"Formed the pill? So fast?" "It's only been a few minutes—how is this possible?" "This is the strength of a top-tier alchemy prodigy? Incredible!" "..."
The crowd heard the crisp sound and caught the fragrance, their gazes converging. Seeing the three round pills on the jade plate beside Lin Xuan's table, another wave of commotion erupted. Discussions buzzed, shaking everyone to the core.
In such a short time, if it were them, they'd at most complete the second step of refining the essence. Yet Lin Xuan had forged the pill in one go. Moreover, judging by the rich fragrance, it was clearly a success. Setting everything else aside, this speed alone—even a Spiritual-grade alchemist might struggle to match it, right? This was a top-tier alchemy prodigy!
The crowd's shock deepened.
In the distance, Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun were equally shaken. This scene had exceeded their expectations too. Such alchemy speed—even they, who had trodden the path of alchemy for decades and refined Qi Recovery Pills countless times—would find it hard to compare. Both couldn't help but marvel again at Lin Xuan's alchemy talent. Then, they walked over.
"Little friend Lin, may I take a look at the quality of your pill?" Sun Jingyun asked with a chuckle, his demeanor a stark contrast to his earlier cold indifference.
The onlookers were somewhat speechless, but they understood: it was Lin Xuan's display of alchemy talent that had prompted such a shift in attitude from a Spiritual-grade upper-tier alchemist like Sun Jingyun. In Windcloud City and the surrounding prefectures and towns, aside from the few Spirit Origin realm experts and Earth-grade alchemists, Spiritual-grade upper-tier alchemists like Sun Jingyun held the highest status, with none daring to slight them. His coldness toward other martial artists was only natural. Only someone like Lin Xuan—a top-tier alchemy prodigy with such immense potential that becoming an Earth-grade alchemist was well within reach—deserved such treatment from Sun Jingyun.
"Senior Sun, please go ahead," Lin Xuan said, handing over the jade plate.
Sun Jingyun took it, and a potent fragrance of the pill hit his nose, piquing his curiosity about the Qi Recovery Pill's quality. Beside him, Zhang Qun leaned in as well. Though the fragrance indicated that the three Qi Recovery Pills Lin Xuan had refined were clearly successful—and according to the assessment rules, forming three pills without requiring specific quality was enough to pass—they were still curious to see what quality a top-tier alchemy prodigy like Lin Xuan could achieve.
His gaze fell, and with a gentle motion, the three round, jade-like Qi Recovery Pills rolled around on the plate. After a quick scan, they noticed that each pill was densely covered with cloud-like pill patterns, divided into three sections. Instantly, Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun froze, their pupils contracting, disbelief flooding their eyes as they exclaimed:
"Three-pattern Qi Recovery Pills!" "And all three are like this—how is that possible?!"
As their words fell, the scene fell into dead silence. Everyone's eyes snapped to Lin Xuan, filled with incredulity. Then, as realization dawned, a collective hiss of sharp intakes of breath echoed, and the crowd erupted into uproar.
"Holy crap, three-pattern pills? Is that for real?" "Both Senior Sun and Senior Zhang, Spiritual-grade upper-tier alchemists, said it—how could it be fake!" "Three patterns on a pill—I've heard it's incredibly rare!" "And if I heard right, all three Qi Recovery Pills are three-pattern?" "Three pills formed, all three-pattern—that's perfection!" "This is freaking insane!" "..."
The crowd buzzed with endless chatter and gasps. Their gazes at Lin Xuan grew even more awestruck. Even Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun, veteran Spiritual-grade upper-tier alchemists, were the same. They had never imagined that Lin Xuan could not only form three pills in such a short time but also achieve three patterns on every single one!
For every type of pill, quality was divided into four grades: no pattern, one cloud pattern (one-pattern), two-pattern, and the highest, three-pattern. Among these, no-pattern pills, also called ordinary quality, were the most common and easiest to refine, with the lowest value. One-pattern pills were of decent quality, several times harder to refine, and several times more valuable. Two-pattern went a step further. As for three-pattern, also known as perfect quality, it was the hardest to achieve—even after hundreds or thousands of attempts, one might not get a single pill. Its value was the highest, ten times that of one-pattern pills.
Take the Qi Recovery Pill, for instance. Though it was only a Mortal-grade upper-tier pill, even they, as Spiritual-grade upper-tier alchemists, would need to refine hundreds before stumbling upon one by chance. If an Earth-grade alchemy master tried, the odds would be much higher—maybe a few out of ten. But it was still a matter of luck, with no guarantee of success. Yet Lin Xuan, a sixteen-year-old youth at the Condensing Whirlpool third layer, likely spent most of his time on martial arts. Even if he invested in alchemy, it wouldn't be much. But with a single batch of Qi Recovery Pill materials, he not only formed three pills so quickly but also made all three three-pattern pills. Even an Earth-grade alchemist might not pull that off, right?
How could everyone present, including Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun, not be utterly stunned?
At that moment, everyone trembled, their hearts reaching the peak of shock. Their minds were a blur, almost unable to process or think. Because this scene was too staggering, far beyond their imagination. They felt almost unable to accept it. It took several breaths before they began to recover, but the awe in their eyes hadn't diminished one bit.
Sun Jingyun and Zhang Qun looked at Lin Xuan with complex expressions, their hearts filled with emotion. They had never imagined that something they hadn't achieved in decades of alchemy—something they wouldn't even dare to dream of—could be so easily accomplished by Lin Xuan, a young junior of just sixteen. Even as they regained their composure, it was hard to bear.
Still, they couldn't quite believe this was Lin Xuan's true skill. After all, even Earth-grade alchemists couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success in refining Mortal-grade three-pattern pills. For Lin Xuan, a youth just starting in alchemy, to do it as a matter of skill would be too far from the norm. It shattered their worldview of so many years. They simply refused to believe it, deep down attributing it to luck. Even if the scene before them screamed skill, they dared not accept it.
Yet, even if it was luck, it still spoke to Lin Xuan's alchemy mastery and talent. He was no less than them, two veteran Spiritual-grade upper-tier alchemists, and likely far surpassed them.