"I wouldn't say robbing, exactly. I'd prefer to say I'm in need of a few alchemists," Xu Yang said.
Zhou Tian grew more perplexed and cautiously asked, "My lord, do you mean...?"
"I currently have a large stockpile of spiritual herbs that need to be refined into pills, but I lack enough alchemists. So naturally, I thought of your group," Xu Yang said directly, not bothering to mince words.
Hearing this, Zhou Tian let out a sigh of relief. As long as Xu Yang wasn't here to annihilate his sect, things weren't as bad as he feared.
"My lord, that's easy to arrange. Just tell me which alchemists you have your eye on, and I'll make it happen," Zhou Tian replied.
But Xu Yang gave a faint smile and said, "I don't think you quite understand me. I want the alchemists to dedicate the rest of their lives to refining pills for me."
Zhou Tian froze in shock, needing a moment to process the statement.
Damn it, this isn't right! Xu Yang wants the alchemists to essentially sell themselves and become pill-making machines for him!
"That... my lord... might be a bit inappropriate..." Zhou Tian stammered, cold sweat trickling down his face. While he deeply feared Xu Yang, this level of coercion was simply too much, and he wanted to voice his objections.
"Oh, I understand perfectly," Xu Yang said with a chuckle. "I'm not asking for mere pill-making machines. I'm asking for your entire Yaoshan Manor to work exclusively for me, refining pills.
"And by the way, this sect of yours looks pretty run-down. I've already found you a better place to live. How about relocating to our Tianlan Sect's grounds?"
Xu Yang smiled warmly, his eyes brimming with seemingly genuine kindness.
"Pfft..." Zhou Tian almost spat blood upon hearing this.
His face darkened entirely, and he responded coldly, "So you're saying you want to destroy Yaoshan Manor and take all our alchemists to work for you? Is that it?"
"You could put it that way," Xu Yang said with a smile.
"Dream on! We may not be able to defeat you, but we'd rather die than let you succeed!" Zhou Tian shouted, his old face turning purple with rage and grief in his eyes.
"Exactly! We might not win against you, but we have our pride. If you think you can force us through brute strength, you're mistaken. No matter what, we won't yield!"
"Yeah! Even if you kill us all, we won't bow to you!"
At that moment, a group of people emerged from Medicine Mountain Manor, shouting angrily, their faces full of defiance.
"These folks are quite stubborn," Xu Yang said with a teasing glint in his eyes.
In truth, he had anticipated this response.
Since that was the case, he decided to attack their pride directly.
"Heh, your determination is touching. So, I won't use brute force. How about we settle this with a wager?" Xu Yang proposed.
Zhou Tian was confused and suspicious, wary of whatever Xu Yang had in mind. "A wager? What kind of wager? What's at stake?" he asked cautiously.
Xu Yang pulled out his alchemy furnace, slamming it onto the ground with a heavy thud. "Since we're all alchemists here, why don't we compete in refining pills?"
Xu Yang smiled as he explained, "I have a pill recipe with 100 different pills. I'll refine all 100 pills myself. You can pick 50 people, and each of them will refine just two pills.
"Let's see who finishes faster. If I win, you'll follow my orders. How does that sound?" Xu Yang's grin widened.
Zhou Tian's mind reeled. As he listened, he felt like he might faint.
"Wait... are you saying you'll personally refine 100 pills, while we only need to refine two each? And it's a contest of speed?" Zhou Tian asked incredulously.
Xu Yang nodded. "That's exactly right. You've understood perfectly."
Zhou Tian was at a loss for words. His disbelief was almost tangible.
"He's so arrogant! Sure, we can't beat him in a fight, but when it comes to alchemy, I could crush him with my eyes closed!"
"Exactly! Don't forget, Yaoshan Manor survives on its alchemy skills!"
"And refining pills uses up a massive amount of spiritual energy. Does he even have the reserves for 100 pills? Alchemy isn't something you can brute force!"
"Yeah! If he refines 100 pills in the time it takes us to refine two each, we might as well just end ourselves!"
The alchemists of Yaoshan Manor scoffed, their faces full of disdain.
Xu Yang looked at them and smiled. "Well? Do you dare to accept?"
Zhou Tian calmed himself, thinking it over. Did he really have the option to refuse? Of course not—Xu Yang's fists were stronger than his.
And, from their perspective, this was an opportunity. Assuming Xu Yang kept his word, that is.
"What if senior loses?" Zhou Tian asked after some thought.
"If I lose?" Xu Yang said with a sly smile. "I won't lose."
Zhou Tian nearly spat blood again. Fine, he thought. Let's pretend I didn't ask that question.
"When do we begin?" Zhou Tian asked.
"I think we can start right now," Xu Yang said calmly.
An hour later, the stage was set in the central square of Yaoshan Manor.
A total of 101 alchemy furnaces were arranged. Xu Yang stood on one side, surrounded by a chaotic pile of spiritual herbs, thrown together so haphazardly it looked like pig feed.
On the other side, 100 alchemists stood in a neat formation. Their herbs were meticulously arranged, every leaf straightened.
Zhou Tian, acting as the referee, stood in the center of the square.
Looking at the chaotic mess beside Xu Yang, Zhou Tian's face twitched involuntarily.
There was no doubt in his mind—Yaoshan Manor was going to win.
Alchemy required extreme precision, down to the millisecond, for adding ingredients. Even a slight mistake could lead to failure.
Preparing the herbs neatly beforehand wasn't just a compulsive habit; it was essential for success.
But Xu Yang's "pile" of herbs looked like it had just been pulled from the ground, weeds and all.
When the time came to refine, would he even be able to find the right herbs?
At that moment, the sound of a gong echoed through the square.
"The match begins!" Zhou Tian announced loudly.
As his voice fell, the alchemists of Yaoshan Manor sprang into action, quickly and methodically refining their pills.