Chapter 178 Conflict

"Uh..."

Seeing him like this, President Ouyang and the others wanted to laugh but didn't dare.

Hongyun, in their minds, was an exalted super alchemist, even Emperor Shenzhuo would treat him with utmost respect and dare not slight him.

But now, he was like a piece of charcoal, hair standing on end; if not for his constantly blinking eyes, one might doubt he was alive.

However, they also knew this was not the time to laugh, and they all focused their gazes on Zhang Xuan.

They wanted to hear what he had to say.

Giving guidance to a two-star alchemist... this was something they dared not even imagine.

They also wanted to see if the young man who had been so spirited during the pill debate could shine again.

As everyone's eyes converged, they saw the young man not far away looking at them with a strange expression: "Are you sure you're really a two-star alchemist?"

"What do you mean?" Alchemist Hongyun flicked his sleeve, looking displeased.

"What attribute is the Green Grass Flower?" Ignoring his displeasure, Zhang Xuan asked.

"Green Grass Flower, entirely iron-green, mild in nature." Alchemist Hongyun replied.

"And the Money Flower?"

"Money Flower, gold and silver in color, also known as golden flower and silver leaf, is also a neutral medicinal herb."

"Although these two herbs are both neutral, when combined, they undergo a change, becoming extremely violent in nature." Zhang Xuan said.

"I know that. The formula for Essence Yuan Pill has been passed down for a long time and includes both these herbs. If they caused the furnace to explode when combined, others would have the same problem." Alchemist Hongyun shook his head. "Moreover, I placed the ingredients in the correct order, and even added a Purple Fragrance Herb in between to neutralize them. I strictly followed the steps, and there was no error in timing either!"

He had specifically consulted others about refining the Essence Yuan Pill, and every herb and every step was identical, yet the result was vastly different, which left him full of doubt.

He also knew that combining these two neutral herbs would cause volatility, and he had taken precautions, so that couldn't be the reason.

"I didn't say your order was wrong, nor did I say there was a problem with these two herbs." Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"Then what do you mean?"

Not only Alchemist Hongyun was puzzled, but the others were also curious.

If it wasn't that, then there must be an explanation, right?

Otherwise, how could the furnace explode when everything was going smoothly?

And... if those two herbs were fine, why did you ask about them?

With his hands behind his back, ignoring everyone's curiosity, Zhang Xuan walked over to the exploded furnace. On the ground nearby, there happened to be two unused Green Grass Flowers and Money Flowers.

"Both Green Grass Flower and Money Flower are mild in nature, but they become volatile when combined... Adding Purple Fragrance Herb to neutralize them solves this problem. All alchemists take this as truth, and honestly, doing so is indeed correct. But... it works for others, yet it doesn't work for you!"

Zhang Xuan smiled lightly.

"It doesn't work for me? Am I special somehow?" Alchemist Hongyun frowned.

I am a legitimately certified two-star alchemist, and among this group, my skill is not low. Why wouldn't it work for me?

"Indeed, you are special. If I'm not mistaken, you have never taken any medicine made with Purple Fragrance Herb as the main ingredient, right?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"Uh... I'm somewhat allergic to Purple Fragrance Herb, so I can't take it..."

Alchemist Hongyun nodded.

"It's not actually an allergy, but your true qi attribute is antagonistic to it..." Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back. "The Flaming Blaze Art you cultivate is inherently fiery, while Purple Fragrance Herb grows in water and is a water-attribute herb. When your true qi merges with it, it easily neutralizes the water attribute, rendering the herb ineffective. When others refine the Essence Yuan Pill, the Purple Fragrance Herb still works, but for you, it loses its effect. Without the neutralizer, the two herbs react, causing the furnace to explode!"

"How... do you know I cultivate the Flaming Blaze Art?"

Alchemist Hongyun's face turned pale.

The Flaming Blaze Art was a family inheritance technique he had practiced since childhood, for decades now. It was indeed fire-attributed, and when he circulated his true qi, flames blazed. But this was his own secret, never mentioned to outsiders, not even to many of his close friends. How could this guy see through it at a glance?

"You don't need to worry about how I know. If you don't believe me, try adding the Purple Fragrance Herb you purified to the Green Grass Flower and Money Flower. If it doesn't explode, then my statement is wrong." Zhang Xuan didn't explain.

As long as he was alchemizing, the Library of Heaven's Path could generate books. Not only the technique, but even the flaws of the technique could be explained clearly if he wanted, so it was nothing.

Alchemist Hongyun hesitated for a moment but decided to try. He took out Green Grass Flower, Money Flower, and Purple Fragrance Herb, refined them into liquid at the same time, and then combined the three liquids.

Boom!

Sure enough, as the other had said, it exploded immediately.

"This..."

Alchemist Hongyun's body trembled.

He had been studying the Essence Yuan Pill for several years without success. He had thought it was due to problems with the alchemy steps or herb combination, but he never dreamed that his true qi had neutralized the Purple Fragrance Herb's medicinal properties...

If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, he wouldn't have believed it.

"Is there a solution?"

After the shock, Alchemist Hongyun couldn't help but look at the young man not far away.

At this moment, he was completely convinced.

Originally, he had come to disqualify Zhang Xuan, but now that thought didn't even arise.

Just from alchemy, he had discerned the conflict between his cultivation technique and the medicine. He didn't know how skilled Zhang Xuan was at actual alchemy, but just based on his insight, he was more than qualified to pass the two-star assessment.

"As a dignified two-star alchemist, now that you know the cause, can't you find such a simple solution?" Zhang Xuan looked displeased.

The Library could identify flaws but couldn't provide the correct solution. Of course, he couldn't say that... What if the other party thought he wasn't thorough and refused to pay?

He had gone to all this trouble to answer his question for the money; otherwise, why bother?

"I stand corrected..."

Hearing the rebuke, Alchemist Hongyun's face reddened.

That's right, he was a two-star alchemist; how could he still ask such a question...

Purple Fragrance Herb was just a neutralizer; as long as he found a herb that didn't conflict with his true qi and could replace it, the problem should be solved.

"This..."

Seeing that the arrogant and domineering Alchemist Hongyun, who had arrived so fiercely, was now like a primary school student, rebuked without daring to retort, President Ouyang and the others were scratching their heads, wanting to bang them against the wall.

Even fools could tell that Zhang Xuan's words were absolutely correct; otherwise, he wouldn't have convinced the other so thoroughly.

A newly promoted one-star alchemist lecturing a two-star alchemist, leaving him speechless...

Everyone swallowed hard.

"President Ouyang, you must have heard what Alchemist Hongyun said just now. You should give me the money now, along with the one million deposit I paid in advance..."

Ignoring everyone's shock, Zhang Xuan walked openly up to President Ouyang and reached out to grab the gold notes he had given earlier.

"..."

Everyone was speechless.

An alchemist as skilled as you could easily make money by selling a few pills. Why bother so much over this little amount?

Ignoring their strange looks, Zhang Xuan put the money away and nodded with satisfaction.

Originally, to get these two items, he had racked his brains to earn money, even disguising himself as a master teacher and giving guidance everywhere... In the end, the herbs came, and the money wasn't spent...

If he had known earlier, why bother pretending to be a master teacher? It had exhausted him like a grandson...

Zhang Xuan was quite frustrated.

After the test, Alchemist Hongyun knew that the young man had real talent and no longer obstructed him.

Leaving the Alchemist Guild, Zhang Xuan headed toward the academy.

...

Hearing the news that Master Teacher "Yang Xuan" had appeared, Lu Xun and Wang Chao could no longer sit still and hurried out of the academy. Just as they reached the gate, they saw a young man walking over listlessly.

His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled, looking as if he hadn't slept for days.

"Lu Xun, it's Zhang Xuan..." Wang Chao lowered his voice.

"Him?" Lu Xun glanced up and couldn't help shaking his head, showing a hint of disdain: "A dignified academy teacher, unkempt and careless about appearance. I really can't understand why the academy recruited someone like him in the first place!"

"I think this guy must have been scared by your challenge and has been racking his brains for a countermeasure these past days, not sleeping or resting, ending up like this..."

Wang Chao laughed.

Who was Teacher Lu Xun?

The most famous star teacher in the entire Hongtian Academy, with students lining up to become his disciples.

Challenged by him, even the elders would break out in a sweat. A mere teacher who came only last year was surely scared out of his wits.

Otherwise, why would he look like this?

"Racking his brains for a countermeasure?" Teacher Lu Xun shook his head, his eyes filled with strong confidence: "In Hongtian Academy, surpassing me in teaching... a dream!"

"Yeah, to be honest, it's his bad luck. You were just looking for an excuse to rise strongly and attract the attention of master teachers, and he pops up, asking to be slapped in the face..." Wang Chao laughed.

Emperor Shenzhuo's invitation to Master Liu and others, though kept secret and publicly announced as a hunting trip, was actually known to many well-informed people.

To attract the attention of master teachers and become an apprentice, Lu Xun had long prepared. Even without Wang Tao and Wang Yan withdrawing from classes, he would have found an excuse to rise strongly. This Zhang Xuan had offered his face for a slap, so naturally, he would take the opportunity.

"Let's go! Hurry and find Master Yang, or else we'll have to wait in line for who knows how long."

Lu Xun waved his hand.

To him, Zhang Xuan was just a small episode on his path to becoming a master teacher, insignificant, with no real hatred or anger.

"Yeah, Master Yang is the goal we should strive for. This Zhang Xuan is just a small figure in a small academy..."

Wang Chao also nodded, no longer paying attention. The two walked past Zhang Xuan with dignified steps, not even glancing at him.

...

Seeing the two teachers coming toward him deliberately raising their chins, looking aloof and detached, as if untouched by worldly dust, Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

These two idiots... who are they?

Although he had agreed to a competition with Teacher Lu Xun, he had never met him before and had no idea that this was him.

Hongtian Academy had hundreds of teachers. He had only arrived last year and wasn't doing well, so it was normal not to recognize this star teacher.