https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-509-A-Drastic-Change-in-Attitude/12995431/
Chapter 508: The Silent Yan You
Chapter 508: The Silent Yan You
December 2, 2024
They walked all the way to the Alchemy Workshop.
The surroundings were pitch-black, not even a single candle lit along the roadside.
Those present were all capable martial artists.
Although it was dark, they could still see their surroundings with their eyesight, just not as clearly.
Su Chen was quite familiar with Heaven's Pivot City.
He didn't cultivate the path of alchemy, but he had visited the sect's Alchemy Workshop several times.
He directly chose an alchemy chamber inside.
Upon entering, he immediately lit the lamps within.
Inside the room, various medicinal ingredients used for alchemy were scattered about.
They were left there haphazardly, without any effort to tidy them up.
Just from the state of the room, one could tell how casually Heaven's Pivot City treated the art of alchemy.
The medicinal ingredients were all ordinary, and many were even grown by farmers, so they weren't particularly valuable.
Su Chen picked up the tools on the ground and skillfully lit the fire, starting the preheating process.
The initially cold room began to glow with firelight.
The flames licked the firewood, roaring as they made the fire burn higher.
The temperature inside the room began to rise, and this feeling surprised Elder Wang Shanlin and the others.
As they had limited exposure to the path of alchemy, they couldn't tell if Su Chen's actions were professional or not.
Additionally,
Yan You, standing beside them, was more accustomed to this.
He was one of the high-ranking elders in charge of alchemy in the Tahe Sect, not the absolute best, but certainly skilled.
"The art of Jade Essence Pill is an extremely delicate craft. First of all, using such a large fire is a huge mistake."
Yan You spoke while letting out a couple of cold harrumphs.
His comments had no effect on Su Chen,
but they greatly influenced the elders beside him.
They knew that Yan You understood alchemy, so they naturally believed his words.
The cauldron had been prepared and preheated, and it was time for the formal alchemy process to begin.
Elder Wang Shanlin and Qin Wei actually wanted to persuade Su Chen.
If these medicinal ingredients weren't wasted, everything would be fine.
But if the ingredients for the White Jade Jadehua Pill were wasted tonight, the Tahe Sect would definitely not let it go.
Elder Wang Shanlin and Qin Wei were both pressured to ask Su Chen for an explanation.
However, seeing Su Chen's calm expression, they held back the words that had reached their lips.
In contrast, Yan You kept talking incessantly.
He had been pointing out problems since Su Chen started his preparations.
Everything seemed wrong to him.
Based on his understanding of the Jade Essence Pill, he criticized Su Chen's every move.
In about a quarter of an hour, Yan You had pointed out seven or eight issues with Su Chen's process.
According to him, each problem was fatal to the Jade Essence Pill.
With these mistakes, the Jade Essence Pill would never form.
Jiang Zhu, Wang Shanlin, and Qin Wei,
all elders of the Tahe Sect, somewhat trusted Yan You's expertise.
Hearing Yan You's words, their doubts naturally grew.
However, the matter had already progressed to this point.
They would have to make do and couldn't stop at this moment.
The formal alchemy process was about to begin.
Before starting, Su Chen turned his head towards Yan You.
"Please excuse yourself, Senior Yan. The techniques for refining the Jade Essence Pill are not casually shared with others.
Please understand.
The other elders have no involvement in the path of alchemy, so there's no issue there."
Hearing Su Chen's words, Yan You's face showed a hint of helplessness.
"To be honest, whether you can refine even the most ordinary Jade Essence Pill is a question.
Not to mention this White Jade Jadehua Pill.
Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you. I don't care to watch here."
Yan You waved his hand and directly left the room.
Su Chen began his work only after seeing him leave.
The medicinal ingredients before him started to be poured into the cauldron for refinement.
Many say that the art of Jade Essence is an extremely delicate craft.
To some extent, this is not wrong.
The core of the Jade Essence technique does require delicacy.
Without the support of the medicinal residue, a pill might struggle to form.
Therefore, this step requires great precision.
If one's skill is lacking, a pill might directly collapse.
But not every step of the alchemy process demands such precision.
For example, at the very beginning, when refining the medicinal liquid, there's no need to exhaust all your energy on it.
Refining pills is inherently a process that consumes a lot of energy and focus.
If you don't allocate your resources wisely, you'll waste a lot of mental energy.
Inside the room, Su Chen had already started, and his movements were incredibly skilled.
His proficiency startled the other three in the room, causing them to pause.
Jiang Zhu's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Su Chen with a hint of strangeness.
"Strange Tower and Crystal Pavilion accused you of stealing their techniques, and I didn't believe it at first. But now, it seems like you might have..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Elder Wang Shanlin beside him interrupted with a stern rebuke.
"Just watch and don't disturb others!"
Jiang Zhu pouted, his displeasure evident on his face, but he didn't argue further with Elder Wang.
In his mind, he thought of how he would prove them wrong once the results were out and give them a taste of their own medicine.
Inside the alchemy room, the essence of the medicinal ingredients had been extracted.
Su Chen had already begun the meticulous process of manipulation.
His hands moved swiftly, and with each movement, he skillfully removed impurities from the mixture.
The challenge of the Jade Essence Pill lay in this very process.
The key was to thoroughly eliminate these impurities; the more impurities removed, the greater the success of the Jade Essence Pill.
This was the fundamental principle, yet many were unaware that the profound mystery of the Jade Essence Pill also lay in the fact that impurities could never be completely eliminated.
The essence of the medicinal liquid usually had a soft texture.
Without impurities acting as a structural support, the pill would not form properly.
As Su Chen worked, his hands moved faster and faster.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, dropping onto the stove with a sizzling sound.
Below the stove, the crackling of firewood seemed to cheer him on.
The entire room seemed to be infused with a unique atmosphere.
In the alchemy furnace, impurities were continuously removed.
Jiang Zhu, who had initially held a slightly disdainful attitude, now had a solemn expression on his face.
Though he didn't understand pill concoction, the way Su Chen worked made it clear that he was no amateur.
Jiang Zhu even began to believe that Su Chen might actually succeed in refining the White Jade Jadehua Pill.
In the Jade Ming Palace, this was the best pill that could be refined at the moment.
Even the top experts of the Jade Ming Palace couldn't guarantee success in a single attempt.
If they were to seek help from the Jade Ming Palace, they would likely be asked to prepare three sets of materials.
For the Jade Ming Palace, successfully refining one pill out of three attempts was already considered an excellent outcome.
Other sects didn't have any complaints about this either.
But now, it seemed like Su Chen was about to refine a pill using just one set of materials.
Inside the room, the medicinal fragrance that had been permeating the air began to fade.
This was the process of the pill skin enveloping the essence of the medicinal ingredients.
During this process, the original fragrance would gradually dissipate.
After the final condensation, only a pill with a very faint fragrance would remain.
A pill with a strong medicinal fragrance was usually a sign of a damaged pill skin, allowing the essence to leak out.
Su Chen's hands moved swiftly, and it would typically take others at least one and a half hours to refine this White Jade Jadehua Pill.
But now, in just half an hour, Su Chen was almost done.
His hands were already in the final stages of the process.
The three elders' gazes remained fixed on the cauldron, and the pill inside was now visible to all three of them.
The pill skin was crystal clear, and at first glance, it looked more like a piece of jade than a pill.
The three elders stared at the pill, unable to snap out of their trance.
Even unconsciously, they found themselves moving closer to the pill.
Jade Essence Pills like this were something that major sects would never allow you to take away.
Yan You somehow managed to procure a long chair, and now he lay on it, gazing leisurely at the sky.
He seemed to be humming something under his breath.
When Jiang Zhu appeared, Yan You stretched lazily and smiled with relief.
"Half an hour, it's much faster than I expected."
I thought that even if he wasted so many herbs, it would take at least an hour.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. With his arrogant mindset, he would definitely be restless when doing things.
I could tell from his previous elixir refining."
As he spoke, Yan You stood up.
Jiang Zhu, standing beside him, frowned and shook his head, his face filled with anxiety.
"Elder Yan, please hold your opinions until you see the situation inside. It might be completely different from what you imagine.
Su Xing has something, at least he refined a pill.
And it really looks like the White Jade Jadehua Pill."
Hearing this, Yan You smiled again.
"Alright, alright, let me take a look at his White Jade Jadehua Pill."
Without arguing or saying anything else, Yan You turned and walked towards the alchemy room with Jiang Zhu.
Inside the room, the faint scent of herbs still lingered.
Seeing Yan You approach, Wang Shanlin and Qin Wei glanced at him.
They didn't say much, as their relationship had been strained due to certain matters.
However, they acknowledged Yan You's abilities.
At the very least, they could determine whether this was the White Jade Jadehua Pill.
If a seasoned alchemist like him confirmed it, then it was truly the real deal.
"Not bad, at least you know to extinguish the fire after refining the pill.
You do have some talent; many novice alchemists often forget this and end up causing fires, destroying many things."
As Yan You entered the room, he didn't immediately examine the pill.
Instead, he leisurely surveyed the surroundings, including Wang Shanlin and the others, before turning his gaze towards Su Chen.
"Half an hour, and you've wasted so many herbs.
I wonder how many practice materials we'd have to prepare for you to practice.
In our Tahe Sect, you're not allowed to touch the cauldron until you master the basic skills.
If you were in our sect, you'd be punished with three days of standing for such waste.
Your arrogance has offended the Wulan Manor, and you still haven't learned your lesson.
In martial arts, your audacity might be admirable, but in alchemy, you must be grounded and humble. Arrogance and pride will only hinder your progress."
Yan You's lecture demeaned Su Chen to the extreme.
Su Chen remained calm, but seeing Yan You's hesitation, he couldn't help but remind him.
"Please, Elder Yan, take a closer look at this pill and examine it."
In response to Su Chen's reminder, Yan You wanted to say something more, perhaps to continue his lecture.
But this time, Wang Shanlin and Qin Wei remained silent.
Jiang Zhu, however, acted out of character and pushed Yan You gently.
Jiang Zhu's expression was grim.
The arrogance and confidence he displayed earlier had mostly faded by now.
He sensed something amiss.
So, despite knowing that Yan You had more to say, Jiang Zhu couldn't help but push him, urging him to quickly check the pill.
Seeing Jiang Zhu's action, Yan You sighed and shook his head.
He then quickly walked towards the pill furnace.
He glanced at the pill.
Yan You's face showed disdain, and his initial contempt made him look without much scrutiny.
But when he averted his gaze, Yan You's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
He felt something was amiss.
After a moment's hesitation, he looked back at the pill.
The pill before him had a jade-like appearance and emitted a faint herbal fragrance.
As an experienced alchemist, Yan You could discern that this was indeed the scent of the White Jade Jadehua Pill.
The pill's texture, combined with the unique fragrance, left no doubt.
Yan You's initially casual demeanor turned solemn.
Without saying a word, he continued to observe.
The previous smile of resignation on his face had vanished.
Beside him, Jiang Zhu even whispered to him.
But Yan You seemed not to hear, his eyes fixed on the pill as if transfixed.
He didn't even blink.
This situation puzzled the other three, leaving them unsure of what was happening.
However, one thing was certain: this pill was no ordinary pill.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
