CHAPTER 99: MASTER WEN RUO’S PAST

"How is that possible? He’s lying!"

"He must be! But, the Master Alchemist already said so. How could he have such a solid foundation when he had just begun practicing alchemy? Ridiculous!"

The spectators broke into clamor, even the judges were not an exception.

They stared at Master Yan in disbelief.

Master Yan, on the other hand, merely smiled... yet it appeared to be bitter.

After all, he could confidently claim that Liu Wei’s foundation was solid than his... way, way better.

As much as he wanted to deny it, Liu Wei already confirmed his suspicions.

In the end, he had to circulate his qi to simmer down his anxious hearts.

If he failed to do so, it might become his inner demon, preventing him from improving further not only in cultivation but in alchemy.

One of the Senior Alchemists asked, "How can you be so sure, Master Yan? Isn’t it ridiculous? If that is true, then I’d believe there is an immortal who helps him."

"I believe that, too." Master Yan replied without hesitation.

The judges fell into silence.

Master Yan simply smiled and glanced at Cai Hui.

He said, "I remember Cai Hui saying he learned from Master Wen Ruo. I don’t want to believe it. Master Wen Ruo are those ancient figures, who led the alchemy progress and established themselves when the Mortal World was always at war. After he ascended into the Spirit Ascension Domain, the Mortal World has not been so chaotic as before, treating alchemy as the most destructive external resource any kingdom can have.

The moment the alchemy is born, every eye is focused on it, treating it as highly as martial arts.

Hence, Master Wen Ruo is remembered despite millennia having passed."

The Senior Alchemists gulped their saliva.

One of them asked, "Then, are you saying that that boy is the reincarnated Master Wen Ruo? Or simply, Master Wen Ruo himself helped that guy? But there has not been any sighting of Master Wen Ruo ever since he ascended in the Spirit Ascension Domain."

"Furthermore, even from the friendly factions in the Spirit Ascension Domain, they said that Master Wen Ruo has long ascended in the Celestial Apex, where immortals roamed, a millenia ago, while also leaving his names throughout there."

Master Yan was quiet for a while and then asked, "Do you know why cauldron was not invented during Master Wen Ruo’s time? And why was it invented in the first place?"

Most of the Senior Alchemists did not invest their time and energy in the history of alchemy, as they focused more on learning alchemy itself.

Hence, not a single one of them had any idea how to answer Master Yan.

In the end, the Master Alchemist himself, Master Yan continued, "Master Wen Ruo cultivated a method he produced himself where he refined his body into a living cauldron. He used his bones, organs, meridians, and blood as the structural components of an alchemical furnace."

The Senior Alchemists were stunned.

Suddenly, one of them, who studied a bit of history, realized something and exclaimed, "So, that’s why in the past, pills were so rare that one’s value was equal to the city?"

Master Yan nodded. "That’s right. Cauldron was invented for multi-pill batches. And we can claim that Master Wen Ruo’s cultivation methods were indeed old and not convenient in the present, but when it comes to the quality of the pills... he paved the way for it.

Furthermore, when it came to Dao of Alchemy, it was him who established and preached what he comprehended, enabling for the Dao of Alchemy to be born and spread throughout the Mortal World."

Everyone inside the Judges’ Pavilion turned quiet, as Master Yan finally broke the silence after a while.

He continued, "His cultivation method helped him attain immortality. If that child indeed possessed it, then he is certainly someone we can not offend... Even if we used an unorthodox method, such as extracting memories, do you think Master Wen Ruo himself will allow his possible disciple to be treated in such a heinous way?"

The Senior Alchemists secretly glanced at Huo Wu, who simply snorted and did not bother replying with Master Yan.

Master Yan said, "You know, a boy like that, who has the immortal backing him, would not need to participate in a competition like this. Perhaps, he’s just bored, perhaps, he just wants to show off. Or perhaps, he just wants to assess the level of alchemy in our kingdom."

Everyone was silent, not knowing what to reply.

If what Master Yan had said in the last part was true... they could not help but feel their heart racing.

After all, it has been a millenia since Master Wen Ruo has ascended... Sure, the alchemy state has long progressed to the point it was deemed as important as martial artists... to the point, they were more wealthy than martial artists themselves, they were afraid they failed to meet Master Wen Ruo’s expectations.

One of the Senior Alchemists asked, "Does Master Wen Ruo have no descendants? Will it make more sense that the boy is his descendant and possessed Master Wen Ruo’s legacy?"

Master Yan shook his head and replied, "Master Wen Ruo indeed married quite a lot of women and impregnated some. However, even his disciples, despite cultivating his cultivation method, failed to pass on to the next generations.

Master Wen Ruo’s internal method was so difficult to replicate that it eventually has been forgotten, leading to the creation of the cauldron. During the time after he ascended and when the internal method became difficult to replicate, the alchemy in that era has been called the Dark Ages of Alchemists.

Until, Master Feng Jie invented the cauldron and produced countless cultivation methods that anyone can practice."

At this point, every Senior Alchemist was already aware of the history during Master Feng Jie’s time.

They had only a brief idea about Master Wen Ruo’s history, as he had indeed failed to pass his legacy, except by simply giving birth to the alchemy.

Nevertheless, now that two people, who could possibly inherit his legacy, appeared... they would not treat it lightly.

One of the Senior Alchemists asked, "Master Yan, do you plan to report this to them, then? Or do you plan to hide it."

Master Yan replied without hesitation, "They deserve to know. They know how to handle this better than anyone, anyway."

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