"Is this the Pill Furnace?"

As soon as Su Xuan stepped into the alchemy room, he laid eyes on a large furnace. Its material was unknown to him, but its body exuded an antique, rustic metallic luster. Intricate, meandering patterns were etched on its surface, bestowing it with an exceedingly mystical aura.

"Uh… yes." The corner of the Third Elder's mouth twitched again.

You're already a Heavenly-ranked Alchemist; don't you know what a Pill Furnace is? Haven't you seen one in that dream you mentioned?

"This furnace was left to me by my Immortal Master." The Third Elder then raised his hand, gesturing for Su Xuan to sit before the Pill Furnace, and began to explain, "He cherished this furnace greatly, polishing it three times a day. He never married in his life; in my view, this furnace was his virtuous wife, their hearts perfectly in sync. When my Immortal Master was on his deathbed, he specifically passed this furnace on to me, signifying that I am his true and only Direct Disciple!"

While he spoke, the Third Elder wore a look of pride.

But Su Xuan found this rather awkward, and Xiao Yun, who was standing nearby, also felt quite embarrassed. The Third Elder's description made it sound as if his Immortal Master had passed his own wife on to him.

"Be careful," the Third Elder cautioned, clearly not noticing the issue with his words. Seeing Su Xuan roll up his sleeves, he added, "You are a Heavenly-ranked Alchemist with a pure and domineering Alchemical Fire, so don't damage my treasured furnace."

"Understood." Su Xuan nodded and extended his right hand.

At this moment, the alchemy apprentice, Xiao Yun, fulfilled her role, promptly placing a Spirit Grass in Su Xuan's hand according to the sequence on the recipe.

The Third Elder also focused his gaze on Su Xuan's right hand.

Before alchemy begins, there is a step called "Spirit Nourishing." Since the required Spirit Grass might not have grown to its ideal stage, the Pill Master must use special techniques to ripen it. This is a fundamental skill for a Pill Master, and the depth of their ability can be seen directly from their Spirit Nourishing technique.

Then, to the Third Elder's surprise, something unexpected happened.

Su Xuan merely glanced at the Spirit Grass in his hand before tossing it aside. "Get me another one," he told Xiao Yun. "This one has a bug in it."

"Impossible!" The Third Elder, unaware of Su Xuan's special vision, picked up the Spirit Grass, sniffed it, and said, "This Spirit Grass comes from the shop in Hua Shui City. Their quality is excellent; there's no way it has bugs."

"Count up from the root. The third leaf has been eaten by a worm," Su Xuan stated.

"Let me see." The Third Elder immediately tore open that leaf and, indeed, found a tiny, jade-like, crystal-clear insect inside, its two sesame seed-like eyes gleaming.

He frowned, carefully pinched the insect between his fingers, and popped it into his mouth to chew. Bugs that fed on Spirit Grass were nutritional treasures, too valuable to waste. And that particular Spirit Grass was now unusable; its nutrients were likely insufficient for it to exert its full medicinal power.

Smacking his lips, the Third Elder looked at Su Xuan with a newfound admiration.

If it had been me, I definitely would have used that flawed Spirit Grass!

"Here you are, Young Master Su." Xiao Yun respectfully handed Su Xuan a new Spirit Grass. She practically worshipped him. He was so young and handsome, yet already a Heavenly-ranked Alchemist! Among all the Pill Masters she had ever seen—not just the Heavenly rank, but even among the lower Mystic and Earth ranks—Su Xuan was the youngest!

Su Xuan inspected the new Spirit Grass. It had no issues, except for being harvested a few hours too early, leaving it slightly immature. A white mist suddenly emanated from his palm, enveloping the herb.

The Third Elder nodded in approval. Su Xuan's Spirit Nourishing technique was incredibly skillful, as if he had performed it thousands of times. The white mist also radiated a rich vitality; soaked in such a mist, the Spirit Grass would quickly be catalyzed to its optimal state.

However, such a technique, which altered the natural growth pattern of the Spirit Grass, was supposed to take some time. But the white mist Su Xuan summoned took less than a minute to completely catalyze the herb, eliciting clicks of admiration from the Third Elder. If it had been him, it would have taken at least five minutes, which was why his own alchemy session today had taken so long.

What amazed the Third Elder even more was that Su Xuan was simultaneously catalyzing the Spirit Grass while also raising his left hand to warm the Pill Furnace.

Yes, warming the furnace. The art of alchemy had something in common with cooking; the pot had to be heated before adding the ingredients.

The first Spirit Grass was ready.

The Pill Furnace was warm.

On his first attempt at alchemy, Su Xuan took a deep breath, tossed the Spirit Grass into the furnace, and unleashed the Alchemical Fire from his left hand.

BOOM!

The Alchemical Fire engulfed half the furnace. Soon, the roasted, medicinal aroma of the Spirit Grass wafted out.

Su Xuan then tossed in the second, third, and fourth Spirit Grasses. The Alchemical Fire fluctuated between large and small according to the type of herb and the current stage of the process, pulsing with a distinct rhythm!

The Third Elder stared at the dancing flames beneath the Pill Furnace and was suddenly lost in a daze. For some reason, his soul felt as if it were being nurtured by the rhythm of the Alchemical Fire, and it began to emanate a spiritual light!

Because of this radiance, his mind was flooded with a lifetime of learning. His Dan Art, which had been stagnant for many years, actually showed signs of advancing! He was like a martial arts expert of many years who suddenly encountered a grandmaster. By witnessing the grandmaster practice, he gained a sudden enlightenment!

The Third Elder's body began to tremble with excitement. His lips moved continuously as he muttered inwardly, trying to commit this epiphany to memory, lest he forget and miss such a wonderful opportunity!

Xiao Yun's understanding of the Dan Art was superficial, so she couldn't perceive the profundity within the rhythm of the Alchemical Fire. She only felt that the flames were very comforting, calming her mind and spirit. All her unhappiness vanished in an instant, as if she were sitting on the banks of a crystal-clear creek with white sand, listening to the babbling water…

CLANG!

A sudden noise broke the concentration of the Third Elder and Xiao Yun. The alchemy had reached its middle stage, and it was time to seal the furnace. Sealing the furnace meant closing the lid to prevent the spiritual energy of the herbs from escaping, which would reduce the pill's efficacy.

This task was normally Xiao Yun's, but Su Xuan simply waved his hand, using his object-controlling technique to seal the furnace himself!

Then, he narrowed his eyes, using his special vision to peer at the subtle activity inside the furnace while constantly adjusting the intensity of the Alchemical Fire.

His eyes were perfectly suited for alchemy! To have eyes that could see through a Pill Furnace was something countless Pill Masters dreamed of!

Before long, Su Xuan suddenly extended both hands, beginning to channel the Heavenly Grade Pill Flame with his palms!

It was the first time he realized that alchemy was truly a physically demanding task. The amount of cultivation energy he had expended so far was comparable to fighting a great battle with a powerful expert!

"Wipe your sweat."

The Third Elder personally took a towel and placed it on Su Xuan's forehead. He knew the alchemy had reached its most crucial stage.

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