Chapter Forty-Eight: I Am a Born Genius
The medicinal herbs required for alchemy must be of the correct age and quantity—neither more nor less. If the proportions are off, the concoction is likely to fail due to conflicting properties. Gu Xiaopang first prepared no fewer than twenty sets of materials, then carefully reviewed the lessons learned from yesterday’s repeated explosions of the furnace.
Placing one hand over the mouth of the furnace, he silently channeled his fire-attribute true energy. Instantly, a stream of flame resembling a crimson dragon ignited within the alchemy furnace. With his other hand, he swiftly flicked a ten-year-old ginseng root from the prepared materials into the furnace. As soon as the ginseng entered, the red flames enveloped it; in moments, the root was charred black, yet a thick liquid slowly seeped from its surface.
Once the entire ginseng root was completely incinerated, only a drop of milky-white fluid remained, floating quietly at the edge of the flames inside the furnace. Next, a ten-year-old vine of chicken’s blood was flicked in...
When all the required herbs had been refined, leaving only a few clusters of concentrated essence suspended within the furnace, Gu Xiaopang knew the most crucial step had arrived.
He unleashed the full power of the crimson fire dragon and, simultaneously pressing his other hand to the furnace mouth, infused it with azure true energy. The wood-attribute azure fire dragon, combined with the crimson dragon, instantly enveloped all the clusters of liquid, subjecting them to intense flames. The various colored liquids began to blend and permeate each other in an orderly fashion...
The final step, the condensation of the pill, lasted for more than a quarter of an hour. Throughout, Gu Xiaopang was wholly absorbed. His spiritual power bolstered his perception, observing every minute detail of the pill’s formation.
“It’s time to use the revolving condensation technique described in the Divine Alchemy of the Medicine King,” he thought.
At the last moment, Gu Xiaopang instantly formed a series of hand seals and pointed toward the furnace. The irregular pill embryo inside, nearly formed, began to spin rapidly, gathering speed, and even the two-colored flames followed, swirling at an accelerated pace...
“Open!”
With a loud mental shout, he slapped the furnace lid with one hand, instantly extinguishing the flames. The milky-white, perfectly round pill shot out with the heat wave, and he caught it deftly in his other hand.
“It’s finished!”
“Who would have thought the first batch today would succeed! Hahaha!”
...
Gu Xiaopang, overwhelmed with excitement, stared wide-eyed at the milky-white, perfectly round pill in his hand, swallowing hard.
“Hmm, I mustn’t get complacent—it could just be luck!”
“I’ll keep refining!”
Quickly steadying his mind, Gu Xiaopang began the second batch, then the third, the fourth...
Looking at the six perfectly spherical milky-white pills in his hand, Gu Xiaopang was nearly speechless with excitement.
“Tsk tsk, six batches in a row, all successfully refined! Not one explosion!”
“I must be a genius! Hahaha!”
...
Though Gu Xiaopang’s mind was abuzz with excitement, his overall demeanor betrayed a certain weariness, his fatigue evident.
Exhausted!
After packing away the remaining herbs, Gu Xiaopang dashed out of the alchemy room, took two deep breaths at the outer gate, and, without disturbing Old Qin who was still asleep, sprinted toward Master Mu’s fiery alchemy chamber deep within the Pill Pavilion.
At that moment, Master Mu was sweating profusely, staring intently at the furnace, his hands constantly shifting through complex seals.
“Master, it’s about to explode.”
“Bah, you little rascal!”
...
“Boom!”
“You’re such a jinx!”
...
Gu Xiaopang rushed into Master Mu’s alchemy room without even knocking, glanced at Master Mu, then at the furnace, and blurted out that it was about to blow—sure enough, it exploded!
“If you’d just focus on your own alchemy, why come running here?”
“Because of you, I’ve ruined another batch,” Master Mu said, wiping sweat from his brow and glaring at Gu Xiaopang.
“Master, look,” Gu Xiaopang offered up his hand, displaying six pills like treasures.
“Hmm, lowest-grade Hematoma Dissolving Pills.”
“But it’s my first successful batch!”
“Did you really have to emphasize ‘lowest-grade’?!” Gu Xiaopang protested.
“You cheeky brat, always something to say.”
“Ahem, well. For you to succeed so quickly is not bad, and your refining is… adequate.”
...
“Wait, let me look again!”
After a cursory glance and a casual comment, Master Mu suddenly snatched the pills from Gu Xiaopang’s hand, as if seized by urgency.
“This looks like—?”
“That’s impossible!”
“How could this be!”