The duel had ended, but the echoes lingered.
For the first time in its sorry history, the Azure Flame Sect had witnessed Lin Jinhai do the impossible. Three perfect Healing Pills lay glowing in his palm until Shen Rong crushed them in rage, but even shattered, their aura lingered. The disciples left the alchemy grounds in stunned whispers. Some shook their heads, saying it was luck. Others sneered, claiming Shen Rong must have let him win. Yet beneath the noise, one truth burned into their minds: the furnace idiot was no longer a joke.
That night, Jinhai sat alone in his hut. The broken cauldron before him still radiated faint warmth. He had proven his point, but the battle was far from over.
The Furnace System chimed, its mechanical voice calm in his mind.
[Ding! Refinement Duel Completed.]
[Reward: +300 Furnace Points]
[New Formula Unlocked: Detox Powder]
Lines of text burned in his vision, sharper than any scripture. Detox Powder. A formula meant to cleanse the body of poisons. He almost laughed. In a sect full of snakes, it was the perfect weapon.
But already, he could feel the weight of the disciples' scorn pressing against him. His victory had not silenced them—it had painted a target on his back.
The next morning, he stepped out of his hut to find a crowd gathered at the edge of the path. Their laughter was sharp, their eyes venomous.
"There he is, our genius alchemist."
"Hahaha, the furnace idiot must have prayed to the heavens for pity."
"Don't get too proud, Lin Jinhai. Trash dressed as gold is still trash."
Shen Rong was among them, his smile thin, his eyes bloodshot from fury. He said nothing, but the silent promise in his glare was louder than any words.
Jinhai ignored them, walking past with his head high. He did not waste breath on jackals.
At the training ground, disciples clustered around their cauldrons, refining under the morning sun. The smell of burning herbs filled the air. When Jinhai approached to claim his share of ingredients, the attendant hesitated, glaring down at him.
"These are precious herbs," the man said. "Don't waste them."
Jinhai met his gaze without flinching. "If I waste them, you'll know soon enough."
He took the pouch and left. Behind him, whispers erupted again, mocking him, daring him to fail.
Back in his hut, he emptied the pouch. The Spirit Grass was dry, its edges crumbling to dust. The Mistleaf had yellow veins instead of green. Substandard. Sabotaged again.
The Furnace System pulsed in response.
[Warning: Low-quality ingredients detected.]
[Calculating adjusted success rate…]
[Grade-1 Healing Pill: 23%]
Jinhai exhaled slowly. Twenty-three percent. Shen Rong and his cronies thought they had already sealed his fate. But they didn't understand. Failure was a language he had already mastered in his old life.
He sat cross-legged before the cauldron, eyes closed, and dove into the simulation module.
One attempt. The herbs burned too fast. Failure.
Another. The Mistleaf dissolved unevenly. Failure.
Dozens more. Flames too high. Herbs collapsed. Cauldron cracked. Failure after failure, yet each one refined his understanding.
He adjusted ratios, flame timing, cut herbs differently, let the simulations tear themselves apart until every weakness was exposed.
Hours passed. Sweat ran down his face though he hadn't moved an inch. His body was young, but his soul carried decades of stubbornness. By the hundredth attempt, light swirled steady in the simulated cauldron.
[Simulation Success.]
[Estimated Success Rate: 61%]
A grin tugged at his lips. "Sabotage me all you want. You're only sharpening my blade."
The door creaked open softly. Mei Yulan stepped inside, carrying another bundle of herbs, her robe patched more than cloth. She hesitated before speaking. "You didn't eat again."
Jinhai blinked, pulling himself from the simulation haze. "I'll eat later."
She frowned, setting the bundle down. "You say that every time."
Her tone was quiet, but it carried a firmness that surprised him. In the sect, no one spoke to him like that. No one cared if he starved. Yet this girl, with nothing of her own, scolded him as if his well-being mattered.
He sighed and took a small piece of dried bread from her hands. It was stale, rough on the tongue, but warm. "You'll waste away feeding me like this," he muttered.
Her eyes softened. "Better you eat than me. At least… you're fighting back."
Fighting back. He let the words settle in his chest. In his old world, he had fought alone against the weight of corruption, betrayal, and greed—and lost. But here, in this new world, someone actually noticed.
The moment stretched before he broke it with a small chuckle. "Then watch closely, Mei Yulan. I'll make sure your faith isn't wasted."
She smiled faintly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I already know it won't be."
That night, when she left, Jinhai stoked the flames once more. The cauldron roared. Low-quality herbs hissed, threatening to collapse into ash, but his hands were steady. He remembered every failure, every simulation. His flame danced precisely, coaxing life where others only saw ruin.
The cauldron rattled, then settled. A faint green glow rose. When he lifted the lid, two small Healing Pills rested inside—not perfect, but complete.
The system chimed.
[Refinement Success!]
[+50 Furnace Points]
[Hidden Progress: Sabotage Resistance +5%]
Jinhai let out a long breath, sweat dripping down his chin. Two pills out of three wasn't perfect, but with herbs this rotten, even one was a miracle.
The next morning, he carried them openly to the training ground. Gasps erupted as disciples saw the pills glowing faintly in the sunlight.
"Impossible! Those herbs were useless!"
"He cheated, he must have cheated!"
"No… look at them. They're real."
Shen Rong's face twisted again, veins bulging in his temple. He stepped forward, his voice dripping venom. "So you can make pills with scraps. Congratulations. You're still trash."
Jinhai slipped the pills into a small pouch, meeting his gaze calmly. "Trash that bested you twice now. How does it feel?"
The disciples froze. The words hung in the air like a blade. Some laughed nervously. Others looked away.
Shen Rong's hand clenched, his knuckles white. For the first time, he had no retort.
Jinhai turned his back on him, walking away with measured steps. The whispers followed, but this time, they weren't just laughter. There was awe laced with fear.
That night, as the wind howled outside his hut, the Furnace System pulsed again.
[Hidden Quest Progression: Defy the Dao]
[Milestone: Survive Sabotage Twice]
[Reward: Rare Formula – Cooling Balm]
The formula etched itself into his mind, knowledge slotting into place as if it had always been there. Cooling Balm—a salve to ease burns and fever. Another weapon for survival.
Lin Jinhai closed his eyes, the faintest smile curling his lips.
They could mock him. They could sabotage him. They could try to cast him out. But with every attempt, they only hammered him harder, forging him into something sharper, deadlier.
And when the time came, he would not just prove them wrong. He would make them kneel.