Elder Sun received a message, his brow furrowing slightly.
"You two, watch over the Pill Furnace for me. These Blood Evil Pills are your reward."
Elder Sun casually tossed out two small, exquisite jade bottles, along with two black tokens.
Zhao Youliang scrambled to catch the jade bottle and token. He discovered they contained round, lustrous elixir pills that reeked of blood.
"Thank you, Elder!" Zhao Youliang kowtowed repeatedly in his excitement, his joy plain to see.
However, when he lifted his head again, Elder Sun was already gone.
Zhao Youliang looked over at Qin Xuan, his face filled with the joy of having survived a catastrophe.
"Younger Brother Xuan, we're so lucky! Not only did we survive, but we also got pills as a reward!"
"This must be the good stuff Instructor Li was talking about, the kind that can significantly boost our cultivation."
Qin Xuan, of course, had also received a bottle of Blood Evil Pills.
But as he smelled the foul, bloody stench wafting from the pills inside the jade bottle, Qin Xuan's brow furrowed. He instinctively felt that these pills were no good.
'These Blood Evil Pills... they don't seem to be the Eighth-Grade Opportunity mentioned in the divination...'
The premonition he was expecting never came.
The black token, however, was interesting. It looked like metal, yet it wasn't; it looked like jade, yet it wasn't. Ten brilliant stars were carved upon its surface.
Beside him, Zhao Youliang had already impatiently tipped out two round elixir pills, tilted his head back, and swallowed them in one gulp.
Qin Xuan's eyes widened. He couldn't have stopped him even if he'd tried.
"Brother Zhao, we don't even know what these pills do, and you just ate them?"
Zhao Youliang replied, "Younger Brother Xuan, what's there to be afraid of? I've figured it out. In this Demon Sect, we're just lambs for the slaughter. The only thing that matters is getting stronger..."
"Since Elder Sun entrusted us with guarding the Pill Furnace, he wouldn't harm us..."
But before Zhao Youliang could finish his sentence, he suddenly retched and spat out a large mouthful of foul, black blood.
With a THUD, Zhao Youliang fell backward and collapsed to the ground.
Blood trickled from his seven orifices. It was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive.
Qin Xuan facepalmed.
Now, Qin Xuan was the only conscious person left in the entire Alchemy Room.
Just as he was about to check on Zhao Youliang, a huge ball of light suddenly flashed in his mind, and two bamboo slips flew out from it.
Qin Xuan's mind sharpened.
A new warning from his Golden Finger had appeared!
[Top-Top Lottery: Do not consume the Blood Evil Pills. Gift seven Blood Evil Pills to Steward Wang to express your gratitude and gain his favor. You can obtain a Seventh-Grade Opportunity, the esteem of your superiors, and a prosperous future. Greatly auspicious.]
[Middle-Middle Draw: Consume three Blood Evil Pills. Your cultivation will increase by two layers, but pill toxins will accumulate, damaging your flesh body. You will faint on the spot, affecting your future cultivation. No opportunity. Neutral.]
This time, only two bamboo slips flew out of the ball of light.
Qin Xuan read the divination carefully... 'So the Blood Evil Pills really are problematic.'
'Although they can increase cultivation, they contain toxins that damage the flesh body. Good thing I didn't eat any.'
'On the other hand, I can use them to curry favor by gifting them to Steward Wang...'
'It wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't, though.'
According to the divination, even if he consumed the Blood Evil Pills and passed out, Elder Sun wouldn't take his anger out on him for failing to properly guard the Pill Furnace.
'Is the Golden Finger trying to teach me how to handle people?' Qin Xuan mused.
It also specifically stated to give seven Blood Evil Pills, not all ten.
Just then, a series of thunderous explosions suddenly erupted from within the giant Pill Cauldron.
RUMBLE!
Qin Xuan stared, his eyes widening in shock.
Thirteen translucent, blood-red pills floated above the Pill Cauldron, slowly solidifying.
These large, blood-red pills were formed from the flesh and skeletons of the Demon Disciples.
The only one that hadn't appeared was the blood-red pill that should have been formed from Xiao Ran.
It wasn't that it hadn't appeared... but that Xiao Ran hadn't been turned into a pill at all!
The bronze furnace fire blazed.
The flesh of the other Demon Disciples melted away, turning into a thick, bloody slurry that flowed continuously into the blood-red pills.
Their gleaming white skeletons turned to ash.
Xiao Ran, however, was different. A simple ring pendant hanging around his neck had produced a thin, pale-red barrier of light, protecting his flesh body.
Xiao Ran was in a terrible state.
Although the blazing furnace fire couldn't corrode his flesh body, the scorching heat was roasting his skin off, leaving him a bloody, mangled mess.
The veins beneath his skin were exposed and clearly visible.
He was a horrifying sight.
The intense pain had rendered him delirious; he was clinging to life only by the power of the simple ring pendant.
However, the bronze furnace fire within the Pill Cauldron grew more intense, beginning to shift to a silver-white color.
The temperature climbed ever higher. Even with the barrier's protection, some of the flesh on Xiao Ran's arm inevitably began to melt into the bloody slurry.
Just as Xiao Ran was about to be refined into a blood-red pill...
...the simple ring pendant suddenly erupted in a brilliant golden light!
The temperature of the furnace fire inside the Pill Cauldron plummeted. The already formed blood-red pills actually began to reverse their state, melting into a slowly flowing torrent of pure blood plasma.
Within the crimson torrent, a silvery-white fish swayed gently, swimming upstream toward Xiao Ran.
A flash of insight struck Qin Xuan.
A term he had never heard before suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Blood Essence White Milk]
'This is the Eighth-Grade Opportunity the Golden Finger mentioned!'
Qin Xuan's eyes lit up as he recalled the previous divination.
Everything clicked into place.
"Come here, you!"
Qin Xuan made a grasping motion with his hand. His Demonic Essence surged, and with barely any effort, the silvery-white fish was sucked into his palm.
Taking advantage of the furnace's lowered temperature...
Qin Xuan clutched the silvery-white fish in one hand and reached into the Pill Furnace with the other.
He intended to snatch the simple ring pendant from Xiao Ran's neck.
However, before he could touch the ring, a powerful repulsive force erupted, knocking him back.
"Hiss... The Spiritual Object has already acknowledged a master. My cultivation is too low to forcefully erase Xiao Ran's Spiritual Imprint," Qin Xuan hissed, sucking in a sharp breath.
Still, it wasn't a total loss.
A look of joy appeared on his face. Just by holding the silvery-white fish, Qin Xuan could feel the surging vitality contained within it.
Through his Golden Finger, Qin Xuan understood that this Blood Essence White Milk was a purified form of the Blood Essence Pills. It could increase cultivation and enhance one's physical constitution.
As for Xiao Ran...
...having lost the Blood Essence White Milk, the crimson torrent alone was not enough to completely repair his flesh body.
He could only barely stay alive within the furnace fire.
The thirteen blood-red pills floating in the Pill Cauldron had lost much of their spiritual quality.
It was safe to say that Qin Xuan had reaped all the benefits.
Qin Xuan grinned. Without the slightest hesitation, he tilted his head back and swallowed the silvery-white fish whole.
The next moment, a surging, pure Power of Origin flooded his entire body, rushing through his limbs and into every bone.
Qin Xuan felt a pleasant warmth spread through him, as if he were floating in a sea of clouds or soaking in a hot bath. His whole body felt utterly relaxed.
The Power of Origin was so immense that wisps of pure white Spiritual Qi even seeped from his pores, dissipating into the air.
But his body couldn't handle the sudden influx of power, and he too began to bleed from his seven orifices.
Yet his cultivation was skyrocketing!
In just half a day, he had surged from the Qi Cultivation Third Layer to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer!
He glanced up at Xiao Ran.
Because he had lost the Blood Essence White Milk, the guy's body was still more than half-charred. His face was unrecognizable as he floated listlessly in the Pill Furnace, delirious and kept alive only by his precious ring.
Just then, a rustling sound, followed by arguing, came from outside the Alchemy Room.
'Not good, Elder Sun is back.'
Qin Xuan crushed three Blood Evil Pills and tossed them into the furnace fire. Then, surging Demonic Essence into his palm, he slapped himself on the forehead. Feigning the effects of consuming the pills, he let his head loll to the side and "fainted."
Dimly, he heard Elder Sun's thunderous, enraged roar.
"You shameless little thief! How dare you steal my Blood Essence Pills! I'll have your life!"
...