Fantasy: I'm in a discarded alchemy room, but I can turn trash into treasure!

Gu Yingxue gripped Qin Mo's wrist, her five fingers gradually tightening.

"Shangguan Yue, what did you just call him?"

Bai Chenshuang picked up the overturned teacup, and the tea dripped down the edge of the table.

She didn't bother wiping herself, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two men.

"The reclusive alchemist king."

Shangguan Yue repeated it again.

Several rapid gasps were heard inside the hall.

An elder from the Dan Hall immediately stood up.

"Holy Maiden Shangguan, this is no laughing matter. That senior could customize lost elixirs and even help Golden Core cultivators shatter their cores and form Nascent Souls. Qin Mo is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and before entering the palace, he was just a menial servant. How could they be the same person?"

Another elder took over the conversation.

"Qin Mo has never participated in the Dan Hall assessment. If you said he knew that senior, I might believe you to some extent."

"It's not just that their cultivation levels don't match."

"When Senior Dan Wang was presiding over the Drunken Flower Pavilion, Qin Mo was still working in the Remnant Pill Valley. Someone in the palace investigated this matter."

The discussions couldn't be suppressed.

Qin Mo's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he pulled his wrist back slightly.

Gu Yingxue did not let go.

"Don't move."

"Elder, that hurts."

"I'll endure the pain."

Gu Yingxue stared at his face. "Tell me first, is what she said true or false?"

"Of course it's fake."

Qin Mo answered decisively.

"If I had that alchemy skill, would I have let Ma Kun bully me for seven years? I could have just picked up a few of those poisonous pills from the Remnant Pill Valley, repaired them, and exchanged them for a cave dwelling long ago."

After these words were spoken, many elders nodded in agreement.

The people in the alchemy room know best what kind of life Qin Mo led when he was a menial servant.

If you truly possess the skills of a pill master, why bother carrying around medicinal dregs every day?

Bai Chenshuang did not relent.

"Your previous explanation about using the teleportation array for seclusion was quite concise."

"Sect Master, these two matters should not be mixed up."

"Then explain it clearly."

Bai Chenshuang raised her hand and tapped the table. "Why did Saintess Shangguan identify you as the one?"

Qin Mo turned to look at Shangguan Yue.

"I'd like to ask that too."

Shangguan Yue ignored him and stepped into the hall.

"Alchemy masters can conceal their cultivation level and change their appearance, but their bone age and foundation cannot be hidden. Whether Qin Mo has any problems or not, a single investigation will provide the answer."

A line appeared between Gu Yingxue's brows.

"How do I check?"

"Mysterious Heavenly Bone-Touching Technique".

The elders stopped their discussion.

The Xuantian Immortal Sect's secret bone-reading technique is quite famous in the Eastern Continent.

Bone age, physical foundation, hidden injuries, and even the type of body-refining techniques one has practiced can all provide clues.

Bai Chenshuang looked at Qin Mo.

"Are you willing?"

Qin Mo's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Can I leave if I don't want to?"

"cannot."

"Then why even ask?"

Shangguan Yue walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Qin Mo immediately transmitted his voice.

"What good will it do you to expose me?"

"It's no use."

"Then why did you go through all this trouble?"

Shangguan Yue moved her palm along her shoulder bone to her arm, her face expressionless, but her voice clearly reached Qin Mo's ears.

"You fled from the desolate valley without leaving a word. I've been searching for you for so many days; I deserve some compensation."

What do you want?

"Accompany me to study literature once."

Qin Mo's molars are pressed together.

Shangguan Yue's hand had already landed on his back.

The spiritual energy penetrated into the bones and muscles, probing downwards along the spine.

"Cover it up for me first."

"Agree first."

"Okay, just once."

"You're a man of your word, I don't trust you."

"Swear an oath to your face?"

"No need. If you try to renege on your promise, I'll come to Yunyu Palace again and say it again."

Qin Mo's breath hitched, but he had to stand firm so that no one else would realize that the two of them were negotiating terms.

"You win."

"make a deal."

Shangguan Yue increased the pressure on her hand.

The spiritual power of the Xuan Tian Bone Touching Technique drilled into Qin Mo's bones, successively striking the Five Elements True Bones.

A dull thud came from his body, and the elders who were nearby all heard it.

Gu Yingxue turned around to look.

"What happened to his bones?"

"Having practiced body-refining techniques, some of the movements are normal."

Shangguan Yue spoke casually, but her hand, which had been resting on Qin Mo's back, paused for a moment.

"Late stage of the Iron Bone Realm?"

The voice transmission was now hushed.

"Just broke through."

"When you left Cloud Rain Palace, you were only at the mid-stage of the Iron Bone Realm."

"I picked up some things on the way."

"You can even pick up Five Elements Golden Elixir?"

Qin Mo's eyelids twitched twice.

The Mysterious Bone-Touching Technique can even detect this?

Shangguan Yue moved her hand to his ribs, and her spiritual energy split into several streams, circling around the Five Elements True Bone.

The Qiankun Furnace within Qin Mo's body began to heat up, and its opening was now aimed at the spiritual energy that had invaded his body.

He quickly pressed down on the chemical furnace.

If they really swallow Shangguan Yue's spiritual power, this charade can't continue.

"Have you checked enough?"

"What's the rush?"

"If you investigate any further, I'll fight back."

"You can't beat me right now."

"Who knows what will happen in the future."

"Then I'll wait."

Shangguan Yue withdrew her hand and turned to face the crowd in the main hall.

All eyes were on her.

Liu Fuyao stood up from the elders' table, her voice tense.

"What was the outcome for Saintess Shangguan?"

Shangguan Yue took out a handkerchief and wiped her hands.

"The clues are wrong; I've investigated the wrong person."

The discussions inside the hall immediately ceased.

Bai Chenshuang did not immediately accept this statement.

"You were so certain just now."

"The names are the same, the ages match, and the builds are somewhat similar, so it's not surprising that they'd mistake one for the other."

Shangguan Yue put the handkerchief back into her sleeve.

"This person follows the path of body cultivation, and his bones are much stronger than those of ordinary cultivators. Apart from that, there are no traces of bone tempering by alchemy fire in his body, and he has no connection with that alchemy master."

The elders of the Pill Hall relaxed their shoulders.

"I knew it! If Qin Mo were a Pill King, he wouldn't have to suffer so much in the sect."

"A mere fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator pretending to be a senior alchemist? How much audacity does that take?"

"Let's call it a day. It was all a misunderstanding."

Qin Mo listened to these words and had to put on a helpless expression.

Gu Yingxue finally released his wrist, but still stared at Shangguan Yue.

"Now that the matter has been clarified, you can leave."

"I have another personal matter to discuss."

Shangguan Yue turned to Bai Chenshuang.

"I'll lend you a secret room."

Bai Chenshuang's brows remained furrowed.

"What are you doing?"

"Qin Mo's body-refining method is quite interesting. I'd like to spar with him alone."

Qin Mo spoke immediately.

"I don't want to spar."

"I just checked and found that you have injured your bones and muscles. I will personally help you regulate your breathing."

Shangguan Yue looked at him, "This is not something you can refuse."

Gu Yingxue took a step forward.

"You can adjust your breathing; I'll watch from the side."

"The Xuan Tian Immortal Sect's secret techniques forbid outsiders from being present."

"This is the Cloud and Rain Palace."

"That's why I'm asking Sect Leader Bai for a place."

Their eyes met, and neither of them backed down.

Bai Chenshuang glanced at Qin Mo, then at Shangguan Yue, and pressed her palm to her brow.

"The rear hall contains a secluded meditation room with complete security measures."

"lead the way."

Shangguan Yue reached out and grabbed Qin Mo's sleeve, then walked directly to the back of the hall.

Qin Mo turned to look at Bai Chenshuang.

"Sect Master, can I not go?"

Bai Chenshuang picked up the teacup and realized it was empty.

"You should handle what you promised yourself."

Shangguan Yue opened the stone door to the seclusion chamber and pulled Qin Mo inside.

Before the stone gate closed, she turned and glanced at Gu Yingxue, who was guarding outside.

"No one is allowed to enter for one hour."