Chapter 50

"Just now... that was probably..." Hu Donghan, hearing the roar behind him, was speechless.

Wang Ruolong, however, said very casually, "Those were a few inattentive fellows, their alchemy furnaces exploded — don't worry about them, it's an order from Ancestor Duetian! The Ancestor said that alchemists must be focused and serious when refining elixirs. If they fail because of a little disturbance, they deserve it!"

"To help us alchemists focus better, the Ancestor deliberately didn't install soundproofing in the earth fire cave and instructed us returning disciples to shout loudly. It's to strengthen our resolve..."

"Hahaha..." Hu Donghan listened, his forehead covered in black lines. Alchemists actually used such methods to strengthen their resolve. It seemed that this Ancestor Duetian was quite an eccentric person.

Wang Ruolong roared again on the second floor before descending to the third floor.

On the third floor, the number of stone caves was not many. At a glance, there were only a dozen or so scattered around.

Wang Ruolong arrived at the largest stone cave and roared, "Ancestor, I've brought a new recruit to our hall!"

Immediately, a loud boom came from inside the stone cave, and two nearby caves were also affected, exploding simultaneously. Then, three old men emerged from the caves, cursing loudly, "Which damn fool ruined my elixir!"

The leading old man, with eyes wide as lanterns, rushed to Wang Ruolong and shouted, "You little brat! Who told you to shout while I was refining elixirs? My furnace of Six-Transmutation Golden Elixirs is ruined!"

"Ancestor! Ancestor! Didn't you say that all returning disciples should shout to strengthen our resolve..." Wang Ruolong argued loudly, not panicking.

The leading old man, with a blackened face and tattered clothes, stared at Wang Ruolong with red eyes, cursing. It was hard to imagine that this old man had the cultivation of a Soul Formation realm and was the head of the Earth Fire Hall.

"You're lying! When did I say such nonsense?" Ancestor Duetian glared and puffed up.

Wang Ruolong shouted again, "Ancestor, you really did say it." At this moment, the other two old men also came forward and whispered to Ancestor Duetian, "Ancestor, you did say it."

"Is that so? So what if I said it? I've forgotten now!" Ancestor Duetian still glared but finally let go of Wang Ruolong.

Wang Ruolong, however, remained calm and whispered to Hu Donghan, "The Ancestor gets angry easily, but he's just childish. Don't mind him."

Ancestor Duetian naturally heard Wang Ruolong's words and shouted, "Little brat, who are you calling childish? Huh? Right, you're Wang Ruolong, right? What did you say? You brought a new recruit to the Earth Fire Hall?"

Sure enough, in no time, Ancestor Duetian's angry demeanor vanished, and he finally recognized Wang Ruolong.

Wang Ruolong nodded and pointed to Hu Donghan, introducing him, "Ancestor, this is Hu Donghan. The new recruit I mentioned. He wants to come to our Earth Fire Hall to learn alchemy."

"Hmm? Enforcement Hall's uniform?" Ancestor Duetian glanced at Hu Donghan, his face showing disgust, "Isn't he that idle guy who always causes trouble in the sect? What? He wants to learn alchemy in the Earth Fire Hall? Make him start as a junior alchemist! No! I can't stand people from the Enforcement Hall. Make him start as a laborer!"

"Uh..." Hu Donghan's forehead was covered in black lines. Now he finally understood where Wang Ruolong's temper came from.

Ancestor Duetian's current behavior was exactly like Wang Ruolong's earlier.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruolong gave Hu Donghan a meaningful look and whispered, "Ancestor, Hu Donghan can cultivate Lu Jie Grass of excellent quality. Its quality is sufficient to serve as an auxiliary herb for Six-Transmutation Golden Elixirs..."

"What did you say?" Ancestor Duetian's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Wang Ruolong by the collar. The other two alchemists also stared at Hu Donghan with bright eyes.

And that wasn't all. After Wang Ruolong finished speaking, the entire third floor of the Earth Fire Cave was filled with the sound of exploding furnaces. Then, about ten more disheveled people rushed out, staring at Hu Donghan with glowing eyes.

Suddenly being the focus of so many eyes, Hu Donghan felt inexplicably nervous. It was as if he was back in his childhood, surrounded by vicious dogs. Was this just an illusion?

Wang Ruolong, with his eyes rolling, said, "Ancestor... Ancestor, let me go first! This Hu Donghan is the new caretaker disciple of Xiaoluan Peak's Xiaocui Plain. When I went there, I found almost perfect Lu Jie Grass in his medicinal field, which can be used to assist in refining Six-Transmutation Golden Elixirs... This junior brother is said to have a Fragrant Ghost, which is why he has achieved such results..."

"Does this kid have a Fragrant Ghost too?" Ancestor Duetian let go of Wang Ruolong and looked at Hu Donghan, "Hahaha! I heard that over a month ago, Xiaoluan Peak had a disciple with a Fragrant Ghost. I was planning to bring him to the Earth Fire Hall, but he was killed by the Enforcement Hall! I didn't expect to encounter another disciple with a Fragrant Ghost now..."

"Quick, let your Fragrant Ghost out for me to see!" Ancestor Duetian looked at Hu Donghan with a happy expression, as if he were looking at a cute little lamb.

Now that he had Ancestor Duetian's attention, Hu Donghan almost regretted coming to see him with Wang Ruolong.

Although Ancestor Duetian's gaze was not aggressive, the aura of a Soul Formation realm expert naturally locked onto Hu Donghan. Hu Donghan felt he couldn't escape from Ancestor Duetian's perception.

In this situation where there was no resistance, Hu Donghan could only comply and release the Fragrant Ghost.

As soon as the Fragrant Ghost appeared, almost all the alchemists on the third floor, led by Ancestor Duetian, gathered around it.

Ancestor Duetian, in particular, stroked the Ghost Spirit Grass on the Fragrant Ghost's head and laughed, "So this is a Fragrant Ghost! With a spirit grass on its head, it's quite an interesting appearance! And this spirit grass seems a bit unusual, apparently very beneficial for the growth of spirit grass. Hahaha! Not bad! Not bad! It seems the records in the classics about Fragrant Ghosts are not entirely accurate. I estimate that this ghost enhances the growth of spirit herbs by about one fold, not two."

Ancestor Duetian, it seemed, had a unique way of observing the Fragrant Ghost. He had thoroughly understood the Fragrant Ghost with just a brief inspection.

As for Hu Donghan, he was naturally amazed — Ancestor Duetian truly lived up to being a Soul Formation realm expert!