Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Young Friend
"You were just refining a Sixth-Grade Returning Essence Pill."
BAM! The words struck Yun Loxi like a thunderclap. His gaze, fixed on Qin Ya, filled with shock and uncertainty. ’How does he know?’
"How did you know?"
Hearing this, the crowd looked at Qin Ya with curiosity. ’Does this kid actually have some skills?’ they wondered. Qin Ya, however, spoke with indifference. "You added a bit too much Wutong Rain. It’s going to explode any second now. Shouldn’t you be heading back?"
"What?!"
Yun Loxi didn’t have time to wonder if Qin Ya was telling the truth. The fact that he could tell he had been refining an Origin Restoration Pill was already no simple feat. Now that Qin Ya said he’d added too much Wutong Rain, his heart seized up.
’Better safe than sorry!’
He instantly transformed into a streak of light and shot off into the distance.
Good heavens, if a furnace refining a Sixth-Grade Elixir exploded, the resulting power would be no joke. There were quite a few disciples on guard duty near the Alchemy Room.
The crowd looked at Qin Ya with renewed surprise. With just a few words, he had sent Yun Loxi, an Eighth-Grade Alchemist, scrambling back in a panic.
’This plain-looking young man... is no simple character.’
Chu Lingfeng’s expression turned hideous, his face flushing red and pale. He glared daggers at Qin Ya, his eyes becoming bloodshot and ferocious. He roared in his heart, ’Qin Ya, what other trump cards are you hiding?!’
He never would have dreamed that Qin Ya could pull something like this off.
However, he quickly reined in his emotions. ’Making Master Yun leave was just a matter of having a silver tongue,’ he thought. ’Curing the Corpse Poison, in the end, still comes down to true skill.’
BOOM...
Not long after Yun Loxi had left, a deafening explosion erupted from a distant island. A mushroom cloud slowly rose into the air, and the powerful energy fluctuations were palpable even to Shangguan Feiying, Lin Yu, and the others.
Their expressions flickered, and they finally began to take this young man before them seriously.
"What’s your name?" Shangguan Feiying asked with a smile.
"Qin Ya!"
’Qin? His surname is Qin... the same as hers,’ Shangguan Feiying thought, his mind momentarily drifting. He quickly recovered and said, "You said before that you can cure the poison in my daughter."
"That is correct," Qin Ya stated coolly.
Shangguan Feiying pondered for a moment before asking, "How confident are you?"
The others were taken aback. ’Does the Palace Master really think this kid can cure Shangguan Yue? That’s the Corpse Poison, something even an Eighth-Grade Alchemist was powerless against. Even if this kid has some skills, there’s no way he could be an Eighth-Grade, let alone a Ninth-Grade Alchemist, at his age.’
Just then, Yun Loxi returned.
His aura was in disarray, but his expression was one of clear relief.
"Master Yun, are you all right?" an elder asked.
Yun Loxi replied, "I’m fine. Luckily, I was fast enough to evacuate everyone in time."
"That’s good to hear," Shangguan Feiying said.
Yun Loxi turned to face Qin Ya and said solemnly, "I am Yun Loxi. Thank you for your warning, Young Friend. You helped me avoid unnecessary casualties."
’Young Friend?!’
The Extraordinary masters exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. ’Judging by Master Yun’s posture, he’s treating him as a peer? An Eighth-Grade Alchemist, addressing a teenager as an equal?’
If word of this got out, it would sound as unbelievable as a fairy tale.
After all, the status of an Eighth-Grade Alchemist was incredibly noble. Within the Vast Sea Divine Palace, Yun Loxi’s position was even more respected than that of most Island Masters.
"It was nothing. A casual effort, that’s all," Qin Ya said lightly.
"I left in such a hurry earlier, I didn’t get to ask: Young Friend, how did you know I was refining a Sixth-Grade Returning Essence Pill, and how did you know the furnace was about to explode?"
Qin Ya replied coolly, "You carry the scent of Spiritual Medicines like Jade Fall Fruit, Half-Emerald Cloud, the heartwood of a thousand-year-old Locust Tree, and Wutong Rain. From that, I could deduce that you were refining a Sixth-Grade Returning Essence Pill. Among those medicinal scents, the aroma of the Wutong Rain was disproportionately strong. Therefore, that batch of Origin Restoration Pills was doomed to fail."
Hearing this, Yun Loxi was utterly astounded, looking at Qin Ya as if he were a Celestial Human.
’To deduce the exact elixir I was refining and the reason for its failure based solely on the faint scent of its ingredients... Such a level of mastery in the Alchemy Dao is truly unheard of.’
"I am truly in awe." Yun Loxi gave a deep bow.
This gesture stunned everyone present.
The disciples, especially Chu Lingfeng and Lii Yunge, were left completely speechless.
’Are we dreaming? What did we just see?’
An Eighth-Grade Alchemist—a figure whom even Island Masters like Mui Qiuhong had to treat with courtesy—was bowing to a young man even younger than they were. And there wasn’t a trace of reluctance on his face, only heartfelt admiration.
"I thought your performance in the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm was stunning enough, but I never expected you to cause such a stir right after arriving at the Vast Sea Divine Palace." A bitter smile touched Lii Yunge’s usually cool face, and a wave of defeat washed over her.
If even Lii Yunge felt this way, it went without saying for the others.
Chu Lingfeng, in particular, was so consumed by hatred he could have ground his teeth to dust.
"Master Yun, Young Friend Qin says he can cure Yue’er. Do you think it’s possible?" Lin Yu stepped forward and asked, her voice filled with hope.
"Er... well."
When it came to the matter of the poison, Yun Loxi was also uncertain. After all, while the ability Qin Ya had displayed was astonishing, it was still limited. He couldn’t begin to fathom Qin Ya’s true level in the Alchemy Dao, which made it impossible for him to judge.
At that moment, Shangguan Yue spoke up. "Mother, just let Brother Qin try. It’s not like we have any better options, given my condition. What if he succeeds?"
Yun Loxi said thoughtfully, "I truly cannot judge Young Friend Qin’s level in the Alchemy Dao, but it is definitely higher than my own. I believe it is worth a try."
"The longer you wait, the more danger Yue’er is in. Right now, you have no other choice but me," Qin Ya said coolly. "You can choose not to trust me, but can you afford the risk that comes with that choice?"
Eighth-Grade Alchemists were already rare, to say nothing of Ninth-Grade Alchemists.
They wouldn’t be able to find one on short notice. And while the Corpse Poison in Shangguan Yue’s body could be suppressed, the longer they waited, the faster the toxin would spread, making it that much harder to treat later. The risk was simply too great.
"Fine. I’ll let you try."
Shangguan Feiying said in a solemn voice, "What medicinal ingredients do you require, Young Friend Qin? I will order my people to prepare them at once. I implore you, Young Friend Qin, you must save Yue’er."
"Rest assured, Palace Master."
Qin Ya then wrote down the required ingredients. With the Vast Sea Divine Palace’s deep reserves, they had most of them. Even if there were one or two they lacked, they could acquire them through trade in a short amount of time.
Two days later, all the medicinal ingredients Qin Ya required had been prepared.
All that remained was for Qin Ya to begin the alchemy.
’Hmm, Corpse Poison is a poison of absolute evil. It’s dozens of times more potent than the Barbarian Race Wizard’s poison that afflicted Muui Yunlie. A common Pure Yang Pill won’t be enough to cure this. It looks like I have no choice but to refine the Eighth-Grade Supreme Yang Golden Pill.’
Qin Ya gazed at the pile of medicinal ingredients before him. With an indifferent wave of his sleeve, the Primordial Heaven Qi Furnace appeared. He then ignited the flame, purified the ingredients, and began the alchemy!
