Chapter 251: The Demon Ye Yuan

The frequent seclusions of the Alchemy Hall elders sparked heated discussions within the sect.

“Have you heard? After visiting a core disciple named Ye Yuan from the Martial Hall, all the elders above the eighth rank in our Alchemy Hall announced their seclusion!”

“How could I not have heard? The Alchemy Hall elders constantly coming and going from the Earth Battalion has caused quite a stir in the sect—it’s hard not to know. Now everyone’s saying that disciple Ye Yuan is a demon! Those eight elders supposedly went to cause trouble for Ye Yuan, but instead of defeating him, they directly chose seclusion!”

“What demon! Those elders have immense magical powers and are all high-level Sea Transformation realm experts. How could a mere Liquid Realm martial artist cast a spell on them?”

“Hmm? Do you know some inside story?” This disciple was clearly a gossip enthusiast, asking curiously upon hearing the other’s words.

The other disciple smiled mysteriously and said, “Hehe, as for the inside story, I guess no one knows except those involved. But after some careful reasoning, this genius has discovered something fishy!”

The gossip disciple’s eyes lit up. This matter had become the hottest topic in the sect over the past few days, yet no one knew what had happened in between—including the Alchemy Hall elders themselves!

Now someone claimed to know the inside story, which was certainly enough to whet one’s appetite.

“Tell me quickly, what have you figured out?”

That disciple grinned smugly and said mysteriously, “After the incident, my initial thought was the same as yours—that Ye Yuan used some demonic art! But then I thought again, that can’t be right. Those elders have extraordinary abilities; even if Ye Yuan’s demonic arts were heaven-defying, how could he cross two major realms to cast them?”

The gossipy guy thought for a moment and nodded, “True, that doesn’t hold up.”

“So I racked my brains to find what these eight elders have in common! For eight elders to go into seclusion at the same time, Ye Yuan must have hit their weak spot. So where is that weak spot?” The disciple deliberately teased, showing off.

The gossipy guy cooperated, looking puzzled: “Yeah, where is the weak spot? Oh, just tell me already! Is it fun to keep me in suspense?”

“I discovered… all eight elders had posted eight-star tasks at the Star Pavilion!”

“What? That’s your common point? Haha, are you kidding? You mean Ye Yuan solved all those eight-star tasks, causing all eight elders to go into seclusion? Do you think that’s possible?” The gossipy guy felt tricked and sneered.

“Hmph, don’t be so sure! Of course, I was shocked by my own idea at first, but it’s the only possibility I can think of. So I went to the Star Pavilion to inquire! Hey, guess what?”

The gossipy guy was now baffled and asked, “What? Don’t tell me… Ye Yuan actually accepted all those eight-star tasks?”

“Not exactly. But… the day before Elder Shao Yun went to see Ye Yuan, Ye Yuan visited the Star Pavilion and stayed there the whole afternoon! He didn’t accept any tasks, just kept checking tasks on the jade wall!”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it! You have to know, Ye Yuan had previously accepted a ninth-level task from the Supreme Elder! If he really completed that ninth-level task, what are a few eighth-level tasks?”

“But… is that possible?”

“Uh… although I don’t believe it either, I really can’t find a more reasonable explanation.”

…

“Sect Leader, this Ye Yuan is definitely a demon! Look at the Alchemy Hall now—how many elders are left?”

Before Luo Qingfeng, Ouyang Yu spoke with great indignation, denouncing Ye Yuan as a “demon.”

Within two days, every elder who had visited Ye Yuan’s residence announced their seclusion.

Luo Qingfeng was actually very puzzled inside, but remained calm on the surface: “Ye Yuan is only a Liquid Realm martial artist, while the elders are all Sea Transformation Realm experts, and these elders are at the mid to late stages of Sea Transformation. How could Ye Yuan possibly cast demonic arts on them?”

“Then how does the Sect Leader explain this? If this continues, our Alchemy Hall will soon be unable to function! Without these elders refining quasi-fourth-grade pills, the Martial Hall elders won’t be able to cultivate either! Sect Leader, I suggest we detain Ye Yuan first and make him explain clearly!” Ouyang Yu said angrily.

Although these words carried a hint of threat, what Ouyang Yu said was true.

These eight elders were the top figures of the Alchemy Hall; without them, pills couldn’t be refined. If they remained in seclusion, the sect would inevitably run into trouble sooner or later!

Luo Qingfeng frowned and said, “Let’s wait another two days. Ye Yuan is a nominal elder strongly recommended by Uncle Tianfeng. We shouldn’t act rashly before things are clear.”

“Sect Leader! Haven’t you noticed that Uncle Tianfeng has also been bewitched by Ye Yuan? How can a mere Liquid Realm, junior alchemist qualify to be a nominal elder? Besides, Uncle Tianfeng is also in seclusion now—don’t you find that strange?”

“This…” Ouyang Yu’s words clearly made Luo Qingfeng waver.

“Sect Leader! Although we don’t know what means Ye Yuan used, with such a bizarre situation now, can you afford to wait? If Ye Yuan really has some ill intent toward the sect and we do nothing, we’ll be sinners of the Dark Cloud Sect!” Ouyang Yu pressed step by step.

Luo Qingfeng’s gaze hardened, and he nodded: “Alright, I’ll personally ask Ye Yuan what he did to the elders! Someone, summon Ye Yuan!”

Luo Qingfeng left some leeway after all; if Ye Yuan was truly innocent, it would be hard to explain when the Supreme Elder emerged from seclusion.

…

“Haha… So that’s it! So that’s it! Truly incredible! The Blood Clover has such a wonderful use—how marvelous! No wonder I could never refine the Wind Spirit Pill; it turns out that adding Blood Clover to cooperate with the main ingredient can speed up the circulation of Yuan Power!”

In Shao Yun’s alchemy room, he burst into wild laughter.

Every time he refined the Wind Spirit Pill according to the recipe, the resulting quasi-fourth-grade Wind Spirit Pill was always low-grade or defective.

Shao Yun had always wondered where the problem lay; it turned out the recipe itself was incomplete!

He had also tried to improve the recipe, but all attempts ended in failure.

In desperation, he posted it as a task at the Star Pavilion, hoping other elders or talented disciples could help him improve the recipe.

But no one had ever succeeded.

After getting Ye Yuan’s jade slip, which contained the method to improve the Wind Spirit Pill, Shao Yun was immediately captivated.

Alchemists are all madmen; they can study a recipe without sleep or rest.

Shao Yun had been troubled by this recipe for several years; how could he have the leisure to care about other matters?

So he chose to go into seclusion at the first opportunity, refining the Wind Spirit Pill according to Ye Yuan’s method!

And it worked!