Chapter 784: Familiar Scent

Jiang Luofu quickly snapped back to reality, her face flushing. When had she become so sentimental? She quickly composed herself and swiftly followed, worried that Zu An might encounter danger inside.

Zu An followed Shen Xuzi further inside. Although Shen Xuzi was in a wheelchair, the wheelchair didn't need to be pushed; it rotated and moved inward automatically.

Shen Xuzi was initially quite pleased, hoping to hear Zu An utter a few exclamations of awe. To his surprise, the other man's expression remained unchanged. He felt a bit ashamed internally. Someone who could conceive of a steam engine was certainly an expert among experts; how could such a person be moved by something so trivial? Little did he know that Zu An had seen countless electric wheelchairs before his transmigration and was long accustomed to them.

Still feeling a bit unconvinced, Shen Xuzi decided to try and save some face. He quietly activated a mechanism he usually hesitated to use. Each time they approached a door, it would open automatically without him needing to push it or without any servants present, welcoming them inside. Shen Xuzi looked at Zu An with his chin raised, thinking, "Surely this will impress you now?" Maintaining these mechanisms required him to expend over a dozen Earth-grade elemental stones. "Ugh, I'll be eating dirt again this month."

To his surprise, Zu An remained expressionless, appearing as if he hadn't noticed anything at all. Shen Xuzi was greatly shocked. With his insight, he naturally knew that the other party wasn't deliberately feigning disinterest but genuinely didn't consider it a big deal. He finally couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Zu, what do you think of my automatic doors?"

Zu An showed a hesitant expression, and after a moment, said, "They're alright."

Shen Xuzi felt displeased. He thought, "Are you born with all this knowledge?" He couldn't help but say, "From your tone, Mr. Zu, you seem somewhat dissatisfied. Please feel free to point out any shortcomings, so I can improve them." He intended to probe the other party further. Hadn't Jiang Luofu mentioned that his knowledge came from an ancient book? He mustn't let himself be bluffed by him; his fellow disciples would surely laugh him out of the place.

Hearing this, Zu An replied, "Just now, I noticed that you need to press something before entering each door. Actually, you could completely implement a sensor switch, so it would open automatically just by someone approaching."

"A sensor switch?" Shen Xuzi was stunned. "What is that?"

"It's probably a device that detects infrared rays," Zu An answered casually. At this moment, he was curiously looking around, more concerned with what kind of alchemy furnace he could obtain.

"Infrared rays?" Shen Xuzi found these terms completely unfamiliar, yet he could roughly guess their meaning from the sound. He occasionally had similar ideas while researching alchemy in his daily life, but they had only been fleeting thoughts at the time. Now that Zu An brought them up, he gradually recalled them, and realized that the other party was certainly not speaking nonsense.

At this point, he had no further doubts. His eyes were filled with fervor. He quickly followed, exclaiming, "Mr. Zu is truly a divine man! A single conversation with you today is worth ten years of my arduous cultivation."

Zu An looked bewildered. "In my previous life, I just got used to seeing those sensor doors in malls," he thought. "Do you really need to react like this?"

Jiang Luofu, who was following behind, found her expression somewhat numb. After witnessing the reactions of Shen Xuzi's fellow disciples earlier, this scene could barely stir her emotions anymore.

"Fourth Senior Brother, you're too kind," Zu An said with a smile. "About the alchemy furnace..."

"Look at my memory," Shen Xuzi slapped his forehead. "Sir, follow me." He then opened a large door. "Inside here are all the supreme-grade alchemy furnaces I've collected and refined over the years. Feel free to take whichever one you fancy; consider it my welcoming gift to you, Sir."

As soon as the door opened, Zu An felt a refreshing medicinal aroma waft towards him. This wasn't because pills were being refined inside, but rather due to the lingering essence of pills previously refined within those furnaces. Clearly, none of these alchemy furnaces were ordinary items.

Zu An's gaze swept around, noticing various exquisite cabinets arranged throughout the room. Each cabinet had a different design, and in the very center stood unique alchemy furnaces. Each alchemy furnace varied greatly in appearance and style, but they shared one common trait: a subtle, shimmering layer of colorful light flowed over each one. Clearly, each of them possessed spiritual essence.

Shen Xuzi stroked his beard and said with a hint of pride, "These are the alchemy furnaces I've refined or acquired over the years. Every single one can be called a supreme-grade item."

This time, Zu An offered sincere praise. "Fourth Senior Brother is indeed worthy of being called the greatest alchemist in the world, to possess so many top-tier furnaces."

Shen Xuzi had heard such compliments countless times in the past, but they had never stirred him. Yet, hearing Zu An say these words today, he felt a profound satisfaction in his soul, as if every pore on his body was cheering. "It wasn't easy," he thought. "I finally have this guy's recognition." Shen Xuzi suddenly felt like crying tears of joy. In that instant, it was as if he had returned to his novice days, when he was praised by his teacher for the first time.

Thinking of this, he became even more excited. He eagerly introduced them as if presenting treasures: "Mr. Zu, each of these alchemy furnaces has its unique function. Let me give you a brief overview so you can see which one you prefer."

Zu An's eyes lit up. "Great," he said, "Thank you for the trouble." He was still an alchemy novice. It was better to first hear the expert's opinion.

Shen Xuzi took a round alchemy furnace from a nearby cabinet. From a distance, Zu An could feel a refreshing and invigorating aura from it. He couldn't help but ask, "This furnace seems to exude a balanced and peaceful feeling."

Shen Xuzi chuckled. "Mr. Zu indeed has excellent discernment. This furnace is called the 'Furnace of Kindness'."

"The Furnace of Kindness?" Not only Zu An but even Jiang Luofu was surprised. How could an alchemy furnace in this world have such a strange name?

Shen Xuzi explained, "As the name implies, this furnace increases the success rate of refining healing and nourishing pills by fifty percent. However, it will absolutely never succeed in refining dangerous pills that harm people. Don't you think this alchemy furnace is kind?"

"It is indeed kind," Zu An said with a wry smile. He secretly added in his heart, "But my little sister-in-law is even kinder."

"So, Mr. Zu, would you like this alchemy furnace?" Shen Xuzi asked.

Zu An hesitated, finally shaking his head and saying, "Let me look at the others first." Although this furnace was effective, its uses were too limited. He couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't need to refine some offensive pills, but this furnace would ensure his failure in doing so.

Shen Xuzi smiled, understanding that young people were full of drive and indeed didn't much care for such 'amiable' furnaces. So he took out another furnace with sharp edges and two pointed ears on its body. "This furnace is called the 'Demon's Furnace'," he explained. "Its characteristics are the exact opposite of the 'Furnace of Kindness'. It will definitely fail to refine healing and nourishing pills, but it increases the success rate of refining offensive pills by fifty percent."

Zu An was speechless. These two furnaces were practically archenemies. "But if I had both of them," he wondered, "wouldn't I be able to increase the success rate of all pills by fifty percent?"

As if reading his mind, Shen Xuzi sighed. "Unfortunately, these two furnaces are like fire and water; they are incompatible. If you refine with one, you can't use the other. That's also why I haven't used them for years."

Zu An's expression was peculiar. "These alchemy furnaces are truly... willful," he remarked.

Shen Xuzi picked up another furnace. "Let's look at another one. This furnace is called the 'Furnace of Ruthlessness'. Unlike the previous two, it embodies the principle that 'Heaven and Earth are impartial, treating all things as straw dogs.' Regardless of whether you're refining pills for healing and saving lives or for attacking and harming others, it treats them all the same, increasing the success rate of any pill by twenty percent."

Zu An frowned. "The success rate increase is still a bit low, after all." The previous two had increased their respective success rates by a full fifty percent.

Shen Xuzi said, "Ultimately, there are trade-offs to be made. There's no perfect solution in this world. And twenty percent isn't low; I've used this furnace for a long time. Over time, the accumulated benefits it provides are actually quite considerable."

Zu An hesitated. Shen Xuzi's expertise was beyond doubt. Since even he had used this furnace for a long time, it likely meant choosing it wouldn't be wrong. Just as he was about to agree, Mi Li's voice suddenly sounded in his ear: "Don't decide too quickly. I seem to sense a familiar aura. Look around carefully."