Best Young Master
Chapter 600 - 534: Risking Life for Alchemy (Part 2)

Chapter 600: Chapter 534: Risking Life for Alchemy (Part 2)

As the lid of the Medicine Furnace was lifted, Ye Fan laid his eyes on the mysteries hidden within.

Carved on the walls of the furnace were a variety of strange patterns, featuring flowers, plants, trees, and birds and beasts. Below was a sculpture resembling a phoenix, intricately and vividly carved to life.

In ancient Huaxia legends, the phoenix is known as the king of birds, also called the fire bird. "He Guanzi•Du Wan" says, "The phoenix, a bird of pure fire, is the essence of yang," honored as the Fire God.

The creator of this Medicine Furnace had carved a phoenix inside it and cleverly used the beak as the fire-spouting mouth. It was a stroke of genius, but unfortunately, the material of the furnace and the arrangement of the formation within were not exquisite enough to reach the quality of a High-level Magical Artifact.

Upon opening the Medicine Furnace, Ye Fan didn’t immediately start the alchemy process. Instead, he sat cross-legged next to the jade stone, gently closed his eyes, gathered his consciousness, and aimed to bring his spiritual energy to its peak.

Watching this scene, Ye Wenhao, Chu Ji, Su Jindi, Pan Jueming, and Situ Ruoshui’s pupils slightly dilated, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Meanwhile, Chu Xuanji and Su Yuxin quietly furrowed their brows, and the worry in their eyes deepened.

At the same time, atop a distant mountain, Xue Song, who served as Bai Guotao’s personal bodyguard, hadn’t received any response from Bai Guotao for a while and did not end the call on his own. He simply quietly watched every movement inside Villa Number Seven of Ao Xiang Villa.

"Xue Song, I don’t care what method you use, you must stop that bastard from concocting the Lifespan Extension Pill!"

Soon after, Bai Guotao picked up the phone, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Xue Song was not only his personal bodyguard but also one of the most powerful cultivators in the Bai Family. With the strength of a Half-step Gang Qi realm, not to mention his origins from the mysterious Dark Sect, he excelled in hiding, tracking, and assassination. He was once a famed Assassin within the Dark Sect.

"Boss... I’m afraid that’s not possible," Xue Song replied with a troubled expression.

"With your strength, just to stop that bastard from alchemy, is that so difficult?"

Bai Guotao grew angry. If Ye Fan succeeded in concocting the Lifespan Extension Pill and saved Ye Yuanshan from death’s door, it would surely spell a tragic end for the Bai Family’s struggle against the Ye Family.

"Boss, if it were just him alone, I would indeed have ways to stop him from alchemy. But now, Ye Wenhao, Chu Ji, and even Chu Xuanji are all by his side..."

Xue Song hurriedly explained, "With them there, not to mention stopping that bastard from alchemy, I can’t even approach Ao Xiang Villa!"

"Tsk!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Guotao’s mouth twitched in anger, and he retorted, "Is Chu Xuanji going to blatantly violate the rules of the Yanhuang Organization by aiding that bastard in his alchemy?"

Xue Song wisely chose to remain silent.

He knew very well that while trampling on the rules of the Yanhuang Organization might require careful consideration for others, for Chu Xuanji, it was as simple as eating and drinking.

After all, Chu Xuanji’s might and dominance were common knowledge in the Cultivation World!

Not only him, but Bai Guotao had also heard of Chu Xuanji’s style of doing things and was aware that Chu Xuanji was a ’hero’ who saved Earth, and he had a good private relationship with Yan. Even if Bai Guotao made a fuss to the Yanhuang Organization, it would not make a difference.

His previous comments were simply made in a fit of anger.

"Keep a close watch and report to me immediately if anything happens!"

After calming his emotions, Bai Guotao gave orders and then, without waiting for Xue Song to reply, he hung up the phone and contacted Emperor Bai right away.

"Little Emperor, that bastard is indeed attempting to concoct the Lifespan Extension Pill to save the Ye Family’s old bastard!" Bai Guotao started bluntly as soon as the call connected, his voice betraying deep unease.

"What... what?"

Startled by Bai Guotao’s words, even Emperor Bai, who was somewhat prepared, was taken aback. "He’s just an Innate Mage, how can he concoct the Lifespan Extension Pill?"

"Yes, the four ingredients you mentioned, Xue Song has seen them all, what do we do?" Bai Guotao was frantic.

"Uh..."

Emperor Bai was at a loss for words. Although powerful, he didn’t know alchemy, so how could he know what to do?

"Tell him, the Lifespan Extension Pill is only mentioned in ancient books, regarded as a legendary Immortal Pill, extremely difficult to concoct, and it will also trigger a terrifying Pill Tribulation. Even in the Ancient Cultivation World, only a very few individuals were capable of concocting it. Nowadays, no one in this world can succeed in concocting it, not even Chu Xuanji."

Jie Dao, who heard their conversation, sneered. "That little beast doesn’t know his own limits attempting to concoct the Lifespan Extension Pill. He’s most likely going to be blasted into mush by the Heavenly Tribulation!"

"Phew~"

Relieved by Jie Dao’s words, Emperor Bai let out a breath and then relayed the message verbatim.

On the other end of the phone, Bai Guotao also breathed a sigh of relief, but to be safe, he didn’t call Xue Song back. Instead, he ordered Xue Song to continue monitoring Ye Fan’s concoction of the Lifespan Extension Pill.

Ye Fan, however, was unaware of all this.

Under the watchful eyes of Chu Xuanji and the others, Ye Fan’s eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp light bursting within them and Mind Power surged around his brows, fully adjusting his Essence Qi to its optimal state.

Whoosh!

The next moment.

Before the eyes of the viewers, Ye Fan’s hands became a series of phantoms as he began to form handprints.

The first step of alchemy, formation!

First, set up a "Gathering Essence Array" to collect Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, then use the "Five Elements Formation" to extract the "Wood" Element Qi from the Heaven and Earth, guiding it into the Medicine Furnace. Finally, activate the Medicine Furnace’s internal formation to produce flames.

Whoosh!

As Ye Fan finished forming the handprints, the sky changed color, and a faintly visible vortex appeared above Ao Xiang Villa, with the Primordial Qi from the surroundings rushing towards it.

Upon witnessing this scene, whether it was Chu Xuanji, Ye Wenhao, and Chu Ji, or Su Yuxin and others, none were surprised.

Chu Xuanji and his company were overly familiar with this routine, having personally taught Ye Fan the art of alchemy.

As for... Su Yuxin and the rest, they had all witnessed Ye Fan’s alchemy before.

"Heaven has the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth..."

Moments later, Ye Fan sensed that the concentration of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the sky was sufficient. He silently recited the incantation of the ’Five Elements Formation’, placed his hands in front of his chest, and rapidly changed the handprints at a very fast pace.

"Divide!"

With a thundering shout, Ye Fan executed the ’Divide’ handprint of the ’Five Elements Formation’.

Whoosh—

As Ye Fan’s voice fell, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the sky bubbled up as if boiling, violently oscillating, and streaks of Wood Element Qi detached from it.

"Wood Essence Energy, Absorb!"

Another low shout, and Ye Fan’s handprints changed again, executing the ’Absorb’ decision of the ’Five Elements Formation’.

"Swoosh—"

As the handprints were executed, the Wood Element Qi in the sky, as if summoned, descended from the heavens and, under Ye Fan’s control, poured into the Medicine Furnace.

"Wood creates fire, quickly!"

Ye Fan, experienced and without pause, split his consciousness in two; while controlling the gentle entry of Wood Element Qi into the Medicine Furnace, he simultaneously used magic to activate the Formation within the Medicine Furnace, looking extremely at ease.

"Swoosh—"

The Formation activated, and the Phoenix sculpture inside the Medicine Furnace instantly turned completely red. A red flame spouted from its mouth, illuminating the strange patterns inside the Medicine Furnace with a red glow.

"Huff~"

Having completed setting the Formation to produce fire, Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief. He then refocused his consciousness, preparing for the second step of alchemy: Refining!

He needed to extract the essence of all the herbs, store it in a Jade Bottle, then finally merge everything together to form a pill!

This step might seem very easy, but was actually very difficult—since each herb was different, the temperature and duration of the flame required for extraction varied significantly. It demanded extreme precision in the Alchemist’s mind power control. Moreover, the Alchemist also needed to be fully aware of the attributes of all materials, the temperatures for refining, and so on.

"Swoosh!"

After a brief adjustment, Ye Fan’s telekinesis sharply focused; with a thought, a thread of Mind Power shot out from his brow, acting upon the Jade Box containing the Yin Spirit Flower.

The Jade Box opened, and the Yin Spirit Flower, shrouded in Evil Yin Qi, automatically rose up, leaving the Jade Box and slowly flying above the Medicine Furnace.

As the Yin Spirit Flower was about to enter the Medicine Furnace, Ye Fan’s consciousness stirred, and the flame inside the furnace weakened suddenly, with the temperature dropping as well.

Having done this, Ye Fan finally allowed the Yin Spirit Flower to enter the Medicine Furnace for refining.

"Sizzle~"

A sizzling sound, similar to roasting meat, rang out. The Evil Yin Qi around the Yin Spirit Flower gradually dissipated under the roasting of the flame.

Without the protection of the Evil Yin Qi, the Yin Spirit Flower was quickly refined, turning into three drops of black liquid.

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

Sensing this scene, Ye Fan’s consciousness moved, morphing the flame into an extremely fine point, almost extinguished.

At the same time, the three drops of Yin Spirit Flower essence shot out from the Medicine Furnace, entering the Jade Bottle that Ye Fan had prepared beforehand.

Without any pause, Ye Fan immediately sealed the bottle to prevent the essence of the Yin Spirit Flower from escaping.

"Swoosh—"

After securing the Yin Spirit Flower essence, Ye Fan did not stop. His consciousness moved, and the Immortal Grass flew out of the Jade Box, entering the Medicine Furnace.

Compared to the refining of the Yin Spirit Flower, the flame inside the Medicine Furnace this time was much smaller, and the temperature was even lower.

Still, the Immortal Grass was refined in just a few seconds into two drops of dark green liquid, which Ye Fan collected into the Jade Bottle.

After successfully extracting the essence of the Yin Spirit Flower and Immortal Grass, Ye Fan’s expression did not relax but instead turned more solemn.

"What’s wrong with Brother Xiao Fan?"

Seeing that not only had Ye Fan stopped, but his expression had also turned solemn, Situ Ruoshui couldn’t help but ask.

"The Sky Cold Mushroom and Snow Lotus King are both extremely cold objects, protected by Extreme Yin Qi on their surfaces, which makes them difficult for the flames to refine. However, the moment the Extreme Yin Qi dissipates, the Alchemist must reduce the temperature of the flame immediately, or both will turn to ash in an instant."

Chu Ji explained, "This is one of the most critical steps in making the Lifespan Extension Pill. It not only requires high precision in the Alchemist’s control of Mind Power but also demands stringent response speed and sensing ability. Any slight mishap could result in total failure!"

"Ah... Does that mean Brother Xiao Fan might fail?"

Situ Ruoshui, although not fully focused on Cultivation, was after all an Innate Mage and immediately understood Chu Ji’s implication, her mouth agape with shock.

"Swoosh—"

The answer to Situ Ruoshui’s question came as a whooshing sound.

Without any hesitation, Ye Fan used his Mind Power to control the Sky Cold Mushroom to enter the Medicine Furnace!

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)