Chapter 108: Meng Yan

"What?"

"We are full-fledged alchemists, and you, an apprentice, dare to point out mistakes in our alchemy?"

"Who do you think you are? There are countless alchemical techniques; even identifying them would be a feat, let alone pointing out errors!"

Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, the crowd erupted.

A mere child, claiming that if they refined pills, he could identify their techniques and point out mistakes—was he out of his mind or kicked by a donkey?

"Is he... insane?"

Ouyang Cheng, Wen Xue, and the others on the side were also exasperated.

In a pill debate, one could at most ask some questions; even if they were obscure, as long as one was familiar with alchemy, many could still be deduced. But pointing out techniques and mistakes... what kind of nonsense was that?

Alchemy was like calligraphy: ten thousand people had ten thousand styles. For the same pill, there were at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, different refining techniques, each with its own variations. A slight difference could create an entirely new school.

Moreover, any alchemical technique that had been passed down and successfully used to refine pills had undergone countless refinements and the painstaking efforts of many. While not perfect, at least these alchemists, who used them daily, had never detected any errors.

Even a third-rank alchemist, or someone of higher rank, would find it difficult to point out mistakes!

This wasn't just increasing the difficulty; it was changing the rules entirely, escalating the challenge to an infinite degree!

If an apprentice's pill debate was like addition and subtraction within a hundred, what Zhang Xuan proposed was like leaping straight to the Goldbach conjecture!

The difficulty wasn't just increased; it had become boundless.

Brother, are you sure you're not joking?

Wen Xue looked at him as if he were a monster.

Yesterday, he didn't even know the Alchemist Guild had a library, and today he was acting like a supreme expert, putting on airs. If she hadn't experienced it herself, she would have thought he had a split personality.

Even if a person could change, it couldn't be this drastic!

Even if he wanted to show off, he didn't have to go this far!

"What's the matter? Afraid I'll point out your mistakes and embarrass you? Or worried that I'll see through your techniques and make you lose face?"

Ignoring the looks as if he were a monster, Zhang Xuan smiled lightly.

He had already planned this on the way here.

Although he had read through the entire elementary library of the Alchemist Guild, he knew that passing the pill debate would still be difficult.

After all, with so many alchemists, who could guarantee that one of them wouldn't use a technique not recorded in books or ask a question not found in any text?

If he couldn't answer, he would lose!

Since that was the case, he had to find a way to prevent them from asking such questions.

To others, making them refine pills and then identifying their techniques and errors was far more difficult than a normal debate. But Zhang Xuan possessed the Library of Heaven's Path, which could easily detect any flaw. The hardest task became, for him, the simplest—like reading a script.

Alchemists refining pills were like martial artists executing techniques: as soon as he looked, a book would appear.

Thus, upon arrival, Zhang Xuan deliberately provoked them, making them angry, and then spoke in a contemptuous tone. The crowd would surely think him arrogant and agree to his terms.

Once they agreed to this method...

Hehe, just you wait—I'll toy with you all!

"Since you want to stir up trouble, we'll oblige you!"

"Fine, keep showing off. Soon you'll be crying!"

...

Sure enough, provoked again, the crowd was furious.

Each of them wanted to curse Zhang Xuan's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Embarrassed, lose face... Screw you!

I have plenty of face, but I'm afraid you don't have the skill!

The ten alchemists were all raring to go; if not for their dignity, they would have rushed up and beaten him to a pulp.

"Since you all have the guts, let's begin!" Seeing how easily he had won them over, Zhang Xuan grinned and looked at Ouyang Cheng in the center. "President Ouyang, can we start?"

"Uh... yes, we can!"

He hadn't expected the pill debate to turn out like this. Ouyang Cheng was helpless; now, even if he didn't agree, there was no other choice.

"Who would like to go first? I, Zhang, can offer some free guidance!" Zhang Xuan flicked his sleeves, putting on an air of authority.

The crowd's faces turned green again.

"I can't stand this anymore. Gentlemen, allow me to teach this brat a lesson!"

Finally, an alchemist could no longer hold back and stood up abruptly.

He was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a sallow complexion and eyes like lanterns, clearly hot-tempered.

"It's Alchemist Meng Yan!"

"Although Meng Yan has a fiery temper, he is a genuine peak one-star primary alchemist, capable of refining over a dozen one-star pills. Not to be underestimated!"

"Yes, he comes from a prestigious lineage and knows many alchemical techniques. He's the perfect choice!"

Seeing the middle-aged man step forward, the crowd nodded to themselves.

No one became a one-star alchemist without skill. Alchemist Meng Yan, while not the most skilled among them, was certainly not the least. He was just right to test how much this arrogant fellow was worth.

"Kid, I'm going to refine a pill now. If you can't tell me what technique I used or point out any flaws, I'll teach you a lesson!"

With a cold snort, Meng Yan strode to the furnace.

He casually took some herbs from a nearby rack and channeled his true qi, making the furnace fire burn more fiercely.

Whoosh!

The flames roared, and the furnace emitted a sound like a large bell.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

One by one, the herbs fell into the furnace in order, releasing their unique medicinal fragrance under the intense heat.

"So this is alchemy?"

Although Zhang Xuan had read many books in the elementary library, this was his first time witnessing alchemy in person.

"Impressive!"

He couldn't help but admire inwardly.

Though his cultivation was not inferior to Meng Yan's, he was far from being able to toss herbs into the furnace so smoothly, without hesitation or delay, and perfectly extract the medicinal properties of each ingredient.

This indeed required repeated practice over time.

No amount of theory could replace hands-on experience.

After watching for a while and analyzing with the knowledge he had learned from the library, Zhang Xuan quickly realized with dismay...

He couldn't see anything at all!

Not only could he not spot any flaws, he didn't even know what technique the other was using.

No wonder everyone thought he was crazy when he made his request. To identify techniques and flaws from watching alchemy—not even an apprentice had that insight, and even President Ouyang, the most skilled alchemist in the guild, looked utterly bewildered.

"Flaws!"

Confirming that he couldn't discern anything with just knowledge, Zhang Xuan stopped wasting time and focused his mind.

Hum!

With a buzz, the Library of Heaven's Path trembled, and a book suddenly appeared in his mind.

It recorded Alchemist Meng Yan's alchemical technique and its flaws.

"This..."

Flipping through it casually, Zhang Xuan's expression turned strange after just one glance.