Qi Mobai's eyes were half-closed, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.
Behind his neck, a jade-green ribbon of immortal charm drifted gently.
Specks of starlight-like radiance hovered all around him.
His entire being had entered a wondrous state, akin to a cultivator falling into an epiphany.
Jia Daoshang stared at this scene in sheer disbelief.
"An al... an alchemic epiphany..."
"Impossible... How is this possible?! He's merely a herbalist!"
*Clatter!*
The old man lurched to his feet, overturning the table beside him and knocking over his teacup.
*Hum!*
A powerful wave of spatial force froze the elder, the spilled tea, and the tumbling teacup in midair.
Lin Chuanqing's patience with the old man had worn thin.
A chilling glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Jia Daoshang immediately settled down. Cupping his hands in apology, he carefully slipped back into his chair.
Meanwhile, Li Guanqi looked upon Qi Mobai beyond the white gauze curtain with relief in his eyes.
At this moment, Qi Mobai resembled a daydreaming child who had finally made his dream come true.
His consciousness roamed freely within the boundless sea of fire.
He seemed instinctively aware of the precise threshold required to refine and extract each cluster of medicinal liquid.
With slight twitches of his ten fingers, the flames within the cauldron obeyed as smoothly as his own limbs. Everything remained under his complete control.
Lin Wujiu slowly straightened his posture, staring at the silhouette behind the white gauze as he murmured, "Breathtaking."
Indeed, Qi Mobai sat cross-legged on the floor like a banished immortal.
Every single movement was an absolute pleasure to behold.
After an unknown amount of time, a rich pill fragrance wafted out from the cauldron.
Jia Daoshang's expression turned as foul as could be.
Beneath the voluminous sleeves of his ornate robe, his fists clenched tightly, fine bloodshot lines surfacing at the corners of his eyes.
Even now, he could not believe that this person was truly qualified to become an alchemist!
*Rumble!*
The people in the hall jerked their heads up toward the ceiling.
Immediately afterward, a dazzling streak of purple lightning pierced through the roof, striking directly upon the cauldron.
*Clang, clang, rattle, clang!*
The cauldron shuddered violently as a dense barrage of impacts rang out.
The lightning of the pill tribulation surged within the vessel, causing the pitch-black cauldron to erupt with radiant purple light.
Excitement flushed Qi Mobai's face. He pressed one hand down upon the cauldron, holding it down firmly as his immortal primal energy enveloped the vessel, not daring to let the pill tribulation's power leak in the slightest.
*Spurt!*
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Qi Mobai's lips, and the cauldron instantly fell quiet.
Qi Mobai stood before the cauldron, utterly thrilled. Instead of rushing to lift the lid, he turned to look at Li Guanqi.
Tears welled in his eyes. Gazing at Li Guanqi through the white gauze curtain, his excitement was beyond words.
His body trembled slightly, and he spoke in a soft voice. "Brother Li... could you come over and help me unseal the cauldron?"
Jia Daoshang stood up, glaring fixedly toward the cauldron before shifting his gaze onto Li Guanqi.
One had to realize that the very first batch of pills refined upon becoming an alchemist was a supreme honor for any master of the craft.
Unsealing the cauldron for that first batch was an act an alchemist would usually perform themselves, or leave to their master.
Li Guanqi smiled. Stepping forward, he drew back the white gauze, exchanged a glance with Qi Mobai, and slowly lifted the lid.
The instant the lid came off, a plume of white smoke soared into the heights, and a rich pill fragrance permeated the entire hall.
Lin Chuanqing and Lin Wujiu rose from their seats instinctively, stepping down from the raised dais.
Nine perfectly round pills covered in pill markings hovered within the cauldron.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Li Guanqi's eyes. He collected the pills one by one, storing them inside a jade box carved of immortal crystal.
Lin Chuanqing flashed before Li Guanqi, reaching out to take the jade box and examining it closely.
Shock and excitement gleamed in his eyes.
"Top-grade! These are top-grade!"
Jia Daoshang squeezed his way in as well. Staring at the round pills covered in intricate markings, he muttered incessantly, "Impossible... This is absolutely impossible. Pill markings... You... you were an alchemist all along, weren't you?!"
As he spoke, the old man completely lost his composure, lunging forward and grabbing Qi Mobai's shoulders.
*Swish!*
A flash of cold light swept across, severing both of the old man's hands at the wrists!
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes at the old man. "Old bastard, you play pretty dirty, don't you?"
Even as he spoke, Li Guanqi rested a hand on Qi Mobai's shoulder.
Immediately, two wisps of flame energy were drawn out from Qi Mobai's body!
Lin Chuanqing understood what had happened in an instant.
It turned out Jia Daoshang had set his sights on the flame power inside Qi Mobai!
"Humph!"
Lin Chuanqing smashed a fist into the old man's abdomen. Jia Daoshang doubled over like a cooked prawn, vomiting blood mingled with minced chunks of his internal organs.
*Bang!*
Lin Chuanqing reached out, ripping the entire top off the cauldron with his bare hand.
With a flick of his palm, he shattered the lid into jagged, fist-sized shards.
Grabbing the elder by the hair, Lin Chuanqing said coldly, "Since you have so much nonsense to spout... say less from now on!"
With that, he grabbed a sharp, fist-sized shard and shoved it straight into the elder's mouth!
The jagged edges shredded the old man's lips and throat, yet Lin Chuanqing forcibly crammed it down his gullet!
Blood filled the old man's mouth, tearing his lips to ribbons.
The sight sent a chill down Qi Mobai's spine, but Li Guanqi remained completely unfazed.
Had Lin Chuanqing not stepped in, Li Guanqi would have made a move himself.
After cramming three shards down the old man's throat in succession, the elder's eyes rolled back, and his breathing dwindled to faint gasps.
Tossing him aside onto the floor, Lin Chuanqing wiped his hands and ordered, "Throw him out."
Turning back, he looked at Qi Mobai and Li Guanqi, making no effort to conceal the admiration in his eyes.
Returning to the head seat upon the dais, Lin Chuanqing looked at Qi Mobai and said softly, "Qi Mobai, I hereby hire you as the Grand Consecrated Elder of Yuxu City. From now on, whatever pill formulas or immortal herbs you need, I will procure them for you so long as you ask.
"Following the standard conventions of the outside world, for every batch of ingredients, you only need to hand over half of the pills produced. Any failed batches are on my account.
"What do you think?"
A single cauldron of Xuanyuan Pills was already enough to demonstrate Qi Mobai's current alchemy prowess.
With his flame control and innate talent, his success rate for forming pills was at least eighty percent!
Moreover, the quality of his flame was remarkably high, meaning the refined pills would contain very few impurities. No matter how one looked at it, Lin Chuanqing stood to profit!
For a newly minted alchemist, having a backing faction that provided an endless stream of immortal herbs was an immense blessing.
Qi Mobai turned to Li Guanqi, who gave a slight nod.
Taking a deep breath, Qi Mobai stepped forward, bowed low, and said in a solemn voice, "Mobai thanks the Castellan for his regard. I accept!"
Lin Chuanqing roared with laughter, hearty and thoroughly delighted.
With a wave of his hand, he bestowed a jade pendant and a set of robes upon Qi Mobai.
Then he turned to Li Guanqi, pretending to sigh with regret. "A pity. I was this close to having you work for me for the rest of your life."
Li Guanqi shrugged, offering his congratulations with a smile. "I must still congratulate Senior Lin on gaining a genius alchemist."
Lin Chuanqing did not waste words, tossing two jade slips from the table over to Li Guanqi.
"Right. Starting tomorrow, you will be in charge of the entire military camp. Make sure you show up.
"These are the remnant scroll of a lightning-attribute cultivation method and a movement technique. They should be of considerable help to you."
Chapter 1591