SWNOVELXO Chapter 342: A Qualitative Change
Chapter 342: A Qualitative Change
“Open the furnace!”
Zhao Ming extinguished his true flame and immediately opened the pill furnace in his hand, retrieving the Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill.
The crowd examined it closely. The deep blue pill displayed eight clearly visible cloud patterns.
Xu Lian also finished refining the pill and took it out from his furnace. On the deep blue surface of the pill, there were unmistakably ten cloud patterns.
The entire hall fell silent.
“I refuse to believe that this is a real Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill!”
Zhao Ming glared at Xu Lian, extending his hand. “Give it to me! I want to inspect it!”
Xu Lian casually handed over the pill, completely unfazed. True gold was not afraid of fire; he had nothing to fear from any inspection.
After receiving the pill, Zhao Ming alternated between sniffing its fragrance and carefully examining it repeatedly. His expression grew increasingly grim as he failed to find any flaws.
Suddenly, he opened his mouth and moved to swallow Xu Lian’s Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill. Clearly, he intended to test the pill’s effect on his own body.
Whoosh!
Marquis Qin acted quickly and snatched the pill from Zhao Ming’s hand. With a cold tone, he said, “This is evidence of my son’s victory over you. What do you mean by eating it?”
Qin Song followed with a sneer. “Eating it like this is highly inappropriate. What if, after consuming it, you refuse to acknowledge its authenticity and insist that it’s fake? Would my younger brother have to compete with you again?”
Marquis Zhao frowned. “How else can we determine its authenticity? If it’s real, my son wouldn’t deny it. Besides, Qin Feng can always refine another one. Are you afraid of losing it to him?”
Marquis Qin rejected the idea. “As the young miss from the Ning family just explained, even Master Chi Sui himself could only produce a maximum of nine cloud phenomena when refining this pill. My son producing ten clouds is an extraordinary feat, not something that can be replicated at will. Are you suggesting that my son should consistently achieve ten clouds every time he refines this pill? What kind of reasoning is that?”
Marquis Zhao was speechless. Indeed, regardless of how many cloud phenomena Qin Feng typically produced, this time he had achieved ten, decisively surpassing Zhao Ming.
Zhao Ming’s face darkened as he muttered, “Even though I can’t find any flaws in this Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill, I still refuse to believe that it is genuine! I demand that Master Chi Sui come here personally to verify it!”
The nobles and ministers all turned their eyes to the Fifth Prince. Feeling helpless, the prince realized that without a final verdict, no one would be satisfied.
The Fifth Prince took out a token and activated a communication artifact. “Master Chi Sui, please come to my residence. I have a matter to discuss with you.”
Chi Sui held the position of Grand Minister of Agriculture in the Ministry of Revenue. While his official rank wasn’t particularly high compared to the nobles and ministers present, his status as both a sage and an alchemist was extraordinary. His influence in the imperial court far exceeded that of most nobles and ministers.
Soon…
Chi Sui arrived and entered the garden where the banquet was being held. He glanced curiously at the two disciples standing in the center of the gathering. Catching the scent of medicinal herbs and noticing the remnants of ash and residue left behind from pill refining, he immediately deduced that a competition in alchemy had taken place here.
“May I ask why Your Highness has summoned me?”
He bowed slightly to the Fifth Prince sitting in the main seat. Just as he began his inquiry, his gaze fell upon the Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill in Marquis Qin’s hand.
“What is this?”
As a top-tier alchemist of the Sage Realm, Chi Sui’s mastery of pill refining was nothing short of divine. At a single glance, he detected something extraordinary about this Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill.
Moreover, the Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill was his own creation-no one understood it better than him. Even without examining the cloud patterns, a mere whiff of its fragrance allowed him to accurately gauge its grade.
The Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill in Marquis Qin’s hand was strikingly unique, both in the arrangement of its cloud patterns and its medicinal aroma. It immediately captured his full attention.
“Master Chi Sui, please take a look.”
Marquis Qin smiled as he handed the pill to Chi Sui.
Chi Sui eagerly accepted the pill and began inspecting it closely. His expression grew increasingly solemn, then shocked, his eyes gleaming brighter with each passing moment until they shimmered with an otherworldly brilliance.
Suddenly, he turned around, his gaze burning as he stared at Zhao Ming as if he were beholding an unparalleled treasure. He burst into a hearty laugh and exclaimed, “Excellent! My good student, you have truly amazed me today!”
The entire hall fell into a deadly silence.
The Fifth Prince’s mouth hung open, wanting to say something but finding no words.
The nobles and ministers sat frozen like statues, their minds blank. This… this was unbelievable.
Marquis Zhao’s face hardened, stiff beyond measure. He had never felt so humiliated before!
Zhao Ming’s face flushed red, and his vision darkened. His body swayed unsteadily, almost causing him to vomit blood and faint on the spot.
“…” Even Xu Lian couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. This scene was far more humiliating than any public embarrassment.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Chi Sui came to his senses and exclaimed in surprise, “This Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill wasn’t refined by my disciple? But the method for refining it is my exclusive creation-I haven’t shared it with anyone else. How could an outsider possibly refine it?”
Ning Meixue beamed like a blossoming flower. She quickly stood up and bowed respectfully. “Master, this pill was indeed refined by one of your disciples, but not by Senior Brother Zhao Ming. It was refined by our Third Junior Brother!”
Third Junior Brother? Chi Sui momentarily froze, unable to process her words. After a pause, he turned to Qin Feng abruptly, disbelief etched across his face. “You refined this?”
Xu Lian clasped his hands together and bowed his head. “Master, it was indeed refined by this disciple.”
Chi Sui stared at Xu Lian intently and remained silent for a long time.
He was well aware of Qin Feng’s alchemy skills-or rather, lack thereof. They weren’t terrible, but they were certainly mediocre at best.
In the past, Chi Sui had evaluated Qin Feng’s abilities, describing them as rigid, wooden, and lacking the creativity and intuition essential for an alchemist.
This Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill that surpassed all limits might theoretically have been possible for Zhao Ming to refine with extreme precision, perfect timing, and an absurd stroke of luck. Theoretically, it was possible to achieve ten cloud patterns, but just barely.
Yet here it was, refined by Qin Feng of all people. That made it impossible for Chi Sui to believe him.
Chi Sui asked sternly, “Tell me the truth, did you share the method of refining the Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill with anyone else? Did you hire a top-tier master alchemist to refine this pill, and then pass it off as your own work?”
Spot on… Xu Lian couldn’t help but admire how sharp a Sage Realm alchemist was. Though not entirely accurate, Chi Sui’s deduction was eerily close to the truth.
Xu Lian feigned panic and bowed deeply. “How dare I reveal the method for refining the Cloud Pattern Barrier Breaking Pill without Master’s permission? And even less so in front of everyone’s eyes, hiring another top alchemist and attempting such a deception.”
Marquis Qin rose to his feet and interjected, “Master Chi Sui has misunderstood. This pill was truly refined by my son, as witnessed by everyone here. There can be no falsehood.”
The Fifth Prince chimed in with admiration, “Master Chi Sui truly lives up to his reputation as a great teacher who produces outstanding disciples. Not only do you have Senior Disciple Zhao Ming, but Third Disciple Qin Feng’s alchemical prowess is also evident for all to see.”
Chi Sui fell silent. The evidence was undeniable, leaving him no room for doubt. He couldn’t help but take a deep look at Qin Feng.
After Qin Feng had entered his tutelage, most of his alchemical training had been conducted by Zhao Ming. Chi Sui himself hadn’t neglected Qin Feng entirely, but after realizing that Qin Feng lacked natural talent in alchemy, he had largely left him to his own devices, adopting a “hands-off” approach.
Over two thousand years later, the once taciturn Qin Feng had achieved a qualitative leap in his alchemical abilities, a development that utterly exceeded Chi Sui’s expectations.