Chapter 24: A Single-Breath Pill Mist! The Schemes of the Big and Little Foxes

Lu Mingyue pinched her own arm hard.

It hurt!

It really hurt!

She wasn't dreaming.

Junior Brother Lin Xiao had actually produced ten supreme-grade Ascending Origin Pills in a single furnace.

This… how was that even possible?!

It made absolutely no sense.

"Master… Master, what is going on??" Lu Mingyue turned to her master, her voice full of shock and disbelief.

But she received no response for a long while.

She looked back.

Her master wore an expression of utter incredulity — even more exaggerated than her own.

"Someone actually achieved a ten-out-of-ten pill formation rate… Why? Why? The path of alchemy I've walked is the orthodox way — so why has this happened? What could possibly be the reason…"

Elder Qiao's eyes had gone blank, and he murmured to himself in a daze.

The aura of a Revolving Pill Realm cultivator leaked from him unconsciously, pressing down on both Lin Xiao and Lu Mingyue.

Lin Xiao, for his part, looked at the master and disciple pair standing there in a stupor and only then realized he might have shown off a little too much.

The combined effect of his Max-Level Comprehension and modern pharmaceutical principles had turned out even better than he had imagined.

He had originally thought that achieving a decent pill formation rate would be sufficient.

He hadn't expected to hit a perfect ten-out-of-ten on his very first attempt.

What did puzzle him slightly, however, was this:

During this first attempt at Alchemy, there had still been many details and steps he could refine and optimize.

So what would happen if he corrected all those small flaws?

"Kid, tell me again — are you truly refining pills for the very first time???" Elder Qiao fixed Lin Xiao with an intense stare.

"Yes, Elder Qiao. Before today, I had never even touched a pill furnace." Lin Xiao answered honestly.

Elder Qiao stared at Lin Xiao for a full minute before finally withdrawing his gaze.

With the perception of a Revolving Pill Realm cultivator, he could confirm the young man was not lying.

His first time refining pills!

Good heavens!

On his very first attempt, this boy had left him — a seventh-grade Alchemist — ten streets behind.

Was there truly such a monstrous talent in this world? No — such a freak of nature?!

Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it, no matter what.

"Lin Xiao, young man, would you be willing to refine another batch?" Elder Qiao produced another set of materials and spoke in a gentle, almost humble tone.

"Sure!" Lin Xiao did not refuse.

After his first attempt, he had identified several of his own shortcomings.

So he too wanted to try again.

Besides, he didn't have those precious materials himself. Now that someone was freely offering them for him to practice with, why would he say no?

Elder Qiao nodded and once again stepped aside to give him room.

He even went to the doorway to instruct the other disciples not to let anyone approach or disturb them.

Lin Xiao adjusted his state of mind slightly.

The longsword in his hand began to move.

Swish!!

"Spark Ignites the Prairie!"

Over a hundred red Sword Qi streaks surged into the pill furnace.

A new round of Alchemy began.

As Lin Xiao once again threw all the materials into the furnace at once, Elder Qiao's spiritual sense locked on tightly and followed every movement inside.

He was determined to see exactly what was happening.

He watched as the materials entered the furnace and were immediately enveloped by over a hundred strands of red Sword Qi — sliced, and sliced again, and sliced again…

Cut down to particles of an unimaginably fine size, they were then absorbed and consumed by the Sword Qi.

Hmm!?

So this was the method of extraction and refinement…

Elder Qiao was stunned.

He could sense that the Sword Qi cutting through the materials was not doing so randomly or haphazardly.

Instead, it followed a specific, orderly pattern.

Not a trace of the materials' essence was damaged.

Hiss—

Elder Qiao's heart shook with astonishment.

Controlling over a hundred strands of Sword Qi to perform such precise, minute operations — this single step alone was beyond his ability.

Never mind him.

Any Alchemist alive would likely be incapable of this.

Controlling fire was one thing, but controlling Sword Qi to this degree of precision was simply unimaginable.

And then Lin Xiao released his Sword Intent.

Elder Qiao was even more astounded.

The moment Sword Intent emerged, those turbulent strands of Sword Qi instantly became docile and obedient.

Each strand began to cooperate with the others, working in perfect order.

Fusion. Elixir condensation. Elixir gathering. Elixir formation.

Just two hours later.

Lin Xiao's new batch of pills was complete.

When the furnace was opened, the fragrance of pills that washed over them was even richer and more intense than the previous batch.

Elder Qiao stood rooted to the spot, overwhelmed and bewildered.

He didn't even need to look — just by the scent alone, he knew this batch had once again achieved a perfect ten-out-of-ten pill formation rate.

Terrifying!

This young man was truly terrifying!!

"Huh!? What's this? Master, it looks like there's something on one of the Ascending Origin Pills." Lu Mingyue leaned in for a closer look, and amid her shock, a question escaped her lips.

Hearing this, Elder Qiao stepped forward to look.

On the surface of one of the supreme-grade Ascending Origin Pills, a wisp of cloud-like mist had appeared.

At just a single glance, Elder Qiao looked as though he had seen a ghost — his face drained of color, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

"A Single-Breath Pill Mist!" Elder Qiao lost his composure once again.

He felt as though today alone had used up every ounce of surprise he had left for the rest of his life.

"A Single-Breath Pill Mist? Master, what is that?" Lu Mingyue asked curiously.

"The quality of Pills can be divided into low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. But above supreme-grade, there exist even higher tiers."

"Producing a Single-Breath Pill Mist enhances the pill's effect by an additional twenty percent on top of its base potency, and removes all side effects."

Elder Qiao stared at the Ascending Origin Pill emanating the pill mist and murmured his explanation.

"Master, what comes above a Single-Breath Pill Mist? Is it a Two-Breath Pill Mist?"

Lu Mingyue's eyes sparkled with excitement, utterly fascinated by this new piece of knowledge.

"You girl, why so many questions? A Single-Breath Pill Mist is something only an eighth-grade Alchemist can achieve. Knowing too much about it right now will only do you harm." Elder Qiao shot his disciple an exasperated glare.

An eighth-grade Alchemist!!

Lu Mingyue felt her mind go blank.

There wasn't a single eighth-grade Alchemist in the entire Great Wei Dynasty.

Then she fixed her gaze on Lin Xiao.

Didn't that mean that, in some sense, Junior Brother Lin Xiao had reached the level of an eighth-grade Alchemist??

"Your name is Lin Xiao, correct?"

Elder Qiao looked at Lin Xiao with blazing, fervent eyes.

"Uh, yes, that's right." Lin Xiao couldn't help but take a step back under that gaze.

"I will take you as my Core Disciple. What do you say!"

Elder Qiao's words were a bombshell. Without waiting for Lin Xiao to react, he continued.

"Don't be in a rush to refuse."

"Your talent for Alchemy is the greatest I have ever seen in my life, but the path of Alchemy is treacherous without a guide. Every step is a struggle."

"Alchemy is not like ordinary cultivation — it is almost entirely passed down through lineage, each master hoarding their secrets jealously. That is one of the great failings of the Alchemy world…"

"Besides, that Old Mu hasn't taken you as his disciple either. Why not stay here at Azure Brush Peak for a while? I have more materials than I know what to do with. You just focus on refining pills, and ask me anything you're unsure about."

"When you've made up your mind, just let me know. How does that sound?!"

Elder Qiao spoke with a perfectly earnest expression, yet a sly gleam flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Advance by retreating.

As long as he could keep the young man here first, he would have all the time in the world to secure this monstrous talent for himself.

Lin Xiao fell silent.

He had to admit it.

Elder Qiao's words had moved him.

Most importantly, cultivating Old Mu's "Nine Abyssal Demon-Suppressing Seal" required a vast amount of resources.

If he were to stay here at Azure Brush Peak, wouldn't that mean…

He could only hope that Elder Qiao wouldn't kick him out when the time came.

"Alright, Elder Qiao, I think you make a very good point! Then I'll stay here for the time being." Lin Xiao agreed.

The big fox and the little fox exchanged a glance and smiled.

Everything was understood without a single word needing to be said.