"Let's go, downwards!"
The youth cast a sideways glance and uttered a sentence, and the middle-aged cultivator descended with him, landing on a stone pillar.
From afar, Yang Ji had already seen information indicating the approach of two people. Furrowing his brows in observation, upon noticing the two directly descending, he too pushed open the stone door, took several steps through the air, and flew up to join them on the stone pillar.
"Fellow Daoist, have you come here with a matter to discuss?" Seeing the young man's haughty demeanor and his remarkable eyebrows, and sensing the powerful aura from the middle-aged companion, Yang Ji also asked without changing his expression.
"Have heard that you are quite impressive at alchemy?" The young man asked, hands behind his back and looking down from his higher position, a deep gaze revealing the thoughts above his head, "This brat is even younger than me?" and "Unpleasant."
Yang Ji's eyebrows raised slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "I know a little, it's not anything impressive."
"Oh? Know a little, I too know a little, and my favorite thing in life is to exchange knowledge of the alchemy path with others. How about we have a match to see what you're made of?" The young man said with a proud smile.
To see what I'm made of? Such a direct provocation also elicited a sneer from Yang Ji.
Like a chicken fighting against a rock, ignorant of his own mortality.
If it weren't for my insufficient strength, today I would refine Medicine Pills with one hand and smash them on your face to show you what I'm made of.
But now, he dared not to show off in such a way.
"I have a Beast Flame, and I'm also curious about your flame!" The young man spread his palm open, and immediately a bright yellow flame burst forth from it.
A glance from Yang Ji, and he was taken aback—"Blazing Beast Fire."
Could it be Blazing Beast Fire?
Seeing Yang Ji's surprised expression, a smug look appeared on the young man's face. As an alchemist, possessing a good flame indeed gave one the capital to show off. He then spoke,
"This flame was taken from a Level Ten Blazing Sun Beast, not much inferior to the Kirin Divine Fire."
A Level Ten Blazing Sun Beast, what a coincidence? Yang Ji was internally surprised.
At that moment, a person flew over from the sky, it was Jin Suanpan, whose voice reached them from afar, "Senior brother Chang, what wind has blown you here?"
"Jin Suanpan, you're back? I've come to exchange a few pointers on the art of alchemy with your friend here," said the young man, glancing briefly towards the sky.
"Exchange pointers on the art of alchemy?" Jin Suanpan's eyes flashed as he swiftly landed on the stone pillar, hurriedly laughing,
"My friend's alchemy skills are mediocre, how can he compare with senior brother Chang? At such a young age, you already are an Alchemy Master. In the entire Thousand-Islands Sea Area, those with such achievements at this age are none other than the Alchemy Grandmasters of the three major Sects and senior brother Chang."
"My friend is far inferior to senior brother. There's simply no need to compare, his alchemy is quite crude, and displaying it would only tarnish the sanctity of the alchemical path and offend senior brother's eyes."
Jin Suanpan laughed heh-heh, blocking half of Yang Ji's body intentionally or unintentionally.
Hearing Jin Suanpan's words, Yang Ji fell into deep thought, Senior brother Chang? Chang surname? Also a disciple of Canglan Sect?
Thereupon, he looked up at the young man and said with cupped hands, "To think that fellow Daoist has become an Alchemy Master at such a young age, truly admirable. I am inferior. May I ask for your esteemed name, so that I, too, can bask in your glory?"
Hearing Yang Ji's words, the young man proudly smiled and said, "Chang Yuan!"
Chang Yuan!
It is indeed Chang Yuan!
How could it be such a coincidence, possessing Blazing Beast Fire and having the Chang surname, indeed it is that so-called "Chang Lin's" nephew.
That old wretch Chang Lin snatched my opportunity, and now his nephew comes looking for trouble with me.
This family, are they in conflict with me?
All I want is to cultivate in peace, and they won't even allow me that?
A bit of anger was festering in Yang Ji's heart.
"Fellow Daoist, please display your fire," Chang Yuan said, looking directly with a calm voice.
"Alright, I'll play along with you and see what you're made of," Yang Ji thought with an inward cold laugh, opening his hand to also reveal his Earth Spirit Fire.
However, at that moment, he had concealed eighty percent of the spiritual energy of the Earth Spirit Fire, making it look just like regular Earth Fire that no one could see through.
"I only have one Earth Fire, which is far inferior to your Blazing Beast Fire," Yang Ji looked enviously at his own flame and said.
"Since yours is merely Earth Fire, I won't take advantage of you. I'll provide the Spiritual Medicine, and if you can produce four Medicine Pills of medium quality, you'll be considered the winner, even though I will produce eight Medicine Pills of superior quality," Chang Yuan said proudly, then from his Storage Bag, he took out two sets of ingredients for the Refining of Spiritual Origin Pill.
So that's why he's so confident, he's relying on the fact that my Earth Fire can only melt part of the potency of the medicine.
Yang Ji's eyebrow raised as he took the medicine ingredients. Without hesitation, he reached into his Storage Bag and pulled out his Pill Furnace.
Seeing Yang Ji make the first move, Chang Yuan smiled slightly, in no rush as he took out his own Pill Furnace. He vigorously activated his Beast Flame and began to warm the furnace.
During the alchemy process, both of them were secretly observing each other's techniques.
Observing Yang Ji's serious and nervous appearance, and the occasional minor mistakes in the details,
Chang Yuan's mood inexplicably lightened, and as he looked at Yang Ji, his gaze softened, turning from [provocation] to [contempt].
"This alchemy skill is nothing special after all. However, his Tempting Demon Pill had an exceptional quality. I will have to wait and see how he refines it," Chang Yuan thought to himself.
He had an almost abnormal pride in the path of alchemy, considering himself the number one alchemy talent. Yet he was also extremely insecure, always wanting to prove he was the best. Therefore, whenever he came across another Alchemist, he wished to spar with them.
Finding others inferior to himself made him relax and take a long, comforting breath.
Reassuring himself with unfounded confidence, indeed, on the path of alchemy, he was the strongest.
Yang Ji, of course, saw through his mindset. Right now, he was pretending, playing along to indulge Chang Yuan's twisted psychology, letting him lose himself in his own world before striking him hard later on.
Yang Ji carried out each step of his alchemy with extreme care, occasionally making mistakes out of nervousness.
Chang Yuan, watching this, found it ever more gratifying.
His operation revealed a lot more alchemy skill than Yang Ji had shown, each step was properly done. Although it wasn't quite the style of a Grandmaster, it indeed touched the threshold of a Grandmaster.
Melting, merging, separating pills, turning pills, and nurturing them, he went through a series of actions and only with great effort did a fine sweat form on his forehead, as he barely managed to produce eight Medicine Pills.
Meanwhile, Yang Ji, dripping with sweat, spent nearly half a day just on the merging process; as the day approached dusk, he finally managed to control four pills.
A true Peak Alchemy Master can control the pills with ease, while a false Alchemy Master still strives for eight Medicine Pills.
Now, with Yang Ji controlling four medium-quality pills, he pretended to breathe a sigh of relief, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
This round seemed to be his win.
Seeing him produce four Medicine Pills, Chang Yuan was not angry. Instead, a sense of pride emerged within him: "Although this person has the standard of a Peak Alchemy Master, he's far behind me. To take half a day to merge the medicines, enough time for me to produce eight furnaces. It seems his Tempting Demon Pill was also slowly ground out over a long time; it's nothing special."
"Brother Chang, it seems my friend has won?" Jin Suanpan glanced at the two Pill Furnaces and said with a slight smile.
"Yes, your friend has won. There are rewards for winning; choose one of these three items," Chang Yuan said with a calm smile. With a flick of his Storage Bag, he took out three items and displayed them in front of Yang Ji.
A reward?
He's really putting on airs.
However, Yang Ji still looked over, and the three items were a Supreme Pill Furnace, a Superior Artifact, and a piece of rotten wood the size of a middle finger.
"Brother, take his Supreme Pill Furnace. Don't pass up such a bargain," Jin Suanpan said with eyes brightened, transmitting his voice to him.
But at that moment, Yang Ji acted as if he hadn't heard him, stepped forward, and directly picked up the piece of rotten wood.
"The kid knows what he's doing, picking the worst item," Chang Yuan secretly thought.
I know what you're thinking my ass, what you've brought out is a Great Divine Power technique! Right now, Yang Ji's body was trembling because the rotten wood revealed [Great Divine Power Technique Volume 1, Humanoid Weapon!]
He accepted the piece of rotten wood and eagerly asked with a smile, "This piece of rotten wood seems like a treasure. Do you have any more with you, friend?"
"Since it's a treasure, there obviously aren't many. I don't have any more of them," Chang Yuan responded with a feigned lofty laugh, then glanced sideways to the middle-aged Cultivator and transmitted, "By the way, where did you get this piece of rotten wood? I forgot to ask you before."
"This piece of rotten wood? That loose Cultivator said it washed up from the sea, and when he found it, Spiritual Light shot up to the heavens. It surely must have washed out from a hidden Immortal's Cave Mansion in the depths of the sea. I saw that it was somewhat special and spent a Demon Essence Pill to purchase it.
I've researched it as well, but found nothing extraordinary; it's just like a solid piece of hardwood. That loose Cultivator must have exaggerated," the middle-aged Cultivator said.
"A loose Cultivator, of course, it must be so," Chang Yuan said with a laugh, apparently unconcerned.
Then, giving Yang Ji a glance, he flew up into the sky with a victorious smile, leaving the stone pillar with the middle-aged Cultivator.
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