Chapter 634: The First Flaw

"What?""Someone said Alchemist Luo isn't performing alchemy?""That's outrageous! Alchemist Luo is a five-star alchemist from headquarters. We've all witnessed her techniques and movements; they were flawless and impeccable. How can anyone say she isn't performing alchemy? Who is so rude?""What a show-off!"

The hall erupted into an uproar, as if ignited, with everyone angrily turning towards the source of the voice.

Immediately, they saw a young man in casual clothes, appearing to be in his twenties, with three stars shining on the alchemist badge on his chest.

"A mere three-star alchemist dares to spout such nonsense?""Ignorant!"Many people sneered, unable to suppress their shouts, after getting a clear look at him.

Although Alchemist Luo appeared quite young, her comprehension of medicinal elixirs and her alchemy skills were unmatched by nearly ninety-nine percent of those present. The alchemy process was smooth and precise, like spring rain, with not a single superfluous step or a second of error. Watching it was a truly beautiful experience. If such a display of alchemy isn't considered alchemy, then what is?

Besides, even if there were grounds for criticism, only a five-star master alchemist would be qualified to make it. You, a mere three-star who clearly understands nothing, speak so brazenly—what is that if not an attempt to draw attention?

Alchemist Luo frowned as well. She sought constructive feedback, not outright challenges.

"Esteemed Alchemist, could you explain what was amiss with my alchemy just now that led you to make such a statement?"

"You want to know?" The young man, without rising, merely lifted an eyelid."Naturally!" Alchemist Luo raised an eyebrow.

"Your alchemy just now contained a total of 127 errors. I'm concerned that if I list them all, your confidence will shatter, and you'll be unable to perform alchemy again!" the young man stated calmly.

"One hundred and twenty-seven errors?" Alchemist Luo scoffed, flicking her sleeve. "If you can genuinely identify that many, and I can't withstand it and my confidence shatters, then it will be my own humiliation!"

While she might have had a fleeting doubt moments earlier about whether the speaker had genuinely noticed something, hearing this statement immediately dispelled it. Her alchemy technique was the culmination of experience refined by countless predecessors at Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy, which she had learned thoroughly and believed to be virtually flawless. While she might grudgingly accept one or two minor discrepancies, over a hundred errors? What a joke!

With so many errors, not only would the elixir fail to form, but the cauldron would likely explode before the fire even ignited!

There should be a limit to attention-seeking; such a baseless claim is utterly shameless!

"Are you truly certain you want to hear it?" The young man chuckled softly."Absolutely!" Alchemist Luo affirmed.

"Ah! Since you insist on knowing, if I don't explain, you might accuse me of deliberately causing trouble!" Shaking his head, the young man stood up and took a few steps to the round platform. He then touched the alchemy cauldron beside the girl, walked around it, and looked over with a calm expression. "Before I begin, I'd like to ask if you are familiar with the origin of this cauldron?"

"Familiarity with the cauldron and knowledge of its origin are fundamental for any alchemist; of course, I am aware!" Alchemist Luo's delicate eyebrows furrowed as she continued, "This is a creation of Grandmaster Wu Feng, a fifth-grade artifact forger. It was successfully forged twelve years ago from a fusion of deep-sea cold iron and blue-silver copper. It is resistant to extreme temperatures and cold, making it a peak-tier spiritual-grade artifact..."

"An excellent explanation! But are you aware that this cauldron has exploded once before?" After listening to her flawless explanation, the young man continued.

This young man was, of course, Zhang Xuan. To ensure the other party would willingly cooperate and help refine the medicinal liquid, he first needed to win her over completely. He had been wondering how to achieve this when he heard her open invitation for opinions. Given the circumstances, there was no need for him to hold back. Although his current mastery of alchemy hadn't reached the five-star level, he possessed the ability to instantly discern flaws in another's alchemy.

"Yes, I'm aware it exploded once. However, that was merely the medicine burning, and the cauldron itself sustained no damage or cracks, so it shouldn't affect future alchemy!" Alchemist Luo said, looking surprised.

This cauldron had been a gift from a family elder and had been in her use for three full years. It had, indeed, exploded once. She knew this, of course, but how did this stranger know, and articulate it so directly?

"The cauldron is indeed undamaged," Zhang Xuan said, his finger tracing its surface. "There are no cracks either. However, the rim has a grayish, smoky tint, and if you sniff closely, there's a faint smell of copper rust. If I'm not mistaken, the last time it exploded, it was likely during the refining of a five-star Blazing Flame Elixir!"

"That's correct!" Alchemist Luo frowned and nodded.

The previous explosion had indeed occurred while refining a Blazing Flame Elixir. Although she hadn't personally refined it, she had been involved and was aware of the circumstances. To deduce that it had exploded, and even what type of elixir caused the explosion, simply by observing the rim's color and sniffing it—such keen insight was astonishing!

While she had previously dismissed him as someone spouting nonsense and seeking attention, she now began to suspect he possessed genuine skill.

"It really exploded?""To deduce all that with a single glance—even a five-star alchemist couldn't manage that!""Indeed, this fellow might actually have something significant to say..."The audience below the stage, hearing Alchemist Luo's acknowledgment, also began to show their astonishment.

Inspecting a cauldron, understanding its origin and its inherent condition, is a basic duty for every alchemist. However, to grasp all this without any introduction, simply by a single glance—such perception was astonishingly sharp! Even an average five-star alchemist might not possess such an ability. Previously, the crowd had shared Alchemist Luo's initial thought, believing this individual was merely seeking trouble, but after hearing his analysis of the cauldron, they realized he was no ordinary person.

"Even if it exploded a Blazing Flame Elixir, what's the difference compared to other exploding elixirs?" Alchemist Luo questioned. The Blazing Flame Elixir is a yang-attribute elixir, known for its volatile heat. A cauldron explosion during its refining would be considered normal; there shouldn't be any issue, should there?

"There's absolutely a difference!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "If you were continuing to refine Blazing Flame Elixirs, there would indeed be no impact. But you are refining a Spirit Clarity Elixir! This elixir calms the mind and soul, and after consumption, it can significantly benefit one's soul power, making it an incredibly precious medicine. This particular elixir is highly sensitive to any form of volatility, yet you're using a cauldron that previously exploded a Blazing Flame Elixir. Don't you think that will have an effect?"

"Well..." Alchemist Luo hesitated. It was true that some elixirs affecting the soul had extremely strict requirements. However, she thought, even if there was an impact, it would be negligible, surely not a major concern.

"Are you perhaps thinking that even if there's an impact, it would be negligible?" Zhang Xuan's lips curled into a smile, as if he had read her thoughts. "Under normal circumstances, the impact would indeed be minimal. However, your alchemy steps are flawed, which makes the influence quite pronounced. Just now, I heard you mention that Green Ling Grass directly placed into the cauldron would conflict with Cypress Wood Flower, and thus needs to be soaked in Sweet Fish Juice. Is that accurate?"

"That's correct!" Alchemist Luo nodded. She had indeed stated this and followed that procedure.

"Green Ling Grass is potent, and Cypress Wood Flower is mild, so combining them directly would indeed cause a conflict. Soaking them in Sweet Fish Juice is the correct approach, but... have you considered that Sweet Fish Juice will react violently with Green Root Wood, the primary ingredient of the Blazing Flame Elixir?" Zhang Xuan inquired.

"It would react, yes, but the Blazing Flame Elixir was refined several years ago, and I've processed other medicines in this cauldron since then. Even if there are residues, surely they'd be negligible?" Alchemist Luo countered. Green Root Wood and Sweet Fish Juice do indeed react, almost as incompatibly as fire and water. However, she thought, this incident was years ago. What harm could still linger?

"Nothing at all?" Zhang Xuan shook his head, then turned to the elderly man on the stage, who was likely the guild president. "Esteemed Alchemist, may I trouble you for a moment?"

"Please do!" The elder stepped closer.

"Please scrape a small amount of that grayish-green residue from the rim of this cauldron!" Zhang Xuan requested.

"Certainly!" Although he didn't fully grasp the young man's intention, the elder retrieved a tool and scraped the grayish-green residue into a jade bowl.

"And please, add some Sweet Fish Juice into it!" Zhang Xuan instructed, without touching the jade bowl himself.

"Understood!" The elder nodded and gave an instruction. An alchemist swiftly left and soon returned with a gourd, from which he poured a pale blue medicinal liquid into the bowl.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle! The moment the medicinal liquid made contact with the gray powder in the jade bowl, countless bubbles immediately erupted, as if the mixture were rapidly boiling.

"This is..." Everyone in the audience gasped in unison. Even the most unobservant person could see that a violent reaction was occurring. If such a reaction were to happen inside an alchemy cauldron, it could easily lead to an explosion, ruining all the medicinal ingredients.

"How is this possible?" Alchemist Luo gasped, her pretty face paling. Evidently, she found this situation equally unbelievable.

"A Blazing Flame Elixir causing a cauldron explosion is indeed not uncommon," Zhang Xuan explained, "but you overlooked that its primary ingredient, Green Root Wood, is highly corrosive. Once it explodes, it can adhere to the cauldron's inner walls, making it incredibly difficult to clean thoroughly. While it might not significantly affect the refining of other elixirs, it reacts very differently when it encounters Sweet Fish Juice."

"Is there a solution to this...?" Alchemist Luo swayed slightly.

"Naturally there is! Green Root Wood and Murky Lotus are opposing in nature. Before refining the Spirit Clarity Elixir, if you were to add two liang of Murky Lotus into the cauldron, it would easily neutralize the residual Green Root Wood properties and also help lower the cauldron's temperature..."

"Furthermore, if you do this, the Wooden Altar Fragrant Flower that is added later wouldn't need to be combined with Purple Brilliance Water and left under direct sunlight for five full days, thus eliminating the most cumbersome step." Zhang Xuan elaborated.

"I..." Alchemist Luo was left speechless.

As a five-star alchemist well-versed in medicinal properties, she naturally knew the veracity of his statements. After a careful analysis, she realized that following his advice would not only be flawless but would also significantly streamline the process, making it far less troublesome.

"Alchemy, while guided by established steps and methods, is not static. It's like driving: even if your technique is sound, you wouldn't use the same approach for different road conditions, would you?"

"Therefore, beyond simply following steps, you must also adapt them by accounting for the specific characteristics and past issues of the cauldron itself. Otherwise, rigidly adhering to a routine will only make the refining process increasingly problematic!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Zhang Xuan looked on with a calm expression, resembling a respected senior alchemist.

"This is... the first flaw I wanted to point out to you!"