Not long after.
Chen Qiuqiao's cousin brought Chen Qiuqiao to stand in front of Huang Daotian's courtyard and gently knocked on the door.
"I don't know if Senior Brother Huang is home. If he is, he should open the door soon."
Although his knocking was soft, with the Defensive Formation in place, people inside would clearly know someone was visiting.
Sure enough.
Just a few knocks, the courtyard door opened, and two stunningly beautiful girls came out.
Chen Qiuqiao's cousin was momentarily stunned by their beauty.
He stared blankly for a moment, then, realizing his rudeness, smiled and said: "You must be the new maids Senior Brother Huang hired? Is he home now?"
He completely missed the look of shock on his cousin's face when the door opened and the two girls stepped out.
Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan, upon hearing the knock, thought Mu Jinyu had returned. But when they opened the door, they saw it was Chen Qiuqiao and an unfamiliar man.
Cautious, they wondered if Chen Qiuqiao had brought someone for revenge.
But when they heard the cousin's words, Jian Ruyan rolled her eyes and said coldly, "Senior Brother Huang? Are you talking about Huang Daotian? Sorry, we're not his maids, and he moved out long ago!"
"Moved out?" Chen Qiuqiao's cousin was bewildered. Hearing Jian Ruyan's words, he paused and then said happily, "Senior Brother Huang advanced a few more spots on the List of Outstanding Talents? Great! Tell me, where has he moved to?"
Jian Ruyan responded coldly, "He didn't move to another courtyard, nor did he advance on the List of Outstanding Talents. He was defeated by my... my brother and has moved to a residence halfway up Tianlan Peak!"
After saying this, she didn't bother with him any further and pulled Wen Rou along, slamming the courtyard door closed!
"Hey, what do you mean?!"
Chen Qiuqiao's cousin still wanted to ask more, but Jian Ruyan had already closed the door. He didn't dare to knock again, fearing angering the courtyard owner.
"What's going on? How did Senior Brother Huang get defeated?" he muttered in confusion.
Just as he turned to explain to Chen Qiuqiao, he saw Chen Qiuqiao's face was even more distressed, staring at the courtyard door in a daze.
It seemed he was mesmerized by the two girls and couldn't look away.
His cousin laughed, "Hey, stop staring, they're already gone."
"Mm." Chen Qiuqiao snapped out of it, responding gloomily. His spirits were thoroughly crushed by Mu Jinyu's success, and he kept replaying Jian Ruyan's words in his mind.
Huang Daotian had been defeated by Mu Jinyu and moved from the summit of Tianlan Peak... Why...
They both just entered the Inner Gate, yet Mu Jinyu replaced Huang Daotian and became a top expert on the List of Outstanding Talents, while he had to visit those on the list, looking for backing...
Chen Qiuqiao was filled with extreme unwillingness.
But he no longer felt the fighting spirit he had when he left the Scripture Pavilion, planning to reclaim his honor from Mu Jinyu!
Only a sense of despair and defeat remained!
His cousin sensed something was off and asked, "You know them?"
Chen Qiuqiao replied softly, "Yes, they are the second and fourth places in the Outer Gate exam..."
His cousin was shocked, his face changing dramatically, "You told me earlier that the second and fourth places are that person's wife and sister?!"
Chen Qiuqiao nodded bitterly, "Yes, the one who defeated Senior Brother Huang is probably Mu Jinyu!"
His cousin felt a bomb explode in his mind.
His face went white, he staggered back several steps and almost fell.
Chen Qiuqiao caught him just in time, his cousin muttered in disbelief, "It's him? No wonder, no wonder Fang Yuan chased me away!"
Fear gripped him!
He finally understood why Fang Yuan threw them out after hearing they were plotting against Mu Jinyu!
It turns out, Mu Jinyu became a top expert on the List of Outstanding Talents, ranking higher than both Fang Yuan and Huang Daotian, as soon as he entered the Inner Gate!
If he were Fang Yuan and heard someone urging him to go against Mu Jinyu, he would also want to beat that person to death!
After the fear passed, his cousin turned serious and warned Chen Qiuqiao, "Qiu Qiao, never dwell on this shame again, forget it, or else we... or even the Chen Family, will suffer!"
"I understand." Chen Qiuqiao nodded despondently, his former confidence gone!
...
Meanwhile, unaware of Chen Qiuqiao's visit to Tianlan Peak, Mu Jinyu continued his alchemy.
He spent a day refining all the pill formulas Elder Cheng gave.
Of course, he only refined them once, producing three or four forming elixirs each time, with three or four danwen each.
If he refined them again, the outcomes would undoubtedly be better.
But Mu Jinyu didn't want to attract trouble. It made sense to say that low grade elixirs are easier to refine with familiar formulas.
However, if he effortlessly produced fine elixirs of higher grades, it would be suspicious.
So, even though he trusted Elder Cheng, he didn't show his full capabilities.
Elder Cheng, through their interaction, gained significant insights.
Previously, he could frequently produce elixirs with one danwen, and with luck or a good state, get two danwen.
Now, he could steadily produce elixirs with two danwen and occasionally even three.
It felt like a dream.
He couldn't believe he achieved such a forming elixir rate!
"Alright, teacher, I think that's enough alchemy for today. I'll head to the second layer of the Scripture Pavilion..."
Mu Jinyu saw Elder Cheng's ecstatic look and suggested.
"Ah? Oh, sure, go ahead. I'll keep pondering..."
Elder Cheng, though surprised, showed no disappointment and let Mu Jinyu leave.
Despite just a day's time, Mu Jinyu had taught him so much he still hadn't fully absorbed.
If Mu Jinyu stayed longer, it wouldn't make much difference.
He planned to ponder alone and see what he could achieve without Mu Jinyu's guidance.
Seeing no displeasure, Mu Jinyu relaxed, bid farewell, and left.
Leaving Elder Cheng's cave residence, Mu Jinyu didn't return to the Tianlan Peak Summit but headed to the Scripture Pavilion.
The reward for first place in the Outer Gate exam shouldn't be wasted.
Moreover, as the 45th on the List of Outstanding Talents, Mu Jinyu realized his shortcomings in movement technique compared to Huang Daochen.
He needed to find a suitable movement technique!