Chapter 1907, Alchemist Pavilion
“Since Yang Kai insists, he must have something to rely upon. Maybe he has another set of ingredients. You can hand over the ones you have prepared to Grandmaster Zuo De,” Long Tian Shang’s voice echoed from the void.
Ai Ou was taken aback when he heard this. He immediately turned to Yang Kai, looking at him with an inquiring look on his face.
Yang Kai pursed his lips into a smile as a glittering seven-coloured Monster Core appeared in his palm with a flip of his hand. Its seven-coloured glow was a lot brighter than Ai Ou’s Monster Core.
“He does have it!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Many alchemists were staring greedily at the Monster Core in Yang Kai’s hands.
If the two Monster Cores were put together, they were almost identical, except…
“Why do I think that this one is a bit different than the one taken out by President Ai Ou!?” Someone mumbled to himself, confused.
“It’s indeed a bit different. It looks the same but there are some subtle differences. Is this really a Seven-Coloured Elk’s Monster Core?”
“This is the Monster Core of a mutated Seven-Coloured Elk. It is not a primordial Monster per se but that Monster Beast also had a sliver of Seven-Coloured Elk’s bloodline,” Yang Kai explained with a smile.
It had been in his Space Ring for many years. It belonged to a mutated Seven-Coloured Elk that he had hunted on the prairie just outside the Emperor Garden when he went there back in the past. It had never come in handy. He had never thought that it would be used for competition today.
“So that’s how it is! What a shame!?” Zong Ao heaved a sigh.
“Why?” Ai Ou had already regarded Yang Kai as one of his own. When he heard Zong Ao say so, he couldn’t help but ask, nervous.
“Seven-Coloured Elk’s Monster Core is one of the main ingredients for refining the Soul Source Restoration Pill. Although the one in Yang Kai’s hand does meet the requirements, it does so barely, it’s impure. It would be much more difficult to refine. And even though most of the energy of the one gathered by the President is depleted, it’s the real deal. If that one is used, it would undoubtedly provide an edge,” explained Zong Ao.
He was a High-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist. He might not be able to refine the Soul Source Restoration Pill, but as the one who suggested this pill recipe, he naturally had done quite some research. Everything he said was definitive.
Ai Ou’s face couldn’t help but turn ugly when he heard him say so.
“Haha, you want to use a defective Monster Core to compete with this old man?” Zuo De broke into laughter. “Kid, this old man advises you to give it up before you embarrass yourself.”
“If the defective one isn’t enough, what if I add this?” Yang Kai smiled as another thing appeared in his hand. Just as it appeared, an odd fragrance permeated into the surroundings. Everyone who smelled it felt their head cleared up. Many of the negative emotions in their hearts were driven away.
“A matching heart!” Zong Ao’s eyes lit up. He immediately smacked his thigh and said, smiling, “That’s better! Now you both are on the same starting line.”
Ai Ou was pleasantly surprised. He knew full well that with the assistance of the matching heart, Yang Kai’s disadvantage would be wiped out instantly.
Zuo De’s expression couldn’t help but darken. He immediately insulted, “You hunted a mutated Seven-Coloured Elk, how surprising! Be that as it may, do you really think that you can defeat this old man with your Alchemy Skills? This old man will give you one last chance to throw in the towel and save yourself the embarrassment. You won’t get another chance!”
“This Yang also gives Grandmaster one last chance. Otherwise, this competition will leave a life-long stain on Grandmaster. It will damage your reputation,” Yang Kai retorted.
“Hmph, there is no point in talking with you. Since you have the ingredients, let’s start. This old man will make you accept defeat!”
Yang Kai turned to Ai Ou and said, cupping his fists, “May I request President Ai Ou to pick a suitable location.”
“The Alchemist Pavilion is not far from here. The Alchemist Pavilion has genuine Earth-Fire, as well as Origin King Grade Alchemy furnaces,” Ai Ou immediately led the way while speaking.
Everyone else closely followed him after. All the Origin Grade Alchemists had their blood pumping at the moment. Their faces were flushed all over. They were unable to hold their excitement. They immediately gathered around Grandmaster Zuo De, taking advantage of this opportunity to ask him some questions.
It wasn’t easy to meet an Origin King Grade Alchemist just because they saw him. Today was their lucky day and how could they not take advantage of this?
Despite Zuo De’s characters, his Alchemy Skill spoke for itself. Just a few pointers from him had helped Zhan Yuan advance to Mid-Rank Origin Grade Alchemist. There were many self-proclaimed genius Alchemists here who believed themselves to be much more talented than Zhan Yuan. If they could get a few advice from Zuo De, they would definitely make the most of it.
Perhaps Zuo De wanted to maintain his own image, he answered all the questions and problems raised by the Alchemists without withholding anything. He didn’t reject anyone.
Many people had benefited a lot from this and felt extremely grateful.
Only Zong Ao followed Yang Kai’s side, regardless of the hustle and bustle on that side.
The villainous Zhan Yuan kept glancing at Yang Kai from time to time with a schadenfreude smile hanging on his face.
“Honoured Teacher, your student encountered a problem a few days ago. I don’t know how to solve it. Can the Honored Teacher clear my doubt?” Zhan Yuan asked in a loud voice all of a sudden.
Many Alchemists perked their ears, wondering what exactly Zhan Yuan wanted to ask.
“Oh? What’s the problem? Let’s hear it.” Zuo De calmly asked.
“There is an ignorant boy who has just stumbled onto the Alchemic Way and wants to compete with your student in Alchemy, hoping to win. Your student is wondering whether I should compete with that guy or not. After all, your student doesn’t want to bully him. But if I don’t agree, he will think that your student’s skills aren’t that good. This really has put me in a jam.”
“What’s to think about it? An Alchemist’s honour cannot be desecrated. He must be taught a hard lesson. He must be taught that the Alchemic Way is not something a ‘nobody’ can dabble in.”
Zhan Yuan looked as if he was stuck with a sudden realization. He cupped his fists and said, “So that’s how it is. Thank you very much for your valuable lesson. Your student understands now.”
Xue Yue, who was walking by Yang Kai’s side, flew into a rage just as she heard this. She ground her teeth in anger so hard that they were creaking.
Yang Kai held a very high position in her heart, and even Ai Ou didn’t hold such a high position. And when Zuo De called Yang Kai a ‘nobody’, she immediately blew her top. If it not for Zuo De’s identity, Xue Yue would have immediately cut him down.
Some Origin Grade Alchemists furrowed their brow. They didn’t like Zuo De’s remark. It didn’t suit someone of Zuo De’s status to speak like this. But no matter how much they didn’t like it, all they could do was ignore it.
There were even some Origin Grade Alchemists who started laughing to flatter Zuo De.
Everyone was extremely fast. In just fifteen minutes, they had arrived before a palace that was surrounded by Spirit Array. Ai Ou immediately opened the way through the barriers with a wave of his hand before leading everyone inside.
“What an intense fire,” Yang Kai exclaimed in a low voice as a look of surprise appeared on his face. He could feel the pure and intense fire element floating in the air, it wasn’t any worse than the High Heaven Sect’s Earth Lung Fire Pond.
“This is my Water Sky City’s Alchemist Pavilion.” Ai Ou explained with a smile, “There is a top-class Earth-Fire Vein below the Alchemist Pavilion. All the Alchemists of my Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce refine their pills here.”
Yang Kai nodded his acknowledgement. He immediately knew why the Alchemists accompanying them didn’t look surprised at all. All of them were Alchemists of the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce. Obviously, they came here often and were long used to it.
“Country boy,” Zhan Yuan didn’t give up the chance to mock Yang Kai at all. Yang Kai couldn’t help but snort upon hearing this.
“Sir President, what are you doing here?” As soon as the group walked into the Alchemist Pavilion, an old man wearing Alchemist’s robes came over and asked doubtfully.
Ai Ou bitterly smiled as he gave a brief rundown.
“What!? Someone actually wants to compete with Grandmaster Zuo De in Alchemy?” The old man cried out loud.
In a flash, countless doors in the Alchemist Pavilion flew open as dishevelled and shrivelled Alchemists rushed out of their respective Alchemy rooms, one after another. All of them looked like starving beggars.
Someone rushed out from the crowd and shouted in a high-pitched voice, “Where is the Grandmaster? Where is the Grandmaster?”
And just as they saw Zuo De, they huddled around and bowed in unison, greeting Zuo De.
Zuo De too put on an approachable appearance as he greeted in return.
Yang Kai was secretly shocked at the sight of this. He counted no fewer than seventy Alchemists, who had rushed out of the Alchemist Pavilion. Every Alchemist was of Saint King Grade level or above. Their level might not be that high but their numbers could not be underestimated.
Furthermore, this was just from the ground level of the Alchemist Pavilion, that’s all.
As he spread his Divine Sense, Yang Kai sensed that the Alchemist Pavilion still had eight underground levels!
So to say, this Alchemist Pavilion had nine levels. And different levels of Alchemists were refining pills on every level.
There might be four to five hundred Alchemists in the Alchemist Pavilion alone.
This was one of Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce’s heritage!
These four to five hundred Alchemists refined countless pills for the Heng Luo Chamber of Commerce every year.
In a flash, Zuo De’s surroundings were bustling with noise and excitement, forming a very sharp contrast to Yang Kai who was in the front.
And after they came to learn that Yang Kai was actually going to compete with Zuo De in Alchemy, those Alchemists, who were ignorant of the truth, glared at Yang Kai with gazes filled with righteous indignation as if Yang Kai had desecrated something.
Ai Ou waved his hand to avoid embarrassing Yang Kai, leading everyone down.
Just as Yang Kai had sensed, the Alchemist Pavilion was divided into nine levels. The lower the level was, the more intense the power of Earth Fire was, and the higher the level of Alchemists could refine pills in there.
Every time they went down a level, the number of Alchemists following behind them increased.
Over five hundred Alchemists were following Ai Ou by the time they reached the ninth level.
This was giving Ai Ou a pretty big headache. He wanted to send them back to refine their own pills but he just couldn’t open his mouth. He knew very well how high was Zuo De’s position in their hearts and how tempting the chance to see an Origin King Grade Alchemist refine the pill was.
These stubborn Alchemists might not obey his orders even if he tried to use force.
All he could do was leave it alone. He then whispered to Yang Kai, “Brother Yang, there is no pressure. I too hadn’t expected things to become so big. You can treat these guys as roadside pebbles.”
Yang Kai smiled. “President Ai Ou, don’t worry. These guys are nothing to me.”
“That’s better.” Ai Ou couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
“Since we are here, let’s start,” Zuo De shouted aloud. He then turned to look at the hundreds of Alchemists and said with a smile, “Fellow Alchemists, I will be competing with this kid in Alchemy today. There might be a reason for it but it’s also true that this old man is bullying here. This old man is ashamed of this!”