Nothing gave Yang Chen more confidence than alchemy. In his previous life, he had been hailed as the Number One Genius of the alchemy path. Across the entire land, his talent for alchemy had surpassed every other alchemy genius by a full tier. Only a few old immortals of the alchemy world could compare with him.
A First Grade Intermediate Alchemist was, to him, no different from bullying a newborn babe.
Of course, he really was bullying Yang Heng now, but Yang Heng had yet to realize it. He thought Yang Chen was asking to be beaten.
"As for the rules of this wager, we'll follow the normal process for an alchemist's duel." Yang Heng spoke lightly, then said, "Xiao Hui, explain it."
Xiao Hui, Yang Heng's family servant, seemed to have received his master's reward upon hearing those words. Raising his voice, he shouted, "An alchemist's duel is determined by the pills' appearance, quality, and quantity."
"Did you hear that?" Yang Heng said, looking as if he feared Yang Chen did not understand the rules. "Since we're betting, let's do it properly. I won't bully you, either. We'll make a First Grade pill—the Return Bone Pill. It's one of the easiest First Grade pills to refine. The winner will be decided by the final number of pills, their quality, and their appearance!"
"No problem." Yang Chen agreed without hesitation.
The Return Bone Pill was one of the simplest First Grade pills to refine. One pill could leave a Body Refining Realm martial artist feeling refreshed and clear-headed, with sharper eyes and ears. Usually, when Body Refining Realm martial artists took a Return Bone Pill before a fight, they could achieve twice the result with half the effort and focus even more intently.
As for the Body Refining Realm, it was the foundational realm of martial cultivation. It had nine levels, and the difference between each level was remarkably substantial.
Yang Chen did not even count as being at the Body Refining Realm First Level.
Yang Heng, meanwhile, had reached the Body Refining Realm Second Level at a young age. Among young geniuses below adulthood, he could be considered outstanding.
Yang Chen was confident that refining something as basic as a Return Bone Pill would be as easy as turning his hand over. He glanced at Gu Mingyue and said, "Mingyue, where is my alchemy furnace?"
"Y-Young Master, your ancestral Purple Show Pill Furnace was lost to the Wang family. Have you forgotten?" Gu Mingyue said, her pretty face flushed red with embarrassment.
The moment those words fell, a burst of laughter erupted.
Yang Chen raised his brows. After thinking carefully, it seemed that such a thing really had happened.
Thinking of this, Yang Chen said, "Then bring me the most ordinary alchemy furnace."
Although Gu Mingyue did not want Yang Chen to gamble with others, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be loosed. She could only take out an exceptionally ordinary alchemy furnace from her storage ring.
"I say, Yang Chen, you even lost your inherited Purple Show Pill Furnace, and now you want to duel me with that most ordinary alchemy furnace? What chance do you have?" Yang Heng laughed mockingly. "This young master will not bully you, either. If you use an ordinary alchemy furnace, then I'll use one too, lest others say this young master won unfairly."
Naturally, he did not say this because he sympathized with Yang Chen. He simply believed that even if they both used ordinary alchemy furnaces, Yang Chen would have no chance of winning.
Yang Chen said indifferently, "Do as you please!"
Once he finished speaking, he lightly held the alchemy furnace in his palm.
For an unranked alchemist, the alchemy furnace they used was only about the size of a palm.
Ordinary unranked alchemists could, at most, handle small alchemy furnaces.
"One set of Return Bone Pill ingredients. The winner will be determined by the final number of pills, their quality, and their appearance. Now, the competition begins!" Yang Heng's family servant shouted at the top of his lungs.
Although Yang Chen's family was poor, as an alchemist, he still possessed the ingredients needed to refine one batch of Return Bone Pills.
From his lowest-grade storage ring, he rummaged out a set of Return Bone Pill ingredients and swiftly tossed them into the alchemy furnace.
"He's throwing in the ingredients without even lighting the fire. One look and you can tell he's unranked." Several servants had often watched their young master refine pills. Seeing Yang Chen's manner of alchemy, they all began to ridicule him.
Yang Chen turned a blind eye to them. Only after tossing the ingredients into the alchemy furnace did he use the Fire Control Wood to ignite the fire.
"I was so used to my natal flames in my previous life. I really am not accustomed to something like Fire Control Wood." Yang Chen laughed inwardly as he gripped the Fire Control Wood and began controlling the temperature of the flames.
Fire control was an extremely important step in alchemy.
Put simply, it was control of the heat.
The final quantity and quality of the pills were inseparably linked to the heat.
Beyond controlling the heat came regulation.
Regulation was the process of blending the materials in the furnace as they condensed into pills. This process was just as important as heat control. If it was not handled well and the pills failed to inherit the original quality of the ingredients, their quality would be greatly reduced. It could be said that this was technical work that tested one's attention to every detail.
Therefore, becoming an alchemist depended heavily on talent and comprehension.
But these steps had long since taken root deep within Yang Chen's mind.
His fire control and regulation were both flawless, every step in place.
This made Gu Mingyue, who had watched Yang Chen refine pills many times before, blink her large eyes repeatedly. Her pretty face was filled with surprise and tension.
She could tell that her young master was not refining pills as carelessly as he had in the past, as though he did not care in the slightest. Moreover, Yang Chen's alchemy techniques and steps seemed far more proficient than before. His skill in controlling the fire and his seriousness during regulation were completely different from the past.
Could it be that after Young Master hanged himself, he suddenly comprehended the true principles of alchemy? Gu Mingyue observed him from nearby and thought to herself.
She was truly worried.
Yang Chen's alchemy techniques had improved, but Yang Heng was a genuine First Grade Intermediate Alchemist. What about Yang Chen? He was merely a First Grade Low-Level Alchemist.
What was the difference between First Grade Low-Level and First Grade Intermediate?
A First Grade Low-Level Alchemist did not have a one-hundred-percent success rate when refining First Grade pills. In fact, it could be very low. The threshold was simply that as long as one could refine a First Grade pill, one could be considered a First Grade Low-Level Alchemist. But a First Grade Intermediate Alchemist? Such an alchemist could refine First Grade pills with a one-hundred-percent success rate.
Their young master had only accidentally refined a First Grade pill a year ago. Who knew whether it had been a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse? That was how he had become a First Grade Low-Level Alchemist. Yet in the year since, he had not refined a single First Grade pill.
How could she not worry?
However, just as Gu Mingyue's thoughts wandered, Yang Chen suddenly lowered his hands. Gradually, the flames of the Fire Control Wood vanished. Wisps of fragrant smoke rose from the alchemy furnace, followed by a trace of rich fragrance wafting out.
This fragrance was usually the sign that pills had formed.
"The pills are done!"
Yang Heng's servants widened their eyes.
Who could have expected Yang Chen to complete his pills even faster than Yang Heng?
"What are you worried about?" Xiao Hui, the servant deeply valued by Yang Heng, sneered. "Our Young Master Heng has refined Return Bone Pills hundreds of times. What does merely forming pills amount to? Young Master's best result was refining three Return Bone Pills in one batch! Three pills are not something a useless waste who luckily refined one Return Bone Pill can compare to."
As he spoke, the servant glanced at Yang Chen, who had just completed his pills, with utter disdain. Though he was only a servant, with Yang Heng protecting him, why would he fear Yang Chen? Yang Chen's position in the Yang family was exceedingly awkward. If not for the protection of his elder sister Yang Caidie, he might not even have been better off than a servant like Xiao Hui.
Yang Heng also noticed that Yang Chen had finished refining. Seeing Yang Chen's confident expression, a cold smile appeared on his face. Finishing quickly was nothing. He would soon let Yang Chen know what true alchemy techniques were.
"Young Master, y-you really refined Return Bone Pills?" Gu Mingyue asked nervously.
Yang Chen smiled. "Yes!"
What a joke. If he could not even refine a Return Bone Pill, then he would truly be making a fool of himself. Besides, from Yang Heng's technique, he could almost determine Yang Heng's final result. So he had deliberately adjusted his alchemy techniques so that his victory would not be too dazzling. Otherwise, people would inevitably grow suspicious.
"Pills formed!"
Suddenly, Yang Heng let out a fierce shout. Immediately afterward, a dense fragrance poured from his alchemy furnace. From Yang Heng's smug expression, it was easy to see that he was especially satisfied with the results of this refinement. He already held victory in the palm of his hand.
Afraid that Yang Chen would suffer a blow, Gu Mingyue hurriedly said, "Young Master, even if you lose this wager, it does not matter. At least you refined the Return Bone Pills. That proves you are still an alchemist and still have a future ahead of you! A true man need not fuss over temporary victory or defeat!"
Hearing Gu Mingyue's words, Yang Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry. Why did she think he was certain to lose?
"Yang Chen, open the furnace." Yang Heng sneered.
Yang Chen did not dawdle. He immediately tipped over his alchemy furnace, and pills came tumbling out one after another, landing in their respective palms.
Yang Heng looked at the three round, lustrous Return Bone Pills in his palm and laughed heartily. "Yang Chen, have you seen what an alchemy genius looks like? Three Return Bone Pills. If you could achieve this in your lifetime, you could already be proud. Enough nonsense. Hand over three hundred spirit stones. Oh, right, you do not have that many spirit stones. I can wait for you to ask your sister for them. After all, you have always been the sort who likes to hide behind women."
Yet in his overwhelming confidence, he did not notice Gu Mingyue beside Yang Chen, whose mouth had fallen wide open.
Yang Chen smiled and said, "Yang Heng, how are you so confident that you've won?"
Yang Heng shot Yang Chen a disdainful glance and was just about to speak when he suddenly saw the four Return Bone Pills in Yang Chen's hand!
Four!
There was actually one more than his?
"How is that possible?!" Yang Heng's heart jolted.
Yang Heng's servants immediately grew dissatisfied. "What use is quantity alone? We are comparing quality. The quality and appearance of our Young Master Heng's pills are both first-rate 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 think you did not see clearly, I do not mind letting you take a closer look. You can give me your answer after you have properly distinguished them."
Yang Heng had actually long since identified the quality of the pills Yang Chen had refined. He simply did not dare believe it was real. Yang Chen's pills were clearly a shade better than his. Their crystal-clear luster made it obvious who had won and who had lost to anyone whose brain was not broken.
At this moment, Gu Mingyue could hardly believe her eyes. Delighted, she said, "Young Master Yang Heng, you understand the principle of being willing to bet and willing to admit defeat, don't you?"
Yang Heng's face turned deathly pale.
His servant Xiao Hui found the truth even harder to believe.
Yang Heng glanced around. Only after discovering that there was no one nearby did he grit his teeth and say, "Yang Chen, how exactly did you do it?"
"How I did it does not seem to be something I need to report to you. You only need to know that being low-key does not mean being weak." Yang Chen spoke slowly. "You have already lost. If you refuse to admit it, we can go to the Elder's Residence and ask Second Master Yang to appraise them. I trust that justice lives in people's hearts."
At the mention of going to the Elder's Residence, how could Yang Heng possibly agree? Losing three hundred spirit stones today had already humiliated him beyond all measure. How could he let others find out?
"No one is allowed to spread this matter!" As he spoke, Yang Heng furiously roared at the servants under him.
"Yes, Young Master. We understand."
Only then did Yang Heng, so angry that smoke seemed to pour from his seven orifices, say viciously, "Of course I will honor the wager. Take these three hundred spirit stones. Remember, if you dare tell anyone about this, I will make you regret it."
He had actually wanted to renege on the debt, but he feared Yang Chen would spread the matter around. Otherwise, how would he have any face left to show others? He had no choice but to hand over the three hundred spirit stones.
Seeing Yang Heng hand over the enormous sum of three hundred spirit stones, Gu Mingyue was so happy that tears nearly streamed from her eyes. She hurriedly rose to her feet and dashed toward Yang Caidie. She had to tell Yang Caidie this wonderful news. This was tremendous news.
Their young master had not lost money today. He had actually made money.
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