Chapter 121: I Haven't Failed Yet

"Sizzle!"

A scorching flame surged from the palms of Xu Zhe, causing the surrounding air to distort instantly under the intense heat.

He tossed a spirit herb into the inferno, where it dissolved with visible speed, engulfed by the blaze.

"This..." Gu Jia'er immediately sensed that this technique for refining medicinal materials was far from simple. Her eyes widened slightly, her face etched with astonishment.

From the mere fact that Xu Zhe was refining medicine with his bare hands, combined with his proficient technique and mastery over the heat, she was certain that he was truly skilled in alchemy—and specifically, the ancient method of alchemy.

"Wow, Uncle Xu, are you for real? It’s one thing to understand the path of formations, but you can actually perform alchemy too!" Qu Hongxiu was utterly shocked, unable to believe her eyes.

She couldn't help but recall the scene of their first meeting; it had been less than three months, only a few dozen days ago. Back then, Uncle Xu had just awakened his cultivation and possessed not a shred of spiritual energy; he had even needed her help to keep an eye on the disciples from Yaochi who had come to deliver a message.

Since then, everything had changed.

Looking at herself now, she was still stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage, only a step closer to the Nascent Soul stage, having spent several hundred years to reach this point. Reaching the peak of the Golden Core stage in a few hundred years was already considered the mark of a genius. While it couldn't compare to the peerless talents who reached the Golden Core stage in a century, it was still quite impressive.

Yet, this Uncle Xu was clearly a more monstrous talent. In just over sixty days, he had already reached the early stage of the Golden Core, possessed a physical body at the Golden Body stage, and held a comprehensive combat power that could easily crush a Nascent Soul cultivator. On top of that, he understood formations and alchemy...

"I've wasted these past few hundred years!" Qu Hongxiu felt defeated on the spot, her face filled with dejection.

"Don't compare yourself to your Uncle Xu. You can't, I can't, and no one under the heavens can," Chu Xiaotong said calmly, attempting to comfort her.

In truth, she was equally stunned. She had never expected Xu Zhe to reach this level, and the key was how fast he had done it! To advance his strength so rapidly in such a short time, while mastering both formations and alchemy—this was clearly more than just having some powerful figure supporting him from the shadows.

"It is truly strange. Why would he use ancient alchemy? Could it be that some hidden, reclusive master taught him in secret?" Gu Jia'er wondered aloud.

After all, as it stood, the four major continents were almost entirely promoting the new style of alchemy. The ancient methods had been essentially eliminated, having retreated from the stage of the alchemy world entirely. Yet, seeing Xu Zhe perform it now, Gu Jia'er couldn't help but speculate. Unless it was some master isolated from the world, there was almost no one left who excelled in the ancient arts.

"What do you think of his level?" Chu Xiaotong asked.

"Judging by his control over the heat, his foundation is undoubtedly solid. However, the drawbacks of this ancient alchemy are significant; I fear it will be difficult for him to succeed in the final steps," Gu Jia'er replied in a low voice, shaking her head slightly.

"I, on the other hand, believe he will succeed. This guy never boasts; if he weren't confident, he wouldn't have volunteered to refine the pills," Chu Xiaotong smiled.

"It’s no use. I’ve told you, the ancient methods are too vague in many respects. Even if he manages to refine the Nine Heavens Pulse-Activating Pill, I suspect the quality will not be very high," Gu Jia'er remained skeptical.

It wasn't that she didn't believe in Xu Zhe, but rather that she didn't believe in the ancient alchemy itself. As for Xu Zhe's talent for alchemy, she felt genuine admiration; after all, the man had only awakened sixty-some days ago, and to handle the heat with such dexterity was simply monstrous for a genius.

...

"Hey, look, Old Demon Xu is over there!"

"What is he doing? Refining medicine?"

Before long, a crowd of cultivators had begun to gather. Many who were passing by noticed Xu Zhe at work, and with Chu Xiaotong and the others present, they felt a sense of relief, no longer fearing that they might be killed by him for no reason. After all, the "War God Chu" was well-known; although her temper was fiery, her sense of justice was quite strong. Having her there provided an immense sense of security.

"Wait, that alchemy technique of Old Demon Xu's... it looks very familiar!" Suddenly, someone exclaimed, sensing something amiss.

"Refining medicine with his bare hands? Is that the ancient alchemy method?"

"My god, I think I’ve just realized something incredible!"

"Could that person who suddenly appeared, Yu Song, actually be Old Demon Xu in disguise?"

More and more people began to whisper and discuss the matter. Watching Xu Zhe's familiar techniques, many who had watched or participated in the Divine Pill Competition felt their eyelids twitching wildly.

They had all investigated the background of Yu Song, who had been a completely obscure, ordinary guard at a small city of the Vermillion Bird Army, only at the Qi Condensation stage, yet had suddenly emerged with Golden Core cultivation. Furthermore, he possessed profound knowledge of ancient alchemy, not only taking first place in the Divine Pill Competition but, crucially, refining a pill that had triggered a Heavenly Tribulation. It was all too absurd.

Now, encountering Xu Zhe using the exact same methods, it would be foolish not to realize that Yu Song and Xu Zhe were one and the same.

Some expressions shifted from shock to sudden realization. Others raised their eyebrows, pulling out their Myriad Image Jade Tablets to secretly record the scene. Although there was no spiritual network coverage here, it did not affect the recording function of the devices.

"Master, they seem to be talking about Uncle Xu! What do they mean by 'Yu Song is Old Demon Xu'?" Qu Hongxiu heard the murmurs and asked Chu Xiaotong, looking puzzled.

"I suspect this fellow faked someone else's identity to enter the alchemy competition," Chu Xiaotong concluded easily.

"No wonder he was able to enter the Divine Pill Cave Heaven. I forgot to ask him earlier, but now it all makes sense. He must have placed in the top fifty of the competition, and therefore..." Gu Jia'er stopped mid-sentence, suddenly stunned.

"Wait, if this guy was able to place in the top fifty of the alchemy competition, then his alchemy skills..."

Gu Jia'er found the thought terrifying. Could the ancient alchemy method actually rank in the top fifty? Was it really that outrageous? Just how high was this man's talent for alchemy?

"Holy Master Gu, Old Demon Xu... ahem, I mean, the Prodigy Xu did far better than just the top fifty in this alchemy competition!" A cultivator who had overheard Gu Jia'er spoke up softly.

"What do you mean?" Gu Jia'er turned to look, asking in astonishment. Chu Xiaotong and Qu Hongxiu also turned their gazes toward the group of cultivators, filled with curiosity.

"If we aren't mistaken, the Prodigy Xu must have used some kind of transformation art to disguise himself as a small city guard of the Vermillion Bird Army named Yu Song to participate in the competition..." The cultivator paused, taking a deep breath before continuing: "And then, he took first place."

Gu Jia'er: "???"

First place? This man used ancient alchemy to take first place in the alchemy competition? Was this some kind of joke?

"How is that possible? Didn't Dong Fang and Lin Bei participate?" Gu Jia'er asked, struggling to believe it.

"They did. The topic of this competition was the Universe Rebirth Pill. Apothecary Dong refined a second-grade pill, and Apothecary Lin refined a third-grade one. As for what the Prodigy Xu refined..." The man stopped again, seemingly at a loss for words. To this day, the judges still hadn't found the pill Xu Zhe refined in any ancient texts to determine its grade.

"Did he refine a first-grade pill?" Gu Jia'er ventured a bold guess.

"No. The pill the Prodigy Xu refined triggered a Heavenly Tribulation. After it was formed, it was of a grade above the first, but none of us know how to judge or classify anything above the first grade," the cultivator shook his head, his face bitter.

"What?" Gu Jia'er gasped. Above the first grade? And it had a pill tribulation? How could this be possible? Were the pill tribulations described in the ancient texts actually real?

"A pill can trigger a Heavenly Tribulation?" Chu Xiaotong was also stunned. She realized that no matter how highly she estimated Xu Zhe, she had still underestimated him.

"My goodness..." Qu Hongxiu covered her mouth with both small hands, her bright, watery eyes filled with confusion about life and a lack of self-confidence. She remembered a poem once written by the prodigy Lu Yangyun: *If life deceives you, do not be sad, do not be grieved, for it will only continue to do so!*

"Bang!"

At that moment, a dull thud echoed. Everyone’s gaze instantly converged on the alchemy furnace in front of Xu Zhe, and their expressions shifted.

The entire furnace, which had been baked until it was white-hot, had developed a crack. It was a furnace Xu Zhe had borrowed from Gu Jia'er before he began; its quality was average, similar to those used in the competition. He had expected it to barely suffice.

Yet, he hadn't anticipated that once the herbs, which were over a hundred thousand years old, were condensed, their medicinal properties would sublimate collectively, creating a miraculous reaction.

Xu Zhe immediately focused his concentration, suppressing the medicinal liquid and controlling the heat to facilitate the coagulation of the pills. He had intended to refine pills of Divine quality, but he hadn't expected the furnace to fail to hold up.

"Sigh, so be it!"

Xu Zhe shook his head and sighed, waving his hand to rapidly reduce the heat.

"Click, click..."

A series of crisp, dense sounds began to emanate from the furnace, and cracks became clearly visible. The entire vessel was collapsing.

"No, it's going to explode! Xu Zhe, get back!" Gu Jia'er's expression changed, and she shouted immediately.

"It's fine!"

Xu Zhe narrowed his eyes, opening his divine sense and wrapping it around the furnace. At the same time, he pressed a palm out into the void.

Bang!

With a loud crash, the entire furnace shattered instantly. However, it was caught firmly by a massive, invisible palm print, preventing it from causing any widespread damage. The explosion was loud, but it caused no real harm.

The surrounding crowd was left in a cold sweat by Xu Zhe's maneuver. Good heavens, to be able to block a furnace explosion so casually—that was too strong! However, the furnace itself was likely ruined. What a pity.

"Not bad, you're quite experienced. I didn't expect you to know how to control an explosion like that. That's a great move; I'll have to learn it from you sometime," Gu Jia'er said, her eyes brightening with pleasant surprise.

"That can be arranged!" Xu Zhe thought for a moment and agreed. It was just a small trick; by combining it with divine sense, controlling the range of a blast wasn't difficult.

"Since that's the case, once we get out of here, would you be willing to come to our Putuo Holy Land to lecture and explain the ancient alchemy method?" Gu Jia'er pressed her luck, though her face still held a hint of shock. "I really didn't expect you to have such great attainments in alchemy. I fear we have all underestimated the power of the ancient methods."

"And... although you blew up the furnace and failed the refinement this time, I can see that the cause was the quality of the furnace. It's alright, I..." Gu Jia'er continued.

"Hmm? I didn't fail!"

Xu Zhe suddenly spoke, blinking. He flicked his wrist, and a streak of light emerged from the air. Moments later, the refreshing fragrance of pills permeated the entire area.

The crowd's expressions changed as they stared, dumbfounded, at the dozens of pills floating in mid-air.

"I originally wanted to refine a batch of Divine-grade pills, but it's a pity the quality of the furnace wasn't good enough. So, I settled for the next best thing and managed to refine them to the Superb grade," Xu Zhe explained, his tone carrying a hint of regret and disappointment.