70: Chapter 70 Aftermath, Determining Responsibility, and Shifting Undercurrents

The chaos was being quelled.

Countless surviving alchemists and spectators, under the shouts and organization of the Alchemist Association deacons, began to evacuate, stumbling along, some supporting each other, others carrying the injured.

The air was filled with the smell of scorched herbs, blood, and the nauseating odor of Gu insect fluids, all mixed together, irritating everyone's nasal passages and nerves.

The Lin Family guards had already formed a tight circular formation, protecting the core members in the center.

"Qingyao, are you alright?" Lin Chen endured the needle-like pain in his Meridians and supported the swaying Su Qingyao.

Her hands were as cold as cold iron, and her lips were devoid of color.

"I... I'm fine..." Su Qingyao's voice was as faint as a mosquito's, but her gaze was locked tightly onto Lin Chen's pale face, the heartache in her eyes almost overflowing.

"Still saying you're fine!" Liu Ruxu rushed forward, her slender fingers resting on Su Qingyao's wrist as a wisp of gentle wood-attribute Spiritual Qi probed into her body.

After just a few breaths, Liu Ruxu's expression sank.

"Her pill essence is severely depleted, and her Meridians have suffered multiple concussive injuries. The most troublesome part is that she forcibly completed the pill refinement at the end; although that backlash was suppressed, I fear it has left hidden injuries in her body. She must go into seclusion immediately and use the best Medicinal Pills for long-term nourishment, otherwise, it will affect her future Dao path!"

Liu Ruxu's words hit Lin Chen's heart like a heavy hammer.

He took a Third-Grade Yuan-Returning Pill from his storage ring and stuffed it into his mouth without a word. The pill transformed into a warm current, slightly alleviating the pain of his depleted Spiritual Qi, but the deep sense of weakness caused by burning his blood essence could not be compensated for by a single Medicinal Pill.

His face remained frighteningly pale, though he could barely stand.

"Ruowei, you and Ruxu take Qingyao to the side to rest and keep watch." Lin Chen's voice was somewhat hoarse, but his instructions were clear.

He let Qin Ruowei take over supporting Su Qingyao, while he gathered his strength and cast his gaze toward the center of the venue.

There, Master Chiyang's expression was as calm as water, but the Golden Core Stage pressure radiating from his body made the surrounding air feel heavy.

Several association judges, also dressed in red robes, stood behind him, all looking grim.

Opposite them, Steward Yan Song of the Ge Family was leading a few servants, surrounding Ge Yuan, who was half-charred by pill fire and had long since passed out.

Several key figures who survived the explosion and were close to the scene, including Lin Chen, Su Qingyao, and a ragged-looking Loose Cultivator alchemist with a fleshy face, had been "invited" over by the association deacons.

Before they had even stood steady, Steward Yan Song initiated the confrontation.

He turned abruptly and bowed deeply to Master Chiyang, his voice filled with grief and indignation, as if he had suffered a great injustice: "Master Chiyang, please judge fairly! My Ge Family Disciple, Ge Yuan, in order to live up to the tournament's reputation and win glory for the Qingzhou Prefecture Alchemy path, did not hesitate to consume his own vital essence and use a secret technique, all to refine that chi yang bone-tempering pill!"

He pointed at the unconscious Ge Yuan, weeping: "Unexpectedly, in the middle of the refinement, he was interfered with by an unknown external force!" At this point, his sinister eyes glanced meaningfully at Lin Chen not far away, "Causing the Pill Furnace to explode and leaving him severely injured! Master, Ge Yuan is truly an innocent victim! As for the sudden, overwhelming Spirit-Devouring Gu, it was even more malicious in its intent; it must have been premeditated by a villain, intending to sabotage the tournament and frame my Ge Family in the process!"

His words painted Ge Yuan as a diligent role model, attributed the furnace explosion to mysterious "external interference," and finally, cast off the blame for the Gu insects and the consequences of the explosion, cleanly distancing the Ge Family.

"Cut the crap!"

A rough, angry roar broke Steward Yan Song's tragic performance.

The fleshy-faced Loose Cultivator alchemist, Wu Iron-Mouth, spat out a mouthful of blood-stained saliva without a care. Ignoring the murderous glare from Steward Yan Song, he shouted in a rough voice: "I was close by, and I saw it clearly! It was clearly the Ge kid who overdosed on pills himself, couldn't control the heat, and his hands were shaking like he had epilepsy, which is why the furnace exploded! What bullshit external interference!"

Wu Iron-Mouth pointed to several inconspicuous pits on the ground: "And those Gu insects, they crawled out from the ground on the edge of the venue, happening almost at the same time as the furnace explosion! Isn't your Ge Family responsible for the outer perimeter defense? You don't even know what's buried under your own territory, and now you have the face to complain here?"

His crude but straightforward words immediately drew low murmurs of agreement from many survivors around them.

"That's right, I saw it too. Ge Yuan's face didn't look right at the time..."

"The Ge Family is responsible for security this time. Since such a big thing happened, they bear the greatest responsibility!"

Lin Chen remained silent.

He braced his body, seemingly sitting casually on a relatively intact stone pier, his right hand unconsciously resting on his knee, his fingertips tapping rhythmically.

His mind was immersed in reviewing the strange anomaly from just moments ago.

That strange fluctuation triggered by the stone ring had a small range and lasted a very short time, but its effect was surprisingly good.

It not only suppressed the violent pill fire but even made those ferocious Spirit-Devouring Gu show a moment of hesitation and dullness.

Could this power be the nemesis of Gu insects?

This thought flashed by, and Lin Chen immediately pressed it deep into his heart.

This was his biggest secret, concerning the System and himself. Until he figured out its principles and costs, he could never mention it to anyone, not even a single word.

What he needed to do now was play the role of a victim who was weak and exhausted from his desperate attempt to save others.

Master Chiyang took in everyone's expressions. He did not immediately state his position but walked personally to the ruins of Ge Yuan's furnace explosion, squatted down, picked up some fragments of the Pill Furnace and residual medicinal dregs, sniffed them, and then carefully probed them with his Divine Sense.

Then, he walked to the holes from which the Gu insects had crawled out, as pointed out by Wu Iron-Mouth, and carefully inspected the soil and residual aura at the entrance of the holes.

After doing all this, he slowly stood up.

He had already formed a seven or eight-tenths judgment in his heart, but his face remained calm.

"Regarding the furnace explosion," his voice was not loud, but it clearly entered everyone's ears, "Ge Yuan's failure to control the fire is the primary cause. As for whether there was any other external interference, there is currently no solid evidence."

Steward Yan Song's face turned extremely ugly in an instant.

"As for the Gu insects, they were indeed planted under the venue in advance by someone. Their heart is punishable, and their intentions are malicious. On this matter, the Alchemist Association will certainly investigate to the end and will never tolerate it!" Master Chiyang's tone suddenly turned sharp, and an aura of slaughter made the surrounding temperature drop by a few degrees.

He paused, his gaze turning to Su Qingyao, who was being supported by Qin Ruowei. The sharpness in his eyes turned into a hint of complexity and approval: "As for the results of this tournament... although we have encountered this earth-shattering change, it is something beyond human control. However, Lin Family alchemist Su Qingyao, in the midst of danger, remained calm, and in a desperate situation, defied the trend to refine the pill, ultimately creating a three-striped quality chi yang bone-tempering pill. Her exquisite Alchemy skills and resilient Heart-Nature are beyond doubt."

He took a deep breath and announced loudly: "Therefore, the champion of this Alchemy Tournament belongs to the Lin Family, Su Qingyao! The originally scheduled rewards will be issued as usual!"

As he spoke, a judge beside him immediately took out an exquisite jade box and handed it to Qin Ruowei.

Upon these words, the whole venue was in an uproar.

Even in this chaotic ruin, the looks the crowd cast at Su Qingyao were instantly filled with shock, envy, and even jealousy.

In such a deadly situation, to still be able to refine a Peerless Grade Medicinal Pill—what Heaven-Defying strength and Luck this was!

Steward Yan Song's face was already as black as the bottom of a pot, his fists clenched tight, and his nails dug deep into his palms.

Master Chiyang ignored him and turned to Lin Chen, his tone softening slightly: "Clan Head Lin was also affected while protecting his Dao Companion, and the association will provide compensation accordingly."

Finally, he changed the subject, his gaze sweeping across the venue, and his voice became heavy again: "Previously, our association issued a bounty regarding the 'heart-condensing flower' and an insect nest deep in the Ten Thousand Poison Swamp. With today's incident and the rampant Spirit-Devouring Gu, this matter has become even more urgent. I reiterate here: anyone who can provide accurate intelligence on that insect nest, or find a way to restrain such Gu insects, will be heavily rewarded by the association!"

His words cleverly linked today's Gu insect incident with the previously unresolved Ten Thousand Poison Swamp insect nest bounty, serving as both an investigation and a warning to the entire Qingzhou Prefecture Cultivator world.

The tournament ended hastily amidst the chaos and heavy atmosphere.

The Lin Family did not stay for a moment, taking the heavy rewards and their injuries, and under the escort of the guards, quickly returned to the Lin residence.

Once they entered the residence, Su Qingyao was immediately sent to the Meditation Room with the most abundant Spiritual Qi, and Liu Ruxu personally acted as her Protector to help her heal.

Lin Chen returned to his study alone.

He closed the door, placed a sound-insulating Restriction, and only then did he completely shed all his disguises.

An overwhelming wave of weakness swept over him. His vision went black, he staggered a few steps, slumped into a chair, and began to pant violently.

The Meridians in his body were burning with pain, his Spiritual Qi was empty, and the aftereffects of burning a wisp of his original blood essence made him feel as if his bone marrow had been extracted; even moving a finger felt strenuous.

He closed his eyes and adjusted his breath for a long time before he could barely catch his breath.

Then, he settled his mind and focused his consciousness completely on the depths of his mind.

The familiar System interface was emitting a faint glow at that moment.

Below the concise personal information, a new line of golden characters, radiating a warm luster, was clearly imprinted there.

Lin Chen looked at it carefully.

[Core Function Unlocked: Offspring Talent Directional Guidance · Elementary]

His heartbeat skipped a beat.

When his consciousness touched it, more detailed information rippled out like water.

[Function Description]: In the Early Stages of a Dao Companion's pregnancy (within three months), the host can consume a large amount of their own blood essence (depending on the guidance intensity, at least one year of Lifespan will be lost) and a portion of the Family Luck, combined with the Dao Companion's most advantageous talent traits (e.g., Alchemy talent, ice-attribute Spiritual Root affinity, etc.), to perform a weak directional guidance on the fetus's innate Spiritual Root and talent.

[Guidance Effect]: After successful guidance, the offspring's basic talent and Acquired affinity in that field will be significantly improved by a small margin. The higher the guidance intensity, the better the effect, but the consumption will also be greater. (Note: The success rate is affected by many factors and is not 100% absolutely successful.)

Below this description, there was another line of shocking warning text marked in bright red.

[Warning]: Each use of this function must be spaced at least three years apart. Excessive use in a short period will directly lead to the depletion of the host's Bloodline, the collapse of their Foundation, and trigger a violent backlash of Family Luck, with unimaginable consequences!

Lin Chen took a slow, deep breath. The cold air poured into his lungs but could not suppress the burning excitement in his chest.

This function... was simply a cornerstone for Family rise tailored for him!

It was no longer passively waiting for the offspring to be born to know their talent, but rather being able to perform artificial "optimization" and "directional cultivation" at the very beginning of pregnancy!

This meant that he could, according to the Family's needs, systematically cultivate alchemists, artifact masters, Sword Cultivators... A true, well-staffed, and deeply-founded immortal cultivation Family was unfolding a clear blueprint before his eyes.

But the heavy price was also like a basin of cold water poured down.

Consuming blood essence, losing Lifespan, and having to use the ethereal yet crucial Family Luck, plus that long three-year cooldown and the severe warning.

This double-edged sword was sharp but also extremely dangerous.

This matter had to become the deepest secret in his heart and could never be leaked.

At the same time, in the temporary residence of the Ge Family in Qingzhou Prefecture, in a secret room.

Steward Yan Song's face was ferocious as he spoke into a sound-transmission jade talisman, reporting quickly in a tone mixed with resentment and grievance: "Old Ancestor! The tournament was a crushing defeat! Young Master Yuan is seriously injured and unconscious, and the face of our Ge Family... is completely lost! That Lin Family used some unknown, weird means to make Su Qingyao defy the heavens and form a pill on the verge of an explosion, and that old man Chiyang is biased everywhere, pushing all the blame onto us! There must be something fishy behind this, I beg the Old Ancestor to decide!"

Meanwhile, deep within the Alchemist Association, in a Meditation Room.

Master Chiyang sat alone in meditation, with two dossiers spread out on the desk in front of him.

One was a detailed record of this Alchemy Tournament, and the other was a rough investigation report on the Lin Family, especially Lin Chen himself, which he had just ordered people to collect urgently.

His fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, making a "thud, thud" sound.

In his mind, he repeatedly replayed that fleeting, strange "harmonizing" fluctuation at the venue, and the three-striped Spirit Pill that Su Qingyao miraculously refined amidst that fluctuation.

"A Disciple abandoned by his Sect, in just a few short years, established Foundation Establishment, started a Family, and gathered several capable hands under his command... Today, under my nose, he displayed such unheard-of, weird abilities..."

"Lin Family... Lin Chen..."

A flash of light appeared in Master Chiyang's eyes.

"It seems that to deal with that old monster in the Ge Family who refuses to die, and the shady dealings behind him, perhaps... it is time to borrow this 'accidental' power."

A deep smile curled the corners of his mouth, and he called his trusted confidant from outside the door, giving a few low instructions.

The night wind blew through Qingzhou Prefecture, rolling up a few fallen leaves.

In the study, Lin Chen slowly stood up, walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked at the residence shrouded in night.

He knew that today's events seemed to have subsided, but in reality, they had completely pushed the newly emerging Lin Family into the center of even more turbulent and dangerous undercurrents.

He clenched his fists, feeling the deep weakness in his body.

The newly unlocked function was hope, but also a responsibility so heavy that it almost made him unable to breathe. The road ahead would no longer have any Luck.

Just then, the door of the study was knocked on gently, and Liu Ruxu's slightly anxious voice came from outside.

"Clan Head, over at the Meditation Room... Young Miss Qingyao's situation is not right!"