At the moment when the four golden characters appeared, Jia Rong felt as if his eyes were pierced by tens of millions of golden needles. At the same time, a force that made his soul tremble rushed directly into his mind and burst into full bloom.

　　Puke!

　　He screamed and felt his head crack as he coughed up another mouthful of blood. Then, after hearing a deafening rumble ring out in his mind, he fell to the ground in pain and lost consciousness.

　　Yunxiao’s eyes returned to normal. He examined Jia Rong, then took out a gold needle and inserted it into Jia Rong’s head.

　　“AHHH!”

　　Jia Rong screamed again and suddenly jumped up from the ground.

　　Yunxiao kicked him and scolded, “You are as weak as a woman, fainting from such a mild pain! How are you going to follow me in the future?”

　　Jia Rong held his head in his hands with grievance and cried out, “Young Master Yun, I…how miserable my life is! Just now I had a chance to break through to the second tier again, and I was on the verge of success. But…your friend, Lu Yao, she is really my bane!”

　　“Second tier? Aren’t you already second tier?” Yunxiao snorted.

　　“Ah?”

　　Jia Rong froze for a moment, then found that his mind was extremely clear, and there was a freshness flowing in his soul that he had never felt before. He jumped up in an instant and blurted out in horror, “Ah? Ha, ha, haha! Second tier, second tier…This is really the second tier! Haha! I’ve really advanced to the second tier! Oh, heavens, I’m not dreaming, am I? Young Master Yun, please hit me, hit me hard, see if I’m dreaming!”

　　Bam!

　　Yunxiao punched Jia Rong in the chest and sent him crashing to the floor. The floor paved with diamond rock instantly cracked with thousands of lines. Meanwhile, Jia Rong’s eyeballs bulged as he opened his mouth and coughed out another mouthful of blood.

　　He felt a sharp pain as all the bones in his chest were broken. While putting back the bones in pain, he struggled to his feet and said with a sad face, “Young Master Yun, although I asked you to hit me, you didn’t have to be so brutal, did you?” Suddenly, his sad face froze and he said in shock, “Young Master Yun, your…your strength?”

　　Yunxiao sighed, “It took me so many Thousand Birds pills to break through and become a six-stars warrior. It seems that the pill has no more effect on my body, as it can hardly stimulate my potential further. But fortunately, I have also broken through to the realm of second-tier alchemists.”

　　Through cultivating the Tyrant Body Tempering Technique, his physical strength was far beyond that of ordinary warriors, so the stimulation of Thousand Birds pills to his flesh and meridians was getting weaker and weaker.

　　He took out the alchemist’s badge and toyed with it in his hand as he said, “I’m finally worthy of this badge now.”

　　Jia Rong stood with a blank face for a moment before crying out, “Heavens, this is bullsh*t! Young Master Yun, you weren’t even a warrior when I first met you, were you? And you weren’t even an alchemist, right? You were nothing at that time, but it didn’t take long for you to become a six-stars warrior and second-tier alchemist! I…My heart can’t take this blow!”

　　Yunxiao said coldly, “Then I’ll help you change to a new heart.”

　　Jia Rong trembled with fear and jumped to the side. His chest was still feeling a sharp pain, and he was covered in blood, looking extremely sorry.

　　“Young Master Yun, Young Master Yun, do you hear me? There is something urgent going on in your family. Master Liang asked me to call you out of your seclusion.” Lu Yao’s voice rang out again.

　　Yunxiao went to the long table and glanced at the few kinds of pills placed on it, then reached out a hand and put them all away. After that, he performed several incantation gestures, and the door of the refining room slowly opened.

　　At the moment the door was opened, he saw Lu Yao’s slim figure bolt backward and hide in a corner, as if she was worried that the people inside the room would suddenly attack her.

　　Yunxiao said with a wry smile, “Am I such a crass man? No matter what happens, I won’t attack a beautiful girl.”

　　Lu Yao blushed and said hastily, “Young Master Yun, something bad happened! Your father is besieged in Kunjin by an army from Baizhan, who have cut off all news. Duke Jingguo is so furious that he is going to lead the army to the rescue, so he told us to call you out of your seclusion and ask you to go back to preside over your family affairs!”

　　“An army from Baizhan is besieging Kunjin?” Yunxiao’s pupils constricted and his face grew cold. “I’ve only been in seclusion for a dozen days, and these people are turning things upside down. It seems they’re all tired of living. If that is the case, I don’t mind teaching them a lesson.”

　　He headed for the exit without looking back. Jia Rong followed hurriedly, completely forgetting that he had not changed into a clean suit.

　　Although Yunxiao said those words in a flat tone, they gave Lu Yao a chill. She shook her head slightly. ‘I’m not qualified to intervene in these matters. I’d better do my duty as a waitress.’ However, in her heart, she wished that nothing would happen to Yunxiao.

　　She went into the refining room, intending to clean and tidy it. But as soon as she walked in and took a look, she was totally stunned. “Heavens! What happened here!” Everything in the room was in tatters. Not only was the array destroyed, but the walls and floors were all cracked into countless lines, as if they were about to collapse at any time.

　　This was the best refining room in the association!

　　“Master Liang! Master Liang!” After she collected her wits, she hurried to Liang Wenyu’s office…

　　…

　　Ji Meng had been sitting in front of the Alchemist Association for three days. He sat there cross-legged in meditation, ignoring the fact that many people were passing around him. Occasionally, people who knew him passed by and were also baffled by him. Lu Yao had been kind enough to bring him water and food, but he refused them all.

　　He just sat there quietly, turning a blind eye to what was happening around him and meditating peacefully, as if he were in the training room.

　　That was until Yunxiao came down the stairs with Jia Rong.

　　This was the first time Ji Meng had opened his eyes in the past three days. He got up from the ground and strode forward.

　　Upon feeling his strong aura, everyone moved to both sides in horror, making way for passage. On the other side stood Yunxiao with a calm expression.

　　Ji Meng took a few steps and came to Yunxiao in an instant. Then, he raised his hands over his head and bowed deeply as he said in a clear voice, “From today on, I’m willing to follow Young Master Yun and obey Young Master Yun’s orders. I hope Young Master Yun can teach me higher martial arts!”

　　At last, he had completely submitted to Yunxiao after comprehending the peach blossom poem, and was willing to serve him wholeheartedly.

　　All the people in the lobby heard him clearly, and they looked at the young man in surprise, all guesting his identity. Those who knew Ji Meng’s identity were even more shocked as they gaped at Yunxiao.

　　At the same time, many people also recognized Jia Rong. When they saw him following Yunxiao with such a messy look, their mouths all dropped open.

　　Yunxiao glanced at Ji Meng and said, “It took you more than ten days to advance to two stars. It seems that your talent is just mediocre. If you want to follow me, it will depend on your efforts.”

　　Those standing around who know Ji Meng’s identity were all startled. Who was Ji Meng? He was a Great Martial Master! It was a known fact that the further an individual went on the path of martial arts, the more difficult it would be to advance. And when it came to the level of a Great Martial Master, every step was as difficult as climbing the sky. However, from what they heard from this young man, it only took Ji Meng more than ten days to step into the realm of two-stars…How was that possible!

　　What turned their faces black was that even though Ji Meng had made it to the level of two-stars in such a short period of time, his talent was just mediocre in this boy’s eyes. Except for Jia Rong, everyone was cursing in their hearts, ‘Fu*k, this boy is really ignorant!’

　　With a hint of shame on his face, Ji Meng said seriously, “I’m stupid and have failed to meet your expectations. But, as the ancient saying goes, diligence can make up for weakness. I will certainly pay ten times…a hundred times more efforts than others so that I can follow and serve you!”

　　Yunxiao nodded and said, “Since ancient times, those who have been able to achieve supreme martial arts not only have had extraordinary talents, but also great attitude and persistence, which are more important than anything else. Your attitude is very good, I like it! From today on, you will be my confidant.”

　　Overjoyed, Ji Meng naturally stood behind Yunxiao, alongside Jia Rong. OF course, Jia Rong showed an envious expression as he asked flatteringly, “Young Master Yun, since Commander Ji is already your confidant, what about me?”

　　Yunxiao put on a straight face and said coldly, “You? Aren’t you my servant? When you break through to the fourth tier, I’ll consider accepting you as my confidant.”

　　Servant?

　　Fourth tier?

　　Upon hearing their conversation, the eyes of those around them all grew wide, and many even bit their tongues in shock and cried out in pain.

　　What shocked them even more was that the usually aloof and cynical Jia Rong showed no sign of anger. Instead, he said with a long face, “When will I be able to advance to the fourth tier? Young Master Yun, please let me follow you.”

　　Yunxiao frowned and said, “It depends on your performance. I will think it over. In the next few days, you will work hard to refine ten Thousand Birds pills for Ji Meng. There are so many people watching us here like we are monkeys. We’ll talk about other things later.”

　　Jia Rong nodded, then his eyes grew cold as he glanced around. All those swept by his gaze felt a chill in their hearts. They shivered and quickly turned away.

　　‘I thought I had the wrong guy. He’s really Master Jia Rong, and his cold and murderous gaze is sharper than before! Heavens, who the hell is that boy?’

　　Ignoring the thoughts of those onlookers, the three of them left the Alchemist Association straight away.

　　A group of people stood side by side outside the door. Their expressions were serious and they emanated very powerful aura. As soon as Yunxiao came out of the door, a masked woman in the lead chuckled and said, “Bai Mou is waiting for Young Master Yun here on Prince Yue’s order.”

　　Yunxiao laughed, “Well, it’s my honor to have Commander Bai greet me personally.”

　　Bai Mou smiled and said, “The situation in the capital is tense now. Prince Yue worries that some people with bad intentions will harm you, so he sent me here to greet you.”

　　She brought three tall steeds for Yunxiao and his company. Then, the group of people rode slowly toward Prince Yue’s residence.

　　During this period, many soldiers were patrolling in the capital, and the common people were all used to it. However, the sharp people still smelled major events emerging in the horizon, making them shake their heads and sigh.