Chapter 158 An Invincible Entity
"What about her prowess? Do you have an idea of her Cultivation base?"
The question everybody there wanted an answer to was just how powerful was this entity. Even if they cannot fully gauge her ability, it's a good start to have just an idea of what they are dealing with.
"Her prowess…" Patriarch Gold trembled in fear just from remembering the heaven-defying abilities of that monster.
"I wasn't able to do anything to her! None of my techniques — not even my most powerful technique — could touch her, let alone injure her! She's untouchable! It's the first time in my life that I have felt such powerlessness! Not only that, but she could also use mental techniques! My mind nearly collapsed because of her!"
"Can you elaborate more on that? What do you mean by untouchable?" Patriarch Wu said.
"That monster is like a ghost, every single one of my techniques would pass through her body like her body is made of air and that she's nothing but a mere illusion."
"I have tried both physical and spiritual techniques, but alas, neither of them worked on her."
"..."
The room turned silent once again.
A ghost-like opponent that cannot be touched? And she can even use mental techniques that all Cultivators dread? How are they supposed to fight something as invincible as that?
"This will be tricky…"
Everybody there was scratching their heads trying to find a resolution.
"This entity is not just untouchable," Patriarch Gold suddenly said, "Her combat strength is also on a completely different realm. The destruction that you witnessed here today… it was caused with a mere wave of her sleeves. It all happened so fast that by the time I blinked, half of my Sect was already gone."
His words caused many people there to tremble in fear, and the place returned to being silent once again.
The silence continued for many minutes, and since nobody there had a solution for this calamity, they could only sit there with pale faces.
"Old Zhu, what do you think of this situation? You haven't spoken a word for a while now." Patriarch Wu looked at the Four Seasons Academy's Matriarch.
"What is there to think about this situation? If this entity truly holds as much power as Old Gold here gives her, then there is nothing we can do about it beside praying that it does not come for us."
After a quick pause, she continued, "Our only hope right now is Immortal Fairy Su Yue, but without even a hint to her location, we might as well just continue living life as normal."
"Are you telling us to continue living the rest of our lives knowing there's an entity out there that can easily wipe out one of the Three Ancient Academies?! I'd rather die fighting than to live the rest of my life in fear!"
Matriarch Zhu shook her head and said, "In the first place, we still do not know this entity's objective. If she really wanted to bring destruction to this world, then why hasn't she done so already? There's no way someone with that much power could go unnoticed for this long! And why did she not completely destroy this place despite her ability to?"
Matriarch Zhu then looked at Patriarch Gold with narrowed eyes and said, "The only reason she attacked your Sect was because you confronted her. If you had left her alone, this place might still be in one piece right now."
"..."
Patriarch Gold lowered his head in silence. She was right. If he didn't lose his reasoning to lust that night, then perhaps all of this would have never happened and that girl would've left later without destroying his place.
He truly regretted his decision that night, but alas, there was no pill for regret in this world and he will have to live the rest of his life regretting that moment.
The other people there did not argue with Matriarch Zhu's logic. They still don't know anything about this entity. If they jump to conclusions and recklessly confront her then won't they just be digging their own graves? Since they can't deal with her, then they might as well just let fate run its course and see what happens.
"Senior Zhu is right. This is just the ghost girl's first appearance. We can only wait and see what happens from here."
"Ghost girl, huh. I guess this will be her nickname from now on."
Matriarch Zhu suddenly said, "Spread the word to your place. If you see someone that you do not recognize snooping around your place, do not approach that individual at all cost and only watch from a safe distance, especially if that individual is a little girl with silver hair and eyes. As a matter of fact, just run away and avoid contact at all cost. If you do not want your place to suffer the same fate as the Golden Lion Academy, then I suggest you take this advice."
"As for the restoration of the Golden Lion Academy… I do not have any intentions on lending any assistance and will leave everything to its Patriarch. Our gathering today is a special occasion, but at the end of the day, we are all rivals and wish to see the downfall of each other."
"With that being said, I will be taking my leave now, as I have other businesses to attend."
Matriarch Zhu then stood from her seat and walked out of the meeting room without looking back.
Nobody there stopped her departure, and they also started leaving after talking for a few more minutes.
The last individual to leave was Patriarch Wu, Sect Master of the Holy Sword Academy.
"Old Gold, if you think you managed to hide the truth from me or Old Zhu, then you cannot be any more wrong," he said to him after everyone left.
"W-What are you talking about?" Patriarch Gold tried to act ignorant.
"Don't think we forgot what happened the first time you met Immortal Fairy Su Yue. If this entity resembled her, then I wouldn't be surprised at all if you tried to do to her what you did to Immortal Fairy Su Yue. Although you got away lightly last time with only a bloody beating, your actions this time has brought a disaster upon your own Sect, and there's nobody to blame besides yourself. Use this time to think about what you did and reflect on it, or else you will one day really destroy everything you've built so far."
"..." Patriarch Gold turned completely silent.
The incident Patriarch Wu spoke of was when Patriarch Gold lost his reasoning after seeing Immortal Fairy Su Yue for the first time and also tried to assault her. Fortunately for him, the consequences of his actions were getting beaten until he was half dead.
Compared to what happened this time, his previous punishment could be considered extremely light, like a slap on the wrist.
Just as Patriarch Wu prepared to leave, Patriarch Gold said, "You should know that the Golden Lion Tempering Technique I am Cultivating turns my instincts into that of beasts. I acted only because of such instincts, and there is nothing I can do about it…"
Patriarch Wu only shook his head in silence before walking out the door, leaving Patriarch Gold alone.
Chapter 159 Even If She Offered Herself...
Upon returning to the Four Seasons Academy, Matriarch Zhu called for Elder Deng's audience.
The first thing she asked him when he arrived was the name of their esteemed guests, but alas, Elder Deng only stared at her with a dumbfounded expression.
"Names? Their names?"
When Elder Deng realized that he didn't even know the names of their own guests, he nearly slammed his head against the floor in shame.
"Even you don't know their names?" Although she was upset, Matriarch Zhu did not blame him, as she also forgot such a simple thing.
"I-I will go and find out their names immediately—"
"Wait. There's no need to rush this, as they will be staying here for the next few days, and they will only be weird out by it. Instead, tell me if anything happened yesterday after you left."
"Yesterday…"
Elder Deng's eyes suddenly widened with shock.
"Right! I had planned on relaying this yesterday, but I wasn't able to since you left for the Golden Lion Academy before I could reach you!"
The Matriarch raised her eyebrows with expectation after seeing his flustered state.
"Tell me about it."
"Yesterday, right after we left the meeting room, I showed him around the Sect, and coincidentally, Elder Li was already giving a lecture when we arrived at the Lecture Hall. Elder Li was concocting an Earth-grade Pill, the Advanced Spirit Refreshment Pill, in front of the disciples."
"..."
Though her expectations have been lowered, Matriarch Zhu continued to listen silently.
"Before Elder Li had even finished concocting the pill, that young man managed to not only guess the pill Elder Li was making but also the quality it would come out, and he had managed to get both of them correct!"
"What? How is that even possible? What kind of trick did he use?"
The Matriarch did not believe that someone as young as Su Yang could achieve something that even she, an Alchemy Master with over three hundred years of experience, cannot hope to achieve.
"The thing is… he used only his sense of smell to achieve all this… There was no trick…"
"What! Impossible! He must have had something up his sleeves!"
Elder Deng shook his head and said, "That is exactly what I'd thought at first, but alas, what he did afterward could only be considered heaven-defying…"
"What are you talking about?" Matriarch frowned, feeling an ominous tone in his voice.
"He had a match with one of our disciples, Core Disciple Qing Shan, in pill concocting. Their goal was to concoct an Advanced Spirit Refreshment Pill within a time limit of 4 hours, and Qing Shan miserably lost."
"Qing Shan lost to him? And miserably, too?"
The Matriarch knew very well of Qing Shan's ability, an Alchemy Master with skills beneath only a few individuals in this world, yet she lost to this young man? Her suspicion of Su Yang being Immortal Fairy Su Yue's son was turning into reality before her very eyes.
"His Dao of Alchemy may be superior to Qing Shan, but how is that heaven-defying?"
"The… The Advanced Spirit Refreshment Pill he made… it was…" At this point, Elder Deng's voice was trembling like he can't believe what he's about to say. "It was 100% quality — a flawless-quality pill — something that exists only in the ancient records left by Immortal Han Xin."
"WHAT?!"
Matriarch Zhu directly stood from her chair and exclaimed in a sharp voice, her heart racing from shock.
"I know it's hard to believe but the proof is in Core Disciple Qing Shan's possession if you want to confirm it, and even Elder Li and hundreds of disciples were there to witness it."
"Huh? Why would she have the pill?"
"The young man gave it to her as a gift… I think…"
"A flawless-quality pill as a gift?!"
Matriarch Zhu nearly fainted upon hearing such words. What kind of individual would gift away something as legendary as a flawless-quality pill? Even if Qing Shan offered her body in return for the pill, she still wouldn't come close to being worth as much as the flawless-quality pill — not in Matriarch Zhu's eyes!
"Bring Qing Shan to — No, I will go to her myself!"
Matriarch Zhu began rushing out the door to look for Qing Shan. She did not want to find her just to prove Elder Deng's words but purely because she wanted to see the legendary flawless-quality pill.
Sometime later, disciples from all over the Four Seasons Academy gasped in shock when they noticed Matriarch Zhu walking through the Sect in a pace that was almost running, seemingly in a hurry. They have never seen her act in such a way, not even during emergencies.
Elder Deng followed behind her with a bitter expression on his face. He knew that she would be shocked to learn of the flawless-quality pill but he didn't expect her reaction to be this intense. Perhaps the flawless-quality pill is much more important than he'd initially thought.
Many minutes later, when they arrived at Qing Shan's living quarters, Matriarch Zhu knocked on the door with heavy banging.
"Disciple Qing Shan! The Matriarch is here to see you!" Since there were only a few disciples that lived within the area, Elder Deng did not hold back on his voice and shouted loudly.
A few moments later, the door opened, and Qing Shan walked out to greet them.
"Disciple Qing greets the Matriarch and Sect Elder," she spoke in a calm voice, almost like she was expecting their visit.
"Forget the formality! Quickly show me the flawless-quality pill!" Matriarch Zhu said with an excited expression, looking like a child who can't wait to see her new toys.
"Y-Yes, Matriarch…"
Qing Shan's eyes widened due to the Matriarch acting unnatural, and she reached into her storage ring to retrieve a bottle that was tightly sealed with many layers of complicated techniques.
"T-This is the..."
When Matriarch Zhu saw the pill inside the bottle that was white like milk, her entire body tingled with a delightful sensation. Despite her old age and appearance, just a glance at the flawless-quality pill had caused an Alchemy enthusiast like her to feel lustful towards it!
Chapter 160 Even Now I Cannot Stop Thinking About Him
"What do you think of the pill, Matriarch?" Elder Deng asked her for her opinions. "How does it compare to a high-quality pill?"
"This is without a doubt a pill with 100% quality — a flawless-quality pill." Matriarch Zhu's arms trembled just from holding the bottle. "As for the pill's strength… unless I try it myself, I will have no way to compare the two."
"But this pill… even with this many seals on the bottle, I can still smell the fresh aroma coming from it."
Elder Deng sighed, "Just who is this young man…? He's full of nothing but shocking abilities and secrets that we cannot comprehend."
"..."
Matriarch Zhu did not reply to him and remained silent. Although she's pretty much recognized Su Yang as Immortal Fairy Su Yue's son, it was still hard to believe it.
"Just where is Immortal Fairy Su Yue now? And why would her son appear out of the blue? Is this related to the Ghost Girl's appearance?" she wondered to herself.
"Umm…" Qing Shan silently stood there while Matriarch Zhu held the Advanced Spirit Refreshment Pill tightly in her grasp, seemingly unwilling to let it go. Although she had prepared for such results beforehand, she was still afraid that the Matriarch would try to take this precious pill away from her, and her heart would definitely bleed if that were to happen.
"Hmm?" Matriarch Zhu noticed the way Qing Shan was staring at her nervously and smiled, "Relax, Qing Shan. I will not lie and say I don't want this pill for myself — as a matter of fact, I really do — but I will not stoop as low as to steal it from my own disciple."
She said as she handed the bottle back to her.
Qing Shan sighed in relief inwardly after holding the pill in her hands again.
Matriarch Zhu then continued, "Although I will not take this pill away from you for nothing, I do not plan on doing nothing, either. I have many generous offers in my mind that I would like to trade for this pill, so why don't we sit down and talk about them?"
Hearing her words, Qing Shan showed her an apologetic smile, and said, "I'm sorry, Matriarch, but I have no intention to give away this pill for anything — no matter what."
"..."
Matriarch Zhu turned silent, and so did Elder Deng. They understood her feelings perfectly. If they were in her shoes they would also be saying the same thing no matter who the offer came from.
"It is regrettable, but I fully understand." Matriarch Zhu shook her head, feeling dejected. "Be sure to keep that pill safe — even if it costs you your life!"
"I will!" Qing Shan did not need Matriarch Zhu to tell her such a thing, as she would've done it even without her words.
Matriarch Zhu and Elder Deng left a little bit later.
"What should we do about him now?" Elder Deng asked her.
"You just need to focus on your part. I have my own thoughts."
"...Yes, Matriarch." Elder Deng did not speak anymore.
Elder Deng and Matriarch Zhu walked their separate ways a little bit later.
Sometime later, after a quick detour around the Sect, looking like she was searching for somebody, Matriarch Zhu called for a few Core Disciples to meet her.
"Disciple Gu greets the Sect Master!"
"Disciple Lin greets the Matriarch!"
"Disciple Pan greets the Sect Master!"
Three Core Disciples stood before Matriarch Zhu with their bodies bent and faces full of respect.
"Where did she go?" Matriarch Zhu said suddenly, "There is no record of her leaving the Sect, yet I don't sense her presence within the Sect."
"..."
The three disciples immediately started smiling with bitter expressions. They knew exactly who the Matriarch was speaking of despite no names being mentioned.
"And don't even try to hide it from me. Even if you are Core Disciples, I will punish you for lying to my face."
"..."
The three Core Disciples exchanged defeated glances with each other, before one of them opened their mouth to speak, "Although I do not know why, senior apprentice-sister Zhu left to the Holy Sword Academy to meet with their Prime Disciple after receiving some sort of message from her, and it seemed to be an emergency, seeing how she left with haste."
"The Holy Sword Academy again? I should've known!" Matriarch Zhu nearly facepalmed. "Aiya, why does that child keep going there despite my constant warnings?"
"Ever since she befriended that old man's daughter years ago, she has been more and more disobedient!" she thought to herself.
When Matriarch Zhu sent the Core Disciples away a little bit later, she retrieved a communication talisman and directed a few simple words towards the direction of the Holy Sword Academy, saying, "Tell my daughter to come back right this moment!"
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Inside the Holy Sword Academy, Wu Jinjing sat before a young lady with a similar age to her and appearances that rivaled her own.
The young lady was staring at Wu Jinjing with eyes filled with disbelief, and she spoke, "Sister Jinjing, you must be jesting with me!"
Wu Jinjing shook her head with a smile on her face, and she said, "I'm telling you the truth. I meet a young man at the Nine Spring Hall, and I will be bearing his child in the future."
"B-But you just met him, right? How could you do such a thing when you are practically still strangers! That's… That's unthinkable for even the weirdest people out there, much less someone like you!"
"You won't understand it," Wu Jinjing remained calm and said. "He is someone that defies all common sense, and such uniqueness devoured my reasoning. Even now, I cannot stop thinking about him."
"What about your dreams to surpass your father and become this world's best swordsman?! How will you achieve such a goal now that you will be bearing a child?!"
"Although bearing this child will definitely slow down my steps, it will not stop me from achieving my goals!" Wu Jinjing said while rubbing her stomach with a passionate expression, dumbfounding the young lady, who has never seen this side of her.
"This is… this is crazy!" The young lady became speechless and nearly fainted from shock.
Chapter 161 There's Someone I Want You to Mee
Patriarch Wu looked at the communication talisman in his grasp with an irritated expression.
"Again? Do I look like a babysitter?! This is the last time! The next time you'd better be here yourself to pick her up!" he yelled at the talisman before heading to the same place as usual.
Inside Wu Jinjing's living quarters, the two girls continued to talk about girl things.
"It's still a bit early but what should I name the child? Will it be a girl or a boy? What do you think, Sister Mengyi?" Wu Jinjing wondered out loud and asked her for advice.
Zhu Mengyi looked at her with an unbelieving expression, and she said in a low voice, "Why are you asking me that? First of all, how are you so sure that you'll be pregnant? Didn't you do it only once? I'm not experienced in this field but I have heard that it's much harder for Cultivators to get pregnant than mortals, especially those with a higher Cultivation base."
"It'll be fine," Wu Jinjing spoke in a confident voice. "It will all work out, I'm sure of it."
"She's really gone crazy…" Zhu Mengyi was already harboring hate towards this man who had turned her best friend into such a state, wondering if he had brainwashed her or something of sorts.
"Sister Mengyi, have you had any thoughts of finding a partner anytime soon?" Wu Jinjing's question caught her off guard.
"Of course not! I have already dedicated my life to the Dao of Alchemy! There's no man out there that could possibly make my determination waver!"
"That's what I thought at first, but that was before I met him." Wu Jinjing smiled, "One day, just like me, you will meet someone that will turn your entire view of this world upside-down, and you will lose your reasoning to his charm!"
"Don't count on it!"
"It may not be anytime soon, but one day, for sure…"
"Enough about me! I came here to talk about you! Does your father know any of this?" Zhu Mengyi tried to change the topic and asked.
The smile on Wu Jinjing's face turned bitter. "I haven't told him yet."
Zhu Mengyi looked at her with a baffled expression. "You haven't told him yet?! I don't think you should keep such a big secret from him."
She shook her head and said, "I'm not really trying to keep this a secret. I just haven't had the time to speak with him yet. Have you heard of the Ghost Girl?"
"The supposedly invincible entity that is currently striking fear into the hearts of everyone?"
"Un. Although he doesn't show it, his complexion has paled since the meeting. He's clearly worried despite telling us to not worry about it."
"Aren't you worried?" Zhu Mengyi asked her. "This Ghost Girls seems to have unfounded prowess that nobody can defend against. What if it attacks one of our places?"
"...I won't say that I'm not worried, but there's really no point in worrying about something like this when even my father is clueless."
"I guess you are right—"
Suddenly, a loud voice appeared out of the blue and echoed within Wu Jinjing's room.
"I know you are in there, Prime Disciple of the Four Seasons Academy." It was Patriarch Wu's voice that resounded in the room.
Wu Jinjing looked at her with a bitter smile and said, "This may be the fastest one yet, huh."
"Why can't my mother just leave me alone? I am already a Prime Disciple for heaven sakes!"
"I'm coming inside."
Once Patriarch Wu entered the room, he looked at Zhu Mengyi and said, "I know telling you to stop coming is akin to telling babies to stop peeing themselves, but at least let your mother know before you leave. She sounded fairly angry this time around."
"I will see you next time, Sister Mengyi."
"Un! I will come back as soon as possible! We are not done talking with 'that' topic yet! There's still plenty of questions I have on my mind!"
Zhu Mengyi quickly greeted Patriarch Wu, almost like one would when in someone else's house, before returning to the Four Seasons Academy.
Once Zhu Mengyi left, Patriarch Wu continued, "You are not completely out of this. She listens to you the most, so you need to stop giving her trouble."
"Anyway, I have to go back and—"
"Father, wait." Wu Jinjing stopped him from leaving. "There is something I want to tell you."
"What is it? Make it quick."
"It's very important…"
Patriarch Wu looked at her serious expression and sighed. He then grabbed a chair and sat before her. "Go ahead, I'm all ears."
Wu Jinjing took a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak.
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Once Zhu Mengyi returned to the Four Seasons Academy, she went directly to the Matriarch's living quarters to find Matriarch Zhu.
"Mother! I am no longer a child! Why won't you leave me alone? You even said that you will no longer bother me if I become the Prime Disciple! I was having an important discussion with Sister Jinjing!" she complained to her the moment she saw her.
Matriarch Zhu looked at her unhappy daughter and spoke in a calm voice, "I did indeed say such words, and that's why I overlooked your past few visits to that place. However, today is different. I have important matters to speak to you about."
Seeing the serious expression on her face, Zhu Mengyi no longer felt as displeased and said, "Is this about the Ghost Girl that's been terrorizing the world?"
"No, this is much more important than that."
"..." Zhu Mengyi was surprised to hear such words. Something even more important than the Ghost Girl? What could possibly be more important than an entity that could potentially destroy the world?
"There's someone I want you to meet. A young man to be exact."
"..."
"..."
"Say that again? What did you just say?" Zhu Mengyi stared at her with wide eyes filled with disbelief.
Chapter 162 Reward
"Did I hear your words correctly? You — someone who has always been telling me to forget about relationships to focus on the Dao of Alchemy — want me to meet someone? You are the last person in this world I'd expect such words from!"
Zhu Mengyi was dumbfounded speechless. Because of her monstrous talent in the Dao of Alchemy, her mother, Matriarch Zhu, would remind her almost every day to focus on Alchemy and nothing else, yet out of the blue, she's being told to meet some young man?
"I know what I have said over the years but this… this is different. You will understand it once you meet him."
"Ridiculous! I refuse! I will not meet him!"
How could she meet up with a young man right after she told Wu Jinjing that she will be dedicating her life to the Dao of Alchemy?
Matriarch Zhu sighed, thinking in her mind, "Aiya… I knew she would say something like that… Looks like I'll have to use 'that'."
"If I recall correctly, you really admired Immortal Fairy Su Yue, right?"
Zhu Mengyi frowned when she mentioned her. Like many individuals in this world, ever since she met Immortal Fairy Su Yue, she has been looking up to her as a role model, but why would Matriarch Zhu bring her up in this type of conversation.
"What does Elder Sister have to do with this?"
"What if I told you that this young man is closely related to her?"
"What?!"
Zhu Mengyi's eyes widened.
"I'm sure you have already heard of this rumor, but—"
"This young man is Elder Sister's son?!" Zhu Mengyi quickly said. She didn't believe the rumors at first, but seeing her own mother also mention him, it must be true!
"Impossible… I thought for sure that the Nine Spring Hall had spread such rumors just to increase their customers!"
"Well… I can't say with certainty that he is 100% Immortal Fairy Su Yue's son, but there is a high chance of it being true."
Zhu Mengyi clearly expressed her disappointment after hearing that it wasn't confirmed. "So it's just you rambling in the end, huh. I should have known better. There's no way someone as elegant as Elder Sister would have a husband, much less a son. After all, nobody in this world is worthy of her. Forget it, I still won't meet him — not even if he turns out to be her real son!"
Matriarch Zhu smiled bitterly and said, "The real reason why I want you to meet him is not because of his status. Have you ever seen a flawless-quality pill?"
"Flawless quality? Isn't that just a legend?"
"Go find core disciple Qing Shan and you will find out whether or not it's a legend. I have told you this on the day you became the Prime Disciple of our Four Seasons Academy, but your Dao of Alchemy has already reached the level where I really have nothing more to teach you. Perhaps, after seeing Qing Shan, you will learn something new."
"Qing Shan?"
After talking for a few more minutes, Zhu Mengyi decided to find Qing Shan to see what this is all about.
"Senior apprentice-sister Zhu? What are you doing here?"
Although Qing Shan had expected Matriarch Zhu to appear before her, she did not expect the Prime Disciple to be there, too.
"The Matriarch told me to come find you about some flawless-quality pill. I don't know what she's up to but I came here anyway." She did not hide her intentions and told Qing Shan her reason for being there.
"Ah… so you're also here for that… here you go..."
"..."
Zhu Mengyi raised her eyebrows in a surprised manner when Qing Shan began searching her storage ring. "She couldn't possibly have a flawless-quality pill, right?" she wondered inwardly.
A few seconds later, Qing Shan retrieved the heavily secured pill bottle and showed it to Zhu Mengyi.
"I-Impossible… This is a pill?"
When Zhu Mengyi saw the pureness of the pill, her eyes nearly popped out of its sockets from pure shock. How could a pill turn out to be so perfect — so flawless?
"Where did you get this pill?" Zhu Mengyi asked her while heavily breathing.
"It was given to me by our esteemed guests. I had lost miserably in a match against him, and he gave me this afterward."
"Tell me more! Tell me everything!" Zhu Mengyi looked more and more enthusiastic after seeing the flawless-quality pill.
In her eyes, this pill represented a new world for all the Alchemy Masters in this world! A new limit for them to try and grasp!
Qing Shan nodded and started recalling to her the events at the Lecture Hall.
"..."
Zhu Mengyi was quiet throughout the entire story, and once Qing Shan was finished, Zhu Mengyi returned to Matriarch Zhu's side.
"This young man, where is he?"
Matriarch Zhu looked at her with a smug look, and she said, "What's this? I thought you had said…"
"I know what I said! But this is different! I want to see it with my very eyes! His Dao of Alchemy!"
Matriarch Zhu smiled and said, "I am not going to tell you to seduce him or anything like that. I only hope that you can learn something from him, as he won't be here long."
She then told Zhu Mengyi the location of Su Yang's living quarters.
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Inside Su Yang's room, papers with words scattered everywhere.
Xiao Rong had been learning the human language earnestly since last night. However, there was a catch to such behavior.
"Look! I finished this one, too!" Xiao Rong said as she showed him the results of her learning.
Su Yang smiled and said, "Let me take a look."
After confirming that she'd answered all of the questions on the paper correctly, Su Yang raised his hand and directed some of his Profound Qi to his fingers.
"Very good. Here's your reward."
Xiao Rong's eyes flickered with excitement at the sight of Su Yang's fingers that was emitting an alluring smell. She then opened her mouth that was already drooling with saliva and started licking his fingers clean, looking like she'd been starving for days.
Chapter 163 Do It One More Time!
Su Yang casually sat on the bed as Xiao Rong aggressively sucked on his finger, looking like she was trying to suck the leftover meat off a chicken bone.
"Can't you do that more elegantly?" he suddenly said to her.
"Elegantly? What is that?" she responded with a puzzled expression.
"It means to do something in a graceful manner, something that will make others feel pleasing to watch, the opposite of what you are doing."
"Xiao Rong does not understand," she said as she continued sucking like a barbarian.
Su Yang sighed and said, "Give me your hand, I will show you."
He realized that the fastest way to teach this cat something would be to show it to her directly, so the only way to teach her elegance would be…
Xiao Rong did not question his request and placed her small and tender-looking hands on his palm.
"Watch closely, as this is what it means to be elegant."
As he said those words, Su Yang slowly moved his lips towards her hand. He then opened his mouth and licked her finger with grace, treating her fingers as though they were the most delicate treasure in this world.
The tingling sensation of Su Yang's tongue caressing her finger made Xiao Rong stop sucking his finger to stare at his expression with a dazed face.
She didn't know what this feeling in her heart was but it was causing the blood in her body to heat up with excitement, making her feel an unnatural urge to pounce on him.
However, she resisted this urge and continued to watch him with her nearly dazzling eyes.
"Do you understand now?"
Before she was aware, Su Yang has already finished his little demonstration.
"Xiao Rong still cannot understand. One more time. Do it one more time!" she asked him with glowing eyes.
"I will consider that request if you can finish the next five scrolls." Su Yang pointed to the stack of papers beside him.
Xiao Rong nodded with enthusiasm and went to grab the papers.
Sometime later, right as Xiao Rong finished with the third scroll, the door outside was knocked on.
Su Yang stopped whatever he was doing and walked to the door.
When he opened the door, he was greeted by a beautiful young lady standing outside that emitted a strong herbal aroma that penetrated his nose. However, this aroma was not unpleasant to the nose. Instead, it made him feel more relaxed than usual.
"Who might you be?" Su Yang asked her.
"..."
Zhu Mengyi looked at Su Yang with a slightly dazed expression. Although she had heard from Qing Shan that he was a handsome young man, she did not expect him to be this attractive, and it actually startled her a bit.
"Ah! H-Hello, I am the P-Prime Disciple here, Zhu Mengyi!" She introduced herself in a nervous manner, nearly biting her own tongue.
Su Yang remained nonchalant despite learning of her status, and he said, "And how may I help you, Prime Disciple?"
"Um… I heard about the match between you and Qing Shan, so I decided to come here to see what kind of individual you were."
"Is that so…"
Seeing how Su Yang was already losing interest in her, Zhu Mengyi hastily said, "There's also another reason why I am here! My mother, the Matriarch of this Sect, sent me here to learn a thing or two about Alchemy from you!"
"Hoh? You are the Matriarch's daughter?"
Zhu Mengyi quickly nodded.
"And she wants me to teach you Alchemy?"
She nodded again.
"I understand the situation, but why should I be wasting my time teaching you?"
"Eh?" Zhu Mengyi looked at him with wide eyes. "But my mother told me to come see you…"
Su Yang raised an eyebrow and continued, "I don't know what she told you but I did not agree on such a thing, nor was it part of our agreement."
"You didn't?"
Zhu Mengyi was baffled. If what he said was true then why did her mother sent her here in the first place? Just so she can make a fool out of herself and lose face?
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by the situation, she said, "I'm sorry… I thought this was something my mother had arranged beforehand, so I came here without thinking about it…"
"..."
Su Yang looked at her silently, and after a moment, right as she prepared to leave, he said, "Though I said that it'll only be wasting my time, I have plenty of time to waste for the next few days."
"Huh? Really?" Zhu Mengyi looked at him with hopeful eyes.
Su Yang nodded. Besides lecturing Xiao Rong and Cultivating by himself, he did not have anything else planned, so he might as well make the next few days pass faster by helping her.
"Come back with a cauldron and enough ingredients for an Earth Advancement Pill," he said.
"..." Zhu Mengyi's eyes widened with shock upon hearing his words. Did he pick the Earth Advancement Pill by chance or did he choose it because he somehow knew that she was having problems with this pill?
"I-I already have a cauldron on me! The ingredients, too!" she said.
"How convenient…" Su Yang smiled, and he continued. "Wait here for a bit."
He then closed the door and went back to his own room.
"Xiao Rong, we will stop here today with the lessons."
"Eh?!" Xiao Rong expressed discontent as she placed the fifth scroll down. "But I am almost finished!"
Su Yang smiled and said, "You can continue on your own, but I have someone else to lecture today. I will reward you once I am finished."
"Really? Okay!" Xiao Rong no longer looked like she was going to throw a tantrum and went back to studying.
"And don't leave this room until I come back," he added.
"Okay!"
Once he convinced her to stay in the room, Su Yang went back outside to meet Zhu Mengyi.
"Can we use the Cauldron Room in this house?" she asked him.
Su Yang nodded and allowed her into the house.
Chapter 164 Azure Flames
A Cauldron Room is a place made specifically for Alchemy Masters to use without having to worry about being distracted or distracting others while they concoct pills in their living quarters; it is a convenient place that allows Alchemy Masters to concoct pills whenever they want, and as a Sect that specializes in Alchemy, every house had at least one Cauldron Room.
Cauldron Rooms are also enforced with special formations so the disciples won't have to worry about destroying the entire house if they accidentally caused their cauldron to explode, which happens more often than not, especially in the Outer Courts.
Inside the dimly lit Cauldron Room within Su Yang's living quarters, Zhu Mengyi sat in the middle of a large empty room with a beautiful cauldron in front of her. With complex designs around the entire thing, the cauldron gave off the impression that it belonged to an expert and have existed since ancient times. The size of the cauldron was nearly as tall as Zhu Mengyi herself sitting down, and it was large enough to fit an adult inside without any problems.
Compared to the simple cauldrons used at the Lecture Hall, her cauldron could be considered a luxury.
Su Yang stood a few meters away from her, and he said to her once she retrieved her cauldron, "Go ahead and concoct an Earth Advancement Pill for me right now. I want to gauge the level of your Dao of Alchemy before anything."
"I understand," Zhu Mengyi retrieved the ingredients for the Earth Advancement Pill from her storage ring, taking out a grand total of 108 different herbs.
Taking a deep breath, her expression suddenly turned serious, and her hands moved swiftly as she began inspecting the herbs at a pace that was many times faster than Qing Shan's match with Su Yang.
Mere minutes later, Zhu Mengyi started the grinding process, and within half an hour, every single one of the 108 herbs was grounded perfectly.
Her movements were smooth and accurate, and she did not once stop moving during the entire process, completing the preparations at a rate that would leave any Alchemy Master in this world shocked speechless.
Even Su Yang could not help but feel impressed by her speed. While her speed, in reality, is nothing special in his eyes, he did not compare her with the Alchemy Masters of his world, and as someone of this inferior world, her feats were indeed quite astonishing.
"So her title as the Prime Disciple is not just because her mother is the Matriarch, huh."
After she was done with the preparations, Zhu Mengyi proceeded to heat the cauldron with flames created from her Profound Qi and technique.
"Oh?" Su Yang raised an eyebrow after seeing the color of her flames.
They were not the usual orange, yellow, or red. Instead, it was a bright blue color, resembling a clear sky or a clean sea.
"Azure Flames? She actually managed to cultivate Azure Flames? Interesting…" he thought to himself.
Generally, Cultivators are not born with the ability to create Alchemy Flames that are used specifically for Alchemy and must rely on unique techniques to create Alchemy Flames.
As for those that are born with the ability to create Alchemy Flames without special techniques, they have a chance to be born with unique Alchemy Flames such as the Azure Flame currently used by Zhu Mengyi.
It should also be noted that Alchemy Flame cannot be compared to normal fire techniques used by Cultivators, as such flames are too chaotic in nature and do not have the ability to burn away the impurities within pills without burning the pill itself.
However, not all Alchemy Masters view these unique flames as a good thing, as they are generally extremely hard to control, much less master. As a matter of fact, some Alchemy Master even view such flames as a curse and would abandon their career as an Alchemy Master as soon as they learn that they have such flames.
As for Zhu Mengyi, she did not give up hope, and with the help of one of if not the best Alchemy Masters in the world, Matriarch Zhu, completely mastered the Azure Flames unique to her.
She controlled the flame with ease the temperature of the cauldron flawlessly.
Within minutes, the cauldron was ready to be used for pill concoction.
Once the cauldron was at the perfect temperature, Zhu Mengyi tossed two ingredients into the cauldron at a time, something that even the most confident experts do not dare to attempt for medium grade pills, much less the Earth Advancement Pill, one of the very few Heaven-grade pills available in this world.
However, this was the end of her fast pace and the beginning of a long and boring trail for Su Yang.
For the next five hours, Su Yang sat there staring at Zhu Mengyi and the pill that was barely progressing in the cauldron. He had gotten so bored that he stopped paying attention and went to sleep.
Three hours later, the room suddenly shook, and a loud explosion occurred within the Cauldron Room.
Boom!
Su Yang instantly snapped his eyes open and waved his sleeves, creating a barrier around himself to protect his body against the flying shards that were resulted from the cauldron exploding.
*Cough* *Cough*
"Are you okay?!" Zhu Mengyi called out to him while coughing from the black smoke that filled the room, her voice filled with worry.
A few seconds after the explosion, the room activated one of its few convenient mechanisms and began clearing the smoke from the room.
Once the smoke was gone, Zhu Mengyi was finally able to see Su Yang's figure clearly. She was relieved to see him unharmed and released a deep sigh. However, her complexion paled upon seeing the frown on Su Yang's handsome face.
She could see in his eyes that all of the good impression she had accumulated on him had disappeared along with her precious cauldron!
"I-I'm sorry… I—"
"You can leave for today," Su Yang suddenly said, causing Zhu Mengyi's heart to drop.
However, his next words overturned her sadness and surprised her. "Come back tomorrow with another cauldron and more ingredients."
"Y-Yes!" she quickly replied before leaving to prepare for tomorrow.
Chapter 165 An Even Better Reward
Normally, when a cauldron explodes, it would send out a shockwave of Profound Qi that dazes anyone within a certain distance, rendering them unable to react and vulnerable for a split second, and under rare circumstances, even knock people unconscious.
If inexperienced, the Alchemy Master behind the cauldron may react a millisecond too late and receive grave injuries — sometimes even a nail in their coffin.
Su Yang looked at the scattered pieces from the cauldron on the floor with a smile on his face. After spending enough time with his friend, who would occasionally break cauldrons despite her profound mastery in Alchemy, he eventually became immune to the shockwaves it causes and learned how to react to them purely from his instincts.
Su Yang waved his sleeves, and the scattered pieces on the floor suddenly swept itself into a corner, leaving them for Zhu Mengyi to clean up tomorrow.
-
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Zhu Mengyi went straight to meet with Matriarch Zhu after departing from Su Yang's place to share her experience today — and to complain.
"You didn't tell me that he never agreed to teach me! I nearly made a fool out of myself today!" she said in an irritated tone.
"But you still managed to get him to teach you in the end, right?" Matriarch Zhu nearly burst out laughing.
"That's not the issue here!"
"Don't ponder about the small issues. At least he is willing to teach you."
"Hmph!" Zhu Mengyi coldly snorted.
"Anyway, how was it? Did you learn anything?"
"..."
"All I did today was attempt to concoct an Earth Advancement Pill."
"Earth Advancement Pill? Did you choose this pill or…"
"He picked it for me, and it was his first choice, not to mention that he did not even hesitate, almost like he knew that I needed help with that pill the most."
"Interesting…" Matriarch Zhu pondered to herself quietly.
"What were the results? Did it at least come out properly?"
"It blew."
"Huh?" Matriarch Zhu's eyes widened at her words, her heart feeling ominous.
"I made a mistake and the cauldron exploded!"
"You!!!" Matriarch Zhu stood up from shock after learning about the accident. "I swear to Heaven if he is—"
"He's fine! Forget about being wounded, there wasn't even a scratch on his robes!"
"Is that so…" Matriarch Zhu sighed in relief after hearing that Su Yang wasn't harmed and sat back down. It would be quite disastrous for not only her but the entire Sect if he was harmed because of one of their disciples — their Prime Disciple, no less.
"Anyway, he told me to go back tomorrow, and I am here because I need a new cauldron since my old one exploded to pieces."
"You — this is the eighth cauldron that you have broken this year already! Do you think I have an unlimited supply of cauldrons at that quality?! You are not only talented in Alchemy but also in destroying cauldrons!"
"Mistakes happen," she casually said.
Veins appeared on Matriarch Zhu's forehead after hearing her tone that sounded like she couldn't care less.
However, regardless of her exasperation, Matriarch Zhu still retrieved a new cauldron for her.
"Don't misunderstand! If not for our guest, I wouldn't be doing this!"
Zhu Mengyi happily accepted her new cauldron. "I will update you again tomorrow!" she said to her before leaving.
"Don't bother coming back if you are looking for a new cauldron because this will be your last one!"
Matriarch Zhu's voice loudly resounded from her back as she left the place.
-
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When Su Yang returned to his own room after leaving the Cauldron Room, he was greatly surprised by the scene inside his room.
"Master! I am done with all of the scrolls! Reward me now!" Xiao Rong jumped in joy from his return.
Su Yang was certain that he had at least a hundred scrolls prepared before leaving her alone, enough materials to last for an entire day, yet in eight short hours, she managed to finish all of them?
After confirming that she indeed finished all hundred scrolls, Su Yang said, "Alright, I will give you your reward now."
However, when Xiao Rong saw that he was only letting her suck on his finger, she shook her head and raised her own hand, and said, "I want this reward."
"..."
With a defeated smile, Su Yang sighed, "Right, I did say that I will consider that as your reward…"
Su Yang then approached her and grabbed her small hand.
"Since you went above and beyond with your studying, I will give you an even better reward than just licking your finger—"
Right as he finished saying those words, he opened his mouth and touched Xiao Rong's palm with the tip of his tongue, where he was focusing his Profound Qi.
Then, using barely any strength, he gently moved his tongue across her arm, caressing his tongue on her smooth skin until he reached her neck.
Xiao Rong's body trembled at the new experience, and she could feel a tingling sensation all over her body, especially the area around her legs. Although she didn't understand the feeling of arousal, she understood that it was a pleasant feeling and that she wanted to experience more of this feeling.
"Meooow…" Xiao Rong released a joyful cry in the midst of all this.
If she was in her cat form then all of her furs would be standing tall right now, like spikes on a porcupine.
However, Su Yang did not stop when his tongue reached her neck and proceed to approach her ear.
The instant Xiao Rong felt Su Yang nibble on her ears, a pair of silver cat ears appeared on her head, and even her cat tail popped out at the location right above her butt crack.
Her immature mind was experiencing too many things at once for her to maintain her human form properly, and after another moment, Xiao Rong transformed back into a cat.
Su Yang looked at the silver cat on his lap with a smile and wondered if he went too far teasing her.
"Meooow…" Xiao Rong released another cry of delight before falling asleep on Su Yang's lap from feeling too relaxed, and on her face was a peaceful smile.
Chapter 166 Is There Something Wrong with My Name?
Zhu Mengyi left her living quarters early in the morning with an eager expression on her face.
She then navigated her way through the Central Court, where all the core disciples lived and went straight to Su Yang's living quarter that was near the Central Court but still within the Inner Court.
"..."
At his living quarters, Su Yang looked at her and the sun that was barely peeking in the horizon. Just how much did this girl want to learn from him?
"Um — Hello! I am here!" Zhu Mengyi said when Su Yang did not speak even after many seconds.
"I can see that." Su Yang shook his head, and he continued, "Go to the Cauldron Room and clean up the mess you made yesterday; I will be there soon."
"Eh?" Zhu Mengyi did not know how to react to such words. This is her first time being told to clean up the Cauldron Room! Because she has her own servants to clean the Cauldron Room for her whenever she's done with it, she's never really cleaned anything besides her own body.
However, she was not in the position to decline, as she was the one who made the mess in the first place.
Once she entered the Cauldron Room, Zhu Mengyi used her Profound Qi to move the scattered pieces that were neatly shoved to the corner of the room into one of her storage rings. She didn't expect to use her precious storage ring for such a purpose, but alas, this would be the most convenient for her.
A few minutes later, after he washed his face, Su Yang entered the Cauldron Room, where Zhu Mengyi was already seated with the new cauldron before her.
"First thing's first, show me your Alchemy Flames."
Zhu Mengyi nodded and raised her palm, creating a ball of azure flame the size of a watermelon.
Su Yang approached her and stared intensely at the azure flame.
A few moments later, he said, "Your control over the Alchemy Flame is pretty good for someone at your level. However, despite that, you still managed to blow up the cauldron yesterday. Why do you think that happened?"
After thinking for a moment, she responded, "Because I did not understand the pill enough?" she spoke in a voice that lacked confidence.
"You are not wrong, but there's another reason as to why you have been unsuccessful with the Earth Advancement Pill for so long."
"I knew it… so you didn't pick the Earth Advancement Pill by chance… How can you tell that I have been struggling with this pill in particular?"
"Just a hunch," he said with a mysterious smile.
"Anyway, the real reason why you cannot concoct the Earth Advancement Pill despite countless efforts, it's simply because you cultivated the wrong technique—"
"Say what?!" Zhu Mengyi exclaimed with shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.
He's saying that she had studied the wrong technique? Impossible! Her mother, Matriarch Zhu, also cultivated the same technique as her, but she does not have her problem!
"Let me finish." Su Yang continued, "There's nothing wrong with the technique you cultivated, but it does not suit your unique Alchemy Flames. If anything, it's actually holding you back from your full potential."
"..."
Zhu Mengyi was completely speechless by now. If what he said was true, then she's actually being held back by one of the best Alchemy techniques available at the Four Seasons Academy?
"If what you say is true… then how am I supposed to find this technique? One that matches my Alchemy Flames, much less cultivate from the beginning? It will take years to return to the current state of my flame control!"
"Close your eyes and lean your head towards me," Su Yang suddenly said.
Taken aback by his sudden request, Zhu Mengyi blushed. "Eh? What are you going to do?" she asked.
"Do you want to learn or not?" Su Yang sighed.
"I'll do it!"
Zhu Mengyi no longer questioned him and closed her eyes, even slowly leaning her head towards him.
"Is this it? Is this how I will lose my status as a maiden?" she wondered inwardly.
A moment later, she could feel something warm press against her forehead, causing her to instinctively open her eyes.
When she saw Su Yang's face almost pressing against her own, her heart started beating many times faster than normal, and her face flushed red.
However, before she could even think any more of the situation, Su Yang started transferring information of a certain technique into her mind, taking her by surprise.
"T-This is…"
Zhu Mengyi no longer pondered about anything else besides the information that was being fed into her head and began absorbing everything.
A few minutes later, once he passed everything to her, Su Yang removed his forehead from her head and leaned back. He then sat there in silence, patiently waiting for her to finish taking in all the information.
Exactly two hours later, Zhu Mengyi opened her eyes that shone with profound light.
"Controlling Heaven and Earth…" she mumbled the name of the technique.
A few moments later, when she finally snaps out of her daze, she looked at Su Yang with a worried expression.
Seeing her expression, Su Yang smiled and said in a calm voice, "You don't have to worry, I do not intend on asking for any compensation for that technique. Since I have agreed to teach you, I might as well do it properly."
"R-R-Really? But this technique… I cannot accept something this precious for free! Anything you want, if I have the power, then I will help you!"
"If you really want to pay me back, then why don't you start by concocting an Earth Advancement Pill without blowing up the cauldron?"
"...Okay…"
Zhu Mengyi could tell that Su Yang really had no intention to ask for compensation for his technique, but she still couldn't accept it.
"There must be something I can do to pay him back…" she pondered.
Suddenly, she realized something.
"This is a bit awkward, but I don't think I have gotten your name yet…" she said with a weird smile on her face.
"Su Yang," he casually responded.
"Huh?" Zhu Mengyi's eyes widened exponentially upon hearing his name, large enough to fit an egg, and her mind nearly exploded from shock.
Seeing her baffled expression, Su Yang couldn't help but ask, "What? Is there something wrong with my name?"
After all, she's not the first one to have such an exaggerated reaction after hearing his name.
Chapter 167 Go On, Tell Me More About Her!
Although Su Yang already noticed something weird when the servant at the Nine Spring Hall reacted to his surname, he didn't really pay much attention to it, as he was not the only person in this world with the surname Su.
However, when Zhu Mengyi also reacted strangely to his name, even expressing such shock, Su Yang knew that there was something he was missing.
Zhu Mengyi continued to stare at Su Yang with a shocked expression. She couldn't believe it. He is 'that' Su Yang? Immortal Fairy Su Yue's so-called husband? Didn't the Matriarch say that he was her son?
"Could it be…" Zhu Mengyi made up her own logical reasons.
"Perhaps Su Yang is Immortal Fairy Su Yue's son all along but she disguised him as her husband for whatever reason!" she wondered.
"There's only one way to confirm it!"
"Umm… are you, by any chance, Immortal Fairy Su Yue's son?" she asked him with an expectant expression, looking like she wanted to be surprised.
"Immortal Fairy Su Yue?" Su Yang raised an eyebrow at the name.
He's never heard of such a person in his entire life, yet he still somehow managed to become this person's son?
"Eh?"
Seeing Su Yang's puzzled expression, the smile on Zhu Mengyi's face slowly disappeared.
"You're not?" she mumbled in a low-spirited voice.
"Unfortunately," Su Yang shook his head.
"Impossible… if he's not her son, then how do we explain his otherworldly techniques and unknown background?"
Zhu Mengyi wasn't able to wrap this around her head.
Then, another thought appeared in her head.
"What if he's actually her son but doesn't want to admit it? Immortal Fairy Su Yue is extremely popular, after all. It wouldn't be weird if he's only trying to avoid the spotlight."
"This Immortal Fairy Su Yue… can you tell me more about her?" Su Yang suddenly asked her with a mysterious feeling to his voice.
"Um… sure…?"
Thus, Zhu Mengyi began rambling to Su Yang the legends of this Immortal Fairy Su Yue without holding back, even praising her at every sentence.
"The first time I truly met her was during her stay at the Four Seasons Academy. Her appearance was beyond beautiful, and her unique hair color and crystal eyes gave off an otherworldly feeling, almost like she was born with the stars and moon. During her few days at this place, I managed to get her approval to call her sister, and it is still one of my biggest achievements to date."
Zhu Mengyi bragged about such things with her head pointing the ceiling.
"A mysterious Immortal that appeared one day out of the blue? Unparalleled beauty? She has silver hair and silver eyes? Incomprehensible Cultivation? Unknown background? Looks like someone who was born on the moon?"
Su Yang nearly burst out laughing when Zhu Mengyi described Qiuyue to the teeth.
"So this is what she's capable of doing without any supervision, huh? Interesting!" he thought to himself.
"Interesting! Interesting indeed! Go on, tell me more about her!" Su Yang smiled.
"How can I deny such a request when you seem so eager to hear more? Of course!"
Zhu Mengyi was so absorbed by her own storytelling that she'd forgotten about Su Yang's nearly confirmed identity as Immortal Fairy Su Yue's son and continued to ramble about everything the public knows about her. She obviously admired Immortal Fairy Su Yue very much.
But alas, little did she know that she was screwing over that very individual she admired by telling Su Yang these stories!
Half an hour later, when Zhu Mengyi exhausted just about all of her stories, she said, "She is basically a real Goddess in the eyes of many, you know. However, she's been missing for some time now."
"This girl, trying to hide all of this from me…"
"Hahahaha!" Su Yang could no longer hold his laughter and burst out laughing.
"I-Is there something wrong?" Surprised by his sudden laughter, Zhu Mengyi asked him.
"No, there's nothing wrong." Su Yang wiped a teardrop from his eyes and said, "Anyway, let's continue with the lecture."
"Now that you have the proper technique, I will have you master the Earth Advancement Pill by the end of this week!"
"The end of this week?! But that's in three days!" she exclaimed.
There's no way for her to Cultivate this profound technique and perfect the Earth Advancement Pill at the same time even if she's given ten years, much less in three days!
"That's why you should stop wasting time already," he continued.
"Fix your position and start cultivating the technique I just gave you, but this time, I will also be assisting you."
Zhu Mengyi nodded and sat down in the lotus position and closed her eyes to cultivate.
Su Yang walked in front of her and also sat down. He then began reciting the technique, even explaining every little information about the technique to her as they progressed.
Because Su Yang made it extremely easy for her to understand despite the technique itself requiring profound understanding, Zhu Mengyi was able to comprehend the technique at a rate that could be considered heaven-defying.
The two sat there, face to face, for the entire day without moving a single inch, almost like they'd turned into stone statues.
By the end of the day, Zhu Mengyi was almost able to grasp the entire technique, something she didn't think was possible even with Su Yang's help.
She looked at him with a flabbergasted expression, wondering to herself what would become of their Sect if he were to stay here as a teacher.
She could tell from the way he lectured her that he certainly has experience as a teacher, yet he is clearly very young, perhaps even younger than her.
It was almost like he had disciples of his own at one point, and she couldn't help but wonder what they would look like if that were true.
And if he would agree to become a teacher of the Four Seasons Academy, would all of their disciples become experts in the Dao of Alchemy overnight? What would the world look like if that were to really happen?
"Let's continue after a small break," Su Yang suddenly said to her. "Go do whatever you want for the next two hours. We will resume our sessions at that time."
"Yes!" Zhu Mengyi said, her eyes brimming with the eagerness to learn.
Chapter 168 Shocking Progression
After Zhu Mengyi left to do whatever for her break, Su Yang went to Qiuyue's room with the intention to tease her with his newfound information.
However, when he realized that she was Cultivating, he decided to leave her alone for now, prolonging her inevitable doom just a little bit longer.
And since he didn't have anything to do, he decided to just relax in the Cauldron Room with some wine beside him while he waits for Zhu Mengyi, silently reminiscing about the time he spent at the Sacred Moon Temple.
He recalls that even during her childhood days, Qiuyue would always follow him around like a duckling chasing after whoever it deems as its parent. Perhaps he'd spoiled her a little bit too much when she was a child, causing her to feel such attachment towards him.
"Su Yue, huh…" he mumbled with a smile.
Meanwhile, in her room, Qiuyue suddenly felt a chilling sensation crept up her spine, forcing her to stop Cultivating for a moment.
"What is this ominous feeling?" she thought to herself before quickly returning to cultivate.
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Time flew by in a flash, and after only an hour into the two-hour break, Zhu Mengyi was already back in the Cauldron Room with an eager face to learn.
"I am back!"
Zhu Mengyi immediately retrieved her cauldron and sat before it.
"I want to try concocting an Earth Advancement Pill now," she suddenly said, and continued, "I feel like I have a good enough understanding towards the technique now to create the pill, and I have a good feeling that it will have good results!"
Su Yang did not say anything else besides telling her good luck.
Thus, Zhu Mengyi began another long session in hopes to finally concoct the Earth Advancement Pill.
At first glance, nothing about her has seemed to change, as the speed at which she inspects the ingredients and her pace grinding them remained the same.
However, when she activated her Azure Flames for the first time after cultivating the Controlling Heaven and Earth technique, it was obvious just how much she's progressed.
Unlike her previous calm and gentle flames, her Azure Flame resembled how Su Yang concocted the Advanced Spirit Refreshment Pill, with flames that engulfed half of the cauldron, while Su Yang's flames covered the entire cauldron, leaving nothing bare.
If Matriarch Zhu or any other Alchemy Masters could be here right now to witness this, her eyes would definitely fall out of its sockets from shock.
At first glance, it would seem that Zhu Mengyi's Azure Flames were too strong and panicked, but if they take a closer look, they would find out that not only is the Azure Flames controlled to perfection but it is also extremely pure!
Su Yang watched Zhu Mengyi's new technique from the wall and nodded with approval.
"If she was born within the Four Divine Heavens and not this undeveloped world, then there's no doubt that she would be a renowned Alchemy Master by now," he thought to himself.
A few minutes later, in less than half the time it would normally take her, Zhu Mengyi managed to heat the cauldron, and she stared at the cauldron with dazed eyes after she was done, seeming in disbelief by her own ability.
"There is still a lot for me to understand about this new technique, and it's only been a day since I learned this technique, yet my speed is already doubled that of my previous record, something that took me years to achieve!" Zhu Mengyi forcefully swallowed her saliva and thought, "This is the power of a Divine-grade technique, something that surpasses even Immortal-grade! I cannot even imagine what I will be able to achieve once I perfect this technique!"
Zhu Mengyi trembled with delight and had high expectations for her future with this new profound technique.
"However, all this wouldn't be possible if it were not for him…" she looked at Su Yang with a compelling gaze, seemingly engrossed by his presence.
At this moment, she suddenly recalled what Wu Jinjing had said to her some time ago.
"One day, just like me, you will meet someone that will turn your entire view of this world upside-down, and you will lose your reasoning to his charm!"
"Someone who will turn my view of this world upside-down, huh…"
She didn't think she was fated to meet such a person in her life, nor did she believe that she would ever find someone who would make her lose her reasoning, but alas, it seems like fate has played a cruel but funny joke on her.
"So this is what Sister Jinjing felt like when she met her fated one, huh…"
"What do you want from me, staring at me in silence like that? Hurry up and concoct your pill!" Su Yang's voice suddenly snapped her out of her daze.
"R-Right!" she said with a blushing face.
She was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't even realize that she'd been staring at him the whole time!
Once she changed her focus back to the cauldron, Zhu Mengyi stared at the ingredients with a serious look and thought to herself, "This time, I will definitely succeed!"
Thus, she began concocting the pill with nothing but the thought of success in her mind.
One hour… two hours… three hours…
Hours passed but felt as though they were mere minutes for Zhu Mengyi, who would not tolerate another explosion.
Su Yang, who had been watching the entire time and could already guess the outcome, smiled and left the room without alerting Zhu Mengyi.
After leaving the Cauldron Room, Su Yang went back to his own room, where Xiao Rong laid on his bed naked with another scroll in her hands.
"Master, who is that human?" she suddenly asked him.
"Just a little girl who is eager to learn, just like you, Xiao Rong," he responded with a smile.
"Anyway, let's see your progress."
"Un." Xiao Rong nodded and handed him the scroll.
While Su Yang read the contents of the scroll, Xiao Rong stared at him with an expectant expression, clearly waiting for her reward.
Chapter 169 Strict Discipline
After checking through all of the scrolls Xiao Rong had completed, Su Yang nodded to himself, "Although she still thinks like a child, her knowledge on the human language would not lose to an average human adult."
Su Yang was pleased by the results of her progress in just a few days time. At least she won't have trouble speaking to anyone that is not him for now.
As for her state of mind that still resembles a child, there's nothing he can do besides allow her to grow naturally. However, since Xiao Rong is also a Phantom Cat and a beast in general, her growth in that aspect should be overwhelmingly quick.
But because she's spent her entire life isolated in the desolate Immortal Treasury that lacked everything required for a living being to grow, her state of mind was frozen without any chance to grow.
This is also one reason why Su Yang encourages Xiao Rong to go 'play'. He's only trying to allow her to grow in the wild, where all beast normally grows.
"Good, you are more than proficient enough in the human language to stop studying it. As a reward, you can go play outside for the next few days," he said to her.
However, Xiao Rong did not react as Su Yang expected. Usually, she would jump in joy and leave to play without wasting even a second. Now, however, she only stood there staring at him with a frown, seemingly unhappy about the situation.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"I don't want to play outside," she looked at him with dissatisfaction. "I want to study more and get rewarded even more!"
After all, if there's nothing else for her to learn, her reward would also disappear!
"..."
Su Yang smiled with a bitter face. She obviously studied only for the reward and nothing else.
"I will give you something to study later. As for now, just go and have fun," he said after a moment.
"Yes…" Although she accepted the outcome, she was clearly reluctant to accept that fact that there won't be any more rewards for some time.
"Take this Appearance Reforming Pill before you leave," Su Yang handed her a pill. "And don't forget to put your clothes back on."
Xiao Rong tossed the pill in her mouth and dressed herself with a dejected expression.
Once Xiao Rong left the room to play, Su Yang returned to the Cauldron Room, where Zhu Mengyi was so focused on the cauldron that she didn't even notice him leave.
After another hour of waiting, the cauldron began trembling, almost like there was an earthquake.
Su Yang was not bothered by the sudden movement, not even worried that it might explode, and continued to sit there and watch.
A few more moments later, Zhu Mengyi snapped her eyes open and slapped the cauldron, sending the lip flying to the side of the room.
Grey smoke immediately emitting from the cauldron.
Zhu Mengyi watched the grey smoke coming out of the cauldron with a wide smile brimming with a sense of achievement, her entire body drenched in sweat.
"I did it! I have successfully created the Earth Advancement Pill!" she said, sounding exhausted.
Su Yang did not say anything and approached the cauldron, reaching his hand inside to grab the pill.
Once he lifted the Earth Advancement Pill out of the cauldron, Zhu Mengyi could see a small pill with many dark spots scattered around the pill.
"..."
Although the Earth Advancement Pill came out as low quality, the smile on Zhu Mengyi's face remained. All that mattered to her was that the pill has been completed without destroying the cauldron.
However, the smile on Zhu Mengyi's face instantly came off after Su Yang opened his mouth to speak, "What is this rubbish? You can't consider something like this a pill! Do it again!"
Zhu Mengyi's jaw dropped to the floor upon hearing his harsh words, and the sense of achievement in her heart instantly disappeared.
Su Yang continued, "With your current understanding for the Controlling Heaven and Earth technique, you should be able to concoct at least a medium-quality pill of this grade!"
Zhu Mengyi, after hearing such words, forgot about being tired and ignored the disappointment in her heart and started on the second Earth Advancement Pill.
"I can tell that you rushed the outcome of the pill towards the end, hence this garbage pill! Take your time and do it right this time!"
Indeed, Zhu Mengyi had been too arrogant after seeing how smooth it went in the beginning, rushing the pill.
"I am sorry, I will do it right this time…" she said with a sigh, regretting the fact that she had rushed it and lost the chance to impress him, even getting a scolding from him.
Sometime later, Zhu Mengyi finished the preparations and began concocting the pill once again.
This time, however, she took her time and did not rush anything.
A few hours later, the cauldron before Zhe Mengyi began trembling again.
Zhu Mengyi quickly removed the cover from the cauldron and waited for the smoke to come out.
This time, the smoke was near black, meaning that she'd managed to purify more impurities than the previous pill.
Once the pill was taken out of the cauldron, Zhu Mengyi's smile returned to her face.
"A medium quality pill!" she looked at the pill as though it was her baby.
Although it took two hours longer than the previous attempt, she managed to turn the low-quality pill into a medium quality pill!
Su Yang nodded and said, "You will continue to concoct the same pill for the next two days until there's not even a speck of impurities in the pill! If you cannot accomplish this by then, you can forget about coming back!"
Zhu Mengyi looked at him with a scared look and said, "You want me to concoct a flawless-quality pill in two days?! That's unreasonable!"
"You think it's impossible?" Su Yang coldly snorted, "Then you might as well leave now and don't come back."
"..."
Zhu Mengyi bit her lip and said with a resolved face, looking like she had accepted his challenge. "I have run out of ingredients will be right back with even more!"
Su Yang smiled and said, "That's more like it."
Chapter 170 Futile Efforts
After stuffing her storage ring with enough ingredients to concoct enough Earth Advancement Pills for the next few days, Zhu Mengyi proceeded to clean herself before returning to Su Yang's living quarters.
Once she entered the Cauldron Room, Zhu Mengyi did not waste any time and immediately began concocting the pills.
Time swiftly passed, and in what feels like the blink of her eyes, an entire day went by.
On the first day, Zhu Mengyi had managed to concoct four Earth Advancement Pill without any failures, but they all came out as medium-quality with the last one being low-quality due to the fatigue from concocting too many Heaven-grade pills.
Once the first day ended, Zhu Mengyi did not leave the place and instead decided to sleep in the Cauldron Room, even treating Su Yang's house as though it's her own.
Of course, she's still unaware of the two other occupants in this house beside Su Yang and has a misconception that the two of them are living together in the same living quarters.
"Hehe… is this what it would feel like if we were together as husband and wife?" Zhu Mengyi daydreamed in the bathroom as she washed herself.
Meanwhile, in the room beside Su Yang's room, Qiuyue opened her eyes after she completed her cultivation session.
"Haaa…" Qiuyue sighed to herself the moment she finishes cultivating, seemingly disheartened by the results. "No matter how much I try to encourage myself, it won't change the fact that it's pointless for someone at my cultivation level to cultivate in this world."
"The Profound Qi in this world just won't cut it! Even with my superior cultivating technique, the quality is just too bad to be of any use to me!"
Even after dozens of back-to-back hours of cultivation, her cultivation barely improved if any at all. At this rate, even if she cultivates for a hundred years without any rest, she still wouldn't have enough Profound Qi to support her breakthrough to the next level, much less next realm!
Although she still has a bunch of resources she could absorb for Profound Qi, such methods would only last shortly before she runs out of them.
In other words, no matter how much she cultivated or struggled, all of her efforts would be futile.
"Why must the Heavens be so cruel? Did I do something to offend them in my past life?" she sighed again before getting off the bed and leaving the room to get a breath of fresh air.
However, the moment she stepped out of her room, Qiuyue's eyebrows lifted in puzzlement.
There was something strange about this place — there was a presence that she did not recognize in the bathroom.
And using her Spirit Sense, Qiuyue peeked into the bathroom.
"The Matriarch's daughter? What is she doing in this place, even taking a bath like this is her own house?"
Qiuyue quickly recognized Zhu Mengyi to be Matriarch Zhu's daughter. After all, she's been here before and even spoke with her for some time in the past.
Suddenly, she sensed another presence.
Qiuyue turned around to see Su Yang standing in the distance staring at her with narrowed eyes and a mysterious smile, looking quite eerie in her eyes.
"W-What is it?" she asked him with an ominous looming in her heart.
"Mmm? Nothing." Su Yang casually said, not letting her know the fact that he knows her secret.
In fact, he wanted to see how long and hard she will be willing to go to keep this secret from him.
"I do not believe you," Qiuyue said with narrowed eyes.
Suddenly, she thought of Zhu Mengyi and realized the only reason why she'd be here...
"I shouldn't have asked." Qiuyue shook her head and said, "So that girl from the Holy Sword Academy was not enough for you, huh? I feel bad for both of them."
"What?" Su Yang's expression changed quickly. "I did not touch her, nor do I plan to."
"Don't worry, it won't faze me even if you do — not at this point."
"..."
Su Yang was speechless.
Then, Qiuyue continued, "Hey… I want to improve my cultivation base, but because of obvious reasons, it won't budge even an inch. What should I do? You were an Immortal in your previous life, right?" she decided to ask him, an Immortal, for advice.
Hearing her question, Su Yang chuckled and responded with a smile, "Indeed, I was an Immortal. However, I rarely cultivated normally if you know what I mean."
"..."
Qiuyue became speechless.
"However, that being said, there are similarities between your cultivation method and mine. Just like how you cannot improve with enough Profound Qi in the air, I cannot increase my cultivation base if all of my partners have low cultivation bases."
"If we remain in this world for longer than expected, then my cultivation base will eventually reach the point where I won't improve even if I cultivate with all of the maidens in this world, and that is a problem that even I cannot fix."
"However, I am trying to prevent that, so for now, just be patient until we return to the Four Divine Heavens."
After listening to his words, Qiuyue sighed inwardly. If she's being honest, she couldn't care less about her cultivation base. The only reason she's even trying to improve her cultivation base is so that she could cultivate with him!
"To be this desperate to sleep with him, I must also be some kind of pervert…" she thought to herself.
"I am going out for a bit for some fresh air," she suddenly said to him.
Sometime later, Zhu Mengyi emerged from the bathroom with a refreshed expression and a clean body that emitted a sweet aroma.
"Let's do this!" she encouraged herself as she returned to the Cauldron Room.
Today is the last day for her to concoct a flawless-quality pill, or else she won't be able to come back anymore, something she must avoid at all costs!
The second she entered the Cauldron Room, Zhu Mengyi began concocting the Earth Advancement Pill with the intention to create a flawless quality pill by today.
Chapter 171 Prolonging His Stay
It's been 12 hours since Zhu Mengyi started her second day of trying to achieve a flawless-quality pill, and she'd just finished her third Earth Advancement Pill for the day.
"Barely a high-quality pill, huh…" Zhu Mengyi looked at the pill in her hands with a dejected look.
There was only half a day left for her to create a flawless-quality pill, but alas, at this rate, due to her fatigue, she wouldn't be able to create another high-quality pill, much less a flawless.
Zhu Mengyi sat there for the next few minutes staring at the cauldron with a dazed look, almost like she'd given up.
"This is hopeless…" Tears began forming in her eyes.
She felt frustrated, dispirited, and most of all, disappointed in herself for not being able to uphold Su Yang's expectations.
"You must be done, since you have the time to sit there and cry," Su Yang's voice suddenly resounded behind her.
Zhu Mengyi turned around to see him, who'd appeared out of the blue, and quickly wiped her eyes dry.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do it… I know you expected me to concoct a flawless-quality pill, but I have betrayed your expectations…" she said in a mumbling in a sobbing voice, one filled with sadness.
"Hahaha!" Su Yang suddenly burst out laughing, dumbfounding her.
He then wiped the tears in his eyes and said to her, "Who expected you to concoct a flawless-quality pill? I said that only as a means to make you more serious!"
"W-W-Wha—?"
Zhu Mengyi looked at him with a baffled expression, stunned speechless by his words.
"Do you think you are concocting an Elementary-grade pill or something? Forget about a Heaven-grade pill such as the Earth Advancement Pill, you won't be able to concoct even an Earth-grade flawlessly!"
Forget about this world, even in the Four Divine Heavens, there are only a few individuals who could concoct a flawless-grade pill with the majority of the Alchemy Masters being able to manage 95% to 99% pure!
As for Su Yang, it had taken him dozens of years of training for him to be able to concoct flawless-quality pills! And he even had one of the best Alchemy Masters in the universe, the one and only God of Alchemy, as his teacher!
If Zhu Mengyi actually managed to concoct a flawless-quality pill within two mere days after learning a new technique, then she might as well be the next God of Alchemy!
That being said, Su Yang is by no means talented in the Dao of Alchemy and only achieved what he currently has because of the God of Alchemy.
"D-Does this mean that you won't be kicking me out?" she asked him the core of her worries.
"I won't be here forever, but until then, I will try to guide you to the best of my abilities," he said, relieving her of her worries.
Zhu Mengyi should be happy after hearing such words, but instead of smiling, her eyes showed sadness.
"Right… he won't be here forever…" she sighed inwardly.
"That being said, stop wasting time and get back to concocting," Su Yang's voice awoke her from her thoughts.
"R-Right!"
Zhu Mengyi quickly went back to concocting pills, and under Su Yang's guidance, increasing became more understanding and proficient towards her new technique.
Time passed, and within the blink of an eye, another three days went by their heads.
It's been almost a week since Su Yang arrived at the Four Seasons Academy, and with his help, Zhu Mengyi could finally concoct high-quality pills at a decently consistent rate.
"How's your progress?" Matriarch Zhu asked Zhu Mengyi when she returned.
"Look at this and you will understand," she responded with her nose pointed at the sky, her face screaming pride, and retrieved many pill bottles from her storage ring.
When Matriarch Zhu first saw the pill bottles, her eyes widened with surprise. "So many Earth Advancement Pills!"
However, once she noticed their qualities, her jaw dropped to the ground from shock.
"And they are all high-quality pills!"
"D-Did you make all of these? I-Impossible!"
"I sure did!" Zhu Mengyi said, her head held as high as ever.
Matriarch Zhu looked at her with a serious expression and thought to herself, "In a mere week, not only did she managed to overcome her troubles with the Earth Advancement Pill but also grow so much that she could concoct them at high-quality!"
Matriarch Zhu recognized Su Yang to be someone profound and mysterious and held him at a high standard, but alas, she didn't think that she was actually still underestimating his abilities!
"Good girl!" She couldn't help but praise her. "At this rate, you'll even surpass me within a few more weeks!"
However, Zhu Mengyi did not express joy after hearing her compliments.
"Unfortunately, he will be leaving soon. Forget about a few weeks, I will be overjoyed if he stays for even a few more days!"
"You…" Matriarch Zhu looked at her in the eyes and noticed something different about her besides her new profound strength in concocting pills.
"This girl is not saying that because she wants to improve her techniques but because she wants to stay with that young man!"
Although she was not too shocked that someone like Zhu Mengyi found love in someone with such profound skills in the Dao of Alchemy, she still found her maiden attitude towards such feelings quite baffling!
"While I cannot do anything about that, I can at least prolong his departure for just a few more days…" Matriarch Zhu suddenly said.
"Really?!" The sadness in Zhu Mengyi's eyes instantly disappeared.
"Un." Matriarch Zhu nodded, keeping the fact that she'd already been delaying Su Yang's departure by slowing down the speed they collected the ingredients for the Soul Divination Pill a secret from her.
"His departure may be inevitable, but you can still use whatever time you have left to spend it with him," she continued.
"Then I will do that right away! Thank you, mother!"
After saying that, Zhu Mengyi left the place with swiftness.
Chapter 172 Pill of Seduction
On her way back to Su Yang's living quarters, Zhu Mengyi pondered to herself what she should do for the next few days.
Her mastery with the Controlling Heaven and Earth is already at the level where she will grow even without Su Yang's help as long as she continues to cultivate it, and as for her experience with the Earth Advancement Pill, she could easily concoct one in under four hours, a speed which will shock the Alchemy Masters of this world if known.
Suddenly, in the midst of her thoughts, the image of Wu Jinjing rubbing her stomach affectionately entered her head.
"Although she won't be together with her fated person, she still managed to show such happiness and satisfaction."
She then thought of Su Yang and his handsome face. The last few days she'd spent with him was truly wonderful; it feels like a dream even now.
"A child, huh..." she mumbled.
Truth to be told, she wouldn't mind bearing Su Yang's child, as his talent with Alchemy was through the roof and higher than Heaven itself, and he was incredibly handsome, a man no woman in this Four Seasons Academy with a working brain would reject.
However, Zhu Mengyi does not have the boldness Wu Jinjing possess. She simply doesn't have what it takes to go up to another individual and ask to bear their child!
Not to mention Su Yang didn't seem the least interested in her despite spending so much time with her for the past few days, at least that was what Zhu Mengyi noticed after paying so much attention to him.
"Am I not attractive enough?" Zhu Mengyi, however, was pretty confident of her own appearance, as she could be considered the top beauty within the entire Sect and rival even Wu Jinjing.
Zhu Mengyi tilted down to look at her own chest, which was the only lacking component to her otherwise perfect body when compared to Wu Jinjing's large peaks.
Suddenly, she thought of an idea.
"As long as I make myself more attractive, he will surely approach me on his own accord!"
With that seemingly innocent thought in mind, Zhu Mengyi took a detour and went to her own Cauldron Room before going to meet Su Yang.
Once she was inside the Cauldron Room, Zhu Mengyi immediately began to work with the cauldron.
Half an hour later, Zhu Mengyi removed the lid off the cauldron and retrieved a pink pill from the cauldron.
She stared at the pill with the urge to laugh, her face showing a large smile.
"Once I consume this high-quality Pill of Seduction, even females will want to kiss me, much less a man!"
Although she did feel somewhat guilty for using such underhanded tactics, this was the only method she could think of that will make Su Yang to finally notice her charm.
Zhu Mengyi immediately consumed the pill and began heading towards Su Yang's living quarters.
On her way there, countless disciples stared at her with wide eyes filled with awe. For some reason, their already attractive senior apprentice-sister Zhu had turned even more charming, looking like she'd turned into a goddess that descended from the Heavens!
The female disciples would blush when they noticed Zhu Mengyi and the males would begin to pant on sight when they saw her beautiful face and mysterious aura.
"My god... is it just me or does senior apprentice-sister Zhu look absolutely more stunning today than usual?"
"You are right. Although I cannot tell exactly what changed about her, she looks entirely different than before!"
"I envy whoever will the husband of such a gorgeous lady."
"Aiya, you must not know senior apprentice-sister Zhu that well. She's already dedicated her body and soul to the Dao of Alchemy, there's no room for any man in her heart, much less her life."
"What a waste..."
When Zhu Mengyi noticed all the people staring at her with dazed gazes, she couldn't help but secretly chuckle to herself. This meant that her Pill of Seduction was working as intended, and she increased the pace of her steps in anticipation of seeing Su Yang's charmed expression.
Once she reached Su Yang's living quarters, Zhu Mengyi's heart throbbed profusely, feeling like it will burst at any second.
She forcefully swallowed her nervousness and opened the door. Because she's been coming here every day for the last few days, Su Yang gave her a spare key to the house, as he was tired of opening the door for her.
After entering the house, Zhu Mengyi went directly into the Cauldron Room and began waiting for Su Yang to find her and hopefully push her down with the intent to make babies.
Time slowly passed for Zhu Mengyi at this moment. Seconds feel like minutes and minutes felt like an eternity, and her confidence in the outcome eventually decreased.
Suddenly, she remembered Su Yang's heaven-defying sense of smell.
"What if he realizes what I am trying to do and comes to hate me for it?" Zhu Mengyi began sweating after she realizes just how bad her plan actually turned out to be.
After pondering for a few more moments, the possibility of him finding out her plan became more and more realistic in her mind.
"This isn't good! I have to leave before he sees me!" Zhu Mengyi instantly left her seat and made her way towards the exit with hurried steps, even putting in the effort to conceal her presence just in case.
However, just as she made it to the door, a voice resounded behind her, nearly causing her heart to stop.
"Where are you going?"
Zhu Mengyi slowly turned around to face the voice, and Su Yang's handsome face appeared in her view the next moment.
"I-I-I..." Stricken by panic, Zhu Mengyi forgot how to speak or think at this moment.
Su Yang noticed her odd behavior but remained silent about it.
"Why are you standing there at the door? Hurry up and head to the Cauldron Room if you are already here," Su Yang said a moment later, ignoring her strange actions.
"O-Okay..."
Zhu Mengyi could only give up at this point and accept the fact that if he comes to hate her after today, there will be nobody but herself to blame.
Su Yang silently watched her walk into the Cauldron Room with a nonchalant expression.
"Pill of Seduction, huh?" he shook his head inwardly.
A slight smile appeared on his face as he followed her into the enclosed room.