192: Chapter 191 Zhou Qian's Shock

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it was the day to collect the Medicinal Pills again.

Zhou Qian left early in the morning.

He did not ride a horse or take a sedan chair, walking slowly by himself.

He was not walking fast; in fact, one could even say he was moving very slowly.

It was as if he were taking a stroll, or perhaps stalling for something.

He truly did not want to arrive too early.

If he arrived too early and had to face Yun Ming's disappointed face, he was afraid he wouldn't know how to console him.

Five sets of Materials for the Xuan Ying Pill, squeezed out from between the Third Prince's teeth, had all been poured into this.

Not to mention five sets, even if there were fifty, for a Third-Rank Alchemist to want to achieve a Breakthrough to the Fourth-Rank with so few Materials was nothing but a pipe dream.

He had already prepared what to say in his mind.

Upon meeting Yun Ming, he would first ask about the zifu true essence pill to divert the topic.

If Yun Ming did not mention the Xuan Ying Pill, he would not ask.

If by any chance Yun Ming brought it up himself, he would say, "Fourth-Rank Medicinal Pills are inherently difficult to refine; failure is normal. Anyone would have to fail dozens or hundreds of times."

Then, he would bring up the example of how many Materials the Fourth-Rank Alchemist at the City Lord's Mansion had wasted back in the day before succeeding, giving Yun Ming a way out.

He would also take the opportunity to advise him to change the Pill Formula; the Xuan Ying Pill was too difficult. He should refine a simpler Fourth-Rank Pill Formula first to raise his rank before attempting it again.

As Zhou Qian thought about this, he arrived at the entrance of Yun Ming's small courtyard without realizing it.

The door was, as usual, unlocked.

He pushed the door open and entered; the scene in the courtyard was exactly the same as last time.

Yun Ming was half-lying on a bamboo chair, eyes closed, holding a teacup in his hand as if he were asleep.

On the stone table sat a teapot, a teacup, and a small plate of melon seeds.

The tea fragrance was still as rich as ever; as it drifted over, just smelling it made his mind feel clear.

He did not disturb him, sitting down by the stone table to wait quietly.

This time, he did not close his eyes, but instead watched Yun Ming.

There was something about this person that he could not quite describe.

It was not his cultivation, nor his Aura; it was a very strange, calming feeling.

Sitting beside him, smelling the tea fragrance, even his breathing became relaxed.

A quarter of an hour later, Yun Ming opened his eyes.

He set down the teacup and smiled at Zhou Qian.

"Mr. Zhou, you are very punctual."

Zhou Qian also smiled, his expression carrying a hint of apology.

"Mr. Yun, there is something I would like to discuss with you."

Yun Ming picked up the teacup, took another sip, leaned back in the chair, and looked at him.

Seeing that Yun Ming did not mention the Xuan Ying Pill, Zhou Qian decided to first inquire about the refining progress of the zifu true essence pill.

"I wonder how the refining of the zifu true essence pill went this time, Mr. Yun."

Yun Ming, however, directly exposed Zhou Qian's thoughts and asked with a smile, "I thought you would ask me about the Xuan Ying Pill directly."

Seeing Yun Ming being so straightforward, Zhou Qian smiled a little awkwardly. He weighed his words before saying, "Zhou merely thinks that failure in Alchemy is the norm; everyone has walked the path through failure. The Fourth-Rank Alchemist at the City Lord's Mansion wasted hundreds of furnaces back in the day before succeeding. Even a High Grade Fourth-Rank Alchemist cannot guarantee success in one out of ten furnaces. Mr. Yun, your talent is extremely high; there is no need to be discouraged by one or two failures."

"Oh? Did he waste hundreds of furnaces of the Xuan Ying Pill back then?" Yun Ming teased.

"Uh, that is not the case," he paused, then added, "It is just that I feel Mr. Yun might be better off changing the Pill Formula first. The Xuan Ying Pill is among the more difficult Fourth-Rank Medicinal Pills. Mr. Yun could start by refining simpler ones to cross the threshold of the Fourth-Rank before returning to refine the Xuan Ying Pill. Or, you could focus on advancing your cultivation first; once you reach the Late Golden Core Stage and your Divine Sense is stronger, attempting Fourth-Rank Medicinal Pills will result in a higher success rate."

Yun Ming listened, the smile on his face unchanged.

He did not interrupt Zhou Qian, letting him finish speaking.

Once Zhou Qian finished, he set down the teacup, took twelve jade bottles from his sleeve, and lined them up on the stone table.

Ten smaller ones, and two larger ones.

"This is this month's zifu true essence pill."

Yun Ming pointed to the ten small bottles, then pointed to the two large bottles.

"These are the Xuan Ying Pills refined last month and this month. One Low Grade, one High Grade."

Zhou Qian's gaze fell on the two large bottles, and he froze completely.

He stared at the two bottles for several breaths before reaching out to pick up one of them and uncorking it.

The fragrance of the Medicinal Pill surged out, rich and crisp.

He poured the Medicinal Pill into his palm; it was the size of a dragon's eye, pale gold all over, with clear cloud patterns on the surface. Although not dense, they were indeed medicinal markings.

A Low Grade Xuan Ying Pill.

He picked up the other one, uncorked it, and poured out the Medicinal Pill. It was crimson gold, densely covered with cloud patterns, and the fragrance was even richer than the previous one.

A High Grade Xuan Ying Pill.

His hand began to tremble.

He put the two Medicinal Pills back into the bottles, corked them, and placed them on the table.

Then he took a deep breath, took another deep breath, and then opened the bottles to take another look.

After checking back and forth four or five times, he finally confirmed that what he held in his hands was indeed the Xuan Ying Pill.

"Mr. Yun," his voice was a bit dry, "Did you really refine these?"

Yun Ming nodded.

"Five sets of Materials, and you succeeded with two furnaces?" Zhou Qian asked again.

"Five sets of Materials, two furnaces succeeded," Yun Ming said. "The third furnace exploded, and I paid a fine of ten thousand Spirit Stones. The first and second furnaces were wasted, the fourth became Low Grade, and the fifth became High Grade."

Zhou Qian opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He looked down at the two Medicinal Pills for a long time, then raised his head to look at Yun Ming.

His gaze had changed.

It was no longer the polite and tentative look from before, but genuine, heartfelt respect.

"Mr. Yun," he stood up and bowed solemnly to Yun Ming, "Congratulations to Mr. Yun on your Breakthrough to a Fourth-Rank Alchemist. I have lived for several hundred years and have never seen anyone achieve a Breakthrough from the Third-Rank to the Fourth-Rank using only five sets of Materials. Mr. Yun's talent is something I have never heard of before."

Yun Ming waved his hand, signaling him to sit down.

Zhou Qian did not sit; he stood there, his expression somewhat agitated.

"Mr. Yun may not know what a Fourth-Rank Alchemist means in the Zifu Immortal Dynasty. In the entire Fengyin Province, the number of Fourth-Rank Alchemists does not exceed the number of fingers on one hand. Mr. Yun is now a Fourth-Rank Alchemist; anywhere you go, you will be a target that major factions scramble to recruit."

Yun Ming picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.

Zhou Qian continued, "Moreover, Mr. Yun might be the youngest Fourth-Rank Alchemist in history. I dare not make reckless judgments, but I have indeed never heard of anyone reaching the Fourth-Rank while at the Golden Core Middle Stage. Mr. Yun's future is limitless."

Yun Ming set down the teacup and smiled.

"Mr. Zhou, you flatter me. It was just luck."

Zhou Qian shook his head and did not respond.

He knew this was not luck.

Five sets of Materials yielding two furnaces, one of which was High Grade—this could absolutely not be explained by luck.

But he did not press further.

Everyone has secrets; asking too much would only make one annoying.

He carefully put the twelve jade bottles into his Storage Pouch, then cupped his hands in a salute to Yun Ming.

"Mr. Yun, I must rush back to the City Lord's Mansion immediately to report this good news to the Third Highness."

After saying this, he turned around and strode out of the courtyard gate, his steps as light as if he were walking on clouds.

Yun Ming sat on the bamboo chair, still holding the teacup, watching Zhou Qian's back disappear at the end of the alley, stunned for quite a while.

Wait, what about my payment?

Yun Ming wanted to remind him, but Zhou Qian's figure had already disappeared.

After a helpless sigh, Yun Ming swore that from now on, he would collect payment first before delivering the goods.