Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Meng Wuyou looked determined as if he had already made up his mind regardless of everything else. Even if the sky were to fall, nothing could change his mind. “First Elder, fellow elders, we’ll only need to test and verify if it’s worth amending these 17 alchemy prescriptions,” he said.
Mu Yan also stepped forward and said, “Even if the alchemy prescriptions were left behind by the forefathers, it’s still possible to be minorly flawed in some ways. We should evolve by weeding through the dated material as the junior generation so that we can perfect the hard work of our alchemy sect predecessors.”
Her comment won the approval of many elders, but there was still a small portion of slightly stubborn elders that shook their heads disapprovingly.
Yu Zhen scoffed once. He glared at Meng Wuyou coldly and said, “Generations of forefathers have naturally examined and deliberated the alchemy prescriptions left behind by the predecessors. As the later generation, we can’t even appreciate them enough, so why should we query them then?”
Meng Wuyou refused to even take a glance at Yu Zhen though he said to Gu Daofeng, “I’d like to request permission to test and verify this before the witness of everybody, First Elder.”
“First Elder, don’t allow that! That’s an act of treason and heresy!”
“Why not? This is a blessing to our alchemy sect!”
“The hard work of our forefathers shan’t be violated!”
“How will our alchemy sect ever grow stronger if we choose to guard the so-called hard work of our forefathers all this time?”
…
The two sides debated with one another. Over 60% of the elders agreed to Meng Wuyou carrying out the experiment while the other 30% of the elders refused regardless of whether it was a matter of life and death. There were also other elders that had not expressed their opinions quickly, but they chose to be neutral as they waited for the situation to develop.
The old Yan Zhengfeng, who had been opposing the idea firmly earlier, pulled a long face but did not speak at the moment. It was as if he was pondering about something. Gu Daofeng had also remained silent all this time as he allowed the two parties to continue their constant debate.
After a long while, the people on both sides were exhausted from the quarrel. They quietened down gradually and shifted their gaze to Gu Daofeng in anticipation of his decision. Whether the process of testing and verifying the validity of these 17 alchemy prescriptions would be carried out or not still depended upon his decision.
If he chose to reject it, Meng Wuyou’s effort would be fruitless no matter how persistent he was. At present, he was feeling rather anxious too. He wanted these 17 alchemy prescriptions to receive the amendments they needed badly. He wanted to ensure that the alchemy sect resources became even more complete and substantial. However, the decision lay with Gu Daofeng. It had always been difficult for others to predict the behavior of the alchemy sect’s first elder. Meng Wuyou had no idea if he would approve the request or not.
Gu Daofeng’s gaze swept past everyone present before his gaze finally landed upon Meng Wuyou.
“On that day, it seemed like you didn’t enter the alchemy prescription hall alone, Elder Meng,” said Gu Daofeng. His tone of speech sounded calm but it was akin to a bomb that made Meng Wuyou’s heart sink instantaneously.
Many people were watching Meng Wuyou as well. They considered the meaning behind Gu Daofeng’s words in their heart.
Gu Daofeng continued, “It seemed like you brought Fang Lin along into the alchemy prescription hall that day. Perhaps, this matter is related to him too.”
The people appeared astonished upon hearing that. How did Fang Lin get dragged into this matter all of a sudden?
Meng Wuyou heaved a sigh in his heart. As he expected, he did not manage to conceal the secret from the alchemy sect’s first elder. He wanted to carry the burden of this matter on his shoulders alone, but Fang Lin was still dragged in at last.
Gu Daofeng smiled and said, “Elder Meng, I admire your attainments in the alchemy sect very much naturally. However, I’m afraid that it may still be quite difficult for you to make improvements to the alchemy prescriptions. Perhaps, this matter is somehow related to Fang Lin. Is there something that you haven’t told me, Elder Meng?”
Many of the people thought about this as well. They shook their heads to themselves, hoping that they could discard this unrealistic idea from their minds. How could this be possible? Fang Lin was but a youth of 17 or 18 years old. How could he possibly improve the alchemy prescriptions left behind by the alchemy sect predecessors?
However, Gu Daofeng’s words seemed to imply that Fang Lin played an unusually important role in this event as well.
Meng Wuyou appeared to be slightly hesitant. He was already in a position that he could not back down from anymore. It was apparent that Gu Daofeng had already figured out that the person who had truly detected the flaw in the alchemy prescriptions was not him. No matter how hard he tried to conceal the fact, he just could not do it anymore.
At once, Meng Wuyou spoke in a deep voice, “It is true that Fang Lin did give me a hand in the matter of discovering the flaws in the alchemy prescriptions.”
Upon listening to his words, the elders were bewildered. On the other hand, Gu Daofeng cracked into a faint smile and said, “I’m afraid there’s more to it than that. Elder Meng, you’re still hiding something.”
Meng Wuyou heaved a sigh. “That is true. The mistakes in these 17 alchemy prescriptions were pointed out by Fang Lin. I tested and verified each and every one of them. It is genuinely as Fang Lin pointed out. These alchemy prescriptions can be further improved.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the people were beyond shocked, including Mu Yan.
“That’s absurd! That’s truly absurd! He’s just a low-grade disciple. How dare he talk about improving the alchemy prescriptions at random?”
“That’s funny! So, it turns out that Elder Meng has been tricked by the b*stard, Fang Lin!”
“You’ve wasted our time trying to debate this. This is just a farce!”
Some elders immediately shook their heads and sneered in disgust. In fact, some were already planning to leave the great hall. Even the elders that supported Meng Wuyou earlier also heaved a sigh. They felt that this matter was truly extremely absurd. The entire alchemy sect was roused just because of a low-grade disciple’s comment.
Mu Yan frowned ever so slightly. She looked at Meng Wuyou with a slightly displeased expression. How could Meng Wuyou not have notified her of such an important matter in advance? She had no idea how to react to the situation when she was completely unprepared for this.
Zhao Dengming immediately stepped forward and said aloud, “Elder Meng, have you gone demented because of your age? How could you willingly take the words of just a low-grade disciple so seriously and waste our time?”
Before his voice died away, Zhao Dengming realized that something was wrong. He hastily cupped his hands together before his chest and saluted Yan Zhengfeng. “Forgive me, Elder Yan. I really put my foot in my mouth. I did.”
Yan Zhengfeng took a glance at Zhao Dengming. He did not bother to fuss with Zhao Dengming, but he looked toward Meng Wuyou and said, “I’ve heard about that boy, Fang Lin, before. The four saints’ statues manifested themselves in his presence and he was also the only junior alchemy disciple that scored full marks in the examination. He also defeated the high-grade disciple, Lu Jiuhe, in the alchemy match previously. He can be described as an exceedingly rare genius in our alchemy sect.”
The crowd did not disagree with Yan Zhengfeng’s appraisal because even those who were biased against Fang Lin had no choice but to admit that he was genuinely a one-of-a-kind genius.
“Yet, you’re going to amend the alchemy prescriptions of our alchemy sect predecessors just because of the boy’s comment. Meng Wuyou, since when have you turned into such an irrational person?” Yan Zhengfeng questioned.
Meng Wuyou spoke without changing his expression, “Fang Lin received guidance from a master when he was young, so he is well versed in numerous alchemy prescriptions. I’ve already made amendments to these 17 alchemy prescriptions according to his instructions. They are genuinely much better than the original prescriptions.”
“Oh? Have you already tested and verified these?” Yan Zhengfeng asked with a frown.
Meng Wuyou nodded. He had been busy testing and verifying Fang Lin’s statement these past few days just to ensure that he was fully confident before he came to this place today.
Yan Zhengfeng inhaled a deep breath. Soon afterward, he turned around and said to Gu Daofeng, “First Elder, in this case, I shall consent to carry out the experiment to test and verify the amended alchemy prescriptions. I’d like to see if this boy, Fang Lin, is truly a peerlessly genius as you mentioned.”