Chapter 282: Chapter 283: Han Xu, Young Master Han

When the handsome youth heard Shen Haoran agree, his face lit up. He walked forward joyfully, cupped his fist, and said, "Then I must thank you, Brother Shen!"

"And what should I call you?" Shen Haoran asked, looking at the handsome youth.

"I am Han Xu! Young Master of the Han Family from North Desert City!" Han Xu declared proudly, his head held high.

"Young Master Han, you can’t agree to this! Look at him—how could he possibly be an Alchemist? He’s so young, there’s no way he can meet your requirements!" Seeing that Shen Haoran and Han Xu had reached an agreement, Tyler rushed forward to object.

"Young Master Han, why not consider my disciple, Yang Hao? He entered the ranks of Fourth Grade Alchemists long ago, and he’s far stronger than some punk who came out of nowhere! Plus, he has received my personal instruction. He absolutely will not disappoint you!" Tyler said, pulling the pale-faced Yang Hao in front of him to recommend him.

"Oh, is that so?" Han Xu turned his head. His eyes filled with amusement as he looked at Yang Hao, whose face was pale and who still had a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"From what I saw, wasn’t it Brother Shen who defeated your disciple? Are you sure he’s stronger than Brother Shen?" Han Xu said with a shrug.

"Hmph. If this brat hadn’t used dirty tricks and relied on brute force, he never would have beaten me. When it comes to Alchemy, I’m a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than him!" Yang Hao said, sneering at Shen Haoran.

"That’s right! Brother Yang received Chairman Tai’s personal tutelage. His Alchemy is among the best in the Luotian City region! He’s never lost a competition, to say nothing of losing to a country bumpkin like this!" Qin Mei’Er chimed in, fawning over Yang Hao. At her words, Yang Hao’s head rose even higher with pride.

Han Xu gave Yang Hao and Qin Mei’Er a cool glance, then turned to Shen Haoran. "Brother Shen, what do you think one should do in a situation like this?"

Shen Haoran shot Han Xu a meaningful look. ’This guy is no simpleton,’ he thought. ’Why exactly has he taken an interest in me?’

Shen Haoran skillfully concealed his doubts. He turned to Yang Hao and said calmly, "Whether I’m stronger or not is something we’ll only know after we compete. I imagine Brother Han is also eager to see me in action, isn’t he?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

At this, Han Xu burst out laughing. "Haha, you’re sharp, Brother Shen! You’ve guessed my intentions completely!"

Shen Haoran rolled his eyes at Han Xu. ’Were his intentions not obvious enough?’ For Han Xu to seek him out for no reason and then defend him with his words and actions... ’If this guy doesn’t want something from me, then there must be something wrong with his preferences!’

"Chairman Tai, how about we have them compete? That would be fairer," Han Xu said, turning to Tyler.

"A competition?" Tyler’s gaze shifted to Yang Hao. The latter nodded, shooting a disdainful look at Shen Haoran.

Understanding Yang Hao’s intent, Tyler waved his hand grandly. "Of course! Young Master Han, please, come inside. The Alchemy Master Guild has a full set of testing equipment. I just hope a certain someone actually has some real talent and doesn’t end up showing his true colors and coming to us crying and begging!"

Shen Haoran knew Tyler was talking about him, but he paid him no mind, simply following Han Xu into the Alchemy Master Guild.

Upon stepping into the Alchemy Master Guild, he was hit by a wave of clamor even more chaotic than the streets outside. The place was far more bustling than any marketplace. It made sense. Elixirs were a hot commodity that every Martial Artist needed. They would all come here to purchase them or post requests for Alchemists to refine them. The Alchemy Master Guild was the most important platform for selling elixirs and assigning such requests; it would be strange if it weren’t this lively.

Seeing Shen Haoran looking around at everything, Qin Mei’Er and Yang Hao couldn’t help but shoot him a contemptuous glance. "Hmph, what a country bumpkin. He’s never even seen a crowd like this, and he has the nerve to call himself an Alchemist?"

Han Xu chuckled at their words and shook his head, then followed Tyler deeper into the Alchemy Master Guild.

After winding through a few corridors, the four of them arrived in a large hall. This was where Alchemists were tested.

"Young Master Han, this is the testing ground of our Alchemy Master Guild," Tyler said, his gaze fixed on Shen Haoran. "How do you propose we conduct this test?"

"It’s a competition between two Alchemists, so naturally, they should compete in Alchemy, no? You provide the challenge, they each refine an elixir, and whoever produces the one with the higher quality wins," Han Xu said.

However, Tyler immediately shot down his proposal.

"That won’t work, Young Master Han," Yang Hao interjected, looking at Shen Haoran with a provocative stare. "The results of Alchemy can be faked! Instead, a qualified Alchemist should be judged on the strength of his Spiritual Thought, his proficiency in flame control, and his knowledge of various Spirit Medicines. These three skills cannot be faked. So, let’s compete on these three things. How about it?"

"This... Won’t that be too time-consuming? I don’t have time to waste here with you all!" Han Xu said, frowning as he thought of the situation back home.

"Heh, don’t worry, Young Master Han. It won’t take much time at all," Yang Hao said maliciously. "Because I’ll defeat this country bumpkin in no time and show him what a true Alchemist looks like!"

Hearing this, Han Xu looked toward Shen Haoran, a worried expression on his face.

Shen Haoran, however, just smiled casually. Clasping his hands behind his back, he said nonchalantly, "Whatever you want."

Seeing Shen Haoran’s persistently calm and unbothered demeanor, Yang Hao’s face darkened. "Men, bring the materials!" he barked. "Today, I’m going to see what you possibly have to compete against me with!"

Shen Haoran had no reaction to Yang Hao’s ferocious expression.

A moment later, a few Maids walked in carrying a Spirit Medicine and placed it in front of Shen Haoran and Yang Hao.

"This is... Dragon Beard Grass!" Shen Haoran exclaimed upon seeing the Spirit Medicine. He wasn’t surprised because Dragon Beard Grass was rare. On the contrary, it could be found in many places with abundant Water Attribute Spiritual Power. What surprised him were its properties.

While Dragon Beard Grass wasn’t rare, its properties were unique. Very few Alchemists used it for Alchemy because it was simply too difficult to break down! The key characteristic of Dragon Beard Grass is that it grows in fire. The more you heat it with flames, the more vigorously it grows, making its Essence of Spiritual Medicine incredibly difficult to extract.

"I didn’t think you’d even recognize it!" Yang Hao sneered when he heard Shen Haoran name the Dragon Beard Grass. He then continued, "Since you know what it is, you must also know its properties. Today, our competition will be to see who can extract the Essence of Spiritual Medicine from this Dragon Beard Grass, and whose extracted essence is purer! Well? Do you dare?"

Gazing at the Dragon Beard Grass on the Jade Plate, Shen Haoran chuckled. "Why wouldn’t I dare?"