Chapter 271: Guiding Pill Refining

Miss Mo Yu was truly in tears this time.

"Are you deliberately messing with me?"

I just got first place in beast taming, and then you showed up, beat my savage beast, and became a qualified beast tamer.

I had just proudly declared myself a physician apprentice when you suddenly appeared, not only scolding a 2-star master physician but also identifying the Skyhowler Beast's illness and its cure...

I thought I still had alchemy to boast about, but then... you pulled out an alchemist's emblem, claiming you had successfully passed the Pill Debate.

Who did I offend?

Is it really that hard to quietly display your talents?

"Pill Debate? What's that?"

"It's an assessment where you challenge ten official alchemists simultaneously and force them to concede! I heard this kind of assessment is extremely difficult, with a pass rate of less than one percent."

"An assessment with less than a one percent pass rate?"

Many beast tamers present weren't familiar with the Pill Debate. After hearing the explanation, they were all dumbfounded.

How formidable must one be to pass an assessment by forcing ten official alchemists to concede?

Yun Tao, who had always considered himself a genius, now realized that compared to this Elder Zhang Xuan, his own talent was truly insignificant and not worth mentioning.

Formations, beast taming, medicine, master teacher, alchemy...

Brother, I want to ask, is there anything you *can't* do?

So I can learn from it...

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't ask. Every time he says he can't do something, it's naive to believe him. He'll surely defeat you without any chance of resistance the moment he acts... Haven't you seen Miss Mo Yu?

He felt embarrassed for the princess.

In short, this guy is a freak. It's best not to compare yourself to him in anything.

"Since you know alchemy, you must have brought an alchemy cauldron or something, right?"

Ignoring the crowd's shock, Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Mm!"

Gritting her teeth in anger, Miss Mo Yu still forced herself to hold back, huffing.

"Good!" Zhang Xuan nodded, then turned to the beast tamers. "Hall Master Feng, please prepare the following medicinal herbs as soon as possible: one 30-year-old Sunblaze Herb, one ounce of 15-year-old Sunfire Leaf..."

He rattled off a long list of herb names.

Hearing the herbs, Mo Yu paused, then her pupils contracted as she suddenly realized something. "You... you don't mean for me to refine the... Blazing Sun Pill, do you?"

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded as if it were obvious.

"Are you kidding me? The Blazing Sun Pill is a peak-level Tier 2 medicinal pill! I'm only a 1-star alchemist; how could I possibly succeed?"

Miss Mo Yu's body trembled, and she almost fainted.

Is this guy out of his mind?

The Blazing Sun Pill, a pure Yang medicinal pill formed from nine Yang-attribute herbs, is peak Tier 2. Even an ordinary 3-star alchemist would find it difficult to refine, yet he wants *me*, someone who just reached 1-star, to refine it...

Is he serious?

"Don't worry, I'll guide you. You just need to know how to use the cauldron and control the flame temperature. It's very simple!"

Zhang Xuan said calmly.

"Know how to use the cauldron? Control the flame temperature? Very simple?"

It would have been better if he hadn't explained. Hearing him, Miss Mo Yu felt like she was going crazy.

Big brother, are you even an alchemist?

These are basic skills that even apprentices know. If alchemy were truly this simple, wouldn't everyone be an alchemy master?

Alchemy isn't a mechanical one plus one equals two. The most crucial aspects are real-time control over the pill and mastery of the furnace fire. She had only just reached 1-star this year; she couldn't even refine some powerful Tier 1 pills, let alone a peak Tier 2...

Most importantly, refining pills requires personal involvement to constantly monitor the progress and proceed to the next step. His "guidance"... means he won't be participating in the refining himself!

Where does this guy get his confidence?

"Yes, if you feel you can't handle it, you can find an apprentice. 1-star alchemists are hard to find in the Beast Hall, but alchemy apprentices should be available!" Seeing her exasperated expression, Zhang Xuan frowned.

What's wrong with this woman, making such a fuss?

I already told you, I'll just guide you through the alchemy. Why so much chatter?

If you really think you can't do it, I'll find someone else.

"No need to look, I'll do it!"

Seeing his disdainful expression, Miss Mo Yu felt as if a thousand cats were scratching her heart. On the verge of losing her mind, she gritted her teeth and huffed.

In Tianwu Kingdom, apart from that one person she couldn't surpass, she was a top-tier super genius in every aspect. She never expected to come to such a remote mountain corner and be looked down upon by a bumpkin from a far-off place!

Dammit!

Alright, aren't you pretending? I'll just wait and see what you'll do when I can't refine a peak Tier 2 pill!

"Alright, let me tell you in advance: follow my instructions strictly. Not even a tiny mistake is allowed." Fearing she might cause trouble, Zhang Xuan warned her.

"Don't worry!"

Miss Mo Yu's stubbornness had also flared up.

"Good!"

Zhang Xuan nodded and said no more.

Knowing the urgency of the matter, Hall Master Feng didn't dare to hesitate. Before long, a pile of medicinal herbs was brought before them.

Although the Beast Hall wasn't an alchemist guild, savage beasts naturally liked medicinal herbs, so some essential ingredients were still quite plentiful.

"Begin!"

Seeing all the herbs gathered, he checked them, deemed their age sufficient, and Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Among his many professions, the one he was most familiar with was naturally alchemy.

Not only because it was the first profession he tested for, but more importantly, with the help of the golden book, all the knowledge from the books he had seen in the Alchemist Guild had been transformed into his own.

In terms of basic knowledge alone, even some 2-star and 3-star alchemists probably couldn't compare.

"Mm!"

Holding her breath, Miss Mo Yu wasted no words. With a flick of her wrist, a massive cauldron appeared before them. She lit the fire and heated the cauldron in one smooth motion, demonstrating excellent fundamentals.

Although she was 100% convinced it was impossible to refine a Tier 2 pill, given his confidence, she decided to try. If it failed, she could mock him then.

"Not bad!"

Seeing her fluid, unimpeded movements, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

As expected of a genius from Tianwu Kingdom, despite Miss Mo Yu's seemingly young age and somewhat aloof demeanor, her alchemy techniques were indeed impeccable, far superior to those of Bai Ming, Chen Xiao, and others he had seen before.

With a sigh of admiration, he walked over to the cauldron and casually touched it.

Zhang Xuan said no more, standing still in place.

"Do you think... he can succeed?"

Looking at the two standing not far away, Beast Master Lu couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"I don't know either, but if someone told you earlier that beating a savage beast would completely tame it and achieve a loyalty of 45, would you have believed them?" Hall Master Feng gave a wry smile.

"That... I wouldn't believe it even if you killed me," Beast Master Lu hesitated.

If someone had told him that before today, he would have beaten them to death.

Taming a savage beast with just one beating and achieving 45 loyalty... Isn't that a joke?

But he saw it with his own eyes today... He couldn't even refute it.

This young man named Zhang Xuan seemed to be a miracle creator, constantly refreshing everyone's perception and understanding of the world.

"Guiding alchemy, I once saw it in a Conferred Kingdom. It was a 3-star Master Teacher guiding an alchemy apprentice to successfully refine a pill, shocking everyone. I never expected to see it with my own eyes today!"

Beast Master Wang's eyes gleamed as he murmured.

"I knew about that instance too, but back then, they were refining a 1-star pill. Beast Master Zhang wants to guide Princess Mo Yu to refine a peak 2-star pill; the difficulty has more than doubled."

"Indeed, each pill grade is incredibly difficult to overcome, separated by a distance greater than mountains. If a 1-star alchemist can truly refine a peak Tier 2 pill, it would absolutely astound everyone!"

Hall Master Feng and Beast Master Lu couldn't help but nod as well.

"Look, the alchemy has begun!"

Amidst the murmurs, the alchemy had already commenced.

*Woosh! Woosh!*

The furnace fire blazed, and Miss Mo Yu's slender hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers. She circled the cauldron, leaving behind streaks of phantom images.

"Add the Ge Qing Leaf, then the Whitebeard Grass after seven breaths, the Sunblaze Herb after fourteen breaths, and use the Cloud-Wave Thousand Illusions Hand..."

Zhang Xuan's hands were clasped behind his back, his voice calm and methodical, without any pause or hesitation.

Although the Blazing Sun Pill is said to be a Yang-attribute pill refined from nine pure Yang-attribute herbs, it still requires many neutralizing agents. Otherwise, with so many Yang-attribute herbs mixed together, the cauldron would surely explode.

"Hmm?"

Miss Mo Yu hadn't initially believed she could refine a peak 2-star pill by following his guidance. However, as the herbs were gradually added, her disdain slowly vanished, her expression grew increasingly solemn, and her heart filled with growing astonishment.

She had seen the Blazing Sun Pill's formula. The nine Yang-attribute herbs were like nine bombs. Even with neutralizing agents, if the timing was slightly off, the cauldron would explode immediately. Many 2-star alchemists had ruined their pills and cauldrons because they couldn't master the timing.

Yet now, she had already added five Yang-attribute herbs, and the refining was more than halfway complete. The cauldron was still operating smoothly, with no signs of fluctuation...

This meant that all the previous steps and timings for adding the pills were without error or omission—they were all perfect!

How... how is this possible!

One must understand that everyone's cultivation is different, their true qi varies, and cauldrons and charcoal fires are also not identical. There are significant differences during refining, thus requiring constant adjustments and control during alchemy, without a moment's laxity.

Even if the same person refines twice, if their state or strength differs, they cannot follow the exact same steps for adding herbs!

How could she not be shocked that such complex alchemy, following his instructions, proceeded without a hitch or any mistakes?

Most importantly... how did he know her refining techniques and her level of control over alchemy? Every time he spoke, his instructions were precisely accurate, not a single word exceeding her capability!

She was certain she had never refined pills in front of him. So... how did he know such precise details?

"Don't get distracted!"

As she was lost in thought, a sudden shout rang in her ear. Only then did she realize that due to her distraction, she had added an herb half a breath earlier than instructed.

*Gurgle, gurgle!*

Instantly, the Yang energy surged, and the previously stable, neutralizing forces seemed to ignite, causing the entire cauldron to shake violently.

"Oh no, it's going to explode!"

Someone shouted, and everyone's expressions changed.