The students looked at each other in astonishment. What Li Yunxiao had said was completely beyond the scope of the textbook.
But, Luo Yunshang heard it all clearly!
Her pupils constricted as she blurted out, "If that is the case, the more sky crystal sand you add in the process of crafting weapons, the better. But, why is it that during the melting of carmot mixed with red copper, the more sky crystal sand is added, the more likely it is to fail?"
This was the problem that had puzzled her for days, and she could not find a solution no matter how hard she racked her brain. That was why she had been depressed these days. Now that she had blurted out the problem in her heart, she did not look like she was testing Yunxiao, but someone who was seeking advice.
The whole class looked at her with their mouths wide open. Why did she look so different from the learned, frosty, proud Teacher Luo they remembered?
Yunxiao answered patiently with the same carefree expression, "Because even though red copper's attribute is metal, it is actually inclined more toward the fire element. So, it has a great melting ability for carmot. As a result, many alchemists prefer carmot when upgrading red copper weapons. But, if it contains sky crystal sand, it's a different story."
He paused for a brief moment, and when he saw the look on Yunshang's face—the thirst for knowledge—he smiled and could not help remembering the disciples who had followed him. "Because the attribute of sky crystal sand is water, it neutralizes red copper's fire attribute. So, the more you add, the worse red copper's ability to melt carmot gets."
"Oh, I see!" Yunshang's eyes gleamed with excitement. "So that's why! No wonder I never succeeded. What should I do?"
"Very simple! Treat sky crystal sand as an impurity and use the refinement essence to remove it," Yunxiao said with a hint of a smile in his eyes.
"Ah!" Yunshang exclaimed again, "How could I be so stupid as to not think of such a simple solution!"
She began to calculate quickly in her mind; the process of crafting flashed through her head and finally came to an end. Her eyes suddenly brightened and her face glowed with a happy smile.
"Huh? Where's Li Yunxiao?"
She felt a surge of gratitude in her heart, but at the same time, she was greatly shocked—how could a wastrel who had been regarded as not having any talent in martial arts be even more knowledgeable in the art of weapon crafting than her, a genuine advanced apprentice alchemist?
With such an amazing weapon-crafting talent, his future was far brighter than practicing martial arts. Could a student like this be even considered a loser?
Li Yunxiao's past flashed through her mind as she blamed herself inwardly for failing to discover such an outstanding talent of her student, even though she was his teacher.
"He...he just left the classroom..." One student said obediently. The way he looked at Luo Yunshang had become unusually strange.
"What?" Yunshang arched her eyebrows and said angrily, "How could he ignore me and sneak away while we are in the middle of class?"
The student hastily withdrew his gaze and said weakly, "Didn't you say that if he can answer your question, he can skip the rest of your class? If I were him, I would go too."
"Bam!"
Yunshang slapped her palm on the lectern made of black iron, leaving a palm print on its surface while shocking the class. Everyone held their breath and dared not to make a sound. "Which one of you heard me say that?"
Her watery eyes swept across the students. Those glanced at by her were trembling and shaking their heads hurriedly, their faces turned pale. "No, you didn't say that! We were wrong! Teacher Luo never said that!"
Yunshang snorted coldly and said, "Class is over! Tell Li Yunxiao that if I don't see him in the next class, I'll send him to the tenfold gravity chamber for three days!"
"Three days!"
Everyone sucked in a cold breath as they watched Luo Yunshang kick open the classroom door and head for the Alchemy Hall like a gust of wind.
"Hey, can someone tell me what is going on?" Du Feng was the first to speak. He rose directly from his seat and went to a tall student. "Boss, what's going on?"
The tall student, Lan Fei, seemed to be the leader of a group of students, as he was soon surrounded by a crowd. "How would I know?" he said with a snort. "It seems that this brat Li Yunxiao knows a lot about weapon crafting."
"No way!" Shangguan Qing's eyes grew wide as he cried out, "Could he, a brat who has no talent in martial arts, actually be a genius in weapon crafting? What shall we do?"
"Pa!"
Lan Fei smacked him on the head with a textbook and said sulkily, "What genius? He has just read a few more books! To become an alchemist requires a lot more talent than a warrior. How can he walk the path of weapon-crafting when he can't even open a single chakra?"
"The boss is right!" The crowd echoed in agreement, their eyes sparkling with different looks.
Lan Fei pushed Shangguan Qing aside with one hand and saw several other people gathering at the other end of the classroom, whispering to each other. He sneered and said aloud, "No one is to tell Li Yunxiao what Teacher Luo said just now. If he attends the next class... hmph!"
His loud snort immediately made the others turn pale with fright, and when they saw him staring at them coldly, they all bowed their heads in anger.
He went on triumphantly, "Skinny Chen, Fatty Han, and you girls including Ruxue, you better not ruin this for me! If Li Yunxiao attends the next class, I'll be the first to settle the score with you!"
These few students were those usually close to Li Yunxiao, and could be said to be the opposite force to Lan Fei and his friends.
Qin Ruxue's face went cold as she clenched her palm into a fist and said angrily, "I'm going to tell him. What can you do to me? I dare you to lay a finger on me right now!"
Whoosh!
Lan Fei flew into a rage. He rose from his seat and strode up to the podium, then struck the black iron with a punch. With that, a shallow fist print appeared on the lectern.
"A mark on the black iron! Could it be that Lan Fei has opened seven chakras and condensed Yuan energy?"
"How is this even possible? If a man's seven chakras are all opened, he can step into the Origin Realm and be called a warrior! He is only fifteen years old!"
"Even if he hasn't opened them all, I reckon he's almost there. A fifteen-year-old warrior...Another genius has appeared in the State of Tianshui!"
The classroom was filled with emotional voices while dozens of gazes thrown over were full of envy, jealousy, and hate. This gave Lan Fei an air of superiority as he proudly pointed at Ruxue and said, "Although you are a princess, given my extraordinary talent, His Majesty would not blame me for bullying you once in a while."
Ruxue's face was pale with anger. She was about to rush up and beat Lan Fei when Chen Zhen and Han Bai held her back. Both of them were Yunxiao's hardcore supporters.
"Princess, we are weak now," Han Bai whispered, "so we better not start a fight with them."
More than sixty students in this class were the children of Tianshui dignitaries or loyal ministers, and they were naturally divided into two groups according to the factions of the ruling and opposition parties. The children of civil ministers, led by Lan Fei and Shangguan Qing, belonged to one group, while the children of military officials, led by Li Yunxiao, Han Bai, and others, belonged to another.
As the princess had always held the arrogance of Lan Fei and his people in detestation, she naturally sided with Li Yunxiao and the others.
While the classroom was in commotion, Li Yunxiao was already walking alone down the street in Tianshui's capital.
After his memories had awakened, his soul had begun to slowly regain its strength. The first to benefit was the strength of his divine sense. He examined his body quickly and carefully.
"This body is a bit troublesome. No wonder I was regarded as not having any talent in martial arts. Many invisible meridians have dried up, so they can't accumulate strength at all. Naturally, I can't open my chakras. I have to fix this body first...It looks like I won't be able to recover my strength anytime soon."
He looked up at the towering building looming ahead and strode toward it. "This is the capital of the state of Tianshui... I remember Yang Di is from here. I wonder if he's at the Association of Alchemists? All would be well if I could find him."
The Association of Alchemists was a presence with its influence spread throughout the Heavenly Martial Continent. Wherever it was, it enjoyed the highest esteem, and the Alchemists Tower was surely the tallest building in the area.
Yunxiao looked up at the Association of Alchemists. Although the tower was far inferior to those he had been in, it gave him a feeling of the utmost familiarity.
A few words were carved on an old stone slab in front of the tower: "Association of Alchemists, Tianshui Branch, The Year 1001 of Tianwu Calendar, Yang Di".
"This stone slab was rebuilt in the year 1001 of Tianwu Calendar? The year 1001? Oh right, it seems that this is the year that Yang Di was promoted to third-tier alchemist and became the president of the Tianshui branch. I wonder if he's still here."
Yunxiao had lived in the state of Tianshui for fifteen years, but the branch president of the Association of Alchemists was not the kind of person he could reach. In fact, the highest level alchemist he knew was called Liang Wenyu, a second-tier alchemist.
There was no guard outside the tower, because no one dared to stir up trouble here, and the hidden power inside was enough to make this secluded Association of Alchemists one of the safest places in Tianshui.
He pushed the door open and walked in. The spacious hall inside was much larger than it looked from the outside. The noisy crowd made the interior of the tower extremely lively, which gave him a feeling as if he had suddenly stepped into a bustling market from a quiet countryside.
"Welcome to the Association of Alchemists!"
A melodious voice came into his ears, and then he saw a beautiful woman in a fashionable dress smiling sweetly at him. "What can I do for you, my dear little sir?"
She was a waitress that every Association of Alchemists had, specializing in receiving guests. In the past, whenever he visited the association, the waitresses always greeted him respectfully with bowed heads. He had not seen such a casual, gentle greeting in years.
Yunxiao smiled faintly and said, "Little sir?"
The waitress, whose name was Lu Yao, smiled sweetly and said, "You are the youngest guest I have ever received! May I help you?" Although she had a beautiful smile on her face, she was paying extra attention to Yunxiao on the inside.
Usually, people who came to the Alchemists Tower for the first time were nervous and excited, while children were even more cautious, hiding beside adults to watch. No one had ever looked around the hall as soon as they stepped inside like Li Yunxiao, with a calm and relaxed air. It was clearly the behavior of someone who was accustomed to major scenes.