A Sixty Percent Chance

After a brief discussion, the elders ultimately chose to trust Ancestor Danyang.

After all, Ancestor Danyang was a Sage King Realm expert.

Though they did not fear him, there was no need to make an enemy of him.

Even if Ancestor Danyang was deceiving them, they would only waste some medicinal ingredients at worst. The Alchemists' Guild had deep pockets and could afford it.

Only after they agreed did Ancestor Danyang's expression soften somewhat.

The next moment, a pill recipe materialized out of thin air and drifted into the hands of the Alchemists' Guild elders.

"These are the ingredients needed to refine a ninth-grade pill. Gather them and bring them to me. Oh, and I'll also need a pill furnace."

Ancestor Danyang made his demands without the slightest hesitation.

The elder at the head of the group hurriedly took the recipe, but one glance made his eyelids twitch wildly.

"So many?!"

"Let me see, let me see!"

"I want to see too!"

The elders instantly crowded around him, scrambling for the recipe without the slightest regard for their dignity.

Once they saw what was on it, every one of them couldn't help sucking in a cold breath.

There were simply too many ingredients, a vast assortment of nearly ten thousand, including some that were exceedingly rare and almost extinct.

On the Cangxuan Continent, perhaps only their Alchemists' Guild could gather so many alchemy ingredients at once.

"Senior, you're asking for far too many ingredients. Although our Alchemists' Guild currently has no ninth-grade alchemist, we do have several ninth-grade pill recipes in our collection, and none of them call for so many ingredients."

The leading elder of the Alchemists' Guild frowned deeply, strongly suspecting that Ancestor Danyang was tricking them out of their ingredients.

Ancestor Danyang, however, gave a soft snort. "Naturally, these aren't the ingredients for a single ninth-grade pill."

"There's always a high chance of failure when refining pills, all the more so with a ninth-grade pill. Without a practiced hand, one might succeed only once in a hundred attempts."

"I only asked you to prepare extra to ensure a successful refinement."

The elders were finally reassured by Ancestor Danyang's explanation.

When refining a pill themselves, they would usually prepare several times the amount of ingredients listed in the recipe. Only then could they refine it with peace of mind.

This time, however, they were refining a ninth-grade pill. The ingredients for just one were already numerous, and now they had to prepare several more sets. Even the Alchemists' Guild felt the sting.

"Has the guild leader still not come out of seclusion?"

An elder quietly asked.

The answer he received was no.

The Alchemists' Guild leader had not emerged since entering seclusion a hundred years ago.

If he hadn't left a contingency behind in the guild, they would even have thought that he had passed away.

"Ancestor, what pill are you refining this time? How confident are you of success?"

Lu Qingshan, who stood beside Ancestor Danyang, suddenly asked in curiosity.

He had accompanied Ancestor Danyang partly to broaden his horizons. As the Lu Clan patriarch, he naturally needed to be well-informed. His other reason was to take the opportunity to show his face in Central Province.

After today, the Lu Clan's name might once again resound throughout the world.

And Lu Qingshan, as the Lu Clan patriarch, would inevitably be seen by the world and would often have to speak with the leaders of other factions.

Hearing Lu Qingshan's question, Ancestor Danyang chuckled inwardly and transmitted his voice. "Rest assured. The pill I'm refining this time is the one that made my name, and also the one I'm best at refining. I have a sixty percent chance of success."

Sixty percent!

And it was a ninth-grade pill, no less.

Lu Qingshan knew nothing of the intricacies involved and merely marveled at how his ancestor had everything planned out and was brimming with confidence.

If the Alchemists' Guild elders before them found out, they would surely think Ancestor Danyang was boasting to the heavens.

Sixty percent—what did that even mean?

The current guild leader of the Alchemists' Guild, the Cangxuan Continent's foremost alchemist in the eyes of the world and an eighth-grade alchemist, had only a forty percent success rate when refining eighth-grade pills, and that was already enough to look down on the world.

Yet Ancestor Danyang's success rate for refining a ninth-grade pill was actually higher than that for refining an eighth-grade one. It was simply inconceivable.

"Then, Ancestor, if you succeed on your first attempt, what about the remaining ingredients?"

The question suddenly occurred to Lu Qingshan.

Ancestor Danyang's expression did not change. He merely cast Lu Qingshan a casual glance.

His meaning went without saying.

Did that even need to be asked?

Naturally, he would pocket them!

Lu Qingshan gave an awkward chuckle, also feeling that the question seemed rather unnecessary.

The two waited for a little while, and an elder of the Alchemists' Guild personally gathered all the ingredients and brought them over.

Another elder beside him produced a purple pill furnace taller than a person. "This is my lifebound pill furnace. I'll lend it to you for the time being."

Ancestor Danyang did not reply. He simply accepted the ingredients and furnace, then walked toward the Alchemists' Guild's alchemy plaza as though he knew the way by heart.

Lu Qingshan wore a respectful expression as he silently followed Ancestor Danyang.

The other elders looked at one another.

Why did it feel as though they had become outsiders?

Meanwhile, the alchemy plaza was bustling with activity.

Naturally, there was considerable competition within the Alchemists' Guild.

After all, most of its members came from different factions. Some of those factions had a history with one another, and some were even at odds.

To deal with this, the Alchemists' Guild had built an alchemy competition platform in the alchemy plaza.

Anyone with a personal grudge could go to the platform and let their alchemy skills do the talking.

"Chen Yue was just promoted to fourth-grade alchemist a few days ago. He'll definitely beat Lin Teng."

Someone in the stands called out.

But another person quickly countered, "Lin Teng became a third-grade alchemist years ago. For all we know, he might have become a fourth-grade alchemist by now too."

"Besides, Lin Teng joined the Alchemists' Guild three years before Chen Yue, so I'd sooner believe Lin Teng will win."

Following everyone's gaze,

one could see a youth seated on either side of the competition platform.

The contest was already nearing its end. Chen Yue was drenched in sweat, his expression tense as he stared fixedly at the pill furnace blazing before him.

On the other side, Lin Teng looked much more relaxed, though his face was pale as well.

Both had already given it their all.

"Look, Chen Yue is about to finish!"

"A fourth-grade pill. Looks like Chen Yue has won this time."

Many people marveled. Chen Yue had joined the Alchemists' Guild later than Lin Teng, yet unexpectedly, he had overtaken him.

A smile appeared on Chen Yue's face as well. Hearing everyone's praise, he grew a little carried away without realizing it, then looked at Lin Teng with disdain.

"After this, let's see how you can keep acting so arrogant in front of me."

"Ancestor, the Alchemists' Guild really does have quite a few promising talents."

Seeing that Chen Yue and Lin Teng had already reached the level of fourth-grade alchemists at such a young age, Lu Qingshan's eyes lit up despite himself.

In the Lu Clan, many people as young as those two were still living off their elders.

That was why the Lu Clan had established a martial competition ranking for the younger generation: to spur them on.

Only by properly nurturing the next generation could the lineage continue to prosper.

But just then, Ancestor Danyang looked at Chen Yue and suddenly shook his head.

"He's still too young. With such an unsteady temperament, how can he refine pills well?"

"Hmm?"

Lu Qingshan was taken aback, then looked toward the competition platform.

Sure enough, no sooner had Ancestor Danyang finished speaking than Chen Yue's expression suddenly changed.

His momentary distraction had caused an error during the final pill-forming stage, and the furnace before him had begun to hum.

"Oh no!"

The furnace was going to explode!

Chen Yue's face filled with horror, but he had nowhere to hide.

At that critical moment, a gentle force suddenly enveloped him.

The next instant,

Boom!

With a tremendous bang, the pill furnace exploded, shaking the entire alchemy plaza.

On the other side, Lin Teng steadied the furnace before him and successfully refined a fourth-grade pill.

"Haha, I won."

Lin Teng laughed, then rose and looked toward Chen Yue, his face triumphant.

As the smoke cleared,

Chen Yue looked around, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.

His eyes immediately widened.

"You little brat, hurry up and thank Senior Danyang!"

An elder arrived at the scene and shouted at Chen Yue.

Hearing this, Chen Yue immediately realized what had happened.

"Thank you for saving me, Senior Danyang!"

If no one had helped him just then, he wouldn't have died, but he would certainly have been gravely injured.

Losing was a small matter; a serious injury was the real concern.