The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 556: Chapter 556: Boundless Future

“What do you mean, first come first serve? If I have my eyes set on someone, I’m going to seize them without hesitation!” The woman in blue said defiantly, exuding an aura of dominance.

The Lord of the Western Town furrowed his brows even deeper. He hadn’t expected this woman to just show up. Normally, he would have been able to take Fang Lin away without any resistance, and however he wanted to handle Fang Lin afterwards would have been entirely up to him.

But, all that changed with her sudden appearance.

“The Pill Alliance of Xuan Country falls under my jurisdiction, even disregarding who came first, as per the rules, Fang Lin should come with me.” the Hall Master of the North Town said dryly.

The woman in blue scoffed, “Go with you? Did you even bother asking if he’s willing to go with you? What a joke.”

“Regardless of whether he wants to or not, I must take Fang Lin with me today. You cannot stop me.” The Lord of the Western Town said, his tone considerably harsher than before.

The woman in blue glanced at the Lord of the Western Town, “So, you want to steal him by force? Who’s stopping you? Let’s just have a fight and see who has the upper hand.”

Everyone below was left dumbstruck. The two divine Hall Masters, who were revered by all, were about to fight over a single Fang Lin.

Fang Lin, on the other hand, was ecstatic. It would be best if they really did fight, the more intensely the better. After all, he had already decided that he absolutely must not allow the Lord of the Western Town to take him away, else he’d walk straight into certain death.

Seeing that the two Hall Masters were on the verge of conflict, Chen Yongnian quickly tried to intervene, “Both of you, please don’t fight.”

The woman in blue laughed, “Elder Chen, just give Fang Lin to me. I plan to take him back to the North Town Hall.”

“No way! Fang Lin is coming with me!” The Lord of the Western Town immediately interjected, his gaze fierce and his aura formidable.

With a smile tugging at the corner of her lips and a flick of her jade hand, the lady in blue swiftly quelled the overwhelming aura emanating from the Lord of the Western Town.

“Why not let Fang Lin make the decision himself?” Chen Yongnian suggested.

Upon hearing this, Fang Lin cursed the old fox in his mind. What an unpleasant situation Elder Chen was putting him in! Make his own decision? Wasn’t that the same as purposely creating a situation where he would have to offend one of the Hall Masters?

But on second thought, he had already offended the Lord of the Western Town before. Offending him again won’t really make a difference.

However, the Lord of the Western Town was strongly against letting Fang Lin make the decision. It was clear as day. If Fang Lin were to decide for himself, he definitely wouldn’t choose to follow him, but the woman from the North Town Hall instead.

Elder Chen, our Pill Alliance in Xuan Country is under the jurisdiction of my Western Guarding Palace. As Fang Lin is a member of your Pill Alliance, he should belong to my Western Guarding Palace. There’s no room for discussion.” The Lord of the Western Town asserted dominantly, insisting on adhering to the rule that the Pill Alliance in Xuan Country was under his jurisdiction, so as to drag Fang Lin away with him.

This left Chen Yongnian in a bit of a predicament. According to the rules, the Pill Alliance of Xuan Country was indeed governed by the Western Guarding Palace, and it would be entirely reasonable if Fang Lin were to leave with the Lord of the Western Town.

But in the current state of the Pill Alliance, how many actually operated in strict accordance with the rules? Even if Fang Lin ended up at the North Town Hall, no one within the alliance would have any objections. It wouldn’t cause much of a disturbance even if someone dug up the issue of not abiding by the rules.

After all, such occurrences were far too frequent. Which of the lords of the thirty-two halls had clean operations? It was doubtful if any one of them could proudly claim that they had always acted in strict accordance with the rules.

“How funny. Fang Lin was originally from Qian Country and the Pill Alliance of Qian Country. Rationally and emotionally speaking, he should belong to my North Town Hall.” the lady in blue argued. You want to talk about rules? Fine, let’s talk about rules. We’ll see whose case is stronger.

According to the division of power, the Pill Alliance of Qian Country came under the North Town Hall. Since Fang Lin came from the Pill Alliance of Qian Country, it was entirely plausible that he could join the North Town Hall, as per the rules.

“Fang Lin is currently in Xuan Country. He is a Pill Refiner of the Pill Alliance in Xuan Country, and his ties with Qian Country are irrelevant.” The Lord of the Western Town declared coldly.

“His roots are in Qian Country. How can you say they are irrelevant? Besides, as far as I know, he only came to the Pill Alliance in Xuan Country to study for a year. If he decides to stay in Xuan Country after one year, only then can he be considered a Pill Refiner of the Pill Alliance in Xuan Country. As it stands now, his identity, his registration, they all lie with the Pill Alliance in Qian Country.” The lady in blue retorted with a smile.

The Lord of the Western Town looked a bit unsettled. He hadn’t expected this woman to be so persistent, or that she’d have such detailed information on Fang Lin.

The lady in blue and the Lord of the Western Town had quite different intentions. She had come all this way specifically for Fang Lin.

The reason was simple. Among the thirty-two Hall Masters, more than half of them had taken disciples to secure their positions for the future.

With the shifting dynamics within the Pill Alliance and many undercurrents in play, the struggle for power among the higher ups was becoming increasingly fierce. In light of this, even figures as high-ranking as the Hall Masters had to be fully prepared.

As the lady in blue was the Hall Master of North Town Hall, but didn’t have a single disciple of her own, she was definitely lagging behind her peers.

In order to ensure that the North Town Hall continues to be under her control in the future and to aid in her ambitions for a higher position within the Pill Alliance, finding a disciple to succeed her at the North Town Hall had become a pressing matter.

Over the past few days, the lady in blue had been looking for suitable candidates. She had also met plenty of geniuses, but none of them had truly met her expectations.

But upon hearing about Fang Lin, she instantly had a feeling that he was the one she was looking for.

And so, she was determined to have Fang Lin, no matter the cost, even if it meant burning her bridges with the Lord of the Western Town.

“Well, Lord of the Western Town, anything to add?” the lady in blue taunted.

The Lord of the Western Town fell silent, his gaze cold and dark. He turned his attention to Fang Lin.

“Fang Lin, since our dear Lord of the Western Town remains silent, why don’t you come with me? I will take you in as my disciple and pour all of the resources of the North Town Hall into grooming you. One day, you will take over my position.” The lady in blue promised Fang Lin a bright future.

But Fang Lin was far from naive. He knew all benefits came at a price. Nothing in this world was purely advantageous.

“Hall Master, may I ask for some time to consider?” Fang Lin asked respectfully.

The lady in blue frowned slightly, “Are you waiting for the other Hall Masters to make you an offer?”

Fang Lin shook his head hastily, “Not at all. I have no intention of considering the other halls. If I were to go anywhere, it would be to join your North Town Hall. It’s just that I still have some matters to resolve in Xuan Country.”

At his words, the lady in blue relaxed her brows, “In that case, I will await your reply. Keep this Jade Slip of mine.”

With that, she tossed a Jade Slip which Fang Lin caught deftly and bowed respectfully to the lady.

“Since you have chosen the North Town Hall, shouldn’t you return what you owe me now?” the Lord of the Western Town suddenly spoke, his expression returning to its usual cold and stern look.