Chapter 4936 — Who Can Prove It?

But now, upon hearing Wei Zhao declare himself Zhang Lifeng's final disciple, the Alliance Chairman's eyes lit up at once.

"You are an alchemist?" the Alliance Chairman asked instinctively. Had Wei Zhao not said so himself, the thought would never have crossed his mind; after all, an alchemist was practically synonymous with frailty—who had ever heard of an alchemist as ferocious as Wei Zhao?

Counting them off, there was likely only one alchemist in the world with such strength—Zhang Lifeng. And perhaps even he could not match this Wei Zhao; to cut down an early Kaishan-stage expert while only at the early Xuansheng stage—Zhang Lifeng had never boasted such an outrageous battle record back in his day.

"Yellow-Rank, first grade," Wei Zhao said. He was a past master at spinning lies, not even batting an eyelid, calm and unhurried, his tone brimming with such confidence that the other man had no choice but to believe him.

"Truly? You are not pulling my leg?" The Alliance Chairman was startled yet again. So young, yet possessed of such strength—among all the top-tier geniuses he had ever laid eyes on, Wei Zhao was unquestionably second to none. And yet this very same fellow claimed to be a Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist? This was defying the heavens themselves!

Had anyone else said such a thing, the Alliance Chairman would have slapped him flying on the spot. To bump into a Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist at random here in the Yellow-Rank sea region—did the boy take him for a fool?

But Wei Zhao was different. The mere feat of toppling Zang Zili had already made him sit up and take notice. When others claimed to be Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemists, he did not believe them; but coming from Wei Zhao's mouth, the claim genuinely warranted consideration, for it might well be true—the man did, after all, style himself the final disciple of Zhang Lifeng, the Pill God!

If that identity were genuine, then there was nothing strange about this Wei Zhao being a Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist. To become Zhang Lifeng's final disciple, one had to possess surpassing alchemical talent; such a person ranked even above ordinary personal disciples. If a figure like that were not a Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist, that would be the real anomaly.

"Heh. With the Chairman's wisdom, do you truly think I could deceive you?" Wei Zhao slipped the man a compliment without missing a beat. Everyone loves flattery, and a lofty personage like the Alliance Chairman was no exception.

The Alliance Chairman's expression indeed softened somewhat, though not enough to make him swallow Wei Zhao's bare words whole. The Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist claim was the boy's own; the final-disciple-of-Zhang-Liju claim was likewise his own; there was not even a single witness. Who was to say the brat was not simply boasting to cow him?

"Who can prove it?" the Alliance Chairman asked in a low voice.

"There—just go ask that little girl." Wei Zhao gestured with his eyes toward Ni Caiyue, not far off. Privately, he was elated: the very fact that the man had asked meant he had already taken the bait.

Wei Zhao could hardly be called a Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist in the true sense, for he had never refined a Yellow-Rank first-grade pill. But that did not stop him from using the gimmick to lure the other man in—and it was not a sheer fabrication, either.

After all, in a certain sense, Wei Zhao's alchemical skill did far surpass that of an ordinary seventh-grade alchemist; otherwise, Qing Xuanzi would never have begged so eagerly to take him as master. Under the circumstances, passing himself off as Yellow-Rank first-grade was hardly overstepping.

The reason he had suddenly produced this cover was that Wei Zhao had seen through the Alliance Chairman's soft spot. The man did not truly care whether Zang Zili lived or died; his earlier humility toward Zang Zili clearly meant he needed a favor from him. Putting the two identities together, it was not hard to infer that a Yellow-Rank first-grade alchemist was the perfect front with which to handle him.

This was, after all, the Alliance Chairman. If he merely needed someone to help refine pills, ordinary seventh-grade alchemists should be a dime a dozen under his command; only a Yellow-Rank alchemist could make him lower himself like this.

Put plainly, from the moment Wei Zhao had declared his identity, this had all been a trap—luring the man step by step onto the hook. Now only the final step remained between him and success.

Bluffing is a high-skill craft: one must observe the smallest details and prescribe the right remedy. One must also keep using the other party's psychology to build one's own momentum, so that the cover one fabricates is seamless. Wei Zhao had clearly mastered its three flavors to the core.

"She is with you, is she not?" The Alliance Chairman cast a doubtful glance at Ni Caiyue. Since she was in the same crew, the woman's word carried no credibility whatsoever; asking her would be a waste of breath.

"Heh. A witness may lie, but material evidence never does," Wei Zhao said with a faint, meaningful smile.

The Alliance Chairman was taken aback; then something stirred in his heart and he understood. At once he raised his hand toward Ni Caiyue and said, "You. Come here a moment."

Because of the spiritual-sense barrier, the onlookers could see only that Wei Zhao and the Alliance Chairman were conversing, but not a word of what was actually said. Even if their hearts itched unbearably, none dared employ any trick to peek.

After all, inside were not only Wei Zhao, that ruthless one who challenged foes across realms, but also a top-tier expert like the Alliance Chairman. Any little trick on their part could never escape the Chairman's ears and eyes—and they would not even know how they had died.

Just as the crowd was itching with curiosity, the Alliance Chairman's voice suddenly rang out from within, and every gaze accordingly fell upon Ni Caiyue.

"Ah! Me?" Seeing the Alliance Chairman pointing at her, Ni Caiyue was frightened half to death and stammered in a fluster, "I... I am with him, yes, but I did not hit anyone! Do not arrest me, please do not arrest me..."

The crowd clicked their tongues in astonishment, staring blankly at Ni Caiyue, at a loss for what to say.

Wei Zhao, though long accustomed to this girl's wondrous logic, still wore a speechless expression. What kind of thinking was this?

If you truly want to clear yourself, then do not say you are with him—yet here you are, saying you are with him in one breath and begging not to be arrested in the next. Is that something a normal person would say?

Wei Zhao shook his head inwardly. It was a good thing he had bluffed the Alliance Chairman into believing him; otherwise, if there had really been trouble, this foolish girl would surely have been dragged down with him, and that would have been truly speechless.

"I am not arresting you. I only want to ask you a few questions," the Alliance Chairman said with a frown.

"Oh, I see... all right then, but you promised not to arrest me!" Ni Caiyue restated anxiously, and only then did she cautiously walk over to the two of them.

Casually re-erecting the spiritual-sense barrier, the Alliance Chairman finally asked, "Which academy's disciple are you?"