Chapter 204: You Rebellious Disciple (1)

The next day, the first light of dawn appeared.

Following Elder Mu Qing’s instructions from yesterday, Chen Chuan arrived at the Pill Hall on time.

The grand Pill Hall was imposing. Before even stepping inside, one could feel waves of heat and a faint medicinal fragrance permeating the air.

As the core of Alchemy for the Taiyi Holy Land, this place gathered the Holy Land’s top Alchemy resources and talents.

Chen Chuan stepped into the hall, and a deacon Disciple immediately led him respectfully to Elder Mu Qing’s exclusive Alchemy Quiet Chamber.

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Mu Qing had already been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Chen Chuan’s arrival, an uncontrollable smile broke out on his stern face, his eyes filled with appreciation and affection.

“My Disciple is here! Good, very good!”

Mu Qing stroked his beard and nodded, looking more satisfied the more he observed.

The youth in green before him had truly made a name for himself at yesterday’s Pill Refining Assembly. Not only did he suppress Gu Chen and refine a legendary Holy Son King Rank Medicinal Pill, but he also possessed a mysterious Spiritual Fire of extremely high grade.

Such an Alchemy monstrous talent was a once-in-ten-thousand-years rarity, and now he had become his own Direct Disciple!

Mu Qing could already see that in the near future, when Chen Chuan became a giant in the world of Alchemy and his name shook the continent, how much glory he would have as his Master.

Being able to teach a giant of Alchemy was an achievement countless Alchemists dreamed of.

“Master.”

Chen Chuan bowed respectfully, putting on a perfect front.

In his heart, however, he was perfectly clear. Coming here to learn Alchemy was mostly to deceive others and maintain the posture a Genius Disciple should have.

With the vast ocean of Alchemy Inheritance and understanding in his mind, there was likely very little Mu Qing could actually teach him.

“Mhm. Disciple, although your performance yesterday was stunning, the path of Alchemy is as vast as the sea. You must avoid pride and complacency.”

Mu Qing pulled back his smile and assumed the posture of a strict teacher:

“Today, I will teach you some more advanced Alchemy knowledge and techniques.”

“This concerns deeper Fusion and guidance of medicinal properties, as well as how to trigger the Dao Laws of heaven and earth at the moment of pill Formation to enhance the pill’s quality and spirituality.”

Mu Qing began to explain eloquently. The content was indeed several times more profound and mysterious than what an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple could access.

He explained in great detail, even personally demonstrating some spiritual seal techniques.

However, to Chen Chuan, this knowledge felt as if it had long been branded into the depths of his Soul, and was now merely being reawakened.

Not only did he understand everything instantly, but he could even infer further based on Mu Qing’s explanations.

He could even propose unique insights that required Mu Qing to think for a moment to understand. Occasionally, the key points he mentioned gave Mu Qing a sense of sudden enlightenment.

“There is a conflict of medicinal power here. If the heat is slightly adjusted before condensation and supplemented with Soul Power guidance, would it better promote a perfect Fusion?” Chen Chuan asked at the right moment.

Mu Qing was startled at first, then an amazing brilliance erupted in his eyes. He slapped his thigh hard: “Wonderful! Why did I never think of this method before! Disciple, you are truly…”

He pointed at Chen Chuan, speechless for a long time, the shock in his heart beyond measure.

This wasn’t just inferring further; this was practically giving him, the Master, a lesson.

The essentials he had originally planned to spend days or even months teaching were completely mastered and even expanded upon by Chen Chuan in just one hour.

Looking at this monstrous talent Disciple of his, Mu Qing found him more and more pleasing to the eye, his affection almost overflowing.

This boy’s future was limitless!

Afterward, Mu Qing tried teaching other aspects of Alchemy.

From the ten-thousand-year mutation characteristics of medicinal herbs to the reverse derivation of obscure Pill Formulas, no matter how niche or difficult, Chen Chuan could always quickly understand and easily grasp the core essence.

After a round of teaching, Chen Chuan’s expression was as usual, but Mu Qing felt as if he had been hollowed out—not because his energy was exhausted, but because it seemed he was running out of things to teach.

Seeing this, Chen Chuan felt the timing was about right. He smiled slightly and said with a calm tone that carried a hint of undeniable confidence:

“Master, I feel that the Alchemy knowledge you’ve taught doesn’t seem to be too difficult.”

Mu Qing was immersed in the joy of gaining a Genius Disciple and the complex emotion of being hollowed out. Hearing Chen Chuan’s words, his eyes widened and his beard bristled.

He lectured in a worldly-wise tone:

“You little brat! You’ve only learned the basics and you dare to be so arrogant?”

“Don’t think that just because you luckily refined a Holy Son King Rank Saint Soul Pill, you can look down on the world’s Alchemy.”

“There are countless Holy Son King Rank pills more mysterious than the Saint Soul Pill. Alchemy values the Mental State most. You must remain humble and open-minded at all times. Blind confidence will sooner or later lead to a great loss, and the gains won’t make up for it.”

His intention was to knock Chen Chuan down a peg, lest this unpolished jade be tarnished by pride.

However, Chen Chuan shook his head and said seriously:

“Master, it’s not that I am arrogant. Refining the Saint Soul Pill yesterday was actually limited by the medicinal materials.”

“If there had been a better quality, older main ingredient ‘Soul Infant Fruit’ at that time, I am certain that what I refined would definitely not have been just a Low-Grade Holy Son King Pill, but at least Top-Grade Holy Son King Rank.”

“You…” Mu Qing was choked by Chen Chuan’s boastful words, then laughed in anger: “Fine! Fine! You certainly talk big! Top-Grade Holy Son King Rank? Then tell me, can you refine a Great Saint Grade Elixir?”

Mu Qing deliberately threw out this question.

Refining a Great Saint Grade Elixir was far more difficult than a Holy Son King Rank one. It required a deeper perception of the rules of heaven and earth, and the requirements for Soul Power and Spiritual Qi grew exponentially.

Even with his cultivation and hundreds of years immersed in Alchemy, he couldn’t guarantee success every time he refined a Great Saint Grade Elixir.

Chen Chuan was only at the Spirit Transformation Realm First Level. No matter how strong his Soul Power was, his Spiritual Qi Foundation was ultimately a weakness. Mu Qing was certain Chen Chuan couldn’t do it and wanted to use this to suppress his arrogance.

To his surprise, Chen Chuan didn’t even blink and replied very certainly: “I can! As long as there is a complete Pill Formula and enough medicinal materials, I can successfully refine it.”

Seeing him still being stubborn at this point, Mu Qing’s temper flared, and he snorted immediately:

“Fine, fine, fine! Since you are so confident, then I will make a bet with you!”

“I happen to have a set of materials and the Pill Formula for the ‘Nine Apertures Star Condensing Pill’ here. This is a Low-Grade Great Saint Grade Elixir, used to temper astral power and stabilize one’s Foundation.”

“If you can refine it on the spot, you don’t need it to be Top-Grade—as long as the pill forms, even Low-Grade will do! I will then reward you with another Holy Son King Rank Medicinal Pill.”

“Master, are you serious?” Chen Chuan’s eyes lit up.

“Of course I’m serious!” Mu Qing was certain Chen Chuan couldn’t succeed.

“I will not let Master down.” The corner of Chen Chuan’s mouth curled into an arc.

Immediately, Mu Qing didn’t hesitate and directly took out a set of materials shimmering with Spiritual Qi and starlight from his Storage Ring, along with a Jade Slip containing the refining method for the Nine Apertures Star Condensing Pill, and handed them to Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan took the Pill Formula and materials. With a slight scan, the complete refining process and all key details automatically surfaced in his mind.

He did not use his own Pure Karma Sacred Fire. Instead, he walked to the Alchemy Furnace in the center of the Quiet Chamber, which was engraved with complex Formation runes, and drew upon the Earth Fire of the Pill Hall.

The Earth Fire surged out, constrained by the Formation, and docilely wrapped around the bottom of the Alchemy Furnace.

Chen Chuan knew that with his current cultivation, if he forced himself to use the Pure Karma Sacred Fire to refine a Great Saint Grade Elixir, the Spiritual Qi consumption would be massive and he might not be able to sustain it.

Utilizing this high-quality Earth Fire was currently the wisest choice.

Seeing Chen Chuan’s choice, a hint of approval flashed in Mu Qing’s eyes, and he nodded slightly.

This boy not only had transcendent talent, but his Mental State was also extremely steady. He knew how to assess the situation and use the best resources, not blindly using his Spiritual Fire just because he possessed it.

“Begin.”

Mu Qing stepped back a few paces and watched with full concentration.

Chen Chuan held his breath and focused. Although he was just putting on a show, his movements were still as smooth as flowing water, filled with a unique beauty.

Following the order of the Pill Formula, he threw the medicinal materials into the Alchemy Furnace one by one.

Temperature control, extraction, purification, Fusion… he performed every step with absolute precision, as if he had practiced them thousands of times.

His fingers were like butterflies flitting through flowers as he cast various fire-control spiritual seals. The Earth Fire was as docile as a lamb in his hands, sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, perfectly matching the changes in the medicinal properties.