NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1298: Probing!
Upon hearing this, Liu Tu immediately said respectfully:
"Good, we shall go over right away."
"Please, Senior Brother, lead the way."
Under the guidance of this person, Zhou Yu and the other two quickly arrived at a side hall near the main hall located at the center of the island.
At this time, there were already five people present in the side hall.
These five appeared to be over eighty years of age, all exuding an imposing presence that commanded respect without anger.
Liu Tu respectfully bowed to the five people before pointing to one of them and introducing him to Zhou Yu:
"Brother Zhou, let me introduce you."
"This is Vice Hall Master Li, the one who invited Venerable Hong to provide protection for you."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu looked at Vice Hall Master Li and said respectfully:
"Thank you, Vice Hall Master Li."
Vice Hall Master Li approached Zhou Yu and assessed him from head to toe, his eyes showing appreciation.
"Not bad."
"It seems Liu Tu's words were not false; you indeed have exceptional talent."
"When we were your age, we did not have such prowess."
As the Vice Hall Master of the Pill God Temple, Li had remarkable achievements in alchemy, and his first glance at Zhou Yu revealed his genuine capabilities, so he praised him without hesitation.
Zhou Yu smiled modestly and said:
"Vice Hall Master Li, you overpraise me."
"I came to the Pill God Temple with the mindset to learn."
Vice Hall Master Li nodded, then turned to the others and said:
"Everyone, this is Zhou Yu. Is there anything else you would like to assess?"
Upon hearing this, an eagle-nosed elder beside Vice Hall Master Li stepped forward expressionlessly.
"I, being narrow-minded, am not afraid of your gossip."
"I only trust what I see with my own eyes, never hearsay, so I must personally probe."
At this time, Liu Tu's expression turned unpleasant, and he quickly whispered:
"Brother Zhou, this person is the Second Elder Rong Fang of the Elder Council of the Pill God Temple."
"He... is rather 'strict,' so try to 'cooperate.'
Hearing this, Zhou Yu smiled slightly.
"No problem."
After speaking, Zhou Yu looked at the Second Elder Rong Fang and said with neither humility nor arrogance:
"Second Elder, how do you intend to probe?"
Rong Fang said emotionlessly:
"I want to check your true age."
Zhou Yu immediately understood the other party wanted to assess his bone age, so without much thought, he extended his arm voluntarily.
Rong Fang decisively gripped Zhou Yu's wrist, and without warning, a powerful surge of True Qi rushed into Zhou Yu's body.
Rong Fang himself, being of the Eighth Grade King Realm cultivation level, and a high-rank alchemist, wielded True Qi of a fire attribute, violently tempestuous.
The moment this True Qi entered Zhou Yu's body, he realized something was amiss. He did not expect Rong Fang's so-called probing to be so discourteous.
It was more of an attack than a probe.
Zhou Yu's expression darkened as he immediately mobilized True Yuan to resist, but his hastily summoned True Qi defense shattered like paper under Rong Fang's power.
Puff!
Zhou Yu's body shuddered, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Rong Fang's probing, clearly laced with provocation, inflicted some internal injuries on Zhou Yu.
Witnessing this, Vice Hall Master Li instantly became furious.
"Rong Fang, what are you doing?"
Rong Fang leisurely withdrew his True Qi and said calmly:
"Vice Hall Master Li, I was merely probing. Why be so angry?"
Vice Hall Master Li, with a stern face, said:
"Was this probing his bone age?"
Rong Fang replied indifferently:
"Of course not."
"Checking bone age was just one aspect; I had to confirm whether he has been body-seized or has any anomalies inside."
"After all, it is extraordinary for someone his age to reach this level. Moreover, it isn't unheard of for old folks with ill intent to seize the bodies of young people intending to infiltrate our Pill God Temple."
Rong Fang's words, brimming with justifications, enunciated his malicious intentions, causing Vice Hall Master Li to show signs of anger.
At this moment, Zhou Yu quickly stopped Vice Hall Master Li.
He wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Vice Hall Master Li, I'm okay."
Zhou Yu's reaction left Vice Hall Master Li quite surprised.
As far as he knew, Zhou Yu was not one to suffer a loss silently.
In truth, Zhou Yu was indeed furious.
But he restrained himself.
On the way here, Liu Tu had talked to him about matters concerning the Pill God Temple.
According to Liu Tu, each invitation extended to the outside world by the Pill God Temple was, in fact, a contest within its highest echelons.
Essentially, the high-ranking members of the Pill God Temple are divided into two factions.
One faction is the indigenous group of the space transferred since the Pill God Temple's inception.
The other faction consists of outsiders who have entered the Pill God Temple from the outside world.
Rong Fang is a representative of the indigenous faction, while Vice Hall Master Li represents the outsiders.
The so-called contest implies that if someone invited by Vice Hall Master Li's faction performs well in the exchange meet, it will invisibly strengthen Vice Hall Master Li's faction.
Conversely, if someone invited by Second Elder Rong Fang's faction performs well, it also strengthens Rong Fang's side.
Zhou Yu, having arrived through Liu Tu's invitation, is, in Rong Fang's view, associated with Vice Hall Master Li, whether he likes it or not.
Therefore, Rong Fang was naturally unapologetic towards Zhou Yu.
This explains the hard-handed probing by Rong Fang earlier.
Although it was Zhou Yu's first encounter with Vice Hall Master Li, his safe arrival here was thanks to the escort provided by Venerable Hong, invited by Vice Hall Master Li, for which Zhou Yu was grateful.
Thus, he did not want to let a conflict arise between Vice Hall Master Li and Rong Fang on account of himself.
At this time, Zhou Yu looked at Rong Fang and said:
"Second Elder, are you satisfied with this probing?"