Chapter 50 - 50: Surrounding Fang Lin
Fang Lin chuckled to himself, it seemed the Pill Sect valued his Shaking Three Mountains highly. The rewards they promised were quite generous.
Instantly becoming a mid-level disciple was enough to make many of the lower-ranking disciples in the Pill Sect green with envy.
Fang Lin wasn’t sure about the White Mountain Cauldron, but he figured it wouldn’t be worse than his Golden Flame Cauldron.
The white-robed elder gazed at Fang Lin with a beaming countenance, confident in his heart. He didn’t believe Fang Lin could refuse such generous rewards.
“Elder, if I turn over the Shaking Three Mountains to the Pill Sect, can any disciple learn it?” asked Fang Lin.
Taken aback by Fang Lin’s question, the white-robed elder quickly replied: “Of course not. Such a precious ancient alchemy skill like the Shaking Three Mountains can only be housed in the Pill Pavilion. To learn it, one must, at least, be a high-ranked disciple and pay a certain cost to exchange for it.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Lin sneered inwardly. It seemed this old man was an elder of the Pill Pavilion and represented its interests, not those of the Pill Sect as a whole or its disciples.
If he handed over Shaking Three Mountains to this elder, it would likely appear in the Pill Pavilion the next day. Given the rarity of Shaking Three Mountains, the cost to exchange for it would be substantial. Even high-ranked disciples might not be able to afford it.
In this case, the ultimate beneficiaries would still be the Pill Pavilion. As for the disciples of the Pill Sect, they could only look on in envy.
Fang Lin’s plan was to popularize Shaking Three Mountains. Despite disliking many people in the Pill Sect, as a Pill Refiner who was upright and had ambitions and convictions, who was also worshipped as Pill Sovereign in his previous life, he naturally shouldn’t hoard his Alchemy Technique. He wanted to spread his alchemy knowledge to the world, bringing about unity.
Of course, not everyone could learn an alchemy technique like Shaking Three Mountains. Without a decade or so, it would be impossible for anyone to master it.
In his previous life, Fang Lin spent a full three years learning Shaking Three
Mountains before he could completely gain control of this alchemy technique.
Faced with the white-robed elder, Fang Lin said: “Elder, I believe Shaking Three Mountains should not be stored in the Pill Pavilion. Instead, it should be disseminated among disciples.”
Upon hearing these words, the face of the white-robed elder changed immediately. When he looked at Fang Lin again, a few more cold flashes had appeared in his eyes.
Fang Lin’s words had definitely shaken the interests of the Pill Pavilion. As an elder of the Pill Pavilion, he was naturally displeased by Fang Lin’s remarks.
“Fang Lin, the Shaking Three Mountains must be placed in the pill pavilion. This matter has already been decided by the headmaster and several elders Of the pill pavilion, the white-robed elder calmly said. His previously feigned smile had disappeared, leaving nothing but indifference.
Seeing the elder reveal his true intentions, Fang Lin also discarded his respectfulness and said sarcastically, “If that’s the case, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hand over the Shaking Three Mountains.”
A hint of disdain appeared on the corner of the elder’s mouth: “This does not depend on whether you agree or not, you just need to obey the decision made by the headmaster.”
Fang Lin responded nonchalantly before turning to leave, ignoring the elder’s intimidation.
Seeing that Fang Lin simply turned and left, the elder’s lungs almost exploded with rage. He did represent the Pill Pavilion, after all; other disciples would be extremely respectful when they met him. Yet, this Fang Lin had just turned and walked away!
“Fang Lin! Don’t you respect me at all?” The elder roared angrily.
Fang Lin dismissed the elder with a wave of his hand, not even bothering to turn around. He quickly disappeared down the corridor.
The elder’s face turned from green to white, he had assumed it was going to be an easy task, but it turned out to be a failure.
“The Shaking Three Mountains must belong to my Pill Pavilion!” The elder muttered, clenching his fist, and then hurried away.
Over seven days, the white-robed elder appeared in D Building. Every time Fang Lin saw him, he turned and ran, deliberately avoiding the elder.
Every time the elder saw Fang Lin turning his head and running, he felt so angry that he wanted to slap Fang Lin on the ground immediately. However, this was the Pill Forest Academy. If an elder attacked a disciple without reason, it would cause public outrage, and the consequences could be serious.
So unless it was absolutely necessary, the elder would not lay a finger on Fang Lin.
Half a month later, more people came from the Pill Pavilion, including not only the white-robed elder but also a black-robed old crone.
The two of them, one in front and one in back, blocked Fang Lin in the corridor outside the Pill Refining Room. He could neither progress nor retreat.
Seeing these two, one in front and one behind, Fang Lin couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
“Fang Lin, hand over the Shaking Three Mountains,” the white-robed elder said coldly, clearly out of patience with Fang Lin and wanting to get his hands on Shaking Three Mountains as soon as possible.
“Fang Lin, indeed, this is not just about you. The Shaking Three Mountains is not your personal technique, it belongs to the entire Pill Sect. If you continue to refuse to hand it over, I’m afraid you will be accused of intending to betray the Pill Sect,” the black-robed old crone sneered continuously, looking at Fang Lin as if he was a hunted animal with no way to escape.
There were no disciples in the vicinity, as if they had been deliberately driven away.
Fang Lin understood that he was at a dead end. And if he further provoked the two, they would likely take action against him.
So, Fang Lin immediately put on a flattering expression and said to the two, “Honorable elders, why would I dare not give it? I wonder if you have any paper and ink? Allow me to write down the Shaking Three Mountains for you.”
The sudden change in Fang Lin’s attitude made the white-robed elder more irritated; he had hoped Fang Lin would continue to resist, so he would have an excuse to teach him a lesson and vent his frustrations.
But Fang Lin didn’t give him that opportunity. His face changed faster than anyone else’s. One moment he was stubborn; the next, he was grinning.
The black-robed old crone chuckled, apparently quite satisfied with Fang Lin’s behavior. She waved her hand and a piece of paper and an ink brush fell in front of Fang Lin.
Fang Lin immediately bent down and started to write. The two elders of the Pill Pavilion stood beside him, glancing down from time to time, with anticipation and excitement in their eyes.
Both were eager. After all, Shaking Three Mountains was an ancient alchemy technique; mastering it would certainly elevate their own alchemy skills.
However, after watching him write for a while, they both showed expressions of confusion. What was Fang Lin writing?
Fang Lin wrote quickly, and in two hours, he had filled three large sheets of paper.
After he finished writing three pages, Fang Lin got up, stretched his waist, and handed the three papers filled with words to the black-robed old crone.
The black-robed old crone took the pages with a puzzled expression. After looking at them, she became even more confused.
“Fang Lin, is this Shaking Three Mountains?” The old crone asked hesitantly.
Fang Lin nodded and said, “I’ve given both of you the method to practice
Shaking Three Mountains, may I leave now?”
They looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and finally let Fang Lin go.
Fang Lin immediately ran away. Neither of them noticed the subtle sneer on his face..