Invincible Soul Emperor-Chapter 330: Courting Popular Favor

One by one, the Pill Kings began their diagnoses and offered their respective solutions.

Ye Qingchen stood at the end of the line, activating his Dual Pupil Martial Soul to observe Xiao Ruoli's condition.

Xiao Ruoli was averse to the cold, which strongly suggested she was afflicted by some kind of cold poison. However, Ye Qingchen found no such poison within her body. On the contrary, her body was brimming with exceptionally dense yang energy.

Ye Qingchen furrowed his brow and continued his careful observation. The unique gaze of his Double Pupils scanned meticulously over Xiao Ruoli's body.

Suddenly, Ye Qingchen's pupils constricted sharply!

To his surprise, he discovered peculiar insects within Xiao Ruoli's body. They had already merged into her Essence Blood, becoming so integrated that they seemed to be a part of it from the very beginning. Even a skilled alchemist would fail to detect them.

Gu insects?

Ye Qingchen's brow furrowed, a solution already forming in his mind.

What he hadn't expected was that the esteemed wife of the Thunder Valley Sect Leader would be afflicted by a Gu curse. However, this was an internal matter for Thunder Valley. As long as Ye Qingchen helped Xiao Ruoli remove the Gu insects, his mission would be complete.

At this moment, it was Xi Jianwei's turn. As the alchemist with the most profound skill in the room, all eyes converged on him the moment he stepped forward.

Xi Jianwei did not go straight to taking Xiao Ruoli's pulse. Instead, he controlled his Soul Power, scanning it back and forth over her body. Although this diagnostic method was effective, it was quite impolite, especially toward a woman. After all, under the sweep of Soul Power, Xiao Ruoli's body was completely exposed to him.

Liang Xiong frowned as well, but out of concern for his wife's condition, he suppressed the rage in his heart.

Fortunately, the scan did not last long. Xi Jianwei withdrew his Soul Power and addressed Liang Xiong.

"Sect Leader Liang, your wife appears to suffer from cold poison, but in reality, her internal fire is raging fiercely. Please observe, Sect Leader Liang. Although your wife is averse to the cold, her lips are purplish-red—a clear sign of excessive internal fire. Therefore, treating her with a Scorching Hot Elixir would be counterproductive. We must first use a Cold Nature Elixir to quell the internal fire before we can devise a way to eliminate the cold poison."

As soon as Xi Jianwei finished speaking, the other alchemists turned to look at Xiao Ruoli's lips. It was just as Xi Jianwei had said—a symptom of internal fire.

"As expected of Pill King Xi! Your observation is so meticulous; you saw the problem none of us could spot at a glance."

A sixth-grade Pill King promptly began to flatter Xi Jianwei, and the other Pill Kings chimed in, expressing their admiration.

Xi Jianwei relished the feeling, his face bearing an unfathomable smile.

Overjoyed, Liang Xiong quickly said to Xi Jianwei, "Then I must trouble Pill King Xi to treat my wife."

Xi Jianwei nodded and prepared to begin the treatment according to his method.

However, at that very moment, Ye Qingchen spoke up.

"Sect Leader Liang, if you want your wife to die, then by all means, treat her according to his method!"

Ye Qingchen's voice was resolutely firm. He and Liang Fei were friends, after all, and since he was here, he had to help Liang Fei save his mother. He couldn't just stand by and watch her die.

But Ye Qingchen had clearly forgotten his current status. His words had barely landed when an alchemist from the Huanyue Sect spoke with disdain.

"You, a mere fifth-grade alchemist, dare to question a seventh-grade Pill King?"

The Huanyue Sect alchemist's words sparked a chorus of agreement.

"Exactly! We're already generous for letting a fifth-grade alchemist like you stand here, yet you dare spout such nonsense?"

"Pill King Xi's medical expertise is unparalleled. No one can question him."

"Kid, I think you're desperate for fame, aren't you? Do you think you'll get recognition just by grandstanding here? Let me tell you, your words are as much of a joke as you are!"

Facing the crowd's cold jeers and mockery, Ye Qingchen gave a wry smile and shook his head. It seems no matter what I say, these people will never believe me.

Even Liang Fei looked at Ye Qingchen with doubt. Although Liang Fei wasn't an alchemist, he had grown up immersed in that world and possessed some discernment. Xi Jianwei's words were logical and well-founded, so why would Ye Qingchen refute them? Is Ye Qingchen really just grandstanding?

Liang Fei shook his head. Based on his knowledge of Ye Qingchen, that wasn't his character. He also knew that Ye Qingchen had cured Qin Zhantian's Fire Poison, which proved he possessed genuine skill.

Thinking of this, Liang Fei spoke to his father, Liang Xiong, "Father, Chen Qingye is my friend. I have witnessed his medical skills. Why not give him a chance?"

Liang Fei spoke tactfully, but he was still too naive. Ye Qingchen had publicly declared that Xi Jianwei's method would not only fail to cure Xiao Ruoli but would actually kill her. If Liang Fei suggested giving Ye Qingchen a chance now, everyone would assume he didn't trust Xi Jianwei either.

Sure enough, as soon as Liang Fei finished speaking, Xi Jianwei sneered, "A dragon does not consort with snakes. Since you all believe this fifth-grade alchemist, I won't embarrass myself. I shall not treat this illness!"

With that, Xi Jianwei clasped his hands behind his back and turned to leave.

Liang Xiong glanced at Ye Qingchen but said nothing. Instead, he hurried to stop Xi Jianwei, bowing respectfully. "Please, Pill King Xi, I beg you to heal my wife. Thunder Valley will forever remember your kindness."

Clearly, Liang Xiong was also ignoring Ye Qingchen's words. After all, between a seventh-grade Pill King and a fifth-grade one, it was obvious to anyone who to trust.

Xi Jianwei shot Ye Qingchen a contemptuous sneer, but given his status, he couldn't be bothered to engage in a direct confrontation at a time like this.

After returning Liang Xiong's gesture, Xi Jianwei once again approached the sickbed. He took out a Spirit Pill and placed it in Xiao Ruoli's mouth. The moment the pill appeared, it emitted a burst of cold air. It was obvious that Xi Jianwei was proceeding with his own method.

Ye Qingchen frowned as he watched the Spirit Pill in Xi Jianwei's hand. Xiao Ruoli was afflicted by Gu insects, which thrived in the cold. The reason she exhibited symptoms of internal fire was that the Gu were consuming her organs, and her body was instinctively generating heat to fight off the cold insects. Following Xi Jianwei's method would eliminate this protective heat, allowing the Gu insects to run rampant. When they finally erupted, Xiao Ruoli's life would truly hang by a thread.

But at this point, no one would believe him even if he said so. And it's not like I can just tell them I saw it all with my Dual Pupil Martial Soul.

Once Xiao Ruoli swallowed the Spirit Pill, Xi Jianwei began to channel his Soul Power to help her refine it.

Xiao Ruoli's breathing started to stabilize, and a look of great joy spread across Liang Xiong's face.

Xi Jianwei, meanwhile, shot Ye Qingchen a look of arrogant self-satisfaction before withdrawing his gaze to focus all his efforts on treating Xiao Ruoli.