"It's impossible! The Qingfeng Elixir is a second-grade elixir, a thirteen-star second-grade elixir. There's no way a new, unknown student could have made it."
"Exactly. To create a thirteen-star second-grade elixir, you'd need exceptional talent in the Elixir Path and years of painstaking practice. If you said Li Shitong made it, I might believe it. But a novice? Absolutely not."
The crowd buzzed with discussion. Everyone knew Li Shitong was a rare genius in the Elixir Path, so it wasn't surprising if she made a thirteen-star Qingfeng Elixir. But to say an obscure young man did it? That was far-fetched. There couldn't be that many geniuses in the world.
Lu Yuankang's lips curled into a slight smile. He knew no one would believe that Terra Su had made the Qingfeng Elixir, nor that Terra Su had perfected the prescription.
After today, once he published the prescription with the added Qingfuzi, the fame, status, and wealth would come rolling in.
"Who gave you the audacity to claim my elixir and prescription as your own?" Terra Su asked calmly.
"You say it's your elixir, your prescription?" Lu Yuankang shook his head with a laugh. "Who would believe you? Do you think anyone here would believe that you made the elixir or perfected the prescription?"
The room fell silent. Clearly, everyone agreed with Lu Yuankang; no one believed Terra Su.
Lu Yuankang wore a mocking expression. Given Terra Su's current situation, there was no way he could turn the tables. After all, Terra Su was just an unknown kid, while he was the esteemed Vice Dean of the Elixir Path division at Anyang Academy.
Even a fool would know whom to trust between the two of them.
"Come to think of it, I should thank this kid. If I had published the prescription without the Qingfuzi, people would have found flaws, and my reputation would have suffered. Luckily, this kid discovered it in time and gave me the correct prescription. In that sense, he's my lucky star."
Lu Yuankang thought smugly.
Despite the effort he had put into researching the Qingfeng Elixir prescription, he realized now that the essence of the prescription lay in the Qingfuzi. With or without it, the prescription's effectiveness varied greatly.
So, Terra Su telling him about the Qingfuzi was like handing him a great fortune for free.
However, just as Lu Yuankang was basking in his dreams of fame and fortune, a voice announced from outside, "The Dean is here!"
"The Dean?"
Lu Yuankang's eyes narrowed, and he quickly replaced his smug expression with one of respectful humility.
Soon, a tall, slender old man with white hair and beard strode in from outside.
"Greetings, Dean!"
Everyone in the room bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Dean," Lu Yuankang also bowed, his earlier arrogance completely gone.
He held great respect for the Dean, Jackson Guo, a true third-grade Alchemist, unlike himself, who was just a quasi-third-grade Alchemist.
Though "quasi" and "third-grade" differed by only one word, their statuses were worlds apart. A quasi-third-grade Alchemist was merely a "Grandmaster," while a third-grade Alchemist could be revered as a "Master."
In all of Anyang City, third-grade Alchemists were as rare as phoenix feathers.
Even the esteemed Marquis Anyang would show great respect and address a third-grade Alchemist as "Master."
Lu Yuankang's lifelong ambition was to become a third-grade Alchemist.
"I just returned and heard a commotion here. What's going on?" Jackson Guo asked with a frown.
"Reporting to the Dean, a new student barged into my alchemy hall, disrupting my disciple Li Shitong's alchemy. I intended to give him a minor punishment," Lu Yuankang replied respectfully.
"A new student? How did he get here? Let me see," Jackson Guo said, turning his head and spotting Terra Su standing to the side.
Jackson Guo gasped, his eyes widening, "It's you, Young Friend Su!"
Jackson Guo could hardly believe his eyes. Terra Su had appeared at the Elixir Path division of Anyang Academy. Could it be that Terra Su had changed his mind and wanted to join the division?
If so, Jackson Guo would be overjoyed.
"Dean, you know his name?" Lu Yuankang asked in surprise. How could the Dean know this new student?
"You said the one who barged into the alchemy hall and disrupted your disciple's alchemy was him?" Jackson Guo turned to Lu Yuankang and asked.
"Yes, Dean," Lu Yuankang hesitated for a moment but nodded. Even if Jackson Guo knew Terra Su, it wouldn't change anything. Lu Yuankang believed that even Jackson Guo wouldn't believe that Terra Su made the thirteen-star Qingfeng Elixir or perfected the prescription.
"This kid not only disrupted my disciple's alchemy but also shamelessly claimed the elixir was his and that the prescription I painstakingly researched belonged to him. It's a complete reversal of black and white, utterly shameless," Lu Yuankang added, twisting the facts to frame Terra Su.
Lu Yuankang was confident that between himself and Terra Su, Jackson Guo would certainly believe him.
But then.
In the next moment.
Jackson Guo raised his hand and slapped Lu Yuankang hard!
Smack!
The slap was so forceful that Lu Yuankang spun around several times, his cheek swelling up instantly.
"You blind fool! This Young Friend Su is a master of the Elixir Path, and you accuse him of stealing your prescription? Have you no shame?"
Jackson Guo, furious, pointed at Lu Yuankang and scolded him. This Lu Yuankang was ruining everything. He had hoped Terra Su would join the Elixir Path division, but now Lu Yuankang had slandered him, making it unlikely Terra Su would want to join.
The more Jackson Guo thought about it, the angrier he got. He kicked Lu Yuankang several times, shouting, "With Young Friend Su's mastery of the Elixir Path, he could easily teach me. Why would he need to steal your prescription?"
Jackson Guo's chest heaved with anger as he glared at Lu Yuankang. He had already pieced together most of what had happened. Lu Yuankang must have been jealous of Terra Su's prescription and tried to claim it as his own, thus falsely accusing Terra Su.
Jackson Guo's words left the surrounding crowd in shock.
Jackson Guo was a third-grade Alchemy Master!
A third-grade Alchemy Master saying that Terra Su's mastery of the Elixir Path was enough to teach him!
If they hadn't heard it from Jackson Guo himself, they wouldn't have believed it.
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