Chapter 88: You Call This Premium Bone Regenerating Ointment?

Su Qiuning's eyes widened. She gazed unblinkingly at the youth, who was clearly two years her junior.

She stammered, "Are you... a newcomer? Haven't you taken a master yet?"

"How is that possible?"

Jiang Fan's incredibly skilled manner in harvesting high-grade herbs—could he have achieved that without guidance from a top-tier master? Moreover, the technique he used earlier to refine the Black Soul Bone-Mending Ointment was complex and profound. She didn't even understand the principles behind many of the steps. Could he have reached this level without a renowned master's guidance?

She would have believed it if he had claimed to be a secret disciple trained by the Medicine Peak Master. Yet, Jiang Fan said he was a newcomer! A newcomer who hadn't even formally joined a master! To put it bluntly, newcomers brought back by the elders but left in the plaza were typically discarded disciples, seen as rejects. Ninety-nine percent of them would become outer disciples. How could someone as outstanding as Jiang Fan end up in such a situation?

She really wanted to get to the bottom of it, but the attendant's reminder came, "Su Qiuning, your time is up." Reluctantly, she had to leave. Jiang Fan also left, carrying numerous medicinal herbs. After Su Qiuning's explanation, the attendant could only enviously acquiesce to Jiang Fan taking nine catties of high-grade herbs. Even the attendant guarding the medicinal garden might not acquire nine catties of high-grade herbs in a year.

Su Qiuning bid farewell to Jiang Fan and hurried back to Medicine Peak.

"You're the only one left!" The Medicine Peak Master, Wen Hongyao, was an old woman in her seventies, rigid in character and rarely smiled. A group of female disciples were already kneeling before her. Without exception, all of them had failed their assessments. Seeing Su Qiuning return last, Wen Hongyao scoffed softly, "Always dawdling! And in the end, you all fail your assessments! How can I take an idiot like you as my disciple?"

The barrage of scolding made Su Qiuning's eyes redden with injustice. She hung her head pitifully, remaining silent. The surrounding female disciples also wore bitter expressions. It wasn't that they were foolish, but that their master's requirements were too strict. She always gave assessments beyond their comprehension, which left them feeling deeply frustrated. Before coming to Qingyun Sect, they were all incredibly talented in alchemy in their local areas, but under her tutelage, they felt like wastes.

Wen Hongyao showed no sympathy, becoming even more severe: "What are you crying for? You've failed nine consecutive assessments! If you fail this time too, that'll be your tenth, and according to my rules, you must enter seclusion for a year! Show me your assessment result!"

Su Qiuning immediately felt terrified. After much hesitation, she finally took out the abnormally black lump of Black Soul Bone-Mending Ointment.

The female disciples sighed upon seeing it. "It must be a failed refinement, right? Normally, it's ink-blue." "It's over. Junior Sister will be locked away for a year. She's so young; how will she endure it?"

Wen Hongyao also looked over with a stern face. But upon seeing it, she was startled and strode over with thunderous steps. She snatched the bone-mending ointment, spread it in her palm, and examined it closely. A hint of shock gradually emerged in her dim, yellowish eyes, and she inhaled sharply: "What remarkable skill! To be able to refine a bone-mending ointment of this quality."

This was bone-mending ointment? The female disciples looked bewildered. Su Qiuning was also astonished, then her expression turned to one of pleasant surprise. So, her assessment had passed?

To her surprise, Wen Hongyao suddenly reprimanded her sternly, "Disobedient disciple! Get down on your knees!" The sudden burst of anger frightened Su Qiuning into immediately kneeling on the ground. Wen Hongyao's voice grew even angrier as she shouted, "You have quite the nerve! To actually invite such a prominent figure to personally refine a supreme-grade Black Soul Bone-Mending Ointment for you! Even I might not be able to invite them!"

"What? Supreme-grade Black Soul Bone-Mending Ointment?" Su Qiuning was stunned and said, "Master, you've misunderstood. Your disciple didn't invite any prominent figure!"

Wen Hongyao grew angrier: "Still making excuses! Supreme-grade Black Soul Bone-Mending Ointment is the Undying Physician's unique formula. It's difficult to refine even a low-grade one, let alone a supreme-grade! If this isn't a master, then what is it? You rebellious disciple! Cheating is one thing, but you dare to argue and deny it? I'm expelling you from the sect right now!"

Su Qiuning was terrified. She never imagined that merely asking a junior disciple for help with refining medicine would lead to such a disaster. She quickly explained in a rush, "Master, I'm not making excuses! I didn't invite any prominent figure; I just asked a junior disciple for help."

"A junior disciple?" Wen Hongyao stared at Su Qiuning, who looked on the verge of tears. She didn't seem to be lying, which filled Wen Hongyao with surprise and doubt. "Are you sure it's a junior disciple? When did my Qingyun Sect acquire such a formidable alchemy genius? Which peak is he from, and who is his master? I'll confront him directly." She simply wouldn't believe it. As the dignified Master of Medicine Peak, she couldn't accept that a disciple of another peak master was better at alchemy than her. If word got out, how could she possibly continue to serve as the Medicine Peak Master? She might as well hand the position over to him.

Su Qiuning quickly said, "No, Master, you've misunderstood again. He's not a disciple of any peak; he's a newcomer who hasn't formally joined a master yet."

"What? Such a formidable alchemy genius hasn't even formally joined a master? This is utterly ridiculous!" If any other female disciple had uttered such preposterous words, she would have slapped them away long ago. But she knew Su Qiuning wouldn't dare lie to her. This left Wen Hongyao utterly shocked. "An alchemy genius, thrown onto the plaza by some short-sighted elder? This... could this be Heaven's will for our Medicine Peak to rise? With such a prodigiously talented disciple, why would our Medicine Peak worry about not surpassing the other peaks?"

The more she thought, the more excited she became. She showed a benevolent, aunt-like smile and personally helped Su Qiuning to her feet. "Qiuning, what's this junior disciple's name? Do you remember what he looks like?"

Su Qiuning, overwhelmed by the favor, huddled up and nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. Wen Hongyao's eyes glowed fiercely: "Excellent, excellent. Tomorrow, you'll accompany me to select disciples. No matter the cost, I will get him."

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan, completely unaware that he had already been targeted by the Sect Master Peak and Medicine Peak, was still worried about tomorrow's elder disciple selection. If he couldn't enter the inner sect, it would be difficult to get opportunities to harvest herbs from the medicinal garden like today. Once his current herbs ran out and his spirit stones were spent, he would be helpless. Therefore, tomorrow would be the day that determined his fate.

Just as he was preparing to meditate until dawn, gasps of surprise suddenly erupted from the crowd. "So beautiful!" "Which peak are those female disciples from? They are simply otherworldly beauties!" "And both are stunning!" "Keep it down. Their attire is from Heavenly Sword Peak; they're not to be trifled with."

Under their astonished gazes, the two women searched across the plaza and finally spotted Jiang Fan, sitting cross-legged beneath a stone monument.

"Xiao Fan!" Xu Youran, in her long jade-green robe, had a slender and graceful figure, and a face that could topple nations. "Jiang Fan." Chen Siling, in her snow-white, untainted robes, possessed a pure and ethereal face like a summer white lotus.

Light blossomed in both women's eyes as they rushed to Jiang Fan's side. "Why are you here?" Jiang Fan asked in surprise.

Xu Youran leaped into his arms. Although they had only been apart for a single day, she acted as if they had been separated for a long time, softly saying, "Siling and I will stay with you."

Chen Siling shyly came to Jiang Fan's side. Since Xu Youran occupied his broad chest, she could only gently link her arm through his and lean against him, saying: "No matter what happens tomorrow, Siling is yours."

Jiang Fan was moved and pulled her into his embrace as well. This scene shattered the onlookers' perceptions. It made them so jealous their back teeth ground together. It also caused Ding Wanping, the third senior brother from Heavenly Sword Peak responsible for protecting them, to frown deeply. Heavenly Sword Peak had finally acquired a few stunning female disciples. He hadn't even made a move, and they were already snatched up by a useless nobody?

"Who are you? How dare you disrespect my Heavenly Sword Peak disciples?"