Chapter 290

Chapter 290: White Lotus Apologizes

As Fang Lie spoke, he cast a scheming glance at the Head of the Bai Family, making the old man’s face flush with embarrassment, wishing he could find a hole in the ground to hide in. Just moments ago, he had acted without understanding the situation, eager to blame Fang Lie. Now that the truth was revealed, his actions seemed like those of a foolish clown, leaving him feeling utterly humiliated.

Huo Wufang and Mo Qianxun watched him with amusement, further intensifying the Head of the Bai Family’s embarrassment and anger. However, it was not the time for speaking, and in front of others, he could only force himself to endure.

After viewing the recording in the Shadow Record Stone, Mo Qianxun remained calm on the surface, but inside, he felt elated. After being confronted and having to hold in his frustration, he finally understood the events and had solid evidence. His confidence grew instantly.

"White Lotus Chan Master," Mo Qianxun said slowly, "it seems that the records in this Shadow Record Stone show no signs of being altered. They should be true, but I wonder how you, Master, see it?"

"This—" White Lotus Chan Master was immediately left speechless. As one of the outstanding Thunder Tribulation Immortals, he could not stoop to lying, especially not in front of someone who was a Semi-Immortal. To make false claims would only humiliate himself further. Reluctantly, he nodded, saying, "There are no signs of modification."

"Then that means everything recorded inside is true?" Mo Qianxun pressed on sharply.

"Pretty much. It should be true," White Lotus Chan Master replied awkwardly. "The sect has encountered misfortune; we have produced a disgraceful disciple, and I truly feel ashamed to face you."

"Since that is the case, may I ask how your temple plans to give us an explanation?" Mo Qianxun inquired, remaining relaxed.

"Well," White Lotus Chan Master said, feeling frustrated. The prime culprit was already dead, making it impossible for him to deal with anyone. However, since he was in the wrong, he couldn’t do nothing. He sighed and said, "This matter was caused by a misguided disciple, and as their Master, I bear some responsibility. I sincerely apologize to everyone from the Mo Sect!"

As he spoke, White Lotus Chan Master slightly lowered his proud head.

Seeing this, everyone was stunned, especially his three disciples, who all looked at their Master in disbelief, not understanding why he would apologize in person. After all, White Lotus Chan Master was not an ordinary figure; his status was immensely high. Although Great Thunder Sound Temple was indeed at fault this time, it was not necessary for him to apologize. He could easily have used the excuse of needing to discuss the issue with others and sent a Thunder Tribulation Immortal to apologize later to smooth things over.

Not only were his disciples confused, but even Mo Qianxun and the others were astonished. The face of a Thunder Tribulation Immortal carried significant weight; he could not just humiliate himself for no reason. In fact, Mo Qianxun had never intended to push White Lotus Chan Master hard; he merely wanted to make him somewhat uncomfortable. However, unexpectedly, he had lowered himself to apologize, which was quite the surprise.

Mo Qianxun did not dare to delay and quickly said, "Master, you need not do this. We are all from the righteous sect; this is a trivial matter. Let it go!"

"Thank you for your generosity, Sect Leader!" White Lotus Chan Master nodded gratefully.

At that moment, Fang Lie murmured, "So we’re left with the damages here; who will take responsibility for that?"

Mo Qianxun was instantly exasperated by Fang Lie’s remark, laughing and scolding, "I didn’t know you were like this! You, my friend, are raking in money hand over fist; your resources are probably even richer than mine as Sect Leader. Do you still care about that little loss?"

"A mosquito’s leg may be small, but it’s still meat!" Fang Lie replied unhappily. "Besides, I’m just a mere outer disciple; how can I compare to you Thunder Tribulation Immortals? Even if you’re just sitting here, the benefits from the sect would take me a hundred years of hard work to match!"

"Nonsense!" Mo Qianxun immediately retorted with a laugh. "Don’t think I don’t know — you’re now practically the top alchemist in the Mo Sect! Just in the Mo Sect, you produce over ten thousand spirit pills every month, each worth thousands or even tens of thousands of spirit stones. If you still consider yourself poor, then what do we count as?"

Hearing Mo Qianxun’s words, White Lotus Chan Master and the others gasped in shock. Although they were already aware that Fang Lie was exceptional, they had not anticipated him to be this powerful. Most alchemists would be lucky to produce a top-grade pill once a year, yet Fang Lie was producing ten thousand every month — how was that possible?

One of White Lotus Chan Master’s disciples couldn’t help but sneer, "Ten thousand spirit pills a month? Is he refining pills or candy? There must be a limit to boasting!"

As soon as he said this, the faces of Mo Qianxun and the others turned sour.

White Lotus Chan Master quickly scolded him, "Fool! Quiet down; is this your place to interrupt?"

"Yes," the monk quickly bowed his head in apology.

White Lotus Chan Master then smiled apologetically at Mo Qianxun, saying, "My misguided disciple doesn’t understand manners; I apologize for any offense taken!"

"Hehe," Mo Qianxun smirked slightly. "No worries! In fact, if I hadn’t dispatched someone to keep watch and counted carefully several times, even I wouldn’t have believed it."

"Oh?" White Lotus Chan Master immediately asked curiously, "Is he really that capable?"

"Yes," Mo Qianxun replied calmly. "This lad is blessed with great fortune and is a disciple passed down from Mo Ancestor. If I am not mistaken, he should have inherited the Mo Ancestor’s Pill Scripture!"

"The Mo Ancestor’s Pill Scripture!" White Lotus Chan Master exclaimed in surprise. "That is truly remarkable! It is said that the Mo Ancestor mastered all aspects of heavenly principles and human affairs. His successors are renowned for their proficiency in formations, devices, and especially refining techniques, which are considered the best in the world. However, with alchemy, it seems no disciple of the Mo Sect has ever excelled before. Is it possible that this young man has acquired it?"

"Indeed!" Mo Qianxun said with a smile.

Fang Lie’s alchemical talent is astonishing. Although it is only currently spread within the Mo Sect, the information has become too big to hide. Other sects have already heard whispers, but Fang Lie’s low rank means that his pills are not yet seen as noteworthy by high-level cultivators, so it hasn’t attracted much attention.

However, as Fang Lie establishes himself in Wanxing Sea and creates a large number of high-grade spirit pills, his name as an alchemist is starting to spread. Even if the Mo Sect tries to keep it quiet, they cannot conceal it anymore.

So, Mo Qianxun decided to announce it openly, indicating Fang Lie’s importance to the Mo Sect to deter any scoundrels who might have ideas about him.

Sure enough, when Bai Lian Chan Master learned about Fang Lie’s status, his expression brightened considerably. With the inheritance of Mo Ancestor’s Pill Scripture, an undying nature, and the protection of the Mo Sect, Fang Lie’s future is incredibly bright. He is likely to become a master alchemist.

Looking at the world, true master alchemists are few and far between; even the Great Thunder Sound Temple has none.

Every master alchemist is an invaluable treasure. They can create spirit pills needed by Thunder Tribulation Immortals and even Semi-Immortals.

As one reaches higher ranks, the demand for high-grade spirit pills increases. Sometimes, without the right spirit pills, cultivation can become exceptionally troublesome. Stagnation is considered fortunate; falling back in cultivation or even going mad is a possibility.

Bai Lian Chan Master himself urgently needs several spirit pills to continue his breakthroughs. He has sought help from the master of the Xuan Sect but to no avail, as the master is too busy. He can only wait slowly.

Now that a person has finally appeared, someone who is very likely to become a master alchemist, Bai Lian Chan Master cannot afford to underestimate him. He feels immense regret for sending the arrogant Jie Kong. If only the more tactful senior disciple had gone, things definitely would not have turned out this way.

Thankfully, the other party did not suffer losses, and there is still a chance for repair.

After a moment’s thought, Bai Lian Chan Master took out a Sumeru Bag and handed it to Fang Lie, saying, "You shouldn’t have to bear losses for nothing. Here are one hundred thousand small spirit pearls as my token of goodwill!"

"Ah~" One hundred thousand small spirit pearls is a grand gesture. Not only were his three disciples stunned, but even Mo Qianxun was left speechless.

Only Fang Lie, unconcerned, smiled as he took it. "Since that’s the case, I’ll accept it!"

"Just accept it!" Bai Lian Chan Master watched as Fang Lie put away the Sumeru Bag, then smiled and continued, "To be honest, the reason I dispatched my foolish disciple to find you was to discuss something important. Unfortunately, that idiot messed it up and created such a huge misunderstanding. Let the past be the past; we should not mention that foolish disciple again. However, we indeed have important matters to discuss, so I hope you can accommodate us."

Having received such a generous gift, Fang Lie naturally could not turn cold. "Alright, what is it?"

"It is like this~" Bai Lian Chan Master said cautiously, "It is said that the Chongming Ancient Temple has fallen into your hands. Is that true?"

"That’s right, I captured the Man-Eating Demon Monk and took that territory!" Fang Lie replied without any hesitation.

Mo Qianxun felt a chill run down his spine, thinking, "That damn fool! I knew he wanted the Seven Star Soul Lock Formation to deal with that guy! A mere Man-Eating Demon Monk is nothing, but the person behind him is Master Tianlong! Without the Ninth-Rank Treasure, I might not even be able to defeat him, so how dare you capture his offspring?"

But now was not the time to teach Fang Lie a lesson; he could only watch anxiously as Fang Lie negotiated with Bai Lian Chan Master.

"I see~" Bai Lian Chan Master frowned. "The Chongming Ancient Temple is a temple of our Buddhist sect and has deep ties to us. I wonder if you could return it to the Great Thunder Sound Temple?"

"What do you mean by return?" Fang Lie said, displeased. "It’s not yours!"

To "return" means to give for free. But the Chongming Ancient Temple is linked to millions of acres of Spiritual Fields and has powerful mountain-protection formations. How could it be given away for nothing? Fang Lie was not so noble.

Hearing this, Bai Lian Chan Master’s senior disciple became unhappy and immediately said, "The Chongming Ancient Temple was originally discovered by my Senior Uncle, Master Tianlong. Out of both emotion and reason, it belongs to our Great Thunder Sound Temple!"

"Ha, Master, your reasoning is a bit weak!" Fang Lie sneered. "Master Tianlong only discovered the Chongming Ancient Temple and left after taking the treasures. Then it was occupied by a group of demons, turning an ancient temple into a den of demons. It is truly regrettable. I couldn’t bear to see the ancient temple suffer such humiliation, so I took it back from the demons. When the demons were rampaging, your Great Thunder Sound Temple ignored it. Now that I have taken it back after tremendous effort, you say it belongs to you? What kind of logic is that? Do you think you can bully me just because I’m young? Don’t forget, I also have my elders here!"

Saying this, Fang Lie casually glanced at Mo Qianxun.