Chapter 150: Chapter 150: Stunning Everyone
Chapter 150: Stunning Everyone
Xiao Yan was dumbfounded!
He had thought there was some special property of this medicinal ingredient that he wasn't aware of, and that discovering this special property was the key to passing the test.
However, when he saw others pouring out their refined medicinal powders one after another, he couldn't help but sigh.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with him refining it once; rather, the problem was that these people needed to refine the ingredient eight or ten times to achieve sufficient purity.
It was akin to how in ancient times, forging weapons required repeatedly hammering and quenching iron blocks to remove carbon impurities, only then could high-quality steel be produced.
But that was due to the underdeveloped industrial technology of the past. Modern industry no longer required such repeated hammering to obtain refined steel.
Xiao Yan possessed a Heavenly Flame, the Flame Mantra, extremely powerful Spiritual Strength, and precise alchemy techniques. This allowed his refining process to be as efficient as modern industry, easily obtaining ultra-high purity medicinal essences.
A single refinement achieved perfection.
While others needed to refine the Black Iron Spiritual Leaf several times to remove the black impurities, he directly used his Heavenly Flame to destroy the leaf, then extracted the required medicinal properties from the destruction.
Hence, when he saw that Liu Ling and Little Princess Yue Er's powders were grayish-white, and some people's were even grayish-black, he completely understood.
These people's skills were too lacking!
Dead silence.
The originally lively hall instantly became silent as a grave, even the sound of breathing lessened.
Qie Mi Er and Ao Tuo didn't even want to answer Xiao Yan's question.
Why refine it so many times? Isn't that obvious?
Without refining it multiple times, the impurities simply couldn't be removed!
This was also the reason why Xiao Yan could often produce multiple pills in a single batch when refining. With his Heavenly Flame, his extraction of medicinal ingredients wasted almost nothing, and the purity was extremely high. As a result, not only was the quality of his pills excellent, but he also saved on medicinal materials.
Liu Ling and Little Princess Yue Er abruptly stood up and looked at the white powder on the testing device. As alchemists, they naturally understood how terrifying the purity of that powder was.
'Nearly 100% purity!' Yue Er gasped, covering her mouth, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan. This was a level of purity even the Association Chairman couldn't achieve!
'How is this possible? I've only seen my Master achieve this purity, and that was only with the lowest-grade medicinal ingredients.' Liu Ling's heart trembled. Didn't this mean Xiao Yan already possessed the strength of a 6th-tier alchemist?!
As for cheating, that was even less likely. Xiao Yan hadn't left at all, and even if he had slipped out, who could refine the Black Iron Spiritual Leaf to such a degree?!
Just as all the alchemists were utterly astonished and didn't understand why, it was Liu Ling who provided the answer.
"A Heavenly Flame! You truly possess a Heavenly Flame!" He had been somewhat uncertain before; after all, removing the Searing Poison could have been accomplished by other means. But now he was sure.
"A Heavenly Flame!!"
"He actually has a Heavenly Flame!"
"No wonder it was because he had a Heavenly Flame."
As if they had found an excuse for their own failure, all the alchemists, including the Deputy Chairman, nodded in relief.
They didn't dare believe, couldn't bring themselves to accept, that an eighteen-year-old youth could accomplish what even the Association Chairman couldn't. They couldn't come to terms with the vast chasm between their own talent and Xiao Yan's.
They refused to acknowledge the fact that, compared to Xiao Yan, they were actually quite mediocre.
Therefore, their inner defense mechanisms kicked in, attributing everything to 'luck'.
They convinced themselves that Xiao Yan was simply fortunate to obtain a Heavenly Flame, and that if they had a Heavenly Flame, they could do it too.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly. He didn't mind others attributing his success to his possession of a Heavenly Flame. In reality, having a Heavenly Flame was also part of his strength, an inseparable part of himself.
Inside the hall, the discussions persisted for a long time before gradually calming down.
Gazes filled with awe, curiosity, envy, unwillingness, and various other emotions continuously shot toward that slender back.
Only the gaze of contempt was absent.
Beside him, Liu Ling's handsome face alternated between gloom and irritation, his eyes fixed intently on that golden score. For him, who was extremely proud to the bone, this was somewhat difficult to accept.
But Liu Ling had forgotten one thing-the machine displayed a score of ten only because ten
was its maximum, not because Xiao Yan's strength was merely at ten.
The gap between them was definitely more than a mere three points.
"Then, may I take my leave now?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.
Gazing at this smiling youth before them, the two peak 4th-tier alchemists on the cusp of reaching tier 5, Qie Mi Er and Ao Tuo, both felt their hearts tremble.
For some inexplicable reason, they sensed that Xiao Yan's strength surpassed their own, and by a significant margin at that!
Qie Mi Er and Ao Tuo could only nod blankly. After Xiao Yan politely clasped his hands in farewell, he took the lead in leaving the hall, leaving behind a profound and unfathomable
silhouette.
Many people were waiting outside the hall for the results, and Steward Zhao had naturally arrived early as well.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, the carriage has been prepared," Steward Zhao said respectfully.
Xiao Yan nodded and followed Steward Zhao out of the Alchemist Association. After all, this was just the exemption test; the real Alchemist Grand Meeting would be held tomorrow.
Of course, for others, it was actually already over.
As for whether those alchemists would attribute his success to luck or express admiration, he paid it no mind. He only cared that the tier 6 pill recipe wouldn't disappoint him. "Did Young Master Xiao Yan's test go smoothly?" Steward Zhao asked while driving the
carriage.
"It was alright, not much of a challenge," Xiao Yan looked out at the bustling traffic outside the window and replied indifferently.
Steward Zhao heard Xiao Yan's nonchalant tone and understood that he had likely taken first place. After all, he was one of the few who had witnessed Xiao Yan's exceptional skills in detoxification and alchemy.
"There will be a gathering at the mansion this evening, bringing together clans of all sizes from across the capital to celebrate the Old Master's recovery. Will Young Master Xiao Yan be attending?" Steward Zhao inquired softly.
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered as he inwardly smirked, 'This is clearly a 'Hongmen Banquet' to proclaim to all the clans in the capital that Nalan Jie, one of the Ten Strong in the Jia Ma
Empire, has recovered and returned, in order to intimidate those clans who have harbored
ulterior motives in recent years.'
"Then I'll attend. I'm also curious to see if any among the younger generation in Jia Ma Sacred City can open my eyes. The younger generation of alchemists isn't up to much." Xiao Yan merely smiled calmly. The younger generation of alchemists were just so-so. In any case, they didn't bring him much of a surprise.
He could only hope to see what strong individuals might be on the cultivation path.
...
As night fell, Xiao Yan awoke from his cultivation and stepped down from the lotus platform. He fed a Purple Flame Pill to Mao Wu, glanced at the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python still asleep as it reconstructed its body, then pushed open the door and headed toward
the main hall.
He didn't even bother to change clothes, still wearing the same casual outfit from the
morning.
Xiao Yan approached slowly. Bursts of lively chatter and laughter mixed with melodious music drifted out from the main hall. The entire hall had become a scene of a joyful gathering.
His gaze swept across the hall. He was a bit surprised to find that not only were Liu Ling and Little Princess Yue Er here, but even Ya Fei was among them.
At this moment, she was wearing a tight red cheongsam with a snow-white fox fur shawl that added a touch of elegance and opulence. Her beautiful and enchanting figure made many men in the hall secretly cast fiery glances her way.
In contrast, as the young lady of the Nalan Clan, Nalan Yanran stood alone in a corner, leaning
against a stone pillar and elegantly sipping red wine. She was still wearing the Misty Cloud Sect's signature silver moon-colored robe, which occasionally accentuated the graceful curves beneath.
With such a refined appearance, it was no wonder that many people in the hall were entranced while looking at her. It wasn't unusual for a woman with such a transcendent temperament to
have countless men pursuing her.
Ya Fei, perhaps deliberately, smiled upon seeing Xiao Yan and said, "Oh? Isn't this the first- place finisher of today's internal test of the Alchemist Grand Meeting?"
Instantly, everyone's eyes turned uniformly toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes at her, shrugged his shoulders, and slowly strode into the main hall.