Free Web NovelChapter 52: Chapter 51: The Real Alchemy Master
"Success! Elder Yuh did it!" Xia Heng couldn’t help but exclaim with joy.
Elder Yuh let out a silent sigh of relief. After all, even though he was a Third-Grade Alchemist, he wasn’t always guaranteed to succeed when refining a Third-Grade Purple Cloud Pill.
Elder Yuh raised his hand in a grasping motion, and the pills streamed out of the Pill Furnace like candies. More than thirty pills appeared, each with a warm luster and emitting a faint, refreshing fragrance. It was clear at a glance that they were extraordinary.
"Your turn, kid," Elder Yuh said to Wen Qingye, looking quite smug.
Wen Qingye nodded and walked over to the Pill Furnace.
Xia Heng said with a smile, "Elder Yuh, you’re incredible! You can even refine the Third-Grade Purple Cloud Pill now. Does this mean you’re about to become a Fourth-Grade Alchemist?"
Elder Yuh had been feeling quite proud, but his expression fell at the question. He couldn’t help but sigh. "If only it were that easy. I have no idea when I’ll ever become a Fourth-Grade Alchemist."
Xia Heng managed a smile, though he was disappointed. ’If Elder Yuh had broken through to become a Fourth-Grade Alchemist,’ he thought, ’then I wouldn’t have to force Xiaxia to marry Yue Peng.’
Xia Dong watched Wen Qingye and remarked, "His cultivation might not be very high, but his Primordial Qi is quite dense."
As Wen Qingye pushed his palm forward, a torrent of Primordial Qi surged out.
"Every Pill Formula has a specific order for adding the ingredients. If you mess up the sequence, the resulting pill might be different, or you might fail to refine anything at all," Wen Qingye said calmly.
Xiaxia, standing beside him, nodded like an attentive student taking in his lesson. freewёbnoνel.com
Wen Qingye had taken Xiaxia as his apprentice for two reasons. The first was her relentless pestering, and the second was that her aptitude was genuinely impressive.
After warming the furnace, Wen Qingye held up a willow twig. "For this Weeping Willow, only the twigs and leaves are used as ingredients. If you include the stalk, it will contaminate the medicinal essence, so it must be removed."
Xia Heng smirked at Wen Qingye and said, "Elder Yuh, didn’t you just throw the whole thing in and refine it? This kid sure can put on an act."
Elder Yuh chuckled a few times and continued to watch Wen Qingye. He said nothing, but while Xia Heng saw nothing special, Elder Yuh was secretly alarmed by Wen Qingye’s practiced movements.
The moment the Weeping Willow’s leaves and twigs entered the Pill Furnace, they instantly began to melt.
"Next, the Over-the-Pond Snake. You have to add it quickly."
Wen Qingye added the ingredients as he spoke, his movements clean and decisive. The Primordial Qi from his hands danced about, and the complexity of his technique left the watching Elder Yuh completely baffled.
Xia Dong, Xiaxia’s third uncle, spoke up. "Big Brother, didn’t Elder Yuh add the Over-the-Pond Snake as the third ingredient? Did this kid get the order wrong?"
Xia Heng snorted. "Hmph. He doesn’t know how to perform alchemy anyway, so it doesn’t matter if he gets it wrong. All he’s going to produce is a pile of dregs. I’m going to make him pay for the ingredients when he’s done."
"Be quiet!" Elder Yuh suddenly snapped, holding up a hand toward the Xia Family brothers.
Although the two didn’t know why, they fell silent and watched Wen Qingye’s alchemy process.
"When extracting the medicinal essence, you must be careful not to rush. Wait until the essences have completely fused before moving to the next step. Once the essence from the juices has been fully condensed, you can envelop it with Primordial Qi. This part depends on one’s own power. It requires immense control and a supreme understanding of medicinal principles. If the pressure is too light, you won’t protect the essence. If it’s too heavy, you’ll damage it."
As Wen Qingye spoke, a glob of golden liquid materialized inside the Pill Furnace—the very medicinal essence he had just described.
’Heavens! Not only is the kid’s control over his Primordial Qi astonishing, but his understanding of medicinal principles is also this profound? He even dares to expose the Medicinal Essence for others to see... This is unbelievable!’ At that moment, Elder Yuh’s heart churned like a stormy river.
Elder Yuh leaned in closer. Wen Qingye’s hand seals and Fire Control techniques were unlike anything he had ever seen or heard of. He couldn’t comprehend most of it, but he could sense that the subtle details held profound and wondrous mysteries.
Elder Yuh saw Wen Qingye’s nonchalant expression as he simultaneously performed alchemy and explained the process to Xiaxia. He was stunned. ’Calm down,’ he told himself. ’Even if I can’t understand what he’s doing, I can understand what he’s saying!’
Xiaxia stood beside him, not blinking, committing Wen Qingye’s every word to memory.
"You don’t need to use a ton of ingredients for alchemy. More ingredients doesn’t automatically mean a more valuable pill. In fact, if the medicinal properties clash, it can be counterproductive." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Wen Qingye gave a sudden wave of his hand. With a flutter of his sleeve, the Pill Fire was instantly extinguished, revealing the azure Pill Furnace.
THUD!
The Pill Furnace landed on the ground, making a tremendous noise.
Xia Heng glanced at the unused ingredients on the table and sneered, "Hey kid, you still have plenty of ingredients left over. Are you sure you were trying to make a Purple Cloud Pill?"
Wen Qingye glanced at Xia Heng and shook his head helplessly. ’He probably didn’t listen to a single word I said,’ he thought. ’He’s just been thinking about how to humiliate me this whole time.’
"Idiot!" Elder Yuh couldn’t stop himself from muttering angrily.
Hearing Elder Yuh’s curse, Xia Heng became even more smug. He turned to Wen Qingye and said, "If you’ve wasted the pill, you’ll have to compensate my Xia Family for the ingredients."
Elder Yuh was so furious he was speechless, his beard practically standing on end. He had been looking right at Xia Heng when he said it, but Xia Heng had simply assumed the insult was directed at Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye couldn’t be bothered with Xia Heng. With a wave of Primordial Qi, he flung the lid of the Pill Furnace open.
A rich, refreshing fragrance immediately spread through the room. As the scent washed over them, everyone felt their spirits jolt.
"A Fourth-Grade Pill Fragrance!" Elder Yuh exclaimed in astonishment.
Xia Heng heard this and hurriedly asked, "What? Elder Yuh, what did you say?"
Xia Dong and Xia Yuan also stared intently at Elder Yuh, desperate to know what he meant.
Elder Yuh’s expression shifted. ’With the same ingredients, he used less, yet I barely managed to produce a Third-Grade Pill. Meanwhile, he was explaining the process as he worked and created a Fourth-Grade Pill. The gap between us isn’t just a star and a half... it’s worlds apart.’
At this thought, a monstrous wave crashed through Yuh Houjiang’s heart. ’This man... he is a true Alchemy Master.’
"Master, I am deeply ashamed," Elder Yuh said to Wen Qingye, bowing respectfully.
Seeing Elder Yuh’s deferential attitude, Xia Heng’s eyes shot wide open as he stared at Wen Qingye in utter shock.
Xia Dong and Xia Yuan were equally incredulous. Elder Yuh was normally proud and aloof, someone who wouldn’t even give Xia Heng the time of day. Yet here he was, as deferential as a student. It was unbelievable.
’Is this kid... really a Pill Master?’
"I told you my master was an Alchemy Master, but you wouldn’t believe me!" Xiaxia said smugly.
After she spoke, Xiaxia went to the Pill Furnace, poured all the pills into a bottle, and walked over to Xia Heng. She shook the bottle of pills, tilted her head back, and said, "See this? These are Fourth-Grade Pills! Do you see them?"
Xia Dong and Xia Yuan hurried over, took one of the pills from Xiaxia’s bottle to examine it, and said to Xia Heng, "Big Brother, the patterns on this... it really is a Fourth-Grade Pill!"
Xia Heng gave a dry, awkward laugh and nervously rubbed his hands together.
