Chapter 70

Mei Xue discovered something very important: the young lady in front of her, who seemed to be from some unknown noble family, probably had no concept of money at all.

The difficulty of refining the Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass, a spiritual herb, was indeed classified as a basic potion, and it wasn't even considered a particularly difficult one among basic potions. However, there was probably no basic alchemist in the entire world who could refine this spiritual herb.

No one would entrust such a precious spiritual herb to a mere basic alchemist, because this spiritual herb was too valuable.

A single Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass could buy a small town. Mei Xue had only seen this spiritual herb in an alchemist's illustrated manual and had never even dreamed of refining one herself.

That wasn't just any herb growing by the roadside; it was an extremely valuable spiritual herb made from a mixture of several high-grade herbs, each of which was a treasure of nature. For Mei Xue, who had to think hard about earning the money for tomorrow's accommodation, it was something she wouldn't even dream about in her wildest dreams.

"I have a pretty good success rate, about fifty percent. With this cauldron, it should go even more smoothly," Xiao Liu said, showing no sign of the helplessness and frustration in Mei Xue's eyes, and still trying to demonstrate her alchemy talent.

"Fifty percent..." Mei Xue stared at Xiao Liu, almost speechless.

That was the Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass!

It required the bone marrow of seven types of fish and seven types of spiritual herbs growing around the habitat of the dragon clan, which had to be roasted and stir-fried for forty-nine days before being refined in a cauldron.

Each of these herbs was a treasure of nature, and some of them were not even available on the market. The Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass was known as the dream herb among basic potions.

A fifty percent success rate... Mei Xue could almost see the tragic process of countless spirit stones turning into dregs. If those herbs had any spirit, they would surely shed tears.

What kind of extravagant gesture would it take to let a novice like Xiao Liu refine the Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass and waste half of it?

If she wanted to practice refining basic potions, wouldn't something like Ma Fei San or Ten-Ingredient Great Tonifying Soup be better? The difficulty of refining the Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass was actually lower than that of Ma Fei San...

Well, at least Mei Xue now had a rough idea of Xiao Liu's alchemy level.

If she could even waste the Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass, it was clear that she was a beginner with a failing grade, and her level of wasting herbs was truly astonishing. Even if she had only wasted one Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass, the price of the dregs could have cultivated hundreds of basic alchemists.

As for how many Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grasses she had wasted, Mei Xue felt it was better not to ask, to avoid getting angry.

"Then, can you use this kind of cauldron?" Mei Xue pointed to the double-winged square cauldron in front of them, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

"I've never used it, but I should be able to," Xiao Liu blinked her innocent big eyes and said confidently.

Mei Xue knew it was going to be bad, but he still held out a bit of hope that things wouldn't be so bad.

"What kind of cauldron did you use before?"

"It was a very large cauldron, with patterns of the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, flowers, birds, fish, and insects. It gave off a fragrance when it was heated," Xiao Liu described a trophy she had obtained from her childhood friend, which was also the cauldron she used to practice alchemy.

Patterns of the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers? Flowers, birds, fish, and insects? Mei Xue had a bad feeling.

This description, this shape, and that fragrance! Could this be the legendary Shen Nong Cauldron, said to be able to turn decay into magic, where even a dog could refine a top-grade spiritual herb by digging herbs into it?

This kind of cauldron was a non-transmissible treasure used exclusively by the descendants of the Shen Nong clan, with fewer than twenty in existence, each of which was a priceless treasure.

Using the Shen Nong Cauldron to refine the Seven-Transforming Fish-Dragon Grass and still wasting half of it required a talent that could shock the heavens and the earth, it was simply...

Well, Mei Xue conceded. He finally realized how insignificant he was compared to Xiao Liu. His previous worldview, life view, and values were too small in front of her.

A noble lady like her and a poor alchemist like him lived in completely different worlds!

"We'll refine the Spirit Qi Soup," Mei Xue conceded and chose the most basic of basic potions, known as the entry-level potion for all alchemists, to work with Xiao Liu.

At least, she should be able to refine this.

" Spirit Qi Soup... Okay," Xiao Liu's eyes lit up, showing a confident expression, which slightly reassured Mei Xue.

At least this shouldn't be a problem, as it was the foundation of all alchemists. As long as one had studied the basics of alchemy seriously, it was impossible to fail.

Thus, the two began the first step: selecting the herbs.

The Spirit Qi Soup, as a basic potion that all alchemists must learn, did not have a fixed formula. Depending on the specialties of different regions, the herbs in the formula could be adjusted, forming different schools of Spirit Qi Soup.

Mei Xue knew about ten formulas for the Spirit Qi Soup, which were the wisdom of alchemists from the past thousands of years, almost covering the general formulas for any region in the Ten Thousand Seas and Thousand Mountains.

Although they couldn't match the unique formulas of some regional schools, the greatest advantage of these ten most widely spread formulas was their easy accessibility, as the herbs could be found in almost any mountain range.

Xiao Liu watched Mei Xue curiously and then happily selected the same herbs as him, placing them in front of her.

Hmm, using the seventh formula like me? Mei Xue was a bit surprised by the herbs Xiao Liu had chosen, thinking that this mysterious noble lady might use a special formula.

But this was better. Using the same herbs to refine together would naturally reduce the chances of making mistakes.

After selecting ten herbs, Mei Xue began to place the Fire Immortal Stone, a processed spirit stone, at the bottom of the cauldron. This was a portable and long-burning spirit stone, an essential companion for alchemists on the go.

"I don't have... this..." Xiao Liu looked at Mei Xue, who was starting to heat the base of the cauldron, and looked a bit embarrassed at her own cauldron, which had not been ignited.

Indeed, a young lady like her wouldn't carry such a low-grade spirit stone. Understanding this, Mei Xue put the Fire Immortal Stone he had prepared into the bottom of Xiao Liu's cauldron. Then, a pale blue flame rose from the bottom of both cauldrons.

Strangely, when both cauldrons were ignited, a pleasant low hum sounded, and the double-winged patterns on them came to life, almost about to fly out of the cauldrons.

The wings of the two closely placed cauldrons perfectly combined, forming a pair of colorful wings, intertwined and inseparable.

"This is!" Mei Xue was greatly surprised. He had never seen such a scene before; this was a sign that an ordinary object had transcended its limits and displayed the characteristics of a treasure.

He had completely misjudged. These square cauldrons might be ordinary when used separately, but when used together, they ascended to the level of a treasure with double-winged patterns.

In other words, these double-winged square cauldrons had surpassed the ninth rank of ordinary items and possessed some characteristics of a divine treasure. Such a spiritual cauldron would never be available on the market and was a treasure circulated only within the noble families of the Ten Thousand Seas and Thousand Mountains.

Mei Xue had never thought that he could obtain such a treasure. This was not just a square cauldron but a higher-level, named treasure.

"The old man, I can't repay this..." Mei Xue sighed, finally realizing how precious the old man had given him and Xiao Liu.

The price of this pair of double-winged square cauldrons might not even match the value of Xiao Liu's immortal clothes and jewelry, but for a basic alchemist like him, it was something he could never afford in his lifetime.

"Beautiful, they are indeed a pair," Xiao Liu looked at her cauldron happily, her face full of joy.

"Yes, they are a perfect match," Mei Xue meant nothing by it, but Xiao Liu blushed instantly.

A perfect match... Mei Xue... I... Just thinking about this scene, Xiao Liu could go without eating for three days and three nights.

"Alright, let's start!" With such excellent cauldrons, Mei Xue couldn't help but be serious. He was already in high spirits, ready to give it his all.

The formula for the seventh Spirit Qi Soup flowed through Mei Xue's mind like a stream. His thousands of refining experiences on Mount Tian Tai converged into a picture, merging with his divine sense and penetrating the body of the double-winged square cauldron, allowing him to grasp every detail of this magical cauldron clearly.

The many problems that had troubled Mei Xue in the past were now being solved one by one. He found the mistakes he had made in his previous refining and the subtle differences in his techniques.

Very good, Mei Xue found himself in an unprecedentedly good state. It seemed that he had unknowingly reached a new level in his alchemy skills.

The three key steps of selecting herbs, adding herbs, and adjusting the fire were completed seamlessly, without any hesitation. Mei Xue was one hundred percent sure that this batch of Spirit Qi Soup would be the best he had ever refined.

And the result was as expected. The fragrance of the herbs and the appetizing aroma soon spread from the cauldron, even reaching outside the courtyard.

The passersby outside the small courtyard stopped, greedily sniffing the air, and stared at Mei Xue's courtyard, some even drooling.

The color, aroma, and taste were all perfect, which was the extraordinary quality of a top-grade Spirit Qi Soup. Mei Xue had previously only achieved the "color and taste" level and had never refined a Spirit Qi Soup with all three elements.

A Spirit Qi Soup with all three elements was worth more than ten times the standard Spirit Qi Soup, as it represented a pure, clear, and delicious soup, a high-grade product that could be used as a medicinal dish.