Chapter 249: A Single Jade Slip!

"Fine! Very well! Do you really take me for a mere ghost? Let's see if I can still make you hide like a turtle after I tear down your house!" Shao Yun gritted his teeth.

With that, Shao Yun gathered immense yuan power, forcing the watching disciples to step back, as if he truly intended to blast Ye Yuan's house to rubble.

Seeing Shao Yun muster such vast yuan power, the crowd couldn't help but gasp. If he struck, not just the house, but even Ye Yuan himself would be reduced to ashes, wouldn't he?

But just then, the door creaked open.

The sound of the door opening was unusually sharp, and everyone involuntarily looked in that direction.

They had expected to see Ye Yuan scrambling out, but instead saw a little green sprite—Lü'er.

Seeing the door finally open, Shao Yun withdrew his technique, sneering inwardly.

"Hmph! Truly a donkey—won't move without a beating!" Shao Yun snorted coldly.

Lü'er said nothing, only beckoned to Shao Yun, signaling him to come closer. She looked very mysterious.

Shao Yun thought Lü'er was inviting him inside, so he stepped forward to enter.

He had come to make Ye Yuan understand that there were heavens beyond heavens and men beyond men, not to put on a show for a bunch of disciples.

If these disciples learned that he had come to challenge Ye Yuan to a pill-refining contest, it would only lower his status; even winning would be inglorious.

A Fifth Seat of the Alchemy Hall defeating a core disciple of the Martial Hall—wouldn't that be slapping his own face?

The Supreme Elder had already ordered that Ye Yuan's identity as an Alchemy Hall Elder not be revealed, so Shao Yun naturally dared not court trouble.

But just as he stepped through the gate and was about to go inside, Lü'er reached out and blocked him.

Shao Yun's face darkened. "What is the meaning of this?"

Lü'er whispered, "The young master said he is busy cultivating and has no time to compete in pill-refining skills. Please return, Elder."

"I've already come in, and you want me to leave? Ye Yuan, he…"

Lü'er interrupted him, handing him a jade slip. "The young master said to give you this, and you will leave on your own."

Shao Yun took the jade slip and sneered, "A single jade slip to send me away? Who does Ye Yuan think he is? A mere Liquid Realm fourth layer, yet so arrogant!"

Lü'er said, "Why not take a look at the jade slip first, Elder? Since the young master said so, he must have some confidence."

"Haha, ridiculous! Fine, let me see how Ye Yuan plans to send me off with a single jade slip!"

Shao Yun was a competitive man, and Lü'er's mild provocation worked. In truth, Lü'er didn't know what was in the jade slip, but since the young master said so, he wouldn't fight an unprepared battle.

More importantly, Shao Yun simply didn't believe that Ye Yuan could send him away with a single jade slip.

Shao Yun guessed the jade slip contained a pill formula; Ye Yuan probably wanted to bribe him with it.

He was thinking too simply!

Did he think memorizing a few pill formulas made him impressive? Knowing formulas didn't mean knowing alchemy!

Even if Ye Yuan had a remarkable master who taught him countless pill formulas, he was still just a junior alchemist!

Shao Yun had come today to make Ye Yuan realize he was merely an alchemist!

Shao Yun's divine sense sank into the jade slip. His expression froze, then he frowned, then looked bewildered, then his eyes lit up, and finally he was utterly captivated.

Lü'er watched Shao Yun the whole time, amazed at the rich changes in his expression, and thought the young master was truly incredible.

When she first heard that this Elder had come to challenge the young master to a pill-refining contest, Lü'er had been astonished.

In Lü'er's understanding, a quasi-pill king was an extremely formidable existence, even more powerful than the master! Such a person had come to challenge the young master!

But despite her surprise, she still chose to trust the young master.

This kind of blind trust, even she didn't know why. She just believed that the young master was the strongest, even surpassing a quasi-pill king.

Of course, understanding was one thing; whether a single jade slip could make a quasi-pill king leave was another.

When she handed the jade slip to Shao Yun, Lü'er was still anxious, but seeing Shao Yun's face change like a magic trick, she knew the Elder wouldn't be going inside.

Indeed, the young master was the strongest!

...

Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Shao Yun left.

He had arrived aggressively, nearly tearing down the house.

But after being inside for less than half an hour, Elder Shao Yun emerged from the courtyard with a look of infatuation, as if he had obtained some treasure.

"What's wrong with Elder Shao Yun? He looked like he was picking a fight earlier, didn't he? Why is he like this now?"

"You ask me, who do I ask? He was in the courtyard for less than half an hour—even chatting wouldn't be that fast, would it?"

"Hey, don't you think this newcomer Ye Yuan seems mysterious, as if unfathomable?"

"Come to think of it, there is something! Have you noticed that Senior Brother Zeng Cheng has been back for a long time but hasn't come to cause trouble for Ye Yuan?"

"Heh, I've heard about that. They did meet, but after seeing Ye Yuan's identity token, Senior Brother Zeng Cheng was stunned and didn't even notice when Ye Yuan left! And do you know, last time Ye Yuan went to Lanxing Pavilion, he accepted a ninth-level mission!"

"No way? That exaggerated? Did he complete it?"

"I don't know. Probably not, right? He's only at Liquid Realm fourth layer; no matter how extraordinary, he couldn't complete a ninth-level mission, could he?"

"Uh, that's true."

Since entering the sect, Ye Yuan had kept a low profile and only done a few things. But those few things had made him mysterious among the disciples.

After receiving the jade slip from Ye Yuan, Shao Yun went straight to his alchemy room to go into seclusion, not even informing anyone else.

The other elders were still waiting for news from him, but he had vanished like a puff of smoke.

After waiting a long time without hearing from Shao Yun, the elders sent someone to the Earth Battalion to inquire.

Upon inquiry, they learned that Shao Yun had come but had left in a hurry.

Following the trail, they found out that Shao Yun had returned to his own residence.

But when the elders went to his residence to ask, they were told that Shao Yun had gone into seclusion and was seeing no one!

After going around in circles, they got this news, leaving everyone utterly baffled.

That old fellow was too irresponsible! If you're going into seclusion, at least let us know!

He had everyone waiting for his news!

But despite their annoyance, everyone was even more puzzled. Even if Ye Yuan was highly skilled, could he have made Shao Yun retreat in defeat in less than half an hour?

What exactly had Shao Yun experienced at Ye Yuan's place?