Nie Tianhou and the others had thought they already held Lu Xiaotian in high regard. Only now did they realize that their esteem had still fallen far short. Ordinary methods of winning him over seemed unlikely to work. After all, even in front of Daoist Yihua, Lu Xiaotian had remained composed, showing neither surprise nor the slightest loss of composure. He had taken it all in stride.
If even Daoist Yihua had failed to faze him, what could they possibly offer that would move him?
More importantly, Daoist Yihua had invited Lu Xiaotian to discuss the Dao of alchemy together, not to give him pointers.
"Congratulations, Daoist Dongfang. To earn such high praise from Daoist Yihua—you must be on the verge of advancing to a fourth-grade Pill Saint." Nie Tianhou drew a breath, steadying his emotions before offering Lu Xiaotian his congratulations.
"I've only just advanced to third-grade Pill Saint. I'm still a long way from fourth grade."
Lu Xiaotian smiled and shook his head. He could sense the change in Nie Tianhou's, Shentu Zhanfeng's, and especially Bai Ruxue's gazes. Mu Xia, however, did not seem particularly affected.
"Daoist Yihua already said that Chu Zhaoyang of the Yu Xuan Celestial Court is arrogant and overbearing. Would you be interested in teaching him a lesson?" Mu Xia asked, looking at Lu Xiaotian with shining eyes.
"We'll see. The Honghao Celestial Court is vast, with countless experts. Surely it won't come down to me, an alchemist, having to step in." Lu Xiaotian did not agree outright.
"The few of us can't beat Chu Zhaoyang anymore. If he returns to the Yu Xuan Celestial Court after defeating all the Celestial Immortals of the Honghao Celestial Court, we'll all lose face. How can you have no sense of responsibility as a member of the