Chapter 568: The Scene at the Grand Alchemy Conference

"Marquis, all the inns in the city have refused to rent us rooms!" the first subordinate sent out suddenly returned, shouting in terror.

The crowd had not yet dispersed. Upon seeing the first subordinate return, they all stared at him. But when he reported that they couldn't rent a single room, the crowd exploded with chatter.

"How is that possible?"

"Not a single inn? Is he colluding with Zhong Shan to deceive his master?"

"This Marquis of Leisure is so pathetic!"

"He got what he deserved for being so arrogant. This is karma!"

... The Marquis of Leisure's face turned beet red. Even with his thick-skinned demeanor, he couldn't help but feel immensely humiliated. Not a single room?

"Impossible! Say that again!" the Marquis of Leisure shouted at the subordinate.

"Marquis, it's true. Not only can we not rent a serene courtyard in Blue Flame City, but we can't even get a room in the poor tenements. The worst part is, there are clearly vacant rooms, but they refuse to rent them to us. It's bizarre, truly bizarre!" the subordinate exclaimed in terror.

"How can this be?" the Marquis of Leisure said, still in disbelief.

"It's true, Marquis. We've been to over a hundred inns, from the highest to the lowest. They all refused to rent to us!" the subordinate repeated, trembling with fear.

"Could it be that we've been too overbearing lately?" another subordinate whispered.

As they spoke, everyone around them was stunned, then burst into laughter, mocking this group of misfits.

"Hahahaha..."

People laughed at the Marquis of Leisure's arrogance and the consequent retribution, but some looked at Zhong Shan with a sense of gravity.

Particularly Marquis Shao Fei, who stared at Zhong Shan, his eyes flickering with astonishment. This—how could this be?

Marquis Shao Fei didn't believe it was merely the Marquis of Leisure's poor reputation. He thought about Zhong Shan. That ridiculous bet—no one believed Zhong Shan could win, but in the end, he did?

How? How was it possible? According to reports, Zhong Shan had only just arrived in Blue Flame City. In just one day, without any prior contact, he convinced all the innkeepers? That was impossible, absolutely impossible.

So, what was the reason?

Zhong Shan's friends? Or perhaps people who disliked the Marquis of Leisure causing trouble?

No, it couldn't be. The person who brought the Yunlai Inn's number one courtyard plaque had already indicated that Zhong Shan had some connection with the inns in the city.

Some connection? Now, no inn was willing to rent to them, and it happened right after Zhong Shan made his bet. This indicated it was Zhong Shan's doing.

And within the two hours after Zhong Shan gave the order, the entire Blue Flame City followed his command?

He has incredible influence. Zhong Shan now has incredible influence. In Blue Flame City, perhaps only the Blue Flame Emperor had the authority to issue such an order. But now, Zhong Shan had that authority too.

This Zhong Shan is terrifying. Truly terrifying.

In the eastern part of Shenzhou, his influence had already reached the western part of Shenzhou. What kind of person was he? How terrifying, and in just a few years?

It wasn't just Marquis Shao Fei who saw Zhong Shan's terrifying influence; a man in white hiding among the crowd also noticed it. This man, sweating profusely from shock, was Fan Yipin, a subordinate of Gu Xuan from the Yongle Dynasty.

Having heard that Zhong Shan had arrived, Fan Yipin quickly rushed over, just in time to witness this earth-shattering event.

"Let's go!" Fan Yipin immediately turned and left.

His subordinate hesitated but followed.

"Prime Minister!" the subordinate asked in confusion.

"Silence!" Fan Yipin's eyes flashed coldly, and his subordinate fell silent.

Soon, they returned to their lodging.

"Prime Minister!" the subordinate was still puzzled.

"Pack your things. We are returning to the capital immediately!" Fan Yipin ordered.

"But, Prime Minister, we've already passed the registration and assessment. We can participate in the Grand Alchemy Conference soon. If we leave now, what about our alchemists?" the subordinate asked anxiously.

"We are all leaving. Even though I rated Zhong Shan very highly, it wasn't enough. His ambition is too great, and his influence extends even here. Quickly, pack up. We must return to the capital and prepare for a major overhaul!" Fan Yipin said with urgency.

"Yes!" The subordinate was now filled with fear.

Fan Yipin's political instincts were exceptionally sharp. From just a few unusual events, he sensed a grand conspiracy. He immediately ordered everyone to return to the capital, knowing that the severity of the situation required his personal return to assist the Emperor in a thorough purge.

Meanwhile, back at the plaza:

After learning the news, the Marquis of Leisure's face turned bright red with rage.

"At least the Marquis didn't bet anything. He hasn't lost anything."

"I always knew that Marquis's arrogance would lead to retribution!"

As the crowd continued to criticize the Marquis of Leisure, his face grew redder, eventually turning almost black with anger.

"Marquis, your face is turning black! Could it be that the poison hasn't been fully neutralized?" an oblivious subordinate asked in panic.

"Alchemy King, please check if the Marquis is alright!" another subordinate called out, pulling the Alchemy King, who was studying the poison pill.

"Get lost!" the Marquis of Leisure kicked the subordinate away and turned to leave.

His other subordinates could only follow him.

Soon, the main party left. Although the onlookers felt unsatisfied, they slowly dispersed. The Marquis of Leisure's name would undoubtedly spread throughout Blue Flame City that day.

Meanwhile, the official responsible for registration approached with a token.

"Master alchemists of the Tai Dan Sect, this is the token for the Grand Alchemy Conference three months from now. You will need this token to enter the palace. You may bring up to ten people," the official said respectfully, handing over the token.

"Thank you," Bao'er said with a smile, accepting the token.

The group then followed Zhong Shan to his residence, choosing to remain silent about the earlier events.

That same day, the Marquis of Leisure left Blue Flame City with his subordinates, unable to stay any longer.

As for Marquis Shao Fei, after attending a banquet at Zhong Shan's invitation, he also bid farewell to Nie Qingqing the next day. He and his subordinates quickly departed for the capital of the Great Li Dynasty, Lihuo.

Like Fan Yipin, Marquis Shao Fei had discerned the terrifying implications of the situation and rushed back to report the shocking news to Nie Fanchun.

During the three months, Nie Qingqing naturally stayed with Ling'er and enjoyed pleasant conversations with Zhong Shan and his group. The incident at the square became a great joke in Blue Flame City. However, no matter how big the joke, it couldn't last long. Only a few extremely shrewd individuals analyzed the gravity of the situation, while most people treated it as a passing joke.

However, the name of the Tai Dan Sect was remembered by almost everyone. A single poison pill requiring a hundred antidote pills to neutralize – the Tai Dan Sect's alchemy master was a formidable figure indeed.

Three months flew by quickly, and the day of the Grand Alchemy Conference arrived.

Zhong Shan's group consisted of ten people. Zhao Suoxiang, however, had left due to a summons from his legion commander. Zhong Shan's group, along with Nie Qingqing's group, made their way to the palace together.

As they approached the palace gates and watched people slowly enter the imperial city, Zhong Shan revealed a strange smile.

"What's wrong?" Nie Qingqing asked.

"This Blue Flame Emperor is either incredibly arrogant or incredibly foolish. Holding the Grand Alchemy Conference in the palace? Truly 'unique'," Gu Qianyou said with a smirk.

"The palace, the imperial family's domain, is indeed not suitable for the presence of any person or force outside the emperor's control. Blue Tianwei's decision is indeed questionable," Nie Qingqing agreed after some thought.

Despite this, seeing most people enter, Zhong Shan's group followed suit. They handed over their tokens and invitations and were led by a eunuch to a large palace square, which had numerous stands for the guests and alchemists' friends and family.

The northernmost part featured the largest palace, with a group of Blue Flame Dynasty officials standing in front. The leading figure, dressed in a blue dragon robe and wearing a flat sky crown, was the Blue Flame Emperor, Blue Tianwei!

Beside him, in a moon-white robe, was an emaciated old man with white hair – the Dragon-Tiger Alchemy Sage, renowned for three thousand years as the world's greatest alchemist, Blue Longhu!

The eunuch led each alchemy master to their designated places. Those with invitations were placed in specific positions, while those without were placed in the southern area.

Nie Qingqing's group, representing the Great Li Dynasty, was naturally placed in the north, close to the Blue Flame Emperor. Surprisingly, the Tai Dan Sect was also placed in the north, near the Blue Flame Emperor.

As they approached, a eunuch whispered something to the Dragon-Tiger Alchemy Sage, who then turned to look in Zhong Shan's direction, specifically at Bao'er. His eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, followed by a seemingly very friendly nod toward Bao'er.

Bao'er was slightly taken aback but nodded in return.

The group reached the northern square, and the seats assigned to the Tai Dan Sect were actually better than those assigned to Nie Qingqing's group. This puzzled everyone, but they sat down without comment, watching as more and more alchemy masters were led into the square.

The vast square had nearly ten thousand chairs set up, indicating that there were close to a thousand alchemy masters who had secured a spot in the conference. Although not all of the world's top alchemists were present, a significant portion of the highest-ranked alchemists were.

The Grand Alchemy Conference was a gathering of alchemical experts. Among them were many who were so devoted to their craft that they were indifferent to worldly affairs. To these alchemists, the highest-ranking person present was not the Blue Flame Emperor but the Dragon-Tiger Alchemy Sage.

Top-tier alchemists, each with their own pride, did not pay obeisance to the Blue Flame Emperor but instead found their seats and waited for the conference to begin.