Chapter 2 – Astonishing skill
Elder Xingyun was momentarily stunned, as if he had heard an utterly unbelievable joke, his face a mix of absurdity and amusement: "What did you say? You can concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs?"
He had thought Terra Su would come up with a good excuse to defend himself.
But after all this time, it turned out to be such a preposterous claim.
Terra Su could concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs?
Impossible. Elder Xingyun would bet his entire fortune that since Terra Su had joined the Orthodox One Sect, he hadn’t even touched an Alchemy Furnace.
As for before he joined the sect, Terra Su was only twelve years old. Even if he had learned about the Elixir Path, how many days could he have possibly studied?
Concocting a Qi Gathering Elixir was not that simple!
"Someone, bring him an Alchemy Furnace! I want to see how he can casually concoct a Qi Gathering Elixir!" Elder Xingyun said coldly, seeing Terra Su's claim as an insult to the profession of alchemists.
A person who likely had never even touched an Alchemy Furnace, claiming he could concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs?
He wanted to see how Terra Su would concoct it.
Following Elder Xingyun's command, soon two servants carried in a man-high bronze Alchemy Furnace into the great hall.
Additionally, Elder Xingyun had also prepared a set of materials for concocting Qi Gathering Elixirs for Terra Su.
Normally, these materials were worth a fortune. But now, to expose Terra Su on the spot, Elder Xingyun did not hesitate to bring them out, truly sparing no expense.
"Since you claim you can concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs, then do it right here in the great hall, and let everyone see just how skilled your alchemy is," Elder Xingyun sneered sarcastically.
He thought Terra Su would back down.
But at this moment, Terra Su's face was calm, showing no sign of retreat, just looking indifferently at Elder Xingyun.
The chill in his gaze made Elder Xingyun pause mid-sentence, feeling an involuntary shiver.
He didn't understand why he felt intimidated by a mere junior disciple!
Then, Terra Su calmly withdrew his gaze and slapped his right palm onto the Alchemy Furnace.
In the next moment! The bronze Alchemy Furnace suddenly shook, and the Furnace Lid, along with the waste residue of the medicinal materials inside, flew high into the air.
This scene made Elder Xingyun's eyelids twitch violently.
How could Elder Xingyun not know that this technique, called "Purified Furnace," used the inner strength of the body to clear out the residue of the previous concoction from the furnace?
If these residues were not thoroughly cleared, they would severely affect the next concoction, causing impurities in the next batch of Elixirs, leading to failure or a decrease in quality.
However, ordinary Alchemy Masters would use special tools to perform Purified Furnace, and it was rare for an alchemist to use inner strength to do it without any tools.
But Terra Su had done it!
Elder Xingyun narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of unease rising within him.
Could it be that Terra Su really could concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs?
No, that was impossible!
The Purified Furnace just now must have been a fluke.
Compared to Elder Xingyun's complex thoughts, the mentality of most disciples present was much simpler. They didn't understand what Terra Su had just done.
"What is Terra Su doing?"
"Is he performing some kind of trick? Hahaha..."
But Terra Su's next move immediately wiped the smiles off their faces.
Terra Su flicked his finger, and a flame shot out from between his fingers, igniting a roaring fire beneath the Alchemy Furnace!
This step was called Ignition!
If they didn't understand the Purified Furnace step, then Terra Su's adept Ignition technique undoubtedly shocked them.
Even Elder Xingyun showed a shocked expression. If the Purified Furnace could still be considered a coincidence, then the Ignition step was undoubtedly a genuine Alchemy Master skill.
When had Terra Su become an Alchemy Master?
Before Elder Xingyun could ponder further, Terra Su waved his hand, sending the prepared materials next to the furnace into it.
Concocting a Qi Gathering Elixir required six different materials, each with a specific order and temperature control, or else it was likely to fail.
However, Terra Su threw all the materials in at once, completely disregarding the order!
Tempering!
Refinement!
Elixir Formation!
All in one go!
The entire process took less than two incense sticks of time.
Even though Terra Su was reborn in the body of a fifteen-year-old, his memories were still those of an Alchemy Emperor. Concocting a basic first-grade Elixir like the Qi Gathering Elixir was simpler for him than eating or drinking.
While everyone was still gaping in astonishment, a thick white mist wafted out of the Alchemy Furnace, accompanied by the fragrance of Elixirs.
This was the sign of Elixir Formation!
Terra Su calmly extended his right palm again and gently tapped the Alchemy Furnace, causing the Furnace Lid to fly up once more, and jade-like Elixirs flew out from the furnace.
The completed Qi Gathering Elixirs, each the size of a longan, were crystal clear and lovely.
Terra Su casually picked up a porcelain plate to catch them, and the Elixirs fell onto the plate one by one, making a crisp and pleasant sound, extremely pleasing to the ear.
In contrast to this pleasant sound, however, were the extremely unsightly expressions on Elder Xingyun and Cooper Lu's faces.
They would never have imagined that Terra Su could actually concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs.
"Impossible, right?"
"When did Terra Su learn to concoct Elixirs?"
The disciples present were also shocked beyond belief!
They had thought that Terra Su's public alchemy was a display of embarrassment, but they didn't expect him to actually concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs.
"Let me verify this!" Elder Xingyun strode forward and grabbed a few Elixirs from the porcelain plate.
He refused to believe that what Terra Su had concocted were real Qi Gathering Elixirs!
However, upon examining and smelling the Elixirs in his hand, Elder Xingyun's face turned even darker.
With his expertise, how could he not recognize that these were indeed Qi Gathering Elixirs? Moreover, each Elixir was full-colored, uniform, and obviously of high quality!
In less than the time it took for two incense sticks to burn, Terra Su had concocted a furnace of high-quality Qi Gathering Elixirs!
This undoubtedly overturned the frame-up and entrapment by Elder Xingyun and Cooper Lu.
As Terra Su had said, if a person could casually concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs, why would they need to go through the trouble of stealing?
After all, the raw materials for Qi Gathering Elixirs were not precious; what was valuable was the skill to concoct them.
"What's going on? Terra Su really concocted Qi Gathering Elixirs, could he actually be a hidden alchemy genius?"
"If he can really concoct them so easily, it seems there's indeed no need for him to take such a big risk to steal, right?"
"Could it be that Elder Xingyun wronged him?"
Elder Xingyun's face was grim. Today, he had been confident that he could ruin Terra Su's future and expel him from the sect.
But he hadn't expected Terra Su to concoct Qi Gathering Elixirs on the spot at the critical moment, causing all his plans to fail!
"What now? Elder Xingyun, aren't you going to admit that you and Cooper Lu conspired against me?" Terra Su said calmly.
Would Elder Xingyun admit it?
After all, Terra Su had no evidence to prove the frame-up, and as a venerable Elder of the Orthodox One Sect, his status was not so easily shaken by a mere junior disciple.
Elder Xingyun scoffed: "Terra Su, there are indeed some doubts about your theft of Elixirs, and I will investigate it thoroughly! The punishment of crippling your Dantian and expelling you from the sect is hereby suspended.
However, for publicly defying your teacher and disrespecting the way of the sect, as your elder, I still need to give you a small punishment! Starting today, you will serve as a Menial Disciple at the foot of the mountain for one year, during which you are forbidden from cultivating!"