Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Junior Alchemist Guild.

"Young Master Mu, we meet again," a seductive voice carrying a hint of delight called out.

Ye Shi tensed up, casting a hostile glance towards the source of the voice.

Cheng Wanbai ignored Ye Shi, her gaze firmly fixed on Mu Chen.

"Miss Cheng," Mu Chen greeted her casually with a nod.

"I heard that Young Master Mu is collecting tier-one and tier-two alchemy recipes. Perhaps there's a place you might find interesting," Cheng Wanbai proposed with a warm smile.

Ye Shi quickly interjected, blocking Mu Chen and sternly told Cheng Wanbai, "No, no, no. Mu Chen isn't interested. He's nearly out of elemental stones. If he spends any more on alchemy recipes, he'll starve."

Cheng Wanbai laughed softly and asked nonchalantly, "Is money tight, Young Master Mu? Perhaps I could help..."

Mu Chen shook his head and said, "Ye Shi is just joking. I still have some spare change."

Ye Shi rolled his eyes internally, thinking: That's barely any spare change. If you keep spending like this, you'll soon run dry.

Cheng Wanbai continued, "The place I mentioned is the Junior Alchemist Guild. It's a platform for junior alchemists to learn and interact. If you have questions, you can post them as bounties. Others do the same, and if you answer correctly, you earn rewards..."

"There are rewards?" Interest gleamed in Ye Shi's eyes.

Ignoring Ye Shi, Cheng Wanbai turned to Mu Chen and smiled warmly, "Young Master Mu, many of the alchemists there have decades of experience and possess vast collections of recipes. Collecting from there could be very efficient for you."

Mu Chen turned to Ye Shi, "What do you think?"

Ye Shi thought for a moment, then whispered into Mu Chen's ear, "Sounds profitable."

Mu Chen frowned slightly, thinking: Ye Shi seems overly concerned about us becoming broke. But know how to handle finances.

Cheng Wanbai noticed the closeness between Ye Shi and Mu Chen, a peculiar glint in her eyes.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Miss Cheng. I'll check it out when I have time," Mu Chen replied graciously.

Cheng Wanbai nonchalantly suggested, "Why wait for another day? Today just so happens to be the Junior Alchemist Guild's convention. Why not join me?"

Mu Chen hesitated, uncertainty in his eyes.

Ye Shi encouraged, "Let's go and see."

After a moment of contemplation, Mu Chen nodded in agreement.

Cheng Wanbai shot Ye Shi a displeased look, but her expression brightened again when she looked at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen and Ye Shi followed Cheng Wanbai into the Junior Alchemist Guild, with Ye Shi curiously looking around.

Ye Shi observed many elderly individuals in the guild. It's hard for alchemists to progress without guidance, and many remain at tier one their entire lives.

"Miss Cheng, who's this with you?" Cang Yu asked with a hint of hostility.

As Cheng Wanbai entered, several young men in alchemist robes immediately approached her, eyeing Mu Chen with distrust.

"This is Mu Chen. He has recently passed the tier-two alchemist certification," Cheng Wanbai introduced.

The young men's faces darkened with envy upon hearing this.

"Ah, Young Master Mu! Pleased to meet you," Cang Yu greeted, forcing a smile.

"Pleased to meet you too," Mu Chen replied indifferently.

Cang Yu narrowed his eyes. He had already mastered the skills for tier-two alchemy, but due to unfamiliar environments during certification, he had failed multiple attempts, wasting much money.

"Cang Yu, keep pushing forward! Soon, you'll become a tier-two alchemist," Cheng Wanbai encouraged, raising her fist in support.

Cang Yu chuckled, "With your good wishes, Miss Cheng, I will."

Taking advantage of Cheng Wanbai being surrounded, Ye Shi pulled Mu Chen aside. "How did you meet this girl?" he inquired with a hint of aggression.

"She was also at the Alchemist Guild before, and I encountered her during an authentication session," Mu Chen said.

Ye Shi's cheeks puffed up, his eyes wide and round.

Mu Chen pinched Ye Shi's face, saying, "Don't worry. She and I have no connection. Let's wander around a bit."

Ye Shi nodded, following Mu Chen.

Probably due to an event at the guild, over a hundred alchemists had gathered at the junior Alchemist Guild. Many of them, in small groups, discussed various matters.

"Greetings, sirs. Is it your first time here? How may I assist you?" A maiden in white approached and inquired.

Without hesitation, Ye Shi replied, "I heard one can make money here."

The maiden's mouth twitched ever so slightly, her smile faltering for a brief moment before resuming its warmth.

"Please follow me," the lady in white led Ye Shi and Mu Chen to a light screen. "On this screen, many questions posed by junior alchemists are displayed, each with its own reward. If you answer correctly and the questioner verifies your answer, the crystals are yours."

"What if the answer is correct, but the one who posed the question denies it?" Ye Shi asked with suspicion.

"You can be assured on that matter. We have several senior alchemists in our guild to validate the answers. If they approve, you will receive the crystals," the maiden calmly explained.

"We'll be leaving soon. How will the money be transferred to us?" Ye Shi continued.

The maiden replied unflusteredly, "That's not an issue. You can register for a crystal card here, and the crystals will be directly transferred to your card."

Ye Shi blinked, leaned over to Mu Chen, and whispered excitedly, "This seems great! I glanced at the screen just now, and many questions have rewards of hundreds or even over a thousand crystals. If we answer them, it's like free money!"

Mu Chen just gave a silent response.

The lady in white glanced at Ye Shi, a derisive chuckle in her heart. Although the rewards were substantial, the more significant the bounty, the harder the question. Even third, fourth, or fifth level alchemists had difficulty solving these issues. Crystals weren't easy to earn.

Despite her thoughts, the maiden professionally directed Mu Chen, "You can answer the questions here."

Mu Chen nodded in gratitude, "Thank you."

Ye Shi whispered to Mu Chen, "I'll pick the questions; you answer them."

Mu Chen nodded again, "Alright."

While Ye Shi knew nothing about alchemy, it didn't hinder his selection process. He recognized the numbers behind the rewards and would filter out incoherent or hard-to-understand questions.

Mu Chen stood thoughtfully before the screen, occasionally jotting down notes about the questions Ye Shi chose.

Cheng Wan Bai approached them, commenting, "You're choosing all the high-reward questions!"

Ye Shi jumped, startled by her sudden presence.

"Miss Cheng," Ye Shi greeted her, slightly disgruntled.

Cheng Wan Bai advised, "Instead of focusing on the high-reward questions, some of which have remained unanswered for years, it's often better to answer the simpler ones with lower rewards."

Ye Shi blinked, replying, "I see!"

She continued with a smile, "Actually, instead of spending time on hard questions, you might benefit more from answering simpler ones."

Ye Shi exclaimed confidently, "No worries! Mu Chen can handle anything. No question is too tough for him!"

Cheng Wan Bai looked at Ye Shi, "You have that much faith in him?"

Ye Shi nodded vigorously, "Of course. Uncle Yuan Feng said Mu Chen is a genius."

"Who's this Uncle Yuan Feng? A master alchemist?" Cang Yu, arms crossed, inquired.

Shrugging, Ye Shi answered, "Uncle Yuan Feng is Mu Chen's father."

Cang Yu laughed suddenly, earning a fierce glare from Ye Shi.