Chapter 39

Slowly lifting the lid of the furnace, a wave of medicinal fragrance wafted out. As Long Chen gazed at the pill lying inside the furnace, his expression changed.

Seeing the sudden change in Long Chen's expression, Chu Yao's heart tightened, and Shi Feng and Yu Puzi were also startled.

If they lost, the consequences would be too severe, worse than death. However, Xia Changfeng and the others, upon seeing Long Chen's expression, sneered inwardly.

"Haha, Long Chen, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to kowtow?" Xia Baichi sneered at Long Chen, her face filled with satisfaction.

Being able to torment Long Chen was more exciting than her own advancement to Alchemist, and her body began to tremble involuntarily.

Long Chen looked at the furnace with a serious expression, slowly taking out a pill and lamenting, "I really wanted to be low-key, but heaven won't allow it."

Only then did everyone notice the full, plump pill in Long Chen's hand, and they all cursed inwardly, thinking he was too much of a show-off.

"This big bad guy."

Chu Yao's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise; she had been truly scared just now.

"Heaven, I feel like I'm going to die. If this continues, my heart won't be able to take it," Yu Puzi fell to the ground helplessly.

At this moment, everyone realized they had been fooled by Long Chen, especially Xia Baichi, who felt as if she had been slapped in the face.

"Long Chen, how dare you play me?" Xia Baichi said angrily.

"Well, I was just passing the time, amusing everyone. Why take it so seriously?" Long Chen said indifferently.

"Hmph, Long Chen, even though you've refined the Blood Coagulation Pill, you will still lose. The pill you refined is only of inferior quality, while mine is of medium quality."

Xia Baichi raised her hand, showing the side with the obvious pill pattern, making it clear to everyone nearby.

"Miss Bai Chi is truly talented. To be able to refine a second-grade medium-quality pill at such a young age is truly admirable," Crown Prince Chu Yang couldn't help but praise.

Indeed, such a young alchemist was very rare, and it might take decades for one to appear. Such talent often had a bright future in alchemy.

Long Chen looked at Xia Baichi with a mocking expression and said calmly, "Who wins or loses, it seems, isn't up to you, is it?"

"Long Chen, are you trying to argue? My pill has a pill pattern, yours doesn't. Can't you see the obvious difference?" Xia Baichi sneered.

"Yours is indeed a medium-quality pill, but the one in my hand is also a medium-quality pill," Long Chen said, juggling the pill in his hand.

Everyone was shocked by Long Chen's words, but upon closer inspection, the pill in Long Chen's hand was just an ordinary pill, smooth but without a pill pattern.

"Medium-quality pill? Hmph, I don't see it," Xia Baichi sneered.

"I actually feel sorry for you. At such a young age, your eyes are already blind. Who says a medium-quality pill must have a pill pattern?" Long Chen sighed.

Upon hearing this, Wei Cang's expression changed slightly, his eyes filled with shock as he stared intently at the pill in Long Chen's hand.

He had felt that the pill in Long Chen's hand was peculiar, and after Long Chen's words, he recalled Long Chen's actions before the pill was formed, becoming increasingly suspicious.

"Bring the pill appraisal device."

Following Master Yun Qi's instructions, a disciple respectfully brought out a large instrument.

The instrument resembled a platform with a depression in the center for placing the pill, capable of precisely identifying the pill's quality.

"Essence content: 61%, Miss Bai Chi's pill meets the medium-quality standard," the disciple read out the numbers on the instrument.

A pill with over 50% essence content is of inferior quality, and over 60% is of medium quality. Xia Baichi's Blood Coagulation Pill just met the medium-quality standard.

"Long Chen, I'm very curious to see your 'medium-quality pill,'" Xia Baichi took back her pill and sneered at Long Chen.

She didn't believe that the pill in Long Chen's hand was of medium quality, as it had no pill pattern. This was just a desperate move.

"Then you should look closely."

Long Chen smiled faintly and handed the pill to the disciple. A pill just refined has a thin layer of pill membrane within three hours, which cannot be faked.

"Essence content: 63%, Mr. Long Chen's pill meets the medium-quality standard," the disciple read out the numbers on the instrument.

"What?"

Xia Baichi was stunned, not even noticing when her Blood Coagulation Pill fell to the ground. Her mind went blank; she had lost.

Not just her, everyone was stunned, especially Wei Cang, whose face turned ashen as he looked at the numbers on the instrument.

The entire process was under his supervision, and there was no way it could have been faked. Long Chen had actually refined a medium-quality pill without a pattern.

The quality of a pill is often determined during the extraction process, so Wei Cang had prepared a 300-year-old Blood Coagulation Fruit for Xia Baichi, ensuring her victory.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so generous, truly offering the Flame Leopard Beast Fire as a reward. Now that Xia Baichi had lost, his face couldn't help but turn ugly.

"No way, Long Chen, you despicable scoundrel, you must have switched it. You bribed the appraiser, I'll kill you."

Xia Baichi suddenly screamed, lunging at Long Chen like a madwoman. Long Chen's face showed disgust, and he was ready to kick her away if she came closer.

"Baichi, stop, no nonsense," Wei Cang grabbed Xia Baichi and shouted sternly, knowing he had made a mistake today.

With so many eyes watching, if he went back on his word, his reputation would be ruined, so he stopped Xia Baichi.

Xia Baichi, pulled by Wei Cang, struggled like a madwoman, shouting, "You old pervert, what did you say in bed yesterday? Didn't you say the Flame Leopard Beast Fire would definitely be mine? Give it to me now."

Xia Baichi's shrill voice echoed throughout the venue, and no one could ignore it. Many people shook their heads.

Wei Cang was truly despicable, losing his dignity as a master. While rumors of his lecherousness were common, now that Xia Baichi had spoken, everyone looked at him with disdain.

"Slap."

Wei Cang, his face purple with anger, slapped Xia Baichi unconscious. "Baichi's mind has been affected; she's talking nonsense. Take her away."

After Xia Baichi was taken away, the venue fell silent. Long Chen looked at Wei Cang with a sideways glance and extended his hand. "Hand it over."

Wei Cang's face was extremely ugly, and his heart was bleeding. The Flame Leopard Beast Fire was extremely precious, and he had indeed intended to give it to Xia Baichi.

But today, he had lost, and instead of embarrassing Master Yun Qi, he had lost his own treasure. However, with so many people watching, he couldn't back out.

"Here."

"Slap."

Long Chen reached out and took the bottle, seeing the flame inside, he couldn't help but cheer.

"Haha, thanks." For the first time, Long Chen felt that the old man had a bit of charm.

"Can you tell me how you did it?" Wei Cang was still unwilling, feeling that he had lost unfairly.

Long Chen hesitated for a moment but, seeing Master Yun Qi's encouraging gaze, he smiled. "Since you're so respectful, I'll kindly tell you."

"It's a secret pill-refining technique I read in the Kegu Handbook. It mentions a method where, just before the pill is formed, a small hole is opened, and the essence of the medicine is locked with soul power, while impurities are forced out, resulting in a second purification. Do you understand now?"

"Kegu Handbook? You mean Kegu the Alchemy King?" Wei Cang was surprised.

"I don't know, but I read it in a book. You can look for it yourself," Long Chen shook his head, though he wasn't telling the truth.

To avoid suspicion, he had read many handbooks in the guild, and he had indeed seen a description of this method, but his technique was slightly different.

The handbook mentioned opening one hole, but Long Chen had opened two. One hole forced out impurities, while the other absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Otherwise, the furnace's spiritual energy would be insufficient to form the pill.

If only one hole was opened, there would be only outflow and no inflow, and even with strong soul power, the pill would not form, turning into a pile of ashes.

Long Chen bowed to Master Yun Qi, who nodded. Today, Long Chen's performance had completely exceeded his expectations.

He also admired Long Chen's courage for risking his life. Now that Long Chen had the beast fire, once he refined it, his pill fire would be ten times stronger.

With such powerful pill fire and his strong soul power, Long Chen's path in alchemy would be smooth.

Long Chen walked to Chu Yao, looking at her beautiful face, almost involuntarily pulling her into his arms.

Today's confession had broken the barrier between them, bringing their hearts closer.

"I promised you, and I will keep my promise. Trust me," Long Chen said softly.

Chu Yao nodded obediently, looking at Long Chen's determined face, which filled her with warmth. She no longer felt alone.

Long Chen bowed to the Empress Dowager and walked off the stage, returning to his seat, attracting everyone's attention.

Especially the young girls, who were all eyes on him. Long Chen's performance today was too wild, scolding Master Wei Cang, which was both fresh and exciting.

Later, on the pill-refining platform, his calm and composed demeanor, and his perfect counterattack in an extremely unfair situation, were something they had never seen before, filled with novelty. As Long Chen passed by, many bold girls flirted with him.

When Long Chen returned to his seat, Yu Puzi and the others were extremely excited.

"Brother Long, you're too strong."

"Hehe, now that I have the beast fire, I'll take care of your Blood Coagulation advancement." Seeing their concern, Long Chen was moved.

Although on the stage, he had been paying attention to their every move, and their expressions had not escaped his notice.

Yu Puzi and the others had low cultivation, and as Long Chen's strength grew, they could no longer help him.

But during his difficult times, they had always followed him, and Long Chen cherished this bond.

As they were talking, a sudden cheer woke Long Chen and the others. Shi Feng laughed.

"The show is about to begin."