Chapter 4838 — The Chief Alchemist
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 3
The academy's chief alchemist had deliberately stepped forward to target the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce precisely to make them step down and yield their place, handing the partnership qualification to the Great Clans' Guild—skipping right over even the All-Success Guild in the process.
"What?!" Wan Zhongjie's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at these words. A moment ago, when they had all been ganging up on the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce, he had been the most eager and active of the lot, fully expecting that once the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce was pulled down from its horse, the partnership qualification would fall automatically to his own All-Success Guild. Who could have imagined Qing Xuanzi would suddenly say such a thing!
Under Qing Xuanzi's cold sweep of a glance, the words on the tip of Wan Zhongjie's tongue were forcibly swallowed back down. Though he was a thousand times unwilling, on this patch of ground that was Morning Star City, he dared not set himself against the academy's chief alchemist. What if he ended up following in the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce's footsteps and got targeted and banned as well...
At this moment, no one was paying Wan Zhongjie any attention. There were only two protagonists worthy of notice: Qing Xuanzi and Wei Zhao.
"That condition isn't much to speak of. You're a seventh-grade alchemist yourself, aren't you? Do you think you could refine ten Great Restoration Pills in a day? How about we swap—I'll supply the materials, and you take a crack at it?" Wei Zhao suddenly curled his lip and said.
"That..." Qing Xuanzi was instantly choked off. An outsider might not know, but as the academy's chief alchemist he understood the difficulty of this better than anyone: ten seventh-grade Great Restoration Pills in a day was an utterly impossible task. He had only proposed it to deliberately make things hard for the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce!
If it were truly possible, Qing Xuanzi would never have proposed it with such confidence—he was not a fool, after all.
For a moment Qing Xuanzi did not know how to keep pressing them. Everyone fully expected Wei Zhao to take the out and step down from the platform, but instead he spoke again: "Forget it. Bring the materials over. I'll reluctantly refine a batch for you, you idiot, and let you see just what the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce is made of."
"What? What do you mean? Don't tell me you're saying you'll do the refining yourself?" Qing Xuanzi was stunned once more.
"Oh, I forgot to mention—I am not only the honorary vice president of the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce, but also serve concurrently as the chief alchemist of its Morning Star Branch. I can't refine everything, but a few paltry seventh-grade Great Restoration Pills are no trouble at all," Wei Zhao said in a mild tone.
At these words, not only was Qing Xuanzi completely dumbfounded, but the whole hall erupted in an uproar, and even Ling Yuanqing could not help but be moved once again.
Honorary vice president of the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce was one thing—that position did not necessarily require great strength. In theory, anyone who had made tremendous contributions to the chamber could obtain it, so while it was rare enough, it was not too astonishing. But a seventh-grade alchemist? How could a youngster like this possibly be one?
Wei Zhao had long anticipated the crowd's shock. His alchemy had already been exposed back on the warship anyway, so there was no need to keep hiding it. And exposing such a thing was not entirely a bad thing either—at the very least it would make people regard him more highly, and at times it would make things more convenient. A matter of pros and cons, one might say.