50: Alchemy is something anyone can do.

Hearing Pang Hu bring up Xu Jing, Hong Yu hurriedly explained, "Senior Brother, you might not know, but after listening to the Alchemist's lecture, I tried refining two batches myself, and both were successful. That's why I said Alchemy is quite simple."

As he spoke, Hong Yu wanted to take out the Medicinal Pills he had refined to make his words more convincing, but he suddenly remembered that those pills had either been eaten by him or already sold to the Pill Cauldron Tower.

Pang Hu asked half-doubtingly, "Are you telling the truth?"

“No matter how bold I am, I wouldn't dare deceive Senior Brother.” Hong Yu scratched his head, putting on a simple and honest expression as he said, “Besides, this kind of thing can't be faked. Senior Brother only needs to watch me open the furnace and refine once to know that Alchemy really is very easy.”

Hearing this, Pang Hu believed him seventy or eighty percent. Although it still felt unbelievable, just as Hong Yu said, this was something that could be proven true or false with one try. No matter how stupid he was, he wouldn't joke about this.

Moreover, Hong Yu was someone the Saintess valued. If he really didn't have some talent, it wouldn't make sense.

As expected of the Saintess, she is a top-tier Prodigy even among Core Formation Cultivators. Her methods are profound and mysterious, being able to detect even this kind of talent.

Pang Hu's awe of Xu Jing deepened by another thirty percent in his heart.

Subsequently, he grabbed Hong Yu and hurriedly arrived at the back room of the Immortal Cave.

The back room turned out to be an Alchemy Room, containing a massive bronze furnace that looked quite similar to the Pill Furnaces in the Pill Mountain Alchemy Rooms.

Seeing this, Hong Yu couldn't help but remark, "So Senior Brother is also proficient in the Dao of Alchemy. My meager skills are truly like showing off a carpenter's axe before Lu Ban in front of Senior Brother."

Hearing this, Pang Hu's dark face turned slightly red, unnoticeably. He said in a flat tone, "I know a bit. Since that's the case, show me. Take these ordinary medicinal herbs and this Talisman sealing ordinary pill fire."

After saying that, he pulled a large pile of medicinal herbs and a slightly yellowed, palm-sized Talisman from his Storage Pouch and handed them to Hong Yu.

As for Pang Hu, what did he know about Alchemy?

It was all because he saw before that Alchemists were quite wealthy, so he wanted to learn as well.

Then, he set up an Alchemy Room Inside the Mansion, bought a second-hand Pill Furnace, and began his research with great enthusiasm.

As a result, from starting out to giving up, it took less than two months in total.

In the end, Pang Hu reached a conclusion: he slightly lacked talent in Alchemy, and he never touched the path again.

If the Formation set up in the Immortal Cave didn't have waterproof and dust-removing effects, the dust on this Pill Furnace would probably be incredibly thick by now.

So when he heard Hong Yu say Alchemy was simple, he didn't believe it for a second at first. Even if Hong Yu's explanation was convincing, without seeing it with his own eyes, he still maintained a skeptical attitude.

Hong Yu felt a bit dazed after taking the items Pang Hu handed him. He didn't recognize such a large pile of medicinal herbs.

Moreover, he had never used that Talisman before. The pill fire in the Pill Mountain Alchemy Rooms was controlled via Formations to adjust the flame size. A Talisman like this was indeed a bit beyond his scope of knowledge, and he didn't know if the System would be able to use it.

Seeing him dazed, Pang Hu thought he didn't recognize the Talisman, so he explained patiently, "This is a Talisman sealing a Ninth-Grade Pill Fire sub-flame. It's useless after refining one batch of pills. I don't have enough money to buy the main body of a ranked pill fire."

After saying that, Pang Hu patted Hong Yu on the shoulder and said with an expectant tone, "Come on, show me."

Although the current situation was different from his usual Alchemy, Hong Yu could only bite the bullet and proceed.

He said to the System in his mind, "System, I want to perform Alchemy."

The familiar feeling appeared again. After the System took over Hong Yu's body, it immediately selected the necessary herbs for the skin tempering pill from the large pile.

Then it tore the Talisman, skillfully controlled the flames, and refined the medicinal herbs one by one.

Pang Hu watched from the side, his eyes widening more and more, his face filled with disbelief.

This technique, this fluidity, this Alchemy that was so pleasing to the eye it could be called art, made Pang Hu more and more confused as he watched, and his thoughts drifted back to the past.

Pang Hu felt as if he had returned to the years when he was learning Alchemy. Back then, the operations of the Great Masters on Pill Mountain were just like Hong Yu's—the control over the pill fire, the familiarity with medicinal properties, every movement filled with absolute confidence.

What kind of monster is this? Even if he started learning Alchemy from the womb, he shouldn't have such a high level of skill at his age.

Moreover, according to what he said, he's only been in contact with Alchemy for a few days. Could it be that Hong Yu's talent and Comprehension Ability have reached a Heaven-Defying level?

Pang Hu thought to himself. Fortunately, Foundation Establishment Cultivators can use spiritual power to control their bodies, so he appeared calm on the surface, while in reality, a stormy sea was raging in his heart.

In an instant, he speculated countless possibilities for Hong Yu's identity. A spy sent by another Sect? The Reincarnation of a great expert? A peerless Genius with extraordinary talent?

Jealousy, shock, murderous intent, flattery, and various other thoughts surged in his mind.

Pang Hu didn't even notice that Hong Yu had finished refining the first batch of pills. After successfully collecting the pills, instead of stopping, he continued with the next round of Alchemy with immense focus.

It wasn't until a muffled sound came from the Pill Furnace and a burnt smell filled the air that Pang Hu snapped out of it, immediately taking the newly refined pills from Hong Yu's hand.

Hong Yu explained awkwardly from the side, "Senior Brother, I wanted to refine another batch of different pills, but I didn't notice I was running out of spiritual power, so..."

“It’s fine.” Pang Hu replied casually, then poured the pills out of the bottle. After examining them carefully, he couldn't help but gasp.

Although he had no talent for Alchemy, he still recognized the skin tempering pill. Pang Hu was very certain that the pill in his hand was by no means Low Grade.

He carefully put away the pills and asked with a complex tone, "Tell me the truth, no hiding. Exactly how long have you been in contact with Alchemy, and how many types of pills can you refine?"

Hong Yu said honestly, "It should be no more than three days. Senior Brother, you see I wasn't lying, right? I said Alchemy is very simple, easy as long as you have hands..."

“Enough!” Pang Hu shouted sharply, a few veins faintly bulging on his forehead.

If it were really easy as long as you have hands, then what was he, Pang Hu, who hadn't learned it after so long?

This Hong Yu, such a good Genius, why did he have to have a mouth?

“Does Senior Sister Xu know about this?” Pang Hu continued to ask.

“The Saintess probably doesn't know. After all, I've only been learning for a few days.”

Pang Hu rested his chin on one hand, staring at Hong Yu in deep thought.

Hong Yu was also a bit nervous at this moment. He came here to find a backer. He didn't know if exposing this level of Alchemy would be successful, and his real goal was actually Saintess Xu behind Pang Hu.

After a long while, Pang Hu said solemnly, "You kid, I really don't know whether to say you have good luck or bad luck. Since you have such extraordinary talent in Alchemy, if you can Cultivate to the Sixth Level of Qi Refining in one month, I will grant you a great opportunity."