"Hehe, Elder Dan, you're quite generous! I thought you were deliberately making things difficult for me," Shen Xiang sighed in relief, then took out six jade boxes, each containing one hundred True Qi Pills.
The courtyard fell silent as everyone struggled to believe that Shen Xiang had managed to refine six hundred True Qi Pills in just ten days.
Now, everyone looked at Elder Dan with suspicion, doubting whether she had helped Shen Xiang cheat. However, they quickly dismissed the thought, knowing how much she disliked him.
Elder Dan then took out seven more jade boxes, which contained the True Qi Pills she had previously stored for Shen Xiang. She opened them and had them verified one by one.
"Although I didn't want to see this result, Shen Xiang indeed refined six hundred True Qi Pills in ten days, using a total of one hundred materials!" Elder Dan's statement sent a shiver through everyone.
One hundred materials! This meant Shen Xiang could refine six pills per batch!
"Freak!" Zhu Rong spat out those two words, and Yun Xiaodao's mouth twitched slightly; he couldn't believe his good friend was so incredible.
Yao Haisheng's teeth were chattering, and his eyes were wide as he stared at the True Qi Pills laid out on the ground. Any alchemist could tell that these pills had been refined in a short amount of time, and one of the boxes was still radiating heat, indicating they had been made within the last two days!
Both Yao Haisheng and the other alchemists could ascertain that the six boxes Shen Xiang produced were indeed refined in a short period and were of high quality, all top-tier!
Elder Dan said coldly, "Now do you believe it? You have to admit that this guy's alchemy skills are impressive; even I can't achieve this level. Every single one of these six hundred True Qi Pills is of superior quality, and he managed to refine them in such a short time, with six pills per batch!"
Yao Haisheng trembled, his eyes red. At this moment, he felt like giving up entirely, but he couldn't help but admire Shen Xiang since even Elder Dan had to concede defeat. What else could he do?
Suddenly, Yao Haisheng knelt down and bowed deeply to Shen Xiang, his voice trembling as he said, "Master, please accept my bow!"
When Yao Haisheng did this, many alchemists almost lost their balance, wishing to slap themselves to see if they were dreaming!
A True Martial Realm alchemist was kneeling before a mere Ninth Level Mortal Martial Realm boy as his master—this was a colossal joke, the biggest joke in the history of Taiwu Sect, the most absurd thing imaginable.
Shen Xiang was momentarily taken aback; he didn't expect Yao Haisheng to kneel and pledge himself so readily. But with Elder Dan and the other alchemists present, Yao Haisheng had to uphold his reputation. Otherwise, he would be labeled as unreliable, which would be worse than death for him!
Yun Xiaodao pinched Zhu Rong's plump hand hard, causing Zhu Rong to let out a yelp of pain.
"Haha... It's not a dream; Brother Shen has won!" Yun Xiaodao laughed loudly, and Zhu Rong took a deep breath, accepting this outrageous fact.
"Hehe, please rise, my disciple!" Shen Xiang chuckled, stepping forward to help Yao Haisheng up.
At that moment, Yao Haisheng felt an indescribable mix of emotions. He never expected he would be bowing to the person he hated the most. This could make it impossible for him to lift his head again.
"This is a little gift from me to you!" Shen Xiang surprisingly handed Yao Haisheng one hundred True Qi Pills and a Qing Xuan Fruit!
Everyone was stunned by this gesture, their gazes fixated on the Qing Xuan Fruit! Most of the people here were alchemists; who wouldn't recognize such a rare spirit fruit?
A little gift? A Qing Xuan Fruit was a little gift? This was like a blow to their faces!
Yao Haisheng trembled as he accepted Shen Xiang's "gift." He had initially felt miserable, but now he felt a bit better. At least bowing to Shen Xiang as his master didn't feel so terrible; he wasn't stupid and realized Shen Xiang was trying to mend their relationship!
"Thank you... Master!" Yao Haisheng said, a bit awkwardly.
"Shen Xiang, this is the reward for first place! Come to Tai Dan Academy tomorrow at dawn. If you're late, prepare to face the consequences!" Elder Dan tossed a small jade box to Shen Xiang, then went to collect the True Qi Pills refined by the other alchemists.
"Elder Dan, can I not enter Tai Dan Academy?" Shen Xiang worried about being oppressed by this inexplicable Elder Dan inside; he feared it would make his life very difficult.
"No way! This is the agreement between us. If you want to break it, hurry and leave Taiwu Sect!" Elder Dan snorted.
Shen Xiang sighed in frustration, realizing that the bet he made with Elder Dan hadn't brought him any real benefits.
"Haisheng, even though I'm your master now, the best I can refine is still only the True Qi Pill. In the future, I might have to seek your advice. You don't have to call me master; just call me by my name. When the day comes that you fully respect me and believe I truly deserve to be your master, then you can call me that," Shen Xiang said. Yao Haisheng calling him master all the time felt a bit awkward, and it didn't sit right with him.
Yao Haisheng appreciated this. He knew he could no longer be at odds with Shen Xiang; otherwise, he would be in big trouble.
Even before Shen Xiang entered the inner sect, his reputation had spread throughout Taiwu Sect. Now, not only had he won first place in the alchemy competition, but he also took in a True Martial Realm alchemist as his disciple and was about to enter Tai Dan Academy, which made Shen Xiang even more famous!
As Shen Xiang and Yun Xiaodao returned to the martial arts courtyard, Yun Xiaodao laughed and said, "Brother Shen, didn't I mention last time that I have a few beautiful sisters?"
Shen Xiang nodded. "Yes, and you said they wouldn't look at someone like me, a waste."
"Not at all! That was just a joke. How about this? I'll arrange for them to meet you. You're single now, so why not settle down?" Yun Xiaodao teased, thinking having a promising brother-in-law would be a great thing.
"Tch! My fiancée is Xue Xianxian! If your sisters want to marry me, they'll have to get her approval first!" Shen Xiang smirked, eager to enter the True Martial Realm to find Xue Xianxian.
"Brother-in-law, don't say that! My sisters may not have Xue Xianxian's talent, but they are indeed pretty!" Yun Xiaodao insisted, calling him brother-in-law.
Zhu Rong couldn't take it anymore and kicked Yun Xiaodao aside, "Get lost! Your sisters are all proud women; Brother Shen definitely won't like them."
"Hey, I have a sister too, and she's not bad! She's prettier than your high-and-mighty sisters!" Zhu Rong's chubby face was beaming with a smile. "My good brother-in-law, when are you coming to the Zhu family for a visit?"
"You pig! I want to duel with you!" Yun Xiaodao shouted angrily.
Seeing Yun Xiaodao and Zhu Rong in this comical argument, Shen Xiang secretly thought that their sisters and brothers wouldn't be any better, especially Zhu Rong; perhaps his sister was just as chubby as he was!