Isn't This Just a Piece of Cake

Gu Qingfeng cast a glance at Dan Qiusheng, a disdainful smirk lingering in his heart. Of course, he knew that the order of introducing the materials mattered and it was clearly documented in the elixir prescription.

Which medicinal ingredient went into the furnace first represented who would be refined first. Shoving everything in was virtually the same as preparing a hodgepodge - the Qixuan True Fire would refine all the medicinal ingredients, then mix them into a slurry and turn them into impurities.

Formulating a pill was just like chemistry, strict specifications were required for the order of chemical reactions.

Why would he choose to do so? It wasn't to show off, it was merely to avoid the tedious... well, maybe he was a bit pretentious.

Once the herbs were introduced, Gu Qingfeng quickly covered the cauldron and subsequently initiated his Master-level soul power and Fire Control talent.

Under the combined control of his soul power and Fire Control Talent, no one could see the differentiation of the seven-colored lotus-like flame within the furnace into more than a dozen parts. Each part enveloped one or two kinds of medicinal herbs and started refining them individually.

If Dan Qiusheng witnessed this, he would undoubtedly be struck dumb. This was essentially the equivalent of firing up more than a dozen furnaces at once, forging pills simultaneously. It required enormously colossal soul power to orchestrate such precise operations, an effort akin to multitasking.

Though Dan Qiusheng might barely achieve this way of forming pills, he would never be able to accomplish blending everything in one furnace.

Too close, the flames would interfere with each other.

Dan Qiusheng couldn't do it simply because he could only control fire, not in the way Gu Qingfeng commanded it.

With the assistance of the Fire Control talent, more than a dozen flames harmoniously furnished their duty in an orderly fashion, compared to a bevy of automated robots independently refining their respective portions.

The herbs were quickly burnt into vibrant and glossy medicinal liquids. Under the influence of the Qixuan True fire, all impurities were eliminated, leaving only the essence.

Then Gu Qingfeng, relying on his master-level soul power, began to control the medicinal liquid, combining them in pairs according to the sequence. Understand which reacted first to form new materials, followed by simple reactions with other substances.

Countless chemical reactions occurred simultaneously, increasing the efficiency of pill formulation several-fold.

He would just have to wait for a while longer, and the decay bone pill would ready.

A confident smile crept up the corner of Gu Qingfeng's mouth.

However, in Dan Qiusheng's eyes, all Gu Qingfeng did was pour all the ingredients in and then abandon it, standing there idle, as if the furnace had an auto-pilot mode.

Wasn't this nonsense?

One had to control the flames tirelessly during usual pill-making. Flames were volatile and difficult to master. The slightest lapse in judgment could result in the failure if the temperature got slightly higher or lower. One required soul power to keep an eye on the changes in the herbs: at what stage to use what temperature of the flame. It required fine precision, unlike the reckless dumping of everything into the furnace and then letting it be.

Even cooking needed temperature control and stirring, let alone refining a pill.

What a waste of top-notch medicinal ingredients.

Dan Qiusheng felt it was too bad. However, the thought of the pills that Gu Qingfeng had shown earlier instantly reminded him of their worth. His only concern now was what if this young man didn't pay up in the event of a loss.

With this in mind, Dan Qiusheng involuntarily inched closer to where Gu Qingfeng stored his pills.

He had made up his mind. If Gu Qingfeng denied his defeat, he would immediately scoop up the elixir on the ground into his pouch. No matter how influential Gu Qingfeng was, the supportive power behind him would not risk offending a master alchemist at the Guru level for the sake of a bet.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

"It's done," Gu Qingfeng said indifferently, ready to open the lid.

A constant sneer was seen on Dan Qiusheng's face. It usually takes him an hour at the very least to complete the refining process, did Gu Qingfeng complete it within the duration of an incense stick? Is he afraid that the furnace will explode as soon as he lifts the lid?

Without any alert, he moved two steps backward again, avoiding the alchemy furnace, getting closer to hundreds of bottles of elixir, even started picking them up.

Just as he was tucking the first bottle into his pouch, a unique medicinal fragrance suddenly spread.

Dan Qiusheng's movements froze instantly. This familiar fragrance! How can it be possible?

He swiftly looked towards Gu Qingfeng, and saw fourteen bright red, round elixirs lying still in Gu Qingfeng's hands.

It was indeed the Bone Rot Elixir.

Just like the most beautiful things are often the most dangerous, roses come with thorns. Likewise, the color of the most toxic poison is often the most vibrant.

"What are you doing old man? You lost but dare to steal my elixirs?"

Dan Qiusheng was immensely shocked at that time, constantly claiming impossibility under his breath. He paid no heed to Gu Qingfeng's mockery.

In a flash, he appeared next to Gu Qingfeng, snatched the Bone Rot Elixir to take a closer look.

His shock deepened the more he observed.

This scent, this colour, there's no doubt that this is the Bone Rot Elixir!

But how is this possible? Fourteen elixirs were refined in one incense stick's time, and this was his first attempt?

Even someone as strong as he would need an hour and at most, yield five elixirs from one furnace. This young lad managed to yield fourteen in a single furnace, doesn't that mean not even a speck of the medicinal ingredients went to waste?

"Impossible! You must've tricked me with an illusion. When did you implant this illusion?" Dan Qiusheng said in disbelief.

"Hmph," Gu Qingfeng scoffed. "You can always taste it and find out whether or not it’s an illusion."

Gu Qingfeng was just tempting him. Unexpectedly, Dan Qiusheng, with a stubborn look, firmly believed that the Bone Rot Elixir couldn't be real, that Gu Qingfeng must've manipulated something to create the seemingly identical elixir.

So, he directly picked up a Bone Rot Elixir and swallowed it.

Just a moment later, Dan Qiusheng’s eyes bulged, his face went pale, and he vomiting blood. He felt as if his bones were melting, like his entire body was dissolving.

"It actually... is real!" Bleeding, Dan Qiusheng exclaimed in shock.

Gu Qingfeng was taken aback, "Hey, hey, hey, old man, don't die on me here, are you trying to frame me?"

He didn't expect this old man to be so straightforward to test the poison on himself.

Dan Qiusheng also came to his senses, hurriedly took out the antidote for Bone Rot Elixir and swallowed it, and slowly felt better.

After recovery, Dan Qiusheng looked at Gu Qingfeng with a complex expression.

His mind was a whirl of emotions. Now, he still couldn’t understand how this young man was able to throw all the medicinal ingredients into the furnace, stand and watch, and the elixir automatically formed. Is this some new and evolving method of alchemy?

"How on earth did you do that?" asked Dan Qiusheng.

"Isn't it just about having the hands?" Gu Qingfeng said, walking up to Dan Qiusheng. He reached into Dan's bosom and took out the pill bottle that had just been taken away, and incidentally also repossessed the Bone Decay Pill he had refined himself.

Dan Qiusheng watched blankly, making no move to stop Gu Qingfeng.

It was only when Gu Qingfeng wanted to take back the Seven Profound Cauldron that he finally reacted.

"Hold on, you must tell me how you did it. Otherwise, you cheated, and this round doesn't count."

Gu Qingfeng was instantly annoyed at hearing this. "Old vegetable helper, stop exploiting your elder status. You lost the bet, accept it! Your word rules all? Why's your face so big? You even want to know my unique pill refining technique. Keep dreaming!"

Dan Qiusheng’s face alternated between red and white, insult palpable. But he could not suppress his curiosity. He steeled himself and said, "Mr. Gu, this old man doesn't expect you to teach me your unique technique. Just solve my doubts, and I am willing to exchange it with a treasure."

As he spoke, he pulled out a pill.

"This is a Boundary Breaking Pill that this old man found in an ancient relic. It can enhance the chance of a martial artist's breakthrough. By taking this pill, one can have an 80% certainty of breakthrough into the Inner Qi Realm, 50% for the True Qi Realm, 20% for the Gang Qi Realm. It's ineffective for Grandmasters, but this pill is worth a fortune. If you can resolve my doubts, it's yours."