Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Public Office, Private Revenge

"Why should I have to prove anything to you? What gives you the right to demand proof from me?"

Jiang Chen responded coolly, then plopped right back down into his chair.

’Proof? With my experience, I don’t need to prove a thing.’

What?

The crowd was utterly flabbergasted by Jiang Chen’s words.

One after another, they shot angry looks at Jiang Chen.

Xiao Gu’s expression turned particularly ugly. He had wanted to see Jiang Chen make a fool of himself, but Jiang Chen refused to play by the rules.

His anger flared. "So, you’re just an imposter trying to fill a spot!"

"You want to be a Senior Steward in our Alchemy Master Guild? Dream on."

The others were also displeased with Jiang Chen.

"He’s so arrogant! That kid is completely disrespectful."

"It’s like he doesn’t even see us."

"Chairman Qin, I think it’s time for him to leave our Alchemy Master Guild."

"That’s right! He can’t even prove he’s an Alchemist, let alone a Second-Grade Alchemist like he boasted."

But Master Qin simply waved his hand.

"Alright, that’s enough. I have made my decision, and I will not change it."

"Jiang Chen will temporarily take his master’s place as a Senior Steward of our Alchemy Master Guild."

Besides, Master Qin had a feeling Jiang Chen might be telling the truth.

’If Jiang Chen really is a Second-Grade Alchemist, then forget his master—he himself is qualified to be a Senior Steward.’

With that, Master Qin ignored them and turned to leave.

The others wanted to object, but they were unsuccessful.

"Hmph. Just some dumb luck."

A few of them grunted at Jiang Chen in dissatisfaction, then turned and left.

Still, there were some who greeted Jiang Chen.

"Congratulations, Steward Jiang."

"We’ll be working together from now on. My name is Zhang San."

Although most were unhappy with Jiang Chen, a few still took the initiative to greet him.

Not everyone looked down on him.

"Thank you. I look forward to working with you."

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang San and the others hurried away.

Jiang Chen, however, remained seated impassively in the hall, lost in thought with his legs crossed.

The last person to leave was Xiao Gu.

Xiao Gu shot Jiang Chen a venomous glare.

"Kid, I hope your luck holds out. I won’t let this go so easily."

With that, he too turned and left.

Jiang Chen grew contemplative.

’In the current Alchemy Master Guild, I’m a newcomer and my position is unstable.’

’Especially since so many people are already prejudiced against me.’

’I don’t care about them, but even the President, Master Qin, has an ambiguous attitude toward me.’

’I have a sense of impending crisis.’

’Fortunately, I’m prepared. I’m not afraid of anyone.’

’Even if this place were a mountain of swords and a sea of flames, I’d still have come.’

Jiang Chen sneered. The situation was unfavorable, but he wouldn’t be leaving the Alchemy Master Guild for now. There was still too much he needed to figure out.

As he stood up, he saw a young attendant at the door.

"Steward Jiang, the President has arranged your duties. Please come with me."

Jiang Chen nodded and followed the attendant.

Soon, they arrived at a slightly less prominent hall.

"Steward Jiang, this will be your office from now on."

Jiang Chen walked in and took a look. The interior was lavishly decorated and quite grand.

As a Senior Steward, he was granted significant authority right from the start. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

There were other Stewards at work in the hall; he was merely one of them.

However, there weren’t many Senior Stewards in the Alchemy Master Guild—fewer than five in total.

He went to his designated office.

Inside was a spacious area for work, along with his personal living quarters. Beyond that lay the Alchemy Master Guild’s garden.

"You may go."

Jiang Chen dismissed the attendant and, alone in the room, began looking through some documents.

His duty as a Steward was to manage the approval process for new Alchemists applying to join the Alchemy Master Guild.

In other words, whether someone could successfully join the Alchemy Master Guild depended on his approval. Without it, entry was impossible.

’Interesting. This feels just like the old days.’

A thousand years ago, Jiang Chen had rarely concerned himself with the mundane affairs of the Alchemy Master Guild, but he was still quite familiar with the procedures.

The work of a Steward was also quite relaxed; one could say there were no restraints at all.

You could come and go as you pleased. A single task could be put off for a year, or even several years, before being processed.

It was that free.

Of course, Jiang Chen wasn’t that irresponsible.

He familiarized himself with his duties and his new surroundings.

Another seven or eight days passed in the blink of an eye. Jiang Chen’s life was quite comfortable. He spent his time on Alchemy and Cultivation, and for the moment, no one at the Alchemy Master Guild came looking for trouble.

「On this day.」

"Steward Jiang."

The same young attendant from before knocked and entered.

He said respectfully to Jiang Chen, "Steward Jiang, these are the applications that have been submitted over the last few days. They require your approval."

With that, he presented more than a dozen applications to join the Alchemy Master Guild.

Jiang Chen felt a bit resigned. ’It’s only been a few days and I already have work to do.’

Jiang Chen knew these were the applications from Alchemists wishing to join the Alchemy Master Guild.

Whether or not they could successfully join the Alchemy Master Guild all came down to a single word from him.

Once he gave his approval, the applications would be sent to Chairman Qin for a final stamp, and the applicant would successfully join the Alchemy Master Guild.

But if he didn’t approve it, it would go no further.

He got right to work.

He picked up the dozen or so applications.

Jiang Chen reviewed them one by one.

Normally, these applications were approved without issue. They had already been vetted at lower levels before reaching him; he was merely responsible for the final confirmation, a procedural step.

"Wang Ming, First-Grade Alchemist, applies to join the Alchemy Master Guild."

Each application listed the applicant’s name and Alchemist Level, which had been verified by the Alchemy Master Guild’s own testing.

"Approved."

After reviewing the applicant’s qualifications and finding them satisfactory in all respects, Jiang Chen stamped the form with his official seal as Steward Jiang.

When he got to the fifth application, Jiang Chen’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Ling Xuan, Second-Grade Alchemist, applies to join the Alchemy Master Guild."

Seeing the name Ling Xuan, Jiang Chen suddenly recalled that the Jiang Family once had an Alchemist named Ling Xuan, who had since left to join the Ximen Family.

Ling Xuan’s file had already been vetted and approved by the lower-level reviewers; all it needed was Jiang Chen’s stamp to go through.

But Jiang Chen paused, not stamping the document.

’This Ling Xuan... could it be the same one who left the Jiang Family?’

Though he wasn’t certain, Jiang Chen knew there didn’t seem to be another Alchemist named Ling Xuan in all of Hanwu City.

He was amused.

’He left our Jiang Family back then, taking all of our Elixirs with him.’

’Looks like it’s time to abuse my power for a little personal revenge.’

For some reason, he couldn’t help but laugh.

’Enemies truly are destined to cross paths.’

’Alright then. I’ll approve everyone else. As for Ling Xuan... I’ll need to meet him in person before making a decision.’

Jiang Chen flipped through the remaining applications, stamping each one for approval. He left only Ling Xuan’s application untouched.

He said to the young attendant, "Have this person named Ling Xuan come see me. I’ll review his case personally."

"Summon him immediately. Right now."

A playful smile touched the corners of his lips.