130: Lu Yu: Basic stuff, don't get carried away!

The square was unnervingly quiet.

The roaring flames, the sizzling of medicinal herbs, and the low murmurs of the alchemists that had filled the air moments ago had all been silenced as if someone had hit a pause button.

Hundreds of eyes—from the competitors, to the spectators, and up to the big shots on the high platform—were all glued to Lu Yu's Alchemy station as if pulled by a magnet.

No, they were glued to the object in his hand.

That blue-green fire lotus suspended in mid-air, slowly rotating.

It was truly beautiful, crystal clear like a work of art. The golden-red luster flowing across its petals actually managed to exude a sense of cool, noble elegance against Fentian City's pervasive fiery backdrop.

But anyone with a bit of cultivation and sensitivity to flames felt the hairs on the back of their neck stand up.

The purifying aura emanating from that fire was too intense.

It wasn't cold, but a kind of purity that felt like it could scrub you clean from the inside out, washing away even the deepest, oldest filth from your Divine Soul.

It was completely different from Fentian Sacred Valley's domineering scorching heat, Ghost Hand's insidious, corrosive poison, or even Pill Tower's balanced and harmonious fire Qi.

"What kind of fire is this?"

A young Disciple from Purple Cloud Divine Palace in the spectator stands muttered, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Why do I feel... the restlessness I've accumulated from practicing my thunder techniques is actually calming down just by looking at it?"

No one beside him answered; they were all dumbstruck.

On the high platform, Yan Mo, the Valley Master of Fentian Sacred Valley's Pill Valley, had already stood up. The dignified bearing of an eighth-grade Alchemy Grandmaster was barely contained as his gaze hooked onto the flame, seemingly wanting to dissect and study every single flicker.

The Pill Valley Elders beside him were whispering among themselves, their expressions a mix of shock and uncertainty.

The gaunt, white-bearded Elder from Pill Tower stroked his beard, his fingers trembling slightly, and lowered his voice to the person next to him:

"Utterly pure and flawless, an Origin of the highest order... This fire, I fear, possesses Immortal Rank resonance! Where did this young man obtain it?!"

No one could answer him.

At this moment, Lu Yu, the focus of all eyes, paid no attention to the commotion outside.

His attention was entirely on the jade boxes in front of him.

Like a breeze, his Divine Thought swept over the medicinal herbs. Instantly, the corresponding vast ocean of information from his Immortal Rank Alchemy knowledge base automatically surfaced.

A Century-Old Blood Essence Grass: the third vein fork on its leaf has minute insect damage, resulting in roughly a half-percent loss of medicinal potency. Requires gentle flame to envelop the leaf's back first to cauterize and expel residual insect properties.

Three-Colored Glazed Sand: its surface luster is formed by post-harvest medicinal soaking; internal Impurities are concentrated in the core sand grains. Requires a rotating flame for centrifugal separation... Every minute detail, even the most stubborn flaws and the most efficient purification methods, were laid out clearly.

His left hand raised slightly, maintaining the stability of the Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire lotus. His right hand's five fingers moved as if playing a zither, lightly tapping in the air.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The blue-green fire lotus's glow intensified slightly, splitting into five green fire threads finer than a strand of hair, shooting precisely towards five of the medicinal herbs.

A piece of pitch-black stone, a brightly colored mushroom, a section of withered branch, a blob of viscous gel, and a few inconspicuous grey seeds.

The moment the fire threads touched the herbs, changes abruptly occurred!

The fire thread wrapping the black stone suddenly tightened, its temperature spiking. The stone's surface emitted a faint *crackling* sound as a layer of dull grey impurity shell was forcibly stripped away and vaporized, revealing a crystal-clear, jet-black jade-like core within.

The fire thread coiling around the colorful mushroom, however, became extremely gentle, undulating softly like water ripples. The alluring yet slightly toxic sheen on the mushroom's surface was washed away strand by strand. The mushroom itself shrank slightly, its color transforming into a warm, light yellow.

The withered branch was combed from end to end by the fire thread. All the dead, insect-eaten parts turned to ash, leaving only a small section of pale green core wood harboring vitality.

The viscous gel was lifted into suspension by the fire thread's pull. Several discordant strands of color within were precisely picked out and incinerated by the flame.

The grey seeds, enveloped in the fire thread's warmth, quietly developed fine cracks in their shells, releasing a wisp of pure, vital energy.

Five types of medicinal herbs, five completely different flame temperatures, forces, and techniques! All performed simultaneously!

One mind controlling five tasks, handling heavy responsibilities with ease!

The only sounds in the entire square were the extremely faint *humming* of the flames and the occasional soft noise from the purifying herbs.

Everyone held their breath, watching the five agile fire threads, like living spirits, perform exquisitely brilliant operations under the subtle adjustments of Lu Yu's fingertips.

"This fire control..."

Yan Linger's beautiful eyes sparkled with amazement. She prided herself on having few peers among her generation in fire control techniques, having cultivated the Fentian Fire Control Art to a high level.

But the scene before her—the fineness of the flame's division, the agility of its manipulation, the precision in responding to the different properties of each herb—was simply unbelievable!

This was no longer mere skill; it was more like... an instinct?

Or perhaps the flame itself possessed an exceptionally high level of sentience?

Xiao Yan's face had completely darkened.

The deep purple flame in his palm even flickered slightly due to his emotional turmoil.

Within him, a weak yet utterly shocked wave of consciousness emanated from the black ring, his Pill Emperor teacher:

"The Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire? So it was in his hands. It seems the one who secretly snatched it back then was him. And in just these few short days... he's already refined it to the point of wielding it like his own limb? What is this kid's background?"

Ghost Hand's pale face lost its playful, irreverent expression. His gaze, now sinister and brooding, fixed on Lu Yu's flame. His own grey-black corrosive fire actually felt vaguely suppressed and purified in the presence of that blue-green flame.

The other alchemists from various regions and races watched, utterly dazzled. Many felt a sense of helplessness.

What was there left to compete with? Just this display of fire and fire control was already on a completely different level!

In less than half the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

The five green fire threads retracted nimbly, merging back into the lotus's heart.

The five purified medicinal herbs, each shimmering with their own pure luster, were casually swept by Lu Yu's hand and landed precisely into the jade bowls beside the inspection crystal stele.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The inspection crystal stele lit up five times in succession. Each flash was accompanied by a clear announcement, echoing across the now much quieter square:

"Dark Jade Iron Essence: identification completely correct. Purification purity: ninety-nine percent!"

"Yellow Jade Spirit Fungus: identification completely correct. Purification purity: ninety-eight percent!"

"Greenwood Core: identification completely correct. Purification purity: one hundred percent!"

"Earth Origin Gel: identification completely correct. Purification purity: ninety-nine percent!"

"Spirit-Nurturing Seed: identification completely correct. Purification purity: one hundred percent!"

Silence.

Then, an explosive uproar erupted!

"One hundred percent purity! Greenwood Core and Spirit-Nurturing Seed at one hundred percent? How is that possible? How can manual purification have zero loss?!"

"He correctly identified all five medicinal herbs, and even pointed out flaws and processing methods we didn't notice?!"

"He purified five types simultaneously! In less than half an incense stick's time! I haven't even finished one!"

"What in the world is that flame?! When did Heavenly Evolution Immortal Sect produce such a monstrous alchemist?!"

The spectator stands were completely boiling over.

Astonishment, doubt, jealousy, admiration... all sorts of emotions intertwined.

To all this, Lu Yu only wanted to say one thing: Just standard operating procedure, no need to go crazy!