Astonishing the Audience

Xu Haoyu flicked his wrist, tossing the ball of white flame in his hand outward.

It traveled through the Fire Vent and entered the pill furnace, burning ever more fiercely as the temperature steadily rose. This was the preheating of the pill furnace.

The temperature inside the pill furnace had to remain consistent at all times. Otherwise, even the slightest oversight could ruin all previous efforts during the refining of medicinal ingredients or the fusion of the pill.

Before long, the white flames had heated the interior of the pill furnace to the proper temperature.

At that moment, Xu Haoyu's gaze sharpened. A surging wave of soul perception burst forth, entering the pill furnace and filling every corner within it.

The white flame was also suppressed, no longer violent but calm and gentle as it burned quietly.

Everyone around them who witnessed this was naturally astonished. This level of control over flame had already reached a remarkably sophisticated level.

Aside from Hu Qian and Hu Jia, everyone else was an alchemist of at least the fourth rank. They had to admit that Xu Haoyu's control over flames was no weaker than their own.

As for Fire Elder, he stared at Xu Haoyu without blinking, his expression growing slightly excited. Though these were only minor details, they already showed that Xu Haoyu truly had the ability. Perhaps he really was a Fourth-Rank Alchemist.

Back to Xu Haoyu, after completing the preheating, he began refining the medicinal ingredients.

He tossed four Ink Leaf Lotuses, each over fifty years old, into the pill furnace one after another. In an instant, the white flames surged up and enveloped all four lotuses.

Under Xu Haoyu's control, the originally fierce flames had long since ceased to be so violent. As the Ink Leaf Lotuses were roasted by the flames, juice slowly seeped out while their bodies rapidly shriveled.

Not long afterward, the bodies of the Ink Leaf Lotuses had completely dried up and turned to ash in the flames, leaving behind only a mass of liquid containing the essence of their medicinal properties.

With a wave of his hand, Xu Haoyu drew the liquid out of the pill furnace and stored it in a Jade Bottle, which he set aside.

He then began refining the second medicinal ingredient. His spiritual power was not yet sufficient to nourish the medicinal essence while simultaneously refining more ingredients.

Several hours passed, and under everyone's watchful eyes, Xu Haoyu calmly completed the refinement of every medicinal ingredient.

Several Jade Bottles had already been placed beside him. At this point, he poured the medicinal essences within them back into the pill furnace one by one.

Under the control of Xu Haoyu's soul perception, the white flames split into several streams, each wrapping around a different medicinal essence.

Only now did he begin nourishing the medicinal essences, in order to make the subsequent fusion and pill condensation process proceed more smoothly.

Xu Haoyu himself remained composed, looking entirely relaxed. Yet the people watching eagerly around him had already begun to worry, appearing even more nervous than Xu Haoyu himself.

Because if Xu Haoyu completed the final fusion and condensed the pill, he would become the youngest Fourth-Rank Alchemist in the Alchemy Department.

In the past, this would have been utterly unimaginable. Even Fire Elder held his breath and did not dare make a sound, afraid of affecting Xu Haoyu.

Xu Haoyu's attention was completely focused on the medicinal essences within the pill furnace. Once the nourishment process was complete, every medicinal essence had been stimulated to its optimal state.

Xu Haoyu formed a seal with his hands, controlling everything with his soul perception. He exhaled and shouted in a low voice:

"Condense!"

A change immediately occurred inside the pill furnace. The scattered white flames, along with the medicinal essences they had enveloped, gathered toward the center.

Liquid, powder... medicinal essences in all sorts of forms collided together completely.

Boom!

A wave of energy spread outward, causing the flames to flicker slightly. However, Xu Haoyu had long been prepared, and it caused no disruption.

The fusion continued. The essences of the various medicinal ingredients seeped into one another and completely merged into one. Some wondrous reactions occurred in the process, which was why pills possessed special medicinal effects.

In the end, a pill embryo with a somewhat uneven surface appeared within the pill furnace. Bathed in white flames, it was rapidly becoming smooth and round through nourishment. At the same time, a rich medicinal fragrance spread from the pill furnace, refreshing everyone's spirits.

Xu Haoyu had succeeded!

The most difficult step had already been completed. Although the final nourishment largely determined the pill's quality, regardless of whether its quality was high or low, a Rank 4 Pill was still a Rank 4 Pill. Xu Haoyu was undoubtedly a Fourth-Rank Alchemist.

Whoosh!

Someone let out a long breath, setting off a chain reaction as one person after another released the breaths they had been holding for so long.

Fire Elder looked stunned. He had to admit that he had misjudged this time. This youthful-looking Xu Haoyu was actually a Fourth-Rank Alchemist.

A genius—a peerless, monstrous genius!

Hu Qian chuckled and said at this moment:

"Fire Elder, see? I didn't lie to you. I really did bring you a genuine genius!"

Fire Elder sighed with emotion, then reflected on himself.

"I was too narrow-minded. Because I could not become a Fourth-Rank Alchemist at his age, I subjectively assumed that others could not do it either. I nearly made a grave mistake this time. From now on, Xu Haoyu is one of our Alchemy Department. Whatever Pill Recipes he wishes to study, whatever medicinal ingredients he wishes to use, we will make every convenience available to him. To nurture a genius, one must break the rules."

As they spoke, Xu Haoyu had already completed the nourishment. With a wave of his hand, the Emerald Green Pill, wrapped in soul perception and emitting a strong medicinal fragrance, flew out of the pill furnace and landed in his hand.

Succeeding on his first try, Xu Haoyu's lips curled upward. It was indeed something worth being happy about, as it showed that his alchemy skills were becoming increasingly refined. His gaze swept across the surroundings, and when he saw Fire Elder, he flicked his finger. The pill turned into a streak of light and flew toward Fire Elder as he said:

"Fire Elder, please examine it!"

Fire Elder reached out and caught the pill. Holding it before his eyes, he carefully examined its quality before finally reaching a conclusion:

"High grade. There are almost no impurities remaining. Its color is emerald green, its body perfectly round, and its medicinal fragrance is rich. Truly remarkable. The alchemy technique you learned is exceptionally profound. For your teacher to have taught a disciple like you, he must be no ordinary person either."

Xu Haoyu pondered briefly. His teacher should have one foot into the rank of Rank 7 Alchemist. Once he summarized all his experience, he would steadily become a Rank 7 Alchemist. Thus, Xu Haoyu said:

"My teacher is the chief alchemist of our family. He is a Peak Rank 6 Alchemist."

Fire Elder nodded, wearing an expression that said he had expected as much.

"A famous teacher produces an outstanding disciple. You refined this pill, so you should decide how to handle it."

Xu Haoyu did not take it. As a Five Star Da Dou Shi, the only Rank 4 Pills useful to him were the Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill or the Purple Heart Breaking Barrier Pill. Qi Gathering Powder was no longer of any use to him. He turned his head, saw Hu Jia beside Hu Qian, and suddenly said:

"Since it's being left to me to deal with, then I'll give it to Hu Jia. May she break through to Dou Zhe soon. Consider it my thanks to the Vice-Dean for taking care of me."

Hu Qian was slightly stunned, then a smile appeared on his face. As the Vice-Dean of Jia Nan Academy and a Nine Star Dou Huang expert, he naturally had ways to obtain Qi Gathering Powder. However, there was no reason for him to refuse a ready-made high-grade Qi Gathering Powder.

And it was a gift from Xu Haoyu. Only through give-and-take could a relationship deepen. Today, he accepted the Qi Gathering Powder; another day, he would return the favor. With exchanges back and forth, the relationship between both sides would naturally grow closer.

Hu Qian smiled and said:

"Then we'll accept it. If you encounter any difficulties in the academy in the future, you can come to me. I'll definitely do my best to resolve them. Jia'er, aren't you going to thank him?"

Hu Jia stared at Xu Haoyu, her gaze burning. Rather than thanking him, she said:

"I'll cultivate diligently with you as my goal. Sooner or later, I'll catch up to you. I definitely will."