Supreme-Grade Qi Gathering Pill!
"You hooligan... tell me honestly, why did you bring this young Miss here?"
After arriving at Zhang Lingxiao's residence, Ouyang Shishi looked at him with a face full of resentment and vigilance.
She was genuinely worried that this shameless fellow harbored improper intentions toward her.
After all, judging from his behavior along the way, he seemed perfectly capable of doing something indecent.
More importantly...
She couldn't even beat him.
"Teach me alchemy," Zhang Lingxiao replied calmly.
The Dao of Alchemy was profound and difficult.
Having an experienced alchemist guide him would allow him to avoid many unnecessary detours.
Although he could simply wait for the Alchemy Peak Master to emerge from seclusion before formally becoming his disciple, that wasn't Zhang Lingxiao's style.
Learning the fundamentals beforehand would only make his future cultivation smoother.
It would also leave a favorable impression on his future master.
"...What?"
Ouyang Shishi stared at him in disbelief.
"You're a Core Disciple of Alchemy Peak..."
"And you don't even know how to refine pills?"
"So what?"
Zhang Lingxiao casually pushed open the wooden door and walked inside.
"So what?"
Ouyang Shishi almost exploded.
"You're a complete beginner! You don't even know whether you have any talent for alchemy, yet you went and bought such expensive equipment!"
"What a waste!"
Zhang Lingxiao shrugged.
"I have the Spirit Stones."
"Can you stop me?"
Ouyang Shishi rolled her eyes.
That...
She really couldn't.
After Ouyang Shishi and the little Black Fire Bird entered the room, Zhang Lingxiao closed the door before taking out the Profound Water Cauldron.
Next, according to the jade slip Senior Brother Han Tianlai had given him, he laid out the Spirit Herbs needed to refine his first medicinal pill.
There were nine ranks of alchemists.
Each rank corresponded to a major cultivation realm.
A First-Rank Alchemist could refine pills suitable for Qi Martial Realm cultivators.
A Second-Rank Alchemist refined pills for Spiritual Martial Realm cultivators.
And so on.
Throughout the Nine Provinces, the strongest alchemist was a mysterious figure capable of refining Emperor-Rank medicinal pills.
No one knew his true identity.
The world simply honored him as the Nameless Pill Emperor.
The jade slip recorded only one beginner's pill.
The Qi Gathering Pill.
It was used to help Qi Martial Realm cultivators absorb the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth more efficiently, accelerating their cultivation.
However, it had almost no effect on cultivators who had already entered the Spiritual Martial Realm.
Successfully refining a Qi Gathering Pill marked one's qualification as a genuine First-Rank Alchemist.
Although it was considered an entry-level pill, it remained surprisingly valuable.
Experienced alchemists looked down on refining such a basic pill because it earned too little profit.
Meanwhile, beginner alchemists often failed repeatedly, making the pill difficult to produce in large quantities.
As a result, the market price remained fairly high.
Following the instructions recorded in the jade slip while receiving occasional guidance from Ouyang Shishi, Zhang Lingxiao officially began his first attempt at alchemy.
Using a Spirit Beast's flame for pill refinement wasn't as simple as letting it breathe fire.
The alchemist had to communicate with the beast through Divine Sense while precisely controlling the intensity of the flames.
Under Zhang Lingxiao's command, the Black Fire Bird released gentle black flames to preheat the Profound Water Cauldron.
Afterward, Zhang Lingxiao placed the primary Spirit Herbs into the cauldron one after another.
Using his Divine Sense, he carefully manipulated every ingredient, gradually refining away their impurities.
Soon, the supporting herbs were added.
The flames steadily intensified.
Within the cauldron, the medicinal essences continuously separated, merged, compressed, and fused together.
Beside him, Ouyang Shishi quietly watched.
Without realizing it, she became absent-minded.
"This hooligan..."
"He actually looks rather handsome when he's serious."
"It's just a pity he's always bullying me..."
The moment the thought appeared, she hurriedly shook her head.
"What nonsense am I thinking?"
Just then—
Bang!
A muffled explosion erupted from inside the cauldron.
Ouyang Shishi jumped in surprise.
"It failed?"
"...No."
"Wait."
"What is this hooligan doing?"
Her eyes suddenly widened.
"He actually wants to refine a Supreme-Grade Qi Gathering Pill?"
"I'm only capable of refining High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills..."
"Is he dreaming?"
Medicinal pills were generally divided into four qualities:
Low Grade.
Medium Grade.
High Grade.
And Supreme Grade.
Although Ouyang Shishi was only around twenty years old, she had already become a First-Rank High-Grade Alchemist.
Within Qingyun Sect, she was considered an exceptional alchemical genius.
Unlike martial cultivation, achieving such accomplishments in alchemy at her age was extraordinarily rare.
Yet...
This complete beginner was attempting to refine a Supreme-Grade pill on his very first try.
It sounded utterly impossible.
Crossing her arms, Ouyang Shishi leaned against the wall and waited for Zhang Lingxiao to embarrass himself.
Time slowly passed.
Night gradually fell outside the window.
The refinement process had reached its most critical stage.
Whether the pill would succeed or fail depended entirely on these final moments.
"...Could he actually succeed?"
Without realizing it, Ouyang Shishi's expression had changed.
The ridicule and disbelief on her face had gradually become anticipation.
Clang...
A series of crisp sounds echoed from within the cauldron.
Zhang Lingxiao slowly exhaled before opening his eyes.
"It's finished."
Ouyang Shishi immediately rushed over.
"You really succeeded?"
Zhang Lingxiao nodded.
Inside the Profound Water Cauldron lay nine perfectly round medicinal pills.
Each emitted a rich medicinal fragrance while faint pill patterns shimmered across their surfaces.
"N-Nine pills..."
"My goodness..."
"What terrifying pill formation!"
Ouyang Shishi stood frozen.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.
"You hooligan..."
"Are you really refining pills for the first time?"
"You didn't lie to me?"
Zhang Lingxiao smiled faintly.
"What benefit would I gain from lying to you?"
He calmly collected all nine Supreme-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, placed them into a jade bottle, and stored them inside his Life Ring.
Unlike an ordinary Storage Ring, the Life Ring was a miniature world capable of storing living beings.
Fortunately, its appearance was almost identical to that of a normal Storage Ring, so no one would easily discover its true nature.
Ouyang Shishi continued staring at him in silence.
She had spent two full years studying alchemy before becoming a First-Rank High-Grade Alchemist.
She had always believed herself to be one of Qingyun Sect's greatest alchemical prodigies.
Yet...
This shameless fellow had become a First-Rank Alchemist capable of refining Supreme-Grade pills on his very first attempt.
His talent in the Dao of Alchemy was simply monstrous.
It was as though he had been born solely for alchemy.
After remaining silent for a long while, she finally asked,
"By the way..."
"How old are you this year?"
Looking at her curious expression, Zhang Lingxiao smiled.
"Eighteen."
Ouyang Shishi froze completely.
"What?!"
"You're younger than me?"