Chapter 71: Offending the Wrong Person

"Huang Wenyuan?"

Jiang Fan pondered the name. He didn't recall knowing this person. Why did the name sound familiar? Never mind, he decided.

"Among these people, who do you think is most suitable?" Jiang Fan asked.

Chen Siling pointed to Huang Wenyuan: "This old gentleman once worked for a soul master apprentice for several years in another region. He's very familiar with various materials and understands the alchemy process well."

Jiang Fan nodded. "Alright, come over here. I'll teach you first."

Huang Wenyuan repeatedly cupped his hands, a look of pleasant surprise on his face: "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir." In his heart, however, he sneered. He wanted to see what kind of grand figure the Chen family had invited. Did they want to cut off the Qin family's livelihood? They'd have to ask if Qin Wenyuan agreed first.

Jiang Fan said, "Ordinary people cannot become soul masters because their souls aren't strong enough. However, according to my method, you can use your weak soul power to roughly purify materials, achieving the goal of refining low-grade Qi Condensation Fluid."

Huang Wenyuan appeared respectful: "I humbly await your guidance, Elder."

Jiang Fan nodded and began teaching Huang Wenyuan using the methods from the "Taiyi Soul Arts." A short while later, Jiang Fan expressed slight surprise: "You've mastered it so quickly?" He couldn't help but be astonished as he watched Huang Wenyuan skillfully refine a bottle of low-grade Qi Condensation Fluid with ease. "You have a great talent for alchemy."

Huang Wenyuan forced a smile: "My talent is mediocre; it's just something a soul master apprentice can easily achieve. To be honest, what you've taught me, sir, isn't as good as what I learned before."

As soon as he said this, the other candidates looked at Jiang Fan with suspicion.

Jiang Fan detected the provocation and his eyes narrowed slightly: "It seems you're not entirely convinced by me."

Huang Wenyuan cupped his hands and said, "As the saying goes, hearing is not as good as seeing. How can I be convinced without witnessing your prowess, sir?" He didn't believe that a small place like Solitary Boat City would have a three-star soul master. Such individuals were all renowned and influential figures. Why would one stay in Solitary Boat City to train soul master apprentices for the humble Chen family?

Jiang Fan looked at him, then at the restless candidates, and said indifferently, "Very well, I'll refine a bottle of Qi Condensation Fluid."

Huang Wenyuan wore a half-smile. He had been waiting for this moment! He planned to use his decades of accumulated professional knowledge to find fault with Jiang Fan. If this person was inferior to him, then he wouldn't hesitate to severely embarrass him and make him lose face. If he was only slightly better, that was fine too. Which soul master didn't have incurable bad habits? He would nitpick and criticize the other person to the point of worthlessness, causing his soul master apprentice training plan to fall apart on its own!

Jiang Fan wasted no words. He skillfully picked up the materials. At his current level, he was utterly proficient. He didn't even need an alchemy furnace; he began purifying directly in his palm.

Seeing this, Huang Wenyuan laughed aloud: "No alchemy furnace, and you call that alchemy? Alchemy, alchemy. There should at least be a vessel for refining, right? Refining directly in one's hand? It was simply unheard of. Dust, odors, sweat, and other contaminants on a person's hands would affect the effectiveness of the materials. Ultimately, this would lead to a decrease in the grade of the Qi Condensation Fluid, or even complete failure. The fact that this person was refining Qi Condensation Fluid by hand made Huang Wenyuan relax. What kind of big shot was this? Just a charlatan, nothing more. He clearly knew nothing about alchemy."

But gradually, Huang Wenyuan's smile faded. He watched as the materials in Jiang Fan's palm gradually became transparent, like ice sculptures. As the spiritual energy in his palm vibrated, the transparent material shattered into fragments. The liquid inside was squeezed out and dripped. The residue, meanwhile, flew away. With his other hand, Jiang Fan picked up a jade bottle and effortlessly collected all the liquid. In a brief moment, a bottle of perfectly transparent Qi Condensation Fluid, without the slightest impurity, appeared.

Huang Wenyuan gasped: "Premium... Premium Qi Condensation Fluid? Only a four-star soul master can refine this!" The person before him was not only not the legendary three-star soul master, but a four-star soul master! Only then did he understand. The reason the other party didn't use an alchemy furnace was not because he didn't know alchemy. It was because for low-grade spiritual liquids like Qi Condensation Fluid, he no longer needed a furnace. He could achieve premium quality with bare hands!

Jiang Fan glanced at him and said indifferently, "Any more questions?"

Huang Wenyuan's body trembled! Before him was a four-star soul master, a four-star! A supreme existence, not even found in the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets! What virtue or ability did he possess to encounter such a divine being? He immediately knelt on the ground with a thud: "This junior greets Elder!"

Jiang Fan then looked at the other candidates: "What about you? Any more questions?"

With a bottle of premium Qi Condensation Fluid right before them, who would dare to question his ability? Even Chen Siling's beautiful eyes were wide with astonishment. Jiang Fan had always provided the Chen family with high-grade Qi Condensation Fluid, leading them to mistakenly believe he was a three-star soul master. In reality, he had been concealing his true strength! This made her respect him even more deeply.

"You Ran is truly fortunate," she sighed softly, "to have stumbled upon such a husband." Then, thinking of the arranged marriage she was soon to face, her bright eyes dimmed.

The rest was much simpler. Under his individual tutelage, the candidates quickly grasped the techniques. Huang Wenyuan respectfully stood by, serving him with the reverence due to a disciple, and assisted Jiang Fan in teaching the other candidates.

Inadvertently, Huang Wenyuan noticed a longsword sheathed on Jiang Fan's back. It was entirely wrapped tightly in cloth strips. Only a single gap was exposed. Upon closer inspection, a strange purple light emanated from it. A sword with purple light? *Boom—* Huang Wenyuan's mind reeled with a sudden realization, instantly recalling the three-star soul master in Floating Cloud Cave who had refined the premium Meridian-Mending Pill for him! It was him! The person who saved him was precisely the Elder before him! "I should have realized sooner! How could a small Solitary Boat City have so many three-star and four-star soul masters? They're all the same person!" Thinking of Jiang Fan's eighteen-year-old appearance, Huang Wenyuan felt even greater admiration and awe. To have such accomplishments at such a young age. Given more time, wouldn't his achievements surpass the heavens themselves?

As night fell, Jiang Fan finished training everyone and said, "From now on, you will all follow the Chen family's arrangements. If you don't understand something, I will come back to guide you." With that, he turned and left.

Huang Wenyuan quickly bowed and escorted him all the way out of the Chen family compound, watching him disappear into the vast crowd.

This scene left Qin Changsheng, who was secretly observing outside the Chen family's gate, dumbfounded: "Grandpa, what are you doing?"

Huang Wenyuan. It should be Qin Wenyuan. Only then did he straighten his back and sigh, "Can't you see? I'm naturally serving an elder."

Qin Changsheng asked in astonishment, "Grandpa, weren't you going to teach this person a lesson? How did teaching turn into you becoming the junior?"

Qin Wenyuan's old face flushed, and he immediately reprimanded, "You imbecile! I haven't even settled accounts with you yet! I just subtly inquired with the Chen family, and this supreme four-star soul master is helping them precisely because you offended him! That's why he's helping the Chen family to crush our Qin family! You wretched creature, I told you to cultivate good relationships with people and never offend anyone. But you, on the other hand, chose to offend the very person you couldn't afford to! Let's move tonight. Our Qin family can't stay in Solitary Boat City anymore!" Thinking that his own family had actually offended a formidable four-star soul master, his hands and feet turned cold. He dared not stay in Solitary Boat City for another moment.

Qin Changsheng looked bewildered: "But I haven't offended anyone..." He instantly thought of Jiang Fan. However, Jiang Fan was just a good-for-nothing, completely unrelated to a four-star soul master. Thinking of him, Qin Changsheng's eyes hardened: "Grandpa, before we leave, can we teach that Jiang Fan a lesson?" He exaggeratedly recounted how Jiang Fan had crippled and injured members of the Qin family.

After listening, Qin Wenyuan scoffed, "Even if our Qin family is in decline, we are not to be humiliated by a mere Xu family son-in-law! First, go back and pack our things, then we'll settle accounts with him!"