Chapter 2544: Calamity from the Blue

In the imperial garden, an old man and a young man were strolling.

"Master Lin, it's quite lively out there! A transcender, and one with less than one percent affinity, actually managed to refine a heavenly pill—the entire Eastern Lin Kingdom is buzzing! Ha, this transcender has even overshadowed your prestige," said the young man in brocade robes.

The old man was unperturbed and said with a smile, "That second son of yours has been making quite a stir lately, hasn't he? Heh, a transcender with one percent affinity—no matter how talented, he couldn't possibly refine a heavenly pill! This heavenly pill was probably refined by Jiang Yu, wasn't it?"

The young man in brocade robes smiled and said, "Our second son does love to stir things up. But this time, he's really caused a big commotion! Now everyone outside is spreading rumors, saying that transcender has unparalleled alchemy talent and limitless potential. They even say..."

The old man chuckled and scolded, "You little rascal, still keeping me in suspense?"

The young man in brocade robes smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm afraid if I say it, Master Lin might be displeased."

The old man laughed and said, "At my age, do you think I lack that much magnanimity? Speak!"

The young man in brocade robes said, "They say that transcender will surely surpass Master Lin in the future and become the number one in the Eastern Lin Kingdom!"

A flicker passed through the old man's eyes, and his smile revealed a hint of unease.

But this fluctuation vanished in an instant, not showing on his face.

"Heh, there are too many alchemists in this world who surpass me; one more is nothing strange. But a transcender... heh, that might be somewhat difficult!" the old man said confidently.

The young man in brocade robes smiled and said, "Of course! These are just rumors, not worth believing. In the entire Eastern Lin Kingdom, who could compare to Master Lin's alchemy skills?"

This young man in brocade robes was naturally the Great Prince of the Eastern Lin Kingdom.

And the old man was naturally Lin Lan, the foremost alchemist of the Eastern Lin Kingdom.

The Great Prince stopped at the right point, not delving deeper, and quickly changed the subject.

He was a clever man, knowing the principle that too much is as bad as too little.

Master Lin was not someone he could control; he only needed to plant a seed in Master Lin's heart, and that was enough.

Moreover, he wasn't talking nonsense; outside, Ye Yuan was being praised to the skies, so it was no surprise to hear such words.

After all, an ascender with only one point of affinity being able to refine a heavenly pill was already the ultimate defiance of heaven.

…

Ye Yuan himself hadn't expected that refining a single heavenly pill would cause such a stir.

The threshold of the Tang family mansion was nearly worn down by visitors.

He had severely underestimated the impact of this matter; refining a finished heavenly pill with one point of affinity was absolutely an earth-shattering event!

Even those completely unrelated to heavenly pills knew this was an impossibility.

Yet, since such a thing had happened, it naturally aroused everyone's great curiosity.

Thus, every day, an endless stream of people came to the Tang residence seeking an audience with Ye Yuan.

The Tang family's popularity soared, and their business boomed along with it.

But soon, everyone's attitude changed.

Simply because Ye Yuan refused to see any of these novelty-seekers!

As for this first heavenly pill, Ye Yuan himself was extremely dissatisfied.

Because the quality was too poor!

Too appalling to behold!

For others, this might have been something to boast about.

But for Ye Yuan, it was completely unnecessary.

However, Ye Yuan did indeed taste the pain of lacking affinity.

Although he had trained his instincts to a terrifying level, when it came to actually refining a heavenly pill, he was still battered and bruised by the complexity of the heavenly pill.

Anyone else would have broken down long ago.

Even the lowest-grade Foundation Establishment Heavenly Pill required a combination of over a dozen heavenly herbs.

Refining a single heavenly herb was nothing to Ye Yuan now.

But combining them together was an entirely different matter.

Only true alchemists understood the complexity involved.

That was precisely why Heavenly Alchemists were held in such high esteem.

And that was also why Ascenders, lacking sufficient affinity, could hardly become Heavenly Alchemists.

But Ye Yuan did not give up. If instinct was insufficient, he would continue training!

Finally, eight years later, he refined a Heavenly Pill!

Though it was the worst Heavenly Pill possible.

Of course, over those eight years, Jiang Yu had been a great help to him.

"Big brother, just show your face! Just once, okay?" Tang Yu pleaded, putting on a fawning expression.

Ye Yuan shook his head stubbornly. "No. I can't afford to lose face!"

Tang Yu said gloomily, "But the rumors outside have gone wild. Everyone says you're a fraud, that our Tang family is a fraud. Some have even pointed fingers at the Second Prince!"

Ye Yuan curled his lip. "What's that got to do with me?"

Tang Yu nearly choked on his frustration. "Big brother, this is a world-shaking event! Even if the Foundation Establishment Heavenly Pill is of poor quality, with your affinity, being able to refine one is a huge deal! But you... you won't even show up!"

Ye Yuan said indifferently, "That thing? You call that a Heavenly Pill? If someone takes that so-called Foundation Establishment Heavenly Pill, their foundation will probably be ruined! Go, go, go! Don't disturb my seclusion. Wait until I truly refine a Heavenly Pill, then you can show off!"

Ye Yuan pushed Tang Yu out the door and continued his intensive study of Heavenly Pills.

His refusal to emerge, coupled with the instigation of those with ulterior motives, quickly turned public opinion into a one-sided affair.

Initially, the incident had caused a citywide sensation, and the Tang family's stock had risen.

But suddenly, the Tang family became a rat crossing the street, with everyone shouting to beat it.

Especially the alchemy community, which united to boycott the Tang family.

Soon, Tang Yu realized something was wrong!

After the matter had fermented for a while, disaster suddenly struck!

One day, a middle-aged man led a large group of guards and surrounded the Tang residence, leaving no gap!

Tang Jinhua and Tang Yu were startled and hurried out to greet him.

"Lord Xie Hua, may I ask what offense the Tang family has committed to warrant your presence?" Tang Jinhua bowed respectfully.

The man before them was no ordinary person; he was the senior disciple of National Preceptor Lin Lan.

He was practically in charge of all alchemy affairs in the entire Donglin Kingdom.

Coming with such a fanfare today clearly meant he was up to no good.

Tang Jinhua and Tang Yu's expressions darkened. They hadn't expected to alarm Master Lin.

Xie Hua sneered, "What offense? Don't you know in your hearts? The Tang family spread rumors, throwing the entire Donglin alchemy world into chaos. I am here today to seal off the Tang residence!"

Tang Yu frowned. "My lord, when did the Tang family spread rumors or disrupt the alchemy world?"

"Bah! You didn't spread rumors? Didn't you say a one-point Ascender refined a Heavenly Pill? Where is the Heavenly Pill?"

"Exactly! How could a one-point Ascender possibly refine a Heavenly Pill? Your Tang family is lying through your teeth!"

"Now the whole city is in an uproar, and your Tang family is the root cause!"

...

As soon as Tang Yu spoke, a crowd immediately launched a barrage of criticism.