Chapter 62: Another Wager?

Chen Xuan's words were uttered with the genuine intention of defusing the tense situation.

Yet Pei Linfeng seized the opening immediately, echoing the sentiment with a sycophantic tone, "Elder Chen is entirely correct! Elder Fu, we certainly shouldn't push anyone beyond their limits. Junior Brother Chu, if you simply concede defeat right now, absolutely no one will laugh at you."

Though framed as a word of discouragement on the surface, his speech was actually driving Chu Xing step by step into a dead end.

Witnessing this spectacle, Mu Wanqing bit down hard on her pearly teeth, turning her gaze toward Fu Lingchuan and Chen Xuan.

"Master, Uncle-Master Chen! The refinement of the Ink Jade Bone is indeed exceedingly arduous. Why not... alter our approach first?"

She cast a look at Chu Xing, her eyes carrying a subtle blend of encouragement and inquiry.

"In the Pill Hall's herb garden, there remain quite a few Scarlet Flame Grasses. The medicinal properties of this herb are volatile and fierce, which will likewise test one's proficiency in refinement. How about we let Junior Brother Chu first attempt to refine the Scarlet Flame Grass?"

This proposition was thoroughly reasonable and fair. It not only provided Chu Xing with a dignified way to back down but also afforded the two elders a graceful margin for maneuver.

A flash of receptive interest crossed Fu Lingchuan's eyes.

Yet how could Pei Linfeng possibly allow Chu Xing to extricate himself so easily?

He instantly intercepted the conversation before anyone else could speak, bursting into an exaggerated laugh.

"Senior Sister Mu, you truly hold him in far too high a regard! The Scarlet Flame Grass? That is the principal ingredient for refining the Mystic-tier lower-grade Scarlet Fire Pill! Refining it demands, at the very least, the flame-control standards of a Mystic-tier lower-grade alchemist! You are asking a menial laborer who doesn't even know how to conjure alchemy flames to touch such a thing? Let alone refine it, I fear he can't even..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a calm voice cut him off mid-word.

"Who says I cannot?"

Chu Xing raised his head.

"Senior Brother Pei, since you hold such a poor opinion of me, how about... we place another wager?"

As these words dropped, the entire audience was struck dumb with astonishment!

Pei Linfeng was likewise stunned for a moment, before unbridled joy surged across his face. This brat actually dared to take the initiative and provoke him? Heaven had a path, yet he refused to walk it!

"A wager? Splendid! What is it you wish to bet on?"

"Let us wager on whether or not this Scarlet Flame Grass can be refined by me."

"If I lose, the five hundred contribution points I won from you yesterday shall be returned to you in their entirety, without a single point missing."

"But if I win..." Chu Xing grinned broadly, "You shall give me another thousand points!"

"A thousand points!"

Exclamations burst forth from the crowd. That was by no means a trivial sum!

"Very well! I accept your wager!"

Pei Linfeng agreed without the slightest hesitation, "I am most eager to see precisely how you intend to win!"

In his view, yesterday's outcome might have involved a degree of sheer luck. However, he was also an alchemist and was well aware of the immense difficulty inherent in refinement. How could a puny fellow who hadn't even crossed the threshold of alchemy possibly accomplish such a feat?

Elder Chen Xuan also furrowed his brows deeply, speaking in a profound and solemn tone.

"Brat, regardless of what grievances exist between you and Pei Linfeng, before the alchemy platform, matters are not to be treated as child's play! If you possess no certainty of success, it is still not too late to retract your arrogant words."

Although he was rigid and stern in his ways, he was by no means an unreasonable man, and he was unwilling to witness a disciple ruin harmony purely over a dispute born of youthful pride.

Chu Xing cupped his hands respectfully toward Chen Xuan. "Many thanks to Elder Chen for the warning. Nonetheless, this disciple still wishes to try."

Turning his gaze toward Mu Wanqing, he offered her a reassuring look before stating:

"Senior Sister Mu, let us proceed as you suggested and begin with the Scarlet Flame Grass."

Gazing at him, Mu Wanqing nodded and instructed a disciple standing by the doorway, "Go to the herb garden and bring back a stalk of Scarlet Flame Grass."

"Understood!"

Shortly thereafter, a disciple hurried back carrying a jade box in his hands.

When the jade box was unsealed, a spiritual herb glowing entirely in crimson red lay quietly within. Even separated by a distance of several feet, everyone present could distinctly perceive the wave of searing heat radiating outward.

"A Scarlet Flame Grass aged over fifty years!" a knowledgeable disciple cried out in alarm. "This medicinal potency is bound to be far more volatile and fierce than ordinary ones!"

Gazing at that stalk of Scarlet Flame Grass, Pei Linfeng found the smile on his face growing even richer.

"Junior Brother Chu, please go ahead."

He made a sweeping gesture of invitation, eagerly waiting to watch the impending spectacle.

"The alchemy cauldron and the subterranean fire have both been prepared for you. Do not claim that we of the Pill Hall bullied a newcomer by withholding tools from your disposal."

Every gaze in the vicinity converged squarely upon Chu Xing.

From their perspective, the scene that would unfold next would be nothing more than Chu Xing flailing about in panic as he attempted to summon the fire, only to be blasted black and bruised by the violent medicinal energy.

Yet, Chu Xing's subsequent action caused every single person present to drop their jaws in utter shock.

He made no move toward the alchemy cauldron whatsoever, nor did he even deign to glance at the subterranean fire switch upon the platform. Instead, he merely stepped forward and retrieved the Scarlet Flame Grass directly from the open jade box.

"What is he attempting to do?"

"No alchemy cauldron? No use of fire? Does he intend to perform the refinement with his bare hands?"

"Has he lost his mind?! That is Scarlet Flame Grass! To touch it with bare hands—is he not afraid of being scorched into charcoal?"

Amidst the bewildered and suspicious murmurs of the crowd, Chu Xing executed an action that instantly plunged the entire area into absolute silence.

He placed that stalk of Scarlet Flame Grass right upon the palm of his left hand.

Then, extending his right hand, he stroked it from the roots and stem of the Scarlet Flame Grass all the way up to the leaves at the apex, exactly as one might caress a fine work of art.

There were no fluctuations of primordial energy, nor any soaring alchemy flames.

He simply stroked it with such effortless gentleness.

"What game is he playing?"

Pei Linfeng furrowed his brow, a cold sneer forming in his heart, "Playing at being mysterious and deceptive. Let us see just how long you can keep up this act!"

Elder Chen Xuan wore an expression of profound perplexity as well. Having spent a century pursuing the Dao of alchemy, he had never once witnessed such a bizarre refinement technique. What on earth was this brat doing?

Just as everyone assumed Chu Xing was merely putting on a pretentious show of deception, a sudden transformation occurred!

Wherever Chu Xing's right hand swept past, that stalk of Scarlet Flame Grass, which had moments before been fiercely volatile, suddenly behaved like a thoroughly tamed steed. The fiery glow on its surface rapidly converged and faded at a speed visible to the naked eye!

That searing, scorching aura likewise dissipated swiftly in its wake!

Immediately following this, an even more unimaginable spectacle transpired!

The roots, stem, and leaves of the Scarlet Flame Grass rapidly withered, shriveled, and carbonized, as though instantly stripped of all moisture and structural support...

All this occurred within the span of a mere three or four breaths!

"Crack."

With a soft sound, that stalk of Scarlet Flame Grass collapsed entirely within the palm of his hand, transforming directly into a heap of lifeless black powder!

The entire venue fell into a dead silence.

The smile frozen on Pei Linfeng's face stiffened completely.

Within Elder Chen Xuan's previously tranquil eyes, an unprecedented wave of incredulous shock surfaced for the very first time!

"Has he... failed?"

"I told you so! Posturing for effect, only to end up utterly destroying the medicinal material!"

Following the brief silence, raucous laughter erupted from the crowd. Pei Linfeng laughed so hard he leaned backward and forward, pointing straight at Chu Xing as he mocked him without the slightest reservation:

"Junior Brother Chu, is this your grand method of refinement? I am truly impressed, deeply impressed! When others refine, they at least manage to salvage a trace of medicinal liquid, but you—magnificent job turning it straight into ashes! Now let us see what further excuses you have left!"

Gazing at the mound of black powder resting in Chu Xing's palm, Mu Wanqing felt her heart sink lower and lower.

It had failed... In the end, had it failed after all?

Fu Lingchuan's brows were likewise knitted tightly together, a flicker of disappointment crossing his eyes. Such an outcome seemed to align with his expectations.

Just as everyone concluded that this farce had reached its end, Chu Xing slowly opened his left hand flat.

As the black powder cascaded downward, a single droplet of pure medicinal liquid—roughly the size of a dragon's eye and glowing entirely in a blood-like crimson—suspended itself quietly above the center of his palm!

That droplet of medicinal liquid was perfectly rounded and plump, radiating a dense, concentrated attribute of fire!

The raucous laughter instantly cut off short, dying the absolute quiet of an indrawn breath!

Every pair of eyes bulged as though they were about to burst from their sockets, staring fixedly, unblinkingly, at that suspended droplet of medicinal liquid!

"Wh-What is that?"

"Medicinal liquid! It is the medicinal liquid of the Scarlet Flame Grass!"

"Impossible! How could it... how could it possibly be refined to such a degree of purity?!"