Chapter 21

All the spectators were instantly ignited with enthusiasm. They had seen too many arena battles and life-and-death duels, and they had grown a bit tired of it. But today was different. The confrontation between Bai Chen and Qin Kelan, though they didn't see the critical moments, was enough to make it a topic of conversation for their tea breaks. Now, Bai Chen was back on the stage, continuously provoking Qin Youwei. He even offered an external cultivation technique as the stakes for the bet. They didn't care whether Bai Chen could actually produce an external cultivation technique; the mere fact of this bet was enough to make it highly entertaining. These spectators had never seen a battle between alchemists before, and now they were getting a real treat.

Long Tuoxiao looked at the stage coldly, "Is this kid crazy?"

"I think so too. He actually bet on alchemy with someone from the Danqi Sect. He must have never died before."

"Moreover, he's betting against Qin Youwei. Qin Youwei's alchemy skills are not just a name. Although he got lucky with the Small Dan King before, his skills have definitely reached the Master level. This is just him digging his own grave."

On the other side, Mu Sansheng also watched with a cold eye, and his junior brother looked at him with a strange expression.

"Senior Brother, do you know this person?"

"A delusional idiot."

"Indeed. The alchemy skills of the Danqi Sect are well-known. Even in Qingzhou City, let alone the entire Shu region, they rank in the top ten. For him to compete in alchemy with Qin Youwei is definitely asking for humiliation."

On the stage, Qin Youwei was already certain of the outcome, just as everyone expected, an easy victory. Did they even need to compete? The result was obvious. A person from the broken gate of the Wuliang Sect actually dared to compete in alchemy with him. It was truly absurd! This time, he would not only win but also reclaim all the humiliation he had suffered before, with interest.

Qin Youwei sneered, "I will bet on the Three Yang Pill!"

Bai Chen smiled, knowing that Qin Youwei would choose the Three Yang Pill. This suited his plans perfectly. If it were any other pill, he might not have the materials. But he had the materials for the Three Yang Pill, which was why he had come to the stage to provoke Qin Youwei. The highest-grade pill Qin Youwei could currently refine was definitely the Three Yang Pill, which also revealed his skill level. Although Qin Youwei looked down on him, he would definitely use the highest-grade pill for the competition. Therefore, the Three Yang Pill was his only choice. Bai Chen had seen through Qin Youwei's courage, and this was his true level.

Qin Youwei set up the Jade King Cauldron and the Fire Crystal, signaled to his fellow disciples, and immediately began refining the pill. "Bring out all the materials!"

Qin Youwei was confident. For this stage display, he had brought twenty sets of Three Yang Pill materials. He had used ten sets earlier, so he still had at least ten sets left. Qin Youwei was experienced, having just refined the pill once before. This time, the process was smoother and more coherent.

Bai Chen, on the other hand, sat down on the ground unhurriedly, unstrapping the cauldron from his waist, Mo Heng! He then took out a bag of herbs from his chest, which contained dozens of types of herbs, each chopped and packed in small bags. As an alchemist, a cauldron and a bag of herbs were essential. Any alchemist who forgot one of these was definitely unqualified.

"Huh, why are the materials in his herb bag all chopped up?"

"Chopping up the materials would surely have lost their spiritual essence. How can he refine pills like this?"

The stems, leaves, stems, and petals were all in pieces. Even a layman would know that alchemists generally needed fresh materials. In reality, the freshness of the materials was not important to Bai Chen. As long as the materials were correct, it was fine. Chopping them up allowed him to carry more materials, as there were no spatial bags in the real world like in games.

"Look, this idiot actually dares to come and compete with me." Mu Sansheng said to his junior brother.

"Indeed, he's a real idiot. I wonder which family raised such a disciple."

Bai Chen ignored the laughter and ridicule from the audience, taking out a flint to start a fire. He then placed the materials in the cauldron, holding it with one hand.

"Huh? Won't he burn his hand holding the cauldron like that?"

"Is he refining pills or roasting his palm?"

At the Drunken Immortal Tower, two elders were sitting at a table, one with a red face and white hair, the other with a pale face and black hair. The pale-faced, black-haired elder, who had been looking at the stage indifferently, suddenly became serious.

The elder's wine cup suddenly clattered onto the table, leaving a cup mark on the surface.

"Impossible! Plucking chestnuts from the fire! How can someone in a small city like Qingzhou use such an alchemy technique?"

The red-faced, white-haired elder, who had been leaning on the table as if still drunk, lazily propped himself up, burping, "Old ghost, burp... did you see it wrong?"

"See it wrong? Look for yourself!!" The pale-faced, black-haired elder pointed to the stage, his eyes filled with shock.

The red-faced, white-haired elder rubbed his sleepy eyes, glancing indifferently at first, but then rubbed his eyes again and again, his face turning from casual to stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Adding fuel to the fire! This is the method of adding fuel to the fire! Using carbon powder to stir the alchemy fire, igniting the spiritual essence of the fire, and increasing the temperature of the alchemy fire!"

"Are you kidding? What's the background of that kid? We practiced this technique for twenty years to achieve a small success, but his technique is so light and familiar, it doesn't look like he's a beginner at all!"

"Impossible, impossible... I must be seeing things... I must be seeing things..." The red-faced, white-haired elder seemed unable to accept the scene, repeatedly closing and opening his eyes, looking like a silly old child: "It's a dream, definitely a dream. Old ghost, don't look... we must have drunk too much."

The black-haired elder grabbed the white-haired elder's beard, "You old shameless one, look clearly! That kid's alchemy skills are definitely not inferior to ours."

The black-haired elder knew the white-haired elder's temperament, which was as whimsical as a child, and when faced with something he couldn't accept, he would often adopt an evasive attitude.

The white-haired elder immediately got angry! He slapped the table hard, "Nonsense, I'm not inferior to that kid!"

At that moment, Bai Chen once again used the alchemy technique, which he had learned automatically as his alchemy skills improved, without any unfamiliarity.

It was like riding a bicycle; even if you hadn't ridden for ten years, you wouldn't forget how to ride.

"Reversing the light!" The two elders suddenly shouted in shock, their eyes wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets.

Bai Chen, on the stage, was completely unaware that his alchemy process had been fully observed by two experts.

After a while, Bai Chen, using the "Reversing the Light" technique to fully infuse the pill energy into the cauldron, finally stopped. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath, and saw that Qin Youwei was still busy nearby, almost finished, but looking a bit flustered, which made him smile.

"Done?"

"Is it done already?"

"Look at Qin Youwei, he's not done yet. This kid must have refined a furnace of waste pills."

"Waste pills? Even if they are waste pills, it takes skill. I bet this kid refined a furnace of ashes."

After a few more moments, Qin Youwei finally stopped, about to wipe the sweat from his face, but noticed Bai Chen looking at him with a playful expression, which made him angry.

"What are you looking at? Do you think you can steal my techniques by just looking?" Qin Youwei sneered.

"Enough talk, open the cauldron."

Qin Youwei was even more confident this time. Although he hadn't opened the cauldron yet, the refining process had been much smoother than before. He had a feeling that the number of pills this time would not be less than last time.

Qin Youwei intended to show off, so he didn't hesitate, flipping the Jade King Cauldron onto the tray. Five silver-glowing pills in the ashes caught everyone's attention.

"Five, this time it's five!" The captivating silver glow made everyone's excitement swell to an unprecedented level.

Qin Youwei's expression became even more arrogant, his eyes constantly scanning Bai Chen.

When everyone's gaze shifted from the five Three Yang Pills on the tray to Bai Chen, it was filled with pity and sympathy.

He had brought this upon himself!

Why did he insist on competing in alchemy with Qin Youwei?

Wasn't this just asking for humiliation?

Qin Youwei looked at Bai Chen with the eyes of a victor, "Junior Brother, bring a tray over, to put his ashes."

Ashes? That was a given.

Was alchemy something anyone could master?

An unskilled alchemist might think that gathering the materials and throwing them into the cauldron would do the trick, but they would end up with nothing but a pile of ashes.

Bai Chen tilted the cauldron, and with a series of claps, the pills fell onto the metal tray.

Everyone's initial amusement and ridicule turned to shock and confusion.

Everyone felt their breath catch, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Was it an illusion?

It must be an illusion. How could it be possible?

How could there be no ashes at all, and instead, over a dozen Three Yang Pills on the tray, each glowing brightly?

No, they were even more radiant, each pill reflecting the others.

There was not a speck of dust, and the combined fragrance of the pills was several times more intense, stimulating everyone's senses.

Qin Youwei's body was frozen, the Jade King Cauldron in his hand clattering to the ground with a light sound. If it weren't for its quality, it would have shattered.

"Fake! This must be fake, this is impossible! This is absolutely impossible!!" Qin Youwei's lips trembled, his mind screaming in disbelief.