But just as he finished celebrating, Lin Yifan disappeared without a trace, causing a burst of laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

"Got played and didn't even know it!"

...

"Damn it!"

Du Yuze couldn't help but curse inwardly, thinking Lin Yifan was too cunning. However, since Lin Yifan had already publicly declared his intention to compete for the Young Valley Master position, Du Yuze could spread the word everywhere. Whether others believed it or not was their problem.

Lin Yifan was fed up with that foolish Fourth Senior Brother and didn't dare to leave Peach Blossom Pond alone anymore.

Since that day, the news of Lin Yifan vying for the Young Valley Master position spread throughout the Medicine Saint Valley. Many disciples didn't believe it was true, but some more thoughtful disciples weren't so dismissive.

From the day Lin Yifan became the Valley Master's disciple, he was destined to have unbreakable ties with the Medicine Saint Valley. Wanting to live with dignity in the Valley, becoming the Young Valley Master and the future successor was the simplest shortcut.

So, although Lin Yifan appeared uninterested in competing for the Young Valley Master position, who knew what he truly thought?

The Second and First Senior Brothers, upon hearing the news, also believed it to be quite likely.

From the moment Lin Yifan entered the Medicine Saint Valley, he repeatedly caused incidents to showcase his abilities, aiming to prove his capability to lead the Valley to a more glorious future.

So whether it was true or not, they already regarded Lin Yifan as a competitor.

"Trying to covet the Young Valley Master seat? No way!"

Xu Haolin spat out harsh words and continued to focus on his cultivation.

Upon hearing the news that Lin Yifan wanted to compete for Young Valley Master, Little Fang hurried to Lin Yifan's room to verify the truth.

Lin Yifan, who was in seclusion cultivating, only learned from Little Fang's account that the nuisance Du Yuze had spread his forced declaration in the cafeteria all around Medicine Saint Valley.

"Geez! Is that guy brain-dead? Really want to slap him to death!"

"Yifan, is the news true or not?" Little Fang anxiously inquired.

"Fangfang, why are you so nervous? Does it matter that much whether it's true or false?" Lin Yifan retorted.

"It matters a lot. Didn't you say before that you wanted a peaceful life, free from contention? If the news is true, then you've broken our agreement." Little Fang replied.

"Fangfang, is this truly what you think? Or is it that you don't want to be caught in a difficult choice between me and the First Senior Brother?" Lin Yifan probed further.

"Hey! You don't need to concern yourself with what I think, just tell me if the news is true or not?"

"I've told you countless times, I don't want to compete for Young Valley Master. Everything was forced by that fool Fourth Senior Brother. He clung to my leg in public, couldn't shake him off, couldn't chase him away; I could only go along with his demands." Lin Yifan explained.

"Is it really like that?" Little Fang questioned.

"Many people can attest to it."

"Looks like we better report him to our Master or else he won't know his place."

Little Fang was very upset with Du Yuze's behavior, forcing someone to do what they didn't want to do, wasn't that just bullying?

"You definitely should report him."

"Yifan, I'm not talking to you anymore, focus on your cultivation! I'm going to report him now."

With anger filled within her, Little Fang went to the Medicine Saint's room to report Du Yuze.

The Medicine Saint had already heard of this, but he seemed unwilling to address the matter.

"Little Fang, actually you are limiting Xiao Fan's growth by doing so, you shouldn't do that."

"But Senior Brother Du keeps pestering Yifan, it's not a solution either."

"How about this, I'll order that kid to stop bothering Xiao Fan, alright? But you must not stop or interfere with whatever Xiao Fan wants to do, understood?"

"Understood! To each their own ambition, I won't stop him from doing what he wants." Little Fang replied.

"That's the right approach."

After Little Fang left, Du Yuze quickly received an order from the Valley Master, and from then on, he didn't dare misbehave anymore.

Offending anyone else was fine, but offending the Valley Master was akin to seeking death.

With Du Yuze quietening down, Lin Yifan felt much better; he could leave Peach Blossom Pond and stroll outside without fear.

A month later, the Valley held an alchemy competition, open to disciples below the True Master Realm.

The winner could obtain an "Ascension Pill" and a chance to enter the Scripture Pavilion.

The Scripture Pavilion housed various ancient books, including ancient alchemy secret manuals and martial arts secret manuals. These were extremely precious resources; many people desired to have a look inside.

Therefore, the alchemy competition was destined to be fiercely contested.

Lin Yifan had waited so long for this opportunity, he certainly wouldn't miss it.

If only he could find information about the whereabouts of other Immortal Rings in the Scripture Pavilion, that would be great; however, he wasn't too hopeful.

Because if there were such records, someone like the Medicine Saint, who was extremely eager for Immortal Rings, wouldn't have let it slip by.

Before the competition began, all disciples were given a chance to enter the Medicine Garden and freely gather medicinal herbs needed for alchemy.

Lin Yifan, accompanied by Little Fang, also went to the Medicine Garden.

Before even entering, Lin Yifan smelled a rich medicinal herb fragrance.

Upon stepping inside, he found a vast expanse of precious medicinal herbs, many of them rare and breathtaking.

"No wonder the Medicine Saint Valley can continuously refine elixirs for the various sects; it makes sense now."

With such a treasure trove of medicinal herbs, there was little concern about alchemy material shortages.

The existence of such a place in Medicine Saint Valley was something Lin Yifan hadn't anticipated; yet on second thought, it wasn't that surprising.

"Yifan! Stop standing there, let's go pick the herbs!" Little Fang called out.

"Alright!"

Lin Yifan set off to find the medicinal herbs he needed.

Although the Medicine Garden was open to disciples, they could not recklessly harvest herbs they didn't require, or face punishment or even expulsion from the sect.

This was because regrowing these herbs wasn't easy, necessitating ongoing, careful management; thus, the Medicine Garden was overseen by pharmacists who took turns on duty.

The pill Lin Yifan intended to refine was of high grade, so the herbs he required were predictably uncommon.

The Medicine Garden was sectioned by category: common and easily grown herbs in one area; more cherished ones in another; and rare, scarce ones in a region with exceptionally dense spiritual energy.

Under Little Fang's guidance, Lin Yifan went directly to the area with extremely dense spiritual energy.

At this time, there were several disciples gathering precious herbs in this area.

These disciples were of high realm, most in the Divine Transformation Forth Realm and above.

Evidently, there was some correlation between realm and alchemy level, but it wasn't absolute; it varied from person to person.

For those with good aptitude or innate talent in alchemy, like Lin Yifan, high realm wasn't necessary to refine high-quality pills.

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