Chapter 618: I Want to Become Your Disciple!

"This..."

Master Luo was speechless, unsure how to respond.

His words were reasoned and well-founded, leaving her no room to refute.

Not only was she in this state, but the room was also dead silent.

Could... this really work?

How deep must one's understanding of medicine, pill formulas, and furnaces be to achieve this?

Everyone looked at the young man again, as if seeing a monster.

"I heard your exchange with others earlier. It's true that soul force entering the furnace gets scorched, and adding spiritual Ganxin Grass can neutralize it, but... have you considered that the spirituality of Ganxin Grass easily fuses with the previously added Zhizhi Wood, thereby reducing the effect?"

"This..."

Master Luo was stunned again.

Zhizhi Wood has an adsorptive effect on spirituality; the spirituality of Ganxin Grass, when added, is easily consumed, weakening the effect.

"That's the second flaw."

Zhang Xuan continued: "When you refined the pill, if I'm not mistaken, you used the 'Dark Night Rainy Soft Hand' technique! This technique protects the medicine and spirituality, but... it increases the steps in refining the Ning Shen Pill. Seven of the herbs should be added in one go, but this technique extends the process by thirty-two breaths, causing loss of medicinal efficacy... The technique doesn't match the medicine—the third flaw!"

"During refining, you used the Qing Han Technique to resist the flame's heat, which protected you but caused some heat loss from the furnace, preventing better fusion of that drop of spirit beast blood essence... the fourth flaw!"

"...the fifth flaw!"

"...the sixth flaw!"

...

"...that's the twenty-seventh flaw!"

"Refining a mere fifth-grade pill, unclear about the furnace, ignorant of the medicine, unskilled in technique, uncontrolled in skill, unclear in instruction, incomplete in analysis, unfocused in spirit, powerless in force..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes were like lightning: "With so many problems, do you call this pill refining?"

"I..."

Stepping back a few paces, Master Luo's face turned pale, her delicate body trembling incessantly.

His words came like a rapid-fire cannon, and being correct, they overwhelmed her, making it hard to breathe.

She had thought herself an outstanding five-star alchemist, unrivaled, never dreaming that before a true master, she was as laughable as an idiot!

"Do you want me to list the remaining hundred flaws as well?" Zhang Xuan continued.

Retracting her neck, Master Luo's body trembled slightly.

He had listed twenty-seven flaws, all present in her earlier refining, reasoned and undeniable.

Hearing just this much made her feel hesitant and uncertain about refining again; if he continued, her confidence might truly collapse, beyond repair!

"N-no need..."

Clasping her fists, she bowed deeply, looking at the young man again not with contempt but with respect and admiration.

To see so many flaws in pill refining at a glance, with solid reasoning—what level of understanding of alchemy did this person possess?

Probably even her alchemy teacher could hardly compare.

"Alright, don't feel burdened. Pill refining is not like painting, where every stroke follows strict rules to create a precise work. It requires countless hours of practice and insight into the properties of medicines to succeed."

Seeing the woman's pale face, knowing she was severely shaken, Zhang Xuan comforted: "To be able to refine a pill of this level at your age is already quite impressive. Don't let it weigh on you... How about this: follow what I just said, correct your approach, and try refining the Qing Shen Pill again. I guarantee you'll gain something different!"

His voice carried the Heavenly Word of Teaching, making her naturally believe.

Although she was a five-star master teacher, she was only at the initial stage, with a mental state around 15.0, while his current mental state had reached 16.0. Using the Heavenly Word of Teaching to make her believe was effortless.

Indeed, hearing this, Master Luo's wavering confidence reconsolidated. Closing her eyes, she recalled the issues the young man had pointed out, then gritted her teeth: "Alright!"

She stepped to the furnace.

Typically, alchemists prepare three sets of ingredients; she had used only one, so two sets remained on the table, so there was no worry about materials.

True qi surged within her; igniting the flame, heating the cauldron, extracting the medicinal liquid—all done in one go. Various herbs fell into the cauldron like raindrops, spiritual energy radiating, medicinal fragrance stirring.

Twenty minutes later, she exhaled a turbid breath and stopped.

The Qing Shen Pill, which originally took half an hour to refine, was completed in less than half the time!

She pushed her palm forward.

Creak!

The furnace lid opened, and a rich aroma burst forth, like a pure white cloud.

Above the cloud, a round pill floated, with a golden pill pattern inlaid on it, dazzling and radiant.

"This is... a pill with a pill pattern?"

"How is that possible?"

"The pill pattern level and the perfect level, though only one grade apart, have an insurmountable gap. Even a six-star alchemist couldn't achieve this!"

"Yes, a pill with a pill pattern already possesses spirituality; it's not just a pill but has been given life!"

"Just now it was perfect level, and this alchemist, with only a brief explanation, enabled Master Luo to refine a pill with a pill pattern... That's incredible!"

...

Seeing the pill flying out of the furnace, everyone turned pale with fright.

The four levels of pills—formed, full, perfect, and pill pattern—reaching perfect is basically the limit; only geniuses who have truly mastered alchemy can refine pills at the pill pattern level.

Not to mention others, the Alchemist Guild of Huanyu Empire, established for countless years, has seen many brilliant alchemists, but... not a single pill with a pill pattern has ever appeared!

It is said that only the Alchemy Academy of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy has produced a few, each causing a sensation far and wide, astonishing countless alchemists who came to pay homage.

They thought such pills existed only in legends, never to be seen with their own eyes, never dreaming... Master Luo had personally refined one!

Terrifying!

Master Luo was formidable, but the young man who guided her to success—wasn't he even more unfathomable?

In an instant, everyone looked at the young man on the stage again, their eyes filled with deep awe.

This was admiration for a master.

Even if his strength might be inferior to some, his understanding of alchemy probably surpassed even the guild leader's!

While everyone was astonished, Master Luo also snapped out of her special state. Looking at the pill with the golden pattern, her delicate body trembled with excitement. She stepped forward and knelt: "I wish to become your disciple, please accept me as your student and guide me in alchemy!"

She could clearly feel that the shackles that had bound her alchemy had been broken; she had gained new insights, and as long as her cultivation level allowed, she could even aim to become a six-star alchemist.

And all this... was bestowed by the young man who looked younger than her.

Under his guidance, breaking through the shackles already established a half-teacher bond; if she could become his disciple and often listen to his teachings, her achievements in alchemy would surely grow higher and higher!

"Become a disciple?"

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

His goal was only to convince her, so she would later refine the medicinal liquid for him. He hadn't expected this woman to directly ask to become his disciple, which made him a bit embarrassed.

"Please, teacher, accept me!"

Master Luo urged.

"Alright, I can be your teacher in alchemy, but I don't have much time to guide you..."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan said: "How about this: I have a special method for refining a medicinal liquid that can test your basic skills and temperament, as well as your sincerity in seeking to become my disciple. I'll tell you in advance: if you strictly follow my instructions, this liquid can be refined successfully... If you succeed, I'll accept you as a teaching student; if not, it means we have no affinity!"

"I will definitely succeed!"

Master Luo nodded quickly, her face flushed with excitement.

"Mm." Seeing that she was successfully convinced, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief. With a flick of his wrist, the Luoshe Inner Core and Duyou Grass appeared before everyone.

"These two are the main ingredients. We also need two liang of Dragon Beard Flower, one liang of One Star Dust, three qian of Muye Bark..."

Zhang Xuan casually listed a dozen herbs, all needed for the liquid.

"Guild Leader, may I trouble you to bring a set of these herbs?"

Master Luo noted the herbs and quantities, then looked at the old man nearby.

"That's simple; I'll have someone prepare them right away!" The old man smiled.

These herbs were not particularly rare; the guild had them all. It was no big deal. After giving the order, an alchemist soon brought everything over.

Seeing that the herbs were complete and of the highest years, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Coming here to convince her was indeed the right move; otherwise, so many high-year herbs, mostly kept in storage, would cost a lot and might not even be purchasable.

"Teacher, how should I refine it?"

After checking the herbs, Master Luo was also satisfied and looked at the young man again.

"Follow my instructions exactly, without any mistakes!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, raised his brows, and began to instruct: "Heat the cauldron for forty-five breaths, then add One Star Dust; after seven breaths, add Dragon Beard Flower; then use true qi to drive the flame for three breaths..."

The liquid to unlock Yuan Tao's constitution had been designed after much deliberation and verified by the Heavenly Library, so he knew the exact refining steps and methods.

He explained in great detail, making it simpler for Master Luo to refine.

The flames blazed, heat surging.

As more herbs were thrown into the furnace, the surrounding spiritual energy grew denser, and the power within the furnace became increasingly violent, as if it might lose control and explode at any moment.

"That's the Luoshe Inner Core..."

"This thing is the essence of a Mortal Transformation seventh-level spirit beast, with violent power. Fermented in the furnace, even a Mortal Transformation eighth-level expert would find it hard to control. Asking Master Luo to refine it... isn't that too much?"

The guild leader and the many five-star master teachers on the side frowned at the sight.