget about visiting—this single condition had them stymied.

"Don't worry, I've already figured it out!" Lu Xun flashed a confident smile. "Paying three million gold coins to visit is a written rule, but everyone cares about face, so it's probably not paid openly. That means... as long as we don't say anything, it shouldn't be exposed!"

"You mean... sneak in under the radar? That's not a good idea... They're not stupid. If we haven't paid, we probably can't even get through the door!"

Hearing his friend's idea, Wang Chao was taken aback.

"Not sneaking in, but... using our status as star teachers to bypass this stage. With the two of us, who in the kingdom wouldn't give us some face? As long as we find the right person to submit our résumés, the rest will be easy!"

"Masters also want to take on apprentices. We're well-known teachers throughout the Tianxuan Royal City, fully qualified. If we write a proper letter of introduction and show him our teaching results, maybe he'll be pleased and agree. The so-called three million gold coins would become irrelevant. All we need to do is find a way to get our letters to him. As for the gold coins, we can worry about that later!"

"This..." Wang Chao blinked.

"To become a master, it's not just about personal strength; the most important thing is being able to educate students. We have so many students, and with such an excellent track record, there's definitely no problem."

Lu Xun's eyes gleamed with excitement. "If that doesn't work, we can invite him to watch the teacher evaluation in a few days, to see how I crush Zhang Xuan. Then, seeing how outstanding I am, he might be happy to take me as his apprentice..."

"Makes sense... With our status as star teachers, submitting a résumé should be easy. Maybe we can get by without paying!" Wang Chao finally caught on.

This teacher evaluation was a great opportunity. If Master Yang Xuan came to watch, he would surely notice Lu Xun and take him as an apprentice. If Lu Xun succeeded, then he himself would have hope.

"Alright, let's prepare and go visit now..."

No sooner said than done. Lu Xun didn't waste more words and began making arrangements.

...

Alchemist Guild.

President Ouyang, Master Alchemist Chen Xiao, Master Alchemist Bai Ming, and over a dozen other alchemists stood in a row in the courtyard, their attitudes respectful.

Whoosh!

With a loud whistle of wind, a huge flying beast slowly descended from the sky.

An old man stood on its back. Before the beast had even landed, he lightly stepped off and landed steadily on the ground.

"Greetings, Master Alchemist Hongyun!"

President Ouyang and the others stepped forward.

Master Alchemist Hongyun was a renowned two-star alchemist in the kingdom.

"Mm." Master Alchemist Hongyun nodded and raised an eyebrow. "Where is that Zhang Xuan?"

"Master Alchemist Zhang... probably isn't in the royal city, so he didn't come..." President Ouyang said with an awkward expression.

Zhang Xuan had been staying in the kingdom's library these past few days. After leaving, he had changed his appearance and gone to his residence. Not even President Ouyang could find him, let alone Zhao Ya and the others.

"Nonsense!" Master Alchemist Hongyun waved his hand, his face dark with anger, exuding authority without trying. "Becoming an alchemist through alchemical debate is an ancient tradition with unique rules. This time, besides delivering the Po Yin Dan and Giant Rhino Blood you wanted to purchase, I am also here to review this Zhang Xuan. If he doesn't meet the conditions, I will revoke his qualification immediately."

"Yes!" President Ouyang nodded.

"Bring me the recording crystal from that day. If I find any favoritism or fraud, everyone involved in the alchemical debate will be punished!" Master Alchemist Hongyun's brows rose, his authority unquestionable.

"Yes, Master Alchemist Hongyun. This way, please..." President Ouyang hurriedly led the way.

Before long, they arrived at the site of the previous alchemical debate, and he retrieved the recording crystal.

"Activate it."

Sitting down, Master Alchemist Hongyun picked up the freshly poured tea and glanced over calmly.

Without further ado, President Ouyang channeled his inner energy into the recording crystal. In an instant, the crystal shone, and the recorded content played out.

It was the footage of Zhang Xuan entering the room.

"This is Zhang Xuan? President Ouyang, you're a veteran of the guild—how could you be so muddled? So young—how could he possibly succeed in an alchemical debate?" Seeing that Zhang Xuan looked under twenty, Master Alchemist Hongyun raised an eyebrow.

Those who dared to participate in alchemical debates had usually studied alchemy for decades and were at least fifty or sixty years old. But this one was under twenty... What could he possibly know?

Clearly, the other alchemists had gone easy on him deliberately!

"How about this: any alchemist present, if they dare to refine pills in front of me, I can name the technique they use and the mistakes in their refining. If anyone here thinks my critique is wrong, I'll admit defeat immediately..."

Zhang Xuan's voice sounded from the recording crystal.

"Arrogant!" Master Alchemist Hongyun sneered. "I wouldn't dare claim I can spot every mistake in a one-star alchemist's refining, and he, an apprentice, thinks he can? What a joke... He doesn't know his place!"

The recording crystal continued playing. Soon, Master Alchemist Meng Yan's refining appeared, and Zhang Xuan pointed out that he harbored killing intent in his heart, making it hard for the Tranquil Heart Pill to be effective.

"This Meng Yan was restless and agitated during refining, lacking peace of mind. Spotting that isn't unusual..."

Seeing this, Master Alchemist Hongyun hesitated.

As a two-star alchemist, his insight was naturally far superior to President Ouyang and the others.

When Master Alchemist Meng Yan refined the Tranquil Heart Pill, his mind was unstable and his emotions agitated, resulting in a defective pill. That was easy to see.

Then Master Alchemist Chen Xiao began.

"Deathly stillness? This... Master Alchemist Chen Xiao's refining was too quiet. I can sense something off, but I can't tell he's on the verge of death..."

Master Alchemist Hongyun was puzzled.

Other one-star alchemists thought Zhang Xuan had investigated everyone beforehand and deduced the conclusions in reverse. But he was different—as a two-star alchemist with sharp eyes, though not as precise as Zhang Xuan, he could still discern some of the conditions of Masters Meng Yan and Chen Xiao during refining.

Then came Cheng Jiang.

Next, Bai Ming.

"This furnace is seven feet three inches tall and three feet two inches wide, crafted by the Three-Polish Artisans of Shijing Workshop seven years and three months ago..."

"This cauldron is over an inch thick. For heat to fully penetrate, it takes one incense stick and thirty-four breaths..."

In the recording crystal, Zhang Xuan spoke with confidence and intelligence in his eyes.

"This..."

Master Alchemist Hongyun had lost his earlier anger. Instead, he stared wide-eyed at the crystal.

As a two-star alchemist, he had access to higher-level alchemists and had heard them talk. It seemed that before refining, one must know the furnace's specifications thoroughly to use the appropriate methods and produce higher-quality medicine.

He had always thought such things were far beyond him, never dreaming that an apprentice would speak of them so casually and clearly.

"Reporting to Master Alchemist Hongyun, I later retrieved the records for this furnace and verified them in detail. Whether it's the furnace's height, weight, wall thickness, refining time, number of times moved, or the types of pills refined... Master Alchemist Zhang's words were spot on, without any error!"

"We also tested it specifically. Heat penetration indeed takes one incense stick and thirty-four breaths, exactly as he said..."

...

President Ouyang explained from the side.

Actually, even without his explanation, Master Alchemist Hongyun, who refined pills daily, had a rough idea and knew the other party's words were correct.

"...wasting a full thirteen percent of the medicinal efficacy—failure!"

"The medicinal efficacy wasn't fully utilized, losing fourteen percent—failure!"

...

"This... this... impossible!"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's string of "failures," Master Alchemist Hongyun stiffened, his fists clenching involuntarily.

"We later conducted tests following the sequence Zhang Xuan described. The loss percentages he mentioned were exactly right, not a bit off. Here are our test records for your review..."

President Ouyang took out a notebook and handed it over.

Since it was an alchemical debate, it couldn't end so easily. After Zhang Xuan left, President Ouyang and several alchemists worked overtime to test all the data he had mentioned. The results left them dumbfounded—they matched perfectly, without a single error.

"This..."

Flipping through the records, Master Alchemist Hongyun felt like tearing his hair out.

Every step had the alchemist's signature, and the timing was recorded clearly. There was no way to fake it.

He had memorized the order of adding forty-seven medicinal ingredients, the reactions each would produce, and the loss of efficacy after just one look...

Damn, was this even human?

Master Alchemist Hongyun pondered for a moment and couldn't help shaking his head. Even at his level, he couldn't do that.

Continuing to watch, the normal alchemical debate process followed, with the alchemists asking questions.

"...Coincidentally, it's in the guild's elementary library, on the upper left side of the twenty-seventh row..."

On the recording crystal, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, waved his hand, and stated the book's name and location.

"These books... I seem to have read them all. What he said matches..."

Master Alchemist Hongyun's breathing quickened.

If he couldn't confirm what Zhang Xuan had said earlier, when it came to alchemical texts, his knowledge far exceeded President Ouyang and the others. He had read most of the books Zhang Xuan mentioned, and the content... was identical, without any error.

To be honest, when he first heard that the Tianxuan Royal City Alchemist Guild had allowed someone under twenty to become a full alchemist through debate, he was furious.

He believed Ouyang Cheng and the others had definitely gone easy.

That was why the headquarters had sent him to re-evaluate.

On the way here, he had already planned how to find fault, pick flaws, and then re-judge, making Zhang Xuan fail and revoking his alchemist qualification. But he never expected that before even finishing the recording crystal, he was already stunned.

If the content on the crystal wasn't staged but actually happened... then this Zhang Xuan knew far too much about alchemy...

"...Master Alchemist Wu Xiao's 'Furnace Maintenance,' Master Alchemist Zhao Qian's 'Key Points in Alchemy,' Master Alchemist Niu Xuan's 'Miscellaneous Details,' Master Alchemist Pang Bo's 'New Furnace Care'..."

On the recording crystal, Zhang Xuan continued speaking, every move exuding grace.

"I've read these books too. What he said is completely... correct!"

"...correct!"

"...correct!"

Master Alchemist Hongyun's knuckles turned white, and his lips trembled incessantly.

He had originally planned to censure the other party, but before the crystal was even finished, he found he couldn't find a single reason to do so...

"President Ouyang, Master Alchemist Zhang Xuan is outside seeking an audience..." an apprentice reported.

Clatter!

Startled, Master Alchemist Hongyun dropped his teacup, which shattered on the floor.

Turning to look, he saw a man with red eyes, sagging bags under his eyes, and a listless demeanor walking in.