The silence in the grand hall persisted for about a minute before Qi Shan, unable to hold back any longer, spoke with a snide tone, “I must say, Old Yan, even though the chance of you successfully refining the Dou Ling Pill nowadays is extremely low, do you have to overestimate its value so much?”
Hearing Qi Shan’s words, the eyes of the Yan Elder from the Sign Medicine Workshop flicked over to him briefly, and he sneered, “Perhaps when it comes to the art of alchemy, I may be inferior, but if we are really to compare the discernment of medicinal pills, this old man is not afraid to face you.”
Stifled by the Yan Elder’s retort, Qi Shan grew somewhat aggrieved. Even he had to admit that when it came to the discernment of medicinal pills, he was indeed inferior to the former.
“Sir, do you truly wish to use this Dou Ling Pill to exchange for these three herbs?” Lady Yao, the workshop owner, gazed at Xiao Yan with a smile, her voice tinged with uncertainty. The value of the Dou Ling Pill far exceeded that of the three herbs, and if she could secure this deal, she would gladly let Qi Shan be ignored, even disregarding Yan Elder’s high praise; the Dou Ling Pill was undoubtedly one of the best in the category of fifth-grade pills. Although the Yao Workshop was wary of Qi Shan, they were not entirely cowed by him.
Xiao Yan understood the unease in Lady Yao’s words. He was well aware that the value of the Dou Ling Pill far surpassed that of the three herbs. However, he currently only had this one fifth-grade pill left in his storage ring. He also had some other pills, but they were either not as valuable as the Dou Ling Pill or too low-grade to be presentable. So, he could only let the Yao Workshop gain an advantage, but since he felt a certain goodwill towards her due to her previous discreet reminder, he didn’t mind letting her take the lead.
“If Lady Yao has no objections, then I will accept these three herbs,” Xiao Yan said with a smile, nodding.
Upon hearing this, a look of joy flashed across Lady Yao’s face. Just as she was about to nod, Qi Shan slammed his hand on the table and shouted, “Wait!”
Interrupted, Lady Yao’s expression darkened slightly. Her beautiful eyes turned towards Qi Shan, her voice suppressing a hint of anger, “Elder Qi, I respect you as someone of repute in the Black Emperor City, but please, don’t force me to place a ban on you in my Yao Workshop!”
For the Yao Workshop to prosper in the Black Emperor City, and with an alchemist like the Yan Elder backing them, it was impossible for them to be easily bullied. Despite Qi Shan’s background, he couldn’t possibly trample all over them…
Qi Shan’s face changed slightly upon hearing Lady Yao’s angry words, and he sneered, his gaze viciously locking onto Xiao Yan, “Is it just the Dou Ling Pill? Do you think I can’t produce one?”
With a thud, a jade bottle appeared in Qi Shan’s hand and he slammed it down on the table.
Seeing Qi Shan’s actions, another round of exclamations erupted in the hall. The gazes directed at Qi Shan were filled with incredulity. Was this old guy out of his mind? Not only did he forsake any benefits, but he also took out a Dou Ling Pill at a great cost?
Faced with the shocked gazes around him, Qi Shan’s heart bled. He was preparing to refine a sixth-grade pill, and one of the main ingredients was the Jade Bone Fruit. Therefore, he was determined to obtain it. Furthermore, he was driven by the sting of Xiao Yan’s challenge. If news spread that the chief alchemist of the prestigious Black Emperor Sect was outcompeted by a brash youth, it would be too humiliating for him, who cared so much about his reputation. Under this pressure, Qi Shan gritted his teeth and, despite the pain, brought out his sole stored Dou Ling Pill.
Qi Shan’s actions took both Lady Yao and the Yan Elder by surprise. They never imagined that they would get the upper hand with this old fellow…
They glanced at each other, both feeling a bit awkward. After a moment, the Yan Elder slowly reached out and picked up the jade bottle. He poured out the pill and, after a quick glance, his brows furrowed.
Seeing this, Lady Yao’s heart sank, and she asked, “Elder Yan?”
“It is indeed a Dou Ling Pill…” The Yan Elder retracted his gaze and glanced at Qi Shan, saying, “However, its quality… is far inferior to that of this young friend’s.”
“Nonsense! How could a pill refined by a respected sixth-grade alchemist like me be worse than that of a mere youngster?” Qi Shan, enraged, bellowed.
Ignoring Qi Shan’s outburst, the Yan Elder held Xiao Yan’s Dou Ling Pill in his right hand and Qi Shan’s in his left, then displayed them to the other alchemists in the hall, “Fellow alchemists, all of you possess a good standing in the Black Emperor City. You should be capable of judging the quality of these two Dou Ling Pills. Which one is superior?”
Upon the Yan Elder’s words, the room fell silent as all eyes shifted to the pills. After closely examining both, their expressions turned strange. Regardless of the appearance or the medicinal energy, Xiao Yan’s pill was clearly superior to Qi Shan’s.
The Dou Ling Pill enhances the strength of a Dou Wang-level expert by one star, but there is a failure rate. During such times, the quality of the pill determines success. Simply put, if a Dou Wang expert took Xiao Yan’s and Qi Shan’s Dou Ling Pill, the former’s success rate would be significantly higher!
Given that a Dou Wang can only take one Dou Ling Pill, if one were to purchase a pill, they would surely choose Xiao Yan’s, even if it meant spending all their wealth. The difference between the two pills was obvious at a glance.
Despite knowing the difference, no one spoke. After all, offending Qi Shan at this time was not wise. Thus, the hall fell into an awkward silence.
Still, most eyes lingered on the Yan Elder’s right hand, which held Xiao Yan’s Dou Ling Pill. Qi Shan, noticing this, blushed in embarrassment. His gaze towards Xiao Yan gradually grew darker, revealing that this ungracious old man had harbored a grudge against Xiao Yan for showing him up.
The Yan Elder slowly retracted his hands, placing the two pills back in their bottles. He then handed one bottle back to Qi Shan, implying his intentions.
“Mister Xuan, these three herbs are yours,” Lady Yao, sensing the situation, exhaled in relief and smiled at Xiao Yan.
“Thank you…” Xiao Yan, likewise relieved, knew that these three herbs were incredibly rare. Traveling from the Rising Cloud Empire to the Black-Corner Region, he had found no trace of them. Now, finding them all together, he was not going to give up.
Ignoring Qi Shan and the angry, dark gaze behind him, Xiao Yan moved the three jade boxes. However, just as he was about to store the boxes, he sensed a powerful gust of air rushing towards him from behind.
Naturally, Xiao Yan knew who was behind the attack. His expression instantly turned grim, and with a cold hum, a surging, scorching Dou Qi erupted from his body like a volcano!
The Dou Qi surging from his body automatically churned, and then, as if triggered, it surged toward the attacker.
A low, deep explosion rang out in the hall, followed by a wave of energy that forced everyone to retreat. Astonished gazes turned towards Xiao Yan, who was enveloped in a thick, green Dou Qi. Sensing the power, many were awestruck.
“Battle Emperor?” Xiao Yan, having repelled the attack, slowly turned around, his gaze cold and menacing, meeting Qi Shan, whose face had paled upon realizing Xiao Yan’s strength.
“Haha, I didn’t expect you to be a Battle Emperor. My apologies, I mistook you. Please forgive my earlier rudeness, as I was quite agitated,” Qi Shan, sensing the murderous intent, quickly retreated and said with a false smile.
Xiao Yan, with a icy gaze, said in a chilling tone, “Don’t assume that, just because you’re the chief alchemist of the Black Emperor Sect, I won’t kill you…”
As Xiao Yan spoke, two figures approached him, their eyes hostile towards Qi Shan, ready to strike if prompted.
Xiao Yan’s words caused Qi Shan’s face to twitch. After their earlier clash, he knew that Xiao Yan’s strength was formidable. Even if they fought, the outcome would be uncertain, and with Xiao Yan’s companions, Little Healer Immortal and Zi Yan, giving him a sense of danger, Qi Shan could only laugh hollowly and feign a nonchalant tone, “Today’s youth sure are getting more and more impatient. I hope the next time we meet, you will still be as confident.”
With that, Qi Shan swept his sleeve and, seething with rage, descended the stairs and disappeared from sight.
“This old man is not one to be magnanimous. If you have no pressing matters in the Black Emperor City, it would be best to leave soon…”
“Thank you for the reminder, Lady Yao.” Xiao Yan grinned indifferently, turned to store the herbs, and was about to leave when he paused, “Lady Yao, there is something I wish to inquire about. Do you know anything about the Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva?”
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