"Have you really refined True Qi Pills before?" the Dan Elder asked, surprised.
"Of course, I didn't come here just to mess around!" Shen Xiang replied casually, quickly preparing several ingredients and tossing them into the Flame Dragon Alchemy Furnace.
The beauty of the Dan Elder, obscured by her mask, was filled with astonishment. To refine a low-tier spiritual-grade pill at the age of seventeen was something she had never encountered in her lifetime; this was a true genius she had only heard of!
The Dan Elder remained silent, intently watching Shen Xiang refine the pills. But soon, she nearly spat blood in shock—he was not only refining but also multitasking to organize his materials.
"You're already refining?" The Dan Elder sensed the subtle fluctuations of the flames inside the furnace, which varied in intensity in a way so delicate she nearly missed it. Shen Xiang's fire control skills were clearly exceptional.
Shen Xiang replied nonchalantly, "Refining pills is too boring and time-consuming. Only by doing this can it be a bit better."
"Don't you fear an explosion? Doing so many things at once makes it easy to fail!" the Dan Elder huffed.
"Heh, I'm actually multitasking. I'm refining, organizing materials, and chatting with you!" Shen Xiang grinned, which made the Dan Elder want to smack him. How could he be so relaxed while refining? She knew all too well how tedious the process could be.
Shen Xiang slowed his pace. With the Flame Dragon Alchemy Furnace, as long as he was familiar with the pill he was refining, he could easily manage multiple tasks. This was not only due to the furnace; it stemmed primarily from his innate sensitivity to alchemy. Without such talent, he wouldn't have learned so easily!
All the materials were with the Dan Elder, who initially provided him with ten sets to refine one at a time. However, Shen Xiang soon organized everything, laying out ten square boxes on the floor of the small chamber, each containing the materials for True Qi Pills.
"Dan Elder, what benefits would I receive if I entered the Tai Dan Wang Academy at my age? Anything like perks?" Shen Xiang inquired, feeling a thrill at the prospect of spending ten days in the company of this mysterious Dan Elder.
"If you truly make it in, there will certainly be benefits, but it all depends on me; I oversee the Tai Dan Academy," the Dan Elder replied with a smirk.
"How about this, Dan Elder? I'll give you some Hellish Spirit Mushrooms, and we can forget our grievances. What do you say?" After being inexplicably hated by her in Tai Wu Sect, Shen Xiang had longed for some peace.
"We have no grudges to begin with! I'm simply acting according to my preferences," the Dan Elder said.
Sighing, Shen Xiang said, "I'll trade you some Hellish Spirit Mushrooms for an answer. Tell me why you hate me! You said you would tell me if I beat you, but now I can't wait that long."
"Though Hellish Spirit Mushrooms are precious, I don't covet them!" The Dan Elder snorted.
"Then what do you want me to do?" Shen Xiang felt speechless, suddenly realizing that the Dan Elder seemed to be acting like a petulant child. He even wondered if he resembled someone from her past whom she despised.
"You need to admit your mistakes and submit to me! If you can satisfy me, I might consider taking you as my disciple!" The Dan Elder's voice carried a hint of pride; she felt she would soon witness the defiance of this stubborn youth bend under her influence.
"Dream on! I'd rather die!" Shen Xiang retorted, dismissing the Dan Elder. He found her behavior perplexing, as she seemed to be sulking like a young girl.
Over an hour passed, and Shen Xiang opened the alchemy furnace, extracting six purple pills and placing them into a jade box. He then put more materials into the Flame Dragon Alchemy Furnace to continue refining True Qi Pills.
This casual action appeared as effortless as someone steaming buns by the roadside. However, the Dan Elder was astonished; Shen Xiang had indeed produced True Qi Pills, and he had achieved one batch every hour and a half, each containing six pills. Only with utmost caution could he extract all the medicinal properties to yield six pills, which took time and was mentally taxing!
Yet Shen Xiang managed to do it with such ease! The Dan Elder remained silent, watching Shen Xiang's nonchalant demeanor, feeling a sense of discomfort. With Shen Xiang refining this batch of True Qi Pills, she realized the likely winner of the competition would be him.
Ignoring the Dan Elder, even when she asked him questions, Shen Xiang responded casually, as if annoyed, which only made her grit her teeth in frustration.
Producing one batch every hour and a half without resting, Shen Xiang continued refining True Qi Pills throughout the day. By the end, he had refined a total of eleven batches, a speed that left the Dan Elder speechless, especially since he had not failed even once!
In Shen Xiang's eyes, refining True Qi Pills felt like making dumplings. However, among the low-tier spiritual-grade pills, he only knew how to refine True Qi Pills. He lacked the materials to make others and didn't have enough crystals to afford them.
Ten days passed quickly. Shen Xiang had refined a total of one hundred batches, resting occasionally, resulting in six hundred True Qi Pills! This refining speed was undoubtedly the best in the entire Tai Wu State. If he chose to help some families refine True Qi Pills, he would quickly amass crystals!
As the competition concluded, Cloud Little Knife and Zhu Rong rushed over. Seeing Shen Xiang's relaxed expression puzzled them; they thought he wouldn't win.
"Yao Xiong, you've truly left us all in awe. In just ten days, you refined four hundred True Qi Pills! That's fifty more than last year, and this year's first place is undoubtedly yours," an elderly man looked at Yao Haisheng with admiration.
Yao Haisheng beamed with pride but smiled humbly, "Heh, it's all luck. Besides, I made a bet with a cocky little brat; I had to give it my all!"
"Yao Haisheng, remember when you said that if you lost to me, you'd be my disciple? Is that still valid?" Shen Xiang approached with a smile.
"Of course, it counts! Don't tell me you actually think you can beat me!" Yao Haisheng laughed heartily. "If that's the case, that's the best joke I've heard! But I must admit, your ability to refine for ten consecutive days is surprising."
At that moment, others began to share their results, with the highest being just over two hundred True Qi Pills, while the lowest had around thirty. There were not many participants, only about thirty, all among the better alchemists of the Tai Dan Academy.
Yao Haisheng and the other alchemists mocked Shen Xiang, but the next words from the Dan Elder froze their smiles.
"Yao Haisheng, you lost! This kid refined six hundred True Qi Pills!" the Dan Elder stated, her voice laced with bitterness, as this outcome was something she had not wanted to see.