Chapter 111: Master Yunxiao

　　Han Qianfang chuckled and whispered, “Maybe it’s our kiddo Yunxiao.”

　　Chen Lin said in a deep voice, “I can’t believe you two still have the mood to make fun when the situation has turned for the worse!”

　　Luo Yunshang was shocked, and she looked at Yunxiao in amazement. Both she and Jia Rong knew the master Zhang Qianfan and Xu Han were talking about was exactly the fifteen-year-old boy in front of them.

　　Now that he was called out, Yunxiao naturally could no longer keep silent.

　　He jumped off his horse, and he walked up to the platform under the glazed eyes of the crowd. With a smile on his face, he said, “I just gave you a little advice. Your breakthrough is entirely a matter of accumulation. I don’t deserve your gratitude.”

　　Li Yunxiao?

　　Master Yunxiao?

　　Everyone’s jaw dropped to the floor!

　　“Does he think that anyone with the name Yunxiao is a master? How could this boy be so cheeky as to walk up and admit he is a master? He really doesn’t know the meaning of death!”

　　Qin Yang was startled at first, but then a sarcastic smile appeared on his face, and he could not help but want to laugh.

　　Meanwhile, Li Chunyang’s face fell and he cried out in a deep voice, “Stop fooling around! Get off the platform right now!”

　　As he said that, he dashed over and stood before Yunxiao. He could not believe his grandson would make such a joke at this moment. Even a Martial Grandmaster would have to suffer if he offended a fourth-tier alchemist, not to mention Yunxiao.

　　Every powerful alchemist was followed by strong warriors. For example, Yuan Hao was followed by Su Xiang, who was only one of the many warriors following the alchemist. Therefore, most people would rather offend a Martial Grandmaster than a fourth-tier alchemist.

　　“This boy got his head hit on the lintel when he left home. I hope you can pardon his nonsense!” Li Chunyang explained in panic.

　　Yunxiao was stopped beneath the stairs, and when he heard Li Chunyang ask him to get off the platform, he answered, “Oh,” as he turned and walked back.

　　“Hold on, Master Yunxiao!”

　　Zhang Qingfan cried out in a hurry as he and Xu Han strode up, shoving Li Chunyang to the side and flicking their sleeves in front of Yunxiao. They tidied up their clothes, and then bowed deeply to him while speaking respectfully, “We thank you, Master Yunxiao, for the guidance!”

　　“What!”

　　The courtiers, the eight hundred thousand soldiers, and everyone else felt their eyeballs drop to the floor. They rubbed their eyes over and over again, and some even bit their lips to confirm if this were just an illusion. In that instant, at least a hundred thousand men were bleeding from their lips.

　　Li Chunyang’s lips were bleeding as well, but he thought it was not enough. So, he also bit his tongue, arm, and hand, and found that he could feel pain from all of them.

　　Li Changfeng was even more aggressive as he slapped himself on the head. Blood spurted out of his crown and smeared half his face bloody, but he did not seem to mind. “I can clearly feel the pain…so what’s going on?”

　　There were hundreds and thousands of people both on and beneath the platform, but all held their breath and none made a sound. For a moment, a weird silence hung in the air.

　　Yunxiao did not step forward to help both men up, as if it were only right and natural for him to accept their bows. He smiled lightly and said, “I’ve said that your breakthroughs are entirely a matter of accumulation. Remember, the road of alchemy is still very long, and fourth-tier is just the beginning.”

　　Fourth-tier is just the beginning…

　　“Hah! How daring!” Yuan Hao was so angry that he laughed. “What an insolent boy! Brother Zhang, Brother Xu, so this little punk is the Master you were talking about!”

　　Wang Chen’s eyes flashed with surprise as he found the remark very familiar. He remembered his master, Yang Di, used to say that as well, and his tone was surprisingly similar to that of this boy.

　　Sun Zhengzong’s expression changed drastically when he saw Yunxiao’s face. “YOU!” he shouted in both shock and anger. “Master Yuan Hao, this is the boy I told you about! He’s a cheater! He had cheated the alchemist badge!”

　　Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han flew into a rage.

　　“Watch your mouth, Yuan Hao!” Zhang Qingfan snapped. “I thank you for coming all the way to assess me, but if you insult Master Yunxiao again, I’ll sever my ties with you!”

　　“Sun Zhengzong, I am the one who gave Master Yunxiao his alchemist badge. How can he be a cheater?” Xu Han said in a cold voice, “Had it not been because Tianshui’s alchemist association is only a fifth-level branch and can only give out second-tier badges, I’ll have given Master Yunxiao a fourth or even fifth-tier badge!”

　　Both Yuan Hao and Sun Zhengzong were taken aback. They did not expect such a violent reaction from both men.

　　“Ridiculous! I can’t believe both of you, as fourth-tier alchemists, can be fooled around by a fifteen-year-old boy,” said Yuan Hao coldly. “He may be amazingly gifted, but it is just ludicrous to hear you call him a ‘Master’!”

　　Yunxiao only smiled as he stopped the fuming Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han. His divine sense was cultivating within the Divine Realm Tablet in his soul-form; therefore, it was not easy for anyone to find out his actual alchemy level. Besides, he did not care a fig about these doubts and ridicules, and he did not think there was a necessity to argue with them.

　　“According to the rules, anyone who faked or cheated an alchemist badge must be killed! And Master Xu Han, you can’t get away with it either!” said Sun Zhengzong.

　　Yunxiao’s eyes grew cold. “Are you saying that I’ve cheated my second-tier badge?”

　　“Of course, you did!”

　　“Very well!” Yunxiao sneered. “I’ll have a match with you today. If you lose, does that mean your alchemist badge is a fake one?”

　　That gave Sun Zhengzong a pause, but then he quickly put on a disdainful smile and said, “Oh? You want to have a match with me?”

　　Li Chunyang could not believe what he heard, and he looked worried. He knew Yunxiao was a genuine second-tier alchemist, but Sun Zhengzong was a third-tier alchemist. The gap between them was huge.

　　“Since you are so confident, why don’t we have a bet?” said Yunxiao.

　　“What an interesting boy! How would you like to bet?” asked Yuan Hao.

　　“The loser will kneel and kowtow three times to the winner in front of all eight hundred thousand soldiers and all the courtiers, and then bow deeply and make way for the winner whenever we meet. Also…” Yunxiao paused for a moment, staring at Sun Zhengzong. “I want you to take out all the things you’ve been given by the Li Family over the years as the wager. Master Yuan Hao will be the judge. What do you think?”

　　Sun Zhengzong was taken aback. He was not afraid of having a match with Yunxiao, but the wager…well, it did not really matter if he lost those things, and he would just feel pity for some time at most. But, if he lost the match, he would have to kneel and kowtow in front of so many people. For a moment, he stood frozen on the spot.

　　“Why? Are you afraid? A mighty third-tier alchemist like you is afraid of me, a fake second-tier alchemist? Hah!” Yunxiao’s unconcealed disdain filled everyone’s mind with doubts.

　　Sun Zhengzong’s face turned red. “Who said I’m afraid of you? I’ll have a match with you! It is just that I fear you can’t come out with an equal amount of wager!” He took off a storage ring from his finger and wiped away his seal on it, then handed it to Yuan Hao.

　　Yuan Hao was slightly surprised after he had inspected the ring’s contents with his divine sense. He smiled at Sun Zhengzong, and the expression on his face clearly read, “You sure are giving the boy a hard time.”

　　Sun Zhengzong sneered proudly, looking at Yunxiao from the corner of his eye like a rich man staring at a poor fella. Yunxiao laughed in his heart when he saw that.

　　Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han exchanged a glance, then both removed their storage rings and handed them to Yunxiao. “Take all our things, Master Yunxiao!”

　　Sun Zhengzong’s face flickered, and his eyes gleamed with anger, but he did not dare to speak a word. He could not afford to offend two fourth-tier alchemists at the same time.

　　Yunxiao rejected their offers. He took off his own ring and said smilingly, “I have the wager ready here.” After saying that, he wiped away his seal and placed the ring in Yuan Hao’s hand.

　　As soon as he glanced at the contents with his divine sense, Yuan Hao was startled, and he gave Yunxiao a surprised look. “The value of Yunxiao’s things is higher than Zhenzong’s.”

　　“What!” Sun Zhengzong’s eyelids twitched as he stared incredulously at Yunxiao. He had taken most of the things away from the Li Family’s treasury, and although there were still many things left, he knew they were not worth too much.

　　Yunxiao laughed again in his heart. The military operation had brought him a fortune. Although most of them were gold coins, which were nothing to an alchemist, they were still quite scary when they came in tremendous numbers.

　　And, he had not missed Xu Pinghong and Li Wenshi’s storage rings either. There was even a demon beast egg in Xu Pinghong’s ring, the value of which was immeasurable.

　　If all the gold coins and Primordial Stones in his ring were to pile up, they could easily form a few hills. Yuan Hao was genuinely stunned by them.

　　“Never mind about the extra.” Yunxiao waved a hand. He knew he would win, so he naturally did not mind the difference in their wagers.

　　Sun Zhengzong was so furious that his face turned blue. It was like he saw a beggar on the side of a street, and just as he put out a mocking smile, the beggar scoped out a handful of gold coins and threw them at his face.

　　Yuan Hao was slightly surprised. He did not know from where Yunxiao’s confidence came. And when he saw both Zhang Qingfan and Xu Han sneering, his heart skipped a beat. Could this boy really be a master?

　　He carefully studied Yunxiao once again. Although there was some mystery about the boy, he could tell his actual age with a glance, which was only fifteen years old.

　　Even if Yunxiao were indeed a genius, or an alchemist cultivated by some top power in the continent, it was impossible for him to reach the third-tier at such a young age, let alone defeat Sun Zhengzong, who was a seasoned third-tier alchemist.

　　With a smile, he asked, “How will the match be fought?”

　　Sun Zhengzong said seriously, “Please set a theme for us, Master Yuan Hao. This will be fairer!”

　　Yunxiao smiled faintly as he waved a hand and said, “There’s no need to be so troublesome. You can choose whatever you are best at as the topic of the match, as long as it is within the field of alchemy. I have no problem.”

　　“What!”

　　That startled Sun Zhengzong and Yuan Hao at the same time. Although the difference of a tier between alchemists was tremendous, some alchemists’ achievement in certain topics were not necessarily weaker than those who were one tier higher.

　　Sun Zhengzong would have been a little concerned if Yunxiao insisted to choose a topic he was best at, which was why he proposed to let Yuan Hao set the theme. By doing so, he was also showing his respect to Yuan Hao, and he hoped he could win some favor.

　　But now…