Chapter 188 To See an Old Friend
Once he returned to his room, Su Yang said to the two girls, "I will be leaving for a bit to deal with some business. You can wait here in the meantime."
"You are leaving already? What happened to resting?" Qiuyue asked.
"I have rested enough during my stay at the Four Seasons Academy," he said.
"Where are you going?"
"To see an old friend," he responded with a smile.
"A friend…?" Qiuyue raised an eyebrow in surprise. Since when did Su Yang become the type to have friends? Then she came to the realization that the only people Su Yang would consider as his 'friends' are all females.
"Is that so? Then I hope you have fun with your friend!" she said with a sarcastic voice.
Su Yang smiled bitterly and said, "You are clearly misunderstanding something here…"
However, seeing Qiuyue close her eyes to ignore him, Su Yang did not try to convince her and turned to look at Xiao Rong instead.
"Xiao Rong, you can do whatever you want until I return," he said to her.
Xiao Rong nodded and immediately disappeared from the room.
"Oh, right. Qiuyue, let me borrow your flying treasure. Just the wooden boat is good enough," he said to her.
Qiuyue did not even bother to open her eyes and threw her storage ring at Su Yang, telling him to find it himself.
Su Yang did not mind her behavior and retrieved the wooden boat before tossing the ring back to her.
"I shouldn't be gone for long," he said before leaving.
The first thing he did after he left was to register Qiuyue and Xiao Rong as his 'servants' to the administrations. This way, they won't be considered as suspicious individuals by the Sect when he is not around.
After registering their names, Su Yang went to accept another mission.
However, since he only accepted the last mission as an excuse to leave the Sect, Su Yang must forfeit that mission and consider it as a failed mission.
And because the mission happened to be extremely easy, the Sect Elder looked at Su Yang with an odd expression on his face after learning that he'd failed such an easy mission.
"Y-You failed this mission? Although it takes some time to complete, this mission is by no means difficult… And you are even an Inner Court disciple..."
Su Yang merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "Things happen."
The Sect Elder shook his head inwardly and accepted his other mission.
Once that was all done, Su Yang left the Profound Blossom Sect and used the flying boat he got from Qiuyue to soar in the sky.
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Inside her own room, Liu Lanzhi pondered about how to 'punish' Su Yang for breaking the Sect Rules. That being said, the real reason she wanted to punish Su Yang was so she could get back at him because she was yelled at by the Su Family for her negligence.
"That damn Su Family! In the first place, how am I supposed to do my duties as the Sect Master if I have to keep watch over that little brat at every second?! That's unreasonable! Just because you supply my Sect with some resources doesn't mean you can push me around!"
If the Su Family wasn't one of the Four Great Families with prowess far greater than her Profound Blossom Sect, she wouldn't be this frustrated.
"That being said, why did Su Yang even go to the Northern Region in the first place?" she pondered.
"And even though I said that I will punish him, what would be an appropriate punishment for someone like him?"
Because Inner Court disciples' punishment differed from Outer Court disciples when they break the Sect Rules and Su Yang is an Inner Court disciple, she must spend some time to really think about it.
Normally, when a disciple of the Profound Blossom Sect break a sect rule, they will be prohibited from dual cultivation for a certain time, and such punishment could last from days to even months. However, since Su Yang is somewhat of a special existence in Liu Lanzhi's heart, she couldn't treat him like any other disciple.
After many minutes of thinking, Liu Lanzhi finally had an idea for what would be Su Yang's punishment.
"That's right! I can always make him do that!"
Liu Lanzhi immediately returned to Su Yang's living quarters to give him his punishment.
Once she arrived at his living quarters, Liu Lanzhi had expected Su Yang to come out when she called for him from outside, but alas, it was Qiuyue who appeared before her.
"H-He left?" Liu Lanzhi stared at her with a dumbfounded expression after learning that Su Yang had already left.
"W-What happened to resting? It hasn't even been an hour since I left him alone!" she thought to herself.
"Do you know where he went?" she asked Qiuyue.
Qiuyue shook her head.
"I-Is that so…"
Since Su Yang is not here, her punishment for him will have to wait until he returns.
However, Liu Lanzhi did not leave immediately and instead began speaking to Qiuyue, "You are his servant, right? How does he treat you girls? Did you come from the Northern Region?" she asked her with an inquiring face, seemingly interested in their relationship with him, especially when they appeared out of the blue.
"..."
Qiuyue looked at Liu Lanzhi with an annoyed expression. She had no intentions to play along with her and decided to put an end to this conversation.
Qiuyue suddenly waved her sleeve before Liu Lanzhi's face, and a few seconds later, Liu Lanzhi fell to the ground with a peaceful expression, seemingly deep asleep.
And with another wave of her sleeve, Qiuyue moved the sleeping Liu Lanzhi away from the house until she was somewhere far away before she returned to her own room.
On that day, many Profound Blossom Sect disciples and Sect Elders alike were shocked and bewildered to find Liu Lanzhi, their Sect Master, sleeping in the middle of the Outer Court like some drunkard after a long night of partying.
Chapter 189 Lotus City
"Sect Master! Wake up, Sect Master!"
Many Sect Elders tried to wake Liu Lanzhi from her slumber, but alas, no matter how much they shook her body, she remained deep asleep.
This caused the Sect Elders to be fearful. What happened to her? Will she ever wake up?
And since they didn't want her to continue sleeping in the opening, they brought her back to her own room and began searching for doctors in hopes to figure out the situation.
Meanwhile, after traveling for a few minutes, Su Yang returned to the city where he obtained his first storage ring.
Indeed, this old friend he wanted to meet was Wang Shuren, an Alchemist apprentice of the Burning Lotus Sect.
However, once he reached the Burning Lotus Auction House, he realized that the entire place was closed.
"Young man, the Burning Lotus Auction House opens only once a year, and this year's auction had already taken place."
A kind pedestrian reminded him when he saw him standing before the auction house with a puzzled expression.
"Do you know where I can find the people that run this place?" Su Yang asked the pedestrian.
"If you mean the disciples of the Burning Lotus Sect, then you can find them at the Lotus City near the southern borders." The pedestrian said while pointing to the south.
Su Yang nodded, "Thank you for the information."
He then retrieved five spirit stones from his storage ring and tossed it to the pedestrian before leaving the city.
"Good heavens!" When the pedestrian realized what Su Yang had tossed at him, he nearly died from shock.
After all, one spirit stone could be sold for many gold coins, which is more than enough to support a normal family for many years, much less five spirit stones!
Fearful that someone might see the spirit stones and rob him, the pedestrian immediately hid the spirit stones in his pocket and began running back home to share the news with his family.
A few minutes after he left the Burning Lotus Auction House, Su Yang flew directly to the Lotus City.
"Do you know where I can find the Burning Lotus Sect?" Su Yang asked one of the guards standing duty outside the Lotus City.
"The Burning Lotus Sect? Who are you? And why are you seeking them?" The guard immediately questioned him.
"I am a disciple of the Profound Blossom Sect, and I am here to see an old friend," said Su Yang with a friendly smile.
"The Profound Blossom Sect?" The guard now realized why Su Yang's clothing seemed so familiar. "Do you have your identity slip?"
The guard confirmed his identity and said, "This Lotus City is the Burning Lotus Sect, and unless you are with a disciple of the Burning Lotus Sect, you are required to pay 10 copper coins before I can allow you entrance — even if you are visiting a disciple."
"This entire city is the Burning Lotus Sect?" Su Yang was slightly surprised. These types of Sects are rare even within the Four Divine Heavens.
"Well, to be precise, a city was built around the Burning Lotus Sect. It operates just like any other city but with much more focus on business than any other things, and it's controlled by the Burning Lotus Sect."
"Is that so…"
Because Su Yang didn't have any change on him, he handed the guard an entire spirit stone.
"Uh…" The guard looked at him with wide eyes and a dumbfounded expression. "T-The entrance fee is 10 coppers…"
"I don't have any change."
"P-Please wait for a moment while I get you some change—"
"There's no need." Su Yang couldn't be bothered by a mere spirit stone.
The guard's eyes widened even more upon hearing such words.
"To pay an entrance fee of 10 coppers with a freaking spirit stone, just how rich is this guy?" he couldn't help but envy his wealth and aloof behavior.
"T-Then here's a special entry pass for you… As long as you have this, you can freely enter the Lotus City without paying in the future," said the guard as he handed Su Yang a golden medallion.
Su Yang casually accepted the medallion and entered the Lotus City for the first time.
"You can find the Burning Lotus Sect if you continue to walk down this path…" The guard said to him once he entered the city.
Su Yang nodded and began walking the path.
And after mere minutes of walking, Su Yang understood what the guard meant when he said the Lotus City heavily focuses on business, as the only thing in his sight were either shops or restaurants, and one can easily understand why the Burning Lotus Sect is so rich upon entering this city that is decorated with expensive objects and shops.
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Somewhere in the Lotus City, a group of young ladies and young men could be seen chatting happily in a restaurant. These individuals were all wearing the exact same clothes, red robes with a yellow lotus pattern perfectly sewed on their chest, signifying their identity as disciples of the Burning Lotus Sect.
"Junior apprentice-disciple Zhang, don't be stingy and tell us, did you have a fortunate encounter with some type of treasure?" One of the disciples there asked the beautiful young lady at the end of the table. "You were only at the seventh level of the Elementary Spirit Realm not long ago, yet you somehow managed to reach the Profound Spirit Realm in just a few weeks, becoming an Inner Court disciple! I don't believe that you could've achieved such a feat without a fortunate encounter!"
Once one of them started the topic, the other disciples also began giving their own opinions, slightly pressuring the disciple with the surname Zhang to tell them.
"Well… although I didn't find any treasures, I did have a fortunate encounter with a certain individual…" The young disciple surnamed Zhang vaguely explained.
"This individual — is it a male or female?!" The females became even more intrigued.
"It's a young man…" The young lady blushed.
"Ooooh! Tell us more about him! How did he affect your cultivation?"
While the female disciples found the topic to be extremely entertaining, it was the opposite for the males there that fancied this young lady.
"Well…"
However, just as the young lady was prepared to talk about a certain guest she had met at the Burning Lotus Auction House, her eyes noticed a certain handsome young man walking in the streets.
"S-S-S-Su Yang?!" The young lady immediately stood from her seat and ran out of the restaurant to chase after him, dumbfounding everybody there.
Chapter 190 Meeting Zhang Xiu Ying Again
"S-Su Yang! Su Yang!" Zhang Xiu Ying called for him as she chased after his disappearing figure.
"Hmm?" Su Yang halted his steps after hearing a familiar sweet voice call his name.
When he turned around, he could see a beautiful young lady wearing red robes approaching him with an excited expression on her face.
"Oh? You are…" Su Yang immediately recognized her pretty face, especially her slim and seductive figure. She was Zhang Xiu Ying, a disciple from the Burning Lotus Sect, and she had given Su Yang her Pure Yin Essence at the Burning Lotus Auction House.
"D-Do you remember me, Su Yang? I am—"
"Zhang Xiu Ying, right?" Su Yang said with a gentle smile on his face.
"R-Right…" Zhang Xiu Ying was afraid that he'd had forgotten about her at first, but not only did he remember her, but she is also slightly surprised by the warm atmosphere around Su Yang. He seemed more approachable and handsome than before, even a little bit friendly.
"W-What are you doing here in the Lotus City?" she asked him. "If you are looking for a certain place, I can guide you there."
Su Yang nodded and said, "I actually have some business with the Burning Lotus Sect so if you don't mind guiding me there."
"I will gladly!" Zhang Xiu Ying had already forgotten about her fellow disciples at this point and agreed to take him to the Burning Lotus Sect.
"Junior apprentice-sister Zhang, where are you going?"
However, before she could leave, her fellow disciples had caught up to her.
"Is he an acquaintance for yours?" One of the disciples asked her.
"That's right. And I'm sorry for suddenly leaving, but I have something else to do now…"
When Zhang Xiu Ying said those words, the disciples there all turned to look at Su Yang with examining eyes.
The female disciples were dazed by Su Yang's handsome and graceful appearance, and some of them even uncontrollably blushed. But as for the male disciples within that group, they were all looking at Su Yang with unfriendly and envious eyes, especially those that fancied Zhang Xiu Ying, their gaze filled with hatred.
"You are from the Profound Blossom Sect?" One of the male disciples recognized Su Yang's robes.
"What? That disgusting place filled with whores and horny bastards?"
"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Zhang Xiu Ying expressed anger when the male disciples looked down on Su Yang.
However, Zhang Xiu Ying protecting Su Yang only made the disciples even angrier and heated from jealousy.
"Junior apprentice-sister Zhang, why would you bother with someone from the Profound Blossom Sect? Aren't you aware of how awful their image is within the eyes of the public? People from that place are a bunch of shameless sex-craved individuals that are no different than horny beasts."
"How dare you—"
Just as Zhang Xiu Ying was about to have an outburst, Su Yang casually wrapped his arms around her neck in an intimate manner, causing Zhang Xiu Ying's body to stiffen from shock.
"S-Su Yang?" she looked at him with a dazed expression.
"W-What do you think you are doing to one of our disciples?!"
"Get your dirty hands off of her!"
Su Yang's actions immediately angered the male disciples, something he was anticipating.
"It's been some time since we last spoke with each other, so why don't we take this somewhere much more quiet and private, preferably a place like your room?" Su Yang spoke in such a soothing voice that even the female disciples standing away from him felt like leading him into their room.
Zhang Xiu Ying recalled the time she spent with him in the Burning Lotus Auction House and slowly nodded with a bashful expression, her face flushed red.
"B-Bastard! How shameless!"
"Don't listen to him, Junior apprentice-sister Zhang! He's only using you!"
Their commotion had long attracted the attention of everybody there, but they didn't seem to mind the attraction.
"Let's go," said Su Yang as he pulled Zhang Xiu Ying away, ignoring these Burning Lotus Sect disciples since the beginning.
"Hold it right there!"
Suddenly, a powerful pressure that belonged to a peak True Spirit Realm expert assaulted Su Yang.
However, because Su Yang was at the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm, he barely noticed the pressure.
"Senior apprentice-brother Cao!"
The disciples of the Burning Lotus Sec immediately noticed his incoming figure, who wore red clothes with a black lotus on his chest, something that signified a Core disciple from the Burning Lotus Sect.
When this senior apprentice-brother Cao appeared, he stood before Su Yang and spoke with an overbearing expression on his face, "I don't care where you came from, but when you are in our territory, I will not tolerate any lack of respect for my Burning Lotus Sect disciples, especially if they are Inner Court disciples!"
Su Yang stopped only for a second to glance at this Core disciple with a nonchalant expression before walking around him, completely ignoring his existence.
The Core disciple trembled in anger when Su Yang ignored him.
"How fucking dare you—"
However, before the Core disciple could even turn his head, a large palm appeared before his face.
Pa!
Su Yang had sent the Core disciple flying across the street with a single slap, shocking everybody there.
"S-Senior apprentice-brother Cao!"
The other disciples showed a terrified expression after seeing Su Yang take care of their Core disciple with seemingly zero effort.
After dealing with the Core disciple, Su Yang glanced at the other disciples with the corner of his eye, making them tremble in fear.
He pointed to them and made a beckoning gesture to the disciples that were spewing trash just moments ago.
"If you don't come over here, I will go over there, and it will only be twice as painful," Su Yang said to them with a calm expression after they remained standing there, clearly frozen from fear.
"S-Since we are at this point, we might as well fight him together!" One of the disciples suggested.
Thus, powered by their Profound Spirit Realm cultivation base, the disciples began charging at Su Yang, who was at the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm.
A few seconds later, three loud slaps resounded within the Lotus City, and three more figures could be seen flying across the street.
"A bunch of clowns," Su Yang shook his head.
He then said to the dazed Zhang Xiu Ying, "Now that the annoyance is gone, let's hurry to the Burning Lotus Sect."
"O-Okay…" she replied with a slow nod.
Chapter 191 Burning Lotus Sec
"A-Are you going to be okay?" Zhang Xiu Ying asked Su Yang with a worried expression on her face after walking for a few minutes.
"With what?" Su Yang casually replied.
"W-With what, you say?" Zhang Xiu Ying was dumbfounded by his aloof behavior despite just beating a few disciples from the Burning Lotus Sect while in their territory.
"Y-You just trashed not only three Inner Court disciples but also a Core disciple from the Burning Lotus Sect whilst in their territory, yet you still have the guts to walk around the streets in broad daylight… Aren't you afraid that the Burning Lotus Sect will go after you?"
Su Yang shrugged his shoulders with an indifferent expression and said, "I will be fine."
He was confident that he will be fine even if the entire Burning Lotus Sect were to attack him at once.
After a few moments of silence, Zhang Xiu Ying asked him, "What brings you to the Burning Lotus Sect?"
"I have some business with one of your Sect Elders."
"Could that Sect Elder be Elder Wang?" Zhang Xiu Ying had a good feeling that he was looking for her, especially after what happened at the Burning Lotus Auction House.
Su Yang nodded and said, "That's right. How has she been faring?"
"Elder Wang… she's…" Zhang Xiu Ying looked a bit hesitant at this moment, causing Su Yang to raise an eyebrow.
"Did something happen to her?" he asked.
"No, nothing happened to Elder Wang. It's just that… compared to the Elder Wang during the auction a few weeks ago, she's almost like a completely different person."
"Oh? Why don't you elaborate more on it for me."
"Elder Wang had a breakthrough in her Dao of Alchemy sometime ago, causing her status within the Sect to skyrocket, like a carp leaping through the dragon's gate. Right now, she stands above every other Alchemy Master within the Burning Lotus Sect, and even the Sect Master holds her in extremely high regard, so you might find some difficulty in reaching her..."
"Is that so?" Su Yang was inwardly glad that Wang Shuren had cultivated the Immortal-grade technique he gave her, or else his trip here would've been for naught.
His purpose for visiting the Burning Lotus Sect today is simply because he wanted Wang Shuren to concoct the Soul Divination Pill.
Indeed, Su Yang had planned to have Wang Shuren concoct the Soul Divination Pill way before his encounter with Qiuyue.
His initial plan was to have Wang Shuren concoct the pill since his cultivation base was lacking at that time, even giving her an Immortal-grade technique. However, his encounter with Qiuyue had completely changed this plan. Because of Qiuyue, his cultivation base growth far exceeded his expectations.
If he hadn't met Qiuyue, he would have never gotten the chance to cultivate with two Heavenly Spirit Realm experts to reach the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm and would most likely still be lingering in the True Spirit Realm by now.
Of course, he had thoughts to concoct the Soul Divination Pill at the Four Seasons Academy and even have Matriarch Zhu concoct the pill, but alas, because Matriarch Zhu purposefully delayed their arrangement, he decided to return to the Eastern Region to have Wang Shuren concoct the pill instead.
After all, it would be a waste of his efforts if he didn't use Wang Shuren when he'd already prepared for everything.
"Speaking of Wang Shuren…" Su Yang suddenly looked at her and asked, "How have things been faring on your end? Is that Wang dog still bothering you?"
When Su Yang mentioned Wang Ming, Wang Shuren's cousin, Zhang Xiu Ying's expression turned bitter.
"Although he has stopped asking me to visit his living quarters after Elder Wang spoke with him, I have a feeling that he's planning something… The cold glares he gives me whenever we pass each other in the Inner Court always sends chills down my back… it scares me…"
The conversation between them stopped for a moment before Su Yang opened his mouth to speak, "Do you want me to take care of him once and for all?"
Zhang Xiu Ying looked at him with wide eyes. Although she really wanted to accept his offer, she didn't want to bother him anymore, especially after everything he's already done for her.
"I appreciate your thoughts, but I cannot accept that offer," she reluctantly shook her head, refusing his offer. "You decided to help me despite my forceful actions, and I have already received enough kindness from you. I don't dare to ask for anymore, as it will only make me feel more guilty like I am taking advantage of you…"
Su Yang laughed after hearing her words. "If I really wanted to reject you at that time, I could've easily flung you away, so don't think of it as forcing yourself upon me. In my eyes, you are only a slightly aggressive and bold girl, and if I am being honest, I like people with such attitudes."
Because his first lover was also the bold and aggressive type, Su Yang has come to especially like those that share similar features.
"R-Really?" Zhang Xiu Ying immediately blushed upon hearing his words.
"But I still can't forgive myself…" she sighed a little later.
Although Su Yang did not acknowledge her actions as forceful but bold, it didn't change the fact that she was desperate at that moment and forced her own desires upon him, a total stranger at that time, and Zhang Xiu Ying still couldn't forgive herself for her actions that day no matter what he says.
Su Yang did not say anything else and left it at that, and the two continued to walk through the Lotus City.
After half an hour of walking, they finally reached the Burning Lotus Sect.
"Senior apprentice-sister!"
"Greetings, senior apprentice-sister!"
The Outer Court disciples acting as guards at the Burning Lotus Sect greeted Zhang Xiu Ying when they got close enough.
"I have a guest with me if you don't mind."
"As long as senior apprentice-sister speak with a Sect Elder at the Administration Building, there will be no problems."
"Okay."
Thus, Su Yang managed to enter the Burning Lotus Sect without any hiccups — sort of.
Chapter 192 If You Take Another Step, I Will Cripple Your Legs
Once they entered the Burning Lotus Sect, Zhang Xiu Ying brought Su Yang to register his name in the logbooks as a guest.
"There's a lot of people here today…" Zhang Xiu Ying was surprised after seeing a larger volume of guests here today than what they would normally get.
When the Sect Elder saw Su Yang's clothing, his face made an awkward expression, almost as if he didn't know how to think of this situation.
Then he looked at Zhang Xiu Ying and shook his head inwardly.
To think one of their own Inner Court disciples would be shameless enough to bring someone from the Profound Blossom Sect to their Sect, the Sect Elder was greatly upset, because in his eyes Zhang Xiu Ying's action was no different than bringing a hooker to their home.
"No visitors are allowed in the Burning Lotus Sect after midnight, so you must leave no later than that," said the Sect Elder as he handed Su Yang a guest identification slip with a slightly disgusted face.
"Thank you, Elder!" Zhang Xiu Ying said, completely unaware that she'd just been classified as a slut by the Sect Elder.
"Let's go, Su Yang. I will bring you to see Elder Wang," she said to him once they left the Administration Building.
Su Yang nodded and began following her through the Sect.
During their short walk, there were many disciples who looked at Su Yang with narrowed eyes, their expressions filled with disgust; it was as if they were looking at a degenerate beast.
The Profound Blossom Sect is widely known in the Eastern Region for their eccentric methods of cultivation, and in the eyes of many normal cultivators, they are no different than sluts using cultivation as an excuse to indulge themselves in sexual activities.
However, Su Yang was used to having people look at him with unpleasant expressions, so he was able to ignore them easily, like blowing some dust off his shoulders.
"I am sorry…" Zhang Xiu Ying apologized to Su Yang after realizing the surrounding situation. She felt that she needed to apologize to him because she was also a disciple of the Burning Lotus Sect.
"Why are you the one apologizing? There's no need to pay any heed to them. Just treat them as though they are ants." Su Yang said with a calm face.
"Okay…" she nodded.
A few minutes later, when they could see Elder Wang's living quarters at the horizon, Zhang Xiu Ying nearly cried on the scene when she saw just how many people were gathered in front of Elder Wang's house. What's more, most of these people were not disciples of the Burning Lotus Sect and wore clothing that represented other Sects and families.
There was a long line from where they stood all the way to Wang Shuren's house, making the place look like a busy market area.
"T-There wasn't this many people when I left just a few hours ago! What happened while I was away?!" Zhang Xiu Ying exclaimed when she counted at least two hundred people in line with her Spiritual Sense.
"You didn't hear? Senior Wang just announced that she will be selling Burning Lotus Pills with 100% efficiency for a few hours with limited supply, so a lot of people have rushed here to grab their share." The individual last in line explained to her after hearing her shocked cries. "There are even more people flocking here as we speak."
One of the reasons that caused Wang Shuren's status to skyrocket was because of her ability to concoct Burning Lotus Pills with 100% efficiency, something that shook the entire pill market when she first announced it.
"What should we do, Su Yang?" Zhang Xiu Ying asked him. "I don't think we will be able to see Elder Wang for today."
Even if they managed to see her by today, Wang Shuren might not even have time to listen to them — that was what Zhang Xiu Ying thought.
"Why should we stand in line? I am not here to buy Burning Lotus Pills." Su Yang said.
"But how else are we going to see her? We can't just skip everyone in the line and—"
"You should stay here for a bit," Su Yang interrupted and began walking away.
Zhang Xiu Ying stared at Su Yang with wide eyes as he calmly ignored the long line and approached Wang Shuren's living quarters.
The people in line also ignored him at first, but once they realized that he wasn't simply passing by, they immediately began cursing at him.
"Hey! Where do you think you are going?! The line is back there!"
When one person shouted, like a ripple effect, many others began opening their mouth, turning the place chaotic very quickly.
"Young man, do you know how many people you are offending by skipping the line? I doubt your Profound Blossom Sect will be pleased when they find many different powers knocking at their front door later today!"
"That's right! Your Sect will have to bear the consequences of your actions!"
Despite all these threats being thrown at him, Su Yang continued to walk with a nonchalant expression on his face, almost like he couldn't hear them at all — that was until a middle-aged man decided to step out of the line to stand before him, blocking his path.
"That's Senior Gao from the Jade Pill Pavilion!"
People were quick to recognize this middle-aged man. He was a highly respected Alchemy Master within the Eastern Region.
"How may I help you?" Su Yang asked him with a friendly smile.
"Still acting stupid? I don't care if you are an Inner Court disciple of the Profound Blossom Sect, if you take another step, I will cripple your legs."
"Third level True Spirit Realm, huh. Go ahead, try to cripple my legs. I won't move," said Su Yang with narrowed eyes, dumbfounding everybody there.
"..." Senior Gao's eyes widened with surprise when Su Yang casually mentioned his cultivation base when he couldn't sense any cultivation from Su Yang.
"What a dangerous fellow!" Senior Gao began sweating under his robes when his eyes met with Su Yang's sharp gaze that was emitting an invisible yet overbearing pressure.
Chapter 193 You Have Forced My Hands, Junior!
Senior Gao had an ominous feeling in his heart that was telling him that he should ignore the Profound Blossom Sect's disciple before him, but his pride as a senior was telling him otherwise. After all, what face would he have left if he were to walk away after Su Yang's provocative words like some huge coward? And there are even so many people with powerful and respectful background watching him right now. He'd be a laughing stock if he were to turn away now.
"You are a bold one, but as your senior, I will give you one last chance to turn around," said Senior Gao.
Su Yang did not say anything and began turning his body.
Seeing him turn his body, Senior Gao was relieved. However, when Su Yang did not fully turn around and instead walked around him, Senior Gao's face flushed red in anger, feeling like he'd just been slapped in the face not just once but two times consecutively.
"You have forced my hands, Junior!"
Senior Gao immediately turned around and did a sweeping motion with his legs at Su Yang's legs with the full strength of a True Spirit Realm expert in his kick.
And before his kick even landed on Su Yang, Senior Gao could already vision Su Yang's legs brutally snapping in half.
However, what happened next shocked not only Senior Gao but every witness there.
When Senior Gao kicked Su Yang's legs, a loud bone-snapping noise resounded clearly, but it was not Su Yang who had his legs crippled. In fact, he was still standing there with a calm expression, looking as if nothing happened.
"Ahhhhh! My leg!"
Senior Gao could no longer stand and fell on the ground while clutching his right leg that was bent in a weird angle. He had crippled his own leg trying to cripple Su Yang.
"My lord… what are his legs made of?" The people gasped in shock when Su Yang didn't even flinch after being kicked by Senior Gao.
In their eyes, it looked as though Senior Gao had kicked a pole made of diamonds instead of some human legs!
"Hm?" Su Yang slowly turned around and acted as though he didn't know what just happened. "What happened to your leg? I think it's bending the wrong way..." he asked him in a casual-sounding voice.
Senior Gao instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood upon hearing Su Yang's humiliating words, even falling unconscious after a few more seconds of squirming on the floor like some worm.
Su Yang shook his head and began walking again.
Nobody dared to call him out for skipping the line this time, much less block his path, especially not when they can't comprehend Su Yang's existence.
He was only a mere disciple from the Profound Blossom Sect, yet nobody there was able to see his cultivation base, and there are plenty of True Spirit Realm experts within that line.
Once Su Yang reached the front of the line, the first person in line took a step back, allowing him to knock on Wang Shuren's door.
"How many Burning Lotus Pill do you wish to buy? The limit one person can buy is three," said a voice behind the door after hearing Su Yang's knock.
The voice did not belong to Wang Shuren and was most likely one of her helpers.
"I am not here to buy your Burning Lotus Pill. I am here to speak with Wang Shuren, get her for me." Su Yang said out loud.
"..."
The voice did not respond to Su Yang even after many minutes, almost as if the person was purposefully ignoring him.
"How many Burning Lotus Pill do you wish to buy? The limit one person can buy is three."
The voice repeated the same line.
"I want to buy three." Su Yang decided to play along.
A few moments later, the door opened, and a female disciple appeared to hand him the Burning Lotus Pills. "Three Burning Lotus Pill will be one hundred spirit stones."
Su Yang ignored the expensive cost and handed the disciple 100 spirit stones.
Once the disciple confirmed that it was the right amount, she handed him three pill bottles before closing the door again.
Su Yang looked at the three pills in his grasp with raised eyebrows.
The Burning Lotus Pills' true identity was actually Profound Advancement Pills, the recipe he had given Wang Shuren alongside the Immortal-grade technique. However, that was something he had already expected.
What made him raise his eyebrows were the low quality of these Profound Advancement Pills. While Profound Advancement Pills are 100% effective no matter what quality it comes out in, higher quality pills give cultivators fewer impurities than low-quality pills.
"Excuse me, if you already have your Burning Lotus Pills, can you leave now?" The person behind him asked him with a humble voice. He obviously did not want to offend Su Yang with his tone.
However, Su Yang did not even look back, his eyes remaining on the pill bottles in his hand.
"This is the best she can manage to make despite having an Immortal-grade technique? What rubbish." Su Yang sighed inwardly, wondering if he had made a mistake by choosing her.
If Wang Shuren can't even concoct Profound Advancement Pills by now, he had no faith that she'd be able to successfully concoct a Soul Divination Pill.
Once he was done with the Profound Advancement Pills, Su Yang tossed the pill bottles on the ground as if they were trash, bewildering everybody there.
The people couldn't believe their eyes. Did he just spend 100 spirit stones just to throw the pills on the floor? If this is not a slap directly to Wang Shuren's face then they don't know what is.
"He's crazy! To show such disrespect while standing right before her living quarters! Senior Wang will never sell another pill to him or his Sect!"
"What do you think you are doing?!" The female disciple that just handed him the pills stormed out of the house with an angry expression. She had very clearly witnessed Su Yang's actions just now, something she saw as a clear disrespect to not just Wang Shuren but the entire Burning Lotus Sect itself.
Chapter 194 Entering with Force
"How dare you treat my Master's Burning Lotus Pills like that! Explain yourself!" The female disciple was extremely angry at how Su Yang treated the pills that her Master, Wang Shuren, had concocted.
Even though she was instructed to ignore people that try to cause trouble there, she simply couldn't ignore Su Yang's actions.
"The pills are trash, so I no longer want it." Su Yang gave her a brief explanation.
But that only fumed her anger even further.
"T-T-Trash?! You dare call the only 100% effective Burning Lotus Pills in the world trash?! Do you even know anything about pills?!"
Su Yang shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "I didn't come here for your pills, anyway. Go call Wang Shuren for me, I need to speak with her. Tell her that Su Yang is here to see her."
"I don't care if you are Su Yang or Su Yin, you will not speak with my Master! Especially not after what you've done! If you don't leave now, I will call for my Sect Elders to assist you!"
In her mind, for Su Yang to be so disrespectful towards the pills created by Wang Shuren, he's clearly didn't come here as a friend.
"There happens to be a Sect Elder in this building, so why don't you go ahead and call for her? I'm sure that she'll gladly assist me." Su Yang pointed to Wang Shuren's building with a smile.
The disciple began trembling from anger. She's never met someone as ridiculous as Su Yang before. His graceful appearances are only a disguise for the devil dwelling in his body!
"Where are you, Xiao Yawen? The next batch of pills is ready." Wang Shuren's voice suddenly resounded from inside the building.
"I-I am coming!"
After hearing Wang Shuren's voice, her disciple, Xiao Yawen, no longer cared about Su Yang and went back inside the house.
However, she had to stop at the door when she noticed that Su Yang was also trying to enter from behind her.
"Y-You! You must really be wishing to die today, huh!" she pointed at him.
Su Yang showed a slight smiled before taking a step inside the house despite Xiao Yawen standing right before him.
"W-Where do you think you are going?!"
When Xiao Yawen tried to stop Su Yang from going inside the house, she was shocked to find out that she wasn't able to push him back even a centimeter with her peak Profound Spirit Realm cultivation base, feeling like she was trying to move a mountain with her bare hands instead!
"Are you finished yet?" Su Yang chuckled as he watched her struggle trying to push him out of the door.
"Burning Lotus Palm!"
Xiao Yawen suddenly raised her palms to strike Su Yang in the chest with the Burning Lotus Palm, one of their Sect's signature techniques.
"W-W-What?! Impossible!" Xiao Yawen was greatly shocked when Su Yang didn't flinch even after taking her Burning Lotus Palm to the chest.
"What are you made of, diamonds?!" she exclaimed while hugging the hand she used to strike Su Yang. Just like Senior Gao outside, she'd actually injured herself instead of hurting him.
After realizing that she wouldn't be able to stop Su Yang, Xiao Yawen began screaming loudly, "Master! Be careful! There's an intruder trying to harm you!"
"Intruder, huh. Well, you're not entirely wrong." Su Yang did not stop and continued approaching Wang Shuren's room.
"Someone is trying to harm me? Hahaha! Let's see which ignorant—" Wang Shuren suddenly came out of her room laughing.
"It's been a while, Wang Shuren." Su Yang greeted her with a smile on his face.
"Hahaha...haha...ha… eh?" Wang Shuren's laughing slowly came to a stop when she saw Su Yang's handsome face.
"Y-Y-You are…!" Although she didn't immediately recognize him, once she finally recalled his face, Wang Shuren began trembling from excitement.
"Master!" Wang Shuren did not care that her own disciple was standing only a few feet away from her and immediately dropped on her knees to kowtow to Su Yang.
"I don't recall accepting you as my disciple," Su Yang said to her.
"Don't be like that, Su Yang…" Wang Shuren said with a bitter smile.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yawen stared at her Master and Su Yang with bewildered eyes, seemingly in disbelief.
She couldn't believe that they actually knew each other, not to mention how close their relationship looked.
"Anyway, what are you doing here? Do you need resources from me? A pill, perhaps?" Wang Shuren could only think of this one reason as to why he appeared before her.
"You are quick to the point, just like before. I like it," Su Yang smiled. "That's right, I wanted you to concoct a pill for me, but…"
"Wanted? Why the past tense?" she asked with a puzzled expression.
"After seeing the Profound Advancement Pills you concocted, I don't think you will be able to handle what I have in plan for you."
"Eh? What do you mean by that?"
Seeing how she really looked puzzled, Su Yang shook his head and said, "I bought a few of your pills just now, and I have to say that after seeing the quality of the pills, I am greatly disappointed."
"Though…" Su Yang suddenly moved his head closer to Wang Shuren and began sniffing her exposed neck. "There are scents of high-quality Profound Advancement Pills on your body… Can you explain that to me?"
Wang Shuren blushed when Su Yang got so close to her, and she started laughing after hearing his words, "Oh, that! Hahaha…"
She moved her soft lips near his ears and whispered, "You see, I am selling these low-quality pills on purpose… Since both low-quality pills and high-quality pills have 100% chance to promote someone from the Elementary Spirit Realm to the Profound Spirit Realm, I might as well sell the bad ones to others and leave the good ones for my own Sect, right? Even my own disciple isn't aware of this, so keep this a secret, okay?"
Once Su Yang learned of her tactics, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. He had a feeling that it would be something like this, but to think that Wang Shuren would turn out to be such a shrewd individual.
Chapter 195 Burning Dragon Pill
"Very well, I will admit that I had underestimated you. Since that's the case, why don't you show me what you are truly capable of by concocting your best pill?" Su Yang said to her.
Wang Shuren was confident in her own abilities and nodded, "Then I will concoct the highly regarded Heaven-grade pill 'Burning Dragon Pill' for you. It is a pill that has existed in the Burning Lotus Sect ever since its foundations."
"M-Master! What about all these people waiting outside? They have been waiting for many hours for the Burning Lotus Pill!" Xiao Yawen asked her with a worried expression.
If Wang Shuren were to make them wait any longer, they might start complaining. Even if they are the Burning Lotus Sect, they cannot afford to offend so many different factions at once.
"Tell them that I have important matters to attend and to come back next week! If they can't wait, then they can forget about the Burning Lotus Pill! If they are willing to wait, I will increase the amount of Burning Lotus Pill for each individual to five!" Wang Shuren said, frightening Xiao Yawen.
"M-Master… you want me to tell all these people to come back later?" Xiao Yawen wanted to cry. Even though she was an Inner Court disciple and Wang Shuren's personal disciple, she didn't have what it takes to tell so many powerful and respected backgrounds to leave after they have been waiting for so long.
"They'll eat me alive…" she mumbled with teary eyes.
Wang Shuren shook her head after seeing her pitiful appearance and went out herself.
"I apologize for the sudden announcement, and I understand that you have all been waiting for the Burning Lotus Pill, but something extremely important to me has come up, so I will not be able to continue business today. As an apology for today and also gratitude for your understanding, I will be increasing the limit of Burning Lotus Pill each individual can buy from three to five, and I will also give everyone that is here today a 10% discount when you return!"
Wang Shuren spoke with elegance and grace, like when she worked at the Burning Lotus Auction House. Her voice had this effect where people simply can't get mad at her after hearing her clear voice and seeing her honest face.
"It can't be helped if Senior Wang is busy. I will come back as soon as you are able to sell the Burning Lotus Pills again!"
"That's right! And there's no need for Senior Wang to apologize! I'm sure the Cheng Family will understand!"
"The Thousand Sword Sect also understands!"
Instead of complaining about the sudden dismissal, these people actually began sympathizing with Wang Shuren despite being upset, as they simply didn't dare to offend her and lose the chance to buy her Burning Lotus Pills. Hell, they were even shouting their background out loud hoping Wang Shuren might remember them.
Although the pills may not seem impressive by themselves, its effect that guarantees someone at the Elementary Spirit Realm to breakthrough to the Profound Spirit Realm is extremely helpful to many Sects and Families where they have many people at the Elementary Spirit Realm that is finding it difficult to enter the Profound Spirit Realm.
These Burning Lotus Pill could easily raise the prowess of any family and Sect by at least one level if they have enough, hence why nobody there dared to offend Wang Shuren, who is the only individual in this world that can concoct such pill at this moment. She's simply too important as an asset for them.
Once the area was clear of people, Wang Shuran went back inside the house.
"It's as simple as that," she said to Xiao Yawen, who was clearly in awe of what she'd just did.
She then turned to Su Yang and said, "Let's go to my Cauldron Room."
A few moments later, the two of them entered the Cauldron Room. But before entering, Wang Shuren said to Xiao Yawen, "I won't be seeing any visitors for the next few days."
Once they were inside, Wang Shuren asked Su Yang, "The Burning Dragon Pill will take a few hours to finish, if you don't mind waiting."
Su Yang casually sat down at the corner of the room and said, "Take your time."
Wang Shuren nodded and no longer delayed the pill.
A few seconds later, Wang Shuren retrieved a few dozens of different herbs and medicine from her storage ring and began inspecting them one by one.
After half an hour, she began the herb-grinding process, which took another two entire hours to complete.
Although her speed is considerably fast even amongst the peak Alchemy Masters in the Eastern Continent, she was much slower when compared to Zhu Mengyi, who could easily put all the Alchemy Masters in this continent to shame with her ridiculous speed.
Though, despite her slow speed, Su Yang carefully analyzed every single movement she made to see if she would be able to concoct the Soul Divination Pill with her current abilities.
Time slowly passed.
Ten hours later, Wang Shuren was drenched in sweat, looking like she just left a pool of water, causing her robes to stick her body and reveal her ripe figure and pure skin.
Out of all the girls he's met in this world, Wang Shuren definitely took the top spot as the one with the most bountiful and seductive figure, especially the two melons on her chest.
And since Su Yang has fully grasped her ability by now, he spent the remainder of the time to bless his eyes with her beautiful body.
"I-I am finished…" Wang Shuren spoke in an exhausted voice after spending another hour to create the pill.
Once she retrieved the Burning Dragon Pill from the cauldron, she placed it inside a pill bottle and gave it to Su Yang for his assessment.
"80% purity, so medium quality at best, huh." Su Yang said a quick moment later.
"So what do you think? Will I be able to concoct your pill?" she asked.
Su Yang shook his head, "Unfortunately, you are not quite there yet. You have a 50% chance in succeeding right now, but I only have enough ingredients for one try."
"Then…?"
"I will give you lectures until I am confident that you will succeed with a 100% chance."
"H-He's are going to lecture me?" Although Wang Shuren was speechless, the excitement in her eyes was as clear as day.
Chapter 196 Just Who Is This Man?!
"By the way, what kind of pill will I be making?" Wang Shuren asked him after changing out of her soaked robes. That was when she realized that he didn't tell her yet.
"I think it would be for the best if you didn't know." Su Yang said as he didn't want to scare her with a pill she's never heard of before, especially its high grade that would definitely intimidate her.
After all, the Soul Divination Pill is something that even Alchemy Masters above her level wouldn't even dare to attempt. However, since she has an Immortal-grade technique — one that was tailored for pills such as the Soul Divination Pills, she has a much higher chance of succeeding.
"Is that so…"
Although Wang Shuren was confident in her abilities, she couldn't help but feel anxious about this pill he wants her to make.
"Anyway, let's get started." Su Yang said. "I have watched you long enough to see the faults in your technique, so I will be helping you fix those mistakes and even more."
And before Wang Shuren can even nod her head, Su Yang continued to speak, "I want you to be capable enough to concoct the pill by tomorrow."
"T-Tomorrow…?"
Su Yang nodded and said, "That's why we should start right away."
After saying those words, Su Yang began lecturing Wang Shuren on her technique. He told her the mistakes she made during the pill concoction just now and explained to her how to further improve her technique.
And mere minutes after listening to his lectures, Wang Shuren could feel her understanding towards the Dao of Alchemy grow; it was almost like she was before the God of Alchemy, someone who had the ability to make even the worst Alchemy Masters into peak Alchemy Masters with only a few words.
It was an unprecedented feeling for her to see her Dao of Alchemy grow so fast just from listening to Su Yang speak a few words.
At first, she wondered what kind of lectures he'll be giving her. Truly, she didn't expect his lectures to be so simple and straightforward. It was almost as if she was listening to him read her a book on the Dao of Alchemy — one that highlighted the most important things whilst filtering out the useless ones.
Su Yang continued to lecture Wang Shuren through the hours, and after four hours of lecturing her, he decided to see how much she has improved.
"Go ahead and concoct another Burning Dragon Pill," he said to her.
"I will have to get more ingredients from the treasury," she said.
Su Yang nodded.
When Wang Shuren went to the treasury to ask for more ingredients for a Burning Dragon Pill, the Sect did not deny her request, as they didn't want to anger her. Because of her Profound Advancement Pills that she disguised as Burning Lotus Pill, the Sect Master of the Burning Lotus Sect gave her status within the Sect that was only slightly lower than his own. And since Wang Shuren refused to share her secrets to concocting the Profound Advancement Pill, the Burning Lotus Sect has no choice but to treat her with far more respect than they would to any other Sect Elder.
Once Wang Shuren obtained the ingredients, she rushed back to her living quarters where Su Yang waited, where she immediately began concocting the pill mere seconds after her return.
When she finished the inspection and grinding, she realized that her speed remained basically the same as before, almost as though there were no improvements. However, she was not disheartened by that fact and continued on with concocting the pill.
And in mere minutes after Wang Shuren began concocting the Burning Dragon Pill, she finally began realizing the effects Su Yang's lectures had on her Dao of Alchemy.
Not only was she feeling more at ease with controlling the cauldron temperature, but her energy was also depleting at a much lower rate than before Su Yang's lecture.
After four mere hours of simple lecture from Su Yang, her Dao of Alchemy had advanced by leaps and bounds. If she had studied on her own without his help, it might have taken her months if not years to achieve such growth.
"Just who is this man?!" Wang Shuren was greatly shocked in her heart.
She knew that Su Yang's young appearance was extremely deceptive to his real abilities, but she still couldn't comprehend his real background.
And while he wore the robes of the Profound Blossom Sect, a place that isn't even worth mentioning by many great Sects, Su Yang has only shown her things that she couldn't imagine coming from even the biggest and most powerful Sects and families within the Eastern Continent!
How could a mere disciple from the Profound Blossom Sect have Immortal-grade techniques that even the wealthiest Sects in the Eastern Continent could only dream about obtaining?
How could a mere disciple from the Profound Blossom Sect be this experienced in the Dao of Alchemy?
Wang Shuren simply couldn't believe it.
"Stop thinking about useless things in your head and focus on the cauldron," Su Yang suddenly said to her.
Wang Shuren felt a shiver down her spine from Su Yang's sharpness. It was almost as if he could read her mind.
"The Burning Lotus Sect must not, under any circumstances, offend him! Even if he's a single individual, the Sect cannot afford to offend someone like him!" Wang Shuren swore to herself that she wouldn't offend Su Yang even if he were to kill her family before her very eyes. He was simply that terrifying of an existence in her eyes.
After thinking that, Wang Shuran got rid of all the unnecessary thoughts in her head and focused solely on the cauldron before her.
-
-
-
Six hours later, Wang Shuran retrieved the Burning Dragon Pill from the cauldron with a bewildered expression.
Not only did she manage to concoct the pill in half the time than her previous attempts but her body was also not as sweaty. Her Dao of Alchemy has grown far more than she'd expected.
Chapter 197 Midnight Pleasure
"What do you think about this pill compared to the previous one?" Wang Shuren asked Su Yang as she casually handed him the Burning Dragon Pill, something the Burning Lotus Sect treats as a priceless treasure.
Su Yang glanced at the pill for a few seconds before saying, "A little bit better, but it's still not good enough."
"Is that so…"
Wang Shuren felt confident in this new pill, but alas, it still didn't manage to get his approval. Although she didn't show it, Wang Shuren really wanted to help him concoct this pill, as this is the only way she could repay him for everything he's given her, even if it's just slightly.
"However, I can tell that you have truly comprehended my lecture, so you will reach that point after some more practice," Su Yang continued.
"Really? Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and continue on with the lectures!" Wang Shuren hadn't felt this motivated to be lectured for many years; it was a refreshing feeling to her.
Su Yang nodded and immediately began his next lecture.
For the second lecture, since Wang Shuren already knows her own weakness, Su Yang delved a bit deeper into her technique, explaining all of its secrets and how to utilize them properly, dumbfounded Wang Shuren, who didn't expect there to be so much more about the technique that she thought was already at its limit.
The lecture lasted for only two hours this time, but what Wang Shuren learned from these two hours has far exceeded what she has achieved all her life.
After the lecture, Su Yang said to her, "You can continue to practice on your own now. I will be back tomorrow to see your progress, and hopefully, I can let you concoct the pill without any worries that you might fail."
"Where will you be going? It's almost midnight, so you might get stopped by somebody from the Sect if they see you wandering around. If you want, I can arrange a living quarter for you here." Wang Shuren said to him.
"I will be fine," he quickly responded. "And I already have a place in mind."
"Is that so…? Then I won't bother you anymore."
Su Yang then left Wang Shuren's living quarters, leaving her alone to cultivate her technique even further.
A few seconds later, he activated the Nine Astral Steps and disappeared into the night.
-
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Inside her own living quarters, Zhang Xiu Ying laid on her bed with wide eyes, her gaze staring out the window and into the starry sky with a dazed feeling in them.
"He really remembered me…" she thought about her time with Su Yang inside the Burning Lotus Auction House.
When Su Yang left on that day, she was sure that he'd forget about her after some time, especially when taking into consideration his indifferent attitude towards her at that time.
However, her imagination turned out to be just an imagination, and Su Yang even became more approachable and friendly than before. Her meeting him again and in such a fashion was more than she could ever ask for, hence why she's still awake from being too excited.
"I wonder if I will ever see him again?"
Just as she mumbled those words, she could hear someone knocking on the door to her house.
"Who is it?"
Zhang Xiu Ying went to open the doors.
"S-Su Yang?!"
When she saw Su Yang standing before her, she was left completely flabbergasted.
"W-What are you doing here? What happened to Elder Wang?" she asked him.
"I am waiting for her to finish something, so I came here to kill time. Am I not welcomed?" he spoke.
"R-Ridiculous! You are more than welcome here!" Zhang Xiu Ying quickly allowed Su Yang inside without a care for the Sect Rules regarding visitors after midnight.
Once Su Yang was inside her house, Zhang Xiu Ying sighed to herself inwardly, "Thankfully I am now an Inner Court disciple and have a house to myself."
She cannot imagine what would happen if her old roommates were here to see her bring another man into her house and even so late into the night.
"Anyway, what brings you here at this time?" Zhang Xiu Ying asked him, her heart beating slightly faster than normal, almost like she was expecting something.
"Do you recall what I said to you this morning?" he said with a smile on his face.
"T-T-T-T-This m-m-m-m-morning?" Zhang Xiu Ying obviously remembers, but she thought that he said such words only to provoke those disciples and did not expect him to really mean it!
"Y-You weren't joking?" she asked him with her heart pounding as loud as war drums.
"What? You thought I was only joking?"
Zhang Xiu Ying slowly nodded.
Su Yang smiled and began approaching her.
"Do you think I am still joking now?" he whispered in her ears once he pulled her into his embrace.
Zhang Xiu Ying shook her and mumbled with a sheepish voice, "I will be in your care once again…"
A few moments later, once Zhang Xiu Ying and Su Yang were inside the bedroom, they both removed their clothes and began feeling the warmth from each other's body.
However, unlike their first time together at the Burning Lotus Action House that was very one-sided, Su Yang willingly embraced Zhang Xiu Ying with passion this time, treating her as though she was one of his women.
"Ahh… Yes…"
Zhang Xiu Ying was overwhelmed with pure joy and pleasure as she felt Su Yang's thick rod enter her body once again.
The feeling of his thick rod that was as hard as steel, the burning sensation of pleasure that caused her body to tremble with delight, and the unique scent that emitted from Su Yang's body — all of these caused Zhang Xiu Ying to reminiscence the time they spent inside that dimly lit room at the Burning Lotus Auction House.
"This feeling… I have been longing for this ever since that day…" Zhang Xiu Ying thought to herself as she moaned her heart out.
Chapter 198 Midnight Assaul
Somewhere inside a building within the Burning Lotus Sect, a young man was destroying the furniture in his room whilst shouting angrily, "That fucking bitch! Not only did she snitch on me to aunty, causing her to scold me endlessly, but she also dares to act so intimate with another man from the Profound Blossom Sect?!"
This angry individual was Wang Ming, Wang Shuren's cousin. When his disgraceful behaviors were exposed to Wang Shuren by Zhang Xiu Ying with the help of Su Yang, such as how he'd abuse his status within the Sect by pressuring female disciple without any backing to sleep with him, Wang Shuren immediately reported back to the Wang Family for his punishment.
And once the Wang Family learned his of his scandalous deeds, they immediately called him back to the family to punish him by beating him until he could not even sleep due to the pain all over his body.
"It's all because of that slut that all of my face and credibility are gone! Now everyone in the family will see me as some sort of a rapist!" Wang Ming's eyes turned red from rage.
After spending a few minutes to thrash the room and calming down a bit, Wang Ming suddenly had a thought appeared in his mind.
"Since I am already branded as a rapist, I might as well become one! And because it was you who forced me into this corner, I will come to you first, Zhang Xiu Ying!" His heart burned with the thought of revenge, and the first one to appear in his mind was Zhang Xiu Ying, the one who caused him to be in this situation.
Wang Ming then retrieved an Appearance Reforming Pill and swallowed it, transforming his face into that some stranger. As for his clothing, because he was still within the Burning Lotus Sect and it is past midnight, he couldn't risk walking around with clothes that did not belong to the Sect, increasing the chances of him being caught.
Once he finished planning for his revenge, Wang Ming left his living quarters and began heading towards Zhang Xiu Ying's living quarters.
Inside his mind, he was thinking about all the things he'd do to Zhang Xiu Ying once she was in his hands. "Luckily for me, she's now an Inner Court disciple, so she lives alone!" he inwardly snickered.
"I will make her regret snitching on me! And once I have my fun with her, I will erase all evidence that could put me ask risk — including Zhang Xiu Ying herself!"
Under the starry sky, while most disciples were asleep or cultivating in their room, Wang Ming made his way to Zhang Xiu Ying's living quarters with his heart burning with lustful desires and his mind filled with revenge. He simply couldn't wait to start torturing Zhang Xiu Ying.
Sometime later, once Wang Ming could see Zhang Xiu Ying's living quarters, his grin grew into a wide smile that was filled with evil intent.
"The lights are off… is she asleep?" Wang Ming hoped that she was actually asleep and not away from home, as he'd have to find another female disciple to release his anger on.
However, just as Wang Ming began approaching Zhang Xiu Ying's house, a voice filled with indifference resounded in his ears.
"After sitting here for so long, I was beginning to wonder if you would even show up…"
"Who's there?!" Wang Ming felt a burning sensation in his heart when he heard the voice appear out of the blue and immediately began looking around with a panicked face.
A figure slowly appeared before him a few seconds later.
"Y-Y-You are!!!" Wang Ming's heart shook when Su Yang's face appeared before him. How could he still be here when it's already past midnight? But most importantly, why is he here right now? Could he have known about his plans to assault Zhang Xiu Ying tonight? That's absurd! In Wang Ming's heart, unless he had time traveled from the future, there was no possible way that Su Yang could've known about his plans when he'd just thought of it!
"W-Who are you?! A-And w-what are you doing here?! Guests are not allowed in here past midnight!" Wang Ming began acting as if he was just an ordinary disciple.
Still, with a calm expression, Su Yang spoke, "Did you really think that I would not notice you stalking us ever since the beginning? Even if you hide your presence, your obnoxious stares are as plain as day!"
"W-What are you talking about?!" Wang Ming continued to act ignorant, but there were already clear signs of heavy sweating on his robes.
Su Yang shook his head inwardly at Wang Ming's bad acting. He had noticed Wang Ming following them — mostly Zhang Xiu Ying — before their little commotion with the three Inner Court and Core disciples. And one of the reasons why he decided to meet Zhang Xiu Ying at this time was because he had expected something like this would happen, and he wanted to make sure she was safe. But even if Wang Ming did not show up tonight, he would have still ensured that Wang Ming would not be able to exact his revenge after he left.
"We both know why you are here right now, but unfortunately for you, it might not go as planned. Don't you also think so, Wang Ming?"
Wang Ming could be seen trembling visibly by now. He knew very well what Su Yang was capable of because he was also there to witness the one-sided beatdown at the Lotus City.
"W-W-Wait a moment! L-Let's talk about this! What do you want from me? I will do anything!" Knowing that he won't be able to run away from him, Wang Ming dropped to the floor and began kowtowing for his mercy.
"There's nothing you have that I want. Even if you do, I wouldn't touch anything that you have already touched even with a ten-foot stick!" Su Yang said with narrowed eyes, his voice so cold that it nearly froze Wang Ming's heart when he heard it.
Chapter 199 Midnight Torture
"W-Why are you doing this?! Is it because of her, Zhang Xiu Ying?! Just what is she to you?!" Wang Ming cried with teary eyes and a runny nose.
Su Yang looked at his pitiful expression without any emotions on his face, and he spoke with a cold voice, "You know what I hate more than people using force upon others? People who use their status to pressure those who do not have the means to defend themselves — people like you."
Su Yang began approaching the trembling Wang Ming with slow steps.
"Even if Zhang Xiu Ying didn't ask, I would've gotten rid of you so that there will be fewer victims in this world."
Wang Ming's complexion was as pale as sheets right now, looking like there was no blood in his system and almost like a ghoul.
"P-P-Please… I beg of you… d-don't kill me…" Wang Ming's face was covered in snot and tears, looking like he'd just witnessed his lover die in his arms. His legs were moving unconsciously, taking a step back whenever Su Yang took a step forward.
"Kill you? Don't worry, I won't kill you," Su Yang said with a mysterious smile.
Wang Ming regained some light in his eyes after hearing words, feeling a bit more hopeful, but such a feeling only lasted for a few seconds until Su Yang continued speaking.
"Death is too light of a punishment for someone like you, so I will have you experience so much pain that you'd be begging for me to kill you!"
"W-W-Wait… No… Please..." Wang Ming's face expressed fear beyond anything he's experienced.
"H-H-Help! Help me! There's an intruder trying to kill me!"
Wang Ming suddenly started screaming at the top of his lungs. If he can't stop Su Yang alone, then he will alert the entire Sect and have them deal with him for him!
"Somebody! Help! There's an intruder! He's a spy trying to bring harm to the Burning Lotus Sect!"
Wang Ming continued to scream for a few moments, but even after many minutes of screaming, nobody arrived to help him — not even a shadow.
"W-What's going on?! Why isn't there anybody coming?!" Wang Ming looked around with a bewildered expression. Surely someone must've heard his voice even if they are deep asleep, especially the Sect Elders, yet why hasn't anyone arrived after so long?
"What's wrong? Maybe you aren't screaming loud enough, so why don't you keep on screaming for a little longer?" Su Yang said to him with a mocking smile on his calm expression, almost like he was entertained from watching Wang Ming scream in disarray.
"W-What have you done? This is your doing, isn't it?! Who are you, really?!" Wang Ming spoke in a hoarse voice that was caused by all that screaming.
"I figured that you'd do something like this, so I created a formation around this place beforehand, one that prevents any noises from getting out no matter how loud you scream. You should thank me, as you won't have to worry about any interference once you start screaming like a pig…"
"No… No, no, no, no, no, no, no!!!"
Wang Ming couldn't see a handsome young man when looking at Su Yang and could only see a demonic being standing there with his own life in Su Yang's hands.
Su Yang no longer felt like delaying this any longer and began approaching Wang Ming once again, and he spoke with each step taken, "Trapped… helpless… fear… despair… hopelessness… pain… hatred… powerless… these are all the feelings that you have caused your victims, and karma is a bitch — especially when I am the one serving it!"
Wang Ming had no intent on fighting Su Yang and immediately turned around to run despite knowing very well that he would not be able to escape Su Yang's grasp.
"Why are you running?"
Whoosh!
Bloodlust suddenly appeared from Su Yang as he retrieved his sword. And not even a second later, Su Yang brandished his sword, sending a stream of sword light towards the running Wang Ming.
And because it was behind him, Wang Ming was completely oblivious to the fact that he was being chased down by Su Yang's sword attack.
An instant later, the sword light created by Su Yang caught up to Wang Ming, and like cutting two branches off a tree with a sword, it directly sliced through Wang Ming's legs, completely crippling his ability to stand, much less run.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Suddenly having his legs cut off and without the ability to run anymore, Wang Ming fell on his face and began screaming in pain, his hoarse voice filled with agony.
Once Wang Ming fell on the floor, Su Yang casually walked up to him and raised the sword in his hand high into the air.
"W-W-Wait…" Wang Ming tried to resist the pain that was all over his bottom half to beg for mercy.
"No." Su Yang said coldly with the sword in his hand already heading cleaving down at Wang Ming.
Pap!
Wang Ming suddenly felt the two balls hanging from his lower body explode into a bloody mess.
"?&@*#$^%&@!" The blood-curdling scream that came out of Wang Ming a second later did not even resemble any sound made by a human and sounded more like a pig's scream.
And because of the constant pain in his body, Wang Ming fell unconscious — only to wake up a few seconds later from the intense pain that kept jolting his inner body, and such a cycle would keep repeating itself for some time.
And since Su Yang did not want Wang Ming to die from losing too much blood, he would force high-quality restoration pills down Wang Ming's throat to keep his body regenerating blood, keeping him barely alive.
"Please… just kill me already…" Wang Ming was so exhausted from all that screaming that he didn't even have the strength to cry anymore. And just like Su Yang had said before all this, Wang Ming began begging to be killed instead.
"You may be done, but I am not finished with you. The night is still very young, so let's enjoy this while it lasts…" Su Yang spoke with an indifferent expression and narrowed eyes on his handsome face, his cold glares piercing directly into Wang Ming's soul that was already on the verge of collapsing.
"My Lord... please… have mercy…" Wang Ming fell unconscious again from shock — only to wake up again a few seconds later because Su Yang had gently kicked him in his open wound.
Chapter 200 Wang Ming's Death
Under the starry sky and concealed by a sound-proof formation, Su Yang tortured Wang Ming for two hours without rest, treating him as though he was a prison in hell. Su Yang simply had no sympathy for someone like Wang Ming, people who disregard others' feelings for their own lustful pleasure.
\"This is getting boring,\" said Su Yang, who didn't even blink from hearing Wang Ming's blood-curdling screams and seeing his agonizing expressions.
\"...\"
Wang Ming had long lost his voice from screaming too much. His eyes were white without pupils, his body was twitching like a bug after being squashed, and there was even foam coming out his mouth.
And despite his heart still beating, Wang Ming might as well be dead in his current state. However, what's caused Wang Ming the most pain in all of this was how Su Yang did not stop after destroying his balls and went as far as to slice off his rod, completely destroying his manhood, even laughing at him for its small size afterward.
\"Hmm?\" Su Yang raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Wang Ming's heart had stopped beating a few moments later.
\"Aiya… even though I had said that I wouldn't kill you… what a shame...\" Su Yang looked at Wang Ming's lifeless body without a shred of emotion in his eyes. It was almost as if he wasn't seeing a human from Wang Ming's body but just a pile of trash instead.
A few seconds later, Su Yang slightly waved his sleeves, and a small ball of Alchemy Flame was tossed onto Wang Ming's body, quickly engulfing his corpse.
Not even a few moments later, the only thing that remained of Wang Ming was the ashes of his body.
Once Wang Ming's existence was completely erased from this world, Su Yang retrieved the concealing formation and casually walked back to Zhang Xiu Ying's house, looking as though the last few hours did not really occur.
\"Su Yang…?\" Zhang Xiu Ying, who had been asleep this whole time, slowly opened her eyes when Su Yang entered the room.
\"I had trouble sleeping so I went out for a walk,\" he said with a gentle voice.
Zhang Xiu Ying did not notice him leaving the room at all.
\"It's a bit dangerous for you to wander around the Sect at such a time… According to the Sect Rules, you aren't supposed to be here right now, after all…\" she warned him.
\"Nobody noticed me so I will be fine.\" Su Yang said as he entered the bed that Zhang Xiu Ying was sleeping in, not even mentioning about Wang Ming's attempt to assault her tonight.
Su Yang did not erase Wang Ming because he wanted to please Zhang Xiu Ying, nor did he expect a reward from her for his deeds. He did it because he genuinely despised people like him and wanted him gone, so in his mind, there was no need for him to tell Zhang Xiu Ying about Wang Ming at all, as she will find out sooner or later anyway.
A few seconds later, once he was under the sheets, Su Yang cuddled Zhang Xiu Ying's body, who was completely naked underneath, slowly falling asleep from each other's warmth.
-
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The next morning, Su Yang left Zhang Xiu Ying's living quarters early in the morning and returned to Wang Shuren's room to see how much she's progressed overnight.
\"I'm actually surprised that you didn't get caught wandering around the Sect after midnight. Where did you go? Did you leave the Sect?\" Wang Shuren said to him when she didn't hear any commotion last night, something she was expecting.
\"It's a secret,\" Su Yang responded with a smile.
\"Anyway, show me your progress.\"
Wang Shuren retrieved two bottles upon hearing his words, each pill bottle containing a Burning Dragon Pill.
\"Not bad considering that you only had one night,\" Su Yang nodded slightly after inspecting the pills.
\"However, you are still far from what I have in mind.\"
\"...\" Wang Shuren was speechless. Just how much does her Dao of Alchemy have to grow before she could even attempt to concoct the pill? Could the pill that he wanted her to concoct be an Immortal-grade pill? Is that why he didn't want to disclose details of the pill to her? Because it would cause her to lose spirit?
\"Don't worry, I will stay here to lecture you until you reach that point, which shouldn't be too far in the future.\" Su Yang continued speaking.
\"How long do you think it will take?\" Wang Shuren couldn't help but ask.
\"Before the sun descends,\" he responded with a confident smile.
\"T-That fast?\" Wang Shuren was dumbfounded.
A few minutes later, once Wang Shuren changed out of her dirty robes, Su Yang began lecturing her again.
However, Su Yang did not just stand there and speak this time and was actually teaching her as she concocted the pills, allowing her to grasp the technique at a much quicker pace than before.
Every mistake she made, Su Yang would instantly notice it and point it out for her to fix.
And after being taught by Su Yang for only a few hours, Wang Shuren couldn't help but feel inferior as a fellow teacher.
Although Su Yang seemed to be casually lecturing her, there was a difference like heaven and earth between the two of them in terms of their ability to affect whoever they're teaching, and it made Wang Shuren feel ashamed to be beside him as a fellow teacher.
She knew that no matter how much time she spends as a teacher that she will never be able to replicate what Su Yang was doing to her own disciples.
\"It's hard to believe your young appearance when you are this masterful in so many things… I wouldn't be surprised if you turn out to be some ancient expert in disguise,\" she said to him with a curious expression.
Su Yang showed a mysterious at her words and said, \"You'd have to be a fool to depend on one's appearance in the world of cultivation, as that's one of the biggest misconceptions in the cultivation world.\"
\"Can I take those words as a confirmation to my own just now — that you are actually an old man in disguise?\" Wang Shuren looked at him with narrowed eyes.
\"Take what you want from my words, but this body of mine is without a doubt only 16 years old.\"
\"Huh? You are only 16 years old?\" Wang Shuren looked at him with wide eyes and her jaws on the floor, her expression filled with disbelief and shock, almost like she was looking at a ghost.
Chapter 201 Preparing to Concoct the Soul Divination Pill
Wang Shuren couldn't believe that Su Yang was only 16 years old, especially not with the amount of knowledge he's shown her, as such extensive knowledge is not something a mere 16 years old can imagine achieving — not even these so-called prodigies!
"I-I do not believe you!" Wang Shuren said as she pulled out a crystal ball from her storage ring.
"This thing is called an Age Crystal; it peers into one's bones to determine the age of the individual with 100% accuracy. If you really are 16 years old, then you wouldn't be afraid to—"
Before Wang Shuren could even finish her sentence, Su Yang placed his hands on the crystal ball, causing it to glow a light green color, and the number 16 appeared inside the crystal a few seconds later.
"I-I-Impossible! You really are only 16 years old!" Wang Shuren felt extremely dizzy at this moment. How could Su Yang be 16 years old when his knowledge in the Dao of Alchemy is as vast as an ocean, something even experts with hundreds of years of experience could not hope to achieve and only stare at with jealousy? It just didn't make sense no matter how she thought about it!
However, if Su Yang happened to be the reincarnation of the God of Alchemy, then perhaps it would make his achievements much more believable in Wang Shuren's eyes.
"Enough talking about me," Su Yang suddenly said. "The sun is already setting, so concoct one more Burning Dragon Pill for me."
Although she was still greatly shocked by her discovery, Wang Shuren poured all of her focus on the Burning Dragon Pill.
After receiving Su Yang's lecture for nearly half a day without rest, she was confident that she could concoct the pill while half asleep, but because she wanted it to show Su Yang her best pill, she didn't dare to spare anything less than her maximum effort.
A few hours later, right as the moon appeared in the sky, Wang Shuren retrieved the pill from the cauldron and handed it to Su Yang with a bright smile on her face.
"95% high-grade quality," Su Yang nodded upon inspecting the pill.
He then turned to Wang Shuren and said, "Go ahead and take a break to restore your energy. You will be concocting the pill right afterward."
Wang Shuren nodded and went to change her robes and even relaxed in the bath for a bit.
Once she returned to the room, Su Yang handed her the recipe for the Soul Divination Pill and the process of concocting it.
"Memorize this before we start," he said.
"Soul Divination Pill? I have never heard of this pill before…" Wang Shuren thought to herself as she read its contents.
"And it even requires this many herbs…" Wang Shuren was slightly taken back by a lot of the herbs on this list, as more than a third of them were unheard of to her.
"W-What will happen if I don't succeed in concocting this pill?" Wang Shuren asked him with a worried tone. She was no longer confident of her abilities despite the advancements in her Dao of Alchemy after seeing the Soul Divination Pill.
"You don't have to worry about that because I will be concocting this pill alongside you," said Su Yang.
"What?" Wang Shuren looked at him with a puzzled face.
She's never heard of two people concocting the same pill at the same time before.
"You will understand when the time comes. As for now, just focus on memorizing the recipe and your role in concocting the pill."
"If you say so…" Wang Shuren no longer bothered him and focused on studying the recipe.
Meanwhile, Su Yang also prepared himself for the pill concoction, as he will need to partake in something dangerous while Wang Shuren concocted the pill.
A few hours later, once Wang Shuren was filled with energy, Su Yang said to her, "Do you have the recipe memorized?"
Wang Shuren nodded with a serious expression, "I can even recall the entire thing backward."
Su Yang then sat on the other side of the cauldron in front of Wang Shuren and continued, "Before we start, I will explain a few things. During the concocting of the pill, I will be mixing my blood with the ingredients and a few other things, so it will be much more difficult to main control for you. However, you don't have to worry about it because I will be assisting you when that happens. And I'm aware that you have never concocted a pill in such a fashion before, but all you need to do is focus on your part."
One of the few reasons why Su Yang decided to not concoct the Soul Divination Pill alone is because in order for the pill to be fully efficient on him, the Soul Divination Pill required fresh blood that came straight from the body while also needing to enhance that blood with a unique technique before mixing it with the other ingredients in the cauldron, and it would be difficult even for someone like Su Yang to maintain his control over the cauldron while doing all of that, hence why he sought Wang Shuren to help him concoct the pill in his stead.
That being said, it is entirely possible to concoct the Soul Divination Pill without his blood, but the effect it will have on his body will be greatly reduced. In other words, there was a high chance that the Soul Divination Pill would not be able to accurately find the other soul in his body even if it exists.
After listening to his words, Wang Shuren nodded and began inspecting the ingredients. But because she didn't know many of these herbs, Su Yang helped her go through them, making the entire process much faster.
After inspection, Wang Shuren began grinding the herbs until it turns into powder, while Su Yang closed his eyes to prepare for the pill concoction later.
Chapter 202 Consuming the Soul Divination Pill
Once the pill concoction began, the entire room turned silent.
Wang Shuren moved with swiftness and sharpness but each of her movements was also made with precision and care. She was extremely cautious with the ingredients she tossed into the cauldron, treating them as though they were fragile treasures, as a single burned ingredient meant the end of this pill concoction.
Su Yang assisted her with controlling the cauldron's temperature for now so she could focus on the ingredients inside, making it much easier for her.
After a few hours when they are finally at a crucial part of the concoction, Su Yang stopped controlling the flames and retrieved the Heaven-grade Spiritual Weapon he had obtained inside the Immortal's Treasury — the Black Scorpion — and sliced a small wound at the tip of his thumb.
Although the Black Scorpion poisons anything it comes in contact with, Su Yang, being the owner of this Black Scorpion, had the ability to seal the poison inside the dagger so he wouldn't be poisoned to death.
"I will transfer the control back to you now," Su Yang said to Wang Shuren before he stopped supporting the Alchemy Flames.
Once there was an opening on his finger, Su Yang began mumbling a profound scripture, causing the Profound Qi in his body to react in frenzy and rush towards the small wound on his fingers.
A few seconds later, Su Yang removed the cauldron lid and dripped a single drop of his fresh blood into the cauldron to mix with the ingredients.
The instant his blood mixed with the ingredients, Wang Shuren could feel something profound and inexplicable happening to the ingredient, and the energy inside Wang Shuren began draining at a much faster rate.
"W-What is happening?" Wang Shuren was shocked when the cauldron began absorbing her energy at a pace that she has never experienced before. As a matter of fact, she's never even heard of such a phenomenon. It was almost like the cauldron had suddenly turned into a black hole with an endless hunger for energy.
"Focus on the cauldron!" Su Yang's sudden voice forced Wang Shuren out of her daze.
"I-I'm sorry!" Wang Shuren's heart raced. If she had dozed off for just a few more seconds, then everything in the cauldron would've burned to a crisp.
And when Wang Shuren thought that was the end, Su Yang used the Black Scorpion to cut another wound on his other fingers.
After he recited a few more profound techniques, Su Yang dripped four more drops of blood into the cauldron with a few seconds in-between each one.
And with each additional drop of blood mixed into the cauldron, Wang Shuren would feel the mysterious force that was absorbing her energy growing stronger.
Luckily, by the time Wang Shuren almost ran out of strength, Su Yang finished his part and took over the pill concoction.
"I will now take over until the end, thank you." Su Yang said to her with a smile.
Wang Shuren laid on the floor while breathing heavily, her robes soaked in sweat. Just those last few minutes felt like she'd been concocting pills for days without rest; it was extremely exhausting.
Once she rested enough, Wang Shuren watched Su Yang concoct the pill with wide eyes.
"To last this long without a drop of sweat on his body, just how much Profound Qi does this guy have?" she wondered inwardly, as she didn't want to disturb him.
"Not to mention just how casually he took over my control over the cauldron…"
Normally, one wouldn't be able to replace the individual that is already concocting a pill without needing some time to adjust to the situation, as each Alchemy Master has their own technique and unique methods. Yet Su Yang somehow replaced Wang Shuren and continued concocting the pill without even a slight pause in-between; it was almost like Wang Shuren had never left in the first place, something Wang Shuren herself cannot comprehend.
A little bit over ten minutes after Su Yang replaced Wang Shuren, Su Yang finished concocting the pill and removed the lid on the cauldron, retrieving the blood-red colored pill inside the cauldron.
Although she didn't comprehend the feeling, when Wang Shuren saw the Soul Divination Pill for the first time, she felt something deep inside her consciousness tremble with excitement.
"That is the Soul Divination Pill? It looks so ordinary yet so… profound…"
However, Su Yang did respond to her and instead tossed the Soul Divination Pill into his mouth immediately after taking it out of the cauldron, dumbfounding Wang Shuren.
"You are going to consume it right now?!" she exclaimed with surprise.
After consuming the Soul Divination Pill, Su Yang sat down and closed his eyes to cultivate.
When Wang Shuren saw this, afraid that she'd bother him, she quickly left the room.
"Master! Are you finally done?" Xiao Yawen asked Wang Shuren the moment she left the room, almost like she had stood there waiting for her the entire time.
"Yes," Wang Shuren nodded. "Why do you have such an expression on your face?"
She then asked Xiao Yawen upon seeing her worried face.
"The thing is… somebody found a pile of what looked like ashes somewhere in the Inner Court, and it turned out to be human ashes…"
"What? Who could be this disrespectful towards another human? Do they know who the ashes belonged to?" Wang Shuren felt slightly disgusted by the actions of this individual.
"Well… there are no official words from the Sect yet, but there have been rumors going around that the ashes belong to… Wang Ming, Master's cousin." Xiao Yawen spoke with a reserved tone, as it is only a rumor and not confirmed.
"What?! Wang Ming?! How could he be dead when I saw him just before I began selling the Burning Lotus Pills?! I am going to see him right now!"
"Wait!" Xiao Yawen quickly stopped her and said, "That might be somewhat difficult, as Wang Ming's been missing since this morning."
Wang Shuren's eyes widened with shock. Could Wang Ming really be dead? If that's really true, how did it happen? How did he die so suddenly? Although she sees him as a disgrace to the Wang Family because of his actions, he still belonged to her family at the end of the day, and if someone killed him, she will have to look for answers — not for herself but for Wang Ming's parents.
Chapter 203 Wang Family's Grief
After hearing that Wang Ming might be dead, Wang Shuren immediately went to his living quarters. However, when she arrived, there were over two dozen disciples already surrounding Wang Ming's house along with a few Sect Elders.
\"Elder Wang!\"
When the Sect Elder noticed Wang Shuren's approaching figure, they immediately went to greet her.
However, because of the situation, neither of the Sect Elders had a pleasant expression on their faces.
\"What is going on? Are the rumors true? That my cousin is dead and you found his ashes?\" Wang Shuren did not beat around the bush and asked them.
Although they seemed hesitant at first, the Sect Elders nodded their heads and said, \"Indeed, the ashes have been determined to be Wang Ming. What's more, he was burned to death by Alchemy Flames…\"
\"What?! Alchemy Flames?! Impossible!\" Wang Shuren expressed shock, but she was more surprised by the Alchemy Flames part than the death of Wang Ming, as it would require extremely powerful Alchemy Flames to burn someone to death, much less until they are reduced to ashes.
\"In this entire Sect, there is only one individual who could possibly achieve such a feat — the Sect Master! However, why would the Sect Master secretly kill someone, much less a disciple such as Wang Ming?\"
After pondering some more, another individual that might be able to achieve this feat appeared in her head. However, if it really turned out to be that person, there's nothing she nor the Sect could do to avenge Wang Ming.
\"What do you think we should do about this, Elder Wang? And if possible, I would like for you, as someone from the Wang Family, to let his family know of his death…\" one of the Sect Elders asked her, as they didn't want to be the ones to engage the Wang Family's wrath.
\"I will let the Wang Family know about Wang Ming, and as for his death, tell the Sect Master that the Wang Family will also be handling the investigations,\" said Wang Shuren after pondering for some time.
\"I will let the Sect Master know right away.\"
Before the Sect Elders left, they chased away the curious disciples surrounding Wang Ming's living quarters, as they did not want the disciples to look disrespectful towards the dead.
Once the Sect Elders left, Wang Shuren also left the Burning Lotus Sect to return to the Wang Family.
\"What did you just say? Wang Ming is dead? And he even died within the Burning Lotus Sect?\" The head of the Wang Family, Wang Chen, frowned upon hearing the news, his face filled with anger.
Although he felt nothing but disappointment after learning of Wang Ming's disgraceful behaviors, Wang Ming was still his son, and to hear that his son had died right after the Wang Family punished him, Wang Chen felt slightly guilty and a bit of regret.
\"My son is dead…?\" Wang Ming's mother broke down in tears on the spot, feeling even more devastated than the moment she learned that her son turned out to be a rapist. After all, no matter how much of a troublemaker Wang Ming was, at least he was still alive.
\"Do you have any idea who the killer is? Is it a fellow disciple?\" Wang Chen asked her with a somewhat calm voice despite boiling with anger.
\"What about the cause of death? Was it the result of some dispute?\" he continued to ask questions.
\"We do not have any clue as to who may have killed Wang Ming, but he died after being burned to death…\" Wang Shuren finally revealed to them the true horror of his death. \"When we found Wang Ming, he was already in ashes…\"
When Wang Ming's mother heard this, she fainted on her seat, causing panic within the room.
\"Somebody bring my wife to her room to rest!\" Wang Chen cried out to the servants waiting outside.
Servants immediately came rushing in after hearing his words, and they gently moved the unconscious mother to her own room.
\"I don't believe it… how could he have died in such a fashion? And in his own Sect at that?\" Wang Chen shook his head in disbelief.
\"You don't even have a single suspect in mind? What about all those women he had wrongfully taken advantage of? Do you think one of them could have done it? Or at least have something to do with his death?\"
Wang Shuren shook her head and said, \"That's impossible because the fire used to kill Wang Ming was Alchemy Flames, so it must've been done by an Alchemy Master — and not an ordinary one at that.\"
\"Alchemy Flames?! Then that individual must have great power… but why would someone like that kill Wang Ming? Perhaps one of his victims had an extremely powerful backer? No, that wouldn't make sense, as she wouldn't have become his victim in the first place if she already had someone like that behind her…\"
Wang Shuren remained silent as Wang Chen pondered about the possibilities, not even mentioning about Su Yang, whom she was almost certain to be Wang Ming's killer, as there are many evidence that leads to him.
Not only did Su Yang match the killer's persona of a powerful Alchemy Master but he was also the first one to have shed light on Wang Ming's behavior at the Burning Lotus Sect, even forcing her to deal with him.
What's more, Su Yang had left Wang Shuren's side around the time Wang Ming's death, and he was even being secretive about where he'd been when Wang Shuren asked him.
All of these points made Wang Shuren confident that Su Yang was the one behind Wang Ming's death, but alas, even if she has such information, there was nothing she could do about it, as she wouldn't even dare to question him, much less hold him accountable for Wang Ming's death.
\"Whatever the reason was, Wang Ming could only blame himself for offending someone like Su Yang. Even if you are my cousin, I wouldn't offend him for someone like you, especially after all that you've done…\" Wang Shuren shrugged her shoulders and shook her head inwardly.