Chapter Seventy-Two: The Furnace Explodes

Looking at Cheng Yi's smug expression, Qin Feiyang truly felt an urge to slap him across the face. Was it really just a sixth-level spiritual power? What was he showing off for? He had wanted to teach Cheng Yi a lesson, but on second thought, wasting time on such a clown would be pointless.

"Let's talk another time," he said with a smile, striding toward the alchemy chamber.

"Upset, are you? Well, no wonder—even the thickest-skinned person would feel ashamed after being talked to like that," Cheng Yi sneered inwardly. But he didn’t leave; he wanted to know which alchemy chamber Qin Feiyang was assigned to.

"Hmm!" As he saw Qin Feiyang stop at the last alchemy chamber, a trace of surprise and suspicion flashed across his eyes. "Looks like Elder Feng isn’t giving him much special treatment," he muttered under his breath, then flashed a bright smile, revealing his white teeth. "Jiang Haotian, I’m in chamber number four. The alchemy flames there are far purer than yours. If you ever need anything, feel free to come to me."

Qin Feiyang arched an eyebrow. Was Cheng Yi ever going to stop? But before he could reply, Cheng Yi continued, "No need to thank me. Taking care of new disciples is my duty. If you have any questions, just come and ask."

With that, he walked toward the main gate, his face full of disdain.

"This temper of mine," Qin Feiyang muttered. "Chamber number four, is it? All right, let's see how long you can keep feeling superior." He scoffed, then turned and entered the alchemy chamber, closing the stone door behind him.

The chamber was roughly five meters square. In the center stood a stone platform holding a cauldron, about the size of a washbasin, pitch-black all over, carved with mysterious patterns, giving off an ancient aura. In a corner sat an old meditation cushion. Besides these, the room was empty and vast.

"Finally, it's time to start refining pills." Qin Feiyang glanced around, then fixed his eyes on the cauldron atop the stone platform, feeling a surge of excitement mixed with nervousness.

Five years ago, he never imagined he would one day enter an alchemy chamber to refine pills himself. Yet, while he hated those who had wronged him, he also felt a deep gratitude. Without that upheaval, he would have remained nothing more than a gifted, arrogant prince, lacking the maturity he now possessed. He would never have broken the limits of a martial artist, never opened the first layer of the gate of potential. He wouldn’t have understood hardship, nor learned to cherish what he had.

What was lost was important, but what was gained, even more so.

He shook his head and exhaled deeply, clearing his mind of distractions. He took out the formula for the healing pill and studied it carefully, memorizing each step. Then he laid out the ingredients for the pill in order next to the cauldron, ready to begin.

Everything prepared.

"Jiang Haotian, are you there?"

"We heard you’re refining pills, so we came to offer you some guidance."

"Open up, will you?"

Outside, a sudden commotion arose.

"Guidance?" Qin Feiyang sneered. More likely, they had come specifically to monitor him.

"Very well, I’ll oblige you," he thought, walking over to open the stone door.

The first person his eyes met was Ling Yan. Beside him stood a young man and woman, both about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in splendid robes and carrying an air of arrogance.

Ling Yan smiled and said, "Jiang Haotian, let me introduce you to Senior Sister Lu Hong and Senior Brother Ji Jin. Both possess fifth-level spiritual power and are renowned figures in Black Bear City."

Qin Feiyang glanced at them, clasped his hands, and smiled. "Greetings, senior brother and sister."

Lu Hong replied, "We’re all from the same sect, no need for such formality."

Ji Jin looked Qin Feiyang up and down and said blandly, "I heard this is your first time refining pills, so we thought we’d come by to take a look and offer some pointers. I hope you won’t mind our uninvited visit, Junior Brother Jiang?"

"It’s an honor to have you both here—I wouldn’t dare to complain. Please, come inside," Qin Feiyang stepped aside, feigning surprise and delight.

But in his heart, a chill took hold.

"Cheng Yi, you really are courting death!"

The only ones who knew he was refining pills now were Cheng Yi and the two steward elders. The elders would never gossip, leaving only Cheng Yi. He understood Cheng Yi’s motive: to gauge his talent in alchemy. Unable to ask directly, Cheng Yi had sent Ling Yan and the others instead. First, they’d tried to learn his level of spiritual power; now, they were here to monitor him. Desperate to control his information, Cheng Yi was truly scheming.

Ling Yan and his companions entered the chamber one after another. Qin Feiyang closed the stone door and walked to the cauldron, shutting his eyes and calming his mind.

The three glanced at each other, a trace of disdain appearing in their eyes as they folded their arms and watched from the side. They weren’t here to offer guidance at all—they were here for a show.

After a moment, Qin Feiyang opened his eyes, his gaze calm as water. He looked down at the stone platform before him. At the edge was a small white square, like a button.

He reached out, covering it with his hand, and pressed down firmly.

With a grating sound, the center of the stone platform under the cauldron suddenly split open, revealing a black opening the size of a fist.

The next instant, a surge of alchemy flame burst from the opening below!

Heat waves rolled forth, and the chamber’s temperature soared. Soon, beads of sweat appeared on Qin Feiyang’s brow. The cauldron’s base began to glow red, streams of heat rising.

He focused his mind, sending a strand of spiritual power from his crown toward the alchemy flame. Though the flame didn’t directly touch his body, an intense burning sensation came through his spiritual power, unceasingly.

Caught off guard the first time, he quickly withdrew his spiritual power. After taking a deep breath, he controlled it again, directing it toward the flame.

The first step in pill refining: controlling the flame. Each ingredient required a different level of heat. If the cauldron got too hot, the ingredients would burn to ash in an instant; if too cold, the essence couldn’t be extracted.

Precision was critical!

But no one could master it perfectly on their first attempt—it required gradual adjustment and adaptation.

After about half an hour, Qin Feiyang’s spiritual power began to adapt to the high temperature of the alchemy flame. At last, his spiritual power and the flame blended seamlessly, becoming one. The flame felt like an extension of his body, with no sense of heat at all.

This signified success in the first step.

Qin Feiyang exhaled and adjusted the flame to its lowest intensity. Then, drawing a strand of spiritual power from his sea of consciousness, he wrapped it around a vibrant green herb and gently placed it in the cauldron.

"So fast!" Ling Yan and the others exchanged glances, their eyes filled with incredulity.

Merging spiritual power with the alchemy flame was no easy feat.

Ji Jin whispered, "Ling Yan, how long did it take you to merge your spiritual power with the flame?"

"Two months," Ling Yan replied. "What about you?"

"One month," Ji Jin said gravely.

Lu Hong added, "Same for me. If I recall, Cheng Yi managed it in ten days. Yet this man did it in just half an hour—unbelievable!"

"The higher the level of spiritual power, the faster the fusion with the flame," Ji Jin remarked darkly.

"It seems he lied to us. He’s not fifth-level—his spiritual power surpasses Cheng Yi’s!"

Ji Jin clenched his fists, a cold light flashing deep in his eyes. Only the three of them could hear his faint voice.

"This bastard dared to deceive us—he’s asking for it!" Lu Hong and Ji Jin’s eyes glinted with icy malice, though they quickly concealed it.

As the three whispered among themselves, Qin Feiyang continued to adjust the flame. As the temperature inside the cauldron stabilized, a rich medicinal aroma emerged from the herb.

He kept the heat at thirty percent, the precise requirement for that herb. Under the intense heat, the herb wilted, releasing strands of emerald vapor.

Qin Feiyang felt a surge of delight, hastily wrapping the vapor with his spiritual power to protect it from evaporation.

Eventually, the herb turned to ash, and the vapor condensed into a single drop of emerald liquid, suspended in the cauldron, radiating a soft glow and a hint of vitality.

This was the essence of the herb, also called "spirit liquid."

Sweat drenched Qin Feiyang’s head, but he dared not lose focus. He repeated the process, adding the second herb to the cauldron and extracting its spirit liquid.

Pill refining was delicate work: not only complex and tedious, but requiring utmost care. The slightest misstep meant failure.

Qin Feiyang now fully grasped the difficulty of alchemy. It tested not just patience, but willpower.

Ling Yan and the others were dumbfounded. They remembered clearly how many ingredients they had ruined before succeeding the first time. Yet this man succeeded on his first try—his control was extraordinary!

If not for his unfamiliar movements, they would never believe this was Qin Feiyang’s first attempt at pill refining.

The word "shame" was written plainly on their faces. They had come to "guide" him, yet it seemed he should be guiding them.

At the same time, jealousy grew in their hearts. Someone like this in the Alchemy Hall would not just threaten their status, but potentially take everything from them.

Qin Feiyang was oblivious to their thoughts and had no time to care. The healing pill required eight ingredients. He had already extracted the spirit liquid from seven.

After ten breaths, the eighth spirit liquid was finally obtained.

Now for the final step: fusing the eight liquids together.

This was also the most crucial step. The fusion had to be gentle, without any outside interference. A moment’s distraction could mean failure, or even an explosion.

Qin Feiyang took a deep breath, carefully guiding the eight spirit liquids closer together.

"Ouch, my stomach hurts!" Just as the fusion was about to begin, Ling Yan suddenly clutched his belly and yelled.

Boom!

Clang!

Qin Feiyang’s body trembled, and the eight spirit liquids collided violently, releasing a powerful explosion. With a deafening crash, the cauldron shattered into pieces.