Chapter 62: Important Things Must Be Said Three Times!

"Alright, I was wrong, okay? You're a grown man, surely you're not so petty as to hold a grudge forever, are you?"

After a moment of silence, Feng Zhirou finally couldn't bear the quiet and spoke up, though her apology sounded utterly insincere.

"I'm not holding a grudge. I'm just afraid that if I'm not careful and offend you, miss, I'll lose my life. So it's better we keep our distance."

Ye Yuan was genuinely a bit afraid of Feng Zhirou. The girl was too willful; who knew if she might take another sword strike at him on a whim? Ye Yuan wasn't confident he could dodge it again.

He could ignore the Dan榜单 experts, but he couldn't ignore the Wu榜单 experts. Feng Zhirou was ranked third on the Wu榜单. If she really came at him with another sword strike someday, Ye Yuan might well lose his life.

Feng Zhirou was so angry at Ye Yuan that her teeth itched. No one had ever spoken to her like that before.

No matter their status, wealth, or poverty, every man tried every means to get close to her.

But Ye Yuan, on the contrary, couldn't avoid her fast enough!

Feng Zhirou had grown up in a honeypot and was quite wary of men's advances. In the past, some had pretended to be profound and deliberately kept their distance to attract her attention.

But she could sense that Ye Yuan genuinely found her troublesome and didn't want to get close, which gave her a deep sense of frustration.

"Hmph, do as you please. But first tell me why I can't pass the assessment!" Actually, this was what Feng Zhirou most wanted to know.

"Why should I tell you!" Ye Yuan rolled his eyes. He had never seen anyone ask for advice in such a manner.

"Hmph hmph! If you don't tell me, I'll..." Feng Zhirou gave Ye Yuan a threatening look and made a throat-slitting gesture, which sent a chill down Ye Yuan's neck.

Ye Yuan was exasperated. No matter that he was the reincarnation of a Dan Emperor or the incarnation of a God King, he was now just a small fry at the fourth level of Yuan Qi.

Undoubtedly, Feng Zhirou's move was the simplest and most effective.

Ye Yuan knew that this girl was utterly willful when riled; if she got truly angry, she might well take another sword strike at him.

He wanted to keep his useful life to seek revenge, not die an obscure death.

"Fine, you win!" Ye Yuan said helplessly.

For the first time, Feng Zhirou had gotten the upper hand over Ye Yuan, and she felt elated, revealing a smug smile.

Indeed, this trick worked best!

Ye Yuan helplessly transmitted his voice: "The technique you cultivate—is it one of extreme yang and hardness?"

"Huh? How do you know?" Feng Zhirou asked in surprise.

"Just as I thought! A girl, cultivating a technique of extreme yang and hardness? How idiotic!" Ye Yuan said contemptuously.

"Hey, can't you say something nice for once?"

"That depends on who I'm talking to! A brainless fool like you—I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't scold you! Girls are naturally yin and soft, inherently opposed to techniques of extreme yang and hardness. And you chose a yang technique. If that's not brainless, what is?"

"Hmph! So what?"

"You want to say you're still in the top three of the Wu榜单, right?" Ye Yuan ruthlessly cut off Feng Zhirou's showing off, sneering, "Right now you can keep up with Brother Long and the others because your technique is high-grade and your realm isn't high. In another ten years, see the gap between you and Brother Long! Others play to their strengths and avoid weaknesses, but you play to your weaknesses and avoid your strengths. Tell me, isn't that brainless?"

"Hey, call me brainless one more time and I'll kill you!"

"Brainless! Brainless! Brainless! Important things must be said three times! Go ahead, kill me! Kill me, and you'll never break through to the Condensation Crystal realm in this life!" Ye Yuan was also angry now, sneering.

"Hmph! As if I'd believe you! Even if my technique is wrong, what does that have to do with failing the alchemist assessment?" As Ye Yuan's aura rose, Feng Zhirou instead showed weakness.

"The ways of the world are nothing but yin and yang qi. The soul belongs to yin and needs yin-cold qi to nourish it, but you cultivate a method of extreme yang, generating only yang qi in your body. This yang qi suppresses your soul power growth. So even if you eat nourishing soul pills like beans, your soul power increases very little."

Feng Zhirou had been furious, but at Ye Yuan's words, she fell into thoughtful silence.

Ye Yuan continued: "Your current soul power barely reaches the level of a初级 alchemist, but your success rate in alchemy is very low, making it hard to pass the assessment. If you continue cultivating, the accumulation of yang qi in your body will suppress your soul more and more. You'll never advance to alchemist in this life!"

"Hmph! Scaremongering! You think a few words can fool me?" Though she already believed most of it, Feng Zhirou still insisted stubbornly.

"Is that so? If I'm not mistaken, your cultivation speed has been slowing down, hasn't it? Every day at noon, do you feel discomfort all over, a burning sensation in your dantian, and a dull ache in your temples? If you think I'm exaggerating, just pretend I never said anything."

Ye Yuan's casual words sent a chill through Feng Zhirou. His description was exactly right. She used to cultivate much faster than her peers, but since breaking through to the Liquid Realm, her speed had plummeted to less than two-thirds of what it was.

Every day at noon, Feng Zhirou often felt unwell, with symptoms exactly as Ye Yuan described.

Could it really be, as Ye Yuan said, that she had chosen the wrong technique?

"You... you're talking nonsense!" Feng Zhirou's eyes grew confused, but her long-standing pride still made her stubborn.

"Actually, it's not irreparable. At least there's a way for you to pass today's assessment."

"What way?" As soon as she spoke, Feng Zhirou regretted it. Wasn't that an indirect admission that Ye Yuan had convinced her?

"When you refine pills later, suppress your yuan power to the first level of Liquid Realm, and at the same time take a nourishing soul pill. That should allow you to refine second-grade pills. But don't overdo it—just refine some easy pills."

Ye Yuan couldn't be bothered to argue further. After this, he believed the girl would be troubled for a while and wouldn't have time to pester him, so he directly told her the method.

"Will... will that really work?"

"I've told you the method. Believe it or not, it's up to you." Ye Yuan said indifferently.

Just then, Wan Yuan emerged from the alchemy room with immense confidence.

Wan Yuan had performed exceptionally well today, exceeding his usual standard in pill refinement!

"Haha, worthy nephew truly surpasses the master. Your alchemy skills already have some of your father's essence. The pill you refined this time must be at least top-grade, right? Let me have a look!" Wang Jinfu laughed heartily.

By then, an examiner had already brought out the pill. Wan Yuan bowed to Wang Jinfu and Sun Jianming, saying respectfully, "Thank you for the praise, President Wang. This junior refined a Po'e Dan and barely passed."

Though his words were humble, the arrogance in his expression was unmistakable.

But in others' eyes, Wan Yuan's arrogance was backed by his skill.

Wang Jinfu picked up the pill and his expression changed.