Seeing Nie Kong reject his suggestion, Mu Lengxing looked slightly surprised. "If we don't steal it, how can we obtain the 'Golden Tassel'? Auntie only has some knowledge of poisonous herbs like the 'Nightmare Spirit Black Demon Vine'; she isn't skilled in alchemy for healing."

Nie Kong smiled, "Don't you still have me?"

"You?"

Mu Leng paused, then gave a slight nod. "You are also an Alchemist, and you managed to suppress your Yin Ruin bloodline to survive past eighteen. Your medical skills are indeed superior to Auntie's. Since that is the case, the three demons and I will accompany you to take a look. It shouldn't take too long."

How could Mu Lengxing feel at ease leaving Nie Kong alone in Youyan City?

"Auntie, I can go alone, you—" Nie Kong started, but realized Mu Lengxing had already turned and walked toward the adjacent street. Nie Kong could only swallow the rest of his words helplessly and quicken his pace to follow. According to the guidance from his inner intuition and the little fellow’s prompt, the location of the "Golden Tassel" was over there, and besides, several Alchemists were heading that way too.

Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing walked down the street for several minutes, arriving outside a magnificent manor. In front of the steps, the area was bustling with Alchemists, clustered together. They muttered in twos and threes, occasionally craning their necks to peer inside the gate, their expressions varied.

The plaque hanging over the gate was carved with the characters "Lin Residence," and stationed at the entrance were four middle-aged guards, along with an old man who looked like a steward.

"..."

"Look! Another one is coming out!"

"This person is from our Chang Kingdom; he looks like a Fourth-Rank Alchemist!"

"Hmph, even the Fifth and Sixth-Rank Alchemists couldn't do anything. For him, a mere Fourth-Rank Alchemist, to go and embarrass himself—he must be completely obsessed with the 'Golden Tassel.' If it were me, I absolutely wouldn't go in to join the fun. Heh, I'll be a Fifth-Rank Alchemist next year; I'm far superior to him."

"..."

Hearing the commotion outside grow louder, Nie Kong quickly looked up. He saw a middle-aged man emerging from the residence with a dark expression and a useless, ruined medicine cauldron in his hand. Clearly, his attempt at healing had failed; the long crack in the cauldron seemed to mock his incompetence.

For Nie Kong, the failure of others was naturally good news. Ever since he heard the little fellow’s cry, every Alchemist who wanted to obtain the "Golden Tassel" had become his rival. If the patient were cured by them, the "Golden Tassel" would be out of his reach. With this thought, Nie Kong parted the crowd and walked toward the main gate of the Lin Residence.

Spotting Nie Kong's face, a young man watching the crowd outside couldn't help but exclaim, "Tsk tsk, how old is this lad?"

"Twenty at most!" someone quickly interjected.

"Twenty years old? A Third-Rank Alchemist? Maybe only a Second-Rank? With this level, he can't even get past the main gate, yet he wants to treat the patient? Looks like we have another guy coming to make a fool of himself, hahahaha..."

A harsh, grating voice suddenly rang out, belonging to a sallow, thin man who mocked them unrestrainedly. But quickly, the laughter stopped abruptly as he stared blankly at the graceful figure just behind the young man. Just then, the gaze of the woman in black swept over him, making his very spirit feel crushed into dust. That feeling of despair was like plunging into an ice cellar. After a long moment, he shivered and snapped back to his senses.

At this point, Nie Kong had reached the entrance. He looked toward the old man and smiled, "Elder, what are the requirements to enter your esteemed residence to see a patient?" So many Alchemists flooding into Luoyan City meant there must be certain conditions to enter the Lin Residence. Otherwise, any stray dog could get in, and wouldn't the Lin Residence descend into chaos?

Initially, seeing how young Nie Kong looked, the old man thought he was deliberately causing trouble, as there had been many such individuals lately. Thus, the old man's face immediately darkened, and he was about to reprimand him. However, Nie Kong politely posed such a question, which made it difficult for him to explode in anger immediately. His expression softened slightly: "The minimum requirement is to be a Fourth-Rank Alchemist."

"Fourth-Rank?"

Nie Kong rejoiced inwardly. "I am precisely a Fourth-Rank Alchemist."

According to the standards of the Tianling Continent, to become a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, one not only needed to possess Spirit Transformation cultivation but also be able to refine six different Fourth-Rank spiritual medicines. Nie Kong had only refined an "Illusory Annihilation Heart-Separating Pill" during the Yin Ruin Grand Ceremony.

However, after attempting the "Illusory Annihilation Heart-Separating Pill," Nie Kong felt extremely confident in refining such a Fourth-Rank spiritual medicine.

The surrounding crowd was somewhat astonished. To be a Fourth-Rank Alchemist at such a young age? Could he be an outstanding disciple from some Holy Land of Spirit Masters?

The old man was also quite surprised. Looking at the young man, barely twenty years old, yet already a Fourth-Rank Alchemist? Such individuals were rare. After scrutinizing Nie Kong from head to toe, the old man said with some surprise, "You are a Fourth-Rank Alchemist? Do you have proof?"

"What proof?"

Nie Kong didn't immediately grasp the meaning of the old man's words.

The old man stated, "The certification from the Medicine Platform for Fourth-Rank Alchemists!"

"I don't have that."

Nie Kong had never taken the examination at the "Medicine Platform," so how could he have certification? Seeing the old man's face darken again, with a faint trace of anger appearing, Nie Kong gave a sheepish smile and pulled out his waist token from Lingyu City. "Elder, this is my proof of identity. Since I claim to be a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, I certainly won't lie to you."

"A Lingyu City waist token—and an inner-city disciple, no less!" The old man's face darkened even more. Suppressing his anger, he handed the token back. "Young man, your token isn't fake, but even Gu Changgong, the Hall Master of the Heart of Medicine in Lingyu City, couldn't cure my young mistress. Since you are an inner-city disciple of Lingyu City, are you suggesting your skill surpasses that of the Hall Master?"

Nie Kong accepted the token in astonishment and exclaimed, "Hall Master Gu also treated your young mistress?"

Gu Changgong was rumored to be a Seventh-Rank Alchemist twenty years ago; who knew what level he might be now, perhaps even an Alchemy King. His skill level was unimaginable. If even he was powerless, it seemed the strange malady of the Lin Residence patient was indeed extremely difficult.

"That's right!" the old man scoffed, waving his hand. "Enough, young man, you can leave now."

Nie Kong smiled, "Wait a moment, Elder. Hall Master Gu excels at alchemy, but perhaps not as proficient in treatment. What I specialize in is treating various difficult and unusual illnesses. Why don't you let me go in and take a look? Perhaps your young mistress's condition falls within the scope of what I can cure."

Seeing that Nie Kong insisted on entering, the old man's patience had run out, and his face grew even uglier. "Young man, do you really intend to force your way in?"

Nie Kong nodded, "Certainly."

The old man sneered, "I already told you, the minimum requirement to enter the Lin Residence is a Fourth-Rank Alchemist. If you want to enter, you can come back and tell me once you have the Fourth-Rank Alchemist certification!"

"You..."

The old man's actions were understandable. If it were someone else being refused, Nie Kong could easily sympathize, but experiencing it firsthand made him restless. He couldn't help but frown, primarily because his desire to obtain the "Golden Tassel" was too urgent.

Mu Lengxing’s calm voice suddenly cut in, "What if we insist on going in?"

"You are welcome to try!" The old man shot two sharp glares at Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing. A powerful aura emanated from his body. The four middle-aged men beside the old man also blocked the entrance, their faces set in cold smiles, clearly having dealt with similar situations before.

Mu Lengxing narrowed her eyes, the corner of her lips curving slightly. "Since you insist, then I won't be polite!"

As she spoke, Mu Lengxing flicked her right sleeve as if shooing away a fly. The sleeve flowed like black streamers toward the old man. The old man, however, didn't even look, standing there arrogantly.

This old fool truly doesn't know what’s good for him. With that one sweep of Auntie's sleeve, he’d be severely injured if not dead.

Nie Kong had a decent understanding of his Third Aunt’s temperament. Killing someone here would be a trivial matter for her. If the opponent dared to retaliate, she could use it as an opportunity to snatch the "Golden Tassel." Nie Kong's original intention was to treat the patient. It would be better if the "Golden Tassel" could be obtained through legitimate means. If his Third Aunt snatched it today, others might gather forces to try and take it back tomorrow. That would only disrupt things.

"Third Aunt, let's stop," Nie Kong suddenly said.

Hearing Nie Kong's words, Mu Lengxing’s sweeping black sleeve abruptly halted in mid-air. But at that moment, the old man's right palm had already quietly lifted, swinging toward Mu Lengxing. Seeing this, Mu Lengxing snorted lightly. Her sleeve bizarrely bypassed the old man's right palm and flashed like lightning, striking his chest. Instantly, the old man stumbled back several steps, then plopped down onto the ground with a thud, his face ashen white.

"..."

Witnessing this scene, not only were the four middle-aged men preparing to act stunned, but the onlookers outside the gate exchanged glances. The clamor abruptly ceased, and the surroundings became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Nie Kong looked speechlessly at the old man. Didn't you pretend to be aloof earlier? Why didn't you keep up the pretense? Auntie already held back, yet you decided to strike—weren't you asking for it? Fortunately, Auntie showed mercy; otherwise, the old man's fate wouldn't have been so pleasant.

"He wanted proof of a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, so I’ll give him proof! Third Aunt, let’s go!" Taking a quiet breath, Nie Kong started walking away.

It wasn't until Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing disappeared from view that the crowd outside the Lin Residence finally came to their senses, astonishment filling their hearts. They knew the cultivation level of this gatekeeping old man all too well—he was a High-Rank Virtual Spirit Master. Yet, that woman managed to disable him so effortlessly with a mere touch? Could she possibly be a High-Rank Pill Spirit, or even a Cave Spirit Realm Master? And that young man, an inner-city disciple of Lingyu City at such a young age... could he hail from some powerful noble clan on the Tianling Continent?

The crowd couldn't help but murmur softly. The old man at the gate was helped to his feet by two middle-aged men. After a while, his complexion gradually returned to normal. Looking in the direction where Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing had gone, his eyes revealed a trace of unconcealed shock and fury...