"Of course," Qin Yang said immediately.
Elder Wu opened his mouth to protest, "Impossible..."
Qin Yang hastily waved his hand to interrupt. "Stop saying there's no formula for the supreme-grade Face-Preserving Pill. I'm getting calluses on my ears from hearing that!"
He glanced at Jin Wanshan. "Show him."
Jin Wanshan sighed. Though he was a fellow dan refiner and empathized with Elder Wu's sentiment, facts remained facts.
He retrieved two second-grade supreme-grade Face-Preserving Pills from his qiankun ring and held them in his palm.
The moment the pills appeared, Elder Wu's eyes widened. He snatched them away, alternately closing his eyes to sense their energy and bringing them close to sniff.
"Even though these pills are yours now, what if buyers find out a wrinkled old man like you has been handling them? Would they still want to eat them?"
Qin Yang frowned, muttering under his breath.
Hearing this, Lou Mengyu suddenly felt a wave of disgust. How many hands had these Face-Preserving Pills passed through? It was utterly unhygienic!
If these pills were like this, who knew what other pills might be contaminated too?
But cultivators barely had enough time for cultivation alone. Who could spare the energy to refine their own pills?
"Doesn't it make you feel disgusted too?" Qin Yang noticed Lou Mengyu's expression of disgust and smiled. "Don't worry. From now on, I'll personally refine all pills for you—Gathering Qi Pills, Breath Recovery Pills, and every other type."
Lou Mengyu's heart settled. Pills touched by Qin Yang's hands would be safe.
"It's truly a second-order premium Face-Preserving Pill," Elder Wu nodded.
Jin Wanshan added, "Since Elder Wu—a fourth-order pill refiner—is here, we can activate this formula immediately. I'd planned to wait until after the assessment to bring it back to headquarters, but now we can start making money right away. We won't miss this golden opportunity."
Jin Wanshan produced the formula.
"What formula? Could it be for the second-order premium Face-Preserving Pill?" Elder Wu frowned.
Jin Wanshan nodded. "Exactly. This friend here sold it to me."
Holding two second-order premium Face-Preserving Pills, Elder Wu still couldn't believe the formula had materialized.
"Young master, don't get deceived!" Elder Wu, unconvinced, took the formula. "To verify its authenticity, we need a reliable pill refiner to attempt the concoction. If it succeeds, it's genuine. If it fails..."
"That can only mean the alchemist is a fraud," Qin Yang interjected.
"Qin Yang..." Lou Mengyu whispered, trying to stop him. You could have said the alchemist's skill was lacking, but calling him a fraud is downright insulting.
"Ah, so you're the rebellious one among the youngsters," Elder Wu observed, his gaze steady. "You claimed earlier to be able to refine Gathering Qi Pills and Breath Recovery Pills. And you even dismissed my high-grade pills as trash..."
Lou Mengyu's heart sank.
As expected, Elder Wu continued, "Then why don't you demonstrate your skills right here?"
Qin Yang shrugged. "The supreme-grade Face-Preserving Pill in your hand was crafted by me. Jin Wanshan witnessed the process himself. What need is there for further proof?"
"What?" Elder Wu's eyes widened in shock.
Jin Wanshan nodded helplessly.
Only then did Elder Wu carefully examine the Face-Preserving Pill formula, studying it intently.
The instructions were meticulously detailed, including every precaution and technique.
"If this formula is genuine, it's truly remarkable!" Elder Wu exclaimed, his voice thick with excitement. "Observe the spirit herbs used here..." He paused abruptly, mid-sentence.
The silence hung heavy. None present could bridge the communication gap.
Young Master Jin Wanshan and the shop assistant clearly couldn't understand, while Qin Yang—the skilled alchemist—was too dismissive to engage.
The atmosphere thickened with awkward tension.
Elder Wu cleared his throat, undeterred. "Even if this formula is genuine, I refuse to believe there exists an exceptional-grade formula for second-order Gathering Qi Pills or Breath Recovery Pills. As for supreme-grade pills..." He puffed out his chest. "I've successfully refined second-order supreme-grade pills myself."
His eyes locked on Qin Yang, Elder Wu's competitive spirit flared. "If you won't demonstrate your skills here, let's settle this through a dan refining competition. If you lose, there's no penalty. After all, you're the young master's friend, and he's witnessed your refinement of a second-order supreme-grade Face-Preserving Pill. That proves your capabilities."
"But if you win..." Elder Wu's fingers drummed the table. "I'll supply all your future medicinal needs."
Qin Yang shook his head. "No. We only consume pills refined on the spot. The residual pill qi enhances their efficacy. Besides, I must refine them myself."
Elder Wu continued, "Then I'll cover all your future needs for pill furnaces and spirit herbs! And I'll grant you one more condition! Let me annihilate a minor sect if you wish."
Qin Yang's eyes lit up. How could he refuse such an offer delivered right to his doorstep?
Truthfully, even without the wager, he would have challenged Elder Wu to a competition. Without competing, how could he replicate the formula?
Elder Wu was also calculating. If this youngster truly was a prodigy in pill refining, he might learn quite a lot. Especially for high-grade formulas—if the youth refined high-grade pills, Elder Wu could simply observe from the side and master the technique. After all, these were only second-order pills.
Seeing Qin Yang's agreement, Elder Wu felt a surge of satisfaction. He ordered a long table brought in and waved his hand.
Two pill furnaces and countless spirit herbs materialized instantly.
Elder Wu glanced at Jin Wanshan and Lou Mengyu standing nearby, cleared his throat, and deliberately raised his voice: "Don't say I'm bullying you. We'll use yellow-grade pill furnaces, and all spirit herbs will be identical."
His attempt at fairness only drew contempt instead.
A grandmaster-level expert, a fourth-order pill refiner, competing with a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator? Wasn't that blatant bullying?
Jin Wanshan stood to the side, chuckling heartily. No matter what they compared, after this competition, Elder Wu would know everything Qin Yang did.
Lou Mengyu's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Did Qin Yang actually know how to refine other pills? Judging by the table laden with various spirit herbs, he likely knew more than one formula.
Elder Wu spoke first, "These ingredients include those needed for the Gathering Qi Pill, Breath Recovery Pill, and Spirit Condensing Pill. Which would you like to begin with?"
Qin Yang replied nonchalantly, "You choose. I'm fine with any."
"Very well, then I'll lead the way." Elder Wu immediately began gathering ingredients.
Copy: Gathering Qi Pill formula automatically upgraded to perfect version.
The corresponding perfect technique was instantly mastered by Qin Yang.
"Huh? The spirit herbs are exactly the same..." Qin Yang paused, surprised. The perfect formula required identical ingredients to what Elder Wu was using.
"Don't prematurely remove the roots from the Violet Bamboo Vine. Even if you seal the sap with true qi, it alters the overall medicinal properties."
"Don't crush the Hollow Fruit with true qi. Throw it in whole and refine it directly..."
Every time Elder Wu moved to retrieve materials, Qin Yang immediately corrected his methods.
"Ah, are you actually a fourth-order pill refiner? Or is that title fake?" Qin Yang frowned.