"Boy, don't you know me?" "I don't know." "Are you sure?" "Of course I am sure."
Li Taixing was a little puzzled. He really didn't know who this Yao Lao was. Should he ask his master later? But for now, he had to get through this situation.
At this moment, Yao Lao was extremely depressed, even a little angry. "You look like a disciple of the Xuantian Sect's elders, right? How could you not know me? Is your master the Seventh Elder, Zhu Qing?"
"Uh, no."
"Impossible. Who else in Xuantian Sect can teach you alchemy besides her? Wait, I remember her disciple is a woman, not a man. What's your name?"
Li Taixing was surprised that this old man knew details about his sect. Clearly, he had some connection to Xuantian Sect. "May I ask who you are?" he said carefully.
"I already told you—I'm Yao Lao!"
"Right, but what's your relationship with our sect?" Li Taixing asked cautiously, not wanting to push too far.
Yao Lao squinted at him. "What are you trying to get at, kid? As long as you're not from Wang Xuanwu's lineage, we can talk. But that woman… she's naughty, lazy, vicious, and cruel. I doubt she would even accept a disciple. But if she did, I'd definitely teach her disciple a lesson, since I can't deal with her directly."
Hearing this, Li Taixing's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't possibly tell this old man that his master was Wang Xuanwu! Thinking quickly, he lied, "Actually, I learned some alchemy from Senior Sister Lu Xueruo."
At the mention of Lu Xueruo, Yao Lao's temper eased. "Lu Xueruo? That girl is decent. Still, you seem more talented than her, and quite young. Strange that I've never seen you before."
"Haha, that's normal. Someone as esteemed as you isn't likely to meet someone as small as me," Li Taixing said, thinking, 'I need to get out of here before he realizes my real master is Wang Xuanwu.'
Yao Lao was pleased by the flattery. "Haha, kid, you've got a sharp eye."
"Yao Lao," Li Taixing said, "how about we start the competition now? Let's refine Bone-Forging Pills. What do you think?"
Yao Lao frowned. "A low-level pill like that?"
Li Taixing quickly put on a pitiful expression. "Yao Lao, you're a master. Refining a magical pill would be easy for you, but I can only manage these simpler pills. Asking me to refine higher-level ones would be unfair."
Yao Lao felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. "Alright, alright, Bone-Forging Pills it is."
"Great!" Li Taixing kept his excitement hidden. 'This old man is confident, but with my alchemist title and the system's 10 billion times amplification effect, he doesn't stand a chance!'
Yao Lao led Li Taixing to an alchemy room hidden within the woods. Li Taixing asked, "Master Yao, what is this place? Why couldn't I see it from outside?"
"This is my spiritual herb garden. How did you get in here?"
"Uh, I don't really know," Li Taixing lied. "I was just walking and suddenly found myself in this sea of flowers."
"Hmm, must be a problem with my formation. I'll check it later," Yao Lao muttered, not doubting him further.
Once inside the alchemy room, Yao Lao said, "Let's start the competition. If the quality of the pill you refine matches or surpasses mine, you win. If it's worse, you'll stay here as my medicine boy for ten years."
"Deal," Li Taixing replied confidently.
"I'll let you refine it longer than me and give you three chances. I only need one," Yao Lao said smugly.
Li Taixing was impressed by Yao Lao's confidence and generosity, but inside, he thought, 'He's in for a surprise.' He activated his Sky Eye to assess the quality of Yao Lao's refining process.
'Seventh-grade pill, huh? I'll just make an eighth-grade one.'
Yao Lao started first, allowing Li Taixing to watch. His movements were smooth and effortless, creating a seventh-grade Bone-Forging Pill in no time.
"Wow, Yao Lao, you're incredible!" Li Taixing gave him a thumbs up.
Yao Lao smirked. "Hmph, kid, this was nothing. Just a casual refinement. If you can make it to the seventh grade or better, you'll win."
Li Taixing nodded, pretending to be amazed. "Yes, Yao Lao truly lives up to his reputation."
"Hmph, enough flattery. Don't think nice words will save you if you fail. You'll still be my medicine boy for ten years," Yao Lao said, but his tone was more playful now.
Li Taixing smiled awkwardly and began his first attempt. He deliberately made some clumsy mistakes, causing Yao Lao to shake his head.
'This kid's going to fail. His movements are awkward. He may have potential in identifying herbs, but he's definitely a beginner in refining.'
Moments later, Li Taixing's furnace exploded.
Boom!
Li Taixing looked at Yao Lao apologetically. "I'm sorry, Yao Lao…"
"It's fine, go ahead with your second attempt. You've still got two chances left," Yao Lao said, waving it off generously, confident that his victory was secure. 'This kid is definitely going to be my medicine boy for ten years.'