Since inheriting the legacy of the Yaowang Sect, Ye Chuxue had thrown herself into alchemy day and night, even putting aside her own cultivation. Today, she finally succeeded in refining a fifth-grade pill.
This meant she was now qualified to attempt refining antidotes. As long as she gathered the remaining ingredients, she could completely purge the poison lingering in her body.
A hint of pride curled her lips. "Apologies, I only managed to refine three pills this time. But all three are mid-grade." Her tone was reserved, but the satisfaction in her expression was hard to hide.
Everyone has pride. Ye Chuxue was no exception.
"Goddess, you're incredible! Only half a year in and you've already reached fifth-grade refinement—and mid-grade pills at that. You're a genius!"
"Far beyond what Ancestor Song achieved at the same stage!"
"You're destined to become the next grandmaster of alchemy, Senior Sister Ye!"
"You have our full support!"
The disciples were visibly thrilled. Fifth-grade pills were rare and expensive on the open market. Many of them had spent years saving, and even then couldn't afford a single one.
Now, Ye Chuxue was giving them out for free.
It was as if fortune had fallen from the heavens, and flattery poured in like a tidal wave.
Ye Chuxue felt herself lift, just slightly, on the tide of their praise.
None of the other elders would give pills to low-ranked disciples. She was different.
Even the most ordinary people deserved dignity.
Smiling brightly, she raised a hand to hush the crowd. Then, following the usual routine, she held a lottery draw. The lucky winners would receive the pills on the spot.
Before long, three names were called. The chosen disciples bowed repeatedly, their gratitude nearly bringing them to tears, while the rest watched with envy.
"Finally! I've been stuck at the ninth stage of Qi Refinement for years. With this pill, I might break through!" One female disciple was so excited she swallowed the pill right then and there.
The surrounding crowd could hardly hide their jealousy.
"Talk about dumb luck. If she reaches the tenth stage, she'll have a shot at Foundation Establishment."
"Why can't I ever get that lucky?"
"Maybe next time Senior Sister Ye refines a batch, it'll be one of us."
"Look! Something's happening to her already!"
Wu Dan's aura began to shift. The surrounding spiritual energy stirred and surged toward her.
Ye Chuxue arched a brow and allowed a smile to spread. She glanced in the direction of Yunxiao Peak.
Song Wanníng, are you seeing this?
By the time you emerge from seclusion, everything will have changed. So what if you're an alchemy grandmaster? In a hundred years, all you achieved—I can catch up to in one.
You're nothing but a joke.
Her eyes were cold, even as the corners of her mouth lifted.
But before the smile could fully bloom, Wu Dan suddenly convulsed and coughed up a mouthful of pitch-black blood. With a dull thud, she collapsed.
The atmosphere turned silent and stiff.
It took a few stunned seconds before the crowd rushed toward her.
"Wu Dan! Wu Dan!"
"What happened to her?"
Ye Chuxue's heart sank. She quickly ordered the others to make way and hurried over. Looking closer, she saw dark veins crawling along Wu Dan's meridians, quickly spreading to her face.
This was clearly poisoning.
Gasps rang out.
All eyes turned to the pill she had just ingested. Then, almost in unison, the crowd looked toward the other two winners. The remaining disciples stared in horror at the pills in their hands. Too afraid to swallow, too scared to throw them away.
"Senior Sister Ye, she's poisoned! Could it be the pill she just took?"
Someone voiced the growing suspicion.
Ye Chuxue's face darkened. "Impossible. My pills are absolutely safe!"
She scooped Wu Dan into her arms. "I'm taking her to Senior Uncle Lan right now!"
This was supposed to be a generous act. She couldn't let it turn into a scandal pinned on her. A crowd followed her in a panic. So many disciples came that they drew even more attention, until a sea of curious faces surrounded them.
The commotion soon reached the Sect Master and the elders.
Everyone gathered at Lan Yue's peak, waiting for a diagnosis.
"Reporting to the Sect Master," Lan Yue said as he rose, brows tightly furrowed. "This disciple has been poisoned. The toxin has already reached her organs and dantian. If we don't purge it within three days, her cultivation will regress beyond saving."
He sighed heavily. "As of now, I still haven't identified the exact poison."
In the cultivation world, toxins were far more complex than in the mundane realm. There were over two hundred thousand known varieties, many of them deadly and obscure.
If the root cause couldn't be found, the chance of a cure was slim.
"No way. Even Master Lan can't tell what poison it is?"
"But Wu Dan was perfectly fine until she took Senior Aunt Ye's pill..."
The disciples' gazes drifted, one by one, back to Ye Chuxue.
Her body stiffened. She quickly defended herself. "Yes, she took my pill—but I swear it wasn't poisoned! She must have been exposed elsewhere!"
"If you don't believe me, test the other two pills!"
Silently, she crushed the message talisman her master had given her. She couldn't let this accusation land.
"Bring the other pills forward."
Lan Yue beckoned, and the pills flew from the disciples' hands to hover in the air.
He studied them carefully, then ground one to dust.
Summoning a bird from the skies, he fed it the powder.
The entire crowd watched the bird with bated breath.
It flapped its wings, soared into the air, circled above them. No signs of distress.
Ye Chuxue's lips curled faintly. Relief washed over her.
"I told you, the pills weren't the problem. This is a fifth-grade Gathering Pill—"
Before she could finish—
The bird let out a sharp, piercing screech and began thrashing wildly in the sky.
Its cry cut through the ears like needles.
Then, with a shudder, it plummeted from the sky and landed in front of Ye Chuxue's white spirit boots.
A final twitch, and it went still.
Her face turned ghostly pale. Shock filled her eyes.
How... how could this be?
The pill was poisoned?
No... impossible.
She had followed the legacy recipe exactly...
A low, collective gasp passed through the crowd.
"It really was from her pill?"
"How could Senior Sister Ye's medicine be poisonous?"
"What about the ones she gave out before?"
"Isn't she supposed to be a genius? How could she make such a mistake?"
Dozens of voices, layered with suspicion, filled the air.
The Sect Master of Wentian Sect looked visibly irritated.
Ye Chuxue was supposed to be refining pills, not creating disasters.
Why did everything she touched seem to spiral out of control?