Chapter 52

Qin Yu secretly felt delighted. Originally he was still considering how to continue studying alchemy, but he didn't expect the plain-clothed old man to be dissatisfied and come to his door proactively; this turned out to be a good opportunity.

"Wait, Senior Brother Qin Yu, this seems somewhat unfair for you—if you win you can take twelve thousand spirit stones." Lin Sheng feigned hesitation and said, "What if he loses? Let's discuss it properly; there's no rush with the wager."

Lin Sheng made a motion to pull Qin Yu away, because he clearly knew this was another trap. The spiritual energy required to refine Foundation Establishment and Qi Blood Pills cannot be supported by just the first layer of Foundation Establishment, let alone continuous alchemy. Previously refining Coagulating Blood Pill had already shown signs of supreme grade, certainly consuming a lot. Therefore, leaving now is the best solution, to temporarily avoid the sharp edge.

Moreover, Lin Sheng knew Qin Yu had never refined any pills, for back when he was at Leize he had only reached the seventh layer of Body Tempering and couldn't even attempt alchemy. … Qin Yu possesses absolute talent; he only needs to cultivate in seclusion for a period, after which not only Foundation Establishment and Qi Blood Pills, but even Profound Tier pills will be no problem. So why would we give away those twelve thousand spirit stones?

Wait, you say come and you come, say leave and you leave?" The old man in coarse clothes said displeased, "I have been immersed in the Yellow Tier Blood-Coagulating Pill for decades, long since mastering the supreme-grade refining method; now that Qin Yu has grasped it, I naturally demand an explanation. If he truly can learn it just by watching once, then I have nothing to say. If I lose, I am willing to take out 200,000 spirit stones! How about that? As a sect steward, I would naturally not let you disciples suffer a loss.

The old man in coarse clothes clasped his hands behind his back, appearing quite composed. Only the other few elders showed contempt on their faces. This was clearly a sure win, so there was no need to fear. Not to mention betting 200,000 spirit stones; even if they bet 2,000,000, exchanging for 120,000 spirit stones, they would still be willing.

Good! Since the steward said so, if that brat is still ungracious, it's my fault." Qin Yu readily agreed, "Since the steward wants to bet, I accept."

How good… In the Profound Yang Sect, there are indeed many good people. Knowing I lack spirit stones, they just handed over 200,000 right away. How could I feel embarrassed?

Good! Let me first demonstrate it for you, starting with the Foundation Establishment Pill, then the Blood Vitality Pill. If you don't watch carefully, that's not my problem. If you can achieve total recall and successfully refine the pill in one go… then the appearance, naturally, won't be too bad, right? At the very least it should match mine, including the success rate.

Lin Sheng suppressed his inner anger; this is clearly bullying. If not for the strict sect rules, he would have punched him outright. You're merely a half-step Profound Tier alchemist, compared to someone who just started refining pills—it's already enough. Yet now you even want to compete on pill quality and success rate—this is utterly shameless!

Qin Yu, however, directly stopped him, giving a slight nod to show agreement.

Boom!" A deep, thunder-like sound erupted from the old man in coarse clothes, his wrinkled face showing a solemn expression. He focused his mind entirely, placing his spirit within the alchemy cauldron.

Hummm!" He slightly raised his hands, spiritual energy surged, wrapping all the nearby herbs, from weak to strong, a total of twenty times, flowing toward the alchemy cauldron. He formed hand seals, profound and mysterious, as streams of fire spewed forth, circulating within the cauldron, merging all the herbs.

Time trickled by; every move of the old man in coarse clothes was extremely swift, hard to follow with the naked eye. Clearly, he did not want Qin Yu to learn, and also guarded against the possibility that the other party truly was a pill-refining genius.

Whether controlling the fire or the flow of medicinal efficacy, Qiming has done it to the utmost this time, even the appearance faintly approaching supreme-grade, with a chance to leap tiers." An elder from the pill-refining chamber said solemnly. "He's truly serious now."

Each furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills yields eight tablets; the cost is roughly 30,000 spirit stones, but each pill sells for as high as 10,000 spirit stones. If perfectly refined, the profit can reach 50,000 spirit stones. Of course, each refinement of Foundation Establishment Pills consumes a great deal of mental energy, and the success rate is not that high—usually only five or six pills.

They could all see that the old man in coarse clothes was giving his all this time, plus the 120,000 spirit stones Qin Yu had previously sold. If he won, he would gain about 200,000 spirit stones—equivalent to swindling a disciple. It was a bloody profit.

Hummm!" After another half hour, the humming sound within the alchemy cauldron gradually faded. The old man in coarse clothes lightly exhaled a turbid breath, dispersing all the pill fire; the heat vanished instantly. Inside the cauldron, seven crystal-clear pills appeared, their bodies entwined with faint Dao patterns, merging with heaven and earth. They were completely different from the previous Blood-Coagulating Pill.

This pill's appearance is nearly Yellow Tier supreme grade; it could sell for 12,000 spirit stones. Senior Brother… if not, we'll just forget it; next time we'll regain face, and I can recommend a Profound Tier alchemist to be your master." Lin Sheng understood clearly. This was undoubtedly a loss. Even a Yellow Tier supreme-grade alchemist could not win now. Giving him a step down, temporarily withdrawing, later we'll regain face and make this steward's face swell. Because one failure affects the Dao heart—same for pill refining. Lin Sheng hopes Qin Yu can temporarily see his current pill-refining level.

Qin Yu shook his head: "Please fetch the pill formula and the herbs." He had already memorized the entire pill-refining process; this free 200,000 spirit stones—why would he not take it?

Lin Sheng, seeing this, involuntarily shook his head in helplessness. Every peerless genius has a nature of not turning back until hitting the south wall. He then went to the second floor to temporarily purchase the herbs, after all… he feared the other party might tamper with things; at the very least he couldn't afford to lose over this.

While gathering spiritual herbs, he happened to meet his cousin Lin An. Lin An's brows were tightly furrowed as he looked at his hurried cousin, stepped forward, grabbed him, and asked what had happened. Upon inquiry, he discovered it was a conflict with a steward from the pill-refining chamber. Lin An couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Who knows what you're panicking about." Lin An said, "That person's actions are beyond our guesswork. Since Qin Yu undertook this matter, he must be confident. Have you forgotten his deeds in the outer sect grand competition? Remember, such monsters never act without certainty.

Let's go together and watch that steward suffer a crushing defeat." Upon hearing that Qin Yu had something to do, the more than ten inner sect disciples behind them lit up, eager to go. "What's a steward?" they thought. This batch of them, in the inner sect, is already mid-to-high; they could even become outer sect elders in the future.

Lin Sheng, hearing this, paused slightly: "But cousin, Brother Qin Yu is refining pills for the first time." Lin An glanced at his cousin: "He's also facing a beast tide for the first time." Having said that, carrying the spiritual herbs, he strode confidently toward the pill-refining chamber, intending to cheer Qin Yu on and hold the fort. This was a good opportunity to make connections.