Chapter 77

“What did you say?”

Hearing Ye Ruoshui’s words, Seventh Elder’s expression changed drastically. His eyes turned cold, and his tone was icy:

“Who says I can’t concoct a successful batch of pills?”

At these words, Ye Ruoshui immediately shrank back, hiding behind Xiao Minghuang and trembling.

Even Xiao Minghuang couldn’t help but feel a bit of pressure under the furious gaze of a Divine Sea Realm expert. Her expression serious, she cupped her hands and said:

“Seventh Elder, as a senior expert, why bother with a young girl?”

“Hmph!”

Seventh Elder snorted coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over Ye Ruoshui.

He had been momentarily blinded by anger earlier. Now that he had calmed down, he realized that Ye Ruoshui was just a young girl. He didn’t want to bully a child, but once someone touched his reverse scale, he would never let it go so easily.

“The little girl doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. She shall stay by my side as a pill apprentice for three years!”

Seventh Elder’s tone was icy and left no room for doubt.

“Three years as a pill apprentice?”

Xiao Minghuang was momentarily stunned.

A pill apprentice to an alchemist typically handled tasks like carrying charcoal and medicinal herbs, doing menial labor. In essence, they were little more than servants.

Xiao Minghuang regarded Ye Ruoshui as a younger sister and naturally didn’t want her to endure such work.

Her gaze turned to Seventh Elder, her eyes gradually cooling.

Though Ye Ruoshui, in her youthful impulsiveness, had offended Seventh Elder, which was somewhat impolite, Xiao Minghuang believed her words were not wrong.

Therefore, she would never stand by and watch Ye Ruoshui be humiliated today.

Moreover, even if Ye Ruoshui’s words were unreasonable, Xiao Minghuang was determined to take her away!

Seeing Xiao Minghuang firmly shielding Ye Ruoshui behind her, Seventh Elder couldn’t help but frown slightly and said indifferently:

“It seems the Ninth Princess is unwilling to grant me this face?”

At this point, Xiao Minghuang had no intention of compromising and spoke bluntly:

“This princess believes Ruoshui’s words are not at all mistaken. Seventh Elder, your lack of skill led to the cauldron explosion during alchemy, yet you vent your frustration on a young girl. Is this what a distinguished royal alchemist should do?”

“What? You say I’m venting my frustration?”

Seventh Elder’s expression darkened, his tone instantly turning sharp.

“Exactly. We all saw it. If it weren’t for your improper alchemy technique causing the cauldron to explode, how else could it be explained as anything but venting frustration?”

Seeing her mistress stand up for her, Ye Ruoshui suddenly found her courage and retorted directly.

“Hmph! I’m not so senile as to be venting frustration. You accuse me of such, but I’d like to see what evidence you can produce!”

Ye Ruoshui pointed to the cauldron and said:

“This batch of ruined pills is the evidence!”

“Little girl…”

Seeing the two about to argue again, Xiao Minghuang quickly interjected:

“Seventh Elder, as a senior and a master, do you not have even a bit of tolerance?”

“If Ruoshui says your alchemy technique is lacking, why not have a contest between the two of you? Use your respective techniques, and whoever wins will be proven correct.”

As she spoke, Xiao Minghuang turned to Ye Ruoshui and asked:

“Ruoshui, do you dare to compete with Seventh Elder?”

The usually timid Ye Ruoshui now had a glint of determination in her eyes and agreed without hesitation:

“Bring it on! Who’s afraid of whom!”

Seeing Ye Ruoshui agree, Seventh Elder narrowed his eyes, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

“I am the top alchemist of Great Xia, a fifth-level Divine Sea expert. Why should I lower myself to compete in alchemy with a mere maid? Wouldn’t it be a joke to the world if word got out that I bullied a young girl?”

Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui immediately pouted and said discontentedly:

“Seventh Elder, I never said you were bullying me. By saying so, aren’t you clearly insulting me? If you refuse to compete, it means you admit your technique was flawed, leading to the cauldron explosion and ruined pills!”

As soon as she finished speaking.

Seventh Elder’s beard trembled with anger, his eyes wide.

This little girl was sharp-tongued, leaving him speechless.

Seventh Elder glanced at the Ninth Princess, who was smiling with a look of satisfaction, and his anger only grew.

Truly, the maid reflects her mistress!

“You little brat, so bold! Fine, let’s compete. If you lose, you’ll serve as my alchemy apprentice for three years, and even the Ninth Princess won’t be able to stop it!”

Seventh Elder’s gaze shifted to the Ninth Princess as he spoke in a deep voice.

“Agreed.”

Xiao Minghuang smiled, confident that Ye Ruoshui wouldn’t lose to Seventh Elder.

“Good, it’s settled then. How shall we compete?”

Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang replied unhurriedly:

“Seventh Elder, no need to rush. If Ruoshui loses, she’ll serve as your alchemy apprentice for three years. But if you lose, what then?”

“Lose? I’ve been immersed in the art of alchemy for over a century. How could I possibly lose to this inexperienced little girl?”

Seventh Elder spoke with arrogance, showing no concern about losing to Ye Ruoshui.

After all, Ye Ruoshui looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old. She probably couldn’t even recognize a few types of spiritual herbs, let alone know anything about alchemy.

Xiao Minghuang’s expression remained calm as she gently shook her head and said,

“Nothing in this world is absolute. Since this is a wager, Seventh Elder, it would be best if you offered some stakes.”

“Hmph!”

Seventh Elder snorted coldly and said,

“If I lose, I’ll take this little girl as my disciple… No! If I lose, I’ll bow to this little girl as my master! Are you satisfied now?”

Hearing Seventh Elder’s words, both Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui’s faces showed a strange expression.

“This… this doesn’t seem too bad.”

Hearing their response, Seventh Elder trembled with anger, gritting his teeth as he said,

“You two…”

Xiao Minghuang smiled faintly and said, “If Seventh Elder loses, you’ll have to bow to Ruoshui as your master. As a senior and a respected figure, your word is your bond!”

Hearing this,

“I will never go back on my word!”

“Good!”

Xiao Minghuang declared in a clear voice,

“In that case, let’s find a few witnesses to observe this alchemy competition!”

Seventh Elder remained silent, watching to see what tricks Ninth Princess had up her sleeve.

Not long after.

A sharp, delicate voice of a eunuch came from outside the pavilion.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

Xiao Minghuang looked up and saw Emperor Xia dressed in casual attire, his face stern as he walked into the hall.

Behind Emperor Xia, Wang Jin followed closely.

“Your daughter pays her respects to Father Emperor.”

Xiao Minghuang bowed in greeting.

“Rise!”

The Emperor raised his hand slightly, glancing at the furnishings in the hall before his gaze fell on Seventh Elder, who stood to the side with a livid expression. Curiously, he asked,

“I heard that one of your maidservants is going to compete with Seventh Elder in alchemy. Is this true?”

Xiao Minghuang smiled slightly and said,

“Indeed!”

She took a small step to the side, revealing Ye Ruoshui standing behind her.

The Emperor looked at the young Ye Ruoshui, his eyes filled with disbelief.

A little girl who looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old—could she really be an alchemist?

However.

He knew that Ninth Princess was intelligent and steady, not one to act without reason. So, it was possible that this little girl was indeed a natural prodigy.

A faint smile appeared on the Emperor’s imposing face as he asked,

“Little girl, what is your name?”

Ye Ruoshui raised her head slightly, a trace of fear in her eyes. When she had worked as a maidservant in the palace, she had seen the Emperor from afar, but she had never been this close to him. Now that she was suddenly in his presence, it was inevitable that she felt nervous.

Fortunately, Her Highness was by her side, giving her courage.

Ye Ruoshui curtsied and said respectfully,

“This humble servant is Ye Ruoshui, greetings Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s gaze lingered on Ye Ruoshui, noticing the words “humble servant.” He thought to himself,

“This little girl really is a maidservant. If her alchemy talent is genuine, then being a maidservant would be too much of a waste…”

The Emperor nodded and asked,

“You’re going to compete with Seventh Elder in alchemy. Do you have any chance of winning?”

Ye Ruoshui tried to straighten her posture and said loudly,

“This humble servant is certain of victory!”

As soon as these words were spoken.

Everyone in the hall couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Wang Jin, standing behind the Emperor, quickly spoke up to salvage the situation.

“Little girl, do you know who the Seventh Elder is? He is the only alchemist in Great Xia. Even if you have some talent, you still have a long way to go. Don’t be so presumptuous. Hurry up and apologize to the Seventh Elder!”

Hearing Wang Jin’s advice, Ye Ruoshui widened her eyes defiantly and replied:

“What I said is the truth. Not only will I compete with the Seventh Elder in alchemy, but I will also defeat him. I must defeat him!”

Upon hearing Ye Ruoshui’s words, the Emperor grew even more curious. Could this twelve or thirteen-year-old girl really surpass the Seventh Elder?

If this were true, it would be a great boon for Great Xia!

The Emperor’s face remained calm, but his heart was stirred. He looked at the Seventh Elder, who had been standing silently with his eyes closed in deep thought, and asked:

“Seventh Elder, what do you think of this competition?”

The Seventh Elder opened his eyes, a sharp gleam appearing within them, and slowly said:

“Some young people nowadays are too arrogant and don’t know their limits. This is a good opportunity to teach them a lesson and ensure they understand the rules in the future!”

His words clearly indicated his acceptance of the competition.

As for the stakes of the competition, the Emperor had already heard about them from Wang Jin.

But before it began, he wanted to confirm them once more.

“If the Seventh Elder wins, Ye Ruoshui will serve as his alchemy apprentice for three years.”

“If Ye Ruoshui wins, the Seventh Elder will acknowledge her as his master.”

Wang Jin stood in the center of the hall and spoke.

His voice was not loud, but it carried to every corner of the hall.

“Agreed.”

“That’s right!”

The voices of the Seventh Elder and Ye Ruoshui rang out one after another, and the competition gradually began.

This competition was not something just anyone could witness.

First, the accompanying attendants were immediately dismissed and could only wait by the small lake outside.

If Ye Ruoshui truly had talent in alchemy, no matter her level, it would undoubtedly add another alchemist to Great Xia, making this matter of great importance.

Therefore, today’s competition had to be kept absolutely secret and not leaked.

Inside the hall, only the two competitors, the Emperor, Wang Jin, and Xiao Minghuang remained.

“Begin!”

The Emperor spoke lightly.

At the Emperor’s command, Ye Ruoshui and the Seventh Elder began their work.

The Seventh Elder naturally used the mid-grade Yellow-tier alchemy furnace, the Flame-Turning Furnace, within the hall.

Ye Ruoshui used her own untiered furnace.

The Seventh Elder continuously added spiritual herbs to his furnace. When he saw Ye Ruoshui take out an untiered furnace, he sneered inwardly:

“An untiered furnace, and she thinks she can surpass me? What a joke!”

Ye Ruoshui, however, paid no attention to the Seventh Elder’s gaze. She glanced at the figure standing outside the arena.

Xiao Minghuang’s face was full of tenderness and encouragement as she said:

“Ruoshui, do your best!”

“Yes!”

These few short words filled Ye Ruoshui with energy. She took a deep breath, walked to her furnace, formed hand seals, and chanted softly. A faint red light appeared on her palms as she infused a pure spiritual energy into the furnace.

The furnace, infused with spiritual energy, immediately ignited.

Ye Ruoshui tossed one medicinal herb after another into the furnace. The flames inside became intensely hot, roasting and transforming the herbs.

The Seventh Elder was not idle either. He was refining a Yuan Ascension Pill.

This type of pill was something he had to refine over a hundred times each year, and it was one of the pills he could refine that combined both high grade and quantity.

He began refining the pill according to his own experience.

In his view, Ye Ruoshui was not a pill refiner at all. She was merely using a subpar pill furnace and had no qualifications to compete with him in pill refining. The outcome was self-evident.

Seventh Elder continuously added various medicinal herbs, and the flames within the pill furnace kept rising and changing until the medicinal properties of the herbs were thoroughly fused.

As the flames inside the furnace continued to rise, wisps of white mist emerged from the furnace, and a faint medicinal aroma wafted out.

“It’s done!”

A look of joy appeared on Seventh Elder’s face. This time, the pill refining had gone surprisingly smoothly. He estimated the success rate to be around twenty percent, and the quality would also be quite high.

Sure enough.

He took out two Yuan Ascension Pills from the furnace, one with seventy percent quality and the other with eighty percent quality. They emitted a rich medicinal aroma that almost filled the entire hall.

The Emperor’s gaze fell on these two pills, and a flash of admiration appeared in his eyes as he praised:

“Excellent pills!”

It is known that the quality of pills is graded. Generally, pills with less than fifty percent quality are considered waste pills because the impurities that need to be extracted to absorb the pill’s efficacy outweigh the benefits, making them not worth the effort.

Sixty percent quality is considered low-grade.

Seventy percent quality is considered medium-grade.

Eighty percent quality is considered high-grade.

Ninety percent quality is considered super-grade.

Beyond that, there exists the legendary perfect quality, with less than one percent impurities. The efficacy is so pure it is unimaginable, and it is certain to produce pill patterns, making it a divine pill that every pill refiner dreams of.

Therefore, for Seventh Elder to refine a high-grade pill already demonstrated his extraordinary talent and rich experience. It was likely that only the masters of the Pill Pavilion in the entire southern region could compare to him.

Seeing that Seventh Elder had refined a high-grade Yuan Ascension Pill, the Emperor turned his gaze to Ye Ruoshui and sighed inwardly:

“Even if this young girl can refine a pill, it will probably only be of low-grade quality, at best medium-grade, and certainly no match for Seventh Elder. The outcome of this competition is already decided.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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