Ti passed quickly as Bai Zihan flawlessly finished every step until it was ti for Pill Formation.
Everyone watched in anticipation.
The furnace lid lifted.
A faint ripple of dense Qi spread across the hall.
Within-
A single pill rested.
Its surface shimred with layered light, deeper and more refined than before.
Top Grade-4 Pill!
Silence fell instantly.
Then shock erupted.
"He... he actually succeeded?!"
"That's a Top Grade-4 pill!"
"Doesn't that an...!"
Many knew that if Bai Zihan had refined this pill without being restricted by ingredients, he might have won against Mu Linyue.
But obviously, Mu Linyue was also soone they didn't want to offend, so they could only keep their opinions to themselves.
Mu Linyue stood still.
Her eyes locked onto the pill.
Bai Zihan turned, a satisfied smirk forming on his lips.
"Well?"
He asked lightly.
Mu Linyue exhaled slowly.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"Impressive!"
No mockery.
No arrogance.
Only acknowledgnt.
Her gaze t his directly.
"Where did you learn alchemy?"
Mu Linyue asked, genuinely curious.
"I am self-taught!"
Bai Zihan shalessly declared.
However, hearing the answer, Mu Linyue didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
While at the beginning teachers are needed for fast progress, afterward one can only improve further through self-learning.
She too did that and was able to progress faster.
But if you asked anyone else, they would say that it was nonsense.
Self-learning is only faster for those with talent like her; otherwise, much of that ti is wasted learning by themselves compared to being guided by others.
Mu Linyue only thought there was nothing wrong because she was a monstrous genius who, when taught a single thing, could learn hundreds more.
Mu Linyue tilted her head slightly.
Her eyes still lingered on the pill in his hand.
"Do you know any other pills you can refine?"
She asked.
A brief pause.
Then more directly-
"High-grade ones."
Bai Zihan raised a brow.
"Oh?"
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"You want to see refine them?"
Mu Linyue didn't hide anything.
She nodded imdiately.
"Hmph!"
Bai Zihan crossed his arms.
"That's going to cost you."
Mu Linyue didn't even hesitate.
"What do you want?"
Bai Zihan thought for a mont.
Then his eyes glead.
"First of all..."
A slight pause.
"How about you start by addressing as Older Brother?"
Without missing a beat-
"Zihan'er Gege!"
Mu Linyue said it instantly.
Without the slightest hint of embarrassnt.
"Shaless!"
Bai Zihan clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
He had thought he could get a bit of revenge.
But looking at her now-
That thick skin...
It was almost on par with his own.
Mu Linyue only smiled faintly.
She didn't hesitate much because, for her, this was Bai Zihan.
There was no need for restraint or sha when dealing with soone like him
-she had learned that from a young age.
If she wasn't like this, she would have suffered countless tis at his hands
already.
More importantly, her eyes flickered with interest.
Compared to alchemy-
Everything else was trivial.
Face?
Pride?
None of it mattered.
Only one thing did.
"Show !"
She asked again, gaze sharp.
"Sure! This Gege will guide this ignorant little junior!"
***
On the other side of the Mu Clan estate, Mu Yuelan moved swiftly through the
corridors.
Soon, she arrived outside the main eting hall.
Voices could be heard from within.
She had already inquired and found out that Mu Qingyuan was in a eting
with the elders.
She thought it was a good opportunity since they would need to be inford
sooner or later.
Without hesitation, she stepped inside.
The discussion within paused almost instantly.
Several elders turned their heads.
Mu Qingyuan also looked over, slightly surprised.
"Yuelan?"
He raised a brow.
"What brings you here?"
"I have so urgent news. Did I disturb you?"
They all shook their heads lightly.
"No!"
Her gaze swept across the hall.
Mu Yuelan took a small breath.
Then spoke clearly- "What I'm about to say..."
A brief pause.
"...must not leave this room."
Silence fell.
The elders exchanged glances.
Then nodded one by one.
They understood.
For Mu Yuelan to say this, it wasn't sothing trivial.
Mu Qingyuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You have my word."
Mu Yuelan nodded.
Then-
"Mu Linyue..."
She paused.
"...has broken through to Grade-4 Alchemist."
BOOM!
The words struck like thunder.
The hall erupted.
"What?!" "Grade-4?!"
"At her age?!"
Even the elders couldn't remain composed.
Shock spread across every face, including Mu Qingyuan.
His pupils shrank. "Linyue'er?"
Even he hadn't known.
He knew that Mu Linyue was able to refine High Grade-3 pills easily but still
thought that she had a long way to go before reaching Grade-4.
It wasn't because she lacked anything, just that she was too young, and he
thought it would be very difficult for her.
Mu Qingyuan gave a small, helpless smile.
"She never ntioned it." And that made perfect sense.
Mu Linyue wasn't soone who cared about such things.
Fa?
Recognition?
All aningless to her.
While others would rush to declare such a breakthrough to the world-
She didn't bother.
Instead, she had spent her ti after breaking through doing only one thing.
Refining.
Improving.
Perfecting.
Which was why she was able to refine a mid-tier Grade-4 pill so soon after her
breakthrough.
This is also why Bai Zihan suffered at her hands; otherwise, he wouldn't have
competed with her using only a low tier Grade-4 pill. "Yuelan, are you sure?"
One of the elders asked, skeptical.
Not that he doubted Yuelan or Linyue, but the news was too explosive to
believe at once.
Mu Yuelan nodded and added-
"She refined a mid-tier Grade-4 pill in front of . I am certain."
Silence!
Because they all understood what that ant.
Normally- After breaking through to a new grade-
An alchemist would need ti.
Months.
Years even.
To improve further.
Progress was slow especially after breaking through to Grade-4 Alchemist.
Like a turtle crawling forward step by step.
But Mu Linyue?
She had skipped that entirely.
It was as if-
She had mounted a carriage.
Racing forward without pause. Without setback. Mu Qingyuan slowly exhaled. Even as Clan Head-
Even with all his experience-
He found it hard to remain calm.
"A monstrous talent indeed." One elder muttered unconsciously.
The others could only nod.
Everyone here was already well aware of Mu Linyue's talent, but still, she far
surpassed their expectations.
"Not only that."
Mu Yuelan hadn't finished.
Her gaze flickered slightly.
There was still sothing else.
Sothing even more shocking.
But for a brief mont-
She hesitated.
After all, this news sounded even more unbelievable-even to her-if she hadn't
seen it with her own eyes.
Mu Yuelan took a slow breath.
Her hesitation lasted only a mont.
Then-
She spoke.
"Zihan'er has also broken through to Grade-4 Alchemist."
BOOM!
This ti, the shock was even greater.
"What?!"
"Him?!"
"Bai Zihan?!"
The entire hall erupted once more.
If Mu Linyue's breakthrough was shocking- Then this...
This was unbelievable.
Because who here didn't know Bai Zihan?
His past.
His so-called "talent" in alchemy was diocre.
No-
Even worse.
Many of them had already felt satisfied that he had turned his life around and beco a monstrous genius in cultivation.
That alone was enough.
It ant that in the future-
He would certainly beco the head of the Bai Clan.
And as relatives-
That was a great thing for the Mu Clan.
With Bai Zihan at the helm, their relationship with the Bai Clan would only
grow stronger.
The Bai Clan had already risen to prominence.
If one of their own blood held power there-
It was naturally beneficial.
That was more than enough. But now-
Grade-4 Alchemist? This was sothing else entirely.
For a mont-
So even wanted to doubt it.
But that thought disappeared just as quickly as it ca. Because this was Mu Yuelan speaking.
And everyone here knew her character.
She would never joke about sothing like this.
Nor was there any reason for her to fabricate such a claim.
Silence slowly returned.
Mu Qingyuan's gaze sharpened.
"Were you teaching him?"
He asked directly.
Mu Yuelan shook her head.
"No!"
Mu Qingyuan frowned slightly. "Then... who taught him?"
The question hung in the air.
Not just him-
Every elder present had the sa thought.
They exchanged glances.
Their expressions slowly turned serious.
Because if Mu Yuelan wasn't the one guiding him- Then there was only one possibility left.
Soone else was.
And not just anyone.
A figure capable of teaching a junior to reach Grade-4 Alchemist...
At such an age...
That person could only be-
A Grandmaster Alchemist.
If such a person truly exists...
If they can establish a relationship with such a Grandmaster then everyone
knew that Mu Clan's alchemy could rise to an entirely new level.
The implications were enormous.
No-
Beyond enormous.
They might not only strengthen their position.
They might dominate.
Dominate the entire alchemy field of the Eastern Region of the continent.
Even Mu Qingyuan's eyes flickered with a rare light.
Not greed.
But ambition.
Carefully restrained.
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