Chapter 147: Two Junior Brothers
Duan Gujin was willing to reveal everything to Zhu Ge Hongyun and Lie Lei because he trusted the characters of the Green Cloud Sect Leader and Deputy Sect Leader.
On the third day, Zhu Ge Hongyun asked Duan Gujin if he wanted to enter the True Inheritor Hall.
Duan Gujin then told him that he wished to have an independent Alchemy Secret Room.
He had heard in his previous life that within the Green Cloud Sect, some Alchemists could obtain an independent Alchemy Secret Room, making it so that their alchemy would not be disturbed by others.
Zhu Ge Hongyun did not doubt Duan Gujin's request, and truly provided him with an independent Alchemy Secret Room.
In the afternoon, Lie Lei, along with two young men, accompanied Duan Gujin to the Alchemy Secret Room that occupied more than ten acres.
"Duan Gujin, from now on, this Alchemy Secret Room is yours; these two are your Alchemy Medicine Boys! Whenever you have any requirements, you can directly ask them. This one is my grandson, his name is Lie Feng!"
Lie Lei pointed to a handsome young man and said to Duan Gujin.
The young man was tall and well-built, but a fleeting sense of disdain flashed across his brows.
"Feng, meet Duan Gujin! Duan Gujin should be your role model. He's younger than you, but he has unlocked the fourth Martial Meridian and is also a Third-grade Alchemist! From now on, you will call him Senior Brother Duan!" Lie Lei said.
"Greetings to Senior Brother Duan!"
Lie Feng said respectfully.
Duan Gujin was an old hand in the worldly society after years of training; he could hear from Lie Feng's tone that he was very reluctant.
He guessed it was highly likely that Lie Feng was bowing and scraping only because his father Lie Lei was present.
"I am unworthy! Sect Master Lie, I am younger than your grandson, it's not appropriate for him to call me Senior Brother!"
Duan Gujin quickly guessed the reason for Lie Feng's reluctance.
Although Green Cloud Sect did differentiate seniors and juniors by their cultivation, it was still hard for Lie Feng, who was the grandson of the Green Cloud Sect's Deputy Sect Leader, to accept calling someone younger than himself Senior Brother.
Even though he heard from his father that Duan Gujin had unlocked the fourth Martial Meridian and knew that Duan Gujin was a Third-grade Alchemist, he had not seen it with his own eyes. He suspected that it was very likely a Secret Technique of Duan Gujin's Master that had helped him quickly increase his strength.
"If I could also encounter a King of Pills from another continent, maybe I could unlock the fourth Martial Meridian and become a Third-grade Alchemist!"
Lie Feng simply thought Duan Gujin was lucky; he did not find anything impressive about Duan Gujin.
"He who learns the dao first should be the teacher. Duan Gujin, your Alchemy Techniques far surpass those of your peers, it is only right that he calls you Senior Brother!" Lie Lei, fearing that his grandson could not learn from Duan Gujin, promptly made Lie Feng address Duan Gujin as Senior Brother Duan.
Duan Gujin observed Lie Feng with his eyes and judged from Lie Feng's look that he must be a haughty and unyielding person.
To a haughty and unyielding person, persistent bowing and scraping are of no use at all. Not only will it fail to achieve the desired outcome, but it will also make the other party even more arrogant and overbearing.
"I won't be able to stay long on Qiankun Continent; I don't have the patience to slowly make Lie Feng realize how wrong his haughty character is! I must use my strength to suppress him!"
Duan Gujin quickly figured out what he should do next.
"Since Sect Master Lie has already said so, very well, from now on, you can call me Senior Brother Duan! I won't be staying in Green Cloud Sect for long, but whenever I have free time, I will certainly teach you some Alchemy Techniques to the best of my ability!"
Duan Gujin responded.
Upon hearing Duan Gujin's words, Lie Feng was dumbfounded, scoffing in his heart.
"Let's see how you' perform?"
"Junior Brother Lie Feng greets Senior Brother Duan!"
Lie Feng said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Thank you for being courteous!"
Duan Gujin shook hands with Lie Feng and then remained silent.
"This one here is the most promising disciple within the Green Cloud Sect. He's named Xing Ming, thirty-seven years old, and he is currently a Third-grade Alchemist!"
Xing Ming?
Duan Gujin's mind raced, and after a moment, he remembered this person.
"I've heard before that Xing Ming took his own life with poison on the spot to prevent the Netherworld Sect from acquiring the Green Cloud Sect's Alchemy Techniques. With this said, this Xing Ming is worth investing my time to cultivate! Xing Ming, from now on, you shall call him Senior Brother Duan!" said Lie Lei.
Standing next to Lie Lei, Xing Ming was a bald middle-aged man with a stern face, who looked unflappable even in the face of disaster.
"Junior Brother Xing Ming pays his respects to Senior Brother Duan!" Xing Ming greeted with a bow.
"Senior Brother greets Junior Brother Xing. Rest assured, I will definitely impart the knowledge I've learned to you all in a very short amount of time!"
Duan Gujin said indifferently.
"From now on, you two will diligently study with Duan Gujin!" Lie Lei said sternly to Lie Feng and Xing Ming.
"Understood!"
Lie Feng and Xing Ming nodded together in agreement.
After Lie Lei left, Duan Gujin had the two introduce him to the Alchemy Secret Room, while he also secretly observed their personalities.
Through their conversations, Duan Gujin learned that the Alchemy Secret Room arranged for him by Lie Lei was a three-story building.
The ground floor was used for refining Elixir Pills, and it housed dedicated Alchemy Furnaces and Spiritual Medicines.
The second floor was designed for living quarters, while the third floor was used to store various items.
Led by them, Duan Gujin entered the Alchemy Secret Room and saw a very exquisite and advanced Alchemy Furnace.
Seeing the Alchemy Furnace, Duan Gujin was ecstatic; what he lacked the most now was a Spirit Pill that could help him improve his Cultivation.
He also learned that he could only run a tab at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion if he held a Five-diamond Token, and he could also exchange the Spirit Pills he refined for money, with the prices referring to the regulations of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.
Once the two had left, Duan Gujin immediately went to the nearby Spirit Medicine Pavilion and hurriedly purchased many Spiritual Medicines to refine Innate Primordial Pills suitable for his Cultivation at the Innate Realm.
Duan Gujin noted that among the two, Xing Ming was diligent and eager to learn, while Lie Feng was not quite as industrious, giving Duan Gujin the impression of being arrogant but lacking in ability.
Although Lie Feng left a relatively poor impression on Duan Gujin, he didn't harbor any bad feelings toward him.
He could see in Lie Feng's eyes a sense of superiority, likely thinking that serving him as a junior brother or as a Medicine Boy Disciple was beneath him.
"The simplest way to deal with someone who is overly proud is to utterly crush their confidence so that they will fully submit both body and soul, then they will understand how ignorant they are of the heavens and the earth!"
Duan Gujin decided to impart his Alchemy Techniques to Xing Ming, and before he taught Lie Feng, he felt he should knock down Lie Feng's arrogance first.
The next day, Duan Gujin called them over.
Duan Gujin asked Lie Feng, "How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-three!" Lie Feng responded nonchalantly.
"I turn eighteen today, five years younger than you! When did you become a Second-grade Alchemist?"
"Just two months ago!"
Lie Feng began to lose confidence; he picked up on Duan Gujin's emphasis on his age being eighteen.