Battle Through the Heavens: The Alchemist Starting from the Ye Family

Page 37

Chapter Seventy-Nine: Alchemist Examination

Upon learning that Ye Chen was going to the Pill Tower for the alchemist assessment, the Third Elder immediately took him there personally.

However, Ye Chen ultimately rejected this suggestion...

"Third Elder, this time I will not directly take the sixth-grade alchemist exam, but will instead take the fifth-grade peak alchemist exam..."

Before Ye Chen could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the Third Elder's puzzled voice.

"Why? Do you know what it means for the Ye family and for yourself after you become a sixth-grade alchemist?" The Third Elder's expression changed, and he questioned him with a hint of anger.

A fifteen-year-old sixth-grade alchemist, especially one from one of the five great families, would surely be valued by the higher-ups of the Pill Tower, and might even be able to directly obtain the status of a core disciple!

This would be of great benefit to both the rapidly declining Ye family and Ye Chen's future growth in alchemy skills!

Unfortunately, if Ye Chen hadn't read the original novel, he would indeed have chosen to take this step without hesitation...

Having a deep understanding of the original plot, and knowing that there are several treasures in the Northwest Continent that are extremely important to him and even to the Ye family, how could Ye Chen just watch them slip through his fingers?

However, these things were different from his adventures in Misty Valley; he couldn't tell anyone, not even his closest relatives, his parents and grandfather. So Ye Chen could only give a vague reason, saying, "Third Elder, after returning to the family this time, I will be going out again soon, and it might take a while. So, let's talk about entering the Pill Tower later..."

The Third Elder was clearly not satisfied with Ye Chen's answer. "You still want to go out? Why? For you, joining the Pill Tower now would be the most advantageous choice, wouldn't it?"

Regardless of whether the Third Elder understood or not, Ye Chen could not change his upcoming plans, but he still said, "Third Elder, you should think of it this way..."

During my year away from home, my cultivation level rose to the Dou Wang realm, and my alchemy skills reached the sixth-grade alchemist level. If I were given another year or two, my strength might increase dramatically again!

"By then, given my age, I might attract the attention of the true higher-ups of the Pill Tower, or even its giants. Wouldn't it be a better choice to become a disciple of one of those giants than to enter the Pill Tower as a core disciple now?"

Ye Chen's words made the Third Elder burst out laughing...

"You little rascal! Do you really think that such an extraordinary encounter is so easy to come by? If it were, it wouldn't be an extraordinary encounter!"

However, the Third Elder could not deny the extraordinary qualities Ye Chen had displayed since childhood. Especially the various miraculous experiences he had encountered during his travels—even in his decades of life, he had never heard of such things.

"Perhaps, this is what it means to be born a person, blessed by heaven..."

Thinking this through, the Third Elder shook his head and said, "Alright, you've always been mature and steady since you've made up your mind. But I still want to remind you, always prioritize stability!"

Your talent and your background have already destined you for a smoother path than most people, so there's absolutely no need to take any risks. Remember that?

Ye Chen could naturally feel the Third Elder's affection and care.

After listening to his words, Ye Chen bowed deeply and said solemnly, "I will remember what the Third Elder said!"

Nodding, the Third Elder left immediately.

……

……

The next day.

As the stars faded and the sun rose, Ye Chen also stopped his cultivation that night.

Since switching to a high-level Heaven-rank cultivation technique, Ye Chen's cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds! What surprised him even more was that his acquired Primordial Star Body's increased affinity for star power not only allowed him to use star power to temper his battle qi and body, but also doubled the speed at which he could condense star essence.

This was a completely unexpected and delightful surprise!

"Young master, have you woken up yet?"

A steady voice rang out from outside the courtyard, and then Hu Tian's figure appeared at the gate.

Ye Chen pushed open the door, nodded, and said, "Alright, let's get ready, it's time for us to set off."

"Yes!"

The nearest Dan Tower assessment point to Ye Yuan is not far away; at their speed, it would only take them twenty or thirty minutes to reach it.

This assessment point is actually a stone tower with a rather ancient appearance, which is said to be modeled after the giant tower in the core area of ​​the Dan Tower.

Although it was still early, countless alchemists were constantly coming and going outside the stone tower, their noisy chatter spreading out in waves.

After only a quick glance at the stone tower, Ye Chen led Hu Tian inside.

As Ye Chen entered the stone tower, he glanced around. The area inside was unexpectedly spacious, no smaller than the assessment points set up by the Ye family in Ye City, and even larger and more bustling.

Inside the tower at this moment, there are many alchemists dressed in robes representing different levels of alchemy, moving back and forth.

"The north side of the tower is the trading area, where many alchemists trade the medicinal herbs or pills they need..." After explaining everything, Hu Tian pointed to the north side of the stone tower and said.

Although it was Hu Tian's first time at this assessment site, the areas divided into each assessment site in the Dan Tower were the same, which is why he was so familiar with the place.

Ye Chen glanced at the trading area that Hu Tian pointed out, but didn't go there out of curiosity. Instead, he planned to go and take a look after the assessment.

After all, here, this little guy with a third-grade alchemist badge wouldn't get much attention from those people, and he'd easily get into trouble, so Ye Chen wouldn't want to cause trouble for himself.

When the two arrived at the southern region specifically responsible for the alchemist examination, Ye Chen found that a long queue had already formed in front of him.

I glanced around and there were probably about a hundred people...

If we were to do this one by one, it would probably take a very long time.

"Young master, should I go and make a call?" Hu Tian frowned upon seeing the scene and then whispered to Ye Chen.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Chen shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's just do it in order..."

Given his status as a member of the Ye family, he could naturally choose to undergo the assessment through a special channel, but that would make everyone aware that he was a member of the Ye family.

Given his fairly well-known name, it's obvious who his true identity is without even having to think about it.

Since he had chosen to keep a low profile this time, Ye Chen didn't mind giving up his privileges and taking the exam alongside these ordinary people.

Chapter Eighty: Return

Although there were quite a few people taking the Dan Tower exam, the process was still quite fast.

After all, it's just an assessment for alchemists below the sixth rank, so there's no need to go to the Pill Tower to find a steward to preside over it, unlike Xiao Yan in the original novel.

When the sun was high in the sky, Ye Chen and Hu Tian had already walked out of the stone tower together.

Ye Chen casually flipped through the alchemist badge in his hand. The badge was dark gold in color, with flames swirling around it. Within the flames was a colossal tower reaching into the sky, and on the tower, five dazzling purple-gold stars shimmered.

This is the alchemist badge personally awarded by Danta, a universally recognized alchemist certificate throughout the Central Continent.

When Ye Chen walked out of the stone tower wearing this badge on his chest, the alchemists he encountered couldn't help but show surprise when they saw the five purple-gold stars that represented his level.

There was no way around it; although Ye Chen's face clearly looked more mature than his actual age, he was still just a young man around twenty years old...

A fifth-grade alchemist around twenty years old is an extraordinary genius alchemist even in the Central Continent.

Inevitably, Ye Chen also received many envious and jealous glances.

"Let's go, there's no need to go back to Ye Academy, let's go straight back to Ye City..."

Originally, Ye Chen's trip to Saint Pill City was just a stop along the way, since it was the only route back to Ye City, so he didn't intend to linger.

There is no direct spatial passage from Saint Pill City to the Ye family, so Ye Chen plans to take the route that Ye Chong took with Xiao Yan to Saint Pill City in the original novel, which is also the fastest route.

The two arrived safely in Qingling City. After a short rest, they rushed to the spatial passage in Qingling City and headed straight for Ye City.

This was considered the standard means of transportation on the Central Continent, much like airplanes in later generations.

However, there is another point: when Xiao Yan first came to Zhongzhou via the space wormhole, he encountered a space storm and was almost swept into the void turbulence...

However, this situation is actually very rare in wormholes. It is more likely to occur in wormholes that are not maintained for many years and have unstable spaces.

At its peak, the Ye family even had Dou Zun-level powerhouses helping them maintain their spatial wormholes. But after the Ye family's decline, now the elders often have to intervene personally…

It's not that the Ye family can't find a stronger Dou Zong to help, but rather that they want to save resources... The price to pay for getting a Dou Zong of five stars or higher to help is not small!

Three more days passed. When Hu Tian piloted the spaceship out of the space node, Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia as he looked at the familiar city before him.

"A year has passed. I wonder how things are at home now..."

Beside him, Hu Tian completely understood his young master's feelings at this moment. After all, this was the first time in more than ten years that he had traveled far from home, and he would be gone for more than a year.

"Hehe, young master, let's hurry into the city. We've been away for over a year now, and I'm sure the patriarch, his wife, and the eldest elder are getting impatient."

Hearing Hu Tian's words, Ye Chen snapped out of his daze, composed himself, and smiled, "That's right. Then let's hurry home!"

……

……

Ye Chen's return to the family caused a minor stir within the Ye family.

However, the most excited person was Ye Chen's mother, Song Chun'er. She was so excited that she didn't even care about the dignity of being the clan chief's wife. She lifted the hem of her skirt and ran out in a flash...

Looking at her beloved son whom she hadn't seen for a year, Song Chun'er was completely stunned.

There's no way around it, my son has changed so much in the past year or so!

It wasn't until Ye Chen smiled and called out "Mother" that Song Chun'er realized she hadn't mistaken him for someone else. Then, she grabbed her son by both ears and started spinning his head around like a steering wheel...

"You little rascal, you still remember your mother? I've been gone for over a year without a single word..."

Although Ye Chen felt a little embarrassed by his mother shaking his head like that, his mother's worried nagging voice also brought him a sense of peace.

At this moment, all the plans and schemes vanished. In Ye Chen's heart, only the warmth of his parents' love remained…

"Mother, I'm back..." Ye Chen gently patted his mother's back and whispered in her ear again, as she was clearly overly excited.

Song Chun'er paused slightly, feeling the broad chest of her grown son, and her eyes couldn't help but redden.

After speaking softly to his mother for a few minutes, Ye Chen persuaded her to go back.

At this moment, his father and grandfather were still waiting in the family hall, and he still needed to pay them an audience.

Song Chun'er was naturally aware of this. She had only missed her son so much that she couldn't help but run away beforehand.

This is simply because Song Chun'er has a carefree personality and can't hide her emotions.

Upon entering the hall, Ye Chen noticed that there were quite a few people there...

Besides his father Ye Lan and grandfather Ye Zhong, there were also the family elders and several deacons who held real power.

Ye Chen remained expressionless and greeted everyone.

However, Ye Zhong, who was sitting at the head of the table, and the second and fourth elders who stayed behind in the family all looked at Ye Chen with shock, and then their faces instantly showed a look of wild joy.

"Chen'er, you're already a fifth-grade alchemist?" Ye Zhong asked directly, looking at the gleaming alchemist badge on the former's chest.

Ye Chen had always dressed as an alchemist, but Song Chun'er was only focused on her son and didn't pay any attention to his badge that represented a fifth-grade alchemist.

However, at this moment, what everyone present saw first was precisely this!

Ye Chen ignored them, smiled slightly at the gazes of the crowd, and said softly, "Not fifth rank, but sixth rank! It's just that I didn't take the sixth rank assessment..."

Upon hearing this, the reactions of everyone present were similar to those of the Third Elder back then, and even the younger family leaders reacted more strongly, all of them finding Ye Chen's choice incomprehensible.

Of course, Ye Chen also repeated what he had said to the Third Elder before. As for whether they could be persuaded, Ye Chen didn't care.

Since his plans were already set and even Ye Zhong couldn't change them, he didn't bother to say anything more.

In the end, Ye Zhong chose to believe his grandson and his words silenced everyone, bringing the hall back to quiet.

Ye Chen then recounted his journey over the past year in detail, especially the events that occurred in Qingyue City and Xuantian City...

Chapter 81 Grandfather and Grandson's Secret Talk

Compared to Lin Qingyue, the four-star Dou Zong who was the city lord of Qingyue City mentioned by Ye Chen, the Ye family clearly valued Song Qing, the genius alchemist, more.

After all, a newly adult peak fifth-grade alchemist with such talent, even within the Ye family, apart from the prodigy Ye Chen, there is probably no one who can compare to him...

This even includes Ye Zhong, the strongest member of the family!

After the news spread that the family's strongest genius had returned and greatly increased his strength, the Ye family was in a state of excitement for a whole day.

As darkness fell, all the noise subsided.

In the study of the Ye family patriarch, under the bright lights, three generations of the Ye family sat at the desk, listening to Ye Chen recount things that could not be said openly during the day…

"This trip to Misty Valley was incredibly fruitful. Not only did it greatly enhance my strength and alchemy skills, but I also obtained what appears to be a legacy left behind by a Dou Di expert!" After confirming that there were no eyes or ears around, Ye Chen said in a deep voice to his father and grandfather.

"What?! The inheritance of the Dou Di?!" Ye Zhong and Ye Lan, father and son, reacted in such a similar way that they stared at Ye Chen in astonishment.

That's a Dou Di!

The entire Dou Qi Continent is populated only by terrifyingly powerful figures from ancient legends!

For people today, let alone the inheritance of a Dou Di, even the inheritance of a Dou Sheng would cause a huge uproar in the entire Central Continent...