Chapter 559 - 557: An Occasional Cauldron Explosion

「Lin Family Manor.」

A middle-aged man with a spirited air slowly approached.

Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun, who were standing guard just inside the main gate, spotted the newcomer.

They immediately moved to block his path.

"Who goes there? Announce yourself."

The middle-aged man simply smiled.

He paid them no mind, walking straight past them and into the manor.

But Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun were both Martial Kings. Mr. Jiao was even an expert at the Martial King Sixth Layer Heaven.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they attacked.

But to their astonishment, they found they couldn’t get anywhere near him.

The closest they could get was three meters away.

It was as if an invisible barrier, three meters in radius, surrounded him, preventing anyone from entering.

"Damn it, just what kind of expert is he?"

Xiao Jun’s expression changed dramatically.

Mr. Jiao said grimly, "A supreme expert. Someone beyond the Martial Ancestor realm."

"He’s definitely an expert beyond the Martial Ancestor realm."

He was utterly horrified as he said it.

’Beyond the Martial Ancestor realm... that would make him a Martial Emperor! Even in the entire Fire Sparrow Kingdom, there are only a handful of Martial Emperors. Aside from the kingdom’s Guardian Fire Sparrow, we’ve never even heard of another Martial Emperor.’

The middle-aged man said nothing.

Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun followed him until they arrived at a gazebo.

Jiang Chen was there, sitting alone under the gazebo and sipping Spirit Wine.

"Sir, this man forced his way into the manor!"

Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun cried out to Jiang Chen.

They were still trying to block the intruder’s path.

Jiang Chen glanced at the middle-aged man with some surprise, then smiled and waved a hand at Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun. "It’s alright. You two can stand down."

"He has no intention of harming you. If he did, he could have defeated you both with a single breath."

Only then did Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun realize that Jiang Chen seemed to know the man.

Xiao Jun, especially, felt the middle-aged man looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place him.

The middle-aged man walked to the edge of the gazebo, turned to Jiang Chen, and bowed deeply.

"Greetings, Sir."

What?

’A Martial Emperor is being this respectful to Jiang Chen?’

Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun were utterly stunned, frozen on the spot.

Jiang Chen smiled at the man and nodded. "Mr. Qiu Shui, congratulations."

"It looks like your breakthrough was a success."

That’s right. The visitor was none other than Mr. Qiu Shui.

Xiao Jun’s jaw dropped as he stared at Mr. Qiu Shui in disbelief.

He exclaimed, "You... how can you be Mr. Qiu Shui?"

"Isn’t Mr. Qiu Shui an old man? Why are you so young?"

He had, of course, seen Mr. Qiu Shui before—in the Third Prince’s grand hall.

The crucial part was that the Mr. Qiu Shui he remembered was clearly an old man, yet now he looked so young.

It was simply unbelievable.

Mr. Qiu Shui chuckled. "I am indeed Mr. Qiu Shui."

"It’s just that my appearance changed significantly after my cultivation breakthrough."

’He knew that his breakthrough to the Martial Emperor realm was all thanks to Jiang Chen. Without Jiang Chen, he wouldn’t be who he was today. He was a grateful person, which was why he had come to find Jiang Chen the moment he broke through.’

Jiang Chen gestured to the seat across from him. "Sit."

Mr. Qiu Shui didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down opposite Jiang Chen.

Mr. Jiao and Xiao Jun, meanwhile, were still reeling from the shock.

’After all, Mr. Qiu Shui was the renowned President of the Alchemist Guild. They knew who he was; they had even seen him before. But the man before them now had changed so drastically that even someone who knew him well wouldn’t have been able to recognize him.’

"So, what’s your plan?"

Jiang Chen asked casually, looking at Mr. Qiu Shui.

Mr. Qiu Shui mulled it over for a moment before replying, "First, I’ll naturally go to the Alchemy Master Guild and take back my position as President. Then, I will choose a successor. After that, I intend to follow you, Sir."

’He considered himself a man of good judgment. A person like Jiang Chen, who could refine his Cultivation Technique, was an absolute prodigy. He knew that following Jiang Chen would bring him immense benefits. As for the position of President of the Alchemist Guild, it meant nothing to him now. In truth, he had grown weary of the role years ago. He was only returning to the Alchemy Master Guild this time because he couldn’t stand the thought of the presidency falling into the hands of people like Chang Mao and Wenzhu.’

Jiang Chen reached out and handed Mr. Qiu Shui an invitation from the Alchemy Master Guild.

Mr. Qiu Shui looked at it and his surprise was evident. "An alchemy convention... So Chang Mao and Wenzhu really are planning to use this to seize the presidency of the Alchemy Master Guild."

"Heh, too bad for them. They’re going to come away with nothing this time."

"Because I’ve returned."

’Mr. Qiu Shui’s heart burned with rage. To be hunted by his own two Vice Presidents was the ultimate humiliation. Now that he had broken through, it was time to take his revenge.’

Then, Mr. Qiu Shui asked in surprise, "But why would they invite you?"

"Are you an alchemist, too?"

Mr. Qiu Shui was taken aback.

’He had no idea Jiang Chen was also an Alchemist.’

Jiang Chen smiled. "Do I not seem like an Alchemist to you?"

After a brief pause, Mr. Qiu Shui shook his head. "No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like an Alchemist."

Jiang Chen stated calmly, "I am indeed an Alchemist."

Mr. Qiu Shui froze.

’He quickly processed this, staring at Jiang Chen with renewed astonishment. Jiang Chen’s Cultivation was already at a genius level for his generation. And now he was an Alchemist on top of that? The revelation was a heavy blow to Mr. Qiu Shui’s ego.’

He immediately pressed, "Right, what grade of Alchemist are you? If there’s anything you don’t understand about the alchemical arts, humble as my skills may be, as a Third-Grade Alchemist I can still offer you a bit of guidance."

’Even knowing Jiang Chen was an Alchemist, Mr. Qiu Shui never imagined he would be a particularly high-level one. And so, he felt a little smug. He would be quite proud to offer guidance to a prodigy like Jiang Chen.’

Jiang Chen replied, his face impassive and his tone perfectly level, "Third-Grade Alchemist."

GACK!

Mr. Qiu Shui nearly bit his own tongue off.

"Third-Grade..."

’He nearly leaped to his feet. Just a moment ago, he’d assumed Jiang Chen was just an ordinary Alchemist, but now—good heavens, he was actually a Third-Grade Alchemist! That put him on the same level as himself! He himself was only a Third-Grade Alchemist! This was just too demoralizing.’

"You’re really a Third-Grade Alchemist?"

He still found it hard to believe.

’For someone of Jiang Chen’s age, the odds of becoming a Third-Grade Alchemist were minuscule. Even a genius Alchemist like Wen Shixuan was merely a Second-Grade Alchemist.’

Jiang Chen gave a silent nod.

"I see no reason to lie."

Mr. Qiu Shui was truly speechless. This was a brutal blow.

’Really Third Grade. Just moments ago, he’d wanted to offer Jiang Chen guidance, and now it turned out the young man was already a Third-Grade Alchemist.’

But he pressed on, trying another angle. "Then you must have only just reached the Third Grade, right?"

Jiang Chen nodded again in confirmation.

At that, Mr. Qiu Shui breathed a sigh of relief.

He smiled. "You’re already a genius. But since you’ve only just become a Third-Grade Alchemist, you’ll still need plenty of practice."

"By the way, what’s your current Pill Success Rate?"

The Pill Success Rate is the main benchmark for an Alchemist’s level of skill.

’As for himself, even as a Third-Grade Alchemist, his own Pill Success Rate was a mere thirty percent. Jiang Chen’s, he figured, probably wouldn’t exceed five percent.’

Jiang Chen stated impassively, "Oh, just about ninety-nine percent."

"A batch might fail every now and then."

PFFFT!

Mr. Qiu Shui actually coughed up a mouthful of blood.

’A ninety-nine percent Pill Success Rate. A critical hit. A devastating critical hit. Mr. Qiu Shui felt wounded. To have a ninety-nine percent success rate right after becoming a Third-Grade Alchemist... it was terrifying. He began to suspect Jiang Chen was bluffing.’

He took several deep breaths to compose himself.

"Then are you capable of refining a Silver Quality Third-Grade Elixir?"