Chapter 475 484: A Gradeless Elixir

Within the Imperial City Academy, nestled amidst a lush, green pasture fragrant with medicinal herbs, sat several dilapidated courtyards.

They were called dilapidated not because the Imperial City Academy lacked the funds to repair them, but due to a peculiar reason: even if they were fixed, it would be useless. It was enough that they hadn't collapsed yet.

The cost of repairing the houses once was nearly the same as rebuilding them from scratch. In the end, the academy simply gave up.

But despite the decrepit state of the buildings, the surrounding medicinal fields were meticulously cared for. They were divided into several neat, clearly organized plots based on the grade and type of the herbs.

Every single medicinal plant was thriving. This wasn't just because the herbs themselves were of a high grade, but more so because of the cultivator's careful nurturing and conditioning—a skill most ordinary Alchemists did not possess.

"Instructor Luo Chen, what are you bringing me here for? I'm not studying Elixirs!"

Ye Tian looked at Luo Chen, who was leading the way, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Er, I know you're not studying Elixirs, but he's the only one you can learn from. The matter between you and the Ouyang Family has already spread throughout the academy, and many instructors are unwilling to teach you because they're afraid of offending them."

Luo Chen sounded helpless as he said this. The Ouyang Family's power held immense influence in the Imperial City. While they couldn't control the Imperial City Academy outright, the families backing the instructors still had to survive in the Imperial City. No one wanted to cause a conflict with the Ouyang Clan over such a small matter.

"I see. So, Instructor Luo Chen, are you also afraid of the Ouyang Clan?"

Ye Tian looked at Luo Chen. 'Logically, as a member of one of the four great families himself, Luo Chen shouldn't be afraid, right?'

A look of pride flashed in Luo Chen's eyes. "The Ouyang Clan may have sufficient power and strength, but my Luo Family is no pushover. Naturally, I'm not afraid. But unfortunately, your talent is too great. If I were to teach you, I'm afraid I would only hold you back. That's why I had to bring you to this person. Don't be fooled because he's into Alchemy; he's also an expert in troop deployment and battle formations. It's just that he has ridiculously high standards and has never taken on a student. Even when the academy forced students on him, he'd get rid of them in a few days."

Hearing Luo Chen's explanation, Ye Tian grew even more curious. 'There's actually such a bizarre instructor in the academy? I'll have to see this for myself.'

As he followed Luo Chen, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from within one of the courtyards just as they approached. The force was no less than a full-power strike from a Five Veins master. It was no exaggeration to say the blast was comparable to Li Longji's mightiest blow!

"Ye Tian, watch out!"

The moment Luo Chen realized what was happening, he immediately retreated. His movements were incredibly swift, and the shockwave of the explosion passed without causing him the slightest injury.

Ye Tian, however, stood his ground, personally experiencing the full force of the blast. Just as Luo Chen, his face etched with worry, feared Ye Tian was injured, he saw Ye Tian merely pat the dust off his clothes. He appeared completely unscathed!

'So terrifying. Just what is Ye Tian's Realm...?'

Luo Chen was shocked beyond belief.

In truth, it wasn't that Ye Tian didn't react to the explosive wave; it was that his powerful soul perceived that the blast posed no threat to him.

His powerful Divine Dragon Battle Body had already strengthened his physical form to an incredible degree. An explosion merely at the Early Stage of Five Veins was not enough to pose any threat to him.

"Huh?"

A soft sound of surprise came from the courtyard. From the tone, one could tell the person was extremely puzzled.

The next moment, Ye Tian saw a blurry afterimage, and then a man appeared before him, dressed in tattered rags, his face covered in black soot, and reeking of a foul odor.

He was about the same height as Ye Tian and could actually be considered handsome, but his current appearance was so ghastly that Ye Tian had to fight the urge to vomit. The effort left him breathless for a good while—the man simply reeked!

However, what caught Ye Tian's attention was that this person's speed as he flew out was even greater than Luo Chen's!

"Xiao Luoluo, who's this guy? A newly promoted instructor? No, that's not right. I've never seen him before!"

The moment the man opened his mouth and called Luo Chen "Xiao Luoluo," Luo Chen broke out in a cold sweat. He coughed dryly a few times and said, "Ahem, Brother Yang, please don't joke around."

The two of them were very familiar with each other and often joked around. It was one thing to use that nickname when they were alone, but with Ye Tian present, it was just too... much!

"Let me introduce you. This is a new student at the academy, Ye Tian. I brought him here for you to teach."

The moment Luo Chen finished speaking, the man stared at Ye Tian as if he'd found a treasure. "Holy shit! Badass! A brand new student, impressive! You're Ye Tian, right? What rank Pill Master are you? Who was your master? What's the highest-grade Elixir you've refined?"

'Alchemy?' Ye Tian looked at Luo Chen, his face full of questions. 'What is going on?'

Luo Chen sighed helplessly and continued to explain, "Brother Yang, Ye Tian isn't here to study Alchemy. He's here to learn about cavalry and siege warfare."

Ye Tian never expected that upon hearing this, Brother Yang would fly into a rage. "Fuck! Who cares about stupid siege warfare and cavalry! Why not study the noble profession of Alchemy? For fuck's sake! What a waste of a promising talent! Someone this blast-resistant should be doing Alchemy!"

This "Brother Yang" muttered to himself, saying that someone as formidable as Ye Tian wasn't afraid of furnace explosions at all. With just a little guidance, he would surely become a powerful Alchemist.

Ye Tian was utterly speechless. Alchemists were certainly noble and worthy of his admiration, but everyone chooses a different path. He only wanted to become stronger and command a power that no one else could match!

"Ye Tian, don't mind him. His name is Yang Wuji. Don't be put off by how crazy he acts; this guy has genuine skills. You two can get acquainted. I'll take my leave now."

Luo Chen gave Ye Tian a reassuring look. The unspoken message was clear: this man definitely had skills, but his personality was bizarre. How much Ye Tian could learn was up to him.

Luo Chen didn't linger, leaving Ye Tian there all by himself. This left him feeling rather helpless. 'This guy clearly has no intention of teaching me properly. How did I get so unlucky!'

"Hey, kid, what are you looking at? Are you mocking my name? So what if I'm called Yang Wuji? Damn it, it's because I feel truly useless! They say a man fears choosing the wrong career, and a woman fears marrying the wrong man. Why the hell did I ever learn all that bullshit about siege warfare, cavalry, intelligence, formations, assassination... all that garbage? Shit, I should have started studying Alchemy from the beginning!"

Yang Wuji's words left Ye Tian dumbfounded!

'Is he for real? Yang Wuji mastered every course in the academy to the highest level, only to discover that Alchemy was his one true love?'

If Ye Tian knew that Yang Wuji had started practicing Alchemy half a year ago and had since burned down eighteen houses, destroyed over a hundred cauldrons, and consumed countless medicinal herbs without successfully refining a single graded Elixir, one wonders if he'd be even more astonished.

"Alright, enough talk. Same old rule: if you want me to teach you, it's simple. Be my test subject. I'll tell you everything I know! Here, eat this!"

Yang Wuji tossed an Elixir to Ye Tian. It was pitch-black, and not only did it lack the fragrant aroma an elixir should have, it was utterly foul-smelling. Just looking at it made it seem hard to swallow!

The crucial part was, no matter how Ye Tian inspected it, he couldn't sense the slightest fluctuation of medicinal power from the Elixir. In other words, not only was this Elixir ungraded, it didn't even have any medicinal properties!