The moment Ye Xuan stepped inside, he was met with a rich, fragrant aroma of medicine. He scanned the room and saw that the small space was packed with people, yet utterly silent. Over a hundred Alchemists in their designated robes were all staring intently toward the front of the room.

There, an elderly man was controlling an Array Disc. Above the disc, wisps of strange fire supported a rustic Pill Furnace, and the old man was fully engrossed, continuously adding various Spirit Medicines.

"You’re back. What are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and sit down." An Alchemist seated at the very back sensed the movement behind him. Without turning his head, his eyes remained glued to the old man’s work as he spoke in a low voice, clearly mistaking Ye Xuan for the poor soul who had run off with an upset stomach.

Ye Xuan didn’t mind. He sat down cross-legged in the empty seat at the back and began observing Luo Xiang’s Alchemy process.

This Luo Xiang was about sixty years old, his hair and beard streaked with gray, and his face was lined with wrinkles.

It was clear his technique was masterful, a sign of profound skill in Alchemy.

Judging by his aura, Luo Xiang was a Tier Six First Layer Martial Venerable, and his proficiency in Alchemy was approaching the peak of the Fifth Grade.

Ye Xuan watched in silence.

Refining the Venerable Ascension Pill was exceptionally difficult. Luo Xiang was clearly not an expert at it—his movements were a bit stiff—but so far, he had followed all the steps without making any mistakes.

Gradually, a faint medicinal aroma began to drift through the room, a sign that the Venerable Ascension Pill was nearing completion. Only three ingredients remained to be added.

A subtle popping sound echoed from within the Pill Furnace. The instant it did, Luo Xiang abruptly opened the lid and tossed in another ingredient.

’Hmm? This timing...’

Ye Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly. According to traditional Alchemy, the popping sound from the Pill Furnace was a prelude to the Pill’s formation. One was supposed to wait a moment before adding the Hemp Leaf Grass, but Luo Xiang had just added it a little too quickly.

Sure enough, after the Hemp Leaf Grass was added, a faint odor wafted out from the Pill Furnace, which Ye Xuan immediately detected. He shook his head in astonishment, a look of regret on his face. "It was so close to forming. To think it’s going to fail now... What a shame."

Although his voice wasn’t loud, it sounded exceptionally clear in the silent room. Many people turned in astonishment, and upon seeing that the speaker was a young man, their expressions turned to confusion and irritation.

Even Luo Xiang, who was in the middle of the process, couldn’t help but frown. However, being in a critical stage, he didn’t look up and remained immersed in his Alchemy.

The other Alchemists shot him disgusted looks before turning back to watch Luo Xiang intently.

"Who are you? Where’s Luo Jia? Why are you in his seat?"

The Alchemist who had spoken to Ye Xuan earlier now realized the person next to him wasn’t his companion and asked with a bewildered expression.

"He probably went to wash his pants," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly.

"Wash his pants?" The Alchemist stared blankly, clearly not understanding what Ye Xuan meant.

Ye Xuan glanced at the Alchemist beside him. He was quite young, only around twenty, probably a Second Grade Alchemist.

He offered a well-intentioned warning: "You might want to be careful. This furnace of Pills is about to explode. It probably won’t kill anyone, but being covered head to toe in ash isn’t a good look."

"Explosion?" The young Alchemist gave Ye Xuan a speechless look. "You must be one of the Luo family’s kids. Master Luo Xiang is the strongest Alchemist in your family. How could he possibly make a rookie mistake like causing an explosion? You should run along home to your parents. This is no place for you to be playing around."

Ye Xuan was exasperated. A twenty-year-old was calling him a kid. He was truly speechless.

"Believe it or not," Ye Xuan said, not bothering to argue. He formed a Hand Skill, tossed an Array Disc beside himself, and set up a protective barrier.

Their conversation once again drew the attention of several people, especially the low-rank Alchemists at the back, who were now frowning and glaring at them.

A public demonstration by Master Luo Xiang was an incredibly rare learning opportunity that came around only once in a blue moon. They were already stuck in the back where they couldn’t see clearly, and now these two were chatting away. It was infuriating.

"You two! If you want to talk, get out!" one of the Alchemists finally snapped.

"Sorry, our apologies. We’ll be quiet," the young Alchemist apologized hastily.

The commotion drew more glances, and even Luo Xiang, still in the middle of his work, frowned and looked up. He was about to say something, but before he could speak, his expression suddenly changed.

HUMMM!

The Pill Furnace above the Profound Fire Array began to tremble violently. It grew incredibly turbulent, emitting an ear-splitting vibration.

Luo Xiang’s expression turned grim. He hastily formed a series of Hand Skills, trying to suppress the violent energy within the Pill Furnace.

But as he executed the Hand Skills, the Pill Furnace above the Profound Fire Array didn’t stabilize. Instead, the tremors intensified. The humming, now saturated with wild medicinal power, made many of the watching Alchemists feel dizzy and nauseous, their ears ringing.

Everyone’s expressions changed drastically as they grew tense with horror. This was the prelude to a catastrophic failure—an explosion!

Every Alchemist had experienced an explosion before, but those were usually with ordinary Pills, and the resulting damage was limited.

But this was a peak Fifth Grade Venerable Ascension Pill. If it exploded in such a small room, would anyone get out unscathed?

Panicked, everyone scrambled to their feet.

"Everyone, stay calm! Don’t move! I can contain it!" Luo Xiang shouted, his face grim. But before the words were even out of his mouth, the lid of the Pill Furnace blew off. A split second later, with a loud BOOM, a wave of black, noxious energy erupted outward.

Everyone in the room was rocked by the blast, left dizzy and with ringing ears. Most of them nearly fell over. Only Ye Xuan remained untouched, as a faint halo of light appeared before him, blocking the impact of the noxious energy.

The explosion came and went in a flash. When the smoke cleared, everyone in the room was a complete mess, their faces blackened with soot. They looked like a miserable flock of soot-covered pandas.

Even Master Luo Xiang was no exception. Caught completely off guard by the sudden explosion, a chunk of his goatee had been singed off, leaving him in a sorry, disheveled state.

The first thing he did after the explosion wasn’t to assess the damage, but to glare at Ye Xuan with wide, furious eyes and roar, "Damn you! You brat, you dared to sabotage my Alchemy! A thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone for what you’ve done! Get over here now!"

Inside the room, the other Alchemists also turned, their faces contorted with anger. They looked like they wanted to eat Ye Xuan alive.

"I don’t recognize this young man. Is he a new Alchemist?"

"Damn it, damn it! How dare he ruin Master Luo Xiang’s work! He deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"That boy has no sense at all! How could he dare to disrupt Master Luo Xiang during an Alchemy session? Does he have a death wish?"

"What a shame! Master Luo Xiang’s Venerable Ascension Pill was almost finished, and this kid ruined it! That was a Fifth Grade Venerable Ascension Pill! A single one is a priceless treasure! The cost of the ingredients alone was several million Profound Coins. You could sell this kid’s bones and it wouldn’t be enough to pay for it!"

"The loss is unimaginable."

An angry murmur spread as the Alchemists glared at Ye Xuan, seething and gritting their teeth.

Ye Xuan faced the enraged Luo Xiang without a trace of fear. He raised an eyebrow and said scornfully, "Old man, you’re the one who failed, and you have the gall to blame someone else? Have you no shame as an Alchemist?"

Luo Xiang’s eyes reddened with fury as he flew into a rage. "I failed? If you hadn’t been making such a racket, would I have failed? Even though it was my first time refining a Venerable Ascension Pill, I meticulously planned every single step of the process. It was foolproof! And you still dare to make excuses? Fine! I’m done talking to you. Go get your elders. I’ll make them pay for this furnace of Pills! The audacity!"

Ye Xuan sneered. "Foolproof? Let’s not even mention your timing with the Hemp Leaf Grass. Your earlier preparations were also riddled with errors; they just weren’t significant enough to cause a major problem. And at the final, critical moment, there was still a chance to save it, but you insisted on using your Profound Sense to suppress it. After so many idiotic moves, you still have the nerve to claim you were foolproof?"

"My timing with the Hemp Leaf Grass was wrong?" Luo Xiang was so furious he looked like smoke was about to come out of his ears. "You’re just a little brat! What do you know about timing? You think you’re so smart just because you can name Hemp Leaf Grass? I’m done wasting my breath on you. Go get your elders!"

"What’s wrong? What happened here?"

Just then, the doors flew open, and Luo Min rushed inside.

He had been standing just outside when he heard a massive boom, followed by Luo Xiang’s furious roars. He had rushed in immediately.

"Patriarch, what are you doing here?"

Seeing Luo Min, Luo Xiang was stunned for a moment before speaking. "Patriarch, it’s good that you’re here. When did this brat join our Alchemy workshop? The Venerable Ascension Pill I was just refining... it was completely ruined by him! I’m absolutely livid!"

"Young Master Ye, this..." Luo Min looked at Ye Xuan, the target of Luo Xiang’s finger, and was utterly speechless. He quickly turned to Luo Xiang and said in a cold voice, "Luo Xiang, show some respect. This is Young Master Ye."

"What? He’s the kid with connections to the Artifact Refining Workshop?"

Luo Xiang was a core member of the Luo family and a clan elder, so he had heard a little about Ye Xuan. However, he was in charge of the Alchemy division and devoted himself entirely to the study of Spirit Medicine, paying little mind to other family affairs. This was the first time he had ever seen Ye Xuan.

But even knowing that Ye Xuan was the young man to whom their family owed a great debt, Luo Xiang found it impossible to swallow his anger.