This remark was not only heard by the onlookers surrounding them, but it was also heard with absolute clarity by Master Zhuge, whose spiritual power was formidable!
"Junior, what did you just say?"
Master Zhuge fixed his gaze on Ye Han, his tone somewhat unkind.
Unflustered, Ye Han stepped leisurely into the inner circle, and instantly, countless gazes converged upon him.
"It's him?"
Beside them, Liu Qitan caught sight of Ye Han's face and immediately bit her silver teeth in anger.
Ye Han gave a slight bow toward Master Zhuge and said bluntly,
"Although Master Zhuge has successfully refined a Tier 3 medicinal pill, the Flame Spirit Pill, your flame control falls short of standard, your alchemy technique is rather crude, and your control over spiritual power is insufficient."
Gasp! ! ! !
"Who is this brat?!"
"Hah! How dare he point fingers at Master Zhuge's alchemy!"
An uproar instantly erupted all around, and the other alchemists grew angry one after another.
Master Zhuge's alchemy skills were so superb, yet he was evaluated this way by a youth before them?
His alchemy technique was somewhat crude!
His control over spiritual power was insufficient!
Every single one of these remarks was simply unearthing and intolerable!
This string of comments acted like a boulder creating a thousand ripples, inciting the fury of countless alchemists.
"Isn't he Ye Han? The top prodigy of Yan City back then—what a pity that he's ruined!"
"So it's him..."
Hearing the voices all around, Master Zhuge's gaze also revealed a trace of contempt. To think that the one pointing fingers at him was actually good-for-nothing trash!
"Where did this stray dog come from, daring to make irresponsible remarks about my master!"
Liu Qitan's phoenix eyes swept over with a fierce glare as she sharply rebuked him.
Could just any cat or dog go around critiquing a Senior Tier 3 Alchemist now?
Ye Han seemed to say this deliberately; a sharp glint flashed through his eyes, and he said in a deep voice,
"If you don't believe me, how about I spar with Master Zhuge? However, if I win, I need to obtain a certain item."
Swish—
"I... did I hear that right?!"
"He wants to challenge Master Zhuge?!"
Down below, the crowd instantly exploded into a frenzy...
Chapter 8: Fire Dragon Spits the Pearl
Swish—
"I... did I hear wrong?! He actually wants to challenge Master Zhuge?"
The entire vast plaza was as lively as a boiling cauldron, and exclamations of shock rang out incessantly all around.
"Young people today really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Not only is Master Zhuge a man of high and noble character, but he is also one of the top-tier alchemists in the entire Yan City. For this kid to presumptuously want to spar with him in alchemy is simply being far too ignorant of how vast the world is, isn't it?"
A sharp-mouthed old man couldn't help but sneer.
"He's nothing more than a clown seeking attention! Who doesn't know that Master Zhuge has exquisite mastery in alchemy? This brat probably hasn't even grown all his hair yet, yet he dares to challenge Master Zhuge."
An alluring woman curled her lips and let out a cold huff.
All around, the rest of the people nodded in agreement.
Who was Master Zhuge?
This was one of the premier Senior Tier 3 Alchemists in the entire Yan City!
"You're even worthy of sparring in alchemy with my master?"
Even Liu Qitan was momentarily stunned, a look of disgust surfacing on her face.
Because she had not expected Ye Han's tone to be so arrogant that he actually wanted to compete in alchemy with her master!
This was no different from a firefly trying to rival the bright moon in brilliance; there was simply no comparison.
Moreover, she cast a disdainful look up and down at Ye Han—this fellow was about the same age as her.
Because Liu Qitan was born with a Dao vein for alchemy, she possessed a natural talent for it.
Yet even so, at seventeen years old, she was only an Intermediate Tier 2 Alchemist.
Even with her transcendent talent, Liu Qitan wouldn't dare claim she could step into the ranks of Senior Tier 3 Alchemists within five years.
The youth before her could never surpass her, let alone outshine her master in alchemy!
Ye Han completely turned a blind eye to the whispering voices around him. To him, a mere Tier 3 Alchemist was simply not worth mentioning.
Even in this lifetime of recultivation, surpassing a Tier 3 Alchemist was an effortless task for him!
"Young man, are you insulting this old man?"
Master Zhuge grew somewhat angry, his white eyebrows lifting.
Being challenged by a junior was an absolute insult to him!
Ye Han secretly shook his head. No wonder Liu Qitan was so arrogant; she was cut from the exact same cloth as her master.
However, he didn't feel annoyed at the moment. Instead, he pulled a scroll out from his cosmos sack, smiled faintly, and said,
"How about this? I happen to have a Tier 3 pill formula right here, and we can use it as a wager. If Master wins, this pill formula will be yours. But if by any chance I narrowly win, I want a single medicinal herb... the Cyan Wood Tortoise Vine. How does that sound?"
Having been a Pill Saint in his past life, his sea of consciousness stored a vast number of pill formulas. A mere Tier 3 pill formula was naturally something he could pull out on a whim.
This Tier 3 pill formula was worthless to Ye Han, but to Master Zhuge, it was an immensely rare treasure!
Master Zhuge's divine sense immersed into the pill formula. Initially, he harbored some doubt, but in an instant, a brilliant light erupted from his turbid eyes, and he said excitedly,
"Fine! Then this old man shall indulge you in a spar. However, to give you some leeway, the pill for this competition will be chosen by you."
"Let's go with the Nine Origins Pill."
Ye Han looked straight at Master Zhuge as he spoke.
"The Nine Origins Pill?"
Master Zhuge immediately frowned, a wave of doubt welling up inside him.
Not only was the Nine Origins Pill a Senior Tier 3 pill, but it was also a medicinal pill with an extremely high refinement difficulty.
Even for him, he only had a sixty percent success rate. Master Zhuge couldn't understand why Ye Han would choose a pill of such difficulty.
Yet Master Zhuge still nodded in agreement, and said,
"Very well, then we shall compete on the Nine Origins Pill!"
With that, Master Zhuge had Liu Qitan fetch two portions of medicinal herbs and prepared to begin the refinement.
"Wait..."
At that moment, Ye Han turned to face the crowd, swept his gaze across them, and asked,
"Is anyone able to lend me a Tier 3 pill flame?"
Swish—
"What did he say?! Lend a pill flame?"
"Hahahaha! I'm dying of laughter! This brat doesn't even have a pill flame of his own, yet he's still putting on a show and trying to refine a Tier 3 pill here!"
"If alchemists were this easy to play at, I'd have been a Pill Emperor long ago. What an absolute embarrassment!"
The crowd all around was stunned for a moment, only to be instantly submerged by a wave of sarcastic mockery.
Who on earth has ever heard of an alchemist without a pill flame!
Ye Han was indeed somewhat helpless, because the only pill flame in his possession was merely a Tier 1 flame.
"Elder Canglan, lend him your Tier 3 treasured flame, the Blazing Lion Flame, to use."
Master Zhuge said with a cold face, his inner mockery growing even more intense.
Yet inwardly he was also secretly delighted—had this kid lost his mind, actively coming over to hand him a Tier 3 pill formula on a silver platter?!
He naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with a treasure delivered right to his doorstep!
"Young fellow, you'd better be careful. This Blazing Lion Flame of mine is extremely violent; make sure you don't get scorched by this flame."
Elder Canglan's tone carried a sarcastic edge.
A true Tier 3 Alchemist could not possibly be without a Tier 3 pill flame!
With that, a brown flame landed inside the pill furnace.
Hoo, hoo, hoo—
Having obtained the flame, the two of them stood in a parallel row and began refining the Nine Origins Pill.
Hum!
One had to admit that Master Zhuge's alchemy skills were truly formidable.
With a wave of his sleeve, the medicinal herbs were sent into the pill furnace, and then the flames propped up the furnace, burning it furiously as spiritual power poured in—it truly bore the demeanor of a great alchemy grandmaster.
This refinement process was smooth and entirely free of any sluggishness.
Soon, after extracting the first batch of herbs, Master Zhuge set to work extracting the second batch.
The surrounding onlookers gasped in constant admiration, not daring to blink their eyes for fear of missing something.
Clang!
Meanwhile, at the other spot, Ye Han casually tossed all the herbs into his pill furnace in one go.
Hoo, hoo, hoo!
Unexpectedly, the violent flames directly enveloped the entire cauldron, causing it to burn fiercely.
"Look, what is that kid doing?"
"Hahaha! Is this even refining pills? Could he be stewing herbs instead?"
"If he manages to refine a Nine Origins Pill, I'll eat a pound of shit right now!"
People pointed and whispered all around, accompanied by occasional bouts of laughter.
Because Ye Han had actually shoved all the herbs crudely and haphazardly into the furnace, and then burned them frantically with the pill flame—it was utterly ridiculous!
"What reckless nonsense! He's wasting precious herbs!"
Elder Canglan couldn't help cursing angrily, his beard blowing and eyes wide.
There was no such thing as refining pills like this; refining the Nine Origins Pill required extraction in three separate batches, coupled with slow and meticulous refinement, and the slightest carelessness would cause the furnace to blow up.
With Ye Han's crude alchemy methods, such massive flames would burn away the medicinal properties completely.
"Does he really think an alchemist is just stewing vegetables?"
Liu Qitan's eyes carried even more mockery as she thought to herself that this kid really was just a half-baked amateur with no actual skill!
Despite the constant jeering all around, Ye Han continued to maintain the fierce blaze heating the furnace, entirely unfocused by the surrounding mockery.
Because what he was using this time was the unique alchemy technique bound to his Firmament Pill Body!
This technique was called: Fire Dragon Spits the Pearl!
The flames were like a dragon, and the pill furnace wrapped inside them was its pearl. Only under the condition of extremely exquisite control over spiritual power could such a feat be achieved.
Within the searing pill furnace right now, a massive divine sense was simultaneously extracting three batches of medicinal liquid!
...
Time ticked away, and four hours passed. Suddenly, Master Zhuge flicked his sleeve.
Clang!
The flames extinguished. The lid of the furnace landed on the stone platform.
He was sweating profusely and panting heavily, because the consumption required to refine this Nine Origins Pill had been simply too great!
"This old man has succeeded."
With that, Master Zhuge composed himself and lifted the lid of the furnace.
Hum!
A flash of spiritual light burst forth, a fragrance surged out, and a smooth, brown medicinal pill floated upward.
"Master Zhuge's alchemy skill has truly reached the pinnacle of perfection, utterly masterful!"
"Heh heh, that brat is probably still stewing his herbs!"
While marveling at Master Zhuge, everyone's gazes converged once more upon Ye Han, sneering repeatedly. Master Zhuge wore a stern expression and said nothing—there was simply no way someone could refine a Nine Origins Pill like that. Without a doubt, the herbs inside that furnace must have long since burned to a crisp!
Before long, Ye Han lifted his eyelids and slowly said,
"My Nine Origins Pill is also done."
Clang! Clang!
The moment those words fell, the pill furnace vibrated violently, as if an energy was about to burst out from the inside out.
Roar—
Following closely, an ancient dragon roar echoed out, and they saw the flames condense into the shape of a fire dragon. Inside the fire dragon's mouth, a glowing red pill furnace floated suspended.
This scene was precisely like a fire dragon spitting a pearl!
Within the dragon's mouth, a powerful wave of medicinal energy seemed to pulse!
"Impossible..."
Master Zhuge's expression shifted drastically. Refining with such a method should make forming a pill an absolute impossibility!
Yet...
Clang!
Hum—
The furnace lid opened, erupting with a dazzling radiance as a medicinal pill slowly emerged from the fire dragon's mouth!
"..."
The next instant, everyone's pupils contracted violently.
"Gosh, pill... pill patterns!"
Chapter 9: Guidance
"That is... a pill pattern!"
"Heavens, I actually have the fortune of witnessing a spiritual pill born with pill patterns!"
This cry made Master Zhuge and the others instantly fix their dead gaze on the Nine Origins Pill suspended before Ye Han.
In an instant, the plaza fell into a dead silence.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, not even daring to draw a full breath...
They saw that upon the smooth, round pill, a series of distinct crimson lines had emerged, shrouded in a misty radiance.
Pill patterns—it was truly pill patterns!
Ye Han had not only successfully refined the Nine Origins Pill, but he had also caused the pill body to condense rare pill patterns!
"Pill patterns... absolutely impossible!"
Master Zhuge's eyes lost focus as he clenched his fists tightly.
As everyone knew, the value of a spiritual pill bearing pill patterns was a hundred times that of an ordinary spiritual pill!
Pills possessing pill patterns could be called peerlessly rare; even if one refined ten thousand pills, there was no guarantee of producing a single one bearing pill patterns.
Though Master Zhuge had lived for over a hundred years, not once in his entire life had he successfully refined a spiritual pill born with pill patterns.
Yet this young youth before them had casually refined a spiritual pill bearing pill patterns!
Grand Elder Canglan and the elders of the Alchemist Guild were likewise shaken into speechlessness, struck dumb with shock.
As for Liu Qitan, her phoenix-like eyes were already filled with an unspeakable shock!
A Tier 3 medicinal pill, the Nine Origins Pill!
And it bore legendary pill patterns!
She asked herself: even if she were given another twenty years, she would absolutely never be able to refine such a thing.
"A seventeen-year-old Tier 3 Alchemist—leave aside the entire Yan City, even within the Eight Desolations Ancient Region, he would be a prodigy capable of causing a massive sensation!"
"Hah! Who was mocking him earlier? Got your faces slapped now, didn't you?"
"A bunch of short-sighted fellows!"
The entire plaza erupted into heated discussion amidst a wave of commotion.
Tier 3 Alchemists weren't particularly rare, but a seventeen-year-old Tier 3 Alchemist was enough to cause a sensation throughout the entire Alchemist Guild!
"Master Ye, this old man concedes defeat."
A moment later, Master Zhuge was completely convinced, his previous arrogance and contempt now completely vanished.
Replaced by it was pure admiration.
At seventeen years old, his alchemy skills had already surpassed his own!
"Master Zhuge flatters me."
Ye Han was not one to press his advantage relentlessly, and instead smoothly gave him a way to save face.
This naturally made Master Zhuge hold him in even higher regard, feeling immensely grateful inside.
"Elder Canglan, thank you for your flame. This pill flame has proven quite handy to use."
With that, Ye Han flicked his finger, and the violent Blazing Lion Flame shot out like a streak of spiritual light, darting straight into Elder Canglan's glabella.
"Master Ye is too kind."
Elder Canglan bowed respectfully.
At this moment, his heart was shaken to the core!
Such a violent Blazing Lion Flame had been made so light and docile in Ye Han's hands.
A master truly was a master!
The surrounding onlookers, seeing Elder Canglan and Elder Zhuge address a mere junior as "Master," also found it hard to believe.
One had to know that even the Lord of Yan City might not command such polite treatment from them!
"Master Zhuge, please accept this Nine Origins Pill as a gift. However, regarding the Cyan Wood Tortoise Vine, I hope you can honor our agreement."
With a wave of his sleeve, Ye Han sent the Nine Origins Pill flying into Master Zhuge's hands.
Master Zhuge held the pill with trembling hands, his gaze as if admiring a peerless treasure.
What he had pursued his entire life was precisely the refinement of a spiritual pill capable of bearing pill patterns!
Yet, Ye Han had done it!
"Easily done, easily done. Please."
The notoriously stern-faced Master Zhuge hurriedly wore a beaming smile, extending a hand to gesture them forward.
Guided by several elders, Ye Han entered the pavilion of the Alchemist Guild.
...
The Alchemist Guild, Pill Tower.
Inside the towering pagoda, disciples were currently swarming over in secret, one after another.
Some pressed themselves against the windows, while others scrambled up pillars, apparently hoping to steal a peek into the pavilion.
"Have you heard? A prodigy in alchemy seems to have come to our guild—they say his alchemy skills are even more exquisite than Master Zhuge's!"
A young girl whispered softly.
"Word is that the youth is only seventeen, the same age as Senior Sister Liu. Yet Senior Sister Liu's alchemy skills seem to fall short of his!"
A chubby boy chimed in.
"Don't shove, I can see him!"
"Gosh, so handsome!"
Some of the girls began to swoon, their imaginations running wild.
"So much noise and bickering—what kind of decorum is this!"
Suddenly, an elderly shout rang out from behind.
"Elder Yun Long!"
Over a hundred disciples quickly straightened up, lowering their heads.
"Stop peeking. Go on inside."
With those words from the white-haired elder, the crowd of male and female disciples swarmed in a rush, entering the main hall and lining up in rows.
Inside the Pill Tower, sandalwood fragrance permeated the air, lending it a solemn and respectful atmosphere.
Ye Han sat in the VIP seat, flanked on his left and right by the elders of the Alchemist Guild.
These elders usually held themselves high above others, but at this moment, before Ye Han, their faces were plastered with smiles and they were utterly respectful.
Some disciples were dumbfounded; it was their first time ever seeing these dignified elders treat a junior with such reverence—a rare sight indeed in their lifetimes.
Yet, facing someone who at seventeen had already surpassed Master Zhuge in alchemy,
Let alone them, even the President of the Alchemist Guild would have to show utmost respect!
"Please wait a moment longer, Master Ye. Elder Zhuge has already gone to fetch your medicinal herbs."
Elder Canglan stroked his beard and said with a smile.
Ye Han sipped his tea leisurely and nodded.
"I wonder if Master Zhuge—ah, Master Ye might be able to offer this old man some pointers on alchemy? I've been stuck at the Senior Tier 2 level for many years now."
At this moment, Elder Yun Long asked with some embarrassment.
The eyes of the remaining elders instantly lit up; naturally, they wanted to hear the Master's guidance as well!
"Easily done. Brew a batch of pills for me to see."
Ye Han set down his teacup and agreed.
Hoo, hoo, hoo—
Elder Yun Long nodded, then produced his pill furnace and began refining his most proficient Heavenly Spirit Pill right before Ye Han.
Ye Han observed attentively until the pill furnace settled, at which point he mused,
"Elder Yun Long possesses abundant spiritual power, but your flame control falls slightly short. How about this? I will bestow upon you a flame control technique."
With that, Ye Han began to demonstrate.
The violent flames within his palm were actually rendered so fluid and docile!
"Brilliant! Utterly brilliant!"
"As expected of master-level flame control!"
The elders gasped in endless amazement, looking at one another with gazes filled with shock.
No wonder Master Zhuge had lost!
Boom—
"Hahaha!"
"This old man has broken through to a Tier 3 Alchemist!"
Half an hour later, a burst of wild laughter echoed out. As it turned out, following Ye Han's casual pointers, Elder Yun Long had actually broken through.
The bottleneck that had eluded him for ten whole years had been shattered by Ye Han in just a few sparse words, successfully stepping him into a Tier 3 Alchemist!
"Master Ye, please guide me as well—my control over spiritual power is lacking!"
"This old man wants to learn that flame control technique too!"
"Master Tianque, cutting the line like this isn't right—clearly I was step ahead of you."
Seeing Elder Yun Long advance to a Tier 3 Alchemist, the other elders naturally grew envious as well. How could they let such a golden opportunity slip by? Blushing, they shouted and scrambled to vie for Ye Han's guidance in their alchemy, leaving the group of disciples staring in stunned disbelief from the side.