One Mountain Cannot Hold Two Tigers

"Give it a try?"

Xiao Hao's expression turned solemn. He had wanted to berate Xiao Han for being so wasteful.

Medicinal ingredients were expensive, yet Xiao Han wanted to use them just to experiment. Did he really think money grew on trees?!

Then Xiao Hao recalled that Xiao Han possessed a Heavenly Flame. Moreover, Xiao Han's talent was extraordinary—at least unmatched throughout the Xiao Clan's history, excluding their deliberately forgotten ancestor, Xiao Xuan.

Perhaps Xiao Han truly possessed the qualifications to become an Alchemist.

With that in mind, Xiao Hao asked, "What medicinal ingredients do you need?"

Xiao Han paused, searching his memories.

If he remembered correctly, a month and a half from now, Xiao Yan would no longer be able to afford the ingredients for Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. He would have no choice but to bring the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to the Mittel Auction House for auction.

Xiao Han could not be certain whether disrupting this would earn him Experience Points. Still, as long as it involved Xiao Yan, he would destroy it.

The reason was that one mountain could not hold two tigers. A month and a half later, Xiao Yan would rely on Old Man Yao's identity as an Alchemist to gradually raise his standing in the Xiao Clan. Since he and Xiao Yan had already become enemies, Xiao Han could not allow Xiao Yan to build his reputation within the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Han replied, "Three complete Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses—the older, the better. Two Bone Washing Flowers; their age does not matter. Oh, I nearly forgot. I also need a Wood-elemental Magic Core!"

"Three Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses, as old as possible. Two Bone Washing Flowers. One Wood-elemental Magic Core." Each time Xiao Han named an ingredient, Xiao Hao repeated it.

As an elder of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Hao was usually involved in the businesses at the marketplace. He knew that these items together would cost at least a thousand gold coins. That was no small sum.

After reciting the ingredients, Xiao Hao dearly wanted to ask whether Xiao Han could really pull this off.

Yet as a father, Xiao Hao suppressed the urge. He chose to trust his son.

"Yes." Xiao Han nodded and smiled. "Father, these are all low-grade materials. With your status, I'm sure you'll be able to get them soon!"

"Mm." Xiao Hao nodded gravely.

Even though he was the Third Elder's son and a steward of the Xiao Clan, with a generous monthly allowance of seven hundred gold coins, it was still not enough.

Out in the world, that money would be enough for a common family to live comfortably for ten years. Yet it would only buy half the ingredients Xiao Han had listed. That was the difference.

For Xiao Han's sake, Xiao Hao was prepared to go all out. Of course it pained him, but Xiao Han was his biological son.

"Rest for now. I'll head to the marketplace and take a look!" Xiao Hao called out before leaving Xiao Han's room with his wife.

After seeing Xiao Hao off, Xiao Han glanced at the pile of underwear on the table. With a light rub of his index finger and thumb, he summoned a wisp of Bone Spirit Cold Flame and burned every last one of those eyesores to ash.

Afterward, Xiao Han took out the Golden Wound Pill Xiao Hao had given him.

The pill entered his stomach, and a warm current flowed down his throat. It continued to nourish his injured internal organs.

About half an hour later, Xiao Han stretched his body and thought, As expected of a Second-Grade healing pill, the Golden Wound Pill. After taking just one pill, Xiao Han's injuries had miraculously healed.

When Xiao Han opened the door, Xiao Hua, who had been sitting blankly at the stone table in the courtyard, immediately stood up and greeted him. "Young Master, you're out?"

"Mm." Xiao Han nodded.

"Oh, Young Master, someone came looking for you while you were cultivating," Xiao Hua reported.

"Don't tell me it was another love letter confession?" Xiao Han asked with a bitter smile.

"No. The visitor said they had come on Miss Xiao Xun'er's behalf to deliver something to you." Xiao Hua truthfully handed the Brocade Box in her hands to Xiao Han.

"Xun Er?" Xiao Han froze slightly and accepted the Brocade Box. The instant he cracked it open, a refreshing medicinal fragrance rushed into his nose.

"A pill?" Xiao Han was slightly stunned.

"Master, it is a sixth-grade Golden Wound Pill. It seems Xiao Xun'er is apologizing to you. Congratulations, Master, on taking the first step toward winning the female lead," System Xiao Ai congratulated him.

Xiao Han looked at the pill. Six auspicious cloud patterns adorned it, and its entire body was golden, gleaming with flowing light. It was indeed a sixth-grade pill: the Golden Wound Pill.

"That girl..." Warmth filled Xiao Han's heart. He put away the pill. His willingness to injure himself rather than hurt Xiao Xun'er had not been in vain.

His efforts had finally been rewarded.

"Oh, right." Xiao Hua pointed at the eighteen Brocade Boxes on the stone table. "While you were cultivating, the Master and Madam came by. But when they saw you cultivating, they did not disturb you. They left these things behind and departed."

"All right, I understand." Xiao Han nodded. After telling Xiao Hua that he would be entering seclusion to cultivate, he carried the Brocade Boxes into his room.

The boxes naturally contained the medicinal ingredients Xiao Han had asked Xiao Hao to find. And there were not one but three sets: nine Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses, six Bone Washing Flowers, and three Wood-elemental Magic Cores.

It was worth mentioning that the Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses were not young. Every single one was over a hundred years old. Xiao Han roughly estimated that these ingredients had cost Xiao Hao nearly four thousand gold coins.

Looking at these items, Xiao Han could feel the full weight of his father's love.

Upon hearing that his son needed these ingredients, Xiao Hao had immediately fulfilled Xiao Han's request without a word. And this was merely an experiment.

"I wonder if this will work."

Xiao Han was not very confident either.

He now possessed a Heavenly Flame, and his Soul Perception had met the requirements. He also had a wood-element spiritual root. He fully met all the harsh conditions required to become an Alchemist.

However, Xiao Han did not have even the slightest experience in alchemy. He only knew that these ingredients could be refined into Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid. He knew nothing about requirements such as heat control. How could he possibly refine pills?

But Xiao Han possessed the divine abilities Extract and Merge. He wondered whether he could rely on those two abilities to refine pills.

Acting as soon as he thought of something was Xiao Han's nature.

With a flip of his empty hand, a wisp of icy blue flame appeared in Xiao Han's palm. Refining medicinal ingredients was very simple: he only needed to toss them into the Heavenly Flame.

Sizzle.

After a Purple Leaf Orchid Grass was thrown into the Heavenly Flame, a wisp of green smoke formed from its impurities drifted out. In the blink of an eye, the entire Purple Leaf Orchid Grass had been refined into a single crystal-clear droplet.

After that, Xiao Han repeated the process, refining two more Purple Leaf Orchid Grasses, two Bone Washing Flowers, and one Wood Element Magic Core.

Looking at the three droplets derived from the different ingredients before him, Xiao Han commanded, "Merge!"

A strange ripple of attractive force emerged from Xiao Han's fingers. The three droplets from the different ingredients rapidly merged together.

A flash of light appeared, and a milky white pill formed in Xiao Han's palm.

"Ding-dong!"

"Congratulations, you have successfully merged three different liquids and refined a pill: Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Foundation Establishment Pill: A Second-Grade Pill with miraculous effects on Dou Zhe in the Body Refining Realm. It could strengthen the body, expand the meridians, and increase a cultivator's Dou Qi.

"Holy crap, it actually merged successfully!"

Xiao Han had only intended to try, yet he had actually succeeded. This was an incredible surprise!

Xiao Han examined the pill in his hand. It bore two exquisite patterns. It was indeed a Second-Grade Pill—and a Top Grade pill at that. "Old Man Yao refined Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, but I refined a Foundation Establishment Pill. I wonder how effective it is. Mm, I need to find someone to test it on!"

A suitable candidate immediately came to Xiao Han's mind.