Chapter 145: Just Pretend I Was Never Here

Two spirit sparrows pierced the clouds and broke through the mist, flying at lightning speed for dozens of miles before landing on a mountain ridge with exceptionally beautiful scenery to the southwest of Cuihua Peak.

Here stood a grand-scale Dao Courtyard, stretching for several miles across two mountain peaks; ancient trees towered in an uneven, interlocking canopy, and palaces and pavilions shimmered with spiritual light, while the escape lights coming and going all around were Disciples of Yuqing Hall, a dazzling array of colors.

"Wow, look quickly, several Inner Sect senior sisters have come together."

"Senior Sister Ling is there too."

"And Senior Sister Yu."

"Senior Sister Yang Ying has come as well."

"And little Junior Sister Yun Xi, she's so pretty, I like her so much."

"Who is that male cultivator with Senior Sister Lan? Why haven't I seen him before?"

"Hmph, ignorant; it must be that dark-faced Xu Chen from the Taiyuan Sect. What is this guy doing running to our Alchemy Hall?"

Before the group had even landed, the cultivators of Yuqing Hall, whether flying in the sky or running on the ground, all began to exclaim and discuss in succession.

Most people kept their eyes fixed on the six graceful female cultivators, each as distinct as spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums.

Of course, many among them also glared with eyes spitting fire at Xu Chen, who was squeezed onto the back of a spirit sparrow with Yun Xi and Lan You.

Yesterday, Xu Chen and Lan You had been inseparable and intimate, which had already left the hearts of all the male cultivators shattered; but they hadn't expected today to be even more excessive, with the six most beautiful senior sisters and junior sisters of Yuqing Hall accompanying him to the Alchemy Hall—how was a person supposed to live?

Soon, the two spirit sparrows stopped above the Danyuan, and Xu Chen and the others descended through the air, landing on the plaza outside the main hall of the Alchemy Hall.

There were an especially large number of people at the Alchemy Hall today because an alchemy competition was underway.

On the plaza, over a hundred stone tables and meditation cushions were arranged in a grid, and dozens of Disciples were already sitting cross-legged, refining pills.

Dozens of pill furnaces of the same size and style burned together, spirit fire splashed, pill energy churned, and the rich fragrance of pills gathered and would not disperse; the entire Danyuan was permeated with a lingering scent of Spirit Medicine and Spirit Pill, and the grand scene left Xu Chen dumbfounded.

He had never imagined that alchemy could be so imposing.

Yuqing Hall was the premier Immortal Sect of the Great Song; sure enough, it wasn't just that they had many people, a large territory, and luxurious buildings, but the talent here was also staggering.

One had to know that in the entire Taiyuan Sect, only the Third Elder and Xu Chen counted as alchemists.

Yet Yuqing Hall had dozens, even hundreds.

At this moment, in front of the main hall, a row of old or robust Daoists sat chatting.

Additionally, the area around the plaza was surrounded by a large number of cultivators, men and women, old and young, but there was not a single mortal; they were all cultivators, numbering at least three or four hundred.

Seeing Xu Chen and the others descend, the crowd immediately became restless and noisy.

Many Disciples who were in the middle of refining pills were distracted, causing their Spirit Medicine to fail, and plumes of thick smoke rose from their pill furnaces; many stood up cursing and glared angrily at Xu Chen.

Feeling the dense Divine Sense that landed on him like a spiderweb, Xu Chen's expression remained calm and waveless; he released a trace of his True Essence, blocking all the Divine Sense, and even the few that were extremely fierce were bounced back just the same.

According to the current strength of his Soul, as long as they were not experts of the Danyuan Realm, he could basically ignore them.

However, just as he felt the pressure on his body vanish, a thick, irresistible Divine Sense landed on him; the aura was like flowing water, pervasive and completely impossible to block.

Xu Chen remained composed and bowed toward the main hall: "Junior Xu Chen, a Disciple under True Person Xuanhe of the Taiyuan Sect, pays respects to Senior Biyunzi."

"Hahahaha, little Daoist Friend Xu, no need for formalities. Seeing you today, you are indeed extraordinary!"

A hearty laugh came from the main hall, and soon an old man in hemp robes with hair and beard like snow and a ruddy complexion walked out; he wore straw sandals, his hair was tied in a Daoist bun, and he held a horsetail whisk, looking truly like someone with the bearing of an immortal.

Moreover, the obscure aura radiating from his entire body left Xu Chen feeling deeply shocked.

This Biyunzi was no simple person; his aura was on par with the aura of the Great Elder, True Monarch Xuan Chen, before his Spirit Transformation, so it seemed he was also at the Danyuan Realm Great Perfection, just one step away from Spirit Transformation.

However, judging by his age, he was already quite old, and it was feared his lifespan was not long; if he had no heaven-defying encounter and could not obtain a Spirit Transformation Pill, the chance of Spirit Transformation was slim.

Facing such an expert, Xu Chen did not dare to be negligent and quickly stepped forward to bow respectfully once more.

At this time, the group of old or robust cultivators sitting outside the main hall all stood up, standing to the side with lowered heads and submissive expressions to bow and welcome him.

True Person Biyun waved his horsetail whisk slightly and smiled:

"Enough, no need for formalities. Today, this poor Daoist is presiding over the annual alchemy competition for the Disciples of this hall. I did not expect little Daoist Friend Xu to come as well. It seems this is indeed a rare opportunity. The Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill of the Taiyuan Sect has recently caused a sensation throughout the Great Song Immortal World, and its effects are miraculous. I hear little Daoist Friend Xu is also a Disciple of the Taiyuan Sect's Danyuan; I wonder if little Daoist Friend Xu could display your unique skills and let us observe the refining process of this Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill, so as to verify the Dao of Alchemy and make progress together?"

Xu Chen thought to himself, here it comes; this old fellow is direct enough. But he still replied with a simple and honest smile: "Junior has only been in the Danyuan for three months, and the Taiyuan Soul-Entering Pill is a secret transmission of the Taiyuan Sect. This Disciple has only learned a few superficial things; how could I dare to show off before Senior and the many senior brothers and sisters of Yuqing Hall? If this is Senior's test for Junior's visit today, Junior can only choose to leave and pretend I was never here."

Biyunzi was taken aback, his full-faced smile freezing for an instant, but he immediately laughed again: "Hahahaha, it seems little Daoist Friend is a person of temperament. It was this old Daoist who was abrupt. Since little Daoist Friend is so humble, this old Daoist will not force you. However, this old Daoist's Danyuan is extremely busy and chaotic today, and the competition is currently underway, so I will not have much time to entertain little Daoist Friend. Qin'er, you take little Daoist Friend Xu to tour the vicinity of the Danyuan, so as to avoid True Monarch Xuan Chen blaming us for not knowing the proper etiquette!"

"Yes, Master!" Behind Biyunzi, a beautiful female cultivator of about twenty years of age stepped out, bowed to accept the order, then walked gracefully to Xu Chen, performed a salute, and said softly: "Murong Qin, by order of the Second Elder, acts as a guide for Daoist Friend Xu to observe the Alchemy Hall. Please!"

There was a stir and uproar among the hundreds of people.

The group of Danyuan Disciples were quite excited by Biyunzi's words, but the fact that he turned around and arranged for the female Disciple Murong Qin to be the guide made people find it somewhat intriguing and difficult to understand.

Xu Chen was also full of surprise; this old Daoist's intentions were not very pure. If he wouldn't cooperate, fine, but to shove a beautiful female immortal over as a guide—what was this supposed to mean?

This female cultivator named Murong Qin could be said to stand out from the crowd in this Danyuan; she was equally stunning, and her appearance and figure were not inferior to any of the others, including Lan You.

Therefore, Lan You also felt that something was not quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on it, only feeling a slight sourness in her heart.

The four female cultivators, including Ling Shuang and Yu Qingxuan, were also full of surprise.

They had all been arranged by their respective Danyuan Realm Master Elders to accompany Xu Chen. Although they were not clear about the significance of this companionship, or what exactly Xu Chen possessed that was worth such an investment from Yuqing Hall, because it was a joint decision by the Elder Council, they had no power to refuse or resist, though their attitude toward Xu Chen was relatively casual.

The status and pride of being Core Disciples of the Zhenyuan Realm in Yuqing Hall made it difficult for them to have much affection for a small cultivator from another sect like Xu Chen, who was only in the Kaiyuan Realm.

However, while there was no affection, there was plenty of curiosity.

The Alchemy Hall was a very large and independent branch within Yuqing Hall, almost entirely free from the command and jurisdiction of the Elder Council, and had always been under the sole control of the Second Elder, True Person Biyun.

They all knew that Xu Chen's purpose in coming to the Alchemy Hall was to view and study the various pill formulas and cultivation technique manuals in the Alchemy Hall's Scripture Pavilion.

However, it was clear that the Second Elder had rejected Xu Chen and did not intend to open the Alchemy Hall's Scripture Pavilion for him to visit.

Therefore, the four of them exchanged glances and communicated via Divine Sense Transmission, each showing a hint of a smile on their faces, clearly in the mood to watch the fun and the joke.

Yesterday, the conflict between Xu Chen and the Second Senior Brother Yi Zhen could be said to have shocked the entire Yuqing Hall.

Xu Chen had established his prestige through this, and no Disciples of the fourth or fifth generation in the entire Yuqing Hall dared to provoke him again.

But alchemy was not fighting, and the Alchemy Hall also held a transcendent position in Yuqing Hall, which could almost be seen as the foundation for Yuqing Hall to maintain its powerful strength; therefore, even if True Monarch Baiyun spoke, if the Second Elder did not agree, Xu Chen could use the feather as an arrow to issue orders, but he still wouldn't pay him any mind.

"The Second Elder is really something, daring not to listen to the Supreme Elder!" Yun Xi muttered behind Xu Chen with a pout, but she didn't dare to say it out loud at all.

Xu Chen, however, smiled noncommittally and bowed to Murong Qin: "Since Elder Biyunzi is busy, then Junior will not disturb him. Many thanks to Daoist Friend Murong for leading the way, please!"

"Daoist Friend Xu, please!" Murong Qin returned the salute gently and turned to lead the way.

Xu Chen didn't mind at all and beckoned Lan You and the others to follow along; a burst of cheers suddenly erupted in the plaza, and someone even shouted, "Daoist Friend Xu, don't wander around aimlessly; there are many restrictions in this Alchemy Hall, be careful not to take a wrong turn and end up unable to get out."

Xu Chen turned his head, grinned, and cupped his hands, saying, "Many thanks to all you senior brothers for the reminder, but with Fairy Murong accompanying me, I certainly won't take the wrong path, right, Daoist Friend Murong?"

Murong Qin said with an embarrassed face, "Rest assured, Daoist Friend Xu, the Alchemy Hall is still very safe."

Xu Chen laughed and said, "That's good. Later, let's find a quiet place to drink some tea; I still have some doubts regarding alchemy that I would like to ask Daoist Friend Murong about. I wonder if you could clear them up for me?"

Murong Qin's cheeks flushed slightly as she said, "Naturally. If Daoist Friend Xu is tired, you may come to the Dao Courtyard where I reside to rest and drink tea later. Please!"

"Very good, very good, please, Daoist Friend Murong!"

Xu Chen and Murong Qin walked side by side, chatting and laughing happily as they went; although it was only a few simple words, it stirred up endless reverie, immediately causing a group of young animals in the Alchemy Hall to snort fire from their noses and mouths, wishing they could pop their eyeballs out.

Lan Xi waved her little fist at Murong Qin's back, while Lan You was unexpectedly feeling a bit dejected in secret.

Whenever Xu Chen got close to any young female cultivator now, she had a feeling she couldn't let go of, yet she knew there was nothing she could do, and could only silently accept it.

After all, the two of them had no relationship whatsoever; at most, they were just a bit more familiar with each other.

Ling Shuang and the other three women looked at each other in dismay; they hadn't seen any excitement, nor had they seen any jokes, but Xu Chen's lack of fighting spirit was somewhat disappointing to them.

According to their way of thinking, with the verbal decree of True Monarch Baiyun, when faced with the deliberate obstruction and refusal of the Second Elder, Xu Chen should have argued his case and refuted him, but they hadn't expected that he would have absolutely no reaction in that regard, and instead, as if nothing had happened, he really just followed Murong Qin away.

(End of this chapter)