Chapter 92

"Old man?"

A head poked into the entrance of the third floor. Xu Xiaoshou actually wanted to add a prefix, but he didn't dare.

"Come in."

Xu Xiaoshou walked in.

Cool.

This was the first feeling upon entering the third floor. Unlike the scorching heat outside after the rain, it was like an air-conditioned room in here.

He looked up.

It was a large red bead embedded at the very top of the three-story pavilion, visible even from outside.

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou realize that this thing was used to absorb heat. The third floor was so cool because of its presence.

There was a faint, light fragrance in the air.

His gaze shifted back. Standing in the center of the third floor was a massive bathtub with three legs, incredibly smooth on the outside, and large enough to fit ten people bathing together.

Xu Xiaoshou, standing up, was not even half its height. Looking at the bathtub, he felt a sense of foreboding.

He really wanted to turn and leave, but he didn't dare...

With his "Perception" active, he could see that Old Man Sang was actually sitting cross-legged in the air, eyes closed, at the other end of the bathtub.

Xu Xiaoshou scratched his head. What is he doing?

At that moment, he saw the old man suddenly pick up a large handful of spirit-infused flowers and herbs and toss them all into the bathtub.

Hmm, he even threw in a dozen fruits, branches and all.

"Splash!"

A familiar sound rang in his ears.

"Jinzhao Flame?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat.

He strained to look and could vaguely see a large cluster of flames beneath the bathtub.

What level of "Jinzhao Flame" is this, that it wasn't detected by "Perception" right away? Scary!

But, burning the bathtub without water, surely he's not planning to take a bath!

Adding these ingredients, what is this old man up to?

"Old Man Sang?" he called out.

"Don't speak, just watch." Old Man Sang didn't open his eyes, fully focused.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but observe carefully, thinking that this might be a test, a final guess at what he was doing.

Very likely!

Big shots often like to do strange things to intimidate people.

Xu Xiaoshou was very experienced with this; he used to do the same to Su Qianqian.

But...

The more he watched, the more he felt something was off.

With "Perception," the flowers and fruits entering the bathtub were immediately scorched by the ultra-high-temperature "Jinzhao Flame," their shapes turning to smoke, but a few drops of essence remained.

What kind of control does this require!

Using such a tyrannical flame like "Jinzhao Flame," he could refine such pure energy.

Xu Xiaoshou estimated that if he tried, he would burn down the entire Spirit Storage Pavilion, let alone extract the essence from these things.

As more flowers and herbs were thrown in, the essence in the bathtub grew, but remained separate.

The space inside was large, so there was no worry about them mixing.

Wait!

The essences started to merge, forming a large, round liquid mass...

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened. This situation felt a bit off and a bit familiar?

"Boom!"

With a loud noise, the bathtub shook violently. The liquid, larger than a human head, instantly solidified into a gray-black ball.

Crack!

The black ball split open, releasing a strong medicinal fragrance. Xu Xiaoshou shivered, almost unable to hold back from inhaling all the contents.

He quickly covered his mouth and nose, closing all his pores.

Thud, thud, thud—

Round pills rolled into the bathtub, falling through a small opening at the bottom into a large bottle that was already prepared.

Judging by the number, there were at least dozens.

Xu Xiaoshou was completely shocked. This was...

Refining pills???

Looking at the super-large bathtub and the three legs, Xu Xiaoshou had a stunned realization.

A pill cauldron?

Old Man Sang opened his eyes and looked at the boy covering his nose, puzzled, and casually sniffed a pill.

"It doesn't smell bad, why are you covering your nose?"

"Oh, oh, nothing." Xu Xiaoshou quickly lowered his hand and adjusted his state.

Good thing he didn't inhale it just now; if he had, those thirty or so pills...

Xu Xiaoshou shuddered.

Old Man Sang, while organizing the pills, asked, "What did you learn?"

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, his voice full of disbelief, "You were refining pills?"

Old Man Sang's movements paused, and he looked at the boy in disbelief, shocked, "You watched for so long, and you only figured this out?"

I asked what refining techniques you learned!

What were you looking at for so long?!

Old Man Sang felt terrible.

"Of course not!"

Xu Xiaoshou's words brought some comfort to the old man, who looked at him expectantly.

In his eyes, the young man before him had talent, perseverance, and was outstanding in many ways.

His potential, while not one in a million, was extremely rare.

And he was someone who could comprehend innate sword intent, so he couldn't be that bad.

But then Xu Xiaoshou pointed at the pill cauldron and loudly said, "This is actually a pill cauldron!"

Thud!

Clang—

Old Man Sang stumbled, knocking over a few small pill bottles, and the pills rolled out.

"Are you blind? This isn't a pill cauldron, what else could it be!" Old Man Sang roared.

Xu Xiaoshou's confidence dropped significantly. Anyone could tell this was a pill cauldron!

What kind of bizarre and exaggerated pill cauldron is this?

So tall and so large...

Forget it, I can understand your unique preferences.

But look at the outside of this pill cauldron, so white and so smooth...

Where did you buy this pill cauldron? What kind of taste is this? No carvings, just three legs holding up a large bathtub, it's a laughingstock!

But despite his complaints, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare speak loudly, only weakly replying, "I thought it was a bathtub at first..."

"A bathtub?"

Old Man Sang's face turned green, his anger boiling.

You ungrateful disciple, on the first day of meeting, you're trying to kill me with anger!

He forced himself to calm down, looked back at the pill cauldron, and the more he looked, the more he felt the boy's description was quite accurate...

Spit!

"This is a special pill cauldron required for our 'Jinzhao Lineage' pill refining technique. It has discarded the ornate exterior and is made from the most heat-resistant crystals."

"You should know the power of 'Jinzhao Flame.' Even spirit crystals can't withstand it for a moment. If ordinary crystals were used, the cauldron would melt before the pills were even formed."

"Moreover, don't look at its ugliness. This one cauldron costs more than ten of the same level!" Old Man Sang explained, feeling a bit exhausted.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, "So powerful?"

"Of course!" Old Man Sang's tone regained its pride.

Xu Xiaoshou touched the cauldron wall. It was amazing; after just finishing the pill refining, its temperature was almost back to normal.

He tapped the cauldron, and the sound was deep and solid, indicating its strength.

Xu Xiaoshou, with a look of amazement, turned and asked, "Such a sturdy pill cauldron, it must hurt a lot if used to hit someone, right!"

"???"

Old Man Sang stared at the young man, his veins popping.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

"You shut up!"

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Why so agitated all of a sudden?

Menopause?

"Request received, passive value, +1."