Yan Qingxuan was furious.
The Path of Alchemy—nine great ranks.
The first three, mere apprentices.Four to six, true masters of the craft.Seven and above? The legendary pill sages, standing at the peak of the continent.
Yan Qingxuan, a sixth-rank alchemy master, had spent his entire life on this path. His greatest wish—his obsession—was to break through and step into the seventh rank, to leave his name etched into the annals of alchemy.
Yet in the Great Xia Kingdom, there were hardly a handful of people who could even converse with him about the deeper mysteries of the art.
Isolation. That was his prison.
And now—he had finally encountered someone who could inspire him, who could spark that long-lost fire of discovery.
But this little beast Bai Zixuan had nearly driven him away?!
Yan Qingxuan's old face grew dark as a storm.
"Bai Zixuan!"
His voice thundered like a crashing cauldron."You've grown bold. Who gave you the courage to drive out my honored guest from Qingxuanju?"
He glared, the weight of his authority pressing down like a mountain."It seems this humble place cannot hold a great Buddha like you. Get out."
Bai Zixuan's legs went weak. His face turned ashen, his mouth opening and closing like a fish on land.Gone. It's all gone. My place. My standing. All gone…
Before anyone could speak, a clear and surprised voice came from the courtyard.
"Jiang Chen? Why are you here?"
Jiang Chen turned his head to see Su Lingxiang stepping out.
"Jiang Chen?"
Yan Qingxuan's eyes widened at the name.
"Lingxiang girl, is this… the alchemy genius you told me about? The bronze student you recommended to me?"
Su Lingxiang nodded quickly, her beautiful face full of excitement.
"Yes, teacher. Jiang Chen is… the most talented alchemy genius I have ever seen in my life. With his qualifications, he is worthy of being your closed disciple—to inherit your life's work."
Yan Qingxuan let out a low, self-deprecating laugh."Disciple? No, no… I fear I am not worthy to be this little friend's teacher."
The courtyard went silent.
Even Su Lingxiang blinked in disbelief.Teacher… not worthy?
Yan Qingxuan turned to her, his voice shaking slightly."Do you know… it was this very little friend Jiang Chen who reminded me just now that the Qingshuang Spirit Fruit was misplaced?"
"What?!"
Su Lingxiang's heart trembled.
She looked at Jiang Chen, her lips parting slightly."Jiang Chen… how could you know that? Don't tell me… do you have a complete formula for the Life Renewal Pill?"
Jiang Chen chuckled lightly, shaking his head."The Life Renewal Pill is an ancient Qi pill, lost for countless generations. How could I possibly have its pill formula?"
Then, with casual ease, he raised the sheet of parchment in his hand.
"When I came in, your junior brother wanted to test me. So he gave me this incomplete Life Renewal Pill formula, asking me to fill it in."
He paused, a faint smile on his lips.
"I glanced at it… and suddenly, I understood."
Su Lingxiang was stunned into silence.
Glanced at it… and understood?
She and her teacher had spent days agonizing over this incomplete formula. Even after endless trial and error, they hadn't been able to refine a true Life Renewal Pill.
And this youth… filled in the ancient formula after a single look?
Even for one who had long since learned to expect the impossible from Jiang Chen, this was monstrous.
Yan Qingxuan trembled, his voice low.
"Little friend Jiang Chen… are you saying that after just one glance at the remnant pill formula, you were able to complete it?"
Jiang Chen nodded."More or less."
Hiss!
Yan Qingxuan sucked in a cold breath.
From ancient times to now, countless pill recipes had been lost to history. To reconstruct even one of them often took generations of research.
But this boy… this boy could see the truth of an ancient formula in a single glance?
Yan Qingxuan felt his heart pound in a way it hadn't for decades.
This youth wasn't merely talented. He was a monster.