The force of that fifth-grade pill exploding in the cauldron had likely rivaled an all-out strike from a peak Dou Wang expert. Had it been allowed to spread, this entire Alchemy Plaza would probably have been destroyed.
Yet Xiao Yan had merely closed his hand gently, annihilating the energy unleashed by the pill's sudden surge into nothingness.
That detail alone showed that Elder Yan Xiao's strength ranked among the best even among Dou Emperors.
A peak sixth-grade alchemist with a peak Dou Emperor cultivation level-the heights Xiao Yan's strength and status could reach were already clear to everyone.
Ignoring the newfound awe in their gazes, Xiao Yan frowned as he recalled the steps of the failed refinement and his selection of ingredients.
Only after half an hour of working through the process did he turn to an elder beside him again. "Replace the golden silk grass with golden thread grass, and the purple light dew with green light dew."
The elder hurriedly nodded, then rushed back to the Alchemy Hall to exchange the ingredients.
After receiving a fresh set of ingredients, Xiao Yan showed no trace of fatigue and quickly resumed refining. As seven-colored fire lotuses burned, another round of refinement began.
This time, however, he adjusted the heat at several crucial stages and replaced two supplementary ingredients.
Nearly another four hours passed before a muffled bang rang out across the Alchemy Plaza again. At the sound, regret and disappointment appeared on the elders' faces.
Although Xiao Yan's adjustments had already greatly reduced the cost of refinement, a single set of ingredients still cost around a million gold coins.
Two sets of ingredients meant two million gold coins had gone straight down the drain.
That was the nature of an alchemist's profession: money came quickly, but burned away even faster.