72: Your perfect timing on the entrance, Xiao Yan gives you a thumbs up!

Afterward...

From the System space, he pulled out a pile of bottles and jars.

Salt, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chili, Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon... there was even an iron pot and a spatula.

The phantom image: "???"

"What are you... doing?"

"Refining pills," Lin Fan said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "But I think your Shennong lineage's Alchemy techniques are too rigid."

"Today, I'll show you..."

He lit the furnace fire, set up the iron pot, and poured in a little Earth Core Milk as base oil.

"What it means to use..."

Stir-fry Style Alchemy.

The phantom image: "...Huh?"

Under the phantom's dumbfounded gaze, Lin Fan began his performance.

"Life-Sustaining Grass is mild in nature; it should go into the pot first. Simmer it over a low flame to force out its medicinal properties—just like stir-frying green vegetables, if the heat is too high, they'll get tough."

He grabbed a handful of Life-Sustaining Grass and tossed it into the iron pot, his spatula flying.

"Jade Marrow Lingzhi has a hard texture; it needs a high flame and a quick stir-fry to break down—just like stir-frying kidney slices, you need a fierce fire and quick movements to keep them tender."

The Jade Marrow Lingzhi hit the pot with a sizzle, and a rich aroma wafted out.

"Thousand-Year Ginseng King has domineering medicinal power; I need soy sauce... wait, no, I need Earth Core Milk mixed with a bit of Red Flame Grass powder to harmonize its dryness—just like braised pork, you need sugar color to neutralize the greasiness."

Lin Fan's movements were skilled and fluid, tossing and stir-frying while adding various 'seasonings.'

His posture didn't look like he was refining a Rank Five Spirit Pill; it looked more like he was stir-frying a plate of farmhouse pork at a roadside food stall.

The phantom was already staring in shock.

It had existed for countless ages and seen countless Alchemy geniuses—the conventional ones, the eccentric ones, the wild and domineering ones... but one who treated Alchemy like stir-frying... this was the fucking first!

The most crucial part was...

As Lin Fan stir-fried, those medicinal herbs in the iron pot were actually beginning to undergo Fusion!

Not only was there no conflict in medicinal properties, but under the bizarre operations of 'tossing the pan,' 'stir-frying,' and 'thickening the sauce,' they reached a subtle balance!

The aroma grew richer and richer.

Pill light began to gather in the iron pot!

"Final step: reducing the sauce and thickening... wait, no, it's condensing the pill and forming the patterns!"

With a flick of his wrist, Lin Fan lifted the iron pot from the fire, tracing a beautiful arc in the air.

He gave the bottom of the pot a light tap with the spatula.

Clang!

Three golden pills the size of longan fruits, their surfaces wound with three clear pill patterns, flew out of the pot and landed in the jade bottle he had prepared.

Rank Five Nine-Transformation Rebirth Pill, success!

And it was three pills in one go, each with three pill patterns!

Quality... Top Grade!

The phantom image: "..."

It no longer knew what to say.

Stir-fry.

He really fucking stir-fried a Rank Five pill?!

"Want a taste?" Lin Fan poured out a pill and held it toward the phantom.

The phantom had no physical body, so it naturally couldn't take it.

But it could clearly sense the majestic medicinal power contained within that pill, as well as those flawless pill patterns.

"You..." The phantom's voice was a bit dry. "This Alchemy technique... who did you learn it from?"

"I created it myself," Lin Fan said without blushing. "So, is it awesome or what?"

The phantom remained silent for a long time.

Finally, it slowly spat out two words:

"...Awesome."

It had never seen such a ridiculous, yet such an effective way of refining pills.

This had completely subverted its understanding of the Dao of Alchemy!

"Third trial, passed."

The phantom's voice now carried a deep sense of exhaustion.

[Ding! Stir-fry Alchemy method shocked the phantom image, prestige value +4000!]

[Current prestige value: 97,570!]

"The Shennong Alchemy Dao Legacy... is yours."

As the words fell...

The massive phantom image of the Medicine Cauldron in the Void Realm slowly shrank, turning into a streak of emerald-green light that vanished into Lin Fan's forehead.

Lin Fan felt a massive amount of Alchemy knowledge flood into his mind.

The "Shennong Materia Medica" (Incomplete Manual) recorded the characteristics, mutual generation and inhibition, and cultivation methods of hundreds of thousands of medicinal herbs.

The "Nine-Transformation Alchemy Art" was the core Alchemy technique of the Shennong lineage, consisting of nine transformations; with each transformation, the pill's quality would increase by ten percent.

The "Canon of Elixirs for Saving the World" contained over a thousand ancient Pill Formulas, ranging from Rank One to Rank Nine, covering everything.

And the palm-sized shennong medicine cauldron (Imitation) in his hand also established a blood-and-flesh connection with him.

The artifact spirit awakened, and a milky voice sounded in his mind:

"Mas... Master..."

It was the voice of a little girl.

"Yeah," Lin Fan responded, putting the Medicine Cauldron back into his Dantian to nourish it.

[Ding! Completed the Shennong Alchemy Dao trial, obtained Heaven Rank Low Grade shennong medicine cauldron (Fully Recognized Master)!]

[Ding! Obtained 'Shennong Materia Medica' (Incomplete Manual), 'Nine-Transformation Alchemy Art', and 'Canon of Elixirs for Saving the World'!]

[Ding! prestige value +15,000!]

[Current prestige value: 112,570 points!]

One hundred and twelve thousand prestige value!

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

A massive profit!

He exited the trial space, his consciousness returning to his body.

He was still on the ninth floor of the Myriad Elixir Pavilion.

But the shennong medicine cauldron in his hand was now emerald green and bursting with vitality.

Outside the tower, the sounds of killing, explosions, and angry curses flooded into his ears like a tide.

Lin Fan frowned, walked to the window, and looked out.

On the open ground outside the tower, Su Muyu, Qin Yue, Wang Xiaoming, and over thirty others were backed against the Myriad Elixir Pavilion, formed into a defensive formation, struggling to hold on.

And their opponents...

Were at least a hundred Martial Artists!

Silver-armored knights from the Templars, remnants of the Round Table Council, Japanese Swordsmen, scimitar-wielding Middle Eastern Martial Artists, and even several Loose Cultivators with varied clothing and strange auras!

Though they came from different countries and factions, they had reached a strange tacit understanding at this moment.

Join forces, break the defense first, and charge into the Myriad Elixir Pavilion!

"Su Muyu! Qin Yue! You can't hold out much longer!"

A Templar silver knight captain shouted sternly, "Hand over Lin Fan! Hand over the treasures he obtained in the tower! We can spare your lives!"

Su Muyu sent a Japanese Swordsman flying with a sword strike. Her face was pale and blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained cold.

"In your dreams!"

The Holy Light of the Judgment Blade in Qin Yue's hand shone brightly. Her short sword pierced through the throat of a Middle Eastern Martial Artist like a poisonous snake, her voice cold and clear:

"If you want to go in, you'll have to step over our corpses first!"

Wang Xiaoming and the others were also covered in blood, but no one retreated.

Behind them was the tower where Lin Fan was.

It was God Fan, who had given them pills, given them Cultivation Techniques, and led them to act cool and fly!

"Stubborn fools!" a red-haired female knight from the Round Table Council sneered. "Then kill them all! Then we'll go in and snatch the treasure!"

The attacks became increasingly violent!

Although Su Muyu and Qin Yue were powerful, they were ultimately outnumbered.

The opponents were too many, and new Martial Artists were constantly being drawn by the light pillar to join the fray.

The defensive line was crumbling.

"Has God Fan... still not come out..." a student gritted his teeth while resisting the attacks, his voice carrying despair.

"He will!" Wang Xiaoming roared. "Trust in God Fan!"

Just as the defense was about to collapse.

The doors of the Myriad Elixir Pavilion slowly opened.

A figure walked out unhurriedly.

Perfect timing, Xiao Yan gives you a like!

Black clothes, black hair, hands in his pockets.

He even had a... grass stem from who-knows-where dangling from his mouth.

It was indeed Lin Fan.

He glanced at the tragic battlefield, then at the blood-soaked but still standing Su Muyu and the others.

Then, he spat out the grass stem.

"Yo, quite lively here."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a clap of thunder, exploding in everyone's ears.

The battlefield instantly fell silent.

Everyone, in unison, looked toward Lin Fan.

The Templar Knight captain's eyes lit up. "Lin Fan! You've finally come out!"

The red-haired female knight from the Round Table Council licked her lips. "Hand over the treasures you got in the tower! We might leave you an intact corpse!"

The Japanese Swordsmen gripped their sword hilts, their eyes greedy.

The Middle Eastern Martial Artists unsheathed their scimitars, brimming with Killing Intent.

Lin Fan smiled.

He walked up to Su Muyu and Qin Yue and gently pulled the two women behind him.

"Good work."

"Next..."

He looked up, scanning the hundred-plus Martial Artists eyeing him greedily.

His gaze suddenly turned icy cold.

"Leave it to me."

[Ding! Appeared in the nick of time, dominantly protecting teammates, prestige value +3000!]

[Current prestige value: 115,570 points!]

Lin Fan took a step forward.

Alone, facing over a hundred powerful enemies.

"Just now, which piece of trash said they wanted to kill my people?"

He looked at the Templar Knight captain.

"You?"

He then looked at the red-haired female knight.

"Or you?"

Finally, his gaze swept over everyone.

"Or..."

Lin Fan grinned, revealing pearly white teeth:

"All of you together?"