48: Second-rank alchemist

The clamor of Wutan City was shut out by the thick stone door once Mo Yuhan stepped into his exclusive Alchemist's chamber at the Mittel Auction House.

The air was filled with a perennial scent of herbs, mixed with the aroma of metal and fire.

A massive, dark, heavy medicinal cauldron stood in the center of the room, ancient runes on its body faintly visible in the dim light, like a sleeping giant beast.

Mo Yuhan stood before the cauldron, his figure still slender, but the tranquility in his dark eyes was deeper than the night in Wutan City.

He extended his right hand, palm facing upwards.

“Puff!”

With a soft sound, it wasn't a raging flame that surged, but a cluster of pale yellow flame that quietly leaped out.

This flame had a peculiar color, dark and heavy, like solidified Xuan Huang Flame ignited, yet its edges flowed with a metallic, cold, hard luster.

At the center of the flame, the temperature was so high it distorted the air, yet, strangely, not a single trace of heat spilled out; all its ferocity was perfectly contained within its small confines.

Great Master Gu Ni stood to the side, this Second-Rank Alchemist, highly respected in Wutan City, his face now devoid of the initial shock he felt when his disciple told him this was an unusual flame, leaving only an almost numb admiration and a hint of imperceptible melancholy.

He watched the pale yellow flame obediently leaping in Mo Yuhan's palm; every subtle fluctuation drew the sparse fire-attribute energy in the air, emitting a low hum.

Mo Yuhan's alchemy was nearing its end.

Gu Ni's gaze now carried a final test.

The cluster of pale yellow Xuan Huang Flame in his palm seemed to come alive, suddenly surging and transforming into a condensed stream of fire, instantly pouring into the bottom of the medicinal cauldron.

“Chh—!”

The moment the medicinal ingredients touched the high temperature inside the cauldron, a strange, soft sound, as if metal was being melted, was emitted.

In Gu Ni's gaze, the medicinal liquid was extracted with extreme dominance and unparalleled precision, while impurities turned to nothingness under the flame's licking, the entire process was as fast as lightning, yet flowed like clouds and water, his control over the heat had reached perfection.

Mo Yuhan's eyes were focused like solidified stars.

His Soul Power was highly concentrated, transforming into countless invisible tentacles, reaching deep into the cauldron, precisely sensing every subtle change in medicinal properties, every fusion point, and every minute difference in heat.

His fingers seemingly casually tapped on the surface of the medicinal cauldron; each tap was accompanied by a subtle transformation in the flame's shape inside the cauldron—sometimes like an enraged lion roaring, flames churning, forcefully refining the most stubborn essence.

Sometimes like a spiritual snake Binding, strand by strand, gently combing the meridians of the medicinal liquid.

And sometimes, it was as silent as the earth, heavily nurturing the nascent pill that was about to form.

Time flowed by amidst the pervasive scent of medicine.

Gu Ni held his breath, his eyes unblinking.

Under the miraculous control of the pale yellow flame, a jade-white liquid, radiating vibrant vitality and a soft luster, finally formed.

Pill Condensation!

This was the most critical and dangerous step; the violent energy needed to be compressed to its extreme in an instant, and even a slight mistake would result in the destruction of the pill and the collapse of the cauldron!

Mo Yuhan's gaze sharpened, and he suddenly pressed his right hand virtually onto the medicinal cauldron.

“Om—!”

The medicinal cauldron emitted a dull tremor, and the pale yellow flame inside it suddenly contracted, transforming into a rapidly spinning fiery vortex.

A terrifying suction forcefully pulled all the jade-white medicinal liquid into the center of the vortex, and astonishing high temperature and pressure instantly erupted.

Gu Ni's heart was in his throat; he could feel the extremely violent energy fluctuation inside the cauldron! This was definitely not the movement expected for a normal Second-Rank pill's condensation.

However, just at the critical point where the energy was about to lose control and explode—

“Condense!”

A low shout, as if carrying some will that made words manifest.

The spinning fiery vortex suddenly paused, and the violent energy at its center was as if firmly gripped by an invisible large hand, instantly compressed and shaped.

Hiss!

White vapor steamed.

A jade-white pill, about the size of a longan, emitting a soft, emerald green luster, quietly floated above the flame at the bottom of the cauldron.

On the surface of the pill, a clear and smooth silver pill pattern, like a naturally formed rune, was wrapped around it.

The Second-Rank pill, Care Vessel Pill, was successfully refined.

Not only was it successful, but it also had a pill pattern.

The medicinal fragrance instantly intensified tenfold, a fresh and vital aura permeated the entire Alchemist's chamber, taking a breath of it invigorated one's spirit.

Gu Ni let out a long sigh of relief; although he wasn't the one refining the pill, his back was now soaked with cold sweat.

He looked at the jade-white pill with the silver pill pattern quietly floating in the medicinal cauldron, then at Mo Yuhan, whose expression was calm, as if he had just done something insignificant, and a complex smile appeared on his face.

In this smile, there was relief, shock, and even a sense of “no regrets in this life” liberation.

“Good! Good! Excellent!”

Gu Ni said “good” three times, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement, “Pill pattern! Yu Han, you succeeded! And it's only your third time refining the Care Vessel Pill, and it formed with a pattern. This exquisite control of fire, this keenness of spirit perception, this understanding of medicinal property fusion… you have completely surpassed this old man!”

He stepped forward and carefully used a jade bottle to collect the still-warm Care Vessel Pill, as if holding a rare treasure.

He heavily patted Mo Yuhan's slender shoulder, with such force that Mo Yuhan swayed: “From today onwards, you can be considered a Second-Rank Alchemist.”

Mo Yuhan smiled and said, “It's all thanks to Teacher's nurturing. I still have much to learn and ask Teacher about.”

The matter of Mo Yuhan becoming a Second-Rank Alchemist was, for now, unknown to anyone except Gu Ni.

And at this moment.

The Jia Lie Family's mansion was filled with a suffocating atmosphere, like the dead calm before a storm.

Jia Lie Bi's body was slumped in a large rosewood chair, his face ashen, a report on the booming sales of the new pills from Mittel and Xiao Family clutched in his hand, creaking as he squeezed it. The glaring numbers on the report cut into his heart like knives: sales plummeted by seventy percent, inventory piled up like mountains, and the family's cash flow was nearly depleted.

“Useless! All of you are useless!”

He slammed the report onto the ground, his roar echoing through the hall, “That little bastard, Mittel and Xiao Family… they are trying to force my Jia Lie family to its death!”

The few stewards standing below were silent as cicadas, not daring to breathe.

Galeo lay on a soft couch nearby, his severed arm wrapped in thick bandages, his face sallow and swollen from prolonged bed rest.

His eyes burned with a venomous flame even stronger than his father's, and he hoarsely growled, “Father! Let's make our move, if we wait any longer, once that little bastard's wings are full, I'm afraid things will turn out badly!”

Jia Lie Bi's eyes gleamed with a ferocious light, like a hungry wolf choosing its prey. He took a few deep breaths, forcefully suppressing the boiling killing intent, his voice as sinister as a venomous snake's hiss:

“Don't worry, Ao'er, that little beast won't be jumping around for much longer. My Wind Scroll Technique has reached minor accomplishment, and my strength has greatly improved. In this Wutan City, we cannot threaten him. Once he leaves here, then we just need to wait for a foolproof opportunity.”

“At that time, I will make that little beast, as well as the Xiao Family, Mittel… pay a hundredfold price!”

His fingers unconsciously caressed the outline of a bulging scroll at his waist; that was the Profound-tier High-grade cultivation technique he had exchanged for at a great cost, his reliance for revenge.