I, the mortal, come from the great world of Xuanhuang

"I'm afraid only the legendary Medicine Master, the number one alchemist on the continent back then, could have nurtured such a monstrous talent in alchemy as Young Master Xiao, right?"

After saying this, the old man from the inner courtyard of the academy took a special look at Fang Yu's expression. When he saw a slight change in Fang Yu's expression, he became even more certain of his guess.

Fang Yu's expression did change, after all, he did have some connection with this Medicine Venerable. However, he also noticed that the old man Huo's gaze towards him had changed, so he couldn't help but ask.

"Could it be that the elder thinks that the Medicine Venerable taught me the art of alchemy, or that I am the Medicine Venerable's disciple?"

Fang Yu's words made Old Man Huo look a little embarrassed, while Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but almost burst out laughing.

Speaking of which, Xiao Yan also came. Since he had some connection with Yuan Yuan, he naturally had to come and greet this elder. This would also make it easier for him to enter the inner courtyard smoothly, as having an acquaintance would always make it easier to enter the inner courtyard.

When he heard Old Man Huo say that, he couldn't help but laugh, but he forced himself to turn his face away and not look at Fang Yu's complicated expression.

As for the person in his ring, they were laughing hysterically.

This Medicine Venerable was no respectable person. When he heard Old Man Huo say that, he naturally couldn't help but laugh.

"Teacher, please stop laughing. If you keep laughing, he might get angry, and then it will be troublesome if you want to be resurrected. We might need his help."

The laughter of the Medicine Venerable could only be heard by his disciple Xiao Yan, so he immediately spoke up.

"I never imagined it would cause such a huge misunderstanding. I would like to take him as my disciple, but I am completely unqualified. As for who taught him alchemy, I can't even guess. After all, when it comes to alchemy, there are only a handful of people on the entire continent who can surpass me. I really can't guess who his teacher is. Who could be better than me or who could surpass me and teach such a monstrous disciple? I really can't guess that."

"But I didn't expect the elder of the inner courtyard to be so interesting, directly assuming that he was my disciple. However, it is normal to have some doubts, after all, he killed that traitorous disciple, so it would be reasonable to assume that there is some relationship between the two of us. But how did the elder of the inner courtyard guess that?"

This made the Medicine Venerable's expression somewhat unpleasant, because he truly didn't know how the Inner Court Elder had guessed it. If the Inner Court Elder could guess it, then the remaining forces that were his enemies would certainly be able to guess it as well. Fortunately, those guys from the Black Corner Region weren't deeply involved, especially the Soul Palace.

Therefore, it should still be safe for the time being.

"Regardless of who his teacher is, his alchemy skills are definitely superior to yours, teacher."

Xiao Yan's words made the Medicine Venerable pause for a moment, but he still agreed.

"Elder, have you misunderstood something? Although I have some connection with that Medicine Venerable, I am not his disciple."

Seeing that the other party already had such deep suspicions, Fang Yu could only explain.

He didn't want to suddenly have an extra teacher; that was unacceptable. After all, it was absolutely impossible for him to let that Medicine Venerable become his teacher.

It wasn't that he was afraid of getting into trouble, but rather that he was too lazy to deal with it.

He didn't care about the Soul Palace; it couldn't do anything to him anyway.

Even if the Soul Palace Master, Soul Extinction, came, he wouldn't care too much.

It's just a matter of leaving immediately.

"It turns out I misunderstood. May I ask what your relationship is with the Medicine Venerable from back then, Young Master Xiao?"

The academy elders weren't too embarrassed, but they pressed on, because they really wanted to know what the relationship between the two was.

"There's no need to ask too much about this elder. My brother here has some connection with your academy, but he has already reached the Dou Wang realm, so it seems he can only become an elder of your academy. What kind of job do you think he's suited for? You can arrange one for him. If you can't, then forget it, it's not a big deal anyway."

In response to the Inner Court Elder's question, Fang Yu immediately pulled Xiao Yan aside, since he had been secretly laughing to himself. The Inner Court Elder had already noticed Xiao Yan's existence, but he was more concerned that Fang Yu didn't seem to pay much attention to him. Although Xiao Yan was also a prodigy, he was far inferior to Fang Yu. However, since Fang Yu had brought him up, he didn't press the matter further. Instead, he gave Xiao Yan a once-over, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then spoke.

"You've taken a two-year leave, which has put the Grand Elder in a difficult position. Now that you've become a Dou Wang (Battle King) expert and an alchemist, you have two choices, as instructed by the Grand Elder before you came. The first choice is to become an elder of the Inner Academy, just like me, specifically an elder of the Alchemist Department. Your status and position will be no less than mine, and your annual salary will definitely satisfy you. You can also make any requests to the academy, and the academy will try its best to meet them. The second choice is to become the Vice Dean of the Outer Academy. Although the Outer Academy already has one Vice Dean, one more won't make a difference. Your status and position will even be a few points higher than mine."

The two choices offered by the inner elders left Xiao Yan in a state of hesitation.

"Elder Huo, I choose to become an Inner Court Elder."

According to reliable sources, the academy's unique flame is located in the inner courtyard, not the outer courtyard. Therefore, he should naturally stay in the inner courtyard.

Although he was just an elder, it didn't matter.

"From now on, you are an elder of the inner courtyard. This is your identity token, which the Grand Elder prepared for you long ago. You are also an elder of the alchemist department. When I am not around, you can give other students some pointers on alchemy when it is convenient. Is that alright?"

The inner elder then took out a pre-prepared identity token and handed it to Xiao Yan, who accepted it without any hesitation.

"No problem, I will definitely not refuse as long as it is convenient for me."

Xiao Yan naturally couldn't refuse this offer.

"Alright, when do you plan to return to the inner academy? The inner academy selection competition is about to begin. It's quite an exciting competition. If you're interested, you can go and watch. After all, although you don't need to participate, you do have some connections in a certain way. Because this time, quite a few people from your Xiao family are participating, more than ten in total."

The inner court elder asked another question, which immediately made Xiao Yan nervous, though only slightly. "When will the inner court selection competition begin?"

"It'll be in the next few days. Anyway, once Young Master Xiao finishes refining the medicine, you can go to the academy and watch the inner court selection competition. I believe you won't be disappointed, especially by the students from your Xiao family. Their progress has been remarkable, truly surprising many elders. With two prodigies like you in the Xiao family, it's only natural that a few more geniuses will emerge. Your Xiao family will one day become one of the top families on the entire continent. It's truly enviable."

The inner elder's tone was filled with envy by the end, and it was the truth. Because now, without exception, all the members of the Xiao family in the outer courtyard had become Great Dou Master level experts.

It's quite normal to be selected through the inner court.

As for why Xiao Yan was told, it was naturally because he wanted Xiao Yan to go and see for himself, and of course, most importantly, he wanted Fang Yu to go and see for himself.

The one who cared the most was Fang Yu, because Fang Yu's current status was comparable only to that of their dean.

After all, this is a seventh-grade alchemist.

"Okay, then I will definitely go."

"Then I'll go and see what's going on. Anyway, I won't have anything to do after the pill refining. Okay, it's good to go and see what's going on. I can also see how my Xiao family guys are doing in their cultivation. After all, I gave them so many good things before I left. Don't let me down. If I do, I'll definitely give them a good beating."

"By the way, if any students from the inner or outer academies are willing to join, there's no problem with the faction I've created. It'll be a good opportunity for them to gain some experience. If they don't want to, there's no need to force them; they can come here for an internship. This will give them valuable life and learning experience, which will definitely be beneficial for their future adventures across the continent. What do you think, Elder?"

At this moment, Fang Yu made another suggestion, but the inner elder did not immediately agree to it. Instead, he spoke up.

"I need to discuss this matter with the Grand Elder, other elders, and important students. After all, this matter is of great importance, and I cannot make the decision on my own. I hope Young Master Xiao will understand."

These words are absolutely true. He would never agree to this on his own initiative. If the Grand Elder and other elders object, he would be caught in the middle.

"That's no problem at all. I was just making a suggestion. So whether you agree or not is up to you. If you agree, rest assured, the students' treatment will be excellent. If you don't agree, it's fine too. But I still hope they can come and gain some experience first. This will be of great benefit to them in the future. The elders should understand that the Dou Qi Continent is not an academy, so being able to gain experience in the Black Corner Region will at least increase their life experience and cultivation experience."

"Whether they return to their families or train alone on the continent, it will be a useful thing."

Fang Yu's words made the inner courtyard elder nod in agreement.

“Young Master Xiao’s thinking is very thorough, but this matter is of great importance, so we must discuss it with the Grand Elder and the others.”

"Yes, this matter should indeed be discussed properly, so there's no need to rush to give me an answer. Just keep discussing it."

Fang Yu was very understanding and nodded without getting angry or saying anything unpleasant while frowning.

The inner elder also breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then talked about some things about the academy, giving Xiao Yan a general understanding of it.

Xiao Yan still had some goodwill towards the academy, but he also needed to see how things went.

Fang Yu quietly left, not staying there for long, leaving the space to Xiao Yan and the inner courtyard elders.

The two of them really need to have a good talk about the inner courtyard. After all, Xiao Yan is now an elder of the inner courtyard. Of course, Xiao Yan won't be an elder of the inner courtyard for long. He will just wait and see when he can obtain the strange fire. If he does, he will naturally leave.

The academy doesn't force or prevent elders from leaving; it's entirely voluntary. They can stay if they want, or leave if they don't. However, it's rare for inner courtyard elders to willingly leave, because staying in the inner courtyard offers a chance to advance to the Dou Huang realm, while leaving significantly reduces that possibility. The tower in the inner courtyard is a valuable resource. Outside, the chances of cultivating to Dou Huang are slim, but within the inner courtyard, the odds are far greater.

Only a fool would leave under such temptation, but there are fools, of course.

For example, those students with exceptional talent will choose to leave and go to other parts of the continent to gain experience, but they will also cultivate in the inner academy for a period of time before leaving.

After all, there are good things at the bottom of the tower in the inner courtyard that can help them advance faster.

Putting aside everything else, it can at least reduce the remedial time by several decades, which is several decades, not just a little bit.

In some respects, such a long period of time greatly extended their lifespan.

Moreover, breaking through to the Douhuang realm can also greatly extend one's lifespan.

As for Dou Huang, Dou Zong is beyond the academy's ability to help. The academy can only help Dou Huang at most; helping Dou Zong is already beyond its reach.

There are only a few Dou Zong level experts in the entire academy, so no elder cares about this matter. Becoming a Dou Huang is already their greatest wish, and they know their own limitations as Dou Zong experts.

While Xiao Yan was inquiring about the academy from the inner elders, Fang Yu had already arrived at the city square and taken out his alchemy cauldron to begin refining pills.

The entire square was packed with people. Besides the Dou Huang and Dou Wang level experts, there were also alchemists from the entire Black Corner Region. Anyone who had reached the fourth rank or above had come.

As for why those below the fourth rank didn't come? It wasn't that they didn't want to come, but that they weren't qualified to come.

They couldn't produce anything Fang Yu needed, and Fang Yu had plenty of gold and silver. Under these circumstances, they could only obediently stay outside the plaza and wait for the tribulation lightning to descend.

Seeing the lightning tribulation was enough to satisfy them; their lives had not been in vain. (End of Chapter)