Chapter 533: The Cicada Pupae Pill's Aftermath

Chapter 533: The Cicada Pupae Pill's Aftermath

December 27, 2024

Inside the Western District Tavern.

The alchemists from the Mystic Tower and Crystal Pavilion wore expressions of discomfort.

From time to time, someone would stand up, wanting to say something.

Seeing the dejected and dispirited crowd, the words on the tip of their tongues were swallowed back.

As the night progressed, not a single person could be heard conversing outside.

Finally, someone stood up and asked a question.

"Should we still participate in tomorrow's Heavenly Alchemy Expo?"

According to the original plan, the Mystic Tower and Crystal Pavilion were to attend the three-day expo.

Today, tomorrow, and the day after.

But with today's incident, the expo tomorrow had become uncertain.

"What?

Isn't the embarrassment we suffered today enough?

Do we still want to continue tomorrow?"

The speaker was Elder Song of the Crystal Pavilion, his expression filled with self-mockery.

It was clear that he found today's events extremely humiliating, to the extreme.

"I thought that by joining forces with the Mystic Tower, we would achieve great things and regain our reputation.

Now it seems that we have indeed become famous.

But the reputation we gained is one of shame and disgrace!"

Elder Song was a bit angry, but it was also understandable.

Before coming, everyone must have been full of confidence.

Seeing the attitudes of other sects towards them, they felt a sense of superiority.

But in the end, they ended up in such a humiliating situation, losing face greatly.

What they once condemned in others was now being used to harshly criticize them.

"If you ask me, I truly don't believe he crafted the Cicada Pupae Pill.

We should demand that he present the pill for inspection and verification.

By conceding defeat, we've fallen right into his trap."

Elder Song didn't know why, but after finishing his statement, he continued to scold.

And these words had a clear target.

The target was Peng Hongxu, who had acknowledged the Cicada Pupae Pill earlier.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Peng Hongxu stood up abruptly.

He walked straight up to Elder Song's face.

"Song Zixiong, you were here today, and you witnessed the whole thing, right? If you thought there was a problem with what I said, why didn't you speak up then? Is it because you didn't dare to, right?"

Peng Hongxu stood before Elder Song, pointing at him and questioning him.

His words carried weight.

Elder Song was left unsure of how to respond.

"That Cicada Pupae Pill, I can tell you clearly, is genuine.

I was close by, and I saw it very clearly!

Su Xing's understanding of Jade Essence Pills is even deeper than ours.

To be blunt, it's simply not possible for someone to have stolen our techniques.

Because stealing from us would not result in crafting a pill of such quality!"

His words, spoken loudly, stunned the surrounding crowd.

Originally, some people still had doubts in their hearts.

But with this statement, the doubts dissipated.

As the Pavilion Master of the Mystic Tower, if Peng Hongxu said so, it carried weight.

Amidst the silence, an elderly female alchemist stepped forward to console them.

"Both of you, after the union of your sects, we've overcome so many difficulties together.

Now, facing a minor obstacle, do you want to collapse the trust we've built?

By doing so, only the Zhu Ming Palace will benefit.

What we should be thinking about now is how to respond and handle the situation.

In my opinion, we should try to extend some goodwill towards Su Chen.

As the saying goes, strangers become friends after a fight.

Listen carefully to what he said at the end, his relationship with the Zhu Ming Palace isn't that great."

With these words, the atmosphere around them became slightly more harmonious.

The crowd also began to consider the benefits of winning over Su Chen from various angles.

As for Wuluan Manor's previous offer of cooperation, the Mystic Tower and Crystal Pavilion didn't care.

Now they were certain that Su Chen hadn't stolen their techniques.

They had no face to confront Su Chen, nor would they take action against him.

In the tavern booked by the Zhu Ming Palace, the atmosphere was also somewhat strange.

As the leader, Elder Ming had been frowning since Su Chen presented the Cicada Pupae Pill.

Elder Ming knew that Su Chen could craft Jade Essence Pills.

And his technique was decent, with steady hands during the crafting process.

But there was no way he had reached the level required to craft the Cicada Pupae Pill.

At this moment, Elder Ming realized that in the past, when Su Chen was in the Zhu Ming Palace, he hadn't focused his thoughts on the path of alchemy.

He had always told them that his priority was martial arts.

This situation had once led to misunderstandings.

They had misunderstood Su Chen's talent and potential, and they had misunderstood the benefits he could bring.

Now, as he recalled certain matters, Elder Ming felt a wave of regret in his heart.

Zhu Ming Palace had discussed Su Chen's situation several times.

In the end, they concluded that Su Chen could no longer bring benefits to Zhu Ming Palace.

On the contrary, it would only bring enormous trouble.

Considering Su Chen's previous guidance, they could continue to provide him with some assistance.

However, when faced with many interests, they could only sacrifice Su Chen.

This decision was the result of Zhu Ming Palace's careful consideration.

But today, it seemed that the decision made by Zhu Ming Palace was somewhat ridiculously wrong.

Su Chen even directly pointed out that he would no longer provide any guidance to Zhu Ming Palace.

"Elder Su, today Elder Su Xing displayed that pill, and there must be a problem with it?

After all, he has only been crafting for so long, and compared to the person arranged by the Mystic Tower, his crafting speed was more than twice as fast.

It's highly unlikely."

The speaker was a mid-level alchemist of Zhu Ming Palace, a future pillar they had cultivated.

He had naturally witnessed today's situation.

It was just that he wasn't very satisfied with the outcome.

Zhu Ming Palace was very unsupportive of Su Chen's self-proof, bringing the matter to the forefront, which was very unfavorable for Zhu Ming Palace.

The more it was stirred up, the more doubts Zhu Ming Palace would face.

A low-key handling was what Zhu Ming Palace desired most.

Su Chen did not follow their arrangement.

In the end, the result he obtained was completely different from their prediction.

Su Chen successfully proved himself, and along with Zhu Ming Palace, the stigma of stealing alchemy skills was washed away.

But with this result, the people of Zhu Ming Palace present didn't seem to feel particularly happy or delighted.

In fact, they felt rather uncomfortable.

Elder Su, standing by his side, heard the question and slightly shook his head.

"Do you really think Peng Hongxu is a fool? He's the Pavilion Master of the Mystic Tower. If he sees that there's a problem with the Cicada Pupa Pill, will he compromise? He'll only relentlessly pursue it and drive us into a dead end."

Elder Su was relatively rational.

He wouldn't disregard the facts just to belittle someone.

He had a clear understanding of the actual situation and was also brave enough to face it.

"Did you pay attention to how long Elder Su Xing spent crafting the pill today?

Elder Su asked two questions.

But the people of Zhu Ming Palace around him all shook their heads.

Indeed, they hadn't observed Su Chen carefully.

This morning, they had all thought Su Chen was a fool for going to prove himself.

That was like lifting his face and throwing it away.

They never expected the result to be like this.

Elder Su didn't blame them, but continued speaking on his own.

"You didn't see it, but I did.

During the crafting process, Elder Su Xing basically didn't stop.

From the moment the fire in the alchemy cauldron ignited, his hands never stopped.

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His state didn't resemble that of the Mystic Tower's alchemist, who often felt troubled and conflicted.

We, having observed Elder Su Xing, should know this.

Elder Ming spoke up to this point, and his words became somewhat disjointed.

It wouldn't be long before the related news would reach Zhu Ming Palace.

The Palace Master and the other elders would all know.

They were all astute individuals who had wandered in this land for countless years.

They couldn't possibly be unaware of what this situation signified.

At that time, those elders who had previously looked down on Su Chen and suggested revoking his privileges would be scolded mercilessly.

In Elder Su's mind, he seemed to have already arrived at that day.

"Elder Su, should we not find an opportunity to rectify this first?

After all, he currently has many troubles."

There were still many people around offering opinions and suggestions.

But upon hearing this, Elder Su shook his head helplessly.

"This time, the slander was successful, and he will indeed face many troubles and desperately need help from others.

But right now, he has washed away all the dirty water from these slanders.

The troubles he faces are not as many as before."

There was no need for reminders; various responses had already crossed Elder Ming's mind.

"Su Xing's troubles are actually just one.

It's the grudge between him and Wuluan Manor.

If he continues to bear the accusation of stealing the Jade Essence Alchemy Technique, his troubles may persist for a long time.

But now, with this accusation cleared, it's likely he no longer needs our help."

Hearing these words from their Elder Su, many disciples nearby still didn't believe it.

"Elder Second, he has offended the Wu Luan Mansion.

It is a Great Sect in Jin State that can be ranked."

Elder Bright saw that they were still bringing up these matters and waved his hand, deciding to explain things clearly to them.

"It seems like you don't know about some matters.

Over two months ago, Wu Luan Mansion sent a young disciple to Tian Gang City in Jin State.

They said they wanted to find Su Xing face-to-face but ended up suffering a great loss.

Not only has Wu Luan Mansion given itself an untrustworthy reputation, but Su Xing also holds no fear towards them.

Does he need our help?"

The people around heard this and all fell into silence.

Looking back now, Su Chen no longer needed their help.

If they wanted to mend their relationship, it seemed there was no chance.

Before Elder Bright could finish his words, in his view, this matter was not just a small problem.

"Today, after Elder Su displayed such skills,

if we want to curry favor with him, it will be even harder than before.

Furthermore, many Allied Sects will compete to curry favor with him.

Even the various Allied Sects of Chu Kingdom will be involved."

Elder Bright was a practical person.

His previous suggestion to cancel the special treatment for Su Chen was also because of his practicality.

In his view, the benefits Su Chen could bring to Zhu Ming Palace had reached their limit.

Instead, Zhu Ming Palace would have to pay a lot to Su Chen.

But now, the actual situation was completely different from what they had imagined.

Not only did Su Chen help them before, but now he also has the power to assist them in taking a further step.

In terms of elixir varieties, Zhu Ming Palace lagged behind the Odd Tower and the Jade Pavilion.

However, if they hadn't taken this step with Su Chen, they could have continued to gain benefits from him.

Not to mention the Cicada Pill, such a challenging elixir.

At least for the Hundred Flowers Soothing Pill, Zhu Ming Palace had a chance to obtain it.

But in the current situation, there was no hope.

"Think about how I threatened him before. Now, when I look back, it's really embarrassing."

Elder Bright sighed as he spoke these words.

The only comforting thing was that he still remembered the instructions of his Sect Master.

He didn't forcefully restrict them, making the relationship even worse.

If he had taken that step, the two sides might not just have a bad relationship but become sworn enemies.

The Alchemy Exhibition continued for the next three days.

The Odd Tower, the Jade Pavilion, and Zhu Ming Palace.

All three Allied Sects capable of crafting Jade Essence Pills chose to stop participating.

In Summer Region City, the talk of the day was still the dispute between Su Chen and the Odd Tower and Jade Pavilion.

For the next two days, the discussions at the Alchemy Exhibition continued to revolve around this matter.

The Cicada Pill, due to this incident, gained immense popularity.

Many Allied Sects began to craft the Cicada Pill on-site to prove their alchemy skills.

Of course, the Cicada Pills they crafted did not involve the Jade Essence Alchemy Technique.

Even so, the crafting process of the Cicada Pill was already quite complex.

Being able to craft this kind of elixir on-site was enough to demonstrate the depth of their sect's foundation.

This approach attracted the attention of many.

The Jade Essence Alchemy Technique was not the only form of elixir crafting.

For warriors, the most sought-after elixirs were the regular ones.

Before the Alchemy Exhibition ended, related messages had already spread throughout Jin State.

Good news doesn't go out, but bad news travels fast, as if they have wings' to help spread.

The Odd Tower and Jade Pavilion's loss of face had become known to many small sects in Jin State.

Summer Region City was located in the center of Jin State.

No matter which direction the news spread, the speed was relatively fast.

As soon as this matter surfaced, many alchemy sects began to reinvest in the Jade Essence Alchemy Technique.

Su Chen's performance gave everyone hope in breaking through the Jade Essence Alchemy Technique.

Three days passed, and the annual Alchemy Exhibition officially concluded.

Until the end of the exhibition, no matter of greater significance emerged.

The Cicada Pill displayed by Su Chen became the most talked-about item in rumors.

The entire elixir world seemed to be in turmoil.

On the seventh day after the exhibition, the news had almost spread throughout Jin State.

At Tahe Sect, Wang Shanlin, Qin Wei, and Yan You.

The three of them, filled with excitement, found their Sect Master, Chai Yongshan.

In the side hall, Chai Yongshan was originally discussing matters with other elders, but the hall door was directly pushed open.

This audacious act even made Chai Yongshan think he had mistaken the person.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end