Chapter 38: Chapter 36: This Is Not a Genius. It Is a Once-in-a-Century Genius.
When he arrived outside the Vice Hall Master’s private Alchemy Room, Du Youqian was already mentally prepared. He had run through the potential conversation several times in his head and was brimming with confidence.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ll go in now." After thanking the Inner Disciple who had led the way, Du Youqian walked to the door of the Alchemy Room.
But he neither knocked nor announced his presence. He simply waited quietly, smelling the medicinal fragrance wafting from within.
He waited for a full four hours. The person inside never called for him, and he remained perfectly still, not a trace of impatience on his face.
Then, at a certain moment, he suddenly smiled. Without a word of greeting, he pushed the door open and walked right in.
The Alchemy Room was simple and unadorned, devoid of any decoration. Inside was a small table covered with numerous bottles and jars, all clearly filled with various medicinal ingredients.
In the center of the Alchemy Room stood a greenish-yellow, slightly worn Pill Furnace about the size of a desktop computer tower.
Du Youqian stared, his eyes filled with fascination, like a gourmet who had just stumbled upon an exquisite delicacy, or a seasoned patron of brothels laying eyes on a pure and beautiful young girl on her first night.
To anyone who loved Alchemy, this Pill Furnace, clearly at the Top Grade Magical Artifact Level, was an absolute masterpiece—both beautiful and practical.
Du Youqian desperately wanted to take it apart right then and there to see the Arrays engraved within.
However, he rationally suppressed his impulse and continued his observation.
Two cattail cushions were placed in front of the Pill Furnace.
On one of the cushions sat a middle-aged man with a flowing beard. He was reasonably handsome, but in a way that didn’t leave a lasting impression.
He wore coarse linen clothes, over which was a worn Crane Robe. Faint fluctuations emanated from it, suggesting it was a powerful Dharma Robe.
A strong medicinal aroma emanated from his body.
Du Youqian bowed to him. "Disciple Qiu Yuanqing greets Master Ma."
The man, while controlling the Pill Fire, asked with a deadpan expression, "Why did you suddenly enter?"
Du Youqian replied with a smile, "This disciple entered at the Hall Master’s invitation."
Master Ma remained expressionless. "I invited you?"
Du Youqian gestured to the Pill Furnace. "Before, the Hall Master had not yet started the refinement, merely processing the ingredients. But just after you lit the furnace, you added only one herb: a Cyan Orchid Leaf. When this disciple smelled the fragrance of the Cyan Orchid dissolving, I knew the Hall Master was inviting me to enter and speak. The herb’s name, Cyan Orchid, is a homophone for the phrase ’please enter.’"
"Oh?" Master Ma neither confirmed nor denied the guess, only asking, "I’ve heard you have an extreme talent for the Dao of Alchemy, and that you are self-taught. Can you tell me about it?"
"This disciple doesn’t know either," Du Youqian said, having long ago considered how to answer such a question. "It started around the time I turned eighteen. On a certain day, I began to have... certain ideas, and to understand certain things. It felt as if it was knowledge I had always possessed but had somehow forgotten, and only began to remember it after I turned eighteen."
Master Ma stared intently into Du Youqian’s eyes. Seeing no signs of deception, he mulled it over for a moment before asking, "Have you awakened memories from a past life? That is uncommon. It is said that normally only Great Powers at the Nascent Soul realm or above can awaken memories of a past life, though I have heard of rare cases where Junior Cultivators or even ordinary people awaken a few fragments. Besides Alchemy, what else have you remembered?"
Du Youqian had already revealed his skill in Artifact Refining back at the Governor’s Mansion, so he didn’t hide it now. "I also seem to have some knowledge about Artifact Refining."
"No wonder you have a Fire Spirit Root. I understand. We will speak of Artifact Refining later; someone from the Treasure Hall will come to assess you," Master Ma said, gesturing to the empty cushion. "Sit."
Du Youqian gracefully thanked him and sat down. A faint smile finally appeared on Master Ma’s face. "The medicines you’ve refined before were all for the Mortal World. Now, I want to test you on refining the Elixirs we Cultivators use. Do you dare to try?"
Du Youqian laughed. "Why wouldn’t I dare? Please, Hall Master, present your test."
"You have been in the Sect for seven months, and you’ve spent all that time in the Outer Sect. The only Pill Formulas you could have accessed are the basic Fasting Pill, Qi Passage Pill, and Moisturizing Pill."
"Yes."
"So, which of them are you best at? Pick the one you’re most skilled with and refine it for me."
’This is a trap,’ Du Youqian thought. He estimated that his true Alchemy skills weren’t much inferior to Master Ma’s.
’This little trap isn’t enough to stump me.’
He smiled and said, "Since the Cyan Orchid Leaf has already been dissolved, this batch can only be for the Moisturizing Pill."
Master Ma nodded in satisfaction. "You try it, then."
Du Youqian showed no stage fright. He stood up and, with practiced ease, selected the ingredients he needed from the bottles and jars on the table.
Master Ma watched him, nodding slightly.
’None of those bottles and jars were labeled, yet Du Youqian could identify the ingredients inside the moment he lifted the lids. His foundational knowledge is quite solid.’
"Wait." Just as Du Youqian finished processing the ingredients and was about to add them to the Pill Furnace in sequence, Master Ma stopped him. He picked up a fibrous root from the pile of ingredients. "Is this part of the Moisturizing Pill Formula you learned in the Outer Sect?"
Du Youqian smiled slightly. "Hall Master, among the ingredients you prepared, the Amaranth is fifty years old, while the others are ordinary ten or twenty-year-old specimens. Relatively speaking, the Amaranth’s medicinal potency is too strong and would affect the final Pill Quality. So I added a bit of Tiger Silk Vine root to neutralize the Amaranth’s Demon Power."
Master Ma began stroking his beard unconsciously.
His expression remained calm, showing only a faint, encouraging smile.
But inwardly, a monstrous wave of shock had already crashed over him.
’This isn’t just a disciple with a talent for Alchemy!’
’This is a goddamn once-in-a-century Alchemy genius!’
’I’ve struck gold, I’ve really struck gold...’
’Granted, the Alchemy talent this boy is showing is likely just a bonus from his awakened past-life experience with Alchemy. His actual innate aptitude might not be so high.’
’Once he reaches a certain stage, his talent for Alchemy might just fade into mediocrity.’
’But based on my own estimates, with the solid fundamentals and deep understanding of Alchemy the boy had displayed, becoming a Tier Two Alchemist in the future would be no problem. He might even have a chance of breaking through to Tier Three.’
’Tier Three!’
’That’s the same level as a Core Formation Elder Monster!’
’A small temple like the Zhongxuan Sect can only support a Tier Three Alchemist at most.’
’So what if the boy hits a wall at Tier Three and can’t advance another inch!’
’A single Tier Three Alchemist is enough to ensure the Sect’s glory for a hundred years, and could even help us return to the ranks of the Third-class Sects!’
’As for the possibility that this boy is a spy sent by the Demon Sect...’
’After all, intelligence reports suggested he had some sort of ambiguous relationship with a Demoness from the Demon Sect.’
But Master Ma wasn’t suspicious in the slightest.
’If the Demon Sect was willing to send an Alchemy genius like this to be a spy, their leaders must have had their heads slammed in a door.’
’The Demon Sect is evil, not stupid.’
’And if the Demon Sect really *was* stupid enough to send such a genius as a spy, then I would have no choice but to graciously accept their gift and use any means necessary to make the boy see the light.’
By the time Du Youqian calmly and smoothly refined a furnace of Upper Grade Moisturizing Pills, Master Ma had already solidified a certain idea in his mind.
Outwardly, however, he remained nonchalant. "Can you refine any other Elixirs?"
"Not at the moment. But if you, Hall Master, were to give me a few advanced Pill Formulas to study, I’m certain I could do it."
"You want to run before you’ve even learned to walk?" Master Ma shot him a glare. "For now, just focus on honestly studying the theoretical foundations."
"Yes, this disciple understands."
"From now on, you will refer to yourself as ’your student’."
"Yes, your student understands."
