Chapter 372: Leave It to Me

Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Leave It to Me

The moment Yi Lu agreed, the entire crowd fell silent.

Everyone choked back their jeers, their eyes wide with disbelief.

The proud and aloof beauty, Yi Lu, hadn’t just accepted Yi Xiaoyao’s invitation—she had agreed readily?

Not only had she agreed, but she’d even asked Yi Xiaoyao to escort her back?

The sneer froze on Di Shen’s face. When he saw the look Lan Yue was giving him, the corner of his mouth twitched.

He glanced at Lan Yue beside him. While she was pretty and spirited, the gap between her and Yi Lu, who was now preparing to leave with Yi Xiaoyao, was simply immense.

The two women were worlds apart, not only in appearance but also in talent, status, and family background.

Di Shen felt he and Yi Xiaoyao should have been in opposite positions. ’As the most outstanding talent here,’ he thought, ’I’ve long felt Lan Yue is beneath me. Only a woman like Yi Lu is worthy of my pursuit.’

At this thought, Di Shen put on what he considered an elegant smile and called out, "Honored Guest Elder Yi Lu! I am Di Shen. I presume you’ve heard of me."

Yi Lu stopped. "What is it?"

Di Shen glanced at Yi Xiaoyao, then said to Yi Lu, "Unlike that fellow, I’m not being disingenuous. I wish to ask for your insights on breaking through from Five-Stripe Mastery to Six-Stripe Mastery, Honored Guest Elder Yi Lu. Therefore, I would like to invite you to dinner."

Yi Lu’s brow furrowed. She could, of course, discern Di Shen’s true motives, and she was thoroughly displeased. ’These men, using me to compete and show off. If I were to agree, it would only boost his ego.’

"I will touch upon that subject during my Alchemy Dao lecture tomorrow," Yi Lu said before turning to leave with Yi Xiaoyao.

Di Shen’s face fell. "Wait! Why did you accept his invitation but not mine? Do you think I’m inferior to him?"

Before Yi Lu could respond, Yi Xiaoyao chuckled. "Honored Guest Elder Yi Lu knows you plan on inviting the Red Butterfly Saint Witch, so she didn’t want to waste your time."

Di Shen was struck speechless. He had indeed just declared that if Yi Xiaoyao could invite Yi Lu, he could invite the Red Butterfly Saint Witch.

And he had deliberately said it loudly enough for everyone present to hear.

Now, everyone shot Di Shen strange looks. ’Boasting about inviting the Red Butterfly Saint Witch... he really has some nerve.’

Humiliated by Di Shen asking out another woman right in front of her, Lan Yue stormed off, her face a mask of indignation.

Di Shen paid Lan Yue no mind. He remained standing there, watching Yi Xiaoyao’s retreating back with a cold, murderous glint in his eyes.

Yi Xiaoyao couldn’t be bothered with the likes of him. As he walked with Yi Lu, their conversation turned to the topic of the Double Pill Soul.

Yi Lu, for her part, was astonished. She discovered that Yi Xiaoyao already had a profound understanding of the Double Pill Soul; all he was missing were a few minor techniques that couldn’t be found in any Pill Records.

"So you’ve already fully achieved Double Pill Soul mastery!"

Yi Lu cried out in sudden realization as she answered a few of Yi Xiaoyao’s final questions.

Yi Xiaoyao gave a faint smile. "I suppose I have now, thanks to your guidance, Miss Yi Lu."

’You have *now*? Does that mean you hadn’t just a moment ago?’

A flicker of emotion finally crossed Yi Lu’s perpetually cool and elegant face. ’To grasp it that quickly... his comprehension speed is incredible!’

"How long did it take you to master the Double Pill Soul?" Yi Lu asked.

"Almost a whole month."

Yi Xiaoyao said with a wry, helpless smile. This was the longest he had ever spent on any single aspect of the Alchemy Dao.

Yi Lu’s composure completely crumbled, as if she had just received a massive blow.

’Even I, hailed as the number one prodigy of the Alchemy Realm’s younger generation, took several years to do it! And that was only with my grandfather, the Grand Elder of the Holy Pill Academy, helping me!’

After all, very few in the entire Alchemy Realm had ever achieved Double Pill Soul mastery. Yet this man before her had managed it in less than a month. It was simply inconceivable.

Seeing her expression, Yi Xiaoyao asked, puzzled, "What’s wrong?"

"N-nothing," Yi Lu stammered. "I’m back at my residence. Why don’t you come inside so we can discuss our partnership for the Alchemy Dao Assembly?"

Yi Xiaoyao smiled. "I’d better not. It wouldn’t look good if we were seen. As for our partnership, we can discuss it tomorrow."

With that, Yi Xiaoyao returned to the Pill Record Pavilion where he had been staying.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later, Yi Xiaoyao looked at the elixir enveloped in flames in his palm, and at the two Pill Souls upon it. A smile finally formed on his lips.

’This brings me one step closer to obtaining the Cyan Emperor Order.’

...

「The next day.」 On the lecture platform, over a thousand people had once again gathered to hear Yi Lu speak on the Alchemy Dao.

Yi Xiaoyao, however, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation. Now that he had mastered the Double Pill Soul, he had no need to listen. He was simply waiting to discuss the partnership with Yi Lu.

At that moment, true to her word, Yi Lu was explaining the insights needed to break through from Five-Stripe to Six-Stripe Mastery for Di Shen’s benefit.

Di Shen, who was indeed a genius in the Alchemy Dao, let out repeated gasps of sudden understanding as Yi Lu spoke.

Then, right then and there, Di Shen used the Fire Control Furnace technique, refining an elixir in the palm of his hand.

Soon, with a great laugh from Di Shen, a Pill Soul shot up and materialized above his head, causing everyone to gasp and leap to their feet.

"What? He broke through right here!"

"Di Shen created a Six-Stripe Elixir! That means he can become an Honored Guest Elder!"

"Looks like Di Shen will be the one to accompany Honored Guest Elder Yi Lu to the Alchemy Dao Assembly for sure!"

Even Yi Lu glanced over in surprise. To achieve Six-Stripe Mastery at such a young age was truly astonishing.

She wasn’t overly impressed, however. ’After all,’ she thought, ’compared to a certain someone, Di Shen still has a long way to go.’

After finishing her lecture, Yi Lu addressed the crowd. "I have already chosen my partner for the Alchemy Dao Assembly. As such, I will not be giving any more lectures after today. The Holy Pill Academy will arrange for a new Honored Guest Elder to come tomorrow. You are all dismissed."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Di Shen with unconcealed envy, certain that he was the one Yi Lu had chosen.

After all, she had made her announcement right after he successfully refined a Six-Stripe Elixir. Wasn’t it obvious?

Even Di Shen himself was grinning smugly as he walked straight toward Yi Lu.

"What are you doing?" Yi Lu asked with a frown as Di Shen approached her.

Di Shen gave a suave smile, his form of address for her changing. "Since you have chosen me, Miss Yi Lu, I’ve come to discuss our joint strategy for the upcoming Alchemy Dao Assembly."

"When did I say I had chosen you?"

Yi Lu shot Di Shen a sharp, frowning glance, then turned and nodded to Yi Xiaoyao, who had just walked up. She then prepared to leave with him.

The crowd was stunned silent once more. By the looks of it, had Yi Lu chosen Yi Xiaoyao, the one who had asked her out the day before?

Di Shen froze on the spot, his outstretched hand hanging stiffly in the air. It began to tremble before he violently clenched it into a fist.

"Stop!"

An enraged roar erupted from Di Shen. "Yi Lu! In front of all these people, tell me! Why did you choose him over me?"

"Do I need to report my reasons to you?"

Yi Lu stopped and turned to face Di Shen, her expression frigid.

Di Shen clenched his jaw, his cheeks bulging with suppressed rage. "You said you would choose someone from among us to attend the Alchemy Dao Assembly," he said in a low, furious voice. "Shouldn’t that be the person who can refine a Six-Stripe Elixir, the one with the highest Alchemy Mastery?"

"And yet, you chose this pretty boy instead. Did something happen during your ’private meeting’ last night? Did this pretty boy win your affections?"

At Di Shen’s words, Yi Lu’s face went pale with fury, and she began to tremble with rage.

The crowd’s expressions grew strange as they listened. What Di Shen said seemed to make a certain kind of sense. Why else would Yi Lu choose an unknown nobody over Di Shen, whose high level of Alchemy Mastery was common knowledge?

Seeing Yi Lu being maligned because of him, Yi Xiaoyao stepped forward. "Let me handle this."

His gaze then fell upon Di Shen, and his expression turned frigid.

’Some people aren’t even worth my time,’ Yi Xiaoyao thought. ’But if you don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll just keep lashing out at everyone. It really is a mood killer.’

...