As Pill King made his announcement, the crowd below erupted into an immediate discussion. Eventually, someone emerged to say, "Pill King, the origin of this woman is unknown. Does it seem like a joke that you''re taking her on as a disciple? For so long, our Pill King Valley has been cut off from the outside world. We cannot afford to have any regrets if things go awry."


    "It is, indeed! Teaching someone with no prior knowledge of medicinal pills from scratch will be quite troublesome. We have plenty of excellent alchemists right here in Pill King Valley. If Pill King truly wishes to take on a disciple, why not choose one of us? How can we allow an outsider to be the Young Matriarch of Pill King Valley?"


    "And if Pill King insists on taking her on, let her prove her worth. We will only recognize her as our Young Matriarch if she can demonstrate her abilities. Otherwise, even if Pill King epts her as a disciple, we will not ept her, let alone recognize her."


    Pill King listened to the defiant voices of the alchemists with a calm expression as if he had anticipated their objections. He turned to Feng Jiu with a smile and stroked his beard. "What do you think we should do about this, Little Jiu? They are defying you!"


    Feng Jiu nced at Pill King with surprise. So, the disciple of Pill King would eventually be the Young Matriarch of Pill King Valley? Did this mean that Pill King was truly considering taking her on as his disciple?


    "So, when I be your disciple, I will be the Young Matriarch here, right?" Her eyes shed as she asked Pill King softly.


    The smile on Pill King''s face grew wider. He nodded. "That''s right. If you be my disciple, you will take over as my sessor. You are, of course, the Young Matriarch here, and you are half the master of Pill King Valley."


    Feng Jiu smiled. "That''s a nice benefit."


    She immediately stepped forward, looked at the dozen alchemists in front of her, and stated, "I wonder, what should I do to get you to obey me?" Actually, she preferred to settle conflicts by using physical force because it was more straightforward, rough, and simple. This rough approach seemed inappropriate when dealing with these alchemists, however.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You must be talented in medicinal pills if you want to be Pill King''s disciple. Recognizing herbs, concocting medicine, and refining pills. All these three aspects are required." An elderly man stared at Feng Jiu in red as he spoke. "Miss, do you dare to give it a try?"


    Feng Jiu smiled with her lips pursed. Her eyes were twinkling with a smile. "Of course, it''s just…" She made a brief pause as she looked at them.


    "It''s just what?" Some of the alchemists asked.


    "But you have made a mistake in testing me this way. After all, I am Pill King''s disciple, the Young Matriarch of Pill King Valley, and half your master."


    When the alchemists heard this, they asked, "What do you mean?"


    Feng Jiu stepped leisurely with a smile on her face as her bright eyes swept over them. "I''ve heard that you''re all alchemists who can refine seventh-grade medicinal pills. Unfortunately, some of my subordinates have been severely injured and need several different medicines. If I do well in all three stages of evaluation and pass your test, then each of you must agree to present me with a seventh-grade Inner Alchemy Pill and a seventh-grade Recovery Pill."


    One of the alchemists jeered, "You have a big appetite!"


    Feng Jiu grinned. "It''s not that I have a big appetite. I''m simply more confident."