Stunning the Entire Audience!

The flames within the medicine cauldron burned fiercely. Ye Xiu used his soul power to control the temperature, and once the heat inside was sufficient, he flicked his finger, sending the Purple Leaf Gold Vein Grass flying into the cauldron.

Sizzle—

The purple leaves tumbled within the flames, slowly melting into a globule of purple medicinal liquid.

Ye Xiu wrapped his soul power around the liquid, stripping away the impurities bit by bit. The useless remnants turned into black smoke and drifted away, leaving the remaining medicinal liquid increasingly pure.

Next came the Green Spirit Fruit, the Angelica Flower, the Earth Dragon Root...

He tossed them in one by one, refining and purifying them until they finally became several globules of differently colored medicinal liquid, floating within the cauldron.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, without a single wasted movement.

The people surrounding them were mostly Alchemists themselves, and they gradually began to notice the profound mystery in Ye Xiu's technique.

"Good heavens..." someone gulped, "this technique..."

"Shut up, don't disturb him."

Lin Fei stood there, not moving an inch. She had just been feeling quite proud of herself for being a first-grade Alchemist, but now, watching Ye Xiu's movements, she finally understood what a gap in skill really meant.

Xue Mei took a soft breath, her gaze complex. She had been studying alchemy under Master Frank and considered herself a standout among her peers, but the youth before her had shattered her pride into pieces.

For the current Ye Xiu, refining a fourth-grade medicinal pill was as simple as eating a meal or drinking tea.

As time progressed, the alchemy process soon reached the fusion stage.

The various medicinal liquids slowly drew near, touched, and began to merge.

Ye Xiu remained unhurried, using his soul power to guide them, allowing them to fuse together bit by bit.

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the various liquids had completely merged into a single globule the size of an infant's fist. It began to coalesce, gradually taking on the embryonic form of a pill.

Ye Xiu continued to envelop the embryonic pill with his soul power while increasing his output of Dou Qi.

The flames burned even brighter, continuously calcining the embryonic pill.

The uneven, pitted surface slowly became smooth, and the pill grew increasingly round and lustrous.

A short while later.

Ye Xiu gave a low shout: "Rise!"

He reached out and slapped the medicine cauldron. The flames extinguished instantly, the lid flew off, and five emerald-green pills the size of dragon eyes shot out from the cauldron.

Ye Xiu grabbed the jade bottle from the side and scooped them out of the air.

All five pills were caught inside.

The hall was as silent as if no one were there.

Frank stood frozen, not moving for a long time.

He had lived for over sixty years and practiced alchemy for over forty, yet he had never seen such a thing.

One set of ingredients, five pills produced?

And all of them were fourth-grade?

Otto stood to the side with his mouth agape, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

Lin Fei's expression was incredibly colorful, shifting between red and white. She had just been lecturing the man about not deceiving himself, and now she felt a burning, stinging sensation on her face.

The surrounding crowd looked as if they had seen a ghost, not daring to even breathe loudly.

A fourth-grade Alchemist this young—the significance and value of this were simply too immense! This was someone with the potential to challenge the rank of a seventh-grade Alchemist in the future!

Before long, the entire Jia Ma Empire, perhaps even the entire Northwest Continent, would likely be shaken to its core, wouldn't it?

Ye Xiu handed the jade bottle to Frank: "Verify the pills."

Frank took the jade bottle, poured out one pill, and brought it close to his eyes to inspect it.

The pill was perfectly round with a smooth surface, and faintly, a circle of emerald-green ripples was embedded within, resembling the rings of a spreading ripple.

"Pill patterns..." Frank muttered, "Only when a pill reaches the peak of quality can it possibly manifest pill patterns."

He turned it over and over several times, finally looking up at Ye Xiu with an incredibly complex expression.

"Young friend, er, Master..." he began, his voice sounding a bit dry, "if I may be so bold, how old are you this year?"

Ye Xiu replied: "Fifteen."

Frank: "..."

Otto: "..."

The entire room: "..."

Lin Fei felt her head buzz. Fifteen years old? A fourth-grade Alchemist? And he even produced pill patterns?

Xue Mei's fingers curled slightly. She remained silent for a long time, eventually just shaking her head softly.

Frank took a deep breath, placed the pill back into the jade bottle, and returned it to Ye Xiu.

"Fourth-grade Alchemist, passed," he said. "No, that's not right. Given your abilities, Master, fourth-grade is likely not your limit. To be able to refine top-tier fourth-grade pills with such ease, you must be a fifth-grade, right?"

Ye Xiu nodded: "Yes."

The hall was filled with another round of sharp gasps.

A fourth-tier Alchemist had already shattered their imagination, but it turned out to be a fifth-tier Alchemist?

A fifteen-year-old fifth-tier Alchemist?

Lin Fei opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. She turned to look at Xue Mei, only to find her wearing the same expression of silence.

The two rivals, who had been competing for years, now felt that all their past squabbles were nothing but a joke; they were truly like frogs at the bottom of a well.

Frank gave a bitter smile: "I've lived for over sixty years, but today, I've truly had my eyes opened."

He paused, then continued: "Master, would you be willing to hold an honorary position at the guild? You wouldn't have to do anything; just come by occasionally to guide the juniors. We can discuss the compensation."

Ye Xiu didn't even think about it, shaking his head: "No need."

Frank smiled awkwardly, but he didn't press the matter further and quickly had someone process the paperwork.

Half an hour later.

Ye Xiu and Little Doctor Fairy walked out of the guild.

Little Doctor Fairy followed by his side, stealing glances at him several times along the way.

Ye Xiu turned his head to look at her: "What are you looking at?"

Little Doctor Fairy blushed and lowered her head: "Nothing... it's just that I think you are amazing, Master."

Ye Xiu didn't speak.

Little Doctor Fairy hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice: "Master, where are we going next?"

Ye Xiu looked up at the sky.

"The Tagor Desert," he said.

Little Doctor Fairy was stunned: "Why go there?"

"What do you think an Alchemist needs the most?" Ye Xiu said, "Something that can make an Alchemist become stronger."

Little Doctor Fairy shook her head: "What is it, Master?"

"Heavenly Flame," Ye Xiu gave the answer.

"Oh." Although she didn't know what a Heavenly Flame was, Little Doctor Fairy nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

She followed Ye Xiu forward, a strange, indescribable feeling suddenly rising in her heart.

This person would be her master from now on.

It was truly good to be able to follow him.

Ye Xiu walked to the city gate, stopped, and turned to look at her.

"Are you ready?"

Little Doctor Fairy took a deep breath and nodded: "I'm ready."

Ye Xiu scooped her up, and flaming wings unfurled from his back.

Boom!

A purple-gold radiance shot into the sky, disappearing into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.

Little Doctor Fairy nestled in his arms, watching Heiyan City grow smaller and smaller beneath them, the corners of her mouth slowly curling upward.

Master, I will follow you wherever we go.

On the second floor of the guild, Xue Mei stood by the window, gazing at the purple-gold streak of light that had vanished into the horizon, remaining silent for a long time.

Lin Fei walked to her side and said softly: "They're gone."

"Yeah."

"How far do you think that person will go in the future?"

Xue Mei was silent for a moment, then said faintly: "It's beyond what we can imagine."

Lin Fei gave a bitter smile: "That's true."

The two stood side by side, looking at the empty sky, each lost in her own thoughts.

After a long while, Lin Fei suddenly spoke: "I actually tried to tell him not to deceive himself earlier; I feel like such a fool!"

Xue Mei turned her head to look at her, and for once, she didn't make a snide remark, simply patting her shoulder gently.

Then, the two returned to their respective medicine cauldrons.

The flames inside the cauldrons were reignited, but this time, both of them worked much harder than before.