A Bet is a Bet?

There was nothing that gave Yang Chen more confidence than alchemy. In his past life, he was known as the number one genius in the Alchemy Way. His talent for alchemy was on a completely different level than all other alchemy geniuses across the entire territory. Only a few of the old grandmasters of the alchemy world could compare to him.

Being a First Grade Intermediate Alchemist was practically like bullying a newborn infant to him.

Of course, he was indeed bullying Yang Heng right now, but Yang Heng hadn't realized it yet and thought he was asking for trouble.

"For the duel, we'll follow the normal process for alchemist duels," Yang Heng said nonchalantly, then added, "Xiao Hui, you explain."

Xiao Hui, Yang Heng's house servant, as if receiving a reward from his master, shouted in a loud voice, "Alchemist duels are based on the color, quality, and quantity of the refined pills."

"Did you hear that?" Yang Heng said, pretending to be worried that Yang Chen didn't understand the rules. "Since we're gambling, let's do it properly. I won't bully you. We'll refine the First Grade pill, 'Return Bone Pill.' This is the simplest pill among First Grade pills. The winner will be decided based on the final quantity, quality, and color of the pills produced!"

"No problem," Yang Chen agreed crisply.

The 'Return Bone Pill' was the simplest pill to refine among First Grade pills. A single pill could make a martial artist in the Body Refining Realm feel refreshed and clear-headed. Usually, a martial artist in the Body Refining Realm would take a Return Bone Pill before a fight, which would make their efforts twice as effective and allow them to concentrate better.

As for the Body Refining Realm, it was the foundational realm of martial arts cultivation. It was divided into nine levels, and there was a considerable gap between each level.

Yang Chen wasn't even at the first level of the Body Refining Realm.

As for Yang Heng, he had reached the second level of the Body Refining Realm at a young age. Among the young geniuses below the age of 'adulthood,' he could be considered an outstanding one.

Yang Chen was confident that refining a basic pill like the Return Bone Pill was as easy as flipping his hand. He glanced at Gu Mingyue and asked, "Mingyue, where's my pill furnace?"

"Young... Young Master, your ancestral 'Purple Show Pill Furnace' was lost to the Wang family. Have you forgotten about that?" Gu Mingyue's pretty face turned red, and she said with extreme embarrassment.

Upon hearing this, a burst of laughter erupted.

Yang Chen raised his eyebrows and, after thinking carefully, realized that it was indeed true.

With that in mind, Yang Chen said, "Then let's use the most ordinary pill furnace."

Although Gu Mingyue didn't want Yang Chen to duel, the arrow was already nocked and ready to fire. She had no choice but to retrieve a very ordinary pill furnace from her storage ring.

"I say, Yang Chen, you even lost your ancestral Purple Show Pill Furnace. You're going to use this most ordinary pill furnace to duel me? What are your chances of winning? Haha, I won't bully you. If you use the most ordinary pill furnace, I'll use the most ordinary pill furnace too. That way, no one can say I won unfairly," Yang Heng sneered.

He said this not out of sympathy for Yang Chen, but because he believed that even with ordinary pill furnaces, Yang Chen had no chance of winning.

Yang Chen replied indifferently, "Whatever you say!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he lightly held the pill furnace in his palm.

For low-tier alchemists, the pill furnaces were only about the size of a palm.

Low-tier alchemists could at most control small pill furnaces.

"A set of materials for the Return Bone Pill. The winner will be decided based on the final quantity, quality, and color of the pills produced. Now, the competition begins," Yang Heng's house servant shouted.

Although Yang Chen was poor, as an alchemist, he had the materials to refine a set of Return Bone Pills.

He rummaged through his lowest-grade storage ring, found a set of materials for refining the Return Bone Pill, and quickly threw them into the pill furnace.

"He's throwing in the materials without even starting the fire. You can tell he's a low-tier alchemist," several house servants, who had watched their young master refine pills many times, sneered after seeing Yang Chen's method.

Yang Chen ignored them. After throwing the materials into the pill furnace, he used the 'Fire Control Wood' to ignite the fire.

I'm too used to my Natal Flames from my past life. This 'Fire Control Wood' is really not very comfortable to use, Yang Chen thought with a wry smile. He grasped the Fire Control Wood and began to control the temperature of the flames.

Fire control was a very important process in alchemy.

Simply put, it was about controlling the heat.

The quantity and quality of the final refined pills were inextricably linked to the heat control.

Besides controlling the heat, there was also the process of tempering.

Tempering was the process of condensing the materials in the furnace into a pill. This process was as important as heat control. If not controlled well, the pill would not inherit the quality of the original materials, and its quality would be greatly reduced. It was a technically demanding task that required great attention to detail.

Therefore, becoming an alchemist relied heavily on talent and comprehension.

But these steps were already deeply ingrained in Yang Chen's mind.

His fire control and tempering were both done perfectly.

This made Gu Mingyue, who had watched Yang Chen refine pills many times, blink her large eyes. Her pretty face was filled with surprise and nervousness.

She could tell that her young master was not as nonchalant and unconcerned as usual during this alchemy session. Moreover, Yang Chen's alchemy skills and steps seemed much more proficient than before. His fire control techniques and his seriousness during tempering were completely different from before.

Could it be that after Young Master's suicide attempt, he suddenly understood the true meaning of alchemy? Gu Mingyue wondered as she observed him closely.

She was truly worried.

Although Yang Chen's alchemy skills had improved, Yang Heng was a true First Grade Intermediate Alchemist, while Yang Chen was merely a First Grade Low-Grade Alchemist.

What was the difference between a First Grade Low-Grade and a First Grade Intermediate Alchemist?

A First Grade Low-Grade Alchemist did not have a 100% success rate in refining First Grade pills; in fact, their success rate could be very low. The threshold was simply that as long as one could refine a First Grade pill, they could be considered a First Grade Low-Grade Alchemist. But a First Grade Intermediate Alchemist could refine First Grade pills with 100% certainty.

Their young master had only managed to refine one First Grade pill by chance a year ago. Whether it was luck or not, he had become a First Grade Low-Grade Alchemist. But in the year since, he hadn't been able to refine a single First Grade pill.

How could she not worry?

However, as Gu Mingyue was lost in thought, Yang Chen suddenly lowered his hands. Gradually, the flames from the Fire Control Wood disappeared. Then, wisps of fragrant smoke rose from the pill furnace, followed by a faint, pleasant aroma.

This aroma was usually a precursor to a pill being formed.

"The pill is formed!"

This made Yang Heng's house servants' eyes widen.

Who would have thought Yang Chen would finish forming his pill faster than Yang Heng?

"What are you worried about!" Xiao Hui, a family servant highly valued by Yang Heng, sneered, "Young Master Heng has refined this Return Bone Pill hundreds of times. A mere pill formation is nothing. The best result my young master achieved was forming three Return Bone Pills at once! Three, not one like a good-for-nothing who only managed to form one by luck."

As he spoke, the servant glanced dismissively at Yang Chen, who had just completed his pill. Although he was a servant, with Yang Heng's protection, why would he fear Yang Chen? Yang Chen's position in the Yang family was awkward; without the protection of his sister, Yang Caidie, he might not even be as well-off as a mere servant.

At this moment, Yang Heng also noticed Yang Chen had formed his pill. Seeing Yang Chen's confident demeanor, a cold smile appeared on his face. Forming the pill quickly meant nothing; he would soon show Yang Chen what true alchemy skill was.

"Young Master, you... you really refined a Return Bone Pill?" Gu Mingyue asked nervously.

Yang Chen smiled, "En!"

It was a joke; if he couldn't even refine a Return Bone Pill, that would truly be a huge embarrassment. Moreover, observing Yang Heng's techniques, he could almost predict the outcome of Yang Heng's alchemy. Therefore, he deliberately adjusted his own refining method so as not to win too astonishingly, which might otherwise arouse suspicion.

"Pill formed!"

Suddenly, Yang Heng let out a roar. Immediately after, a rich, dense fragrance wafted from the pill furnace. From Yang Heng's smug expression, it was clear he was extremely satisfied with his refining result. He even felt victory was within his grasp.

Fearing Yang Chen would be discouraged, Gu Mingyue quickly said, "Young Master, it's okay even if you lose this bet. At least you refined the Return Bone Pill. That means you are still an alchemist, and you have a future! A true man doesn't need to dwell on temporary successes or failures!"

Hearing Gu Mingyue's words, Yang Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why did she think he was destined to lose?

"Yang Chen, open your furnace," Yang Heng said with a cold smile.

Yang Chen didn't delay. He immediately flipped the pill furnace, and pills tumbled out one after another, landing in both their palms.

Seeing the three perfectly round Return Bone Pills in his palm, Yang Heng burst into laughter, "Yang Chen, have you seen what an alchemy genius looks like? Three Return Bone Pills! You can be proud of achieving this in your lifetime. Alright, enough nonsense, hand over the three hundred spiritual stones obediently. Oh, right, you don't have that many spiritual stones, so I can wait for you to go ask your sister. Anyway, you're someone who always hides behind women."

However, despite his utter confidence, he failed to notice Gu Mingyue beside Yang Chen, whose mouth was agape.

Yang Chen smiled and said, "Yang Heng, why are you so sure you've won?"

Yang Heng glanced dismissively at Yang Chen and was about to say something when he suddenly saw the four Return Bone Pills Yang Chen held in his hand!

Four!

He had one more than Yang Heng!

"How is that possible!" Yang Heng's heart jolted.

Yang Heng's family servant immediately became indignant, "What's the use of just quantity? It's about quality. The quality and quantity of pills refined by our Young Master Heng are top-notch Return Bone Pills!"

"Are you sure the quality of my Return Bone Pills is inferior to your young master's?" Yang Chen yawned lazily. "If you're not sure you've seen clearly, I don't mind letting you take a closer look. It's not too late to give me your answer after you've distinguished them."

Yang Heng had already discerned the quality of the pills Yang Chen refined. However, he couldn't believe it was true. Yang Chen's pills were even slightly superior to his, with a crystal-clear luster. Unless someone was brain-dead, they would know who won and who lost.

Gu Mingyue could hardly believe her eyes at this moment. She said joyfully, "Young Master Yang Heng, a bet is a bet. You understand that, don't you?"

Yang Heng's face turned deathly pale.

His servant, Xiao Hui, found it even harder to accept this reality.

Yang Heng looked around and, finding no one nearby, gritted his teeth, "Yang Chen, how did you do it?"

"Do I need to report to you how I did it? You just need to know that being low-key doesn't mean being weak," Yang Chen said slowly. "You've lost now. If you don't admit it, we can go to the Elder's Residence and have Second Master Yang verify it. I believe justice will prevail."

Upon hearing about going to the Elder's Residence, Yang Heng was unwilling. Losing three hundred spiritual stones today was embarrassing enough; how could he let others know?

"No one is allowed to reveal anything about this today," Yang Heng roared angrily at his subordinates.

"Yes, Young Master, we understand."

Then, Yang Heng, furious, said through gritted teeth, "Of course, I admit defeat. Take the three hundred spiritual stones. Remember, if you dare to speak of this, I'll make you pay."

He actually wanted to renege on the debt, but he was afraid Yang Chen would expose the matter. Otherwise, how would he be able to face anyone? He had no choice but to hand over the three hundred spiritual stones.

Seeing Yang Heng hand over the substantial sum of three hundred spiritual stones, Gu Mingyue was so happy she could have cried. She quickly stood up and dashed towards Yang Caidie. She had to share this good news with Yang Caidie. This was incredibly good news.

Their young master hadn't lost money today; he had actually made money.