Chapter 529: Chu Kingdom Alchemist Falsely Accused

Chapter 529: Chu Kingdom Alchemist Falsely Accused

December 23, 2024

Within the enclosure, the Odd Tower had arranged for an on-site elixir crafting demonstration, and the alchemist was already drenched in sweat.

The onlookers couldn't see the alchemist's hand movements.

However, they could sense that crafting this Jade Essence Pill was a challenge for him as well.

During this waiting period, many people were still discussing Su Chen's predicament.

"Don't you know?

The thief who stole from the Odd Tower and the Crystal Pavilion is the same person that Wulan Manor sent to Zhou Kingdom to find."

"You see, when dealing with such a thief, we shouldn't be too polite.

There are still so many people outside questioning Wulan Manor; I wonder what they're thinking."

"Exactly, these thieves and robbers don't understand rules and morality.

Following outdated traditions only lets them take advantage."

Although the core members of Wulan Manor were not present, the informants they had arranged continued to speak on their behalf without holding back.

Su Chen, blending into the crowd, smiled and then spoke up in a slightly louder voice.

"Are you being paid by Wulan Manor to speak well of them?

You don't keep your promises and now you're making excuses. Even those from the unorthodox sects know the importance of keeping one's word.

Is Wulan Manor even worse than those unorthodox warriors?"

Su Chen's words in the crowd silenced many people.

Those who have strayed onto the unorthodox path also understand the importance of keeping one's word.

Wulan Manor, as a major sect, breaking promises and not fulfilling commitments is like passing gas; it's just a bad smell.

After Su Chen's rebuttal, those who had previously spoken well of Wulan Manor looked somewhat embarrassed.

After a while, someone whispered, "I'm too lazy to argue with those who don't understand.

Anyway, I support taking decisive action against such people."

After Su Chen's rebuttal, those who had spoken in favor of Wulan Manor mostly kept quiet.

Breaking promises is a behavior despised by both orthodox and unorthodox paths.

Helping Wulan Manor clear their name was not an easy task.

If Fan Chengyan knew about the current situation, she would probably regret it.

Not only had the matter not been resolved, but it had also caused a lot of trouble.

After another two hours or so, the crowd suddenly became noisy.

Su Chen looked ahead, and the man inside the enclosure suddenly relaxed his expression.

"Has the crafting been completed?"

"It seems like the elixir has been successfully crafted."

The crowd's chatter was all about the situation inside.

From Su Chen's observation, the man seemed to have finished crafting as well.

This was a crucial step for the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion to prove their abilities.

The higher the quality of the Jade Essence Pill crafted on-site, the more it demonstrated the overall strength of the sect.

Moreover, the alchemist chosen for this task was not one of the more renowned ones from the Odd Tower or Crystal Pavilion.

If he could succeed, it would indicate that the core alchemists of these sects were even more skilled.

Su Chen's plan was officially set in motion at this moment.

After a moment, the middle-aged man inside the enclosure emerged with a pill box in hand.

At the same time, Peng Hongxu, who had been resting inside, quickly came out.

The members of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion wore smiles on their faces.

On-site elixir crafting had a high failure rate.

Today, many sects would likely attempt on-site crafting.

However, as expected, many would fail.

Every year, at least one-third of the sects that attempted on-site crafting would fail.

Furthermore, many sects would still fail even on their second attempt.

Successfully crafting on the first try truly demonstrated the improved abilities of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion.

"What you all want to see the most today is the progress of our Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion's alchemy after our alliance.

The previously crafted elixirs are not as convincing as the ones crafted here.

If you have any needs, the quality of the elixirs crafted within our sect will only be higher, not lower."

Peng Hongxu stood at the front, vigorously promoting their capabilities.

After Zhu Ming Gong demonstrated their alchemy skills with the Jade Essence Pill, the impact on the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion was significant.

They urgently needed to showcase their abilities to regain their lost status.

The crowd's attention was fixed on the pill box.

They waited for him to present the freshly crafted elixir.

This time, Peng Hongxu didn't keep the crowd waiting.

There were already enough people present, and delaying further would only invite more displeasure.

The lid of the pill box opened, revealing a Jade Essence Pill to the crowd.

It was a Heavenly Kui Flower Pill, one level below the White Jade Blossom Pill in crafting difficulty.

However, it was not as basic as the Energy Pill.

The entire pill exuded a jade-like texture, but nearly a third of its surface was still enveloped by a grayish-brown impurity.

The jade-like texture of the pill's surface had a translucent and crystalline appearance.

This added a unique aesthetic to the pill.

If the entire pill could achieve this jade-like texture, its beauty might even rival that of some exquisite jade gems.

Among the audience, there were some who had witnessed the craftsmanship of the Zhu Ming Palace, and they began to offer various comments.

These comments were relatively fair.

In their opinion, the pill crafted by the person on stage was, at the very least, not inferior to those of the Zhu Ming Palace.

It did not surpass the Zhu Ming Palace.

The pill crafted on stage seemed to be displayed by Peng Hongxu for a slightly longer time.

He had already set aside ample time for everyone to observe.

Some in the audience were afraid that he would take it back soon.

They began to ask questions.

"Pavilion Master Peng, could you tell us the differences between the jade essence pill you crafted and those of the Zhu Ming Palace?"

"There were some matters you didn't dare to speak of before, but you should be able to talk about this, right?"

Someone from the audience asked, and the question was actually quite well-phrased.

At the very least, it could attract a response from Peng Hongxu, and he would likely elaborate for a while.

At the same time, the teasing words in the question elicited a burst of laughter from the audience.

There was even a hint of mockery towards the Zhu Ming Palace in those words.

Peng Hongxu couldn't help but laugh at this question.

"If we're just evaluating our respective pills, then there's no problem. I can say that the pills crafted by our Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion are currently indistinguishable from those of the Zhu Ming Palace.

At this point, the Zhu Ming Palace has indeed achieved this, achieving a similar appearance.

But for a pill, the medicinal property is the most crucial attribute.

Its value comes entirely from its medicinal property.

Although the appearance of the pill's peel can provide us with some reference, there are still many cases where pills with similar appearances have vastly different effects.

Especially for the jade essence pill, the crafting process is complex and ever-changing, and many special situations can occur.

If one is not thoroughly familiar with the entire crafting process, it's easy to miss many crucial steps.

Let me be blunt with everyone here.

When that Su-surname thief stole our techniques, it's impossible for him to have stolen everything completely.

During the process, there must have been many crucial steps that he missed.

These missed crucial steps will undoubtedly affect the medicinal property.

In our opinion, the jade essence pills of the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion are absolutely unique in the world.

The final medicinal effect, everyone is welcome to come and experience it for themselves."

Peng Hongxu's words did not directly accuse the Zhu Ming Palace of stealing their techniques.

But the implication in his words was already very clear.

The main point of his words was that the jade essence pills of the Zhu Ming Palace were inferior to theirs.

The reason was that the Zhu Ming Palace's pill crafting techniques were stolen from them.

However, there must have been some steps that were missed.

Missing certain steps would lead to a decrease in the medicinal property.

Upon hearing this reason, Su Chen felt that he was talking nonsense.

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The jade essence pill was not as complex as Peng Hongxu made it out to be.

Compared to regular pills, the jade essence pill only had one additional step.

That was the removal of impurities.

The other differences were merely in the choice of materials, with some slight variations.

The jade essence pill required more medicinal ingredients to facilitate its formation.

For alchemists, the steps were not significantly different.

The only challenging part was the removal of impurities, which required a high level of skill from the alchemist.

Removing impurities from the medicinal liquid required careful attention.

Precision and speed were essential.

The medicinal liquid in the cauldron did not allow for much time.

So, this step was a significant test of the alchemist's skill.

Regardless of the test, what was the issue with the steps? If a step was missed, the pill would simply fail to form.

There would not be the situation Peng Hongxu described, where missing a step would affect the medicinal property of the pill.

Among the crowd, the discussion intensified after Peng Hongxu's words.

"It sounds like Pavilion Master Peng is implying that the Zhu Ming Palace's pill crafting techniques were stolen."

"What can you do when it's a grand sect? Even if they stole your techniques, you can only hold it in."

The discussions continued, and it was unclear if there were any members of the Odd Tower or Crystal Pavilion among the crowd.

Amidst the crowd, the individuals arranged by Su Chen finally began to exert their strength.

They were tasked with arguing, and surprisingly, they had a rather impressive performance.

Knowing the timing, at this very moment, it happened instantly.

"Their words, both explicit and implicit, accuse the Zhu Ming Palace of stealing your techniques, but they can't provide a single piece of evidence."

"Can't a large sect like them come up with their own research techniques?"

"Shouldn't there be some basis for your claims?"

One person took the lead, and surprisingly, the others knew how to cooperate, following his lead.

When Su Chen was looking for people before, he specifically sought out those who enjoyed arguing.

Their performance now proved that Su Chen had not misjudged them.

"You from the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion, when you showed us your pills, you only gave us a glimpse before taking them back.

If you guard your techniques so tightly, how could they be stolen?"

The person behind him argued, and his words were particularly striking.

Many people were quite displeased with their method of displaying the pills.

At the Grand Exhibition, if you want to showcase something, do it properly.

But they only brought out their Jade Essence Pills for a moment before taking them back.

This statement immediately resonated with the others.

At first, some might have sided with the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion.

But after hearing these words, they seemed to be not so good after all.

Among those randomly selected by Su Chen, there were indeed some with a talent for arguing.

With just a few words, they shifted the public opinion in the venue, tipping the scales to the other side.

There were too many people here to observe today.

This situation will undoubtedly spread throughout the entire Jin Kingdom.

The people from the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion frowned slightly, but the situation before them was still somewhat under control.

They had made some predictions beforehand.

After a moment of hesitation, Peng Hongxu handed the medicine box to the attendant by his side.

Then, he knocked on the table forcefully.

"Everyone, it's normal to have doubts in your hearts.

In fact, we from the Odd Tower and Crystal Pavilion were also extremely doubtful at first.

For more than a year, we chose to remain silent.

We do have evidence, but we don't want to present it. Some matters don't need to be made so rigid."

Peng Hongxu's words carried a sense of earnestness.

People in high positions like him could speak nonsense without blushing or feeling guilty.

Clearly, they had no evidence, yet they used the excuse of "not wanting to present it" as a cover-up.

As his words fell, he seemed to have more to say, and he quickly continued.

"It's indeed inconvenient for us to show the evidence to everyone.

But you can think about it. If the Jade Essence Pill technique is so easily breakable, why hasn't it appeared for so many years?"

Peng Hongxu's explanation lacked persuasiveness.

As soon as his words fell, someone immediately refuted them.

"This point cannot be used as a basis. What if the Zhu Ming Palace suddenly succeeded in crafting it?

In this case, shouldn't we say that they stole it? Or is it that, from now on, any sect that learns the Jade Essence Pill crafting technique must have stolen it?"

This person's words were actually quite reasonable.

However, the person who spoke had an inappropriate identity.

Peng Hongxu, in his high position, immediately recognized that this person was not a Jin Kingdom alchemist.

"As a Chu Kingdom alchemist, I suggest you not interfere in the affairs of the Jin Kingdom."

Peng Hongxu's words were polite, and he did not harshly accuse.

But in fact, he was passing a message to their arranged people.

As soon as his words fell, someone in the crowd began to speak loudly in response.

"Are the Chu Kingdom alchemists colluding with the Zhu Ming Palace?

Why are you speaking up for them like this?"

"Are the Chu Kingdom alchemists so eager to intervene in our affairs because they have some ill intentions?"

In the crowd, a series of rapid accusations followed.

The Chu Kingdom alchemist who had just spoken was named Chen Linxuan, a master alchemist from the Chu Kingdom's Sea Medicine Association.

He never expected that by speaking reasonably, he would become the target of everyone's accusations.

There had always been some competition between the Jin Kingdom and the Chu Kingdom.

Master Chen thought that the conversation would eventually come to a reasonable conclusion.

But some of his words did indeed invite conspiracy theories.

Seeing that many people were directing their accusations at him, Chen Linxuan hesitated for a moment before starting to argue his case.

"I'm just speaking based on facts. You can't casually accuse others of stealing the Jade Essence Pill crafting technique."

Chen Linxuan was clearly an alchemist dedicated to the Dao of Pills, and his understanding of public opinion was obviously lacking.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end