Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Pill Refining in the Great Hall
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Once Yan Zhengfeng spoke, those who had originally opposed the verification of the pill formula were shell-shocked.
Just when things were going smoothly, why would he suddenly change his mind?
“Elder Yan, this really can’t be!”
“Shouldn’t we reconsider this matter?”
“Elder Yan, this would be extremely disrespectful towards our ancestors!”
The crowd thought Yan Zhengfeng was simply confused and quickly tried to persuade him.
Yan Zhengfeng stared, his majestic gaze not angry but imposing, coldly staring at these people who had just tried to persuade him.
“I am far from senile, no need for your exhortations!” He declared forcefully.
The hall fell silent. Yan Zhengfeng’s voice drowned out everything else, those elders who had opposed the pill formula verification were bowed and silenced, daring not to say another word.
Seeing that even Yan Zhengfeng – the key figure opposing the verification had agreed, they reckoned that their cries of protest would not change anything.
Gu Daofeng, with a gentle smile, looked at Yan Zhengfeng and asked: “Elder
Yan, you agree?”
Yan Zhengfeng nodded, and said: “I agree, I request that Elder Meng be allowed to carry out the Formula verification”.
Gu Daofeng nodded and said: “Since it is so, I agree as well. However, since this matter involves Fang Lin, he should be present during the verification.”
Yan Zhengfeng immediately agreed: ‘What the Chief says is true, I, too, wish to meet this so-called genius whose name has been making waves recently and see if he lives up to the rumors.”
“Very well, request Fang Lin to come to the grand hall immediately,” Gu Daofeng ordered.
Half a moment later, a fearful and surprised Fang Lin was led by one of the elders into the grand hall of the Pill Sect.
Upon seeing the elders gathered in the hall, Fang Lin became cautious and a trace of nervousness appeared on his face.
“What are you hesitating for? Hurry and come in!” The guide elder, seeing Fang Lin hesitating outside the hall, scolded him impatiently.
With a bitter smile, Fang Lin said: “Elder, this disciple has not seen much of the world. With so many elders present, I am nervous.”
Fang Lin’s voice was not loud, but everyone in the grand hall could naturally hear him clearly, leaving them both amused and exasperated.
Yan Zhengfeng shook his head in silence, his first impression of Fang Lin was not very good. Despite being known as a genius, he seemed very weak.
Zhao Dengming and a few other elders who viewed Fang Lin as an adversary immediately sneered at him.
Meng Wuyou, Mu Yan and others looked at Fang Lin strangely. From what they knew of him, Fang Lin was not the kind of person who would easily display fear.
“Fang Lin, please come in,” Chief Gu Daofeng’s harmonious and gentle voice sounded, making people feel as if they were basked in a spring breeze.
Upon hearing these words, Fang Lin hesitated for a while, and finally followed the guide elder into the grand hall with great trepidation.
“Disciple Fang Lin, paying respects to the sect leader and all elders.” As soon as Fang Lin entered the hall, he promptly bowed to everyone present in respect, just short of kneeling down and kowtowing.
Gu Daofeng’s face bore a gentle smile, full of admiration for Fang Lin.
Yan Zhengfeng, on the other hand, was studying Fang Lin up and down with his dull aged eyes. He even walked up to Fang Lin, circled around him to assess him further.
Fang Lin felt quite uneasy being scrutinized by this old man. After all, his gaze was somewhat creepy. Could it be that he had some sort of unusual hobby?
After sizing him up for quite a while, Yan Zhengfeng gave a small snort, returned to his original position, no longer glancing at Fang Lin. His aged face held a clear trace of disappointment.
Seeing the expression on Yan Zhengfeng’s face, Meng Wuyou and others inwardly felt that something was wrong. It appeared that Yan Zhengfeng’s first impression of Fang Lin wasn’t good, and that could spell trouble.
“Fang Lin, do you know why you were summoned?” Gu Daofeng asked with a smile.
Fang Lin shook his head, “I am unaware, I ask the Chief to enlighten me.”
Gu Daofeng laughed and said: “You sly Fang Lin, you did such a big thing behind our backs, yet now you are pretending not to know, what should your punishment be?”
Everyone could discern that Gu Daofeng was only joking and not truly angry, hence they all laughed along.
However, Fang Lin wore an expression of puzzlement, he seemed to not understand the meaning behind Gu Daofeng’s words at all.
Seeing Fang Lin continuing to feign ignorance, Gu Daofeng shook his head and smiled, saying: “You, Fang Lin, persist in pretending even at this point. Do you really plan to conceal from us? Elder Meng, you should tell him.”
Meng Wuyou gave a helpless look and said to Fang Lin: “The Chief and the Elders here have already come to know about the pill formula. It’s why you were specifically asked to witness this.”
Fang Lin finally pretended to be enlightened and quickly bowed: “So it’s the matter of the pill formula. On that day, I merely refined the seventeen pill formulas based on my feelings and had no intention of disrespecting the intentions of our Pill Sect ancestors. I beseech the Elders and the Chief for understanding.”
Yan Zhengfeng interjected impatiently, “Enough of that now, whether you disrespected or not we shall discuss later. Let’s start the verification now.”
Fang Lin did not speak again. Given the high rank of every individual present in the hall, he had to be very careful. Absolute caution was required not to give anyone a handle against him.
“Chief, for the sake of a more transparent verification process, we need two elders to participate simultaneously. Both of them will refine a pill, one according to the original formula and the other according to the revised formula. Furthermore, both should be nearly equal in their cultivation of Alchemy Tao, only then can we determine the effectiveness of both pill formulas.” Meng Wuyou suggested.
Everyone nodded in agreement. The method Meng Wuyou proposed was indeed the most transparent, allowing everyone to clearly determine the effectiveness of both formulas.
Gu Daofeng looked at the elders present and said, “In that case, let Elder Wan
and Elder Sun do it.”
The two elders who were named immediately stood up and gratefully acknowledged Gu Daofeng’s decision.
Both of them appeared to be in their fifties and were not particularly distinguished. They were part of the neutral faction within the Pill Sect who bore neither goodwill nor ill will towards Fang Lin.
Gu Daofeng’s choice of personnel was well thought out. He couldn’t let Meng Wuyou’s faction take part, nor could he choose Zhao Dengming or Yu Zhen.
Selecting from the neutral elders was naturally the most appropriate choice.
Moreover, Elders Sun and Wan were both second cauldron pill refiners and their cultivation of Alchemy Tao was quite on par.
The crowd dispersed, both Elder Wan and Elder Sun had a pill furnace set up in front of them, and the medicinal herbs required were being continuously supplied by the respective staff.
Of course, both of them were using the same kind of pill furnace.
Elder Sun was refining according to the original formula, while Elder Wan was using the revised formula.
The first pill to be refined was the Purple Heart Pill.
Over here, Elder Sun had already started refining, but Elder Wan on the other side seemed somewhat hesitant. He turned to Meng Wuyou and asked, “Brother Meng, can the Dragon Sunflower Grass really be used to refine the Purple Heart Pill?”
Meng Wuyou nodded his head with full confidence and said, “Elder Wan, you need not worry, just focus on refining the pill.”
Hearing this, Elder Wan had no choice but to grit his teeth and proceed with the refining.
All the people present were watching intently as this event could influence the legacy of the Pill Sect.
Both elders refined their pills quickly. One could tell at a glance that they were veteran pill refiners who had immersed themselves in the Alchemy Tao for many years. The spectators discreetly nodded their approval.
Soon, both elders were nearing the end of their pill refining process. Just when it was about to conclude, a muffled ‘puff’ sound came from Elder Sun’s pill furnace and immediately Elder Sun’s expression took a turn for the worse..