Chapter Seventy-Seven: Geniuses Are Meant to Be Stepped On

Xuan Xuan logged onto the StarNet again on the evening of the following day. Seeing that her father was busy, she slipped quietly into the StarNet.

When she woke up early that morning, she discovered she was still holding onto Wanqi Lianhao’s arm. Half her body had gone numb long ago, yet Wanqi Lianhao didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. Xuan Xuan, however, felt a little embarrassed.

She stepped into the Pearl Tower. Before she even spotted a familiar face, she was confronted by a rather portly man, his expression proud and disdainful as he looked her up and down. Xuan Xuan frowned slightly, but before she could speak, the man barked, “Who are you? Sneaking around like that, how dare you come into our Pearl Tower?”

Xuan Xuan glanced at him, then simply called over a nearby attendant to fetch Wanqi Wu.

“Hmph! Wanqi Wu really is getting more and more out of line—such poor judgment, treating just anyone as an honored guest. Why haven’t you thrown her out yet?”

“Deputy Manager, this is the manager’s distinguished guest. Isn’t that inappropriate?” The attendant was caught between Xuan Xuan and the deputy manager, unsure how to respond—daring not to call the manager, but afraid to offend the deputy.

The deputy manager sneered. Wanqi Wu had long since fallen from favor, yet still lingered here in the Pearl Tower for years, blocking his way. Who knew what sort of nobody this visitor was—what “honored guest” indeed!

This man’s surname was Liu. Though he wasn’t from a branch of the Wanqi family, his wife was—a rather formidable woman from a minor branch. Wanqi Wu himself, despite his family ties, had managed to offend someone and had been stuck here for over a decade, powerless. Liu was never intimidated by him; most of the Pearl Tower’s staff on the StarNet were his people.

Yet somehow, Wanqi Wu had managed to attend the Wanqi family’s birthday banquet the day before, and rumor had it he’d even met with Lord Yiqiong, the right hand of the Third Young Master. Liu scoffed—he didn’t believe it for a second. Trying to use such tall tales to intimidate him? As if Lord Yiqiong, who was always close at the Third Young Master’s side, would ever waste time on someone like Wanqi Wu.

Old fool—still daring to take such risks.

He looked over at the visitor, so tightly wrapped up in peculiar attire—clearly not any famous brand. And this was supposed to be an honored guest?

“Throw her out,” Liu ordered.

Xuan Xuan looked at this man, who eyed people with nothing but arrogance and contempt, and wondered to herself why such people were allowed to exist within the Wanqi family.

Before she could speak, Wanqi Wu emerged, his face as dark as soot, nearly murderous as he glared at Deputy Liu. Was he an idiot or just a fool?

Wanqi Wu hurried to Xuan Xuan’s side, terrified she might become impatient. Bowing respectfully, he said, “Everything and everyone have been arranged. Would you like to proceed now, or—?”

Xuan Xuan glanced at Wanqi Wu and then at Deputy Liu, her gaze calm, as if nothing had happened. “Let’s go.”

Wanqi Wu followed her respectfully, shooting a glare at the attendant who stood frozen nearby.

Seeing himself completely ignored, Deputy Liu’s face fell. Did they really think this was ten years ago? Hmph, if that’s how you want it—he signaled his subordinates. “Find out exactly who that masked person is. Honored guest—nonsense.”

Wanqi Wu led Xuan Xuan to the far end of the building. After reporting to Lord Yiqiong, a separate area had been set up just for her after this morning’s auction. By midday, all sorts of experimental equipment and facilities had been fully prepared.

Xuan Xuan surveyed the environment and the equipment, nodding slightly; her earlier displeasure at the entrance already forgotten. “Where are they?”

“In the next room. This is your private laboratory,” Wanqi Wu replied, bowing slightly.

She cast him a surprised glance, impressed by his efficiency, then stepped into the adjacent laboratory. This space was even larger, divided into thirty sections, each occupied by one of thirty people, all engrossed in their research.

“Here’s the list. This group was handpicked by the Third Young Master, all graduates from the First Federation’s School of Pharmacology. If you find any unsuitable, we can make further arrangements,” Wanqi Wu explained.

Xuan Xuan glanced at the group. Everyone was focused on their work—those who noticed her barely spared a glance before returning to their tasks or discussing quietly in small groups.

“Hmph, I don’t know what the Third Young Master is thinking, calling thirty of us for such a minor experiment. No matter how skilled someone is, they’re still only a figure on the StarNet,” one of them muttered disdainfully.

“Shizi Shan, has your project been completed?” another asked.

Shizi Shan, the speaker, scoffed, “Do you think accelerating plant growth is so easy? The best we’ve achieved so far is a one-third increase in speed. If my mentor and I succeed, we’ll at least double the growth rate.”

Heads turned, eyes full of envy and admiration. For these just-graduated students, landing a job with the Wanqi family was a great achievement—their benefits were renowned across the alliance. Still, as newcomers, they had no access to cutting-edge research.

But everyone knew Shizi Shan was the top student of the First Military Academy’s School of Pharmacology—renowned not only for his abilities but also for having a mentor whose name was respected across the Federation.

Xuan Xuan looked at them, raising an eyebrow. A group of arrogant, self-important youths. Her teacher had told her that the best way to deal with such people was to strike them down hard, so they’d learn the true scale of the world.

Xuan Xuan was an obedient student—hence her well-earned title as the first Alchemist of the Mata Continent.

Geniuses are meant to be stepped on.

As for this group in front of her, they barely qualified as talents.

The ladder was a bit low, but she could still step on them for practice.

She strode forward, Wanqi Wu following anxiously behind. He had worried that professors would be too proud to learn new things, while younger people were more adaptable. Yet, seeing this group’s arrogance, he doubted they’d be so docile after all.

He prayed silently, hoping these young men wouldn’t offend this formidable lady.

Xuan Xuan glanced at the materials on Shizi Shan’s desk. Without a word, she picked up a beaker, placed a plant in it, and lit the burner.

“Where did you come from? Do you know how valuable these things are?”

“Exactly, not just anyone can handle these materials.”

“Ha, potions aren’t toys for just anybody.”

Xuan Xuan ignored their remarks, calmly placing another plant into the beaker, then another. The onlookers soon fell silent—though they didn’t know what she was doing, her movements were so natural and graceful that her fingers seemed to dance.

Even Shizi Shan stared, wide-eyed, as she worked.

She extinguished the flame and gently swirled the beaker in a special rhythm. The green liquid within moved with a mesmerizing cadence, and Shizi Shan’s expression abruptly changed as he realized what he was seeing.

Xuan Xuan glanced at him—at least he had some discernment.

“Give me a seed,” she demanded, hand outstretched.

Shizi Shan paused, then quickly handed her a seed. When he saw her toss it into a flowerpot, his face grew awkward—it was an ironwood seed, known for its slow germination.

Clearly, such a long-cycle plant was ill-suited for this experiment. He was about to intervene when Xuan Xuan poured the liquid from the beaker into the pot.

He swallowed his words. If she couldn’t even recognize an ironwood seed, he’d have to reconsider the respect he’d just given her. He shook his head with a sigh—what a waste.

Just as he was about to look away, he noticed a small green shoot emerging in the pot. The green grew larger and larger—was it sprouting?

Shizi Shan shook his head. Impossible. Even the new potion he and his mentor had developed couldn’t achieve such results.

Yet he couldn’t tear his gaze from the pot. Though he doubted it, the green shoot continued to grow, and he began to waver—could it really be sprouting?

Xuan Xuan smiled and poured a third of the remaining liquid into the pot. Shizi Shan watched, transfixed, as the green sprout grew before his eyes, becoming a sapling in barely ten minutes.

“How is this possible? How?” Shizi Shan reached out to touch it—it was real. How could this be?

By how many times had the growth rate increased? This was unheard of—not just unseen, but unimagined.

He stared at the now foot-tall sapling, its leaves fully unfurled and ready for transplanting. Glancing at the remaining liquid in Xuan Xuan’s hand, a suspicion crept into Shizi Shan’s mind. Had she calculated this precisely?

He quickly dismissed the thought. Impossible.

Yet, confronted by this near-miraculous growth, he was no longer sure anything was impossible.

Xuan Xuan tossed the beaker to Shizi Shan, who barely caught it, clutching it as if it held a miracle.

Xuan Xuan was not above teaching apprentices. Lazy by nature, she preferred to train students to help with her work. “Though you’re all a bit useless, since I promised your Third Young Master, I suppose I’ll teach you, reluctantly.”

Many in the room bristled with anger, but seeing the beaker in Shizi Shan’s hand, they quickly fell silent.

“That’s nothing,” Xuan Xuan said, gesturing to the beaker. The so-called “growth potion” was merely a basic, second-level concoction, not even as advanced as the Volcanic Potion. If Shizi Shan hadn’t mentioned accelerated plant growth, she wouldn’t have bothered making it.

“If you study hard with me, with your aptitudes—even if they’re a bit lacking—you should be able to make this kind of potion in about a year.”

The group erupted in disbelief. Shizi Shan was utterly stunned. Something he had regarded as a miracle could be learned in a year? None of the Federation’s so-called geniuses, not even his mentor, had ever seen such a thing—what did that make them?

No matter how shocked they were, Xuan Xuan tossed a book onto the table—compiled for her by Zhan Yu—containing the basic principles of alchemical potions.

“It’s not to be shared. Memorize it backwards and forwards before we continue.”