Hemostatic Pills, Qi Replenishing Pills, and Spirit Nourishing Pills of various kinds were thrown into the furnace. As the roaring flames burned the cauldron until it turned glowing red, Lin Wei felt as though she was about to be baked dry.
Yet, catching the faint wisps of aroma, she gritted her teeth and pushed her aging bones and joints to feed even more pills into the vessel, channeling the last remaining shreds of spiritual qi from her body into the fire.
With the final pills added, the alchemy furnace began to vibrate.
"W-What is happening?"
This was Lin Wei's first time witnessing such a spectacle; surely this furnace wasn't about to explode, was it?
Jiang Ya and the other two had never seen anything like this either. They looked at Liu Xun in complete helplessness.
Seeing all eyes turned toward him, Liu Xun was momentarily dazed, before stuttering out, "I... I can't say for certain either. I've only heard other alchemists say that when high-grade pills are formed, the furnace will trigger tremors and various anomalies... But such a massive commotion can also happen right before a furnace explodes..."
"Shouldn't we back away a bit? If the furnace explodes, it's going to be very dangerous."
Liu Xun was merely a Human-rank alchemy director; he had never laid eyes on a high-grade pill himself, so naturally he didn't know for sure—he was only going by hearsay.
If you asked him, he was convinced this furnace was about to blow.
"Then let's fall back first."
Seeing that this old fellow was already breaking out in a cold sweat, Lin Wei figured he must be scared out of his wits. Yet even in such terror, he was still trying to save face for her—resembling nothing so much as a flatterer in a modern workplace.
At Lin Wei's words, Liu Xun visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
The group retreated outside the alchemy room.
The furnace was still vibrating, and the lid looked as though it was about to be blown right off.
It was genuinely terrifying.
Lin Wei asked with a hint of worry, "This isn't going to start a fire, is it?"
These were all wooden buildings; if a fire broke out, it would be a disaster.
The people at Spirit Medicine Peak either farmed or practiced alchemy; they weren't particularly skilled in cultivation spells.
"No need to worry about that. We have a fire-prevention array here, so it won't burn down. Come to think of it, this array was actually crafted by Spirit Array Peak."
Liu Xun explained patiently, feeling a slight sense of oddness, though it passed in an instant and he didn't dwell on it.
Since there was no danger of fire, Lin Wei stopped worrying.
She knew this world was vast and there was still much for her to explore.
If she could survive, one day she would come to know it all.
The commotion from the alchemy furnace finally began to subside.
Dawn was approaching.
Confirming that there were no further disturbances, Lin Wei stepped back into the room. Liu Xun climbed up a ladder and forcefully pried open the furnace lid. A wave of pure fragrance rushed out, instantly filling him with excitement as he blurted out, "It's—it's a high-grade pill! It's a high-grade pill!"
Unfortunately, the yield was extremely meager: out of several hundred pills, only three had successfully condensed.
Liu Xun was beside himself with excitement, his hands trembling as he gathered the pills.
He reverently packaged them and handed them to Lin Wei.
Lin Wei accepted the pills and tucked them away. Daybreak had arrived, and she needed to head over to the alchemists' quarters to register and report in.
"I'm off to report in now."
Lin Wei walked toward the exit.
Liu Xun saw her out—and this time, they went past the doorway of the alchemy room.
Jiang Ya and the other two followed along as well, seeming as though they wanted to say something, but thinking better of it, they decided there was no need.
When they reached the main gate, Lin Wei stopped.
She turned back to look at Liu Xun and said, "All of you must have saved up some pills as well. If you want high-grade pills, I can come over tonight and refine them for you. If you don't need them, then we shall part ways for good."
High-grade pills were far more valuable and precious.
She had nothing else to repay them with, save for her alchemy skills.
"Old sister, r-really? Can you really do that?"
"Yes, yes, yes, we want them!"
"Then this junior will prepare a fine feast to wait for you tonight."
Liu Xun was beside himself with excitement. Based on the quantities, those pills he had could yield over a dozen high-grade pills—the value would multiply countless times over.
"Alright." Lin Wei turned around, the corners of her lips curving up slightly.
Now they were even. Splendid.
Following the map Liu Xun had given her, Lin Wei arrived at the alchemist examination registration office.
It was already afternoon; she had expected few people, but to her surprise, there was still a long queue.
Most of them were young people, so the appearance of Lin Wei, an elderly woman, immediately drew attention.
Seeing her fall in line behind him, Sun Hu couldn't help speaking up, "Granny, did you stand in the wrong place?"
Sun Hu was somewhat baffled. How could the Shangyuan Sect possibly have a cultivator of such advanced age?
At such an age, neither regular cultivators nor disciples should exist here.
Lin Wei looked at the big fellow in front of her. "This is the registration place for the Human-rank alchemist examinations half a month from now, isn't it?"
Sun Hu nodded. "Yes."
"But you're an old granny!"
Sun Hu scratched his head and finally asked, "Granny, do you even know how to make pills?"
Lin Wei rolled her eyes. "If I don't know how to make pills, why would I be standing in line? The sun is this fierce—do I look like I have time to waste?"
This child meant no harm.
He was just a bit foolish.
Lin Wei was reminded of a saying she had once seen on the internet: all brawn and no brains. Seeing him now, she felt there might be some truth to it.
Everyone else was curious enough to quietly wait and see what would happen, but this fellow just split his big mouth wide open and questioned her to the bitter end.
"Granny, I have some Cooling Pills here. Although they're only mortal-grade, taking just one can keep you cool for a few hours. Have one."
Realizing once again that he wasn't winning any favors, Sun Hu felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly produced a Cooling Pill to make amends.
Lin Wei looked at Sun Hu and saw genuine sincerity in his honest eyes. She took the pill and said, "Thank you, Xiaohuzi."
Lin Wei had caught sight of Sun Hu's waist plaque.
She was no longer illiterate; she knew his name was Sun Hu.
Sun Hu froze, then suddenly smiled sheepishly, revealing a row of white teeth. His canine teeth made him look exceptionally endearing, giving off the vibe of a wealthy landowner's foolish son.
"Granny, you look just like my grandma. Are you tired? You can ride on my back."
Coming back to his senses, Sun Hu crouched down. Where no one else could see, his eyes grew moist.
Lin Wei patted Sun Hu's shoulder. "Get up. I'm not tired yet."
Lin Wei smiled kindly. Cultivating goodwill was a good thing, even if this Sun Hu was a bit foolish.
Yet his foolishness was only in the eyes of others; in truth, it was a precious sentiment. He didn't care about the opinions of outsiders and focused solely on what he willingly chose to do.
Such a character and disposition were rare indeed.
The others either looked on with indifference or treated it like watching a joke.
The registration queue inched forward bit by bit.
After Sun Hu went inside to register and came back out, he smiled at Lin Wei, saying, "Granny, I'll wait here for you!"
Lin Wei couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at this child.
When her turn came, she went inside. The man handling the registration appeared to be about fifty years old; he took one look at Lin Wei and froze. "Old timer, where do you hail from? Did you walk into the wrong place?"
"I entered the sect through a twist of fate. Don't let my age fool you; my talent is actually quite good."
Lin Wei maintained a kind smile as she spoke.
"Then bring out the best pill you have on hand so I can register you. Even for the Human-rank, the examination is no ordinary affair."
The man didn't press further. He took Lin Wei's identity plaque and registered her according to the rules.
Lin Wei produced a medicine vial and took out the mid-grade pills she had kept aside.
One must always be on guard against others; she couldn't casually pull out high-grade pills. What if the other party bullied an old person and snatched them away? Using lower-grade ingredients to forge pills nearing mid-grade was already sufficient qualification to take the examination.
"Not bad."
The man simply uttered those two words upon inspecting the pills, completed the registration, and handed the identity plaque back to Lin Wei as he instructed, "You may head to your quarters now. Tomorrow, you can visit the medicine hall to purchase ingredients using the pills you have on hand. Half a month from now, as long as you can forge a mid-grade pill, you can receive the Human-rank Alchemist Director plaque."