Free Web NovelChapter 349: Chapter 349: Malice from Situ Yue
As she spoke, she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment, putting on an apologetic expression.
"If only I were as talented as Eldest Sister."
Situ Yue’s eyes slowly began to redden.
The senior brothers at her side immediately felt their hearts go out to her.
"Junior Sister, your talents just lie elsewhere, not in Alchemy. Don’t put yourself down."
"Eldest Sister has just been studying a few hundred years longer than you. It’s no big deal."
To console Situ Yue, they quickly began disparaging Lan Yue, making her sound completely useless.
Standing far off, Lan Yue’s heart had long since grown numb to the pain.
Ever since their Junior Sister arrived, these junior brothers had eyes only for her, completely forgetting about their Eldest Sister.
’If her Master hadn’t still treated her reasonably well, she would have abandoned the sect long ago!’
She clenched her fists tightly, trying her best to ignore their voices.
"Enough."
Daoqing grew irritated listening to them.
His eldest disciple may have been acting willfully lately, but she was his very first student, and that held a special weight.
"She is your Eldest Sister. Even when consoling your Junior Sister, you are not to disrespect her. If I hear you speaking this way again, you can all get yourselves to Siguoya!"
Daoqing was furious, and none of his disciples dared to speak.
Situ Yue’s expression stiffened, and she silently swallowed the hatred in her heart.
’I will be Master’s only female disciple! I will be the one they all dote on!’
’Eldest Sister has to go.’
...
Time flew by. Song Wanning wrote the names of the Spiritual Medicines on a silk cloth one by one. She was slower than Xiao Heyun, putting her brush to the cloth only after carefully considering and confirming each name.
Xiao Heyun, however, simply had to copy the analysis provided by his system. His speed was astonishing.
By now, more people had filtered into the palace. Many disciples from the Medicine King Sect had come to the area in search of Song Wanning. Upon seeing the Medicinal Herbs trial, they all became incredibly excited, as if they’d been shot full of adrenaline.
’When it comes to Alchemy, who could possibly be better than them?’
The other Cultivators, however, were not as pleased. The very first trial had left them completely bewildered.
The same went for the demon beasts that had forced their way in. ’Identifying herbs?’
Aside from knowing a few common Medicinal Herbs, they relied on sensing Spiritual Energy to identify other treasures. Now, they were utterly clueless.
But no one was willing to give up just like that, so they all stubbornly pushed forward with the trial.
’What if there are other treasures to be found?’
Soon, Xiao Heyun passed the first trial.
He arrived at the second room.
The second trial was processing the herbs, but the daunting part was that all the herbs from the first trial had to be processed.
Each herb required a different processing method. The slightest mistake would cause its medicinal properties to be lost.
"Why is this so tedious?"
Xiao Heyun felt completely overwhelmed, but he had no choice but to work through it step by step.
When it came to hands-on work, the system could no longer do it for him—at most, it could only guide his technique. As a result, Xiao Heyun’s pace slowed considerably.
Song Wanning, on the other hand, began to overtake Xiao Heyun soon after she finally reached the second trial.
For someone like her, who had practiced Alchemy for over a century, processing herbs was the easiest part of the process.
Therefore, she was fast and her movements were practiced, making her work incredibly crisp and efficient.
...
"*Hiss*... How is he getting overtaken?"
Situ Yue stared at Xiao Heyun, a hint of anxiety creeping in.
’I really don’t like that pretty woman. I’d much rather the handsome guy win.’
Hearing this, Daoqing’s eyelids lifted slightly. His gaze fell upon Song Wanning, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes as he watched her skillfully process the herbs.
’Then there’s Xiao Heyun. He was incredibly fast in the first trial, but now he’s sluggish and has made quite a few small errors. It seems he’s all theory and no practice.’
But he didn’t pay it too much mind, continuing to sip his tea nonchalantly.
None of his disciples had left; they were all sticking around to watch the show. ’What if Master takes on another junior brother or sister?’ they wondered.
"Huh? Her movements are so crude! As an Alchemist, she should understand that Alchemy is a sacred practice. How can she be so rough?"
Suddenly, Situ Yue, thinking she had found a flaw in Song Wanning’s technique, pointed at her and complained.
Song Wanning could be seen casually rolling a medicinal herb into a ball, then, with a firm squeeze, she forced all the juice out of it.
Daoqing: "..."
Situ Yue expected everyone to agree with her, but when she turned around, she found them all silent, looking as if they wanted to say something but were holding back.
For a moment, her expression turned awkward. Then, she heard Lan Yue say with a sneer, "Junior Sister, if you don’t understand Alchemy, you should go back to your books instead of making a fool of yourself everywhere."
"That medicinal herb is called Condensed Wine Grass. Its juice smells like wine, and it’s specifically used to craft the Soul Capturing Pill. There’s nothing wrong with squeezing the juice out by hand like that young woman is doing. In fact, it’s often a cleaner method and helps preserve the freshness of the leftover plant matter."
Lan Yue had no desire to coddle her junior sister any longer.
At first, she too had been delighted to have a new junior sister. But who would have known that this junior sister was a two-faced backstabber who always played the victim? She would say things that were deliberately misleading, causing the others to misunderstand Lan Yue.
That was how her junior brothers had gradually grown distant from her.
Her gaze was icy, and her words left Situ Yue momentarily flushed with shame and anger.
But Situ Yue didn’t let it show. Instead, she lowered her head, her eyes welling up with tears as if she were about to cry.
"I’m sorry... I-I have been studying, it’s just... these are herbs for refining Lower Realm Spirit Pills. I’ve only studied Immortal Pills..."
The moment she apologized, the senior brothers’ hearts went out to her again, and they turned to criticize Lan Yue for being harsh.
Lan Yue didn’t back down, shutting down each of their arguments. She left them red-faced and fuming, but unable to come up with a single retort.
Situ Yue was inwardly gloating. ’These men only know how to dote on me. Other women?’
’Hah. They can all drop dead!’
However, when she turned back, she saw her Master staring intently at the woman in the Water Mirror, not even blinking. Her good mood vanished in an instant.
’I can’t let Master accept another female disciple! It would threaten my position. He can only take male disciples!’
’Looks like I’ll have to find a way to ruin Master’s impression of that woman.’
...
"*Phew...*"
Song Wanning let out a long breath, rubbing her sore neck. She finally stood up and cast a satisfied glance at the neatly processed herbs.
The prepared herbs were arranged neatly on a rack to the side, ready to be selected for Alchemy at a moment’s notice.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when the scene before her changed.
An imposing Alchemy Furnace appeared in the center of the room. One look at its sheen was enough to tell that this furnace was extraordinary.
Song Wanning narrowed her eyes, her interest in the master of this palace piqued.
But her attention was quickly drawn to the requirements posted to the side.
"Refine ten top-grade Soul Capturing Pills?"
’The Soul Capturing Pill... As its name suggests, its main purpose is to seize a person’s soul. It’s usually used for assassinations...’
’I never thought the person behind this trial would demand I refine such an Elixir Pill.’
