"Enough!" At that moment, President Jiang Xun, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly roared. His sharp gaze swept coldly over the crowd. "It seems our Soul Master Tower is in dire need of reorganization. Look at you all! What have you become? How are you any different from shrewish fishwives squabbling in the street?"
The President was furious, and the entire hall immediately fell silent.
Jiang Xun said coldly, "I’m already aware of this matter. Mu Ren was in the wrong for attacking so brazenly, but a Soul Refiner of my Soul Master Tower is not someone just anyone can discipline."
"Then, President, what do you mean?"
"Hmph. That Lin Xiong, his martial soul is only half a month away from completely collapsing. He’s a rabid dog right now, biting anyone he sees. What’s more, he still holds the position of Vice Commander of the City Guard. Let him run wild for a while longer. Once he loses his position, it won’t be too late to deal with him."
"What about the young man who was with Lin Xiong?"
"The matter of the young man can be set aside for now. After we deal with Lin Xiong, I will decide what to do."
"Yes, President."
Although some of the Soul Refiners were displeased, there was nothing they could do. In the Soul Master Tower, President Jiang Xun’s authority was absolute.
"By the way, there is one more thing. Mu Ren’s rage backfired, his Profound Sense has scattered, and his Soul Power has dropped to its lowest point. He doesn’t even meet the standards of a Soul Refiner apprentice. Furthermore, he is old, and there is no chance of recovery. He has requested to retire and return to his hometown to live out his remaining years in peace. I have already approved it. To everyone present, regardless of any past grudges you may have had with him, you are not to harass him for any reason. If I find out, I will not be lenient," Jiang Xun said sternly.
"What?"
"Mu Ren’s Soul Power can’t be restored?"
"How is that possible?"
Everyone was utterly astonished. It was common for a Martial Artist’s cultivation to collapse if they suffered a cultivation deviation, but Soul Refiners were different. Their Soul Power was formidable, far exceeding that of ordinary Martial Artists. Even if injured, their Soul Power should never drop so low as to be unrecoverable.
The thought of Mu Ren plummeting from the lofty heights of a First Grade Soul Refiner to a useless cripple in an instant filled them with a profound sense of shared sorrow. His fate could just as easily be their own.
After some discussion, the crowd dispersed, leaving only President Jiang Xun behind.
’Mu Ren’s injury was actually caused by some kind of Soul Power shockwave... Just who is that young man? And according to Chen Sisi, that Ye Xuan seems to be able to heal Lin Xiong’s martial soul. I’d like to see for myself if he’s just bragging or if he truly has the ability.’
A glint flashed in Jiang Xun’s eyes as he murmured, "To think someone like this has appeared in our Blue Moon City. Interesting. Truly interesting."
The reason he hadn’t acted was because he intended to wait and observe.
On the street, Ye Xuan and Lin Xiong walked together.
"Young Master Xuan, we roughed up Mu Ren at the Soul Master Tower today. From what I know, the Soul Master Tower will never let this go. You have to be careful for the next few days. However, you’re a disciple of Xingxuan Academy. As long as you stay within the academy grounds, the Soul Master Tower can’t touch you for now. Besides, if they decide to make a move, they’ll surely come after me first. I’ll take all the heat."
Lin Xiong was a man of his word. After pledging his allegiance to Ye Xuan, he held nothing back, treating Ye Xuan as his master and considering his interests in all matters.
Ye Xuan glanced at him. "And you think you can withstand the pressure from the Soul Master Tower?"
Lin Xiong said confidently, "Don’t worry, Young Master Xuan. Mu Ren may be a First Grade Soul Refiner, but I, Lin Xiong, am still the Vice Commander of the City Guard. Besides, he attacked first. Even if the Soul Master Tower takes this to the City Lord’s Mansion, I, Lin Xiong, am not afraid. The only thing to worry about is if my martial soul isn’t healed. Once my cultivation level drops, my position as Vice Commander will surely be revoked. It’ll be hard to say what happens then. Of course, I can still hold on for these five days."
He had no other choice. He had burned his bridges and could only place his complete trust in Ye Xuan. It was do or die.
Sensing the unease in Lin Xiong’s heart, Ye Xuan gave a faint smile. "Heh, relax. Since you’ve chosen to follow me, I naturally won’t make things difficult for you. In a little while, you’ll see just how correct your earlier decision was. Let’s go in."
Before they knew it, Ye Xuan and Lin Xiong had arrived at the Alchemist Association.
"It’s you!"
As they walked into the lobby of the Alchemist Association, before Ye Xuan could even speak, a pleasant, excited voice rang out beside his ear.
"Heh, young lady, we meet again." Although he didn’t know why Lu Yue was so excited, Ye Xuan still gave a faint smile.
"Quick, get Young Master Xuan the best seat! Ye Xuan, Young Master Xuan, don’t say anything! Whatever you came here for, just wait for me for a second! You absolutely cannot leave this time, you hear me? Don’t you dare leave!" Lu Yue hurriedly gave a couple of orders, then sprinted upstairs, shouting, "Steward Zhou! Young Master Xuan is here! Young Master Xuan is here!"
While Ye Xuan was utterly confused, a chaotic racket broke out upstairs. A middle-aged man in a steward’s robe came flying down the stairs. His powerful, dragon-like stride seemed to carry the force of a storm, and he exuded an intimidating aura as if he were a God of Slaughter, ready to cut down anyone in his path. It was enough to make anyone shrink back in fear.
’Isn’t that Steward Zhou Huarong from the Alchemist Association? Why does he look so menacing? Don’t tell me Young Master Xuan has a grudge with him too?’
As a Vice Commander of the City Guard, Lin Xiong knew just about everyone. Seeing Zhou Huarong approach so menacingly, his expression changed instantly. He slipped right into his role, quickly stepping in front of Ye Xuan. Internally, however, he gave a wry smile. ’I just made an enemy of the Soul Master Tower. If I now make an enemy of the Alchemist Association, I really won’t be able to take a single step in Blue Moon City.’
Sure enough, Ye Xuan’s next words seemed to confirm his fears.
Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed. "Sir, I believe I made myself quite clear last time. What, are you planning to stick up for that Lai Mao?"
Zhou Huarong hurriedly replied, "Hahaha, Young Master Xuan, a misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding! Who the hell is Lai Mao? Is he even worthy of me sticking up for him? This time, I came specifically to see you, Young Master Xuan."
"See me? What for? I don’t have time." Ye Xuan waved his hand dismissively. ’As long as he’s not here to stand up for Lai Mao, it’s fine.’
Lin Xiong, standing to the side, broke out in a cold sweat. He knew Zhou Huarong. This was the general steward of the Alchemist Association! The Alchemist Association was an organization in Blue Moon City second only to the Soul Master Tower. Its Alchemists were all arrogant, with their noses in the air. Even the commander of the City Guard had to be polite to the general steward. The way Young Master Xuan was speaking... even if there was no enmity before, there certainly would be now.
Just as he was about to speak up, he saw Zhou Huarong laugh heartily and say, "I know, Young Master Xuan attends to a myriad of affairs and is always busy. I wonder what brought you to the Alchemist Association today? Please, feel free to ask for anything. As long as it’s within my power, I will not refuse."
Since Zhou Huarong was offering to help, Ye Xuan didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately said to Lin Xiong, "Take out the list I gave you."
"Heh heh, Steward Zhou, here’s the list. We’re here to purchase some medicinal ingredients."
Lin Xiong quickly took out the list and handed it over.
Zhou Huarong glanced at him. "So it’s Vice Commander Lin. Haha, of course, of course."
Taking the list, Zhou Huarong examined it carefully, then smiled. "Young Master Xuan, the medicinal ingredients on this list are all basic ones. If you’ll just wait a moment, the Alchemist Association will have them sent over immediately. As for the materials further down, many of them are for Soul Refining. Those will take some time to gather, but our Alchemist Association can find them for you within three days."
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Huarong added, "By the way, Young Master Xuan, are you perhaps trying to concoct some sort of Pill? If there’s one thing the Alchemist Association has, it’s Alchemists. If you need the help of one of our Alchemists, you need only ask."
Lin Xiong was stunned. ’When did this bunch of crazy Alchemists become so easy to talk to?’ He remembered once paying a hefty price to the Alchemist Association to request a single Pill, even providing all the ingredients himself, and he still had to wait over a month to get it.
But now, he had merely handed over a list, and not only did Zhou Huarong immediately make arrangements, he even offered the services of an Alchemist and promised to gather Soul Refining materials that weren’t even in the Alchemist Association’s usual line of business. It was enough to nearly blind Lin Xiong.
Ye Xuan’s brow twitched slightly. "Steward Zhou, what is your Alchemist Association up to? I don’t believe we’re that familiar with each other, are we?"
"Heh heh, Young Master Xuan, you are our guest. And the Alchemist Association values its guests above all else. Come, come, let’s wait in the VIP room for a moment. The materials will arrive shortly."
Lin Xiong was speechless.
The three of them had just sat down in the VIP room, their seats not even warm yet, when a loud, ecstatic shout came from far outside the door.
"Hahaha, the Master has arrived! Where is he?"
As the voice faded, the door was thrown open with a BANG. An old man with a scruffy beard rushed in excitedly. His bright, gleaming eyes scanned the room and quickly landed on Ye Xuan. He grabbed both of Ye Xuan’s hands. "Haha, you must be Master Ye Xuan! I am Hua Luoxuan, President of the Blue Moon City Alchemist Association. I have long heard of your great name, and today I finally have the honor of meeting you. A young hero indeed, a talent blessed by the heavens!"
Lin Xiong: "..."
’Have all the people at the Alchemist Association gone collectively insane today?’
"President of the Alchemist Association?" Ye Xuan looked up and sized up the man before him, then nodded. "Not bad. Your Profound Power is rich, your Profound Sense is dense, delicate yet forceful. A Late-Third Grade Alchemist. It seems the Blue Moon City Alchemist Association does have one or two noteworthy figures after all."
He sounded exactly like a teacher praising a student.
"You truly are a Master! You hit the nail right on the head." Hua Luoxuan didn’t seem to mind at all. Instead, he said excitedly, "If it weren’t for your guidance on the awakening potion last time, Master, I might still be stuck at Mid-Third Grade. After that, I had a deep epiphany and managed to break through to the Late-Third Grade in one go."
As he finished, a trace of pride was visible on Hua Luoxuan’s face.
Ye Xuan looked at him with contempt. "So you must be that person who requested help—the one with an abysmal grasp of the fundamentals, who couldn’t even tell how many layers of medicinal properties Dark Night Grass has."
Hua Luoxuan roared with laughter. "Master Ye Xuan, the person you speak of is indeed me! That’s me, all right!"
Zhou Huarong’s face turned red from the side. ’How embarrassing,’ he thought. ’This is simply too humiliating.’