Chapter 2021: A Public Challenge

"The number one genius in the Dao of alchemy? Hah, what big talk. At his age, even if he started refining pills from the womb, his achievements would be limited, right? Besides, I heard his martial arts are quite formidable?" Yun Yi said disdainfully.

"That's right, I saw with my own eyes how he sent Commander Gan, a True God at the fifth heaven, flying with a single move," Zheng Buqun said.

Yun Yi laughed upon hearing this. "If I'm not mistaken, he's probably a martial arts genius from the Wanbao Dojo, using the banner of Fluttering Feather Celestial Venerable to swindle his way through the Cloud Alchemy Convention. Unfortunately, he's barking up the wrong tree!"

Zheng Buqun's face lit up with joy. "Brother Yun Yi, are you going to make a move?"

Yun Yi waved his hand. "Do you think the Grandmaster Tokens of the Cloud Alchemy Convention are just for show? Anyone who comes with a Grandmaster Token is the most honored guest of the convention, and we must treat them with courtesy."

Hearing this, everyone looked disappointed.

All present were geniuses of the alchemy path; how could they tolerate a martial arts genius lording it over them?

Moreover, slapping a grandmaster in the face would be a great honor.

But since he held a Grandmaster Token, it was like holding an imperial sword—they had no way to vent their anger!

"Brother Yun Yi, is there really no way?"

"Yeah, a little brat dares to call himself the number one genius in alchemy? Has he even grown all his hair?"

"Are we just going to let him keep acting arrogantly throughout this Cloud Alchemy Convention?"

...

The alchemy geniuses present were indignant, their faces showing displeasure.

But Yun Yi revealed a playful smile and said calmly, "Our Cloud Alchemy Imperial Capital is the foremost sacred land of alchemy in the Southern Domain. How can we allow such a person to exist? Grandmaster Token or not, those who are just filling a slot are absolutely not allowed to stay and defile the Cloud Alchemy Convention."

Everyone smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

...

Fluttering Feather Celestial Venerable was right; the Cloud Alchemy Convention had not disappointed Ye Yuan.

In these days, Ye Yuan had taken Ning Siyu and bought many rare sixth-grade spiritual medicines.

What Ye Yuan enjoyed most was visiting various large and small markets.

There, he could often find some good spiritual medicines.

These markets had all sorts of strange things, including many obscure pill formulas.

Although the Wanbao Tower's influence was vast, it couldn't procure every spiritual medicine. The Cloud Alchemy Imperial Capital gathered the top alchemists of the entire Southern Domain, so naturally there were many people coming to trade.

Countless alchemy masters gathered in the Cloud Alchemy Imperial Capital, and such business opportunities could not be missed.

At that moment, Ye Yuan and his companion were strolling through the East Street Market when they overheard some discussion.

"Have you heard? This Cloud Alchemy Convention actually has a True God realm grandmaster; it's already caused quite a stir."

"What? A six-star divine alchemist grandmaster? Are you joking? With that level of strength, he's not even as good as me, and he dares to be a grandmaster?"

"Heh, I heard he's from some Celestial Venerable's dojo; probably got the Grandmaster Token through pressure from the Celestial Venerable on the grandmasters."

"That's too ridiculous! The Cloud Alchemy Convention is the biggest event in the Southern Domain; it's not something one or two Celestial Venerables can dictate!"

"Just wait and see, the Grandmaster Token isn't so easy to hold! That kid will definitely make a big fool of himself!"

...

Hearing the crowd's discussion, Ning Siyu looked at Ye Yuan with a strange expression, but found him expressionless, as if they weren't talking about him at all.

Ning Siyu sometimes even suspected that Ye Yuan's body housed the soul of an old monster.

This guy was just too calm.

"Milord, if I were you, I'd show them a thing or two, let them know you deserve this Grandmaster Token!" Ning Siyu said indignantly.

In fact, they had heard such discussions everywhere these days, and it had become the biggest talking point among the city's alchemists.

Many had even declared they would challenge this grandmaster and trample him underfoot.

They just didn't know that the so-called six-star grandmaster was right beside them.

Clearly, this six-star grandmaster had become a stepping stone for these six-star divine alchemists to gain fame.

After all, defeating a grandmaster—what greater glory could there be?

Ye Yuan just smiled and said nothing.

At Ye Yuan's current level, he had long passed the stage of seeking to outshine others.

The only ones worthy of his attention were top figures like Fluttering Feather Celestial Venerable.

What was the point of competing with a bunch of rookies?

Just as they were talking, a group of people suddenly rushed over noisily, surrounding the two of them in the middle.

Ning Siyu's expression changed. "What do you think you're doing?"

A young man bowed to Ye Yuan and said, "I, Luo Yue of Qiannan Imperial Capital, request Grandmaster Ye's guidance."

"I, Wu Zhan of the Eastern Ao Wu Family, have some confusion on the path of alchemy and seek Grandmaster Ye's clarification."

"I..."

...

In a flurry, these young geniuses announced their names one after another, all directly asking Ye Yuan for guidance.

Of course, guidance was a pretext; the real intention was a challenge.

But because Ye Yuan held an honored status, they couldn't say it outright.

Yet their eyes held no trace of seeking advice; the provocation was thick.

The actions of these young geniuses immediately caused an uproar in the East Street Market.

They all looked at Ye Yuan in shock, realizing he was that six-star grandmaster.

"My goodness, he's that six-star grandmaster? He's so young! Looks like he's just over a thousand years old?"

"Wow, every one of these young geniuses has a deep background! Qiannan Imperial Capital, the Wu Family—each is a sacred land of alchemy, backed by seven-star divine alchemists."

"Heh, now there's going to be a good show! I'm really curious how this kid got the Grandmaster Token!"

...

After the exclamations, everyone wore expressions of schadenfreude.

Especially after seeing Ye Yuan's age, they became even more indignant. How could someone so young be worthy of a Grandmaster Token?

It wasn't that they thought themselves worthy of the token, but that past grandmasters were all god-like figures, and Ye Yuan holding this token felt like a desecration of its meaning.

There were probably over twenty young geniuses present, all six-star divine alchemists without exception.

Ye Yuan swept his gaze over them with a playful smile. "You... want to challenge me?"

Luo Yue sneered coldly. "Since Grandmaster Ye holds the Grandmaster Token, you must be a celestial figure. But I wonder... do you dare to accept our challenge?"

Luo Yue was deliberately using the Grandmaster Token to pressure Ye Yuan. In public, if Ye Yuan dared to avoid the battle, he would lose face and could no longer use the token to swindle.

Ye Yuan's expression remained unchanged. "You said I'm a celestial figure. How could you mortals... be worthy of challenging me?"

Luo Yue laughed heartily. "You're getting carried away! If you don't even dare to accept our challenge, isn't the Grandmaster Token burning your hands?"

Ye Yuan, without a change in expression or a blush, said calmly, "It's not impossible for you to challenge me, but..."

Luo Yue and the others' eyes lit up, revealing triumphant smiles.