Ye Tianhai, Ye Chen's second uncle, was thoroughly embarrassed by Ye Chen's bold actions. He could only hurriedly explain, claiming that he had not meant to accuse him.

  Ye Chen, however, remained silent, directly approaching the patriarch seated at the highest position of the hall.

  "Grandfather, I wish to join the Green Cloud Sect."

  Ye Chen's style of doing things had always been straightforward and to the point. His years of experience in his past life had long taught him that if you wanted something, you had to speak up and fight for it. If you didn't fight for it, no one would hand it to you. Now, returning with great accomplishments, it was his moment to seize the opportunity and claim what was rightfully his. He could not afford to miss it.

  Ye Tianhai's expression shifted immediately, and he glanced toward the patriarch. On the platform, Ye Hong, the patriarch of the Ye family, looked at Ye Chen with a hint of warmth in his eyes. "Little Chen, you've suffered much. However, we had previously established a rule to distribute the slots based on contributions, and as your grandfather, I cannot show favoritism. Otherwise, the family would lose its principles. Housekeeper, what is the ranking of contributions among the young disciples?"

  At this, Ye Tianhai's face lit up with a smile. If contributions were being considered, his third son was practically guaranteed a spot. After all, he had personally assisted in refining numerous pills for his son to present.

  As expected, the housekeeper responded promptly, "The third young master of the second branch, Ye Feng, ranks first. The third young master has already mastered the refining of middle-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills. He has brought considerable profit to the Ye family."

  Upon hearing this, the patriarch nodded in satisfaction and looked at Ye Chen. "Little Chen, Feng'er's talent in alchemy is clearly superior. If he joins the Green Cloud Sect for training, he might well become a top-tier first-grade alchemist, or even break through to second-grade. This is all for the benefit of the family."

  Upon hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but sneer inwardly. In his memories, this patriarch had always favored his second uncle. He had sent the second uncle to study alchemy, while his own father, with the greatest cultivation talent, had been pushed into family affairs at an early age. The second uncle's children lived in prosperous places. As for him, he had been relegated to the desolate Silver Moon Market. Such biased treatment was all too familiar.

  Ye Chen lowered his head. "Grandfather speaks the truth…. But my father's greatest wish before he passed was for me to join the Green Cloud Sect. Now that my father is gone, if I lose this opportunity to enter the Green Cloud Sect, wouldn't that mean my father's spirit would never rest in peace? Therefore, this slot is something I must fight for."

  “When I was in Silver Moon Market, I sold the magic tool my father gave me and used the money to study alchemy with the alchemists at Green Cloud Market, in order to improve my skills and contribute more to the family. Now, my alchemy skills have improved by leaps and bounds. Please, Grandfather, grant me this opportunity!"

  Ye Chen dared to oppose him?

  This made the Ye family patriarch feel dissatisfied. However, given that Ye Chen's father had just passed, and Ye Chen had returned with great contributions after enduring numerous hardships, it would seem too cold-hearted not to grant him this one request.

  The patriarch cast a glance at his second son. Seeing no objection from him, he nodded decisively. "Since that's the case, I will give you a chance. Have someone bring the alchemy furnace. Ye Feng, you and Ye Chen will have a competition. Just make a batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills."

  Upon hearing this, Ye Feng immediately bowed and stepped forward. He looked at Ye Chen with a smile full of confidence. He was more than familiar with Ye Chen's alchemy talent and abilities. How could Ye Chen compare to him? It would only end in embarrassment for him.

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  The Ye family servants soon brought in the alchemy furnace, though, there was only one.

  "I'll go first, Seventh Brother, so you can observe carefully."

  However, Ye Chen shook his head. "I'll go first. That way, we can save time."

  Ye Feng and his father, Ye Tianhai, both inwardly chuckled.

  Oh, so you want to blow up the furnace faster, do you? That certainly saves time. You do seem to know your limitations.

  In any case, they were well aware of Ye Chen's skills. He'd likely struggle even to refine a Qi Gathering Pill. If Ye Chen wanted to embarrass himself, they wouldn't mind in the slightest.

  Ye Chen immediately sat cross-legged, tossing a low-grade spirit stone into the alchemy furnace, igniting the flames and beginning the alchemy process.

  At first, the clan members didn't think much of Ye Chen's chances. After all, Ye Feng was the son of Ye Tianhai. And Ye Tianhai was the only alchemist in the family capable of refining first-grade top-tier pills. He must have given his own son many advantages. What did Ye Chen have to compete with him?

  But as Ye Chen began the alchemy, the expressions of the clan members subtly shifted. It wasn't because of anything special, but simply because of Ye Chen's incredibly fluid and practiced movements. His actions were like flowing water, effortless and seamless, as though he had refined Qi-Nourishing Pills countless times, each step executed with perfect familiarity.

  Ye Tianhai and his son's expressions, once indifferent, began to grow serious. Experts like them could immediately see the difference.

  Ye Tianhai could easily tell that Ye Chen had complete control over every aspect: the fire, the amount of medicinal materials, and the timing of the fusion of medicinal liquids. Everything was precisely calculated. There wasn't a single flaw to be found. But how could this be?

  Ye Chen had previously been unable to even identify the correct medicinal materials. And now, after less than two years in Silver Moon Market, how could he have made such tremendous progress?

  Regret immediately washed over Ye Tianhai. He shouldn't have agreed to Ye Chen's request just now. But it was too late to take back his decision.

  An hour passed.

  As all the clan members watched, Ye Chen confidently rose to his feet and opened the furnace. The moment the furnace was opened, a rich fragrance of pills filled the entire hall. The scent was so strong that all the clan members' eyes lit up.

  Most of them had consumed Qi-Nourishing Pills before, but they had never encountered one with such a rich and pungent aroma. Ten round, perfect pills flew out of the furnace and into Ye Chen's hands.

  Ye Chen carefully cradled them in his palms. "Grandfather, I have finished refining ten top-tier Qi-Nourishing Pills."

  Top-tier Qi-Nourishing Pills?

  When Ye Chen's words fell, the hall, which had been quiet due to the patriarch's presence, instantly erupted in commotion.

  High-grade pills were expensive but obtainable with enough money. But top-quality pills? Now that was something truly rare. The top-quality pills were flawless, without any residual medicinal dregs, and consuming them would not cause any pill poison. Alchemists who could refine such pills were incredibly rare. It was said that only the top-tier families or direct disciples of large sects were able to start using top-tier pills from a young age.

  Yet Ye Chen had refined such pills? This was simply unbelievable. After all, even Ye Tianhai couldn't refine top-tier pills. The entire hall erupted in shock.

  The patriarch of the Ye family stared at the pills in Ye Chen's hands, unable to suppress his astonishment. Ye Tianhai and his son Ye Feng were even more stunned.

  Ye Chen had refined a top-tier Qi-Nourishing Pill. How could they possibly compete with that?

  Realizing that the Green Cloud Sect slot was slipping away, Ye Feng couldn't hold back any longer. He raised his voice and questioned, "This is impossible! Back when we studied alchemy together, you were the worst in terms of comprehension. Even my father couldn't refine a top-tier Qi-Nourishing Pill. How could you possibly do it? This is definitely suspicious."

  Faced with Ye Feng's challenge, Ye Chen simply smiled. "Back when I studied alchemy with my second uncle, I admit I had a lot of trouble and was utterly confused. But for some reason, ever since I took a few lessons with the alchemists of the Green Cloud Market in Silver Moon Market, everything made sense.

  “All the things I couldn't understand before, I was suddenly able to comprehend. Things I couldn't learn before, I picked up quickly, and my progress has been rapid. But of course, it's not that second uncle didn't teach me well. It's just that the teaching methods of the Green Cloud Market alchemists suited me better. I suppose I was just lucky to discover my own potential."

  Ye Chen's explanation caused the clan members' expressions to shift into something more complicated. Although Ye Chen claimed it wasn't intentional, it was clear he was subtly mocking Ye Tianhai for failing to properly teach him.

  As for Ye Tianhai himself, he was on the verge of exploding in anger. The hands hidden beneath his sleeve were trembling uncontrollably.