Fine, Fine, So That's How You Want to Play
[You push open the door and enter. Only one person is sitting inside; it is Hua Yunzhen.]
Hua Yunzhen, the master of the Desire Sea Pavilion
[Today she changed into a simple, elegant dark red dress with gold trim, and her long hair was loosely tied up with only a Green Jade.]
[He leaned back in the chair, his shoulders and back straight, his entire physique as clear and well-defined as if sculpted by a knife and axe.]
This casual demeanor added a touch of languor, and to her already blend of heroic spirit and femininity, it gained an extra alluring quality.
A chill ran through you; was Hua Yunzhen planning to use her beauty to seduce you?
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
[Okay, okay, so you want to play like this?]
[You don't even consider the mere Pavilion Master of the Desire Sea Pavilion worthy of your attention.]
[When Hua Yunzhen saw someone enter, she looked up and saw a refined and handsome young man with a jade-like face.]
[Friend of Women, in effect.]
[Work from Home, effective.]
[Workwear Thugs, in effect.]
[Hua Yunzhen's gaze swept over you, her eyebrows slightly raised, and her previously aloof indifference softened for a moment.]
"I had long heard that a grandmaster of Dao of Alchemy had arrived at Gathering Immortals Tower, but seeing him today, Fellow Daoist Lu's demeanor is even more extraordinary than the rumors have described."
[Hua Yunzhen's voice was clear and crisp, with a rare magnetic quality.]
[You looked at her, your eyes swirling with emotion, seemingly stunned by Hua Yunzhen.]
[Then, you restrained yourself, pausing for a full ten breaths before finally uttering five words in a stiff voice.]
"Pavilion Master Hua is too kind."
[Your words immediately chilled the atmosphere in the room.]
[Hua Yunzhen, seeing your "awkward" demeanor, wasn't annoyed at all; in fact, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.]
[Looking at her ambiguous smile, you seemed somewhat embarrassed and angry, and frowned as you spoke.]
"The slots for next month were all set, but the Pavilion Master insisted on interfering, causing me to break my promise."
"Lu is timid and cowardly. After taking on this job with you, he'll have made it in Nü Zhi City."
[You should be blunt and just slam the words "forced into it" onto the table.]
[Hua Yunzhen's eyelids drooped slightly, her slender fingers resting on the armrest of the chair twitched slightly, but her expression remained indifferent, as if she hadn't understood the resentment in your words.]
"Rules are always made for those who abide by them. I have already compensated those fellow cultivators whose journeys were delayed."
"Why should Fellow Daoist Lu spoil today's mood for the sake of a few outsiders?"
[After hearing her comforting words, your anger subsided considerably, but you still spoke in a stiff tone,]
"Pavilion Master Hua, please speak frankly. What exactly are you refining that would make you go to such lengths?"
[Hua Yunzhen pulled a Jade Slip from her sleeve and pushed it in front of you.]
"Since you are a straightforward person, I will speak frankly. This batch of Pills I prepared is extremely dangerous, and I have only managed to gather one portion of the medicinal ingredients."
"Fellow Daoist, please be sure to refine it."
[Options pop up.]
[A: Honestly, he took the Jade Slip, examined it carefully, and offered a solution.]
[B: He slammed the Jade Slip on the table, stormed off, and angrily denounced the other party as unreasonable.]
[C: He stood up, grabbed Hua Yunzhen's hand, and lifted her chin with a flirtatious look: "Only gathered one portion of medicinal herbs? Pavilion Master Hua, are you treating this Grandmaster like a living Bodhisattva! However, it's not impossible to make an exception... If you're willing to be a living Bodhisattva tonight..."]
Little C is truly "a handful." Go stay in the cold palace; your master will bring you a blanket later.
Now is the time to showcase your acting skills.
Little A, you should take a rest first. We'll need you to smooth things over in a bit.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You had just picked up the Jade Slip when you heard Hua Yunzhen's words, and your expression immediately changed.]
[Smack!]
[You slammed the Jade Slip onto the table, causing Jade Slip to crack open with a white line. With a flick of your blue robe, you stood up.]
"You think you can refine Earth Grade Pills with just one medicinal herb? Pavilion Master Hua, are you making fun of me?"
Your face was ashen, and your voice rose half an octave.
"Which Alchemist in the world would dare to claim a 100% success rate in successfully producing an elixir from a single batch of medicinal herbs? Even if the Sage Lord Zhongyuan of the Si Clan were to appear before him, he wouldn't dare to make such a boast!"
Upon hearing the name "Si Zhongyuan," a fifth-level Alchemist from the Azure Dragon Upper Domain, a glint flashed in Hua Yunzhen's eyes.
[Ordinary Rogue Cultivators rarely dare to name renowned Dao of Alchemy Aristocratic Clan from the Azure Dragon Upper Domain, and Si Zhongyuan is an extremely low-profile Dao of Alchemy grandmaster.]
[The banner you unfurled in your rage only made her eyes reveal a newfound thoughtfulness.]
However, Hua Yunzhen didn't even change her posture while sitting in the chair. Her fingertips casually tapped the armrest twice, and a slight smile curved her lips.
"An ordinary Alchemist would naturally not succeed."
"Grandmaster Lu has been refining Earth Grade Pills for two consecutive months without ever failing to produce a single pill."
"In my opinion, such methods and the ability to create elixirs are probably no less impressive than those of the Sage Lord Zhongyuan."
She turned her head to look at you, her gaze deep and unfathomable.
"Furthermore, at Grandmaster Lu's level, one will inevitably possess some... special Secret Method that can significantly increase the success rate of pill formation."
Your heart skipped a beat as you stared at Hua Yunzhen.
[Hua Yunzhen looked at you calmly.]
[The so-called special Secret Methods to increase the success rate of pill formation are not exactly top secrets. It's just that most of them are not orthodox techniques.]
[For example, there were High Antiquity swordsmiths who fed their swords with their own bodies, their souls extinguished and their powers dissipated, only then could they forge unparalleled divine weapons.]
[Similar methods naturally exist in Dao of Alchemy. They use a cultivator's Essence Blood, Primordial Spirit, or even soul as a catalyst to forcibly catalyze the medicinal properties and lock in the elixir's energy.]
[This method of refining potent tonics like the Taiyi Origin-Returning Pill will only taint its medicinal properties, resulting in more harm than good.]
[However, if one is refining some inherently sinister and vicious Pills, using such methods can actually achieve twice the result with half the effort.]
However, such a cheap deal is impossible to come by.
[In such Secret Method, whether forging swords or refining pills, the one who suffers the most loss is always the refiner themselves.]
[If it were truly possible to forcibly create pills simply by capturing a few cultivators, then human life would be the least valuable thing in the Domain of Chaos. High-level Alchemists would be everywhere here by now, so how could outside Alchemists have the right to raise prices?]
Looking at Hua Yunzhen yet slightly sinister face, your understanding of this woman deepens.
[In the original timeline, Hua Yunzhen was able to refine the Severed-Fate Hehuan Powder by sacrificing countless high-level male Alchemists.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Sit down and see what tricks she's up to.]
[B: He simply flips the table and leaves, indicating he's not taking the order.]
[C: You suddenly laughed, laughing so hard you were shaking, and plopped down next to her, reaching out to touch her face: "Oh, little flower, you understand me best! To tell you the truth, my Secret Method requires a beauty like you, Pavilion Master, as a medicinal ingredient to harmonize yin and yang, only then can the elixir be completed. Come, let me see your quality..."]