Appraisal

Xiao Bai stared at him with his deep eyes and said nothing, merely lifting a hand to point at the stone stool beside them.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan had no choice but to shuffle over and sit down. He rubbed his nose and gave an awkward laugh.

"Brother Bai, I really didn't do it on purpose. I saw the gate was wide open, so I just came straight in. I—"

"Enough! I'm looking for your teacher!" Xiao Bai waved a hand, cutting him off.

Hearing that, Xiao Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't here to make trouble for him.

"Boy Xiao Bai, what business do you have with this old man?"

At that moment, Yao Lao floated out of the ring and stroked his little mustache with a smile.

Although he was now only a soul, he still had an air of bearing about him.

"Mm. Senior, you're widely experienced and knowledgeable. There's something I'm not quite sure about, and I'd like to ask you to take a look at it for me!" Xiao Bai said with a smile.

Yao Lao was somewhat puzzled when he heard this. In his understanding, this boy Xiao Bai was not like his foolish disciple, who lacked experience. What could there be that even he could not identify?

Not to mention, if Xiao Bai could not be sure, could his little girlfriend not be sure either?

This one's background was far from simple. What her body contained was the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

For someone of this age and this cultivation level to have taken such a Heavenly Flame into her body, it must have been done by a powerful Dou Saint. She was most likely from that terrifying imperial clan, so her knowledge would naturally be extraordinary.

It could be said that the knowledge of these two was something few in the entire Central Continent could match. Something that even the two of them could not grasp—could it be some rarely seen marvel?

Yao Lao's expression turned solemn, and at the same time, he was extremely curious as to what it was.

Xiao Xun Er, who was standing to the side, also looked at Xiao Bai. While she was a little curious, she also felt a bit of quiet resentment in her heart.

"Xiao Bai Gege, if there's something in our home, you should let Xun Er take a look first. What if it's something that can't be exposed?"

At this moment, Xiao Yan also set aside the awkwardness in his heart and looked at Xiao Bai with eager eyes.

What he liked most was listening to his teacher and Brother Bai talk about these things. He felt that every time he listened, both his horizons and his mind broadened quite a bit.

Xiao Bai reached out and brushed his Storage Ring, taking out a small white porcelain bottle and placing it on the stone table.

Everyone stared at the small porcelain bottle, their curious gazes constantly sizing it up.

After looking at it for a while, everyone nodded. Mm, it probably wasn't the bottle. This was just an ordinary porcelain bottle. It seemed the thing inside the bottle was the point.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Xiao Bai was a little speechless. Wasn't it just a Rank 1 pill? What were all of you doing?

Yao Lao beckoned with a hand, and the bottle floated into his grasp. He carefully opened the stopper and glanced inside.

After seeing what was inside, Yao Lao could not help freezing. Wasn't this damn thing Blood Coagulation Powder?

Then he felt a little speechless, a little embarrassed, and a little angry.

At this moment, Yao Lao really wanted to throw the bottle away, point at Xiao Bai's nose, and curse.

"Boy Xiao Bai, are you making fun of this old man? You're actually bringing a Rank 1 Blood Coagulation Powder for a Rank 8 Alchemist to appraise?"

However, in the end, he did not say it out loud. Some things had been imagined entirely by himself; he had thought this boy had brought out something incredible.

And he had even treated it so solemnly earlier, afraid that if he said he did not recognize it in front of these juniors, it would somewhat affect his image as an expert.

Yao Lao looked at Xiao Bai with a faint, brooding gaze. This stinking brat really was no good, full of rotten tricks.

Xiao Xun Er and Xiao Yan looked at Yao Lao, waiting for him to say what was inside. Seeing that his expression was a little strange, they thought, could it be that this old man—teacher—did not know either?

They instantly grew even more curious.

Xiao Bai was also completely confused at this moment. Yao Lao had only glanced at the Blood Coagulation Powder before his expression kept shifting, and then he raised his head and stared fixedly at him, leaving him feeling baffled.

"Senior, is there something wrong with this thing?" Xiao Bai asked cautiously.

It was not his fault for being like this. Mainly, after the pill had been refined, he had caught a few rabbits on the back mountain to experiment on, and the results had been somewhat unexpected. That was why he had come today to consult Yao Lao.

Thinking of those rabbits, Xiao Bai felt his eyes sting a little.

That day, after he had cut one rabbit with a blade, he had fed it a Blood Coagulation Powder. In the end, after eating the pill, the rabbit first convulsed all over and collapsed on the ground, blood spurting from its wound.

At the time, while Xiao Bai had been shocked, he had also felt a little guilty. He had not expected the pill he refined to really have a problem.

Judging from the rabbit's state, it probably would not make it. He had thought that later, he would definitely roast it extra fragrant as repayment.

But not long afterward, he saw the wound heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. The rabbit sprang up again all at once, and Xiao Bai felt that it seemed especially energetic at that moment.

He saw the rabbit's nose twitch, and then it ran over to a female rabbit, pounced straight on top of her, and began close-quarters combat, full of vigor.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Bai found it a little hard to believe. Could it be that what he had refined was not Blood Coagulation Powder, but a Blue Pill?

Several days had already passed since that incident, but every time Xiao Bai thought of it, he felt that perhaps his alchemy talent had gone off in the wrong direction.

Hearing Xiao Bai's question, Yao Lao glanced at the purplish-red pill inside the small porcelain bottle and said irritably, "Isn't it just Blood Coagulation Powder? What could—huh?"

He seemed to have discovered something unusual and hurriedly poured the pill out, pinching it between his fingers and examining it carefully, his face filled with astonishment.

At this moment, Yao Lao kept muttering under his breath.

"That shouldn't be. This is clearly Blood Coagulation Powder. How could there be energy fluctuations inside it?"

On the Dou Qi Continent, every grade of pill had its own special method of identification.

First Grade Pill: had an extremely faint medicinal smell and possessed a certain degree of healing and amplification effects.

Second Grade Pill: the medicinal smell was still faint, but compared to a First Grade Pill, its medicinal effect was markedly improved.

Third Grade Pill: its medicinal effect was better than a Second Grade Pill's, the types of effects increased, and its price was relatively high.

Fourth Grade Pill: its medicinal fragrance spread in all directions and carried energy fluctuations. The richer the pill fragrance, the higher the pill's quality.

But right now, Yao Lao was extremely puzzled. The pill in his hand clearly had only a faint medicinal smell, making it a First Grade Pill, yet it possessed the energy fluctuations only a Fourth Grade Pill should have.

This energy was rather mixed. It contained Thunder Qi of utmost yang and unyielding force, as well as a fresh strand of Wood Spirit Qi, hidden within and not revealed; without looking closely, it really would have been easy to overlook.

Moreover, that utmost-yang, unyielding Thunder Qi seemed very familiar. It was the aura of that brat Xiao Bai's Crimson Thunder. Thinking of this, Yao Lao felt greatly shaken.

He had originally not believed Xiao Bai could successfully refine a pill. A Lightning attribute being able to refine pills? As if. So after buying the medicinal ingredients at Mittel Auction House, he had not taken the matter to heart.

This kid underestimated alchemists far too much. If any random attribute could refine pills, how could alchemists be so revered?

Moreover, he had already made plans. If this kid regretted trading away the inheritance of a Rank 8 Alchemist, he would use something else to exchange for the Heavenly Flames.

But now, looking at the pill in his hand, there was no mistake—it was a Blood Clotting Pill. That utmost-yang, unyielding thunder aura was also unmistakable.

"Xiao Bai, don't tell me you refined this pill?"

Yao Lao cried out in a somewhat strangled voice. He felt as if his entrenched beliefs had been struck by a heavy blow, and all of a sudden, it was as though he no longer recognized this world.

If Lightning attribute could also refine pills in the future, would alchemists still be revered?