Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 138 - Jiang Yue

“Old Sheng, do you still remember the incident from the competition?” Sang Yan lowered his voice. The other man was Sheng Lian, a three-star alchemist of the Treasure Pill Pavilion.

“Of course!” This year’s competition wasn’t only grand, but many things took place in it. Many new pills appeared, and another dynasty’s refining method was unraveled.

“This is Liu Wuxie, the champion!” Sang Yan introduced as he pointed at Liu Wuxie. Not many people in the Imperial City knew about the champion of that year’s competition.

“So young?!” Sheng Lian was taken aback and incredulous, considering Liu Wuxie’s youth. They were merely apprentices in alchemy at his age.

Lan Ruoyu, oblivious to their conversation, could sense an unsettling atmosphere from their expressions, giving her an ominous feeling. An ordinary person would have already faced repercussions for striking an alchemist apprentice from the Treasure Pill Pavilion.

Strangely, Sang Yan remained indifferent. He not only refrained from reprimanding Liu Wuxie, but he also appeared to maintain a cordial rapport with him.

“Seniors, please let me explain...” Chen Leyao took a step forward and shared what had just happened. Upon hearing Chen Leyao’s explanation, a wave of discontent swept through the crowd. This wasn’t Lan Ruoyu’s first transgression, as many had suffered similar experiences.

“Just yesterday, this woman insisted on a spirit stone before permitting me to complete the form. I abandoned the assessment out of sheer frustration,” a young man in the crowd voiced his anger.

“Same here! I came for the assessment five days ago, but this woman purposely made things difficult for me. She said that I was too ugly and forced me to leave.” Another person among the crowd joined in, sharing his encounter.

“You all are still fortunate. I came here last month, but she dismissed me due to my height, asking me to leave because I was shorter than the cauldron,” a man, just over a meter tall, stood out, pointing at Lan Ruoyu angrily.

The body and appearance were inherited from the parents, and it wasn’t something anyone could control. But Lan Ruoyu used that to mock them.

The crowd swelled with more people voicing their condemnation of Lan Ruoyu. Liu Wuxie hadn’t anticipated so many people would step forward without his intervention. Their collective outrage alone was enough to drown Lan Ruoyu metaphorically.

Lan Ruoyu’s face turned pale and became ugly. She had received benefits over the past year, which made her haughty. As an alchemist apprentice of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, it was normal for her to receive bribes.

She would put on a fawning expression if it were someone from a big clan, but she would put on another face if it were someone without any background. The fear of offending the Treasure Pill Pavilion compelled ordinary people to tolerate her behavior, emboldening her further.

However, today marked a turning point as Liu Wuxie, who had never regarded the Treasure Pill Pavilion with much importance, challenged her.

“Lan Ruoyu, your tendency to make things difficult for others has not gone unnoticed. As an apprentice alchemist of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, we overlooked your actions, assuming they were not severe. But your actions today crossed the line!” Sang Yan and Sheng Lian were placed in a difficult spot as more people expressed their grievances.

Sang Yan had been aware of Lan Ruoyu’s actions for quite some time but chose to ignore them. Initially, Lan Ruoyu was somewhat restrained, targeting only those without talent who were merely trying their luck, thereby wasting the resources of the Treasure Pill Pavilion.

They overlooked her actions because everyone came to take the assessment; the Treasure Pill Pavilion might as well close down its business and focus on holding the assessment. What Lan Ruoyu did could efficiently stop those who wanted to merely try their luck and waste everyone’s time.

However, they didn’t anticipate that Lan Ruoyu would exploit her position to a greater extent, profiting by denying services to those who refused to offer her benefits.

“Senior Sang, don’t listen to their one-sided words. As an alchemist apprentice of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, I have been diligent with my work.” Lan Ruoyu collapsed on the counter, and her face turned pale after facing the accusations from so many people.

“Given that you’re an alchemist apprentice of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, your status is hereby revoked. You are to leave the Treasure Pill Pavilion immediately!” Sang Yan, wielding his authority, delivered the verdict without giving Lan Ruoyu an opportunity to defend herself. They had to act today to appease the crowd. Lan Ruoyu’s actions over the past three years had tarnished the reputation of the Treasure Pill Pavilion, and if she continued, their reputation would be irreparably damaged.

This outcome exceeded Liu Wuxie’s expectations as he thought Lan Ruoyu would only be reprimanded at best and not expelled from the Treasure Pill Pavilion. Then again, many people were happy with this verdict, especially those who suffered humiliation from Lan Ruoyu.

“I won’t accept it! My master is Jiang Yue! How dare you expel me?!” Lan Ruoyu’s facial expression became sinister as she reported her master’s name fearlessly.

Sang Yan and Sheng Lian exchanged a gaze with a hint of disgust, but they could do nothing about it. Jiang Yue was a four-star alchemist, having a high status in the Treasure Pill Pavilion like Master Mao. Even they had to be respectful when they saw Jiang Yue.

Lan Ruoyu had spent a lot of effort to become Jiang Yue’s disciple, and her clan had exhausted countless resources to get her the status of an alchemist apprentice. If she lost this identity, all her hard work over the years would go down the drain, and the gifts she sent out would all be for nothing. Only by becoming a true alchemist could her sacrifices be rewarded.

“Old Sang, it would be best to let the pavilion master deal with this,” Sheng Yan suggested, trying to keep the peace. “Since Young Master Liu is here for the assessment, let’s postpone this matter until after it’s completed.” He was wary of offending Jiang Yue, knowing it could have negative repercussions down the line.

Sang Yan’s attitude puzzled Sheng Lian. Even if Liu Wuxie had extraordinary talent, they were three-star alchemists and did not need to curry favor with him. Then again, Sheng Lian couldn’t comprehend Liu Wuxie’s talent without witnessing it, unlike Sang Yan, who had witnessed it.

“Young Master Liu, what’s your opinion?” Sang Yan, not wanting to upset Jiang Yue, had already shown Liu Wuxie considerable respect with his previous statements, and he felt it was time to conclude the matter. If things escalated, it would be detrimental for everyone involved, and he would find himself in a tricky situation.

“Let’s put an end to this matter here. I need an alchemist token to buy herbs.” Liu Wuxie was indifferent as he wouldn’t let this affect him, and he only wanted to get the alchemist token as soon as possible.

“Where’s the form?!” Sang Yan roared, and Lan Ruoyu unwillingly retrieved a form from the counter.

After completing the form, Liu Wuxie followed Sang Yan and Sheng Lian through the gateway. Chen Leyao and Song Ling were left waiting outside as they were not participants, despite the young master from the Bai Clan being allowed to bring his servant into the gateway.

With that, the registration for that day’s assessment came to a close. Lan Ruoyu swiftly tidied up and departed, heading deeper into the Treasure Pill Pavilion.

As they passed through the gateway, a courtyard appeared, and there were over ten-odd people waiting there. They were all participants in this round of assessment.

The assessment was divided into three stages, similar to the competition with some differences. Liu Wuxie scanned the room, noting twelve participants, including himself. Most appeared to be young masters from influential clans, their opulent attire a clear indicator. Individuals like Liu Wuxie were indeed a rarity. In the realm of alchemy, while financial backing was crucial, talent was equally important.

“Young Master Liu, the assessment won’t be difficult for you, but you still have to go through the procedure,” Sang Yan came over and whispered. Since Liu Wuxie could become the competition champion, the assessment wasn’t an issue for him. Even so, he had to undergo the procedure to obtain the alchemist token.

“I understand!” Liu Wuxie nodded, not wanting to put Sang Yan in a difficult spot.

“Alright. Let’s start with the first stage of the assessment, and those who obtain ninety points will make it to the next round,” Sheng Lian said.

All participants moved to their respective tables, each spaced three meters apart. Sang Yan started distributing the test papers. The first stage was designed to test the participants’ knowledge. The questions varied each time to prevent anyone from memorizing the answers for future attempts. After all, the world of herbs was vast, and not everyone could identify them all.

“Hold on!” Just as the assessment was about to kick off, an older man and a woman entered the room. The man appeared to be a few years older than Sang Yan, with Lan Ruoyu trailing behind him.

“Master Jiang, why have you come?” Sang Yan and Sheng Lian quickly approached and bowed to Jiang Yue. Given his status as a four-star alchemist, they were obliged to show him respect.

“My student claims she was struck and that the Treasure Pill Pavilion even intends to expel her. I demand to know who assaulted her!” Jiang Yue, with his square face and towering stature, exuded an imposing aura. His mere presence was akin to a formidable tower, emitting powerful energy fluctuations at the high levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, causing the papers on the tables to scatter.

Lan Ruoyu stood behind Jiang Yue, tears streaming down her face, appearing wronged. However, her eyes flashed with a murderous glint.

“Master Jiang, there’s a misunderstanding on this matter. Please listen to me...”

But before Sang Yan could finish, Jiang Yue interrupted him, “Get lost. Tell me, who hit my disciple!”

He dismissed Sang Yan’s words without giving him any consideration, showcasing his arrogance. This was a perfect illustration of the saying: like master, like disciple.

With such a master, it wasn’t surprising to have such a disciple. Then again, there weren’t many four-star alchemists in the Great Yan Dynasty, and most clans would rush to curry favor with him. Even though there was a difference of only one star between a three-star and four-star alchemist, it was greater than heaven and earth.

“I am the one who hit her!” Liu Wuxie stepped forward, looking at Jiang Yue with a touch of scorn. To him, Jiang Yue’s attainment of the four-star alchemist status through forbidden pills was laughable.

Jiang Yue’s situation mirrored that of Master Huo, having forcefully achieved the rank of a four-star alchemist by using forbidden pills. The repercussions might not be evident now, but they would manifest in about a year. Not even an immortal could salvage him after it happened.

Then again, Liu Wuxie had no obligation to tell Jiang Yue about it. If Jiang Yue stopped consuming the forbidden pills and spent a year nurturing his health, it wouldn’t be an issue for him to refine pills in the future. But Jiang Yue was a noble four-star alchemist with countless people looking for him daily, and how could he possibly give that up?

After all, Jiang Yue couldn’t say no to all the resources pouring into his pocket.

“Very well. I’m impressed that you have the guts to admit it!” Jiang Yue looked at Liu Wuxie like the latter was already dead.