Chapter 1760 Say That Again

“Elder Shi, this…”

Kongyun was no longer as calm as before.

Shi Yu, a Five-Star High Priest and elder, was so out of sorts—this was highly unusual.

“Don’t talk to me, let me calm down first!” Shi Yu waved his hand.

He repeatedly picked up the ten storage rings, examined one, put it down, and scrutinized them all carefully.

Witnessing this, everyone murmured in amazement.

But their gazes toward Ye Yuan had changed.

After who knows how long, Shi Yu finally recovered from his shock.

He let out a long breath, composed himself, and said to Ye Yuan, “I heard that for most of this past half year, you never took on tasks above three stars. How did you suddenly complete a seven-star difficulty task?”

Like everyone else, Shi Yu was utterly perplexed.

He knew that, given Ye Yuan’s foundation and talent in alchemy, he should pick up the Divine Beast Pill very quickly.

But he never imagined it would be so astonishingly fast.

The ten tasks he had just inspected were all seven-star difficulty Divine Beast Pills!

And they were extremely difficult seven-star pills!

Even the elders were not confident they could complete such difficult Divine Beast Pills in one or two tries.

Yet Ye Yuan had not only completed them, but done so perfectly.

Every single pill had reached the Divine grade!

Refining a seven-star Divine Beast Pill to Divine grade was nothing short of a fantasy.

Even they, the Five-Star High Priests, could never achieve that.

That was the reason for his shock.

Ye Yuan said calmly, “When one is proficient in one, one is proficient in all! To refine high-difficulty pills, one need not progress level by level. As long as the foundation is solid, everything naturally connects.”

Shi Yu’s expression turned serious, and he praised, “Well said: ‘When one is proficient in one, one is proficient in all.’ But how many can achieve this? Ye Yuan, you have not disappointed me!”

Ye Yuan smiled and said, “Thank you, Elder Shi!”

Shi Yu nodded and said to the apprentice priest, “For each of Ye Yuan’s ten tasks, award him thirty thousand contribution points!”

“Th… thirty thousand? Elder Shi, is… is there a mistake?” Kongyun said, his face full of disbelief.

What did ten thousand contribution points per task mean?

Even if he, Kongyun, took on dozens of five-star tasks, he wouldn’t earn that many contribution points!

Although Chi Feng had lost a few hundred contribution points to Ye Yuan, that was no small amount.

Completing a four-star task earned only tens to a hundred contribution points.

For Chi Feng to earn a few hundred contribution points, he needed to complete several four-star tasks.

As for two thousand contribution points, Chi Feng would have to work for at least several years!

Now, Ye Yuan’s single task was worth thirty thousand contribution points—it was too absurd!

Kongyun’s first reaction was that Elder Shi Yu was deliberately favoring Ye Yuan, that he was Ye Yuan’s accomplice.

“Of course there’s no mistake! Ye Yuan’s ten tasks were all perfectly completed. According to the maximum reward for a seven-star task, that’s thirty thousand each.” Shi Yu said calmly.

Kongyun’s face changed drastically, and he exclaimed in shock, “Max… maximum? How is that possible?”

The maximum reward was only given when a pill reached the Divine grade.

Did that mean all ten of Ye Yuan’s tasks had reached the Divine grade?

Even the elders couldn’t complete such tasks—how was this possible?

Shi Yu’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “Kongyun, are you questioning me?”

Kongyun’s face changed, and he quickly said, “N… no! I just… just…”

Shi Yu snorted and said, “Instead of being jealous of others’ talents, you should spend more effort on your own cultivation! I hope today’s events serve as a wake-up call for you!”

With that, Shi Yu turned and left.

Ye Yuan looked at Kongyun with a half-smile and said, “Now, say what you said yesterday again, loudly, and see what happens?”

Kongyun’s face became extremely awkward.

Yesterday he had confidently declared that Ye Yuan could not complete the tasks.

He had dared to be so arrogant because he was certain Ye Yuan would fail.

But today, Ye Yuan had not only completed them, but done so in a terrifyingly perfect manner.

Seeing Kongyun’s expression, Ye Yuan snorted disdainfully and said, “A coward who dares to speak but not act! If you lack strength, don’t show off in front of others—you’ll get slapped in the face! If you can complete a seven-star task, then come and brag in front of me.”

With that, Ye Yuan strode away.

…

Leaving Tianlu Pavilion, Ye Yuan was stopped again by the white-haired old man.

After the first time, there was naturally a second and third.

Since that occasion, every time Ye Yuan left Tianlu Pavilion, the white-haired old man would stop him and sit down to discuss the Dao with him.

Because he found Ye Yuan’s insights extremely unique and often thought-provoking.

Some of his previous doubts and oversights were suddenly cleared up.

Before meeting Ye Yuan, the white-haired old man thought he had fully comprehended the texts in Tianlu Pavilion.

It was only when he tested Ye Yuan that he realized he still had many questions he hadn’t understood.

Of course, Ye Yuan was also willing to discuss with the white-haired old man.

This old man’s mastery of the Divine Beast Pill was extraordinary.

For a novice like Ye Yuan, the white-haired old man’s guidance often felt like a clearing of the clouds to reveal the moon.

Such exchanges naturally benefited both greatly.

Ye Yuan’s rapid progress was not unrelated to this white-haired old man.

After an intense discussion, the white-haired old man suddenly said, “I heard that over the past half year, you’ve been challenging the elders at their lectures, making them lose face?”

Ye Yuan smiled and said, “It depends on how you look at it. Actually, I think raising questions and discussing them together to improve is a good thing. But for some long-established elders, face seems more important than strength.”

The white-haired old man laughed heartily and said, “Well said! Those fools think they’re the best in the world, unaware that there is always a sky beyond the sky and people beyond people! Their alchemy is just superficial!”

Ye Yuan smiled and said, “I’ve always believed that while talent may differ, attitude need not. Avoiding criticism only leads to stagnation. A student need not be inferior to a teacher, nor a teacher superior to a student. A student’s insights might give the teacher a new perspective. But if they insist on seeing me as a troublemaker, I can’t help it.”

The white-haired old man laughed and said, “You’re truly unique, boy! But I’ve heard they’ve united to teach you a lesson. You’d better be careful.”

Ye Yuan was somewhat surprised and asked, “Teach me a lesson? How?”

The white-haired old man stroked his beard and smiled, “Have you ever heard of the eternal chess game ‘Ask Not’?”

Ye Yuan shook his head, clearly knowing nothing about it.