Primordial Treasure Mirror

Zheng Yuan led Su Yang into the mountains, intending to take him to settle down.

The two passed through the mountain gate and soon arrived at the outer mountain.

Shenyao Mountain is divided into inner and outer mountains. Zheng Yuan introduced the mountains to Su Yang as they walked:

"The outer mountain mainly receives visiting alchemists and guests who come to seek elixirs, while the inner mountain is the core area for alchemy at our Divine Medicine Mountain."

"My master and several senior brothers, including my alchemy room, are all in the inner mountain. That area is full of restrictions, and outsiders are generally not allowed to enter."

"Therefore, even though you are my guest, you can only stay on the outer mountain. The guest rooms on the outer mountain are quite nice, with all kinds of amenities, which is more than enough for cultivation."

As Su Yang listened, he looked around.

Zheng Yuan led Su Yang through two corridors and then through a moon gate to a relatively quiet courtyard area.

He pointed to a house in the distance:

"That's the room I specially reserved for you. It's in a good location and quiet. Just tell me what kind of pills you need later, and then you can cultivate peacefully there."

Su Yang nodded slightly, just about to speak, when he was interrupted by a slow and unhurried voice.

"Isn't this Junior Brother Zheng? What brings you here today, and why did you bring an outsider with you?"

Su Yang and Zheng Yuan turned their heads away.

They saw two people walking out from the other end of the corridor.

Leading the way was a fair-skinned young cultivator, dressed in the same inner disciple robes of Divine Medicine Mountain as Zheng Yuan.

Unlike Zheng Yuan, he had a silver token hanging from his waist, while Zheng Yuan had a bronze token.

This shows that his status should be higher than Zheng Yuan's.

And behind him.

Following him was a thin, somewhat arrogant young cultivator.

He was dressed rather elegantly, but without any markings, so he must be a rogue cultivator.

And he exuded an aura of harmony and completeness.

Su Yang immediately determined that this person was at the peak of Qi Refining cultivation.

The two walked over at a leisurely pace, the one in front wearing a playful smile.

When Zheng Yuan saw the inner disciples of Shenyao Mountain ahead, his expression clearly darkened, and his tone turned colder:

"Wang An, who I bring here is my business; what does it have to do with you?"

Wang An raised an eyebrow and walked closer, his gaze passing over Zheng Yuan and landing on Su Yang, looking him up and down.

He then glanced at the guest room Zheng Yuan had just pointed to, and a slight smirk appeared on his lips:

"It is indeed none of my business, but I have already arranged that room for Fellow Daoist Chen."

"Fellow Daoist Chen is a guest alchemist I specially invited. He is about to participate in the guest alchemist assessment. It is not easy for him to come from afar. The location is good and quiet, which is just right for him to stay."

"As for Junior Brother Zheng's fellow Daoist, there are some slightly less desirable guest rooms nearby. Please make do with them."

The cultivator addressed as Fellow Daoist Chen nodded slightly to Zheng Yuan and Su Yang, casually cupping his hands in greeting.

This blatant arrogance instantly enraged Zheng Yuan. His brows furrowed, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed anger:

"Wang An, I booked this room first and reported it beforehand. Please make do with this room, Fellow Daoist Chen!"

Wang An chuckled softly upon hearing this:

"Junior Brother Zheng, have you forgotten that I am one of the managers here and have the authority to adjust the guest rooms for our guests?"

"You're just a bronze-level inner disciple with no official position; you shouldn't be in a position to question my decision, should you?"

As he spoke, he said earnestly:

"Junior Brother Zheng, don't blame your senior brother for being blunt. The rooms at Shenyao Mountain are already in short supply, and important guests should be given better rooms."

"Your fellow Daoist doesn't seem to be a distinguished guest. Staying in slightly less luxurious accommodations shouldn't be a problem."

"If you are not satisfied, you are welcome to seek judgment from others. However, as the manager, I will make the decision regarding the guest rooms for now."

Zheng Yuan's chest heaved with anger at his words:

"Wang An, don't push your luck. If you have a grudge against me, you can take it out on me. Why are you making things difficult for others?"

Wang An's smile faded slightly, and he let out a cold laugh:

"So you know we have a grudge? Back when you relied on Master Yaoxiang's backing to steal my share of spiritual materials, why didn't you think of this day?"

"When you and your senior brother targeted me and Junior Brother Wang, and occupied our alchemy room, didn't you ever think about not making things difficult for others?"

"In the end, it's all your own fault!"

Zheng Yuan became even angrier, his face turning red:

"You're turning black into white. Back then, Master didn't intervene at all. You were simply less skilled and lost to me."

"As for the alchemy room, my senior brother and I were the first to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang An waved his hand to interrupt him:

"Alright, alright, the past isn't important."

"In short, that room is for Fellow Daoist Chen. You can arrange another room for this fellow Daoist yourself."

As he spoke, Wang An looked down at Su Yang with an air of superiority:

"Fellow Daoist, the remaining empty rooms are slightly less desirable, but not bad either. I'm sure you won't mind, will you?"

Before Su Yang could say anything, Zheng Yuan's eyes were already blazing with anger, and he was ready to make a move.

Su Yang reached out to stop Zheng Yuan, who turned to look at him. Su Yang, however, spoke calmly:

"Fellow Daoist Zheng, forget it. I didn't come to your sect for enjoyment. A slightly less luxurious experience is fine, as long as I have a place to stay."

Zheng Yuan was still somewhat unwilling, but seeing that Su Yang really didn't care, he nodded.

Wang An was taken aback by Su Yang's decisive concession, and after a slight pause, he smiled and said:

"Fellow Daoist is indeed a wise person. Very well, I will take Fellow Daoist Chen to participate in the guest elder assessment first. Fellow Daoist..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Yang suddenly asked:

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Zheng, I just heard Fellow Daoist Wang mention something about guest alchemists. I'm quite interested in that. I wonder how one can pass the assessment to become a guest alchemist at Divine Medicine Mountain?"

Wang An's smile faltered slightly. He glanced at Su Yang again, then chuckled and preemptively answered:

"This fellow Daoist also wants to become a guest alchemist? That won't be easy."

"The previous rule for our Divine Medicine Mountain Guest Alchemist Examination was that one must master at least four first-level elementary alchemy formulas and one first-level intermediate alchemy formula."

"Due to the current shortage of manpower, the requirements have been lowered. We no longer require mastery of intermediate-level first-tier pill formulas, but at least you must master six basic-level first-tier pill formulas."

"Could it be that you, fellow Daoist, have mastered six first-tier beginner pill formulas?"

Anyone could hear the sarcasm in his words.

The cultivator surnamed Chen standing to the side wore a playful expression, clearly not believing that Su Yang could become a guest alchemist.

Zheng Yuan, who was standing to the side, was also quite surprised:

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, are you also an alchemist?"

Su Yang nodded:

"good."

Zheng Yuan then asked:

"Are you confident you can pass the Guest Alchemist assessment?"

Su Yang smiled slightly:

"nature."