Chapter 229: Betting on Becoming a Disciple

Ye Yuan's words hit the nail on the head, and those with cool heads fell silent.

For a long time, the "Compendium of Herbs" had been regarded as a classic by the alchemists of the Boundless Realm, representing its highest level!

Yet no matter how skilled an alchemist, they could not exhaust the mysteries of the Dao of Alchemy.

Although the "Compendium of Herbs" was highly accomplished, it was obviously impossible for everything in it to be correct.

But the problem was that the "Compendium of Herbs" was already enough for them to study for a lifetime; how much time did these quasi-king alchemists have to verify every point?

From this perspective, Ye Yuan's words were indeed thought-provoking.

But at this moment, there were clearly not many alchemists who could think calmly; in their eyes, Ye Yuan had already reached a certain level of arrogance.

If a Pill King was just starting out, then what were they, these quasi-king alchemists?

Had they not even entered the door?

"So, according to you, Purple Night Grass and Azure Orchid can be used together? I'd like to hear how you eliminate the toxins they produce!" Ouyang Yu sneered.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "When refining a pill to help break through to the Liquid Spirit Realm, the most important thing is to help the martial artist refine their Yuan power and protect their dantian. Your formula's approach is correct, but Azure Orchid is clearly more effective than Cloud Luo Fruit. Why abandon the essential for the trivial? Just because the book says Azure Orchid and Purple Night Grass cannot be mixed?"

Ye Yuan scanned the room and said generously, "In pill refining, the main ingredients are naturally very important, but the auxiliary ingredients are equally important! Since mixing Azure Orchid and Purple Night Grass produces toxins, why not just add an ingredient to the auxiliary materials to prevent the toxins from forming?"

Yao Qian sneered, "Easy to say! If it were an ordinary poison, it would be simple to neutralize. But the toxin produced by mixing them is Tendon-Eating Blood. Though its grade is not high, it is extremely obscure, and even a Pill King would be helpless! If it were so simple, Lord Li Su would have written it into the book!"

Ye Yuan shook his head and sighed, "Always talking about books, without any original opinion. I really don't know how you managed to cultivate to the quasi-king alchemist realm."

"You! Go ahead and tell us what auxiliary ingredient can neutralize the Tendon-Eating Blood poison! Even a Pill King is helpless against it; how could a mere alchemist like you neutralize it?" Yao Qian sneered.

"Heh, how about we make a bet?" Ye Yuan teased.

Seeing Ye Yuan's confident look, Yao Qian's heart wavered. But then he thought, no matter how monstrous Ye Yuan was, he couldn't be better than a Pill King, right?

"What kind of bet?"

"If I can neutralize this poison, you kowtow to me three times and become my disciple; if I can't, I'll give you my life. Hmm, I suppose you wouldn't be interested in me becoming your disciple." Ye Yuan said with a faint smile.

Seeing the smile on Ye Yuan's face, Ouyang Ming felt something was wrong. He tugged at Yao Qian's sleeve, but Yao Qian ignored him.

"Fine! Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Yao Qian agreed directly.

"Heh, in front of the Sect Leader and the hall masters, I trust Elder Yao won't go back on his word."

"Less nonsense! Tell us what can neutralize this poison. I'm waiting for your life!"

Ye Yuan nodded and said, "Alright, I'll make you admit defeat! Elders, think about it: what common companion plant do Purple Night Grass and Azure Orchid have?"

As soon as Ye Yuan spoke, the elders furrowed their brows.

Understanding the habits of medicinal herbs was a basic skill every alchemist must master.

Those present were all quasi-king alchemists, so their fundamentals weren't truly hopeless; it was just that their research was far inferior to Ye Yuan's.

Purple Night Grass and Azure Orchid were relatively rare first-grade herbs, and their companion plants were mostly ungraded materials. Could these ungraded materials actually neutralize the poison?

What a joke!

"As for their common companion plant, it must be Joy Grass. You're not going to tell me that Joy Grass can neutralize the Tendon-Eating Blood poison, are you?"

As expected of the Alchemy Hall Master, Ouyang Yu was the first to give the answer.

But he had never heard that Joy Grass could neutralize poison!

Joy Grass was just an ungraded herb, occasionally used as an auxiliary ingredient for first-grade low-tier pills, and was not considered significant.

Ye Yuan, however, was unperturbed and smiled, "Hall Master Ouyang is indeed sharp, giving the answer so quickly. That's right, the one that can neutralize the Tendon-Eating Blood poison is Joy Grass!"

"Haha, I've never heard that Joy Grass has detoxifying properties! How absurd! Ye Yuan, you don't think we elders of the Alchemy Hall are just for show, do you? How dare you make such a childish joke with us!" Ouyang Yu laughed, feeling mocked.

Ye Yuan said seriously, "I'm not joking! You haven't even tried it; how do you know Joy Grass can't neutralize the poison?"

"Joy Grass is the most common herb, ungraded. Its properties and uses have been fully explored; it's barely suitable as an auxiliary ingredient for first-grade pills. How could such a thing neutralize the Tendon-Eating Blood poison?" Ouyang Yu retorted.

"Arrogant! What you call 'fully explored' is just your own opinion. In fact, any combination of two herbs can produce unexpected effects. How many combinations have you actually tried? Even for first-grade herbs, how many do you truly understand?" Ye Yuan sneered.

Ouyang Yu was about to retort when Luo Qingfeng waved his hand and said, "No need to argue. We'll know by trying."

Ye Yuan smiled, "Haha, the Sect Leader is reasonable. Consider yourselves lucky today; I'll refine the True Ascension Pill and show you what a real True Ascension Pill is like!"

"Hmph! Arrogant talk!" Ouyang Yu snorted.

...

Alchemy Hall, Pill Refining Room. The elders moved here.

Ye Yuan handed the formula for the True Ascension Pill to Luo Qingfeng, who ordered the ingredients to be prepared.

Ye Yuan's formula was naturally superior to the one researched by the Alchemy Hall, but this formula was nothing special to him, so he didn't mind giving it to them.

"Tsk, tsk, as expected of a sect. This pill refining room is much more advanced than the one at the Alchemy Martial Academy!" Ye Yuan exclaimed upon entering.

"Nonsense! The Alchemy Martial Academy is just an outer training ground of our sect; how can it compare to the Alchemy Hall? The ingredients are ready; why aren't you refining the pill?" Yao Qian said.

"Oh, I was just expressing my feelings. Elder Yao doesn't have to be so confrontational, does he? Elder Yao is eager to become my disciple, but to be honest, I'm not really keen on taking you on." Ye Yuan smiled.

"I hope you can still smile later!"

Ye Yuan stopped arguing and went straight to the workbench to begin extracting the medicinal base.

"Huh? Why is he grabbing it by hand? Doesn't he need to measure?"

"I'm increasingly feeling that Ye Yuan is unreliable. Could it be that he knows he's doomed and is just playing along with everyone?"

"I think so too! The idea that Joy Grass can neutralize Tendon-Eating Blood poison sounds absurd no matter how you hear it."

As soon as Ye Yuan's "hand-grabbing extraction method" appeared, it immediately sparked a wave of doubt.