“Accept Xu Xiaoshou as an apprentice?”
The crowd went wild again. Everyone was exhilarated and worked up.
Following the promise of a favor, President Shi Ti spoke bold words again. ‘Pooh!’
How generous.
How could he be so generous?
Everyone was dumbfounded and could not believe their ears. Was this the President Shi Ti they knew?
What was the matter? Did he have a short fuse today?
How come he was so irritable?
Was it because he was at odds with that young man and could not control his emotions anymore? Or was he simply getting more and more worked up?
“The old president is going to accept an apprentice! My goodness, this is big news!”
“What are you thinking? Have you forgotten the conditions attached? He requires eighth-grade magic pills!”
“Eighth-grade… My dear mother! Is this how one becomes the president’s apprentice? If I knew that, I would have refrained from taking the examination and instantly sat for the third-grade assessment. That way, could I also be the president’s apprentice?”
“Hehe, wake up, it’s daytime now!”
“…”
Fu Yinhong glanced at Shi Ti with an inconceivable expression on her face.
Eighth-grade!
She was now an eighth-grade alchemist. If not for those two accidents, she would have been a seventh-grade alchemist now.
But Shi Ti could not possibly see something in her.
She knew that her abilities were far from enough.
Xu Xiaoshou…
Did he really have such prowess?
Fu Yinhong thought of that Red Gold Pill. Most of the people who watched the events unfurl were still on a high and did not give it much consideration.
If Xu Xiaoshou could protect and successfully condense the magic pill from the blast and was as exceptional as Yun He claimed…
Everything that happened in the meantime was extremely scary if one thought about it carefully.
She glanced at the old president. This old man seemed to be acting in the heat of the moment. In fact, Fu Yinhong could not guess what he was thinking in his heart.
“Xu Xiaoshou…”
She turned to look at the young man. To think that she almost imprisoned him when she saw him on the street that day.
She never expected that he would be such a character.
How would he respond in the face of the tempting promises made by the president?
“Accept an apprentice?”
Xu Xiaoshou murmured. To be honest, he was indeed captivated by the proposition.
He then thought of Elder Sang. Knowing the old man, he was sure that that old fellow would not set him free. He was a hundred percent sure of that.
Even if he escaped now, when the old straw hat-wearing man came looking for him, how could he not willingly go with him?
Shi Ti…
Was he capable of stopping Elder Sang?
Xu Xiaoshou was confident that he was not capable of that.
That old man’s true prowess was not in the art of alchemy at all. In fact, his alchemy skills were only a side benefit attained from the practice of Infernal Heavens.
“You flatter me, President. I know I am still not qualified to be your apprentice at the moment.”
Xu Xiaoshou spoke euphemistically and then steered the conversation away.
“However, it’s rare to catch the president’s eyes. I would be hard-pressed to shirk this bet.”
“How about this… If I succeed in refining the eighth-grade magic pill, will you add one more favor to the favors you promised earlier?”
Though Xu Xiaoshou sounded greedy, he did not have the guts to act on his words.
Two favors were enough.
Deep down, Shi Ti was surprised.
Could anyone refuse his invitation to be his apprentice?
Moreover, it was a young alchemist. How could that be possible?
His eyes narrowed slightly. It was evident that Xu Xiaoshou’s brazen actions triggered his anger again.
But he was not foolish.
This lad’s reaction was too unpredictable.
It was almost comparable to Old Man Sang, who created a big commotion in the Holy Palace in the past.
Mu Zixi’s figure unconsciously appeared in Shi Ti’s mind.
He admitted that the resemblance between Elder Sang and this unruly lad in front of him was uncanny. If he had to decide now who would be the first-choice apprentice for Elder Sang, he was afraid this young lad was indeed more suited to be Elder Sang’s apprentice.
“Could it be possible that I was wrong? Xu Xiaoshou is not a cover that Old Man Sang designated for Mu Zixi, but…”
“Is it the complete opposite?”
Shi Ti was surprised by his thoughts.
He re-examined Xu Xiaoshou with scrutinizing eyes.
‘Similar!’
‘Too similar!’
‘Especially with regards to their destructive ability, he has far surpassed his teacher!’
He turned his head and looked at the skylight in Xu Xiaoshou’s alchemy room. He instantly connected the dots in his heart.
Could it be possible that what this lad said is true? Was the alchemy process just a normal procedure?
Yet, in this world, by simply following standard procedures, one could create such havoc with alchemy.
Shi Ti’s face paled.
He had been deceived.
‘Old Man Sang, was this what you were hiding all along?’
After not meeting for many years, his shrewdness went up a notch. He predicted that Shi Ti would be judging him and prepared his counterattack.
‘Damn it!’
The surrounding crowd, including Xu Xiaoshou, were all watching President Shi Ti intently. His facial expressions changed as if he were flipping a book. In a flash, he displayed all kinds of colorful and exaggerated expressions.
In the short span of a few breaths, the old president vividly expressed various emotional expressions that one could achieve.
When Xu Xiaoshou’s Information Bar stopped fluctuating, Shi Ti’s eyes regained focus.
He stared at the young man in front of him and said sternly, “I agree with what you said.”
‘Wow!’
The crowd was instantly riled up and chorused in awe. Their faces were adorned with scandalous expressions.
“Has the president gone… mad?”
“My God, two favors? This, this…”
“It can’t be! Is this even acceptable? But at this juncture, why wouldn’t he be the apprentice of President Shi Ti!”
“Yes, this Xu Xiaoshou is still too inexperienced. Young people simply lack foresight. What are two favors when you can get countless favors by becoming the old president’s apprentice?”
The old men were green with envy or shocked by the turn of events, but some people did not forget to rebuke Xu Xiaoshou. They loudly reminded him:
“Young man, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish…”
Shi Ti looked at those green-eyed old men who had not forgotten to remind him and smiled. He also looked forward to Xu Xiaoshou’s change of heart.
The guy who had caught the eye of Old Man Sang and resorted to using Mu Zixi, an alchemy genius, as a cover to divert the attention of others…
How phenomenal would his art of alchemy be?
Could it be as terrifying as Yun He claimed?
Xu Xiaoshou felt the scorching gazes of the audience on him and could not help but give it another thought. After a long time, he slowly asked, “Is it true that you can agree to anything?”
Shi Ti smiled and nodded, trying to exhibit a superior demeanor.
“Yes.”
‘Come on, be my apprentice! I need you!’
Xu Xiaoshou no longer hesitated and said, “Well, then I have decided. I want three favors!”
Crack!
Shi Ti’s expression instantly froze.
Fu Yinhong’s eyeballs almost fell out.
The old guys who were observing the events beat their chests and stamped their feet in disapproval after recovering from the shock.
“What a fool!”
“He’s so stupid, really so stupid!”
“As the saying goes, rotten wood cannot be carved, nor a wall of dried dung be troweled. What use is there in scolding him anymore?”
“…”
Scorned, Passive Points +36.
Ridiculed, Passive Points +32.
“…”
Shi Ti’s face was dark as he asked, “Are you serious?”
Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Information Bar with a wry smile. What did these guys know? This bunch of… Forget it, he would just regard it as a contribution to his Passive Points.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Three favors aren’t too much, right?”
Shi Ti closed his eyes heavily and nodded slowly.
Xu Xiaoshou saw that he agreed so quickly and could not help but inwardly regret appearing too eager.
“Why don’t I change it again, four…”
Brush!
Shi Ti glared at him in anger. His gaze was so piercing that it was as though two fiery flames burst out from his eyes.
The phantom of a letter floated above his head, and the Way of the Heavens mantra fell upon them.
‘Tolerance is…’
‘What bull!’
Shi Ti exploded on the spot, roaring angrily.
“Now, immediately, get your ass to the alchemy room!”
“If I don’t see the eighth-grade magic pill today, don’t you dare dream of leaving this Pill Pagoda standing!”