321: Ancestor, hurry up!

While Jiang Donghua was stabilizing Mu Chen's injuries in the secret chamber, at the other end of the Xiao Family's mountain base, in front of the heavily guarded family medicine depot, which was permeated with the scent of herbs.

An old man wearing an Alchemist's robe and a badge with six golden ripples on his chest, representing a high-grade Sixth-Rank Alchemist, was frowning as he looked at the herbs Xiao Zhen and Xiao Han had taken out of the storage room.

This old man was Elder Qiu, the chief Alchemist the Xiao Family had paid a huge price to retain.

His status in the Xiao Family was respected; even Xiao Zhen, the ancestor, treated him with great courtesy.

After all, a Master Alchemist who could reliably refine high-grade Sixth-Rank pills, and occasionally, with a stroke of luck, even low-grade seventh-grade pills, was a crucial strategic resource for a family like the Xiao Family.

When Elder Qiu heard that a distinguished guest, a severely injured Dou Zong, was involved, and that even the ancestor had personally gone to the medicine depot to fetch herbs, he paid close attention.

Seeing the medicinal herbs Xiao Zhen had taken out now shocked him even more.

These herbs were all rare treasures kept at the bottom of the chest in the depot. In particular, that one herb and the small bottle of Heart Soul Marrow were treasures he had long coveted and planned to use to attempt a breakthrough to the Seventh-Rank Alchemist realm!

"Ancestor,"

Elder Qiu couldn't help but step forward, his tone respectful, yet mixed with confusion and heartache.

"These herbs are all rare treasures. May I ask which distinguished guest requires the use of such valuable items? Perhaps this old fellow can go examine the injury first; it might not require such precious medicinal materials."

Xiao Zhen's mood was complicated at the moment, containing both shock regarding Jiang Donghua's identity and anticipation for the future. Hearing Elder Qiu, he explained casually.

"Elder Qiu, you don't know the full extent. That young friend's injuries are extremely severe; his meridians are shattered. Only seventh-grade pills can treat him."

He paused, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of reverence.

"Young Friend Jiang, who is treating his injuries, is extremely extraordinary! Just now, in the Black Wind Mountain Range, this old fellow personally witnessed him unleash an invisible and colorless Soul Power attack. Its might was astonishing, gravely injuring Chen Ming, the Peak Dou Zong of the Xuanming Sect, with a single strike!"

"Based on this old fellow's judgment, that level of Soul Power can probably only be possessed by the legendary Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster!"

"What?! Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster?!"

Hearing this, Elder Qiu froze as if struck by a bolt of lightning!

The expression on his face instantly shifted from confusion to extreme shock, and then transformed into intense disbelief!

He shook his head violently, his gray beard trembling along with his excited voice.

"Ancestor! Is this true? Please don't be deceived by others!"

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone respectful, but the doubt in his words was unmistakable.

"Ancestor, please be discerning! An Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster—what an esteemed existence is that?"

"They are as rare as phoenix feathers and Qilin horns in the entire Northern Region of Central State, with a status comparable to Peak Dou Zun or even a Quasi-Saint expert!"

"Such a figure, who is rarely seen, how could he possibly come to the remote location of our Xiao Family without reason?"

The more Elder Qiu spoke, the more ridiculous he found it. He looked at Xiao Zhen and Xiao Han, his eyes even carrying a hint of worry, fearing that the ancestor and grandson had been fooled by some clever trickery from a traveling charlatan.

He had diligently studied alchemy for over a hundred years and had only just touched the threshold of the Seventh-Rank; he knew how incredibly difficult it was to reach the Eighth-Rank realm, which required astonishing talent and unimaginable serendipity!

"Ancestor, Young Sect Leader! It's not that this old fellow is overly suspicious, but this matter is simply too preposterous! Soul attacks are incredibly profound. Perhaps, perhaps it was some rare Soul Dou Technique, or maybe he utilized the effect of a rare treasure, creating a false impression?"

"An Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster? That is absolutely impossible!"

Elder Qiu's tone was decisive; he was one hundred percent convinced it was false.

Time passed in silent anticipation. Xiao Zhen, Xiao Han, and Elder Qiu, whose heart was filled with disbelief and vigilance, waited quietly outside the heavy stone door of the healing chamber for more than two hours.

Finally, amidst a low grinding sound, the heavy stone door slowly opened inward.

The first thing that greeted their eyes was Jiang Donghua's face—slightly tired, yet still excessively young, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

The moment Elder Qiu saw Jiang Donghua, the fantasy of him being an Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster shattered with a "crack"! He was too young!

This was clearly a young man around twenty years old! Even if he had started practicing alchemy from the womb, it would be absolutely impossible to reach the Eighth-Rank realm!

The feeling of being deceived intensified in his heart.

He didn't even bother to scrutinize Jiang Donghua, his gaze skipping past him and anxiously falling upon the interior of the secret chamber.

He saw Mu Chen, who had previously been barely breathing and looked like a dead man, now sitting cross-legged on the central jade platform.

Although his face was still paper-white and his aura was weak, he was at least no longer in a state where he could die at any moment. His chest had a slight rise and fall, and he finally looked somewhat human.

Elder Qiu was a high-grade Sixth-Rank Alchemist after all, with sharp eyesight. He carefully sensed Mu Chen's internal condition, frowned deeply, and said in a deep voice.

"Shattered meridians, damaged internal organs, and injured essence—this is indeed a severe injury that cannot be fundamentally cured without seventh-grade pills! It is already a great fortune to have temporarily stabilized the injuries and kept him alive."

His words were both a judgment of Mu Chen's injuries and a subtle recognition of Jiang Donghua's methods. At least, this person definitely had some skill and wasn't a complete charlatan.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhen and Xiao Han, seeing that Mu Chen's condition was much better than expected, were both surprised and delighted!

They had personally witnessed Mu Chen's dying state earlier!

To be able to pull a person back from the gates of hell and stabilize such terrifying injuries in such a short time—such methods were far beyond the reach of an ordinary Alchemist!

This further confirmed Xiao Zhen's conjecture that Jiang Donghua was an Eighth-Grade Alchemist Grandmaster.

Jiang Donghua saw the three people outside the door, especially the unfamiliar old Alchemist, and was slightly taken aback before asking.

"Senior Xiao, Xiao Han, why are you here? And who is this?"

Xiao Han hurriedly stepped forward, handing over the several jade boxes he was holding, his tone carrying concern and a hint of excited anticipation for praise.

"Brother Jiang, you've worked hard! These are some herbs we just retrieved from the family medicine depot. Take a look and see if they are useful for Brother Mu Chen's injuries."

Hearing this, a flash of gratitude crossed Jiang Donghua's eyes.

He had been worrying about the medicinal materials, and the Xiao Family's action was undoubtedly timely aid.

He took the jade boxes, opened them one by one for inspection, and simultaneously, subconsciously whispered some of the key herbs required for the yuan-shaping creation pill.

Every time he spoke a name, the expressions of Xiao Zhen and Xiao Han grew a little more solemn, because these herbs were all rare treasures, and the Xiao Family's medicine depot might not even have a complete set.

Elder Qiu, who had been observing coldly from the side, finally couldn't hold back when he heard the string of herbs whose names alone were enough to make an ordinary Alchemist tremble!

He could no longer suppress the doubt and the feeling of being slighted burning in his heart. He stepped forward, his sharp gaze fixed directly on Jiang Donghua, his tone carrying unconcealed sarcasm and interrogation, and his voice rising significantly.

"Boy! How old are you? You casually mention Azure Spirit Vine and Seventh-Tier Magic Core! Do you know how precious these herbs are?"

"And do you know that the pill refined from these materials would likely be at least Seventh-Grade Intermediate, or perhaps even high-grade?"

He looked Jiang Donghua up and down, curled his lip, and spoke with deep suspicion.

"This old fellow has immersed himself in alchemy for centuries, and can only occasionally refine low-grade seventh-grade pills! Do you have that capability?"

"Are you perhaps just spouting nonsense here, wasting our Xiao Family's precious reserves?!"

This blunt interrogation immediately made the atmosphere outside the stone door tense.

Facing Elder Qiu's rapid-fire questioning, filled with intense doubt and sarcasm...

Jiang Donghua showed no sign of anger on his face. He merely glanced at him calmly, then spoke faintly, uttering a sentence that left everyone present baffled.

"Elder Qiu, is that right? Let's... shake hands."

Shake hands?

Xiao Zhen and Xiao Han were both stunned, not understanding what Jiang Donghua meant.

Elder Qiu frowned even harder, thinking the young man was being deliberately mysterious. But confident in his status and strength, he wasn't afraid of any tricks the other party might pull. He snorted coldly, extended his hand—which was slightly thin and dry from years of controlling fire—with a hint of disdain.

"Hmph, shake hands? This old fellow wants to see what tricks you can pull!"

The two hands clasped together.

The moment the two hands touched, the disdain on Elder Qiu's face instantly froze, replaced by extreme shock and terror!

He felt a vast, ocean-like, abyssal Soul Power erupt from Jiang Donghua's palm. It was like an ancient sleeping dragon that had only slightly opened its eyelids, leaking a negligible wisp of aura!

However, just this single wisp of aura made Elder Qiu feel like a small boat in a raging storm, or an ant facing a primeval behemoth!

His Soul Power, which he had cultivated diligently for centuries and considered strong, couldn't even muster a thought of resistance in the face of this aura. It retreated trembling to the deepest part of his soul, like a low-tier magical beast encountering its natural predator, daring not to make the slightest move!

Cold sweat instantly drenched Elder Qiu's back, and large beads of perspiration rolled down his forehead!

His body began to tremble uncontrollably, and his face turned deathly pale.

This feeling of instinctive soul-deep dread and submission was something he had never experienced in his entire life!

He knew very well that even the Soul Realm of Mortal Realm Great Perfection could never bring him such terrifying pressure!

The only explanation was Spirit Realm Soul!

This young man in front of him actually possessed the legendary Spirit Realm Soul!

This was the realm countless Alchemists dreamed of, the stepping stone to higher-grade alchemy!

This meant that, on the level of Soul Power, the opponent had completely crushed him, a mere Sixth-Rank Alchemist!

Only when Jiang Donghua lightly released his hand and the suffocating soul pressure receded like a tide did Elder Qiu gasp heavily for air, like a drowning man being rescued. His gaze toward Jiang Donghua was now filled with unparalleled awe and disbelief!

He abruptly turned to Xiao Zhen, the Xiao Family ancestor, who was also somewhat astonished. His voice trembled slightly from excitement and lingering fear, and his tone made a complete 180-degree turn, carrying unprecedented urgency and respect.

"An—Ancestor! Quick! We must hurry and gather all the herbs Master Jiang needs!"

"Spare no expense! If the depot doesn't have it, immediately mobilize all forces to acquire it outside! Hurry!"

At this moment, he wished he could slap himself twice. He had dared to question a Master Alchemist possessing a Spirit Realm Soul just now!

This was practically courting death!

Xiao Zhen watched Elder Qiu's reaction—initially arrogant, now respectful, as if he had seen a ghost. Although he didn't understand exactly what happened, he guessed most of it, and his evaluation of Jiang Donghua rose another notch.

He nodded and said solemnly to Jiang Donghua.

"Young Friend Jiang, rest assured, the matter of the medicinal herbs is on the Xiao Family!"

Having said that, Xiao Zhen and the impatient Elder Qiu immediately rose into the air, transforming into two streaks of light, speeding toward the direction of the medicine depot and the family council hall. They were clearly going to mobilize resources and fully gather the herbs.

Only Xiao Han and Jiang Donghua remained beside the stone door.

Xiao Han looked at Elder Qiu, who usually held his head high and commanded respect even from the ancestor...

...but was now fleeing in panic as if his backside was on fire. Recalling his look of utter terror just moments ago, Xiao Han finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, doubling over.

"Hahaha! Brother Jiang, did you see that? Elder Qiu's expression, hahaha! That's the first time I've ever seen him lose his composure like that!"

"How exactly did you do that? You don't know, this old fellow usually acts so arrogant in the family, looking down on everyone. He finally met his match with you today! It's so satisfying!"