Chapter 10 - Punishing the Villain

Long Chen recognized the person who came, and not only Long Chen, but almost everyone in the imperial capital knew him. He was none other than the president of the Alchemist Guild—Master Yun Qi. "President, this kid suddenly rushed in to make trouble. I'll drive him out right now," the old man said hastily upon seeing Master Yun Qi. Long Chen's eyes twinkled, and he pretended to be grateful, saying, "Are you Master Yun Qi? That's great, Long Chen is thankful for your life-saving grace." Originally, Yun Qi's expression was unpleasant, but upon hearing Long Chen's words, he was taken aback and asked, "Child, are you mistaking me for someone else?" "Mistaking you? No, definitely not," Long Chen shook his head, pointing at the old man, "My mother, through this master, spent more than a hundred thousand gold coins to buy a Tiger Bone Pill from you, which cured my injury. I am truly grateful." Hearing this, the old man's expression changed drastically. Yun Qi's face turned cold, and he looked at the old man, "Guan Cheng, what is this all about?" "President, don't listen to his nonsense..." Guan Cheng hurriedly explained. "Oh, you're not admitting it now? Our Alchemist Guild people truly have high moral standards, doing good deeds without leaving their names. However, selling a defective Tiger Bone Pill to my mother is an undeniable fact," Long Chen sneered. Although Guan Cheng kept winking at him, Long Chen pretended not to see it. Old man, do you think my Long family’s money is so easy to swindle? Guan Cheng had been with the Alchemist Guild for a long time, originally an apprentice under Master Yun Qi, but he had no talent in alchemy. However, Guan Cheng had been diligently working by Master Yun Qi's side for decades. Out of pity, Yun Qi gave him a steward position at the Alchemist Guild to help manage some chores. Sometimes, the waste pills he made would be handed over to Guan Cheng to handle. The normal procedure was to extract the useful parts and mix them with some medicinal liquids. The waste pills were not to be sold externally. This was a matter of professional ethics. If it got out that Master Yun Qi was selling waste pills, he would be laughed at by his peers. Master Yun Qi sighed and looked at Guan Cheng, "You have been with me for decades. You know my temper. Go, and never come back." Guan Cheng's face turned pale, and his eyes showed a hint of unwillingness, "Sir, I..." "Go," Yun Qi waved his hand indifferently. Guan Cheng almost collapsed to the ground. Yun Qi's words effectively expelled him from the Alchemist Guild. Once a high-ranking steward, now he had nothing. Guan Cheng seemed to age ten years instantly. "Hey, stop pretending. You've been tricking and cheating for so many years, earning dirty money that you can't spend in a lifetime. Stop acting like a pitiful worm," Long Chen said disdainfully. This old man, as a steward of the Alchemist Guild, had been close to some nobles and had taken unknown benefits over the years. Looking at his face made Long Chen sick. Guan Cheng's face showed anger, and his eyes flashed with malice, but he said nothing, lowering his head and slowly leaving. Watching Guan Cheng disappear, Master Yun Qi shook his head and said to Long Chen, "Young man, thank you. Otherwise, this old man would still be in the dark." "Hehe, this old man swindled my family out of our fortune. I did it on purpose for revenge. Don't be polite with me," Long Chen laughed. Master Yun Qi, somewhat surprised, said, "Hehe, young man, you are straightforward, not sinister and cunning. Good." "Hehe, how could I hide such a little scheme from you, sir? Since I can't hide it, I might as well play the good guy," Long Chen shrugged and smiled. Master Yun Qi couldn't help but laugh. Over the years, everyone had been respectful in front of him. It was the first time someone spoke to him like that, and it felt interesting. "Young man, you didn't come to the Alchemist Guild just to complain, did you?" "Of course not. I'm here to take the alchemist test," Long Chen said, extending his right hand. Whoosh! A small flame leapt to his fingertip. To leave a deep impression on the master, Long Chen subtly moved his finger, and the flame danced like a playful monkey at his fingertip. "Not bad control." Upon seeing the flame, Yun Qi nodded slightly. At this age, condensing a Pill Fire was not bad, but Long Chen's subsequent actions surprised him. The control of flame power mainly comes from the size of one's soul force. Long Chen's flexible use indicated that his soul force was significantly above average. However, what he didn't know was that Long Chen had hidden his true ability. If he displayed the ancient secret techniques in his memory, who knows if it would frighten the master in front of him? "Very good. Your soul force is stronger than ordinary people. You're a promising alchemy talent," Yun Qi nodded. Hearing Yun Qi say this, Long Chen felt relieved. It's best to conserve strength whenever possible. "Come, I'll take you for a test," said Yun Qi, leading Long Chen away. Watching the two leave, the people in the hall who were refining herbs with Pill Fire were dumbfounded. "What the, no assessment, just straight to the test?" "How could this be? Isn't he Master Yun Qi's relative?" "Relative, my ass. That kid is the notorious waste, Long Chen, from the imperial capital, isn't he?" The dozen people in the hall were there to take the alchemist test, but according to the rules, they needed to purify a set of herbs to the standard before proceeding to the next test. But Long Chen bypassed this procedure, making them furious yet helpless. This was the Alchemist Guild, a supreme place where no one dared to complain, so they could only swallow their frustration. In an underground chamber of the Alchemist Guild, Master Yun Qi pointed to a crystal, "Activate your flame." Long Chen nodded, extended a finger, and condensed a flame at the tip, slowly touching the crystal. The crystal displayed several patterns, and Master Yun Qi said indifferently, "Pill Fire at the lower yellow level, barely qualified." Pill Fire is divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, each with upper, middle, and lower grades. Long Chen's Pill Fire was self-condensed, neither beast fire nor elemental flame, hence lower yellow level, which was normal. Then he led Long Chen to a pool. The pool was only half a foot deep, with hundreds of crystal-clear beads at the bottom. "Circulate your soul force and see if you can make the beads float." This was not a real pool; the water inside was True Soul Mercury. When Long Chen touched it, he found it amplified his soul force tenfold. Long Chen was relieved. His current soul force couldn't move objects from a distance, so he was overthinking. As the soul force circulated, over a dozen beads began to float under its influence. But Long Chen suddenly noticed Master Yun Qi was staring at the beads in shock. Oh no, he's onto me. Long Chen quickly released his soul force and circulated his energy, making himself look pale and on the verge of collapse, giving the impression of soul force exhaustion. "Master... am I qualified?" Long Chen said, panting. "Profound level, it's actually the profound level," Master Yun Qi murmured as if not noticing Long Chen's act. After a while, Yun Qi noticed Long Chen was already slumped on the ground. Long Chen's acting was at an Oscar-winning level. Not only was his face as pale as paper, but his eyes were also somewhat unfocused, a sign of overexertion. "Very good, your soul force is indeed extraordinarily strong. You're a promising talent. This time, we've found a good seed," Yun Qi smiled. Long Chen's eyes lit up, "Master Yun Qi, I'm eager to learn alchemy. Is it possible to become your nominal disciple?" Yun Qi shook his head, "I dare not accept you. Keep practicing, and I'll give you a chance, a chance to reach the pinnacle of alchemy." Seeing Yun Qi refuse, Long Chen awkwardly smiled, "I mainly want a title so that no one dares to bully me." Yun Qi was stunned and laughed heartily. Long Chen's straightforward nature amused Yun Qi. Over the years, he had never met such an interesting young man. Long Chen's abnormal soul force made Yun Qi very optimistic about him. "Rest assured, I'll give you a Dan apprentice badge. Who dares to bully you?" Yun Qi laughed. Long Chen was overjoyed. Usually, one had to pass the herbalist qualification test first and then wait a year before taking the Dan apprentice test. Herbalist was just an entry-level, which already made many people envious, and Dan apprentice was a formal alchemy practitioner. "With your current Pill Fire and soul force, alchemy is still difficult, but within a year, you can definitely refine pills. I'm merely issuing it in advance, not a violation," Yun Qi smiled. Long Chen felt grateful. Though he could surpass anyone in alchemy technique, Yun Qi was a respectable elder. Master Yun Qi personally crafted a Dan apprentice badge for Long Chen, along with a cauldron and alchemy robe. The alchemy robe was luxurious, with a Dan star pattern on the chest, symbolizing a Dan apprentice. The cauldron was made of refined copper and red gold, well-crafted and more reasonable in design, far superior to the one Long Chen had bought. Besides these, Yun Qi gave Long Chen a space ring, which delighted him. It was a magical ring. By inputting soul force, one could access the space inside and store items at will. It was a luxury item worth tens of thousands of gold coins, something Long Chen never dared to dream of. Inputting soul force, he found a space about ten square feet inside, making him deeply grateful. Master Yun Qi told Long Chen that with the badge, he could purchase herbs at half price from the Alchemist Guild and freely study all the predecessors' alchemy insights. Long Chen suddenly felt like a pheasant turning into a phoenix. Leaving the Alchemist Guild, he bought a large batch of Wind Mansion Pill materials and other herbs. When Long Chen stepped out of the Alchemist Guild, he felt like a different person. Entering as a nobody, he came out worth millions, walking with a straight back, ready to look down on people. Long Chen, fully rewarded, returned home. Upon entering, he saw Bao'er waiting at the door. Seeing Long Chen, she pulled him towards Madam's room. Just entering, Long Chen was stunned, his heart pounding uncontrollably.