The man flew out of the inner mountains at top speed. Whenever any apprentice alchemists saw him, they respectfully clasped hands and bowed. He hurried to the outer mountains as quickly as possible, and after enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, he caught sight of Alchemy Lodge Peak #7191. The first thing he saw was the crowd of tens of thousands of apprentice alchemists packed together. It almost looked like a static cyclone.
The sight of it caused the middle-aged man to give a cold harrumph. He was actually a bit offended. Whenever he went to the outer mountains to give lectures, he would usually draw a crowd of about 10,000. However, there were clearly about 30,000 apprentice alchemists in attendance here.
The man neared, but because all of the apprentice alchemists were paying close attention to Meng Hao, no one noticed the newcomer.
The man frowned and then snorted coldly, the sound of which echoed out and caused numerous nearby apprentice alchemists to turn around in shock. When they saw him standing there, their faces fell and they quickly clasped hands in greeting.
“Greetings, Alchemist Xuzhong!” 2
“It’s Alchemist Fang Xuzhong!!”
It didn’t take long before everyone was turning to Fang Xuzhong and bowing in greeting. He nodded back proudly, and proceeded forward. People backed up, creating a path that he followed all the way to the mountain peak, where he stood on the platform next to Meng Hao.
He looked Meng Hao over a few times.
All of the apprentice alchemists, and even Fang Qun, rose to their feet, bowing to Fang Xuzhong with clasped hands.
Meng Hao was the only one who remained seated. It was obvious that this man came with ill intentions, and the measuring look in his eye also contained a bit of scorn.
“So you’re Fang Hao?” he asked coldly.
Meng Hao nodded, after which Fang Xuzhong smiled, and the disdain therein was clear. He waved his sleeve and coldly announced, “You’re only an apprentice alchemist, and yet you dare to give a lecture about plants and vegetation? How scandalous!
“However, I won’t make things hard for you. I’ll ask you about three types of medicinal plants, and if you can’t answer, you will put end to this commotion immediately, and focus on being a good apprentice alchemist instead of arrogantly assuming the mantle of a full alchemist!” After saying these things, Fang Xuzhong suddenly recalled an additional requirement that Fang Yunyi had laid out.
“Also,” he added coldly, “for however long you sowed chaos in the Dao of Alchemy Division with your lecture, you will kneel here for the same length of time!” 3
Meng Hao looked at the arrogant man standing in front of him, and frowned.
“I’m just an apprentice alchemist and you’re a full alchemist. Doesn’t this count as bullying? Also, what happens if I answer your questions correctly?”
“Then you can continue your lecture!” replied Fang Xuzhong with a cold laugh.
Meng Hao hesitated, as if he was debating whether to accept the challenge. Then he looked around, as if he was considering the face he would lose in front of all these people if he didn’t accept. Gritting his teeth, he produced a bag of holding and put it down off to the side. Eyes bloodshot, he looked over at Fang Xuzhong.
“I came here with good intentions to explain matters of plants and vegetation to fellow clan members. You’ve come to stop me. If I lose the challenge, you want me to kneel here in humiliation. However, if you lose, there is no loss on your part. That’s not really fair. Why don’t we REALLY throw down? If you match the number of spirit stones in that bag of holding, then I’ll accept your challenge!
“If not, then I might as well just leave.”
Fang Xuzhong frowned. Coming as he had in his role as a full alchemist really was a case of the big bullying the small. There were a lot of people watching, and he had to consider how the matter would affect their view of him. However, if he didn’t get Meng Hao to kneel, then he wouldn’t be meeting the requirements laid out by Fang Yunyi. Finally, he looked at Meng Hao and laughed coldly, imagining what it would look like when he was humiliated and kneeling on the ground. He would definitely have to make Fang Yunyi give him an extra bonus as a reward. Without further hesitation, he pulled out a bag of holding and threw it down next to Meng Hao’s.
He said nothing, but his eyes glittered coldly.
Meng Hao took a deep breath and licked his lips. A bashful smile appeared on his face, and he even looked a bit embarrassed.
“Many thanks, Alchemist Fang. Now, let’s throw down.”