Studying alchemy with Lan Yuer naturally brought benefits far beyond just improving alchemical skills.
The many pills Lan Yuer refined were usually shared with Ling Xiao, giving him one or two each time, allowing him to return to his cave dwelling at night to temper his body and enhance his cultivation.
To Lan Yuer, these pills seemed insignificant, something she could casually give to Ling Xiao, but for a martial artist at the Martial Vein Realm, they were so precious that even money might not buy them.
Seven days later, Ling Xiao had nearly mastered all of Lan Yuer’s skills, even developing his own unique insights, which left Lan Yuer no choice but to admit his brilliance.
At first, Lan Yuer felt somewhat uneasy. After all, she had been the top medical genius of the Moonlight Sect, yet now Ling Xiao had effortlessly surpassed her, which inevitably caused some displeasure.
But as time passed, that feeling gradually faded, and she even began to feel pleased.
After all, a genius like Ling Xiao had studied alchemy and pharmacology under her for so long, making her almost like his half-master. If she needed his help in the future, wouldn’t that be quite convenient?
Moreover, her inability to break through to the Heaven-Human Realm was ultimately due to her divided focus.
Now, with Ling Xiao in the Medicine Hall, she could devote more energy to her cultivation. In fact, starting from the fifth day, some of the pills she used to refine were handed over to Ling Xiao to produce.
This was both a sign of trust in Ling Xiao and an opportunity to hone his alchemical and pharmacological skills.
On this day, the deputy hall master of the Medicine Hall, Qing Mu, arrived at the alchemy room with a grim expression. As soon as he entered, he questioned Lan Yuer about why she had entrusted the refining of certain valuable pills to Ling Xiao, claiming that Ling Xiao’s pills were faulty and that he should be punished according to the Medicine Hall’s rules.
Of course, this was a baseless accusation.
The pills Ling Xiao refined had been inspected by both Lan Yuer and Elder Yang, and their quality surpassed even those produced by the two of them. How could there be any issues?
Just as Lan Yuer was about to speak, Ling Xiao stopped her with a smile and turned to Qing Mu, saying, “Deputy Hall Master Qing Mu, are you certain there’s a problem with the pills I refined?”
“Of course. Do you think this hall master would wrongly accuse you?” Qing Mu replied coldly.
“Heh, who knows? I’ve heard that Deputy Hall Master Qing Mu is also skilled in alchemy. Could it be that you’re jealous because my pills are better than yours, so you’re deliberately picking a fight?” Ling Xiao retorted.
With Yang Danlin and Lan Yuer backing him, Ling Xiao had no fear of Qing Mu.
“You! Stop spouting nonsense!” Qing Mu roared.
“Then don’t make baseless accusations, Deputy Hall Master!” Ling Xiao shot back coldly. “Since you believe there’s an issue with my pills, how about this? Why don’t we have a public alchemy contest in front of the Medicine Hall’s leaders and disciples? Let’s see whose pills are truly superior.”
“Hmph, this hall master has no interest in competing with you!” Qing Mu scoffed.
“Qing Mu, haven’t you always coveted the position of Medicine Hall Master?” Yang Danlin said slowly as he entered from outside, smiling at Qing Mu. “If you can defeat Ling Xiao in a public alchemy contest, I’ll hand over the hall master position to you without hesitation!”
“Elder!”
“Hall Master Yang!”
Ling Xiao and Lan Yuer were both shocked. Yang Danlin had recently been visiting the alchemy room often, occasionally guiding the two in their alchemy, so he was well aware of their progress. But betting his position as hall master against Qing Mu seemed far too risky.
“Hahaha, Hall Master Yang, you must be joking,” Qing Mu said, though he was tempted to agree. Fearing Yang Danlin might be testing him, he didn’t respond immediately.
“What? Are you scared, Qing Mu?” Yang Danlin sneered. “You’re a pharmacist with the Sacred Flame Seed and the Sacred Flame Martial Soul, while Ling Xiao only has an ordinary flame seed. You don’t even dare to compete with him?”
Qing Mu remained silent, his face slightly flushed.
“If you don’t dare to take the bet, stop causing trouble for no reason. Ling Xiao’s pills were personally inspected by me. If anyone says there’s a problem, tell them to come find me!” Yang Danlin suddenly raised his voice.
“Hall Master Yang, you can’t be so biased!” Qing Mu said, his face turning livid with anger.
“I’m being biased today, so what?” Yang Danlin stared at Qing Mu, giving him no leeway.
“Fine! If that’s the case, don’t blame me! Yang Danlin, you said it yourself, if I defeat Ling Xiao, you’ll hand over the hall master position, correct?” Qing Mu’s expression turned menacing, perhaps driven by his overwhelming anger, which made him forget his fear and act recklessly.
“That’s right, I said it!”
“Good, then tomorrow at noon, we’ll have a formal contest in the Medicine Hall plaza!” Qing Mu said with a dark look. “The rules are simple: using the same materials, we’ll refine the same pill. Whoever produces the pill with the highest perfection wins!”
“No problem at all,” Yang Danlin nodded.
Qing Mu shot Ling Xiao a fierce glare, his eyes filled with disdain.
He simply didn’t believe Ling Xiao could produce pills superior to his own.
How long had Ling Xiao been studying alchemy? And with only an ordinary flame seed?
Qing Mu, on the other hand, was an experienced alchemist with a powerful Sacred Flame Martial Soul, which greatly aided his alchemy.
As for the so-called perfect pills Ling Xiao had produced, Qing Mu had always believed they were made with help from Yang Danlin or Lan Yuer. Otherwise, wouldn’t Ling Xiao be some kind of monster?
He refused to believe it.
“Elder, you didn’t have to do that. I just wanted to have a match with him here to stop his troublemaking. Now you’ve made this a huge deal, and the pressure on me is immense,” Ling Xiao said with a wry smile after Qing Mu left.
“No confidence?” Yang Danlin asked with a smile.
“How could that be?”
“If you’re confident, that’s all that matters. If you win this contest, you’ll become a key alchemist nurtured by the sect. No one will dare to touch you lightly, and you’ll even have experts protecting you. Qing Mu won’t be able to trouble you anymore. Isn’t that a good outcome?” Yang Danlin wanted a permanent solution. If Qing Mu kept harassing Ling Xiao repeatedly, it would likely hinder Ling Xiao’s studies.
“Alright then, Elder, Senior Sister Lan, don’t worry. I’ll definitely crush this Qing Mu,” Ling Xiao said with a resolute smile.
…
The next day, the Medicine Hall plaza was packed with the hall’s leaders and disciples.
Many of them were inner sect disciples, making this event entirely different from the previous outer sect challenges.
Moreover, this wasn’t a contest of martial arts or combat, but alchemy!
A novice alchemist who had joined less than a month ago was challenging an experienced alchemist with decades of expertise. It was utterly unprecedented.
“It’s that Ling Xiao again!”
An old outer sect disciple working in the Medicine Hall stood up and exclaimed in shock upon seeing Ling Xiao appear.
