Chapter 157: Chapter 136: Thank You for Your Guidance, Master Xiao; My Gratitude is Endless.
Jiang Shize yelled, "The Pill Formula for the Blood Piercing Pill was reverse-engineered from a Demon Pill! Itâs an incomplete recipe. Thereâs no way anyone can achieve a 100% Pill Formation Success Rate!"
"I get it now. Youâre trying to cheat to stall for time?"
He pointed at Chen Tianyuan. "Even you canât manage a 100% Pill Formation Success Rate, yet you trot out a disciple to fool everyone? Who do you think youâre kidding?"
"And of all the times for Xiao Chen to show up, he just happens to arrive and snatch the order right when Iâm about to close the deal."
"If you donât make this crystal clear today, Iâm going to ask Master Ming Yan to intervene!"
At his words, the other Honored Guest Elders also turned to look at Xiao Chen with suspicion.
âThey were right. If even their master, Elder Chen, couldnât manage it, how could his disciple, Xiao Chen, possibly succeed?â
âAnd Xiao Chen had only arrived four hours before Jiang Shize to snatch away the order.â
âThe timing was indeed suspicious.â
One of the Honored Guest Elders asked, "Junior Brother Xiao, are these the Blood Piercing Pills you personally refined?"
Xiao Chen nodded. "Of course. Whatâs there to doubt? Donât you believe me?"
The man waved his hand. "No, no, no, Junior Brother Xiao. You must have gathered by now that for the past six months, all of us here have been extremely curious about one thing."
"And that is how to refine the Blood Piercing Pill to achieve a 100% Pill Formation Success Rate."
"So, if youâll permit this old manâs impudence, Iâd like to ask you, Junior Brother, to help us resolve this burning question so that we can all sleep soundly at night."
The other Honored Guest Elders chimed in as well.
They pleaded with Xiao Chen to clear up their confusion, considering how much it had been weighing on their minds.
This actually made Xiao Chen want to scratch his head. "Uh... I donât really have any special insights to share. I just... go by feel, you know?"
Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, nonplussed.
âWhat kind of answer was that?â
Jiang Shize roared with laughter. "Hah! âGo by feel?â More like youâre faking the whole thing!"
To everyoneâs surprise, Xiao Chen simply turned and walked back into the Alchemy Room. "I honestly donât get it. What is there to even say about something so simple?"
"Anyone who doesnât believe me or wants to see the process can come in and watch."
As far as he was concerned, Jiang Shizeâs antics didnât matter.
But he still ought to consider the feelings of the other Honored Guest Elders.
At this, the several Honored Guest Elders from the Alchemy Hall, as well as two elderly Tier Two Alchemists who were at the Qi Refining Stage, all filed into the Alchemy Room to observe.
The other disciples, curious, also gathered outside, unwilling to leave.
As the saying goes, an expertâs touch is unmistakable.
From the initial Liquid Transformation, to adding herbs with perfect timing, to spinning and combining the mixture, Xiao Chenâs entire process was a single, fluid motion.
His movements were elegant, his technique masterful, and his timing exquisiteâhe moved like a grandmaster who had been immersed in this art for a hundred years.
And everyone watching was an expert in the field.
This only made them more keenly aware of the painstaking training that such effortlessness implied.
Elder Chen, in particular, could vividly picture it: Xiao Chen practicing Alchemy over and over at Bishui Peak and Cuiwei Valley.
He suddenly felt a pang of shame. âI only ever saw Xiao Chen as an Alchemy prodigy, thinking he just had a âhigh aptitudeâ for it, and completely overlooked his hard work.â
âHe recalled what he had once told Xiao Chenâ"Practice more. Practice until itâs perfect."â
âAfter that day, the boy must have poured an unimaginable amount of effort and sweat into his craft.â
Even before the final step of Pill Formation, the crowd was utterly convinced.
In the end, as expected, he produced a batch of five finished Blood Piercing Pills, achieving a perfect 100% Pill Formation Success Rate.
"This is how I did it before. Does anyone else have any questions?"
Xiao Chen scanned the room, but no one made a sound.
Even Jiang Shize, standing at the door, was completely speechless.
"If no one has any more questions, then the order for these Blood Piercing Pills is mine, yes?"
One of the Honored Guest Elders suddenly cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you for your guidance, Master Xiao. I am deeply grateful."
After watching Xiao Chenâs textbook-perfect demonstration, heâd had a flash of insight and could faintly see the path forward for himself.
The other Honored Guest Elders also cupped their hands and bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Master Xiao!"
Even Chen Tianyuan cupped his hands in salute. He said nothing, but the excited look on his face made it clear that he too had gained some insight.
Afterward, they all rushed to the adjacent Alchemy Rooms to put their newfound insights to the test.