Chapter 1131: Collective Rebuttal

"I heard you refined another pill?"

"Just say if it's impressive or not."

"Don't get cocky; I can refine one too."

Outside Dan Fu Ling Shan, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Dan Fu alchemists stood in neat rows, each engaged in their own discussions—some chatting away, others flirting with the ladies. The scene was lively beyond words.

Seeing this, Yue Zhen furrowed his brows, his eyes full of contempt. In his view, the Dan Fu alchemists were still nothing but third-rate folks. If given another chance, he wouldn't choose them again.

However, given the current situation, to strike a blow against Dan Fu, he was more than willing to extend an olive branch.

Yue Zhen was confident that once he offered it, with his prestige and the allure of Ling Dan Ge, the Dan Fu alchemists would rush to join him. If he could take them all away, Dan Fu would be nothing more than a hollow shell.

As he thought about this, a cold smile curved at the corners of Yue Zhen's mouth. He looked toward the peak of Dan Fu mountain, as if he could see through the misty clouds and barriers to Ye Chen, lounging there with his legs crossed, drinking wine.

"I say, Elder Yue, are you going to make your choice or not?" Ye Chen glanced at Yue Zhen.

"Opposing Ling Dan Ge will make you die a horrible death." Yue Zhen snorted coldly.

"Tch." Ye Chen looked completely unfazed.

"You all have the qualifications to be disciples of Ling Dan Ge. Come back with me to Ling Dan Ge." Yue Zhen shifted his gaze from Ye Chen and looked down below, his words commanding and superior.

Yet, the Dan Fu alchemists acted as if they hadn't heard Yue Zhen's words at all, continuing their conversations and flirtations as before.

This behavior from the Dan Fu alchemists left the onlookers stunned. What was going on? That was an elder from Ling Dan Ge, a figure of immense status. Were they deaf? Hadn't they heard him?

Yue Zhen's expression darkened completely, his face turning ashen with embarrassment.

Who was he? He was the pavilion master of Ling Dan Ge. When had he ever been ignored like this, especially by a group of alchemists he considered beneath him? This was outright slapping him in the face.

"You dare to defy Ling Dan Ge!" In his anger, Yue Zhen suddenly roared.

"Who's yelling? You scared me." One of the Dan Fu alchemists cursed.

"Oh, hey, if it isn't Pavilion Master Yue Zhen!"

"What a sin; you were standing so high up, I didn't even see you."

"My apologies, my apologies." The Dan Fu alchemists hurriedly bowed, but once that was done, they went right back to their chatting and flirting, once again ignoring Yue Zhen in the clouds. The spectators were left speechless in shock.

"Damn it all!" Yue Zhen erupted in fury, his shout echoing through the sky.

"I say, are you all going to Ling Dan Ge or not? If not, at least give the man a response. Look how worked up he's getting." Ye Chen spoke up, pretending to scold his own alchemists.

"Ling Dan Ge?" The Dan Fu alchemists looked puzzled.

"We're doing just fine in Dan Fu. Why would we go to Ling Dan Ge?"

"In Ling Dan Ge's eyes, we're all useless."

"That day, we heard it loud and clear—they labeled us as third-rate people."

"We'd just be a nuisance if we went."

"Let's go, time to head home and refine some pills." With that, the Dan Fu alchemists linked arms and strolled back into Dan Fu Ling Shan. Each one had a huge grin on their face, feeling immensely satisfied. Along the way, they didn't forget to flash an OK sign at Ye Chen. This retort against Yue Zhen was truly exhilarating.

"You... you..." Yue Zhen stood up, his face twisted in rage, trembling all over.

"Elder Yue, as you can see, it's not that I'm not letting them go—it's that they don't want to follow you back." Ye Chen added, "I can't be blamed for this. Even as the mansion master, I have to respect their wishes. And let's be honest, Ling Dan Ge's way of doing things is just not straightforward. Plus, that old face of yours looks like it's been struck by lightning—it's so unsightly. Do you even have any shame?"

Pfft!

Before Ye Chen could finish, Yue Zhen spat out blood. Unable to catch his breath, he plummeted straight from the clouds.

"Pavilion Master!"

The elders of Ling Dan Ge rushed forward.

The onlookers, however, clicked their tongues in amazement. To make a ninth-level Huang Jing expert vomit blood like that—Ye Chen, the Dan Fu mansion master, was no ordinary man.

Buzz!

As the murmurs continued, the gates of Dan Fu mountain closed once more, completely isolating it from the outside world. Then, a faint voice echoed out: "Dan Fu Ling Shan welcomes all alchemists. Anyone who joins Dan Fu will receive housing, an annual salary, rewards for advancements, unconditional pill-refining materials, unconditional teaching of pill-refining techniques, and unconditional access to the pill-refining realm. Miss this opportunity, and it might not come again..."

Ye Chen's words lingered in the air, amplified by a secret method, resounding across the heavens and earth. This made the newly awakened Yue Zhen spit out another mouthful of blood.

Still, Ye Chen's words sparked a gleam in the eyes of many alchemists hiding in the shadows, including some from Ling Dan Ge.

None of the alchemists present were fools. Ling Dan Ge had extended an invitation, yet the Dan Fu alchemists had outright ignored it—this was proof enough that Dan Fu's benefits were exactly as Ye Chen described.

In that moment, many made up their minds in secret. After all, openly defying Ling Dan Ge like this meant they must have backing; otherwise, who would believe it?

"Let's go!"

The alchemists from Ling Dan Ge hurriedly carried Yue Zhen away in disgrace. They had come with great fanfare to demand justice, only to be publicly humiliated. Yue Zhen had lost all face, and so had Ling Dan Ge.

In contrast, inside Dan Fu Ling Shan, laughter filled the air. It had been years since they felt this liberated.

"Today was brilliantly done. I'll treat everyone to drinks, mansion master-style." Ye Chen's laughter rang out from the mountain peak.

"The mansion master isn't bad either." The Dan Fu alchemists burst into grins, with some even loosening their belts. It was rare for the mansion master to declare a break and offer drinks, so they were ready to drink themselves silly.

Soon, a banquet was set up in Dan Fu, the scent of wine mingling with the aroma of pills, creating an intoxicating atmosphere.

News of today's events spread throughout You Du. Dan Fu's actions had made their reputation soar, leaving many in awe. It had been years since anyone dared to directly confront Ling Dan Ge in You Du.

"Damn it!"

From the eighth heaven, roars of anger came from Yue Shan and others. Their fury wasn't over Yue Zhen vomiting blood—they didn't care about that. What enraged them was Dan Fu's blatant defiance of Ling Dan Ge.

"Go to the Zhu Que family and shut down that Dan Fu." Yue Shan raged.

"Dan Fu dares to openly oppose Ling Dan Ge, so they must have supporters behind them."

"So what? Even if it's the Zhu Que family." Yue Shan sneered coldly, his face fierce. "I want to see whether they'll protect Dan Fu Ling Shan or Ling Dan Ge in You Du."

"Brother, you're mistaken." Yue Jin stroked his beard. "Going to the Zhu Que family would just prove that Ling Dan Ge is afraid of Dan Fu. We'd become a laughingstock in You Du."

"Better to wait until our master's birthday has passed before deciding." Yue Mo said leisurely, "A mere Dan Fu won't cause much trouble."

"Our master's birthday." The others' eyes lit up at once. Compared to dealing with Dan Fu, this was the real priority. Instead of plotting against Dan Fu, they should focus on how to make their master happy.

"Drink! Drink!"

While Yue Shan and the others discussed, the atmosphere in Dan Fu Ling Shan remained festive.

It wasn't until night fell that the banquet ended. Many diligent alchemists sobered up and hurried off to refine pills.

Outside the gates of Dan Fu, a crowd had gathered—mostly alchemists, some independent cultivators and others from Ling Dan Ge. Their purpose was clear: to join Dan Fu.

Just like last time, Ye Chen welcomed them all without refusal. These were alchemists who had passed rigorous selections, with solid foundations and exceptional talents—each one a valuable asset.

In the following days, as the Dan Fu mansion master, Ye Chen was quite proactive. Every new group of alchemists arrived, and he personally demonstrated the creation of a seven-pattern dan, leaving them in waves of shock. They had no idea the Dan Fu mansion master was this formidable.

In this atmosphere of astonishment, the days passed in Dan Fu. More and more alchemists flocked to join.

As Dan Fu grew, Ling Dan Ge saw a sharp decline in their alchemists. Dan Fu's numbers, on the other hand, skyrocketed.

Counting them up, Dan Fu now had over twenty thousand alchemists.

Though this number still lagged behind Ling Dan Ge, Dan Fu had effectively gained the strength to stand against them. You have seventh-tier alchemists? We do too. Even if you have more alchemists, ours are overall of higher caliber.