"Had the gossip already spread until here?" Chen Tu smiled in embarrassment, with his finger scratching his nose gently.
"It was just some exaggerated gossip by the others, senior brother. You don't have to take their words seriously," he added, but neither denies that he had broken Wang Yun's nose.
After all, there's no point denying that fact because the truth will be exposed sooner or later. It would be more inappropriate for Chen Tu to say anything once the actual story regarding the fight surfaced.
Furthermore, the incident reminded Chen Tu about something he had experienced while accompanying Chen Zigang.
The incident happened when both of them were about eight years old. Back then, Chen Zigang and Chen Tu were involved in a major fight between the youths outside the Liu Family Manor.
In his attempt to gain victory, Chen Zigang didn't hesitate to resort to deadly tactics. He broke one of his opponent's legs as collateral to stop the rest from coming at him and Chen Tu.
As a result of Chen Zigang's ruthlessness, they were thrown into the family dungeon to reflect on their actions.
Although no life was lost in this fight between children, the one who had his leg broken by Chen Zigang now had to walk with a stick, even after recovery. His future in cultivation can be said to stop there, thanks to the heart demon left on him by Chen Zigang.
Due to this event, Chen Zigang was brought to fame as the youngest tyrant of Crimson River Town. But except for Chen Tu, nobody knew the reason for his ruthless decision at that time.
In fact, all the two wanted was just to stop other kids from picking on them. Still, thanks to that matter, Chen Zigang and Chen Tu's remaining two years in Crimson River Town were peaceful to the point it made others jealous.
"Exaggerated, my a*s! I wonder how you'll answer the teacher when he arrives with our fellow senior brothers and sisters later." Qin Lei said and jokingly punched Chen Tu's shoulder.
"Please, senior brother! Don't tell master about it. Who knows what kind of punishment I'll get if someone told him that I fought privately in the canteen?" Chen Tu quickly put his palms together and asked Qin Lei to keep quiet.
As someone who is still a trial disciple, how could he allow something like this to jeopardize his opportunity?
"This geezer heard that it's a group of people you beat up, not a single person. It seems the gossip I heard differed from the one you two talked about." Elder Wei Xuan's voice came into their conversation.
The voice made both of them stand straight and search for the elder's silhouette.
A few seconds later, the elder came to view with four other disciples. Three were about Qin Lei's age, and the fourth was a year older than Chen Tu. They are Chen Tu and Qin Lei's senior brothers and sisters.
"Disciple Chen Tu (and Qin Lei) paid his respect to the master and fellow senior disciples." the two quickly cupped their fists together and bowed slightly. Amongst this group, the two can be considered the youngest in seniority.
"Come here, child." said Elder Wei Xuan as he opened his palm towards Chen Tu. Not knowing what the elder intended to do, Chen Tu could only step forward without thinking about anything.
The elder placed his palm on Chen Tu's shoulder and ran a sliver of Spiritual Energy to inspect Chen Tu's body. To the elder's surprise, he noticed that Chen Tu's physique was quite powerful, almost on par with a Peak-Stage Body Tempering Beast.
This evaluation means Chen Tu's sturdy physique alone would be enough to withstand the attack from a sixth-level Body Tempering cultivator without getting injured. Furthermore, he could be considered an overlord amongst all Body Tempering Layers once his cultivation reaches the seventh level.
"Looks like you had quite a sturdy physique, huh?" Elder Wei Xuan said with a smile on his face. Suppose Chen Tu was to possess a Martial Art of Human or Earth Grade. Won't he be unmatchable among Body Tempering Cultivators?
This physique alone truly conveys the meaning behind their Blood Refining Grotto.
"Hehe... Maybe that's because this disciple got beaten daily when he was younger? That's why I had thicker skin than the others." Chen Tu humbly replied to the elder. As a nobody that doesn't even know about his true origin, what else he knew?
But how could an answer like this convince the rest of his fellow senior brothers and sisters?
(This freak... Everyone here will be a monster like you if all it takes is simply getting beaten like a servant daily. It's not that straightforward, alright?)
They couldn't help but narrow their gaze toward Chen Tu. Even Qin Lei revealed a hint of envy at Chen Tu.
If they were involved in the fight with Wang Yun, would they be capable of escaping this situation unharmed?
Perhaps, this was why the elder was biased toward Chen Tu.
"You should keep this badge with you wherever you go next time. Take it out if those people with the status of an elder or senior are trying to make things difficult for you. But at the same time, I forbade you from using this towards other disciples, understood?" Elder Wei Xuan sternly warned Chen Tu in his sentence.
But the elder placed a bronze-colored badge in Chen Tu's hand at the end of his words.
The Chen Tu would have difficulty reading what was engraved on the badge a week ago. But the one today no longer faces the same problem. Although it still took him a while to recognize the engraving, it was much better than being unable to read them.
"Bronze-Title Plaque, Heavenly Alchemist Association. Lower-Tier Alchemist Wei Xuan." it took him a while, but he could finally recognize each word without help. But at the same time, because he was too concentrated on identifying the words, Chen Tu failed to notice the expression of the others around him.
(D*mn! That's the title plaque of the honored teacher!)
Everyone, including Qin Lei, revealed a hint of enviousness at Chen Tu and the plaque in his hand.
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"junior brother Chen, this Three-Star Pill... Did you refine them by yourself?" Tang Yun Long asked. Even he hadn't had success in refining a pill of this quality. At most, he is only confident in refining Two-Star Pill. Furthermore, this result was before Chen Tu was officially accepted by the elder as his second official disciple. If he was, would he be capable of Four-Star, or even a Five-Star? Of course, that kind of level is nowhere to be heard of... After all, no alchemist would dedicate all their time to researching and refining a four or Five-Star Grain Pellet. Even if that alchemist is the most foolish one, he would likely have zero to little interest in an entry-level pill like this. Looking at the Three-Star Grain Pellet sitting on the table, the elder couldn't calm his heart down. And without further ado, he put his hand out toward Chen Tu and asked for something. "Xiao Tu... Bring the Alchemist Token out." Elder Wei Xuan asked. It appears that what he will be doing
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(Hmm... I wonder what kind of medicinal pill is this Spring and Autumn Profound Pill and Lesser Vitality Pill. Could their effect be something extraordinary, like the Spiritual Replenishing or Spirit Desertification Pill?) Chen Tu spoke to his own while flipping through the pages. The contents were fairly easy for him to understand, and there was nothing to be suspicious about. But when Chen Tu came to the ingredient part, he had the urge to scratch and pull his hair. (Aargh... Now, this is where my first obstacle comes in...) Chen Tu took a few deep breaths after he set the book aside. He had mixed feelings due to what was going on inside his mind. The reason for these confusing thoughts was naturally understandable. After all, this was a lost recipe Qin Lei's father, Qin Tianbao, found from excavating the tomb of a certain expert. Interestingly, this relic site was also where Qin Tianbao had a mishap and lost one of his legs. And no wonder he would be allowed to keep these two
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(What an amazing feeling... Could this be something only those in the fourth level would realize?) Chen Tu remained seated, but for every breath he took, the Spiritual Energy of his surroundings was attracted over. His body was like a leaf sponging up all the dew as it absorbed all these blimps of Spiritual Energy to nourish his flesh. This mist-like Spiritual Energy is incomparable to what a Spiritual Replenishing Pill offers. Still, it was something nobody would complain about. After all, no matter how diluted and faint this Spiritual Energy was, they're still the Spiritual Energy everyone pursued. Nobody would cover their water well when it rains because they're afraid it would be overfilled by the rainwater. Apparently, Chen Tu's guess was correct. A feat like this was indeed someone above the Flesh Tempering Stage could enjoy. And thanks to his fully-tempered flesh, Chen Tu is now more than capable of applicating Spiritual Energy to strengthen his physique. Although the diff
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A day ago. "Hmm... I wonder what insight that brat had for him to rework the Grain Pellet's Recipe until this level..." Elder Wei Xuan said while holding a Two-Star Pill between his two fingers. Apparently, he was studying the pill for flaws before giving a verdict. He was feeling neither prejudiced nor unhappy. But more or less, there was something he was unable to let go of in his heart for making him so indecisive at this moment. As Chen Tu's Alchemy Teacher, the elder naturally wanted to endorse Chen Tu's reworked recipe and the Grain Pellet he refined. But at the same time, his worries and self-ego made him couldn't help but be indecisive in this matter. In fact, this same ego of his was why Tang Yun Long has yet to participate in the Titled Alchemist Examination. It wasn't overrated to say that with Tang Yun Long's performance to date, he could easily pass the test. "Old Wei... What is occupying your mind so much until you didn't notice me coming in?" Another elder's voice
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"Disciple understands." Chen Tu cupped his fists together and replied. His response also helps confirm that he will be taking the assignment seriously. "Xiao Tu will start paying more attention to his pill refinement after returning and wouldn't disappoint the teacher's expectation," he added. After saying what he should, Chen Tu excused himself from the workshop by giving a reason he'll have to get back and prepare. And obviously, the eight Grain Pellets were left in the workshop without saying. That's a must in case the elder changes his mind later. And regardless of how he decides, Chen Tu still has to leave a sample for Elder Wei Xuan to check on them, correct? This means a copy of everything from the ingredient, steps, and final product was left for the elder's inspection. Chen Tu's activities consisted of eating, sleeping, cultivating, and refining pills for the following days. Thanks to all these tasks in his hand, he hardly reported to the Spiritual Garden to work or assis
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The question piqued the elder's interest after Xia Xuan-Xuan opened her mouth. Apparently, even the elder couldn't help but feel curious about Chen Tu's answer. But at the same time, he can't ask this question openly. After all, he was an elder. Someone who stood at least a few levels above them in alchemy and cultivation. Wouldn't it hurt his pride slightly to ask a junior about something he should know better? Luckily, there's a Xia Xuan-Xuan in the group. While her talent is neither good nor bad, she has this social commonsense that could make everything work. Hence, she was the elder's icebreaker, always the first to hear and know everything. Chen Tu didn't respond to Xia Xuan-Xuan's question instantly. Still, everyone here could see that Chen Tu's gaze was currently pointed at the pill mold. This reaction from Chen Tu can be partially translated to "look at the result yourself!" He stayed silent and observed the mold until it was completely cooled. Then, instead of inspecti