radicalducati Chapter 310 This Master Xiao Bai is probably more than a 7th rank.
Chapter 310 This Master Xiao Bai is probably more than a 7th rank.
Chapter 310 This Master Xiao Bai is probably more than a seventh-rank expert.
The vast valley is lush with greenery, occasionally dotted with fiery red maple leaves, making it a feast for the eyes.
Led by Tang Huo'er, Xiao Bai and his companions headed deeper into the valley.
After passing through a narrow, tree-lined path, the view suddenly opened up ahead.
A vast plaza paved with crimson mountain rocks came into view. In the center of the plaza stood a stone platform tens of feet high, surrounded by many figures, most of whom were dressed in red robes and were clearly disciples of the Burning Flame Valley.
"Haha, my two young friends Xiao have arrived!"
Tang Zhen's loud voice came from the high platform.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Bai and the others lightly touched the ground with their toes, flashed forward, and reappeared on the high platform.
"Come, let me introduce you."
Tang Zhen waved warmly to Xiao Bai and Xiao Yan, "This is Master Fu, and this is Master Tai. They are both seventh-grade alchemists and also guest elders of the Pill Tower."
"Gentlemen, this is the young friend Xiao Bai I mentioned earlier, also a seventh-grade alchemist!"
Xiao Bai's gaze swept over the two alchemists beside him. Master Fu had white hair and a youthful face, with fair and slender hands and neatly trimmed nails.
Master Tai was short and stout, and his body exuded a faint medicinal fragrance.
"Master Tang, are you joking? This little boy looks to be only in his early twenties, a seventh-grade alchemist?"
Master Fu's gaze lingered on Xiao Bai's youthful face for a moment, then he frowned, his expression filled with serious suspicion.
Master Tai's face was bulging with fat, and his eyes were narrowed into slits as he scrutinized Xiao Bai without saying a word. However, the expression between his brows seemed to indicate that he agreed with Master Fu's words.
"I knew you two wouldn't believe me, but young friend Xiao Bai is indeed a genuine seventh-grade alchemist. You know I wouldn't joke about the 'Fire Bodhi Pill'!" Tang Zhen shook his head with a serious expression.
"This..." Fu and Tai exchanged a glance, both noticing the undisguised shock in each other's eyes.
They knew perfectly well that Tang Zhen's purpose in refining the "Fire Bodhi Pill" was to save his daughter, and they would never joke about something like that.
"Old Fu, if it's true, then this boy's talent for alchemy is probably on par with that little vixen from the Pill Tower!" Master Tai's narrowed eyes flashed with a sharp light.
"I don't believe it. The Cao family's daughter has such talent, and she even has a great figure like Xuan Kongzi teaching her. She only recently advanced to the seventh rank. This kid looks to be about the same age as her. Can he really compare to her?"
Master Fu shook his head. As the holy land of alchemists on the continent, the Pill Tower is not a place where just anyone can try to take advantage of the most outstanding geniuses.
"Hehe. Whether it is or not, we'll find out in a moment!"
Master Tai glanced at Old Fu and shook his head slightly. Tang Zhen wasn't stupid. Although he wasn't a proper alchemist and could only refine some low-level pills for fun, his understanding of alchemists was definitely not something that could be misled.
"Everyone, now that everyone's here, let's get ready to begin!"
After slowly scanning the group, Tang Zhen waved his hand, and the four scrolls fell into the hands of Xiao Bai, Xiao Yan, and Fu Tai respectively.
"Is he also one of the alchemists this time?" Fu Tai and the other looked at Xiao Yan holding the scroll, their expressions changed slightly, and their gazes suddenly turned to Tang Zhen, somewhat incredulous.
Don't tell them that this one is also a seventh-rank official.
Even Master Tai, who had some confidence in Tang Zhen's judgment, began to waver at this point.
Are you kidding me? This one looks younger, with a hint of childishness still lingering on his delicate face. A seventh-rank cultivator?
Do you think seventh-grade alchemists are as common as cabbages?
"Valley Master Tang, if I may be so bold, we simply cannot refine a high-grade seventh-rank pill, even if Master Tai and I join forces."
Master Fu put away the half-open scroll and said calmly.
The implication was that Xiao and Bai were excluded, as if they didn't exist.
"Moreover, this is the 'Fire Bodhi Pill,' which requires the soul's power to withstand the tempering of the Nine Dragons Thunderfire during its refining. You simply cannot succeed this way; you will only be wasting the medicinal materials!"
"I'm saying, Master Fu, just because you can't succeed doesn't mean everyone else can't."
Xiao Bai didn't want to say much and just wanted to finish quickly, but he didn't expect this old guy to suspect this one moment and that the next.
To put it bluntly, you're just here to work and get paid, why do you care so much?
"Boy, what did you say?" Master Fu glared fiercely at Xiao Bai, his face falling.
Xiao Bai shook his head slightly, not arguing with him, patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, and turned his gaze to Tang Zhen:
"Please, Valley Master Tang, unleash the Nine Dragons Thunderfire!"
Seeing that Xiao Bai completely ignored him, Master Fu's face darkened.
As an alchemist and a guest elder of the Pill Tower, he was always sought after wherever he went. Now, being completely ignored made him feel quite embarrassed.
Master Tai, who was standing next to him, was calm and collected, his eyes narrowed into slits, his face full of smiles, and he didn't say a word.
Tang Zhen glanced thoughtfully at Xiao Yan, then smiled and nodded to Xiao Bai, saying:
"Don't worry, I'll handle it carefully and won't let him get hurt!"
Although he trusted Xiao Bai and used Xiao Yan for this alchemy, he was still only a sixth-grade alchemist, and he was still a little apprehensive.
Xiao Bai's plan was exactly what he wanted. Let's put it to the test and see if it works.
"Go! Use your soul power to resist the burning of the Nine Dragons Thunderfire. If you can hold out for ten minutes, no one will dare say you're not qualified!"
Hearing Xiao Bai's words, Xiao Yan finally understood his purpose. He nodded firmly, stood up, walked to the center of the platform, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Tang Zhen, and calmly said:
"I've long heard of the Nine Dragons Thunderfire of Burning Flame Valley. Being able to test its power today makes this trip worthwhile."
"good!"
Looking at the young man in the arena, whose attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and whose eyes showed no fear, Tang Zhen felt a surge of admiration and clapped his hands, laughing:
"Whether you can last ten minutes or not, given your spirit, I'm willing to let you give it a try!"
After speaking, he glanced almost imperceptibly at Master Fu, thus defining the nature of the matter.
Even if the final result is not satisfactory, the loss is only some seventh-grade medicinal herbs, which Burning Flame Valley can afford!
Master Fu's lips twitched a few times, but things had developed to this point, so he stopped being stubborn. The host family didn't care anymore, so what else could he do?
Tang Zhen said no more. A wisp of silver flame rose from his palm. With a flick of his finger, the flame slowly floated up and hovered above the high platform, with faint dragon roars echoing in the air.
"This is the Nine Dragons Thunderfire!" Xiao Bai's gaze fell on that wisp of silver-white flame, suppressing the dragon roar and thunder that seemed to resonate within his body, and shook his head slightly.
Nine Dragons Thunderfire, ranked twelfth among the strange fires.
Strictly speaking, this strange fire is extremely compatible with him, whether it is lightning-attribute or dragon-shaped.
But precisely because of this, it seems somewhat useless. It has everything that the Nine Dragons Thunderfire has, and its potential is even greater.
Therefore, he had no intention of obtaining this strange fire. Firstly, it wouldn't be of much use, and secondly, the Burning Flame Valley guarded the Nine Dragons Thunderfire very closely, leaving behind many contingency plans. It was practically a secret passed down through generations of the Burning Flame Valley patriarch's lineage. The desire to acquire this strange fire was extremely rare.
Xiao Bai glanced at the girl next to Tang Zhen out of the corner of his eye, shook his head slightly, and decided that Xiao Yanzi should handle this task.
In fact, the Xiao and Tang families are very likely to be old friends!
On the other side, Xiao Yan looked at the Nine Dragons Thunderfire with great excitement and unparalleled longing in his eyes, but he was speechless when he thought of the 'bad idea' Xiao Bai had given him last night.
Taking a deep breath and clearing his mind of all the chaotic thoughts, Xiao Yan clenched his fist, and a wisp of emerald green flame with a hint of dark blue rose up.
"Wow, that's pretty powerful!" Xiao Bai crossed his arms and stroked his chin, staring curiously at the flame that was a fusion of three different flames.
Xiao Yan unleashed his soul power, and in an instant, the flames wriggled and transformed into a palm-sized fire lotus, which fell into the silver flames.
"Fancy!" Master Fu curled his lip. The fire lotus was indeed exquisite, but its temperature was not even as high as some flames formed from battle qi.
But Tang Zhen didn't think that way. His expression turned slightly serious. He sensed a faint fear emanating from the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, unrelated to strength, but simply the suppressive force between the flames.
Just like how a strange fire suppresses ordinary flames, it has a terrifying suppressive force.
"The color of this strange fire doesn't match any of the strange fires on the Strange Fire Ranking. It's somewhat like the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, but how could a flame ranked nineteenth cause the Nine Dragons Thunderfire to feel fear?"
Tang Zhen finally understood that Xiao Bai hadn't exaggerated; this young man in black was indeed qualified to participate in refining the 'Fire Bodhi Pill'.
"A strange fire?!"
Although Tang Zhen's voice was soft, it was like a thunderclap to Fu Tai and the other man, who exclaimed in unison, interrupting the test.
"Well, everyone, I think you have no doubts about Xiao Yanzi's abilities now, right?" Xiao Bai smiled as he surveyed the group.
"Haha, let's begin!"
Tang Zhen laughed heartily. His previously anxious heart finally settled down. He hadn't expected this little guy to give him such a big surprise.
He took out a porcelain bottle from his storage ring, took out several silver pills, and flicked them in front of Xiao Bai and Fu Tai.
"This pill can create a slight affinity between you all and the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, extending the time you can hold out."
Fu and Tai swallowed the pills without hesitation. The power of the strange fire was no joke, and they didn't have any strange fire to protect them.
Even a seventh-grade alchemist's soul cannot withstand prolonged burning by a strange fire.
"Young friend Xiao Bai, what are you doing?" Tang Zhen looked at the pill that had been bounced back and was somewhat puzzled.
"No need!" Xiao Bai shook his head, offering no further explanation.
".!" Tang Zhen.
Seeing that he wasn't joking, and assuming that Xiao Bai was just young and proud, he had no choice but to put away the pills and said helplessly:
"If you can't hold on for a while, remember to speak up!"
Master Fu glanced at Xiao Bai, his lips twitched a few times, but he didn't say anything more. Hmm, my face still hurts a little!
Master Tai, still smiling, nodded to Xiao Bai and also came to the center of the platform, sitting cross-legged.
Xiao Yan chuckled to himself, recalling the scene in the Tager Desert where Brother Bai replicated his Fire Lotus.
This guy is afraid of the Nine Dragons Thunderfire? Are you kidding me?
This is a lightning-attribute strange fire, possessing both lightning and fire properties, making it incredibly suitable for him.
He even wondered if he had the chance to swallow this strange fire, would he become like Brother Bai, able to play with both fire and lightning?
Hmm... I'm getting a little excited just thinking about it!
Seeing that everyone was ready, Tang Zhen waved his hand and took out a huge crimson medicine cauldron. He formed a hand seal, and the Nine Dragons Thunderfire suddenly expanded, turning into a silver sea of fire that fell into the cauldron.
Nine fire dragons swam in the sea of fire, emitting deafening roars.
"Gentlemen, the medicinal herb fusion stage is divided into eight parts, and the scrolls in your hands are the parts you are responsible for."
Tang Zhen's voice echoed on the high platform, "I will be in charge of refining the medicinal herbs, while the four of you will each be responsible for the subsequent eight parts of fusion. Each of you will be responsible for two parts, and you must ensure that your soul power is output evenly."
Xiao Bai unrolled the scroll, quickly glanced at the allocation plan, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
This Fire Bodhi Pill is a high-grade seventh-rank pill, now divided into eight parts, which seems to indicate that Burning Flame Valley does not want to reveal the pill formula.
However, he didn't care. Although this pill formula was a seventh-grade formula, it was almost entirely designed to counteract the damage caused by the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, and it didn't have much effect at all.
Being in charge of only two parts was as easy as eating and drinking for him.
Silver flames surged within the cauldron, and the medicinal herbs melted and purified at a visible speed.
Tang Zhen, as expected of an alchemy enthusiast, had mastered the Nine Dragons Thunderfire to perfection, refining all thirty-six kinds of medicinal herbs in just two hours.
"Please have Master Fu take over the first part."
Master Fu took a deep breath, and his soul power surged forth as he carefully guided the medicinal liquid to fuse together.
Fine beads of sweat quickly appeared on his forehead, partly due to the burning effect of the Nine Dragons Thunderfire on his soul, and partly due to the enormous mental strain of simultaneously controlling two medicinal liquids.
"Part Two, Master Tai."
Two more hours passed, and although Master Tai still had a smiling face, his eyes, which were now squinted into slits, were bloodshot.
His fat fingers moved in a series of hand seals, guiding the medicinal liquid to slowly blend together.
"Part Three, Young Friend Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yan focused intently, the azure flames flowing in his palm as he precisely controlled the fusion process.
Although he was only a sixth-grade alchemist, with the protection of the strange fire and the support of his naturally powerful soul force, his condition was more stable than that of the two seventh-grade alchemists.
Part Four, My Young Friend Xiao Bai.
As soon as Tang Zhen finished speaking, Xiao Bai casually waved his hand, and the two streams of medicinal liquid automatically merged like swallows returning to their nests. The process was smooth and seamless.
"this"
Tang Zhen had finished refining all the medicinal herbs and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Bai's effortless actions, and his eyes twitched involuntarily.
In all his years of life, this was the first time he had ever seen someone so casually refining a high-grade seventh-rank pill.
As time ticked by, the situation on the platform gradually became clear:
Master Fu's face was ashen, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and his hands, which were controlling the medicine, trembled incessantly. Master Tai was still able to maintain a smile, but he was clearly forcing himself to do so. Xiao Yan, though sweating, was still operating steadily and was even able to observe the progress of the others.
And Xiao Bai.
"Is this finished?"
Tang Zhen seemed to have discovered something incredible, his gaze fixed intently on the black-robed youth who was leaning against the medicine cauldron with his eyes closed in meditation.
He hurriedly looked into the medicine cauldron and saw that the portion of the medicine he was in charge of was not out of control, but rather perfectly blended, with a faint fragrance of medicine wafting out.
"Valley Master," an elder from Burning Flame Valley whispered to Tang Zhen, "this Master Xiao Bai is probably more than just a seventh-rank cultivator."
Tang Zhen nodded silently, his eyes gleaming.
He was able to start the fusion last and complete it first, and the quality of his medicinal liquid was much higher than that of the others.
This young friend is probably at least a high-level seventh rank, and possibly even an eighth rank!
No wonder they didn't need his elixirs; it wasn't youthful arrogance, but genuine confidence!
(End of this chapter)