"Yo!"
The casual greeting echoed through the Director Hall.
For a moment, nobody reacted.
Then the room fell completely silent.
Nie Li stared.
Mu Yang stared.
Huyan Ming stared.
Even Yang Xin looked amused by the sudden stillness.
The owner of the voice casually walked into the room with both hands behind his head, wearing his usual carefree grin as if he had wandered into a teahouse instead of one of the most important halls in the Alchemists Association.
"Karma?" Nie Li finally said.
"Yes..?."
Karma flashed a smile.
The room remained silent.
Then Mu Yang immediately straightened.
"Vice Chairman."
He bowed respectfully.
The words struck Nie Li harder than any attack.
Vice Chairman?
His eyes narrowed.
"The Uzumaki Family's representative," Mu Yang explained. "The one who personally approved and pushed through your Purple Mist Grass paper."
Nie Li froze.
Purple Mist Grass.
Distribution.
The absurd speed of approval.
The complete lack of obstacles.
Karma's earlier confidence.
His annoying habit of laughing whenever Nie Li thought he was hiding something.
Everything clicked.
Slowly, Nie Li turned toward Karma.
The red-haired boy was already helping himself to a cup of tea as though this were his living room.
Relaxed.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Like he belonged here.
No.
Like he owned the place.
Nie Li finally exhaled.
"…You."
Karma blinked.
"Hm?"
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Nie Li laughed softly.
"Unbelievable."
"What is?"
"I really picked the worst possible person to underestimate."
Karma immediately pointed at himself.
"Finally."
"Do you know how hard it is being a misunderstood genius?"
Gu Yan's beard twitched.
"You skipped work for thirteen days."
"Technical details."
Yang Xin burst out laughing.
Several elders coughed awkwardly.
Karma simply shrugged.
"Productivity is a mindset."
Nobody knew how to respond to that.
Meanwhile, Nie Li watched him carefully.
Outside, Karma acted like an idiot.
A fool.
A troublemaker.
A shameless flirt.
Yet somehow he had maneuvered himself into becoming Vice Chairman of the Alchemists Association.
Clearly, there was far more going on beneath that carefree smile than most people realized.
Gu Yan noticed Nie Li's expression and chuckled.
"You're wondering why that brat is Vice Chairman?"
Nie Li nodded honestly.
The chairman stroked his beard.
"The Uzumaki Family has worked alongside the Alchemists Association for generations."
"When the Association began declining, many supporters withdrew their investments."
"But the Uzumaki Family never did."
Yang Xin nodded.
"In fact, they increased their support."
"Many of our herb farms, trade routes, and distribution networks are connected to the Uzumaki Family."
Gu Yan continued.
"To put it simply…"
"The Uzumaki Family owns nearly half of the Alchemists Association."
Nie Li's eyebrows rose.
"Half?"
Karma immediately pointed at Gu Yan.
"Which means technically speaking, Old Gu works for my family."
"Bullshit!"
The chairman exploded.
The room immediately erupted into laughter.
Even Nie Li couldn't help smiling.
Yang Xin soon recovered and looked toward Nie Li.
"That letter about Purple Mist Grass…"
"Was it really written by you?"
Nie Li nodded.
"That's right."
The room became quiet once again.
Gu Yan slowly lowered the paper in his hand.
For a long moment, he simply stared.
Finally, he sighed.
"Not even I can research a herb to such an extent."
He shook his head.
"No."
"I definitely cannot do it."
The old chairman's voice carried genuine admiration.
"How old are you, Nie Li?"
"Thirteen."
The room became quiet again.
"Thirteen…"
Gu Yan muttered.
His eyes drifted back toward the paper.
"Purple Mist Grass is considered a rather ordinary herb."
"And yet you've discovered over sixty additional applications for it."
"This level of understanding…"
Even his hands trembled slightly.
At the side, Karma casually jumped onto the edge of the round table and sat down.
Sip.
He leisurely drank tea while watching the conversation unfold.
As though none of it concerned him.
Yang Xin sighed helplessly.
The Vice Chairman simply smiled and took another sip.
Meanwhile, Nie Li rubbed the back of his head.
"To be honest…"
"I don't possess that level of knowledge."
The room immediately became attentive.
Nie Li continued.
"The paper was written by my master."
"He instructed me to come to the Alchemists Association and obtain the title of Alchemy Master."
A ripple spread through the room.
"A master?"
Gu Yan immediately leaned forward.
In his mind, the explanation made perfect sense.
A thirteen-year-old child possessing such terrifying knowledge was impossible.
But a mysterious master?
That was believable.
"We must pay him a visit."
"Who is this master?"
Nie Li smiled awkwardly.
"My apologies."
"My master dislikes being disturbed."
At that moment—
"Pfft!"
Tea sprayed from the opposite side of the room.
Everyone turned.
Karma had nearly choked.
For some reason, he was staring at Nie Li with an extremely strange expression.
Then he quickly looked away and whistled innocently.
Yang Xin narrowed her eyes.
Gu Yan ignored him.
"Hm."
"Since your respected master doesn't wish to reveal himself, we shall not force the issue."
"Even if we know nothing about his refinement skills, his knowledge alone surpasses many Alchemy Masters."
He sighed.
"I only hope there comes a day when we may meet him."
Karma nearly choked a second time.
"Director Yang."
Gu Yan suddenly turned.
"Bring him the Senior Alchemy Master books, medal, and robe."
The room froze.
Yang Xin blinked.
"Chairman?"
"Giving him the title of Senior Alchemy Master isn't a bad idea."
"If nothing else, it would be doing his master a favor."
At the side, Karma raised his teacup.
"Promoted on his first day."
He sighed dramatically.
"I should've studied instead of inheriting my position."
Several elders immediately coughed.
Gu Yan pretended not to hear him.
Yang Xin laughed softly.
"A thirteen-year-old Senior Alchemy Master…"
"That might be the first in Glory City's history."
Nie Li smiled.
"Actually…"
"Besides earning the title…"
"I'd like to cooperate with the Alchemists Association."
The room became attentive.
"Oh?"
Gu Yan leaned forward.
Karma immediately raised his hand.
"Careful."
"That's how they get you."
"First it's cooperation."
"Then suddenly you're attending meetings."
One elder nearly dropped his cup.
Another turned away to hide his laughter.
Gu Yan glared at Karma.
Karma innocently looked toward the ceiling.
"I possess formulas for five elixirs."
The room instantly fell silent.
Even Karma stopped drinking tea.
"The Soul Nurturing Pill."
"The Soul Concentrating Pill."
"The Soul Tempering Pill."
"The Scarlet Body Enhancing Pill."
"And the Nine Transformation Pill."
The atmosphere froze.
Gu Yan's breathing became heavier.
"You said…"
"The Soul Nurturing Pill?"
Nie Li nodded calmly.
"These formulas are real."
"And significantly superior to current pills."
The room exploded into discussion.
"These formulas disappeared centuries ago!"
"Impossible!"
"Does your master truly possess them?"
"Of course."
Nie Li answered immediately.
"My master traveled throughout the continent."
"His knowledge is vast."
"He sent me as his representative."
Karma nodded seriously.
"Very wise."
"Being famous is troublesome."
Several elders stared at him.
He shrugged.
"What?"
"I speak from experience."
As excitement filled the room, Nie Li continued.
"My master originally intended to donate the formulas."
"However."
The room froze.
Gu Yan's heart tightened.
"However what?"
"My master wishes to continue his research."
"Research requires resources."
"Therefore, the formulas cannot be given away freely."
Gu Yan immediately nodded.
"That is only natural."
Nie Li continued.
"If the formulas are sold through the Alchemists Association…"
"My master requests thirty percent of the profits."
Silence.
Then Gu Yan waved his hand.
"Thirty percent?"
"If these formulas are genuine, I'm willing to give fifty percent."
The elders nodded immediately.
It was still an incredible bargain.
Nie Li opened his mouth.
"My master only requested—"
"Actually."
A lazy voice interrupted him.
Everyone turned.
Karma was still sitting on the table.
Holding his teacup.
Looking completely relaxed.
"Even thirty percent is too much."
The room froze.
"What?"
"Vice Chairman?"
Karma shrugged.
"Twenty percent is fine."
The elders stared at him.
Twenty?!
Even Nie Li looked surprised.
Karma casually met Nie Li's gaze.
Then smiled.
A meaningful smile.
The kind that instantly made Nie Li's spine tingle.
For a brief second—
Their eyes met.
And Nie Li got goosebumps.
He's suspicious.
The realization appeared instantly.
These elders were easy to fool.
But Karma wasn't.
A memory surfaced.
The library.
The famous chair incident.
Back then, Karma had casually told him—
"I don't really care where your knowledge comes from."
"As long as it benefits Glory City."
At the time, Nie Li hadn't thought much about it.
Now?
He understood.
Karma was frighteningly intelligent whenever he actually bothered using his brain.
And right now—
That brain was clearly working.
After several moments, Nie Li sighed internally.
Then nodded.
"Very well."
"I believe my master would accept twenty percent."
The elders immediately looked delighted.
Meanwhile, Gu Yan glanced between the two boys.
A strange expression appeared on his face.
Young Master really is a genius.
After all, the larger the Association's profit became, the larger the Uzumaki Family's share became as well.
Yet he somehow managed to reduce the price while making everyone grateful.
Unfortunately—
He only seemed interested in using that intelligence whenever it benefited him personally.
Karma suddenly sneezed.
"Ah."
He rubbed his nose.
"Someone must be praising me."
Gu Yan's beard twitched.
The negotiations quickly continued.
"To finance their studies," Gu Yan said, "many alchemists require significant resources. These formulas will undoubtedly strengthen the Association."
"As for the sales and distribution procedures, leave everything to us."
"If there is anything your honorable master finds unsatisfactory, we will correct it immediately."
Nie Li nodded.
"Then I'll leave everything to Chairman Gu Yan and Director Yang."
"I trust the two of you are not shortsighted people."
"Of course!" Gu Yan replied immediately.
An Alchemy Grandmaster willing to cooperate with them?
Even now, the old chairman felt as though he were dreaming.