Huang Shanyu glanced at it disdainfully, then glanced at it again. Frowning, he took the pill from Su Hao. "You refined this?"
"Of course. I never lie!"
Su Hao smiled.
The servant girls on either side stared at the pill in astonishment. Naturally, they could not tell what was unusual about it.
"Fragrant Treasure Pill, a basic pill of the alchemical path.
This pill is extremely popular among female cultivators. Its effects are extraordinary—it can dispel odors and gather fragrance, causing a woman's body to emit an unusual scent and her mouth to carry the fragrance of flowers and herbs."
Huang Shanyu sniffed and rubbed the pill, then broke off a tiny piece and tasted it. "This pill isn't difficult to refine, but the process is complicated and tests an alchemist's foundation severely. Being able to refine this pill means one has truly entered the alchemical path and can refine pills for cultivators."
After confirming the pill's authenticity, he casually set it down and stared at Su Hao. "This pill isn't something an apprentice can refine. Don't try to fool me. The apprentices here all have to study for two or three years and consume countless materials before they might be able to master it."
"Words alone prove nothing. Even if I explained it ten thousand times, you still wouldn't believe me.
"I imagine Heavenly Treasure Pavilion has alchemical tools. I'll refine a Fragrant Treasure Pill right in front of you."
Su Hao smiled.
Not to mention the Fragrant Treasure Pill—even the Foundation Solidifying Pill and Tiger Heart Pill, which were a level higher than the Pure Qi Pill and Spirit Gathering Powder—he was confident he could refine them. He was merely lacking the medicinal materials.
"Someone, prepare ten sets of materials for Fragrant Treasure Pills. Have Alchemist Xu and the others vacate the pill room so we can all see how Su Hao refines a Fragrant Treasure Pill."
Huang Shanyu rose and waved for the servant girl to make the preparations.
"If I prove my alchemical ability, can I join Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?" Su Hao rose and followed him.
"If you can produce a Pure Qi Pill, then even if it means breaking the rules, I'll definitely let you join Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. I'll even protect your life from Fairy Liu."
Huang Shanyu spoke solemnly.
"Ah, I can only barely refine a Fragrant Treasure Pill. Elder Huang, in that case, let's forget it. I won't waste any more of your time."
Su Hao sighed and prepared to leave.
At worst, he could put in some effort with Liu Mei. The "murderer," Lin Zhi Shan, had already escaped. What did the other grudges have to do with a minor figure like him?
"Su Hao, don't be so hasty. If you can truly refine a Fragrant Treasure Pill, that proves you have some talent in the alchemical path. I'll naturally put in a good word for you with my senior brother."
Huang Shanyu was even more eager to see Su Hao's alchemical skill.
To have stood out among so many medicine slaves and caught Lin Zhi Shan's eye, he might truly possess some unique talent.
Besides, alchemists were scarce talents, and Fragrant Treasure Pills were highly profitable.
"This..." Su Hao put on a troubled expression.
Half-dragged and half-pulled by Huang Shanyu, he was taken to the pill room on the left side of the rear courtyard.
The room was over a hundred square meters and filled with the scent of medicinal herbs. Four small compartments held various tools, including mortars, medicine-making implements, boilers, and pill furnaces.
A middle-aged man in a Daoist robe stepped forward. "Steward Huang."
Name: Xu Wensi Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 4 Talent: Talent for Pills (White) Talent for Pills: Possesses a slight talent in herbs and pills.
"Alchemist Xu, this is Su Hao, Lin Zhi Shan's disciple. He's here to borrow our pill room." Huang Shanyu introduced him.
"Him?" Xu Wensi's smile carried a hint of mockery. "Back then, Lin Zhi Shan didn't even think much of me. Now he's willing to accept a disciple of the alchemical path? Could it be that Junior Brother Su is a genius in this field?"
"Perhaps. He can already refine Fragrant Treasure Pills." Huang Shanyu stood to one side.
"Fragrant Treasure Pills? They're merely entry-level pills. What's so remarkable about them?" Xu Wensi's disdain deepened.
"How long did it take you, starting as an apprentice, to master a thirty percent success rate with Fragrant Treasure Pills?" Huang Shanyu countered.
"About four years, I think. I remember that the Fragrant Treasure Pills for Heavenly Treasure Pavilion all came from me back then. At the time, Lin Zhi Shan was working with another shop."
"Oh? This Su Hao has only been apprenticed for a month." Huang Shanyu's heart stirred. At this rate, Su Hao really does have alchemical talent!
"One month? Impossible! Either he inherited medical and herbal skills from a physician in his family before joining the sect, or he had some foundation like that!"
Xu Wensi thought it over.
"Is that so?" Huang Shanyu froze. He had not considered that possibility just now.
"Yes, Alchemist Xu is truly impressive. You saw my background at a glance."
Su Hao lied through his teeth.
Three servant girls entered carrying the medicinal materials for the Fragrant Treasure Pills.
"Do I still need to refine them?" Su Hao asked helplessly once again.
"Of course. Please."
Huang Shanyu gestured to the side.
Su Hao simply began making the Fragrant Treasure Pill.
Two incense sticks later.
The pill furnace went out, and waves of fragrance drifted from its openings.
"It's done. Impressive! One set of materials produced a pill!" Huang Shanyu's eyes lit up as he went over to inspect the Fragrant Treasure Pill.
Xu Wensi did not even look at the pill. Curling his lips, he said, "His foundation is solid, but alchemy also depends on luck. The first batch succeeded—perhaps he was simply lucky. At his age, I could produce seven successful Fragrant Treasure Pills out of ten batches, so this is nothing remarkable!"
Huang Shanyu thought about it and agreed. "Su Hao, refine all nine remaining batches as well?"
A three-tenths success rate was enough to turn a profit. If Su Hao could achieve that, he would have value!
"Even if he refines them all successfully, so what? I can refine this sort of pill for Heavenly Treasure Pavilion whenever I want." Sensing a faint threat, Xu Wensi hurriedly spoke up.
Su Hao glanced at Xu Wensi's graying hair.
This man was already in his fifties or sixties, yet he was still only at Qi Refining Level 4, remaining in this sunless pill room to refine medicine.
His lips even had an unusually dark, dusky hue—the sign of accumulated pill poison.
He refined pills every day and inhaled all kinds of herbs, including some poisonous ones. How could he remain unaffected?
Su Hao's heart gave a sudden jolt.
If he truly joined Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, wouldn't he end up like this man—seemingly enjoying high treatment and status, but actually having no freedom and refining pills all day long?
Or could he be like Lin Zhi Shan, occupying his own mountain and remaining free of restraint?
"There's no need. I've already proven that what I said was true. Since this level still isn't enough to satisfy Elder Huang, then forget it."
Su Hao glanced at the pill, swallowed the words he had intended to say, and walked outside.
"Martial Nephew Su, how about this? If you can refine a Pure Qi Pill within a year, I'll recommend you for admission to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion."
Huang Shanyu no longer seemed concerned. He followed with a broad smile.
"A year? I might be dead at Fairy Liu's hands tonight." Su Hao rolled his eyes at him.
"Well... don't worry. I'll send someone to speak with Fairy Liu. She'll show our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion some consideration."
Huang Shanyu's tone was somewhat hollow.
"Then thank you, Elder Huang."
Su Hao cupped his hands.
He definitely could not count on such a lighthearted promise.
Inside the pill room, Xu Wensi sniffed the waves of fragrance drifting through the air and suspiciously glanced at the crystal-clear pill on the plate.
"No way... a High-grade Fragrant Treasure Pill?"
Xu Wensi's expression darkened.
A High-grade Fragrant Treasure Pill was no longer anything remarkable to him, but he had not refined his first high-grade pill until after he turned forty!
Ordinary pills could be successfully refined through luck, but high-grade pills could not be passed off as mere coincidence. Every stage of the process had to be controlled with extreme precision.
For a low-level pill like the Fragrant Treasure Pill, the difference in effect between high-grade and low-grade was not great, but there was a price difference of two or three spirit stones.
That was enough to make Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's heart stir.
One pill could earn two or three extra spirit stones. What about a hundred pills? A thousand?
Even with Xu Wensi's current skill, he had to concentrate intensely to have any chance of producing one. His odds were only around forty to fifty percent.
"Alchemist Xu, I think the Fragrant Treasure Pills he made have pretty good quality. Do they meet a mid-grade standard?"
Huang Shanyu returned to the pill room and asked with a broad smile.
"Good quality? They're actually quite ordinary. But pills fresh from the furnace are easy to misjudge." Xu Wensi pointed at the Fragrant Treasure Pills on the plate. "Here, take another careful look!"
Huang Shanyu leaned closer. The Fragrant Treasure Pills on the plate looked utterly ordinary, and one of them even had a cracked outer shell and a terrible appearance. "Strange. How did their appearance become so poor in such a short time... Forget it. I hope Fairy Liu won't stoop to take notice of a minor figure like Su Hao."