Pure Rejuvenation Powder

Yao Lao's praise left the two of them floating on air, especially since his appraisal was so high.

"Master, is it really that amazing?"

Yao Lao nodded, pointed at the red and blue lines on the pills, and burst into a triumphant laugh.

"I told you two had talent. Look, your ice and fire are a match made in heaven. These pills are even purer than the ones your master refined."

Yao Lao stared in astonishment at the remaining pills in the Alchemy Furnace. He took every one out, holding them carefully between his fingers to compare them.

"A great teacher truly produces outstanding disciples. Your master's abilities are simply that impressive."

Xiao Mo and Xiao Yan fell silent. This was indeed the master they knew-every bit as full of himself.

They picked up the pills they had refined. Merely holding them sent a crisp, refreshing sensation washing over them.

One look was enough to tell these were good stuff.

Xiao Yan tried swallowing one. His eyes immediately lit up, and he reached out to grab Xiao Mo beside him.

"Senior brother, try this..."

Just how potent did these pills have to be to get even Xiao Yan so excited? Xiao Mo could not resist reaching for one and popping it into his mouth.

In an instant, sweat poured off him like rain.

"Damn, mint flavor?!"

A cooling sensation spread into his chest. The Rejuvenation Powder from the Jia Lie Family Market certainly had decent healing properties, but it tasted of raw earth and was so astringent it was hard to swallow.

Theirs actually tasted like mint candy. No wonder Xiao Yan kept licking his lips after eating it and wanted to grab another for himself.

Xiao Mo hurriedly held him back by force.

"Xiao Yan, stop eating them. We're saving these to sell. It wasn't easy producing this batch, and we don't even know whether we can do it again."

Yao Lao, however, had exceptional confidence in the two of them.

"If you can refine one batch, there will surely be a second. I'll stay here and supervise you both. Try again."

The two nodded, added another round of herbs using the same method as before, and continued refining together.

The new batch came out of the furnace. The patterns on the surface were not as strikingly beautiful as those on the first batch, and the taste carried a slight bitterness, but they were clearly heading in the right direction.

There had simply been slight discrepancies in their heat control and handling during the process.

Each setback only made them more determined. They honed their skills all night, and by the following morning, they had finally refined three satisfactory batches of Rejuvenation Powder.

After all that practice, both could operate the Alchemy Furnace with complete ease. As for the Rejuvenation Powder, they could now casually refine a batch whenever they pleased.

If they put it on sale, demand would surely outstrip supply, even at the current price.

After all, the pills they had refined were more than twice as effective as the Xiao Clan's existing pills.

Only after they had packed everything up and prepared to return to the Xiao Clan to report did they realize it was already light outside.

They had actually spent an entire night working on this.

Yao Lao had long since retreated into the ring to rest. Xiao Yan and Xiao Mo exchanged a glance, cheered exuberantly, and raced each other off the Back Mountain.

When they reached the Xiao Clan's main hall, Xiao Zhan immediately spotted the two boys looking like mud-covered monkeys. Their faces were blackened by smoke, and their clothes were covered in dust and dirt.

"What have you two been doing?"

Xiao Zhan hurriedly caught hold of them and called to the disciples behind him to heat some water so the two could wash up.

Xiao Mo quickly gave Xiao Yan a push.

"Go on, give your father the pills."

Xiao Yan nodded and took out the bag of pills as though presenting a treasure, then reached inside and pulled out a few.

"Father, try this."

Xiao Zhan picked up one of the pills. The instant his fingers touched its surface, his whole body jolted.

It looked like Rejuvenation Powder, but he had never seen a pill of that kind so pure. This seemed more like a replacement for it.

After a moment's hesitation, he put the pill in his mouth. In an instant, every hair on Xiao Zhan's body stood on end. He stared at Xiao Yan in shock.

"Boy, where did you get this?"

Xiao Yan patted Xiao Mo beside him.

"My senior brother and I refined it. Father, haven't you been worrying all this time that our clan's pills won't sell? What do you think of ours?"

Xiao Zhan was trembling and had just been about to speak when the first elder approached from a distance, stepped forward, and caught his arm.

"Clan Leader Xiao, why have you been out here so long? Our honored guests have been waiting inside for ages. It took considerable effort to invite them here, and they can help bring us back from the brink of death."

Xiao Zhan nodded and immediately handed the remaining pills back to Xiao Yan.

"Son, hold on to these for now. Our pills are certainly potent, but achieving such purity must mean the ingredients aren't cheap."

"I'll discuss these pills with you in a little while. We have honored guests waiting, so I need to go and entertain them first."

With that, he quickly turned and followed the first elder away.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Mo wondered what sort of honored guests could command such respect from them. Even the usually overbearing Xiao Zhan had reined in his arrogance.

The first elder kept chattering beside him.

"Clan Leader Xiao, you must hurry. Whether the Xiao Clan's Market can be brought back to life depends entirely on them."

At those words, Xiao Mo's heart jolted, and he hurriedly tugged at Xiao Yan beside him.

Xiao Yan understood at once. He caught Xiao Zhan's arm, his eyes full of pleading.

"Father, can we come?"

Seeing the earnest plea in his eyes, Xiao Zhan hesitated for a moment, then swept out his arm and pulled both boys in front of him!

"Of course my son can come. Besides, you'll inherit my mantle in the future. There's no harm in exposing you to these things early."

"If you want to go, then come along."

When the first elder saw that Xiao Zhan actually intended to bring both of them, displeasure immediately crossed his face.

"Clan Leader Xiao, it's one thing for you to disregard the rules in your everyday conduct, but today is an exceptionally important day for our clan. How can you bring these two troublemakers along?"

"Can you take responsibility if they offend our honored guests? If our negotiations fall through and all our markets close afterward, how do you expect the Xiao Clan to survive?"

Xiao Mo had just opened his mouth to argue.

But Xiao Zhan clapped both boys on the shoulders with commanding confidence and strode forward with his arms around them, never looking back.

"First elder, I believe I'm still the one who has the final say in the Xiao Clan. Since I am the clan leader, you will listen to me on matters like this."

"Whatever objections you have, keep them to yourself for now. I'm taking my children inside to broaden their horizons."

"If you're capable enough to take my position someday, you can question my decisions then. But right now, I want you to hurry up instead of wasting time here."