Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 536 The Rise of the Mu Clan!

"Seventh Grade pill recipes!"

Mu Yuelan's thoughts blanked out entirely.

Unconsciously, her fingers clenched tighter on the jade slips.

Her breath stopped short.

"...What?"

In that instant-

She figured she must have heard wrong.

Yet Bai Zihan's face stayed utterly serene.

Like he'd just passed over something utterly mundane.

"Seventh Grade pill recipes."

He stated softly once more.

"Ten of them!"

BOOM!

Now, the shock hit even deeper.

Mu Yuelan's pupils quivered fiercely.

Her heart hammered wildly within her chest.

(Seventh... Grade... recipes?!)

Her hands shook noticeably.

Far more than earlier.

She grasped fully what this signified.

It surpassed simple value.

It went beyond mere rarity.

This was exactly what the Mu Clan desperately needed-

The key factor blocking them from rising as a supreme force not just

in the Desolate Heaven Empire, but throughout the whole region.

And right then, it rested in her grasp.

Mu Yuelan lifted her head gradually.

Her eyes fixed firmly on Bai Zihan.

She realized he wouldn't jest about such a matter.

His look showed no hint of deceit.

For the first time, composure vanished from her gaze.

Pure shock remained!

Utter disbelief!

"Zihan'er..."

Her tone wavered faintly.

"Where did you obtain these?"

She inquired.

Mu Yuelan's words lingered softly in the silent room.

Not mere curiosity-

But wariness, doubt, and a hint of eagerness.

Nearby, Mu Linyue had ceased her actions.

She froze in place, ears attuned.

Her typical poise flickered subtly.

Her sight dropped to the jade slips held by Mu Yuelan.

Seventh Grade pill recipes...

Even she couldn't dismiss this lightly.

Shock stirred within her, though far more subdued than Mu Yuelan's.

In the last month, she'd realized a truth.

Bai Zihan stood apart from typical alchemists.

She'd posed queries that stumped even Grade-6 Alchemists.

But Bai Zihan answered with ease.

Not just replies, but clear breakdowns she followed perfectly.

That feat alone elevated him above all alchemists she knew, Mu Yuelan included.

Thus, upon seeing the Seventh Grade recipes-

Surprise struck her.

Yet not as intensely as it did Mu Yuelan.

Bai Zihan stayed composed.

He'd foreseen this query ages ago.

Oddly enough-

No one in the Mu Clan had probed his alchemist status or his Grade-4 pill refining ability.

He'd expected intense questioning upon discovery.

Surprisingly-

It never came.

Maybe Mu Linyue's Grade-4 Alchemist breakthrough dulled the impact.

Or they opted not to pry, awaiting his own account.

Regardless, he'd readied a response.

Bai Zihan's eyes held firm.

His voice stayed even and deliberate.

He revealed acquiring the legacy of a Grandmaster Alchemist from the Falling Star Empire.

Mu Yuelan's face changed subtly at the Falling Star Empire's name.

She recalled vividly: Bai Zihan had visited there before.

Not the journey to slay Chong Sheng, but his trip a year earlier.

Bai Zihan detailed calmly how these pill recipes formed part of that Grandmaster Alchemist's legacy.

It served as the root of his expertise and alchemy prowess.

The account resolved numerous doubts for Mu Yuelan.

Though still mind-blowing, it stayed plausible.

After all, only such an extraordinary legacy could account for Bai Zihan's alchemy ascent-

And the presence of these Seventh Grade pill recipes.

Her eyes returned to the jade slips.

Then shifted back to Bai Zihan.

"This represents a massive boon to the Mu Clan. These recipes alone could reshape our Desolate Heaven Empire's destiny."

She hesitated momentarily.

"When the elders learn of this, the clan will honor you fittingly!"

Still, Bai Zihan shook his head.

"No need. I've received plenty from the Mu Clan already."

He meant the prior pills he'd gotten.

Some crafted by his mother, others by Mu Clan members.

Going forward, he'd depend on their resources too.

Extra rewards weren't necessary.

"I'll head back to the Bai Clan today!"

Mu Yuelan didn't hinder him.

Nor urge him to stay.

She felt the same.

No immediate reward was required.

Soon, as the Mu Clan birthed Grandmaster Alchemists and power surged, Bai Zihan would reap gains naturally.

And should he require aid, a simple request would suffice.

She was certain the Mu Clan would honor his request.

Right now—

This was the top priority!

Upon exiting Bai Zihan's alchemy room, her face became utterly grave.

The earlier astonishment hadn't dissipated—

In fact, it had rooted even deeper.

Ten Seventh Grade pill recipes.

Her fingers still trembled faintly while clutching the jade slips.

Without delay, she gave the command.

An urgent assembly.

The Mu Clan acted with haste.

In no time, the grand hall brimmed with people again.

Even reclusive Elders had assembled.

Mu Qingyuan occupied the head position, his eyebrows knit lightly. "Yuelan, what's this about now?"

His voice stayed steady, yet worry lurked underneath.

After all, emergency gatherings were reserved for critical issues—

Particularly those threatening the Mu Clan's security.

Like Mu Qingyuan, many believed disaster had struck.

Mu Yuelan advanced.

"You all need to hear this."

Mu Qingyuan's eyes narrowed a bit.

"What happened?"

Mu Qingyuan inquired.

"Mu Linyue has advanced to Grade-5 Alchemist already."

Dead silence!

The whole hall seemed iced over.

For several breaths, they just gawked at Mu Yuelan.

As though deciphering her words.

BOOM!

The hall exploded fiercer than ever.

"Grade-5?!"

"In a single month?!"

"Impossible!"

Even Elders lost all poise.

Some leaped to their feet while others gaped in shock.

Their faces twisted in astonishment.

They all recalled vividly that only a month prior, Mu Linyue had reached Grade-4.

And now?

Grade-5 already?

This pace... went beyond mere freakishness.

It hit harder knowing some Elders here hadn't hit Grade-5 yet.

Yet a young one had entered that domain.

Mu Qingyuan's eyes quivered faintly.

Calmness eluded even him.

"You're sure?"

He knew his daughter's gifts were immense, but a breakthrough in one month?

Progress usually slows at higher grades, yet Mu Linyue defied that.

Mu Yuelan affirmed with a nod.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Silence blanketed again. But now—

It carried weight and complexity.

Mingled with shock and thrill— Something else stirred.

Something faint.

Regret!

An Elder let out a slow breath.

"Such a pity!"

The murmur was soft but rang loud.

No one challenged it.

Everyone grasped the truth.

Mu Linyue's aptitude terrified.

She was destined to ascend.

Tower over everyone.

Claim the summit.

But chains held her.

Chained by Mu Clan's boundaries. Talent or skill aside—

Without Seventh Grade pill recipes and higher... stagnation awaited.

Like so many of them.

Stuck at Grade-6!

Another Elder uttered deliberately.

"At this rate, she might have to depart."

Those words altered the air.

Mu Qingyuan's look grew somber.

"The Western Region..."

Someone whispered.

Elders pondered deeply. For that was the sole option remaining.

A realm richer in alchemy.

Teeming with mighty sects.

And genuine experts.

"Her talent would open any door."

"Sects would battle for her as disciple. No... she could pick her own master."

Mu Linyue's prowess shut no gates.

But Mu Qingyuan stayed quiet.

His forehead creased gradually.

He realized sending Mu Linyue to the Western Region offered no sure path to Grandmaster Alchemist discipleship.

Vermilion Pill Empire proved it best.

There—

Talent notwithstanding—

Qualification aside—

To grasp true core alchemy...

One must pledge fully.

Not mere pupil but subject. Or face heavy limits otherwise.

Ultimately, outsiders became mere pill refiners for the empire. He dreaded the Western Region followed suit. High-grade recipes formed any Clan or Sect's core after all.

Mu Qingyuan's grip tightened on the armrest.

Besides, how could he dispatch his daughter to distant lands?

He wasn't solely Clan Head.

He was father too.

Staying meant confinement for Mu Linyue.

Her potential squandered.

Future curtailed.

Leaving brought unknown perils, and rare reunions.

Mu Qingyuan shut his eyes briefly. Then reopened them.

Inner turmoil flickered.

Yet before deciding, Mu Yuelan lifted her hand.

A pile of jade slips materialized. She then declared—

"Zihan'er has gifted the Mu Clan ten Seventh Grade pill recipes."

Silence!

A profound, astonished hush.

For several moments—

Not a soul responded.

As though they failed to grasp her words.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

The hall exploded. "What?! Seventh Grade?!"

"Ten recipes?!"

"Yuelan, are you certain?!"

Even the steadiest elders couldn't hold back.

They shot to their feet.

Eyes bulging.

Mu Qingyuan's eyes also expanded in disbelief.

His stare fixed on the jade slips.

"...You're certain?"

His tone stayed quiet yet brimmed with eagerness.

Mu Yuelan gave a nod.

"I've verified it personally."

Silence descended anew.

Most mirrored Mu Yuelan's prior reaction—

Struggling to accept it—

While certain she wouldn't jest on such matters.

Mu Yuelan quickly recounted Bai Zihan's meeting with the Grandmaster

Alchemist's inheritance.

The way he turned into an alchemist.

How these recipes came into his possession. This account made acceptance far simpler.

Once the initial shock and doubt faded— What came next— Was eager anticipation and thrill. Everyone present grasped the implications.

For years—

No—

For generations—

The Mu Clan remained trapped at that barrier. Peak Grade-6 Alchemist.

Unable to advance.

Not due to missing talent.

Not from scarce resources.

But from absent guidance.

No route to Grade-7 lay before them.

And now—

That very route lay within their grasp. "This... this suffices..."

"Enough to shatter our limits..." "These will let our Mu Clan birth Grandmaster Alchemists at last!"

Those declarations resounded across the hall.

Mu Qingyuan let out a slow breath.

Calmness escaped even him.

For crossing that threshold— Would transform all.

Status.

Influence.

Authority.

The Imperial Family would view the Mu Clan differently henceforth.

A clan boasting Grandmaster Alchemists stood apart entirely.

Furthermore, he could keep his daughter close, at least until she hit Peak Grade-7 Alchemist.

And the force behind this fortune—

Was Bai Zihan!

Mu Qingyuan wasted no time.

"Elders—"

His voice grew resolute. "Let's examine these recipes as one."

Next—

A subtle, uncommon smile graced his features.

"It appears... The Mu Clan's ascent begins now!"