Chapter 4837 — Deliberately Erased

"Since you don't trust the guild's alchemists, then let me do it." A strange-looking middle-aged man suddenly spoke up, and the crowd at once parted to make way for him of their own accord. This man had blue hair and a blue beard—he was Qing Xuanzi, Morning Star Academy's chief seventh-grade alchemist.

"Master Qing Xuanzi?" Chai Laoshi was taken aback. Though a vague sense of foreboding stirred in his heart, the man was, after all, Morning Star Academy's chief alchemist and thus had absolute authority in this matter. He could only nod. "Since you will inspect the pills in person, I of course have no objection."

"Good. Then bring out all the pills first," Qing Xuanzi ordered at once. Since the bidding had only just concluded, the pills had not yet been handed over to their buyers; soon enough, staff members gathered them all together and carried them out.

Looking at that tray of pills arranged so neatly, everyone present could not help swallowing hard again. No matter how these pills had come to be here, nothing could change the essential fact that every single one was a rare pill. Any one of them, brought out alone, would make a person's mouth water—and now here was a whole tray of them, worth over ninety million spirit jade in total!

It was only because a top-tier expert like Ling Yuanqing was here holding the fort that nothing worse happened. Otherwise, with the supreme temptation of ninety million spirit jade, it was hard to say what these people present might have done—a bloody free-for-all was not out of the question.

"For any high-grade pill—especially at the sixth or seventh grade—the alchemist will imprint a unique divine-sense mark during refinement, as proof that it was refined by their own hand. So barring any surprises, every pill here must bear a divine-sense mark. All we need do is check whether these marks all come from the same alchemist," Qing Xuanzi said, sweeping his gaze over the crowd.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and even Chai Laoshi nodded along. This way was simple and clear; after all, checking divine-sense marks alone was something any capable expert could do. It did not require an alchemist—so there was no need to worry that the other side might deliberately favor Steward Hao and his people.

After all, this Master Qing Xuanzi, chief alchemist of the academy, was rumored in the streets to have already chosen to cooperate with the great clans and guilds—and this very Morning Star Auction had ultimately been made possible only because of his endorsement. Which side his backside was planted on was plain for all to see.

Having said his piece, Qing Xuanzi immediately began checking the divine-sense marks one by one. Yet after he had gone through every last pill, he froze and said nothing.

"Well?" Steward Hao and the others asked impatiently, waiting for Qing Xuanzi to hand down his verdict against the Hong Clan Merchant Guild—and to void the auction results on the spot.

Qing Xuanzi frowned and for a long while said nothing. Beside him, Ling Yuanqing glanced at him, then personally extended his divine sense over the pills as well. An expression of surprise followed. "These pills carry no divine-sense marks. Not a single one."

The crowd erupted in an uproar, every face wearing an expression of disbelief. How could such high-grade pills bear no divine-sense marks?

But since even Ling Yuanqing said so, then it must truly be so!

"According to what Master Qing Xuanzi said, since high-grade pills all carry their own unique marks, then the absence of divine-sense marks here should itself count as a kind of special mark—surely that is enough to prove they came from the same hand," Chai Laoshi said with a cold laugh.

Wan Zhongjie, Steward Hao, and their whole group were struck dumb, looking at one another and not knowing what to say. They could only turn to Qing Xuanzi.

The proposal to inspect the pills had not been a mere whim. With their years of experience as stewards, they genuinely believed these pills had been hastily cobbled together by Chai Laoshi on the spot—otherwise, if the Hong Clan Merchant Guild truly had such a formidable supply, it would not have fallen to the point of being set upon by all sides as it was today.

"No." At this, Qing Xuanzi's expression suddenly turned cold, shifting ominously. "Every pill here is an alchemist's masterpiece. Even if now and then one or two lacked a divine-sense mark, it would be impossible for all of them to lack one. This is the perfect opportunity to cement an alchemist's standing—I guarantee you that not a single alchemist would lightly give it up. Not a single one."

An alchemist cannot get by simply shutting himself away in secluded cultivation. To put it plainly, this is a profession that burns through spirit jade at a terrifying rate; nearly every step of progress demands the consumption of vast quantities of alchemical materials—and at the seventh grade especially, the amount is an incalculable astronomical figure, which, if tallied up, would be far more staggering even than ninety million spirit jade!

And precisely because of this, no seventh-grade alchemist can exist independently. Only a powerful force like the Eastern Continent Academy can afford to support one. And in pursuit of better treatment, every alchemist will exhaust every means to raise their own status and renown—for only thus can they have a chance to go further.

Qing Xuanzi himself had done exactly this, and every high-grade alchemist he had ever met had done the same, without exception.

"A top-grade Golden Core of Gestation, a superior Great Return Pill, a superior Beauty-Enhancing Pill, a superior Thunder Mystic Pill—every pill here is a rare top-grade pill for a seventh-grade alchemist. Simply stamping one's mark on these pills would make one a chief alchemist at any Yellow-Rank Academy without question. Do any of you think there is anyone who would voluntarily give up such an opportunity?" Qing Xuanzi cast Chai Laoshi a glance.

Faced with Qing Xuanzi's invisible pressure, Chai Laoshi involuntarily retreated two steps, while the others nodded repeatedly. No alchemist would not want to become a chief alchemist—Qing Xuanzi's words were indeed quite reasonable.

"B-but... but these pills truly bear no divine-sense marks at all. How do you explain that?" Chai Laoshi questioned, steeling himself.

"Very simple. These pills did originally carry divine-sense marks—they were merely deliberately erased by someone. As for why anyone would do that, I doubt I need to explain further." Qing Xuanzi's tone was unfathomable.

"Master Qing Xuanzi is right. Chai Laoshi, you look like an honest man, but who would have thought you'd be so cunning behind the scenes—resorting to such filthy tricks just to swindle the supplier qualification. How sinister!" Wan Zhongjie, Steward Hao, and the others chimed in at once, kicking a man when he was down.

"You—!" Chai Laoshi opened his mouth in grief and indignation, yet could not get out a single complete sentence. This Qing Xuanzi was plainly siding with the other guilds, yet the man's words, spoken from his position, were flawless—and even if he argued, it was obvious whom the people present would believe.

"Academy Head, that is my conclusion." Qing Xuanzi did not so much as glance at Chai Laoshi, turning directly to Ling Yuanqing. The implication was plain for all to see. (To be continued.)