ETR | Chapter 75

A few days later, Xiao Xueman went to the Alchemist Competition as planned, after all, he was also a joint judge.

Moreover, Su Mingming had always been a judge at the Alchemist Conference, and he also had to lead the Wangtian Immortal Gate team.

Xiao Xueman met him there, took the medicine, right in front of Zong Manluo.

"Are you really not up to something?" Xiao Xueman sat next to Zong Manluo and asked her, "I know you, you better just tell the truth."

The first time he was refining medicine, Xiao Xueman felt that his old friend couldn’t possibly be without some hidden agenda. They all knew each other too well, Zong Manluo could fool others but not him.

She probably knew in her heart that the medicine couldn’t just be refined once. As long as it was useful, Xiao Xueman would definitely come to her again.

By then, the previous favor would be repaid, and future matters could be negotiated separately. She could also rightfully make some requests.

But now Xiao Xueman directly got the materials from Wangtian Immortal Gate, it seemed Zong Manluo's plan was going to fall through.

However, watching this scene, she didn't seem flustered. She even greeted Su Mingming amicably, looking in a very good mood.

"You better just say it," Xiao Xueman reminded again, "Dragging it out too long won't be interesting."

Zong Manluo thought for a moment, pointed to the kids at the front of the competition, and asked Xiao Xueman, "This is your first time here, do you know these young people?"

Xiao Xueman followed her finger and looked over.

The participants in the Alchemist Competition and the Blue Sea Competition were completely different. Xiao Xueman and Xiao Wan were special cases, and Xiao Wan didn’t participate this time to avoid distractions.

So, the Alchemist Competition and the Blue Sea Competition were held simultaneously, and this side had already gone through two rounds, leaving about two hundred contestants.

The front row consisted of those who performed well in previous competitions, in other words, the seed players who could win the championship this time.

“The first ten people, four are from our association, three from the Dan Pavilion of Wangtian Immortal Gate, and the remaining three are from different sects. I’ve watched them refine medicine, they’re all good seedlings,” Zong Manluo said.

“You know, alchemists are different from ordinary spirit cultivators. Their cultivation difficulty is no less than that of spirit cultivators, and they need good teachers even more.”

Xiao Xueman: "..."

He seemed to understand Zong Manluo's meaning.

“I often meet with Su Mingming because we both know it’s not easy to teach young people, and everyone needs to share resources,” Zong Manluo continued. “Sometimes when I hear Su Mingming talk about how you taught him back then, I feel envious. If I had met you when I was young, maybe my achievements could have been a bit higher.”

Xiao Xueman: “You’re really overpraising me, I’m not as great as you think.”

Zong Manluo herself was very capable. Xiao Xueman had talent, but he didn’t have as much experience as Zong Manluo.

“I’m old, Xueman, I’ve lived a long time,” Zong Manluo sighed. “All these years, I’ve been looking for a successor. When I saw you back then, I thought I’d found one, but later I understood you couldn’t come over.

Now that you’re finally back, I don’t ask you to help me take over the Alchemist Association, but these kids, can you help me teach them? Even if it’s just a few pointers, even if I can’t find another you, finding another Su Mingming would satisfy me.”

Xiao Xueman glanced at her. He didn’t answer immediately, thought for a moment, and asked, “When I asked you for materials, did you already plan this?”

“No, from the moment I knew you were back, I planned this,” Zong Manluo said honestly. “It’s just that because of the materials, I found a reason.”

“What reason?”

“Qin Lou knows you’re refining medicine for him, he definitely won’t let others give you materials, I know this,” Zong Manluo said. “But I have better ones here, Xueman, you can use them to refine better nine-star pills, Qin Lou’s injuries won’t have to wait so long.”

Nine-star?

The same materials also have quality differences. The eight-star pills Xiao Xueman refined before required rare materials, finding them was already good, but if he could select the best from them, it was possible to refine nine-star ones.

The gap between eight-star pills and nine-star ones is not just a little bit.

No matter how many materials are in the Wangtian Immortal Gate warehouse, they naturally can’t compare to the Alchemist Association that specializes in this.

Xiao Xueman was indeed a bit tempted. It would be good to solve Qin Lou’s matter all at once, without spending so much time and effort.

“I don’t need you to do anything. If you’re afraid of being tied down by the association, you don’t even need a title, just come over and occasionally be a teacher,” Zong dManluo looked at Xiao Xueman’s expression and added a few more words while the iron was hot. “Just treat it as helping me, okay?

I’ve seen you patiently guiding other kids before, there’s no reason you can’t do it for me, right?”

Actually, Xiao Xueman didn’t reject the idea of teaching kids. The younger generation always needs to be brought up, no matter where.

But his dilemma was that since the Blue Sea Competition, his relationship with the Upper Realm, or perhaps with the First Heaven, had become increasingly entangled.

Xiao Xueman didn’t like the First Heaven at first. He had experienced many unpleasant things here. He initially decided to be a judge at the Blue Sea Competition, apart from Yu Zhengrong’s invitation, the most important point of interest was that Xiao Wan was coming to compete.

Although many things he did later were unrelated to Xiao Wan, as he walked this path, Xiao Xueman now thinks back and doesn't know when his mindset changed.

Maybe it's because Xiao Wan grew up, maybe it's because many misunderstandings with Qin Lou were resolved, or maybe because many of his friends are here.

The First Heaven itself is not guilty, he doesn't hold onto past events as much, so his aversion to this place isn't as strong as it was initially.

Xiao Xueman still needed to seriously consider the matter of the Alchemist Association, but after today's competition, he met Qin Lou who came to find him on the way back.

"...Su Mingming told me, he heard it," Qin Lou seemed a bit anxious, "Xueman, my injury will heal sooner or later, it really doesn't matter, you don't have to do anything for me."

He thought for a moment and added, "This time I'm not jealous because you're joining another sect, really not. The Alchemist Association is deep water, Zong Manluo speaks nicely, but once you step in, it won't be as simple as she says."

Xiao Xueman knew this too, so he didn't agree immediately.

"Don't you want your injury to heal sooner?"

"It will heal sooner or later," Qin Lou wasn't concerned about this, he had been injured countless times since he was young, he was used to it, "Xueman, the pills you refined for me before are already enough."

Xiao Xueman looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"I understand," he said, "I'll talk about my matters with Zong Manluo after the competition ends."

He still didn't give a definite answer, Qin Lou was worried, so he followed him for a while, Xiao Xueman listened to him analyze the various situations of the Alchemist Association, but couldn't help but zone out for a moment.

When he refined medicine for Qin Lou back then, he didn't think much about it, they were friends now, just refining some medicine. If it were for Yu Zhengrong or Shen Guan, Xiao Xueman would do the same.

But ever since he saw that look in Qin Lou's eyes last time, Xiao Xueman felt a bit indescribable.

He and Qin Lou were different after all.

If this time he made a deal with the Alchemist Association for nine-star pills, would they become entangled again?

Thinking of this, Xiao Xueman glanced back at Qin Lou and saw the worry in his eyes.

“Xueman, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Su Mingming, the Alchemist Association isn’t that simple. Because it’s been around for a long time, sometimes even Zong Manluo can’t control the people inside. She’s old, and new forces in the association are becoming stronger.

She openly wants you to teach the kids, but in reality, who can’t teach these kids? She just wants to use your influence to clear out forces in the association,” Qin Lou continued. “You haven’t been in the First Heaven for a long time, you’re not clear about the current complex forces. There’s no need to be used by others for some small matters.”

Qin Lou was afraid Xiao Xueman would be used by Zong Manluo, so he kept trying to explain this matter to him.

Actually, Xiao Xueman could guess some of it. Even if he wasn’t very familiar with the current situation in the First Heaven, Zong Manluo was inherently scheming, he wasn’t without precautions.

Initially agreeing to be a judge for the Alchemist Association, Xiao Xueman hadn’t thought so much. He was good at this, and now he was bringing Xiao Wan, he wasn’t sure about the current situation of other talented kids, so he just came to take a look.

But indeed, much effort in the Blue Sea Competition was outside the arena.

“I understand,” Xiao Xueman sighed, interrupting Qin Lou’s rambling. “I won’t help the Alchemist Association, when the Blue Sea Competition ends, that’s it.”

Qin Lou visibly relaxed.

After he relaxed, he remembered he had other things to discuss with Xiao Xueman today.

In his storage space, he had a box of snacks.

Previously, following Nan An’s teaching, Qin Lou first made the flower cakes she often made, and seeing Xiao Xueman liked them, he started making other things.

He wasn’t good at cooking, and he was busy recently, but he felt it was meaningful because he was thinking of Xiao Xueman.

When Xiao Xueman opened it, besides snacks, there was something else in the box.

A green square stone, emitting a faint light, with light spots flowing inside.

Xiao Xueman recognized this—it was from the demon clan.

He had met the peacock president of the demon clan alliance before, who was good at external communication, not high in actual spiritual power, but after all, it was an alliance, and they stored some good things.

For example, this piece, considered a blessing for alchemists, simply named Hui Ling Fu.

When alchemists refine medicine, they don’t consume spiritual power, but a special energy for refining, which is harder to recover than spiritual power, and once overdrawn, alchemists can easily fall into a state of exhaustion.

Hui Ling Fu for alchemists isn’t uncommon, but one of such quality is indeed rare.

This piece from the demon clan alliance is the best on the continent, you can tell just by its color. It was dug out from a secret realm, very limited in quantity, and it seems only they have it.

Moreover, this thing is used once less once, making it even more precious.

“Eight-star pills aren’t easy to refine, I know,” Qin Lou confessed honestly. “You’ve already been quite exhausted recently, so I asked the demon clan for this, it’s for you.”