Other Alchemists' Dissatisfaction

Over the next few days, Lin Fan arrived at the Pill Pavilion early every day. After greeting Manager Wang and the others, he went up to the third floor to read the books and cultivate, refining his Alchemy.

With the help of the 1,000-fold cultivation effect acceleration, Lin Fan swiftly mastered every book on the third floor. He had even learned and become proficient in all the Su Family's exclusive prescriptions on that sandalwood shelf.

Lin Fan slowly set down the book in his hands and closed his eyes. With the help of the 1,000-fold multiplier system, he rapidly digested all kinds of alchemical knowledge in his mind, continuously improving his Alchemy. Only when he felt that his Alchemy could no longer improve, even with the 1,000-fold cultivation effect acceleration activated, did Lin Fan finally stop.

Next, he should continue cultivating the Azure Cloud Method and prepare to break through to the Late Bone Tempering Realm.

Lin Fan slowly headed downstairs, intending to leave the Pill Pavilion and return to his small courtyard to cultivate the Azure Cloud Method. After all, Su Qingwei had said before that he only needed to help out when the Pill Pavilion was too busy. Normally, he could focus on cultivating his own method in the courtyard.

However, when he reached the stairs connecting the third and second floors, Lin Fan's ears twitched. He seemed to hear the other alchemists of the Pill Pavilion and several others chatting on the first floor, and vaguely caught mention of himself.

Curious, he circulated his power to his ears and strengthened his hearing to the utmost, listening carefully. Those alchemists believed he was still reading on the third floor. Over the past few days, Lin Fan had read there until evening every day. Moreover, the first and third floors were separated by quite a distance; ordinary people simply could not hear the movement on the first floor from the third. Thus, their conversation was particularly lively.

"Hey, have you heard? That new alchemist of ours, Lin Fan, gets a monthly salary of a full thousand taels of silver."

"Yeah, yeah. And Lin Fan doesn't even look older than us. Every day, aside from reading, he hardly even refines pills."

"Poor us, coming early every day. We refine one batch after another, working ourselves to the bone, while he just reads beside the bookshelves."

Hearing his companion's complaints, another alchemist quickly chimed in. "Keep your voice down. I heard Lin Fan's martial cultivation isn't low. Don't let him hear us."

Another alchemist beside them laughed. "What are you afraid of? We're speaking so softly, and he's far up on the third floor. He can't hear us. Sigh, it's really unfair! We work so hard, busy to the point of collapse every day, yet we only earn a little over a hundred taels a month at most, sometimes just a few dozen taels."

Then another alchemist lowered his voice even further and said mysteriously, "I heard that Su Qingwei initially offered Lin Fan two thousand taels a month to recruit him. In the end, it was only because Lin Fan himself politely took the price down that they settled on one thousand a month."

"Hiss—" The surrounding alchemists sucked in cold breaths. Two thousand taels—several years of their wages could not compare to someone else's single month. Someone immediately began to feel dissatisfied. "I don't think Lin Fan is all that remarkable. He's still wet behind the ears. He barely refines pills normally; maybe his pill-refining skill isn't even as good as ours."

"Exactly, exactly, I think so too. Alchemy may be a minor art, but it still requires a great deal of time to hone and cultivate. Its difficulty is hardly any less than martial cultivation. And Lin Fan is so young. Even if he is extraordinarily gifted, how much could he possibly have mastered?"

Clearly, some of the alchemists had become resentful over Lin Fan's situation. Though Wang Delu's voice was not among them, that old man was on the first floor as well. Presumably, he harbored such thoughts too.

Hearing this, Lin Fan lifted his foot and headed downstairs. At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, the discussion below abruptly came to a halt.

They listened as Lin Fan's footsteps descended from the third floor, passed through the second, and slowly reached the first-floor hall. Finally, he stopped behind several alchemists and stood there without moving for a long time. Noticing Lin Fan's reaction, the alchemists' expressions all stiffened. They turned around one after another, their hearts uneasy. There was an eighty or ninety percent chance that Lin Fan had heard what they had just said. They secretly sighed. A martial expert truly was formidable—he could hear their whispers on the first floor from all the way up on the third. For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall grew awkward.

Lin Fan's expression remained calm, without the slightest trace of anger on his face, as though not a single one of those sour remarks had entered his ears.

Seeing Lin Fan act this way, the alchemists became even less certain. Lin Fan was young, and young people were hot-blooded. On top of that, his martial cultivation was profound. Could he be planning to beat them up now? They were all old bones and could not endure such a beating.

"Young Master Lin, everything we said just now was nonsense. We beg you not to take it to heart. We apologize to you, Young Master." Coming to their senses, the alchemists quickly bowed to Lin Fan in apology. Surely Lin Fan won't beat us up now.

Wang Delu, who had been standing behind the counter in the first-floor hall, saw the atmosphere and walked out from behind it as well. His face burned slightly, for he had not stopped their idle chatter just now. Bracing himself, he stepped forward and forced out a smile. "Young Master Lin, these alchemists were merely venting nonsense. From now on, I will strictly restrain and punish them, deduct their silver, and make sure they never dare speak recklessly again."

Lin Fan waved his hand and said, "I know that you all are somewhat dissatisfied with me. How about we make a bet?"

"A bet? What kind of bet, Young Master Lin?" The alchemists could not help being curious.

"Let us bet on Alchemy. Each of you may choose several pills that you are best at refining. We will compete with those pills and see who can refine them better and faster."

At this point, Lin Fan paused before stating the stakes. "If I lose, I will take half of my monthly thousand-tael salary and divide it among you. But if you lose, you need only promise not to complain behind my back again."

The moment these words came out, the entire place erupted in shock. The alchemists' pupils contracted as they exchanged glances. They had not expected Lin Fan to be so young and impetuous, unable to hold back after being provoked by their complaints, and actually dare to place such a massive wager. Half of one thousand taels was five hundred taels. If divided among them, each person could receive about a hundred taels. From then on, that would be double, perhaps even nearly triple, their wages.

Hearing Lin Fan's words, Wang Delu's heart jolted, and he hurriedly tried to stop him. "Young Master Lin, this absolutely must not be done! From now on, I will certainly keep them under strict control and will never let Young Master hear another complaint from them. Please rest assured!" Wang Delu also believed that Lin Fan was speaking out of youthful impulsiveness after being angered just now. Wang Delu had seen the few pills Lin Fan had refined before; their quality was excellent. But among the pills of the Three Body-Tempering Realms, there were countless varieties—dozens, even hundreds—with diverse uses. Being able to refine one kind did not mean one could refine another well. Yet Lin Fan was letting those alchemists choose the pills they were most proficient in refining for the competition. Even Wang Delu would not dare guarantee that he could win such a contest. Much less Lin Fan, so young—no matter if he had studied pill refinement every day since childhood, how many kinds of pills could he possibly refine proficiently?