Inside the Spring Breeze Hall, the flickering candlelight illuminated the white-haired alchemist's face, casting a play of dark and light.

As the white-haired alchemist finished speaking, Qin An slightly furrowed his brows.

Yang Quanfeng had sent him to the Spring Breeze Hall with certain intentions.

The Spring Breeze Hall had always had dealings with the Evil Extermination Bureau, and they should have been harmonious.

Yet the old man's tone was tinged with impatience, even subtly carrying an intent to dismiss, which led Qin An to sense there was a story beneath.

After saying this, the white-haired alchemist fell silent and continued to fiddle with his pills.

The atmosphere momentarily stagnated.

The young boy quietly approached and whispered, "Sir, perhaps you should return first. My master has been in a poor mood lately. If you wish to learn alchemy, you may need to wait some more days."

While the alchemist could be terse, the young boy had to remain respectful in his words, fearing to offend the Silver State Guard.

Qin An pondered, "What brought about the poor mood?"

The young boy was about to respond when there was a sudden crisp sound.

The alchemist threw the pill in his hand fiercely and turned to shout, "I told you to leave, so leave! Why all the nonsense? Xiaoyuan, see him out!"

Xiaoyuan hurriedly urged, "Sir, you'd better leave first…"

Qin An pushed Xiaoyuan aside and approached the alchemist, saying, "Old man, I've come here with sincerity and never shown any disrespect. You can tell me what's going on, and if it is beyond me, I will leave without complaint."

Now that he was here, Qin An intended to learn the alchemy technique.

Though he didn't understand why the alchemist was acting this way, he had to get clarity.

If it could be resolved, he would do so.

If not, he would seek another path with Yang Quanfeng.

The white-haired alchemist sneered, "Such sharp words! A mere Silver State Guard of the Jade Bone Realm, and you dare boast of fixing my troubles?"

Qin An calmly replied, "If unsaid, naturally unresolved; if said, perhaps not hopeless."

"Such boldness!"

The white-haired alchemist walked up to Qin An, squinting his eyes: "Follow me."

With that, he turned and walked toward the inner courtyard.

Qin An stroked his black blade and followed behind.

Xiaoyuan and several medicine boys exchanged glances but dared not follow, remaining in the outer hall to tend to the pill furnace.

...

After passing through a deep corridor, the two arrived at the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was tranquil and solemn, with dark moss creeping between the seams of the stone-paved ground.

In the center stood a two-person tall bronze pill furnace, embossed with coiled dragon patterns.

The three legs were steeped in years of incense ash, and wisps of purple smoke above had lightly blackened the copper bell hanging from the eaves.

"I am Ge Feng."

The white-haired alchemist approached the pill furnace and opened the copper mirror in the center: "Take a look at what's inside."

When the copper mirror was opened, Qin An focused his gaze inside.

Inside, it was as red as blood, a pill suspended at the center, with a peculiar luster all over it.

Ge Feng stroked his white beard, "This is a Yang Elixir."

Yang Elixir?

Qin An was slightly surprised.

His goal for this trip was to learn the crafting method and produce a Yang Elixir.

He hadn't expected that there was already one hidden in the pill furnace.

Ge Feng slowly said, "To be precise, it is not a Yang Elixir, but a Pseudo Yang Elixir."

"The state governor has ordered me to produce a Yang Elixir in three months."

"If a Yang Elixir is crafted, I will become the Evil Extermination Bureau's designated pill master."

A trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

"I have offended many demons. If protected by the Evil Extermination Bureau, I can focus on alchemy without concern."

"However, crafting a Yang Elixir is not so easy; I am still utterly stumped."

Saying this, Ge Feng shook his head dejectedly.

Collaboration is collaboration, but not necessarily means relying on this big tree of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Ge Feng had offended many demons in his early years and felt there might be danger if he couldn't join the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Qin An came to his senses: "Is this why you're taking your anger out on me?"

Ge Feng sneered, "Anger? I am well-aware of the governor's plan, merely wishing to free himself from upper management's control and become self-sufficient."

"Yet, why push this upon me? I don't have such skill."

"Your visit indeed riled me up, and now that you've seen, leave quickly."

Qin An asked, "What must be done for you to teach me the alchemy technique?"

Although the situation was clear, Qin An still wanted to learn the alchemy technique.

If he could learn it from Ge Feng, he could save a lot of trouble.

Ge Feng was infuriated, then laughed: "If you can craft a Yang Elixir, I will teach you wholeheartedly, why not?"

He casually set a condition.

If one can craft a Yang Elixir, there's no need to learn the alchemy technique.

He just didn't wish to teach.

If the state governor didn't set excessive demands, he wouldn't trouble Qin An about it.

Qin An nodded: "Alright."

Ge Feng waved his hand: "Knowing it's impossible, hurry and leave, you… what did you say?"

Before he finished speaking, Ge Feng was stunned, suspecting he might have misheard.

Qin An stroked his black blade, "But the order must change; teach me the alchemy technique first, then I'll impart you the Yang Elixir method."

Ge Feng snapped out of his thoughts, sneering: "You brat, dare to mock me. You, a newcomer…"

Qin An's gaze was piercing: "Dare to gamble?"

Ge Feng frowned: "What do you mean?"

Qin An glanced at the pill furnace: "Gamble that I have the talent to fulfill my promise."

Ge Feng stared at him for a long time, then burst into laughter: "Interesting."

Qin An walked to the pill furnace: "Then start teaching."

Ge Feng, intrigued by Qin An's confidence, took out a pill book from his bosom.

Bet, why not bet?

Teaching the basics wouldn't waste much time.

Later, he would see Qin An's face thoroughly dropped.

"This pill book records the basics of alchemy."

Ge Feng slowly said: "After you've read it, try using the discarded pill furnace in the courtyard. As for the materials… I can provide, but you must pay me."

Though it was a gamble, Ge Feng wouldn't give anything for free.

Qin An took the pill book, found a rattan chair, sat down, and began reading without acknowledging Ge Feng.

Watching him, Ge Feng frowned, feeling this young man's demeanor was overly aloof.

Yet, he didn't bother with Qin An, snorted coldly, and flung his sleeve as he left.

Before long, only Qin An was left in the inner courtyard.

...

Time passed by, and an hour slipped past in a daze.

Qin An closed the book, took a discarded furnace from the corner, and began to concoct the most common pills.

Following the alchemical formula, Qin An placed the prepared ingredients into the pill furnace and lit the fire.

The roaring flames gradually burned, and soon, the fire within the pill furnace grew fierce.

Qin An watched the pill furnace, controlling the size of the flames with a palm fan in hand.

About the time of a stick of incense, cracks appeared on the pill furnace, and then it exploded violently.

"Boom!"

With a loud noise, the Gang Qi of Qin An's celestial martial body rose, deflecting the fragments of the pill furnace, and his brows slightly unfurrowed.

Before him, smoke appeared, twisting like snakes into words.

[Pill Master lv.1 (0/100): The success rate of your alchemical concoctions slightly increases]

Qin An's lips curled slightly: "It worked."

Though the furnace exploded, Qin An had a basic grasp of the pill master's principles, marking an entrance into the art.

Footsteps sounded in the inner courtyard.

Ge Feng looked at the mess, sneering: "It seems your talent isn't that impressive after all."

He was somewhat displeased with Qin An's indifference.

Especially regarding their bet.

The fact that an irresponsible youngster dared to learn alchemy was simply laughable.

Qin An said nothing, found another discarded pill furnace, and began the concoction process anew.

Seeing this, Ge Feng frowned: "Still not giving up?"

He had expected Qin An to quit so he could mock him afterwards.

As for the previous bet, he saw it as nothing more than Qin An's impulsive act.

Never did he imagine Qin An would start concocting again.

Ge Feng crossed his arms, his white hair swaying in the breeze: "I am curious to see what you can concoct."

He wasn't in a hurry to leave, choosing to watch from the side.

Qin An repeated his previous steps, reigniting the furnace.

Half an incense stick of time passed, but the expected explosion did not occur.

After the furnace cooled, Qin An extracted three pills from it.

Ge Feng was stunned, quickly walked up to Qin An, and snatched the pills from his hand for close inspection.

"Dark in color, with a fragrant aroma, did you concoct a Clear Heart Elixir?"

The Clear Heart Elixir is a basic pill, known for clearing the mind and brightening the eyes.

But for Qin An to succeed on just his second try was simply uncanny.

When Ge Feng first learned alchemy, it took him two days to succeed.

Qin An did not respond but continued to follow the Clear Heart Elixir formula and began concocting again.

His skill proficiency was unrelated to what he concocted; as long as he continued alchemy, his proficiency would rise.

He wasn't bothered to look at other formulas, focusing on concocting the Clear Heart Elixir instead.

Ge Feng asked: "You've already succeeded, why continue?"

He was perplexed, not understanding why Qin An persisted in making Clear Heart Elixirs.

Qin An remained silent, solely focused on the furnace flames.

Seeing Qin An's aloof demeanor, Ge Feng sneered: "Only just entered the art, yet so arrogant and ignorant; such person cannot achieve greatness!"

He felt a bit infuriated, putting the Clear Heart Elixirs back in place and leaving the courtyard on his own.

In alchemy, talent matters, but a humble mindset is more crucial.

Todays' agitated mood of Qin An didn't concern Ge Feng in the slightest.

Entering the art and concocting the Yang Elixir are worlds apart.

When this youngster tastes failure, he'll naturally back down.

Soon, Qin An was the sole person left in the small courtyard once more.

...

Time flows, and in a flash, several days had passed.

In the alchemy room, Xiaoyuan handed over a cup of hot tea.

"Teacher, there's an overstock of Clear Heart Elixirs; they're unsold in the market."

Ge Feng drank some tea, indifferently replied: "Let the boy concoct as much as he wants and just keep selling them."

Xiaoyuan looked helpless but dared not speak further.

Ge Feng shifted the topic: "How is he doing?"

Xiaoyuan pondered and answered: "Mr. Qin is quite regular, always punctual, but only focuses on concocting Clear Heart Elixirs, it seems hard for him to master alchemy techniques."

Ge Feng inquired: "Did you pass on my words to him?"

Xiaoyuan nodded: "I hinted indirectly, suggesting he should come and see you, but Mr. Qin seemed to ignore it."

Ge Feng's mouth twitched slightly, setting down the teacup heavily: "I saw potential in him, gave him a step down, yet he actually considers himself important."

Xiaoyuan refrained from replying, but he understood his teacher's meaning.

Since he became a disciple, he'd never seen his teacher offer someone an out.

This proved that Qin An had a talent for alchemy, and a very high talent at that.

As for the matters between Qin An and the teacher, Xiaoyuan was unaware.

Ge Feng took another sip of tea: "Continue with your tasks and ignore him."

All that needed to be said was already communicated; if Qin An remained obstinate, there was no need for further intervention.

Xiaoyuan agreed, preparing to turn and leave.

Yet at the moment of his turning, footsteps suddenly echoed.

Turning back, Xiaoyuan saw Qin An approaching with a black blade at his waist, immediately asking: "Mr. Qin, is there something you need?"

Ge Feng snorted coldly, pretending not to see Qin An.

Qin An brushed his hand over the black blade and said: "I need the Blood Qi Elixir formula."

Ge Feng was momentarily stunned: "Finally changing formula, huh?"

Qin An nodded: "I've realized something."

Ge Feng nearly spat blood: "You could've concocted the Blood Qi Elixir on the second day, yet you only learn it today, are you opposing me?"

Qin An did not answer, calmly looking at Ge Feng.

Opposing?

Nonexistent.

He simply wished to quickly advance his pill master profession.

As for why he chose to change pills today, he naturally had his reasoning.

Before his eyes, a line of smoke appeared, twisting like a snake into words, floating mid-air.

[Pill Master lv.2 (200/200): The success rate of your alchemical concoctions slightly increases]

[Talent: None]

[Promotion Condition: Concoct one Blood Qi Elixir (0/1)]

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