Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 532 Two Grade-4 Geniuses Shock the Clan

Moments flew by swiftly while Bai Zihan executed each procedure perfectly, arriving at the Pill Formation stage.

All spectators gazed on with bated breath.

The furnace's lid rose up.

A subtle wave of thick Qi rippled throughout the hall.

Inside-

A lone pill lay there.

Its exterior gleamed with stratified glows, richer and purer than earlier.

Top Grade-4 Pill!

Dead silence dropped at once.

Then astonishment exploded outward.

"He... he actually succeeded?!"

"That's a Top Grade-4 pill!"

"Doesn't that mean...!"

Countless people realized that without the limits of those ingredients, Bai Zihan's refinement might have bested Mu Linyue.

Yet Mu Linyue was someone no one dared provoke either, leaving their thoughts unspoken.

Mu Linyue remained motionless.

Her gaze fixed firmly on the pill.

Bai Zihan pivoted around, a smug grin curling his mouth.

"Well?"

He inquired casually.

Mu Linyue breathed out gently.

A subtle smile then curved her lips.

"Impressive!"

No scorn.

No haughtiness.

Just pure recognition.

Her eyes met his squarely.

"Where did you learn alchemy?"

Mu Linyue questioned, truly intrigued.

"I am self-taught!"

Bai Zihan boasted without shame.

Yet upon hearing it, Mu Linyue found no issue with the claim.

Though mentors speed up initial advances, true growth comes solely from personal study later on.

She had followed that path herself, accelerating her own progress.

Anyone else, however, would dismiss it as rubbish.

For ordinary folks, self-study lags far behind guided instruction; only prodigies like her thrive that way.

Mu Linyue accepted it easily because she was a freakish talent who mastered countless techniques from a single lesson.

Mu Linyue cocked her head a bit.

Her stare still hovered over the pill he held.

"Do you know any other pills you can refine?"

She inquired.

A short hesitation.

Then more pointedly-

"High-grade ones."

Bai Zihan arched an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

A sly grin pulled at his mouth.

"You want to see me refine them?"

Mu Linyue hid nothing.

She nodded right away.

"Hmph!"

Bai Zihan folded his arms.

"That's going to cost you."

Mu Linyue showed no delay.

"What do you want?"

Bai Zihan pondered briefly.

Then his gaze sparkled.

"First of all..."

A tiny halt.

"How about you start by addressing me as Older Brother?"

Without a second's pause-

"Zihan'er Gege!"

Mu Linyue uttered it straight off.

Utterly free of any blush.

"Shameless!"

Bai Zihan tsked his tongue, visibly irked.

He figured he'd snag some payback.

But seeing her response-

That brazen hide...

It rivaled his very own.

Mu Linyue just offered a light smile.

She held back little since it was Bai Zihan after all.

No reservations or embarrassment needed with his type

-a lesson etched from childhood.

Without this attitude, she'd have fallen victim to him endlessly

by now.

Above all, her eyes flashed with eagerness.

Compared to alchemy-

All else paled in importance.

Face?

Pride?

Irrelevant.

Just one priority remained.

"Show me!"

She demanded once more, eyes piercing.

"Sure! This Gege will guide this ignorant little junior!"

***

Meanwhile, across the Mu Clan estate, Mu Yuelan dashed through the hallways.

Before long, she reached the entrance to the grand assembly chamber.

Sounds of talk drifted from inside.

She had already checked and learned Mu Qingyuan was conferring with the elders.

It seemed the perfect chance, as they'd hear it eventually anyway.

She entered without delay.

The conversation halted abruptly.

Numerous elders swiveled their gazes.

Mu Qingyuan glanced her way too, a touch startled.

"Yuelan?"

He lifted a brow.

"What brings you here?"

"I have some urgent news. Did I disturb you?"

They all shook heads gently.

"No!"

Her eyes scanned the room.

Mu Yuelan drew a quick breath.

Then declared firmly- "What I'm about to say..."

A quick break.

"...must not leave this room."

Hush descended.

Elders traded looks.

One after another, they nodded.

They got the gravity.

For Mu Yuelan to insist thus, it was no small matter.

Mu Qingyuan's eyes sharpened a fraction.

"You have my word."

Mu Yuelan dipped her head.

Then-

"Mu Linyue..."

She halted.

"...has broken through to Grade-4 Alchemist."

BOOM!

The revelation hit like lightning.

The chamber burst into chaos.

"What?!" "Grade-4?!"

"At her age?!"

Not even the elders stayed calm.

Stunned expressions painted every face, Mu Qingyuan's included.

His pupils contracted sharply. "Linyue'er?"

Not even he was aware of it.

He was certain Mu Linyue could effortlessly craft high-grade 3 pills, yet he

still figured Grade-4 remained distant for her.

It had nothing to do with any shortcomings; she was simply too young, making it

a tough challenge in his view.

A faint, helpless smile crossed Mu Qingyuan's lips.

"She never brought it up." That was entirely expected.

Mu Linyue paid no mind to such matters.

Fame?

Recognition?

Utterly irrelevant to her.

While others would eagerly proclaim such an achievement to everyone-

She ignored it completely.

Post-breakthrough, she devoted herself to just one pursuit.

Refining.

Enhancing.

Mastering.

That's precisely why she managed a mid-tier Grade-4 pill so quickly after

advancing.

This explained why Bai Zihan fell short against her; else, he wouldn't have

relied on merely a low-tier Grade-4 pill in their contest. "Yuelan, are you certain?"

An elder inquired, full of doubt.

He wasn't questioning Yuelan or Linyue, merely that the revelation was too

staggering to accept immediately.

Mu Yuelan affirmed with a nod, then elaborated-

"I watched her refine a mid-tier Grade-4 pill right before my eyes. No doubt about it."

Silence descended!

For they grasped the full significance.

Typically, upon reaching a new grade-

An alchemist requires time.

Months.

Even years.

To advance more.

Gains come slowly, particularly after entering Grade-4 Alchemist.

Like a tortoise inching ahead.

Yet Mu Linyue?

She bypassed it all.

As though-

She had leaped onto a speeding chariot.

Charging ahead relentlessly. Without hindrance. Mu Qingyuan let out a slow breath. Even as the Clan Head-

Despite his vast experience-

Composure eluded him.

"A true prodigy." An elder murmured without thinking.

The rest merely agreed with nods.

All present recognized Mu Linyue's exceptional talent, yet she exceeded even

their wildest imaginings.

"There's more."

Mu Yuelan continued.

Her eyes gleamed faintly.

Another revelation loomed.

One far more astonishing.

Yet briefly-

She wavered.

After all, this detail seemed even harder to credit-even for her-unless witnessed

personally.

Mu Yuelan drew a deep breath.

Her pause was fleeting.

Then-

She revealed it.

"Zihan'er has advanced to Grade-4 Alchemist too."

BOOM!

The impact hit harder this time.

"What?!"

"Him?!"

"Bai Zihan?!"

The hall exploded in uproar again.

If Mu Linyue's feat stunned them- This...

This defied belief.

For who among them didn't know Bai Zihan?

His history.

His "talent" in alchemy had been average at best.

No-

Worse than that.

Most felt gratified he had redeemed himself, becoming a cultivation prodigy.

That sufficed.

In time, he'd surely lead the Bai Clan.

And as kin-

This boded well for the Mu Clan.

Under Bai Zihan's leadership, ties with the Bai Clan would deepen.

The Bai Clan had already soared.

With their bloodline in charge-

Benefits flowed naturally.

That was plenty. But now-

Grade-4 Alchemist? Entirely different.

For an instant-

Doubts flickered.

But they vanished swiftly. Since Mu Yuelan was the source.

Her integrity was known to all.

She wouldn't jest on this.

No motive to invent it either.

Quiet gradually resumed.

Mu Qingyuan's eyes narrowed keenly.

"Did you instruct him?"

He questioned straightforwardly.

Mu Yuelan denied with a shake of her head.

"No!"

Mu Qingyuan's brow furrowed lightly. "Then... who guided him?"

The query lingered.

Not only him-

Every elder pondered the same.

They shared looks.

Faces grew grave.

If not Mu Yuelan mentoring him- Only one option remained.

Another instructor.

And no ordinary one.

To elevate a youth to Grade-4 Alchemist...

At that age...

Such a mentor had to be-

A Grandmaster Alchemist.

Should such an expert exist...

Forming ties with this Grandmaster would elevate Mu Clan's alchemy to new

heights.

The stakes were immense.

No-

Vast beyond measure.

They wouldn't just fortify their standing.

They could conquer.

Rule the alchemy domain across the Eastern Region.

Even Mu Qingyuan's gaze sparked with uncommon fire.

Not avarice.

But aspiration.

Tightly controlled.