Chapter 417: Pill Refining

’Huh? What’s with this atmosphere?’ Yi Chen thought, frowning the moment he entered the Dining Hall.

Although he was the topic of discussion among several Senior Outer Sect Disciples yesterday as well, today something seemed to be different.

Not only had the number of Senior Outer Sect Disciples who were looking in his direction, pointing fingers at him and discussing with their colleagues, tremendously increased compared to yesterday, but also the gaze they carried had become starkly different.

There was a sense of apprehension, irritation, and a trace of amusement evident in almost everyone’s eyes. If yesterday their eyes were looking towards him with curiosity, then today it could be said that those very eyes contained caution in them.

With a frown evident on his forehead, Yi Chen soon made his way towards the counter and, after getting his meal served, went towards an empty table to take a seat.

’It wouldn’t be so awkward if I had tagged along with Dong Yun and Qin Yao,’ he thought while eating by himself and trying hard to ignore the discussions about him that were entering his ears.

After hearing a few of them earlier, he had come to realise the reason for this change.

’News does travel fast in the sect...’ Yi Chen chuckled under his breath before focusing on eating his dumplings one mouthful at a time.

"Junior Brother Chen!"

It was at that moment that a woman rushed next to his table with eyes filled with worry and asked, slamming her hands on the table in anxiety.

"Y-You... I-Is it true that you beat Huo Xun and his lackeys yesterday?!"

Senior Sister Yun Xi asked with anxiety clouding her face as she desperately wished for the news to be false.

"W-Well, he did get on my nerves a little, so I ended up teaching him a little lesson." Yi Chen answered with a completely carefree smile.

"This..."

The moment Yun Xi heard those words, her eyes widened in shock as she said, grabbing her head in disbelief and worry.

"Brother Chen, do you even know what you just did? Word is that after taking care of his injuries, Huo Xun bolted towards the Enforcement Hall!

He must have already filed a report against you, stating that you were the one who started the fight against his group and will try his best to put all the blame on you!"

Yun Xi explained, trying hard to emphasise the seriousness of the issue to Yi Chen.

"Well, that’s concerning..." Yi Chen muttered while stroking the bottom of his chin, but his gaze remained as carefree as before.

The next second, he asked, "Well, the Enforcement Hall, they’ll only start taking action against me after the Orientation period is over, right?"

"Y-Yes...but that will only buy you five days at most! After that, the Enforcement Hall will instantly begin your trial and declare you guilty if you have no evidence to prove your innocence! I’ll definitely come forward to testify for your innocence, but tell me, Brother Chen, you made sure to have some evidence to protect you, right?"

Yun Xi asked, knowing that Yi Chen wouldn’t be foolish enough to attack other members even after she had carefully explained these specific sect rules to him and others during yesterday’s lunch.

Seeing that Yi Chen had yet to respond, she added.

"...What Huo Xun said is definitely a lie, and it was he and his lackeys who attacked you first, so with the evidence in hand I’m sure that there won’t be any reas-"

"No, Senior Sister Yun Xi," Yi Chen shook his head and said before she could finish, "You got it wrong. It wasn’t Huo Xun and his lackeys that attacked first. It was me. Though I made sure that they weren’t in a position to attack me back after that first strike."

As Yi Chen finished his words, he let out a snicker, and Yun Xi’s expression turned pale.

’... Is he for real?’ She thought the very next moment, seeing that prideful expression on Yi Chen’s face when worry should be the only thing that should normally be on anyone’s face when facing such a situation.

"Brother Chen, do you really not understand what’s going on? The people from the Enforcement Hall are known to not let matters go-"

"Senior Sister Yun Xi, if I don’t have any evidence to prove myself innocent, is there anything else I can do to escape from this situation?" Yi Chen asked while cutting her off.

"This... if you have some strong backing, or supporters among the Sect’s Elders, then they may speak for your sake, but in any case, punishment is unavoidable..." Yun Xi answered with a serious countenance.

"Then there’s my answer. If I can’t change the outcome in any way, then what’s the point of me worrying about it in the end? I’d rather spend the remaining time that I do have left gaining as much from these Orientation Classes as possible.

I heard Huo Xun saying that they punish us by sending us to the confinement chamber for breaking this rule? Then I’ll just use that time to reflect on these new learnings,"

Yi Chen said with a warm smile.

"This..."

The very next moment, Yun Xi sighed loudly and took her seat on the chair opposite Yi Chen.

"Forget it!" she exclaimed while shaking her head and muttered, "It was my fault for worrying about you in the first place... If only I had known that the person concerned was so carefree, I wouldn’t have rushed to the dining hall filled with worries."

Knowing that they had only met yesterday for the first time, she still went out of her way to not only testify for him but also worry about his well-being.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Senior Sister," Yi Chen said with a grateful smile while glancing at Yun Xi, who was sitting with folded hands and defeat clearly written on her face.

Hearing Yi Chen thank her all of a sudden, she couldn’t help but feel awkward the very next moment. "A-Ah, yes... I’ll go and get some food then, since I’ve yet to take it from the counter. I’ll be back in a few minutes."

She immediately pointed towards the food counter and left the very next moment, not wanting to meet Yi Chen’s eyes any longer.

Yi Chen softly chuckled under his breath, seeing those actions, and busied himself with his food. A few moments later, not only Yun Xi but Qin Yao and others had also joined him for breakfast.

Once done, they soon rushed towards their classroom, not wanting to be late.

"I can’t wait to explore and understand more about Pill Refining!" Feng Min exclaimed while rushing next to Qin Yao.

"Yeah, you said that you were planning to take that. I’m planning to go with Beast Taming, as it sounds like something for which I need to study the least." Qin Yao stated clearly, revealing his hatred towards spending time with books.

"Brother Qin, you shouldn’t be like that. Let’s take Array Formations together and excel together. Studying is what brings success in the end!" Dong Yun said, trying to influence his decision from the side.

"...No, thanks." Qin Yao pulled away from Dong Yun as all of them kept rushing towards the class.

Seeing their playful actions, the smile on Yi Chen’s face widened.

’Yeah...being together with others is much better than spending time alone,’ Yi Chen thought for a brief moment before they all finally arrived in the classroom on time.

A while later, not a second early and not a second late, Elder Hong Lie entered the classroom and, after making his way to the teaching podium, turned to face all the disciples.

"Like I said yesterday, we’ll be learning about Pill Refining today."

Elder Hong Lie snapped his fingers the moment he finished those words, and the very next moment, a cauldron that was roughly the size of a chair appeared in front of everyone’s eyes.

’The most important tool which all Pill Refiners have is their Cauldron. Without a good-quality cauldron with you, the failure rate of pills rises exponentially. Therefore, if you’re planning to take up Pill Refining as your occupation, you must ensure that you have a good-quality Cauldron with you."

Elder Hong Lie paused for a moment before continuing, "The Cauldrons for Pill Refining are specifically made from precious metal so that they can withstand the intense heat and pressure they would be subjected to during the refinement phase.

Therefore, they are incomparable to the normal cauldrons which are used for cooking, and it won’t be wrong to consider each one of them an artefact in its own right. They are colloquially known as Pill Cauldrons.

In the entire continent, the Pill Cauldrons are divided into three ranks. The one you see in front of you is of the lowest rank, called the Earth Rank.

As one’s ability in Pill Refining increases, the Pills they can refine also increase, and thus the need for an even better cauldron arises. It’s then that they shift from an Earth Rank Pill Cauldron to a higher-ranked one, which is the Sky Rank.

And lastly, for refining the extremely sought-after Tier 1 pills, one must have the highest-ranked Pill Cauldron with them, called the Heaven Rank."

Elder Hong Lie paused to take a breath while seeing the interested gazes on everyone’s faces. It was apparent that his introduction had managed to capture their interest.

"Alright then," Elder Hong Lie nodded with a smile the next moment and continued, "Now that I’ve talked about how Pill Cauldrons are ranked, let me share how the Pill Refiners are categorised on the continent as well..."

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