Just as the medicinal powder was about to condense into pills, a loud "bang" erupted, sending a wave of energy blasting from the alchemy furnace. Shen Xiang stumbled backward in shock, sweating profusely as he stared at the lid that had fallen off the furnace. "It actually exploded!"
"Are you alright?" Su Meiyao, who was combing her hair not far away, asked calmly.
"I'm fine!" Shen Xiang let out a sigh of relief, checking the furnace. Fortunately, it wasn't damaged.
"Carry on then. This is a common occurrence." Su Meiyao gave him a slight smile, encouraging him.
That bewitching smile instantly swept away Shen Xiang's sense of failure. After resting for a while, he took out the remaining ingredients and resumed refining the pill.
Three hours later, Shen Xiang reached the final step again, but this time he failed once more. However, this time the furnace didn't explode.
Shen Xiang sighed, "It's so difficult! Only one set of materials left—this has to succeed!"
Su Meiyao walked over with a moist silk handkerchief, wiping the sweat from his face as she giggled, "Little one, back when I was refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill, I blew up several furnaces. You're doing quite well! I estimate you'll need around twenty tries before you succeed!"
Shen Xiang was momentarily stunned, staring at Su Meiyao's alluring face. Being attended to by such a stunning beauty caused a slight stir in his heart, and his mind couldn't help but recall the time when he had seen Su Meiyao's naked body…
Realizing he had lost his composure, Shen Xiang hurriedly exclaimed, "What? Twenty tries? No way, I don't have the money to burn like that."
Su Meiyao deliberately shook her chest, her twin peaks jiggling as she playfully scolded, "Little brat, it's fine if you have improper thoughts about me, but if you dare to have those thoughts about Senior Sister, you'll be in big trouble."
Thinking of Bai Youyou, the cold beauty exuding a murderous aura, Shen Xiang chuckled nervously and quickly averted his gaze from Su Meiyao's jiggling chest.
Su Meiyao laughed triumphantly.
Shen Xiang rested for over an hour, listening to Su Meiyao share her insights on refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill…
After his break, Shen Xiang began again, this time progressing faster than before. In just an hour and a half, he reached the final pill condensation stage.
Su Meiyao's eyes sparkled as she watched him. In her opinion, there was no way Shen Xiang could succeed in refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill so quickly, yet he seemed to be on the verge of success. Even she had to admire his incredible alchemy talent. She could foresee that Shen Xiang's future would be far more vibrant than her own.
"Senior Sister, we didn't choose the wrong person for our divine veins! This man hasn't disappointed us," Su Meiyao transmitted her thoughts to Bai Youyou, who was still inside the ring.
Even Bai Youyou's cold voice carried a rare hint of amusement, "That's the best outcome."
Moments later, Shen Xiang opened his eyes, filled with excitement. He opened the furnace and turned to Su Meiyao, exclaiming, "Sister Meiyao, I did it! I've successfully refined the Marrow Cleansing Pill!"
At that moment, Bai Youyou emerged from the ring as well. Like Su Meiyao, her eyes couldn't conceal the joy she felt. After all, they had placed all their hopes on Shen Xiang. Seeing his extraordinary talent filled them with great delight.
Typically, a furnace of Marrow Cleansing Pills would produce three pills, but Shen Xiang had only managed to refine two. However, he had succeeded in just a single day, something only those with exceptional talent could achieve. This indicated that during the pill refinement process, Shen Xiang had developed a unique perception, allowing him to sense the delicate moment of pill condensation. This was the key to his success after just a few failures.
Su Meiyao patted Shen Xiang's head, her charming eyes brimming with affection as she smiled, "Good boy, you didn't let me down!"
Even Bai Youyou nodded approvingly at him, her cold eyes softening considerably. Seeing these two extraordinary beauties treat him so kindly made Shen Xiang feel incredibly proud.
Although Shen Xiang had succeeded this time, it didn't guarantee success in the future, so he needed to refine more pills to improve. As soon as he emerged from the underground chamber, he saw a young girl dressed in a purple dress sitting in the small hall.
The sight of this noble and beautiful girl left Shen Xiang momentarily dazed. "Xianxian, why are you here?"
Xue Xianxian playfully pouted, "I came to find you! As a man, you should be the one looking for me. I'm a girl, always running to your place—people will start laughing at me."
Shen Xiang scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. He had planned to find Xue Xianxian, but he had lost track of time while refining pills. He walked over to Xue Xianxian and gently touched her blushing face.
"Xianxian, I'm really sorry! I've been busy refining pills. Here's a gift to make up for it." Shen Xiang took out a small box, inside of which were two black pills—the Marrow Cleansing Pills he had just refined!
Xue Xianxian opened the box and gasped, "Marrow Cleansing Pills! Did Brother Xiang make these?"
Shen Xiang chuckled, "I was lucky to make them. I've run out of materials now, so I need to buy more, but since the Lingdan Pavilion is now controlled by the Yao family, the prices have skyrocketed. Can you help me buy some herbs, Xianxian?"
Xue Xianxian lowered her head, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as if she were deep in thought. Her beautiful face looked serious.
"Of course, I can help, but Brother Xiang, it's truly amazing that you've been able to refine Marrow Cleansing Pills at such a young age." Xue Xianxian whispered, "Brother Xiang, you must join a martial sect in the future. That's the only way you'll be able to reach the pinnacle of martial arts."
Shen Xiang nodded, "I've been planning for that, but my current strength isn't enough. Xianxian, has someone from a sect approached you?"
Xue Xianxian sighed, "Not a sect, but someone who has been kind to the Xue family. She's taken a liking to me and wants to take me as her disciple. She seems to be from a martial sect, but she hasn't told me much."
"I'll be leaving with her soon." As she said this, Xue Xianxian's face was filled with reluctance.
Shen Xiang stroked her silky hair, smiling, "Don't worry, that place will nurture the strong. One day, I'll join you there." As he spoke, Shen Xiang took out a banknote worth ten thousand large spirit coins and handed it to Xue Xianxian.
Xue Xianxian accepted it with a sweet smile, "The Marrow Cleansing Pill isn't useful for me anymore. I'll sell it and buy you more materials! Wait for me; I'll be back soon."
After Xue Xianxian left, Shen Xiang quickly took a bath. Just as he finished, Xue Xianxian returned.
To Shen Xiang's surprise, Xue Xianxian wasn't alone. She had returned with a mature, graceful woman in white robes. Had it not been for his encounters with Bai Youyou and Su Meiyao, Shen Xiang would have been utterly mesmerized by this stunning woman.
The woman who returned with Xue Xianxian was a middle-aged beauty with an oval face, no makeup, and smooth, fair skin that rivaled Xue Xianxian's. Her gaze was both gentle and commanding as she smiled faintly at Shen Xiang. Despite her delicate appearance, her presence radiated an overwhelming aura, making it seem as if she were a celestial being, capable of wielding heaven-shattering power.