Chapter 1942: You Are Wrong

"Just watch!"

With another smile, Zhang Xuan offered no explanation. Instead, he simply looked forward and called out, "Senior brother from Lingyun Sword Pavilion, please wait!"

The advancing young man in gray frowned and turned to look.

Zhang Xuan's lips curled into a smile: "Senior brother, the answer you provided is incorrect. It would be unfair for you to leave with the Soul-Connecting Jade Talisman just like that!"

His voice was so loud that the surrounding chatter immediately quieted down. Everyone turned to look, their expressions as if they had seen a monster.

This was a master from Lingyun Sword Pavilion, and he had just been told he was wrong... Did he have a death wish?

The young man in gray also frowned and stopped.

"Shan Xiaotian, if you don't want to die, control your servant's mouth..."

Xue Qin's face fell, turning green with anger. This 'mummy' was the same person who had spoken nonsense at the Shan residence earlier. She hadn't bothered with him then, but she never expected him to dare speak up here.

"He's not a servant, he's... my teacher..." Shan Xiaotian stammered, flustered.

"Teacher? The Shan family, no matter what, once held considerable prestige. When did it fall so low that any random person can become your teacher?" Xue Qin scoffed, full of disdain.

"Whom Shan Xiaotian chooses as his teacher is none of your business, is it? Could it be... you still wish to be his fiancée?" Zhang Xuan looked over, a smile playing on his lips.

"You..."

Xue Qin's body stiffened.

Seeing her expression, the young man in gray's eyes flickered. He coldly looked at the 'mummy' before him: "You said my answer was incorrect?"

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan looked over. "Do you dare to make a bet? The loser can be dealt with as the winner pleases!"

"You're quite bold, speaking to me like that..." The young man in gray looked at him expressionlessly. "I want to know your reason for calling it incorrect!"

"No reason is needed! Just find an alchemist, gather these medicinal ingredients, refine them according to the answer you just provided, and once the pill is formed, find someone to consume it. You'll know the result then!" Zhang Xuan said, "If you don't believe me, why not find someone to try?"

"Alchemy?" Frowning, the young man in gray glanced around. Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of the surrounding crowd, even though they said nothing, he paused, then waved his hand: "Bring an alchemist here!"

A young man behind him turned and walked away. Before long, the middle-aged man who had brought the Soul-Connecting Jade Talisman earlier returned with two alchemists.

"Refine it according to the method given earlier!" the middle-aged man instructed.

The alchemists quickly prepared the ingredients. Following the refining sequence written on the prescription, they added the herbs one by one. When it was time for the "Burning Fire Root," they substituted it with "Spirit Mother Grass."

As soon as the herbs entered the alchemy furnace, a sizzling sound erupted. One of the alchemists could no longer maintain control, and the furnace shook violently, exploding on the spot. Fortunately, protective measures had been taken beforehand, so no one was injured. Nevertheless, it was still extremely perilous, scaring everyone into retreating to the walls, their faces filled with worry.

The second alchemist, being more skilled, managed to control the reaction of the herbs. Half an hour later, the pill emerged from the furnace, shimmering with light. It was incredibly fortunate; not only had the pill formed, but it had also reached the perfect grade.

"Very good!" Seeing the pill, the young man in gray nodded in satisfaction. He turned to another young man not far away: "You seem to cultivate a Pure Yang cultivation method. Test the pill's efficacy!"

"Yes!"

He opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. The medicinal power quickly spread, and the young man's face immediately flushed. He hurriedly sat cross-legged and circulated his true qi, attempting to neutralize the medicine's effects. However, the more he tried to suppress it, the more intensely it rebounded. In the blink of an eye, white smoke began to rise from his head.

Soon, his eyes started to turn red, and he could barely resist.

"Ah... I can't take it anymore..."

Unable to hold back any longer, the young man lunged, rushing towards an elderly woman who was watching, and reached out to tear at her.

Rip!

A large piece of clothing was torn off. Just as the young man was about to rush forward and do something indescribable, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and instantly collapsed to the ground. The young man in gray from Lingyun Sword Pavilion had made his move.

The fact that the person who consumed the pill ended up like this was sufficient proof that the prescription he provided not only failed to eliminate the hidden dangers in the Pei Yang Pill but even exacerbated them, leading to a much more uncontrollable effect.

"My modified prescription indeed has some issues, but... how did you know? What is the correct answer?" The young man in gray's face was grim as he looked over.

To be honest, he had heard about this difficult problem before coming to Xuanjiang City and had researched it for a long time; it wasn't something he had solved with a mere glance. The reason he had done this was to establish a formidable reputation for himself among the people of Xuanjiang City. He just didn't expect... that instead of establishing his reputation, he would be publicly humiliated. Though displeased, he couldn't afford to get angry. Otherwise, it would only be more embarrassing.

"The correct answer is very simple..." Zhang Xuan smiled and whispered something into Shan Xiaotian's ear. The latter looked at him strangely, confirmed he wasn't joking, then stepped forward again, picked up the brush, quickly finished writing, and submitted it.

A red light shone once more.

The young man in gray frowned: "The person responsible for verification is right here. Just read it aloud!" The head of the Swan Goose Commerce Guild was present, so what was the point of going to get the answer again? It was better to just read it aloud; its correctness or incorrectness would be immediately apparent.

"Yes!"

After glancing at his teacher and seeing his confirmation, Shan Xiaotian awkwardly stated the answer he had just written: "Substitute 'Burning Fire Root' with 'Spirit Mother Grass'!"

"What..."

"Did I hear that correctly?"

"It seems to be exactly the same as... that master's answer!"

The surroundings fell silent for a moment, then erupted in an uproar.

The young man in gray's eyes narrowed, revealing an intense killing intent. "Are you playing games with me?" He had confidently declared his answer wrong, yet now he presented the exact same solution. What was going on? Not only were the onlookers furious, but Shan Xiaotian was also dizzy, wondering what trick his teacher was playing... Joking with such powerful individuals... could lead to death!

"You're overthinking it..." Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked at Shan Xiaotian: "There's still a note at the end. Keep reading!"

"Oh..." Shan Xiaotian nodded, then said, "After 'Spirit Mother Grass,' there's a parenthesis: 'non-local'!"

"'Non-local'? What does that mean?"

This time, everyone was a bit bewildered, and even the young man in gray was puzzled. Could it be that there was a difference between local and non-local Spirit Mother Grass?

"Of course there's a difference!"

"This Pei Yang Pill is meant to strengthen the Pure Yang attribute within cultivators of Pure Yang techniques, aiming for a more stable effect. Under normal circumstances, substituting 'Burning Fire Root' with 'Spirit Mother Grass' is indeed the most appropriate method. In fact, in other places, a pill refined this way can resolve the hidden dangers mentioned on the wall!" Zhang Xuan slowly stepped forward, approached the alchemy cauldron, and lightly rubbed the medicinal residue from the earlier explosion between his fingers. He smiled faintly: "But... it won't work here!"

"Xuanjiang City gets its name from relying on the Xuanjiang River! This river flows directly to the coast, carrying not fresh water but saltwater! It is a true saltwater river."

The surrounding crowd nodded in unison. Although Xuanjiang City was not close to the coast, the Xuanjiang River connected to the sea, carrying saltwater that couldn't be used for irrigation or drinking. Because of this, despite its convenient transportation, the city had never prospered and was considered only a third-rate small city within the territory ruled by Lingyun Sword Pavilion. It was not prosperous.

"Because the entire river is saltwater, all the farmland around the city has saline-alkali characteristics, and the plants grown there also contain salt. Take the medicinal ingredients used in the alchemy just now as an example. Everyone can see, how does this residue differ from other medicinal residues?" After speaking, Zhang Xuan extended the finger that had just touched the residue.

Everyone looked in unison and indeed saw a layer of white powder on the dark mark on his finger. Although faint, these were all masters above the Saint realm and could easily discern it.

The young man in gray also came to the residue, touched it, and indeed, white powder remained on his fingertip. He touched it with the tip of his tongue, and it had a faint salty taste.

"That's right, this is salt!" Zhang Xuan continued, "Spirit Mother Grass grows in marshy areas and prefers shade over sunlight! Its branches and leaves naturally contain a faint acidity. When it comes into contact with the salt and alkali from other herbs, it immediately neutralizes, destroying its inherent Yin-cold properties. As a result, not only can it not counteract the frenzied power brought about by the other herbs, but it even becomes more ferocious due to the absence of the Burning Fire Root! That's why our friend earlier found everyone suitable, not even wanting to choose! Because... he simply couldn't wait!"

"This..."

"Such a thing exists?"

The surroundings erupted in an uproar. Alchemy, did it need to be so precise?

The young man in gray couldn't help but freeze for a moment. Could it really be because of this?

He took a few steps to the remaining herbs from the previous alchemy session, touched them with his fingertip, and a flame ignited, instantly burning them to ashes. He looked down, and indeed, just like before, there was salt residue.

"The path of alchemy allows for no mistakes. One wrong herb, one incorrect step, can lead to complete failure, destroying countless medicinal ingredients. Knowing this... regional characteristics, climate, the alchemy furnace, one's state of mind, and even technique—all should be taken into consideration! A mistake is a mistake. I imagine... since this senior brother is from Lingyun Sword Pavilion, he wouldn't deny it, would he?" Zhang Xuan said with a smile.

"A mistake is a mistake; I will admit it!" Knowing there was no way to refute, the young man in gray flicked his sleeve and snorted, "This jade talisman is yours!" Without waiting for Xue Qin to react, he flicked his palm, and the jade talisman in her hand flew towards Zhang Xuan.

"I..."

Her face twitched, and Xue Qin felt a burning pain. She had just obtained the treasure, and in less than an hour, it was... over.

"Then I shall accept it without reluctance..." Putting the jade talisman into his pocket, Zhang Xuan looked over again and smiled faintly: "By the way, I said earlier that I wanted to make a bet with you, and the loser could be dealt with as the winner pleases... Although you didn't explicitly agree, you didn't explicitly refuse either... Given that, do you consider the bet valid?"

His face darkened, and the young man in gray did not reply, but his eyes glinted with killing intent. He never expected to be checkmated by someone from a small place!

As if he hadn't noticed the other's anger, Zhang Xuan pointed to Xue Qin not far away: "My bet is simple: just slap Xue Qin three times!"

"What?" Xue Qin's face immediately changed.