Chapter 67

The beastmen present had already gained some understanding of Dan Sect earlier. They knew that the sect master of Dan Sect was the one who established the sect, and despite being so young, he was already a mid-level alchemist. They also knew that he was the wife master of the Fifth Prince, a person of noble status, and that in less than a month since founding Dan Sect, he had already achieved impressive results.

Now, after listening to Xia Ye’s introduction, they realized that saying Dan Sect’s achievements were merely “impressive” was an understatement—it was nothing short of a miracle.

Furthermore, if what Dan Sect was currently working on could truly be accomplished, its future would be limitless.

Additionally, they learned that their sect master was even younger than they had imagined—he had just turned 20.

A 20-year-old mid-level alchemist was a rarity even across the entire Federation, standing out as an unparalleled talent.

And yet, such an outstanding young man only had three beastmen husbands.

However, each of these three husbands was anything but ordinary.

Besides the Fifth Prince, the other two also held prestigious identities.

One was the only son of the wealthiest Gu family and a renowned physician in the Federation. The other had an even more distinguished status—he was the Marshal himself.

Upon learning all this, Gu Ming, like everyone else, couldn’t help but admire Chu Ning.

At that moment, he also confirmed that some of the rumors his mother had heard were indeed true—their sect master had a close relationship with the military.

After all, the Marshal had already married their sect master. How could their connection possibly be shallow?

However, as for his mother’s speculation that the sect master might be his younger sister, he now found it utterly impossible to believe.

Chu Ning had only E-rank mental power and was not particularly good-looking. How could she possibly become a mid-level alchemist and marry three such outstanding beastmen?

Though they had the same name, the difference between Chu Ning and their sect master was like night and day.

“Alright, now that I’ve introduced our sect master and Dan Sect, let’s move on to our latest initiative—the Beastmen Alchemist Training Program,” Xia Ye announced.

At his words, everyone’s expressions grew tense.

“The purpose of the Beastmen Alchemist Training Program is to help Dan Sect cultivate a group of talented and capable beastmen alchemists.”

“Since this is the first batch, the selection criteria are relatively lenient. The only requirements are a mental potential of S-rank, a mental power level below A-rank, and a registration fee of 2 billion star coins. In the future, as the project progresses and we launch a second batch, the entry requirements will be raised accordingly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of murmurs spread among the crowd.

One by one, they all felt fortunate to have signed up this time.

Otherwise, if they waited until the next round when the requirements were stricter, they might have to pay a much higher price or even fail to qualify at all.

“For this first batch, Dan Sect has recruited a total of 50 people. From today onward, you are all members of Dan Sect. I welcome you all,” Xia Ye said.

Applause filled the air.

Xia Ye turned to look at a nearby guard.

The guard immediately took out a stack of booklets and distributed them to the beastmen one by one.

“The booklets you are receiving now contain Dan Sect’s introductory cultivation method. By practicing this technique, you can cultivate feminine mental power and raise your mental strength to a peak C-rank, reaching the level of a junior alchemist.”

Upon hearing this, the beastmen who received the booklets eagerly flipped through them.

The manual contained many illustrations and looked fairly simple to understand.

Some beastmen followed the illustrated movements and performed a few actions, but they didn’t feel any immediate effect.

“Your Highness, since this is only the introductory method, does that mean there are also intermediate and advanced methods? Do we—do we have a chance to become high-level alchemists in the future?” a beastman suddenly asked loudly.

Xia Ye turned to look at the one who spoke and recognized him as Gu Qing, the son of one of his royal aunts. Though older than Xia Ye, they had only exchanged a few greetings before and weren’t particularly close.

Gu Qing’s question drew everyone’s attention to Xia Ye, as they were all eager to know the answer.

If Dan Sect could only train them to become junior alchemists, the program wouldn’t be particularly valuable.

But if they could become mid-level alchemists—or even high-level alchemists—that would be an entirely different matter.

“Good question,” Xia Ye acknowledged.

“Yes, after the introductory method, there are also intermediate and advanced techniques. As long as one’s talent is sufficient, in theory, beastmen can cultivate their mental power up to S-rank.”

—And possibly even SS-rank. Xia Ye left that last part unsaid.

The room buzzed with excitement at his words.

Even Bai Rui’s expression changed slightly.

Feminine individuals generally had lower mental potential than beastmen, and those with S-rank potential were incredibly rare. However, the number of beastmen with S-rank potential was not small.

Among the noble families, due to good genetics and proper nurturing from childhood, mental potential tended to be high. In this first batch alone, all 50 recruits had reached S-rank potential.

According to what Xia Ye had just said, if everyone had the opportunity to cultivate their mental power to S-rank, then didn’t that mean they all had the chance to become high-level alchemists?

If that was the case, did that mean beastmen were actually more talented than feminine individuals in alchemy?

A high-level alchemist…

Could he, Bai Rui, also have a chance to become one?

The more he thought about it, the more excited Bai Rui became.

A high-level alchemist was a treasure of the Federation.

Could he really become such a person?

Gu Ming, too, was ecstatic at Xia Ye’s words and nearly jumped to his feet.

When he had spoken to Lan Yu earlier, he had only been speculating and wasn’t sure if Dan Sect could truly offer such a promising future.

But now, the Fifth Prince himself had confirmed it. His future was filled with endless possibilities.

“Ahem—” Xia Ye cleared his throat, bringing everyone back to attention.

“While Dan Sect provides an extraordinary opportunity, the path of cultivation is arduous, and not everyone will be able to reach such heights.”

The crowd immediately looked at him nervously.

“Your Highness, after passing the alchemist exam, how can we qualify to obtain the intermediate and advanced cultivation methods?” Gu Qing asked again on behalf of the group.

“To obtain the intermediate technique, first, you must pass the alchemist exam and become a junior alchemist. Second, you must contribute a certain amount to Dan Sect,” Xia Ye explained.

“Contribution points will be calculated once you become an alchemist. You will earn contribution points by refining medicines for Dan Sect, with different pills granting different amounts. Once you accumulate enough points and abide by the sect’s rules, you will be granted access to the intermediate technique. The same principle applies to the advanced technique.”

“Do we have to earn contribution points ourselves? Or… can we buy them?” Gu Qing asked with a hint of mischief.

After all, if Dan Sect wanted them to contribute, wasn’t it essentially about making money? Wouldn’t paying for contribution points be just as effective?

Xia Ye’s gaze flickered slightly.

Suddenly, he found this cousin a little likable.

“You can buy them,” he admitted. “But the cost will be very high.”

“No problem! As long as we can buy them!” Gu Qing said with a grin.

Many of the beastmen present visibly relaxed.

Xia Ye inwardly chuckled.

A bunch of rich and extravagant individuals indeed.