Chapter 9 Master Pharmacist Guild

"Bang" A loud explosion echoed, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Long Chen had appeared in front of Li Hao at some point, like a ghost. This was the effect of the Swift Wind Step, with incredible speed, especially when bursting at close range, making it nearly impossible for others to defend. Li Hao's claws were suspended in mid-air as Long Chen's foot violently kicked between his legs, the brutal force sending him flying into the air. After the explosive sound, a round object slid down Li Hao's pants leg, directly flying into the crowd. Wang Mang was fantasizing about how Li Hao would torment Long Chen to the point of suffering worse than death, but the scene before him left him utterly shocked. He completely failed to notice that something the size of a grape was heading straight for his gaping mouth, and by the time he realized it, the object had already entered his mouth. Before he could react, the slippery object flowed down his throat into his stomach, carrying a strange, foul odor. "Ah!" Only then did Wang Mang react, hurriedly extending a finger to dig at his throat, retching for a long time before finally heaving out a round object. Zhou Yaoyang and the others beside Wang Mang looked at the round object, feeling queasy, and hurriedly scattered. "Ah... my balls!" On the arena, Li Hao desperately covered his groin, his face contorted in agony. If he hadn't been protecting his body with spiritual energy earlier, he would have fainted from the pain by now. At that moment, the entire venue fell silent. The spectators glanced at Li Hao on the stage, then at the mess in the distance, all wearing strange expressions. "Well, now you won’t run off course when you walk anymore," Long Chen said, nodding. "You..." Li Hao's eyes were filled with rage, his only precious treasure had been stripped away, and now it was in Wang Mang's belly. Even if he retrieved it after being burned by stomach acid, it would be useless. The last one had been taken by a wild dog, and now this one was ruined. Li Hao was destined to become a useless person who could not reproduce. "You bastard, go die—Shattering Stone Fist!" Li Hao roared madly, forcibly circulating his spiritual energy to stop the pain in his lower body, and swung a fist at Long Chen, his breath surging and the wind howling. The full power of the third layer of Qi Gathering erupted. He was now consumed by madness, having forgotten Zhou Yaoyang's instructions, intent only on killing Long Chen. Long Chen looked at the crazed Li Hao, a hint of coldness appearing in his eyes. He shouted, like thunder shaking the heavens, reverberating across the land, causing everyone's eardrums to ring. An invisible aura swept out, and Long Chen did not dodge but also threw a punch. "Bull Strength!" "Boom!" A loud explosion sounded, accompanied by the sound of shattering bones. Li Hao let out a miserable scream, blood spraying everywhere, as the horrified gazes of the crowd watched Li Hao's arm being crushed. Long Chen maintained the pose from just before he struck, his eyes cold and his expression indifferent, a terrifying killing aura making everyone shudder. At that moment, Long Chen resembled a cold-blooded god of death, radiating an icy killing intent that sent chills down people's spines. The arena fell into complete silence. Just moments ago, the power Long Chen had unleashed had even instilled a sense of fear in Zhou Yaoyang, who was at the seventh layer of Qi Gathering. "How is this possible? He can actually use combat techniques?" "Isn’t he unable to cultivate? What is going on here?" "That gaze is terrifying!" People couldn’t help but feel alarmed, and those who had previously mocked Long Chen were filled with fear. Looking at Li Hao lying on the stage, they felt as if they were seeing themselves, and they shivered involuntarily. Li Hao lay on the stage, his arm shattered and blood flowing, Long Chen's punch not only shattered his arm but also injured his lungs. Even Long Chen himself was somewhat shocked. It seemed he had underestimated the Nine Star Overlord Body Technique. Even regular people could unleash such terrifying power when it was in effect. Slowly walking towards Li Hao, Long Chen's footsteps were clearly audible in the deathly silence of the arena, like a murderous prelude, heavily treading on everyone’s hearts. "Step... step... step..." At this point, Li Hao's earlier rage had completely vanished, replaced by sheer terror. As he watched Long Chen approach, he stammered, "Don’t... come near..." Li Hao wanted to retreat, but in his extreme fear, he found he had no strength left to use. The approaching Long Chen felt like an inescapable nightmare. "Don’t... don’t kill me, it was Zhou Yaoyang who instigated me to do this!" Li Hao said with a sobbing tone. Zhou Yaoyang's face changed dramatically, and he couldn't help but shout angrily, "Li Hao, what nonsense are you talking?" "I’m not talking nonsense. You told us to deal with Long Chen and promised us benefits afterward. Everything is your fault!" Li Hao pointed at Zhou Yaoyang, his voice frantic in the face of death's threat, forgetting everything else. "Li Hao, you’re asking for death!" Zhou Yaoyang's face turned ashen, his eyes filled with killing intent. "You bastard Zhou Yaoyang, you used me. Long Chen, let me tell you, Zhou Yaoyang is just a lackey. In fact..." Suddenly, Long Chen felt a chill, sensing the aura of death approaching. Without thinking, he retreated explosively. However, after Long Chen retreated, nothing happened. When he looked back at Li Hao, he found Li Hao's eyes had lost focus, already dead from suffocation. Long Chen's expression slightly changed as he glanced into the crowd, only to see a figure wearing a straw hat rushing away quickly, disappearing from view in a few leaps. This sudden turn of events caused an uproar among the crowd, clearly indicating that the mysterious person had killed Li Hao. "Long Chen wins!" After a brief moment of chaos, the arena overseer announced the final result. Although Li Hao was not killed by Long Chen, Long Chen had defeated Li Hao, and killing Li Hao would have been easy for him, so it was reasonable to declare Long Chen the winner. With Long Chen's victory, countless people couldn’t help but sigh. This result left them empty-handed. Meanwhile, dozens of people shouted excitedly, having bet on Long Chen's victory, while Yu Pangzi and others howled like wolves. Li Hao, lying on the stage, was ignored by everyone. The arena officials would notify his family to come collect the body. The duel on the Death Arena was protected by imperial law, and no one was allowed to seek revenge privately. Li Hao was just a bastard son, not especially high in status. His death would hardly stir up much trouble. This was the fierce nature of the Fengming Empire. Long Chen stepped down, receiving a heroic welcome from Yu Pangzi and others. Shi Feng gave Long Chen a tight hug. "Good lad, when did you become so fierce? You should have told me earlier. I almost jumped out of my seat watching from below!" Shi Feng complained. "Dragon Brother, oh no, Dragon Ge, from now on we’ll follow you. You have to protect us!" Yu Pangzi and others said, their eyes sparkling. Long Chen laughed heartily, "No problem, let’s go claim our winnings!" Everyone cheered, and amid countless envious gazes, Long Chen collected a staggering three million gold coins. When a crystal card worth three million gold coins was placed in Long Chen's hand, he felt even more excited than when he killed Li Hao. He knew Li Hao was just a small fry. However, the things Li Hao revealed before he died made him more alert. Originally, he thought he was being bullied just because of conflicts between their fathers, but it seemed it was not a simple power struggle. He was merely a pawn. He was just a waste of a young man, with a poor family. Such a calculated scheme against him clearly targeted his father. "It seems quite complicated." But looking at the three million gold coins in his hand, Long Chen couldn’t help but feel an immense sense of confidence. Could this be what they call having deep pockets? After leaving with everyone, Long Chen found a teahouse. After a grand celebration, he returned all the principal to the group. However, he kept the winnings. Long Chen made a promise that excited everyone: their future cultivation would be covered by him. Yu Pangzi and others were ecstatic. They were all unable to cultivate. If it were someone else saying this, they wouldn’t believe it. But Long Chen was just like them originally, yet he could now kill Li Hao with one move. How real was that? Hearing Long Chen say this, everyone was overjoyed. However, Long Chen asked them to keep it a secret, and they all nodded frantically. Long Chen spoke so seriously, and given that it related to everyone’s future, even their lives, they didn’t dare not take it seriously. After Yu Pangzi and others left, Long Chen chatted with Shi Feng for a bit. Shi Feng was a genius, among the young nobles, the one with the best aptitude, already at the eighth layer of Qi Gathering, and could step into the ninth layer at any time. Entering Blood Condensation before the age of twenty should be no problem. After observing Shi Feng twice, Long Chen deemed him trustworthy. After understanding Shi Feng's current cultivation state, he parted ways with Shi Feng and headed straight for the Alchemist Association. The Alchemist Association was located directly south of the imperial capital, the most sacred place in the entire imperial capital. Even the royal family dared not be rude to the people of the Alchemist Association. It is said that the Alchemist Association is widespread across the world, and the one in the imperial capital is just one of them. Long Chen had come this time to take an alchemist qualification exam. After all, having a qualification would make it very convenient for him in the future, whether buying medicines or traveling. Wherever he went, alchemists were a very scarce profession. With this qualification, Long Chen's value would be different. Even in the Fengming Empire, if they wanted to move against him, they would need to weigh the consequences. Most importantly, with this qualification, he could buy rare medicinal materials from the Alchemist Association at very favorable prices, saving a significant amount of money. The Alchemist Association only occupied a few acres but stood several dozen zhang tall, very grand, instilling awe in people. Upon entering the main hall, two maids received Long Chen. When they heard he was there for the alchemist qualification exam, they were taken aback. Because Long Chen looked like he was only fifteen or sixteen, and there was no fluctuation of cultivation energy around him, but they still led him into the alchemy hall. When Long Chen arrived, more than a dozen men in the hall were stirring the alchemical flames, seemingly refining medicines. "Oh, how come it’s you?" As soon as Long Chen arrived, an elderly man looked at him in surprise and couldn't help but ask. Upon seeing that person, Long Chen felt a surge of anger inside. That old man was the one who had treated him and falsely claimed that he might have amnesia, tricking his mother out of her jewelry. "I’m here to take the alchemist qualification exam," Long Chen suppressed the anger in his heart, planning to settle scores with the old man later. "Exam? Alchemist?" The old man looked Long Chen up and down. "It seems your injury from last time hasn’t healed properly. You should go back and rest." Long Chen frowned slightly, "I really am here to take the exam." The old man's face darkened. "I don’t have time to waste with a kid like you. Get lost, or I’ll have the guards throw you out!" Long Chen felt his anger rising, glaring at the old man and shouted, "If your ears are stuffed with green fur, let me tell you again, I’m here to take the alchemist exam!" By the end of his sentence, Long Chen's voice had turned into a roar, echoing throughout the Alchemist Association. "Who is making such a racket here?" Suddenly, a thin-faced old man approached with an unhappy expression. Long Chen's eyes shifted, and a wicked smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.