The Expert's Rebuke Was Right

"Has Su Chen gone mad? Or did he get drunk and start spouting nonsense?"

"It's fine if he offends an alchemist himself, but he'd better not drag our Jiang Family down with him!"

Jiang He's expression was ugly beyond compare. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected Su Chen to say such things. He immediately looked toward Su Chen with a dark face and said, "Su Chen, I invited you here for the banquet, not to let you go mad. Looking at you, it seems you don't intend to put our Jiang Family in your eyes at all?"

"Third Brother!" Xu Yin also rose to her feet and said, "There must be a reason Xiao Chen said that. Why not let him finish?"

Jiang He said grimly, "Let him finish? Did you hear what he said? He wants our Jiang Family to offend Master Qian!"

As he spoke, Jiang He walked toward Su Chen, saying as he went, "Su Chen, don't blame me either. You have no restraint in what you say; who knows how many people you'll offend in the future? Rather than that, I might as well teach you a lesson now and make you remember it."

As he spoke, Jiang He prepared to personally teach Su Chen a lesson in full view of everyone.

It was at that very moment.

"Wait!" Master Qian suddenly spoke, directly stopping Jiang He.

Master Qian then slowly walked over to Su Chen, sizing him up with a scrutinizing gaze. "Young man, are you saying that what I said just now was wrong?"

Su Chen gave a faint laugh without even raising his head. "Whether it was right or wrong, you should know very well yourself. You clearly brought out an incorrect answer to teach others with. Shall I say you are misleading the young?"

The moment those words came out, Master Qian's expression changed drastically. The muscles on his face trembled uncontrollably as he stared at Su Chen in disbelief.

Jiang Minghao could not help drawing in a sharp breath and immediately shouted angrily, "Su Chen! You insolent brat, do not be disrespectful to my teacher!"

Before his words had even faded, Master Qian suddenly turned around and barked at Jiang Minghao, "Shut up!"

Jiang Minghao was stunned.

He said in disbelief, "Teacher, he was disrespectful to you. Why are you telling me to shut up instead?"

"If I tell you to shut up, then shut up. Why are you asking so many questions?" Master Qian's expression was exceptionally solemn. After saying that, he ignored Jiang Minghao and turned back to Su Chen, respectfully bowing to him. "The expert's rebuke just now was entirely correct! I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai; I did not know an expert was present. I beg the expert to be magnanimous!"

The instant those words were spoken, an eerie silence fell over the entire banquet hall!

Jiang Minghao blinked, almost thinking he was dreaming. The others present also looked at one another, their faces filled with disbelief.

Master Qian had actually addressed Su Chen as an expert?

Had the world collapsed?

Master Qian ignored everyone's shock and merely said earnestly to Su Chen, "Regarding that question about Eight-Leaf Yam Root and Blue Wuzi, I hope the expert can enlighten me. Why did you say my answer was wrong?"

Seeing Master Qian treat Su Chen with such respect, Jiang Shan and Jiang He found it utterly impossible to accept. Who was Master Qian? He was someone whose status in the Qinghe City Alchemy Guild was second only to Master Mo. If anyone could make Master Qian so respectful, perhaps only Master Mo could do so.

Yet now, the lofty Master Qian was treating fifteen-year-old Su Chen with utmost respect and even calling him an "expert." He was clearly regarding Su Chen as someone on the same level as Master Mo.

Why? Just because of that one sentence Su Chen had spoken earlier?

Jiang Shan and Jiang He stared at Su Chen with mixed emotions, while Su Chen seemed not to notice their gazes at all. He merely said faintly to Master Qian, "So you knew there was a problem with that answer just now?"

Master Qian nodded heavily. "This junior naturally knows. In truth, I have suspected the answer to that question for a long time. Whenever I use Eight-Leaf Yam Root to refine Spirit Transformation Pills, I can never completely neutralize the slight toxicity in the Spirit Transformation Grass, and the quality of the Spirit Transformation Pills I refine is always mediocre. Thus, I have always doubted whether adding Eight-Leaf Yam Root to the Spirit Transformation Pill is truly the optimal choice."

In fact, this question had troubled Master Qian for nearly ten years. During that time, he had consulted countless materials, yet every alchemy text listed Eight-Leaf Yam Root in the formula for the Spirit Transformation Pill, rather than Blue Wuzi or any other ingredient.

Only in a very ancient book had Master Qian seen a record different from all the others. That ancient book put forward a view completely contrary to the rest, claiming that adding Eight-Leaf Yam Root to the Spirit Transformation Pill was not the optimal choice!

Unfortunately, the ancient book did not explain why, nor did it say which ingredient was truly the best choice. Furthermore, few people had ever read that ancient book, and alchemists nowadays generally believed that Spirit Transformation Pills should contain Eight-Leaf Yam Root. Over time, Eight-Leaf Yam Root had become the standard answer.

Only an alchemist as particular as Master Qian had continued to harbor doubts about Eight-Leaf Yam Root.

It was precisely because Master Qian pondered this question every day that, while testing Jiang Minghao just now, he had unconsciously asked this question as well.

Yet Su Chen had declared with absolute certainty that adding Eight-Leaf Yam Root to a Spirit Transformation Pill was wrong, exactly matching the viewpoint in that ancient book!

This made Master Qian realize at once that Su Chen's attainments in alchemy must be extraordinarily profound!

That was why he had immediately paid his respects to Su Chen and addressed him as an expert!

Master Qian was truly astonished. He had never imagined that such an unassuming alchemy master had been hidden within the Jiang Family!

At this moment, Master Qian suppressed the heart-pounding shock within him and looked at Su Chen with an intensely hopeful gaze, hoping to receive his guidance.

"Do you know what is wrong with Eight-Leaf Yam Root?" Su Chen asked.

Master Qian immediately grew solemn. "I beg the expert to enlighten me."

Su Chen said, "The reason is actually very simple. As you said, Eight-Leaf Yam Root is not capable enough of neutralizing toxicity, causing the Spirit Transformation Pills refined each time to always be of mediocre quality. But if Blue Wuzi is used instead, this problem will not exist."

"But wouldn't using Blue Wuzi make it difficult to form the pill?" A trace of disappointment appeared on Master Qian's face. He had thought Su Chen would offer some insight that would make him see the light, but it turned out to be the same old tune. Blue Wuzi had long been proven unsuitable for refining Spirit Transformation Pills; it had been tested many times already.

Yet just as Master Qian was secretly disappointed, he heard Su Chen say faintly, "Blue Wuzi does indeed make it difficult to form the pill. That is because mature Blue Wuzi contains a special substance that clashes with the medicinal properties of Little Jade Grass."

"But if immature Blue Wuzi is used instead, this problem will not occur."

The moment Su Chen said this, Master Qian froze on the spot.

Use immature Blue Wuzi?

How had he never thought of that?

Master Qian immediately began calculating rapidly in his mind. "Immature Blue Wuzi does not release that special substance, so it will not clash with Little Jade Grass. Yet immature Blue Wuzi still retains the ability to neutralize the toxicity of Spirit Transformation Grass, so..."

Scenes of the refining process flashed rapidly through Master Qian's mind. His eyes grew brighter and brighter until, in the end, he suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! How could I be so stupid? All I had to do was use immature Blue Wuzi!"