Chapter 617: Ancient Pine Demon Monarch

Having heard this, both Bai Weng and Shi Hao were stunned. Bai Weng felt that Li Qiye was boasting too much. This was a five transformations fate pill; he himself would need to go all out with caution during the process.

It was needless to say for Shi Hao; such a pill was far beyond his reach. At this moment, there was no way he could refine such a pill.

However, amidst their daze, Li Qiye pressed one hand onto the cauldron.

“Pop!” The cauldron’s flame appeared as Li Qiye threw all the ingredients inside.

“Pa, pa, pa!” The popping sounds as if someone was frying soybeans appeared. In just a second, a medicinal fragrance came about.

“Collect!” At this moment, the cauldron opened as the flame disappeared. A five transformations fate pill was refined in an instant.

Bai Weng was completely terrified while Shi Hao was rendered speechless. Both of them stood there silly with their mouths wide open and were unable to calm down for a long time.

Bai Weng’s breath was taken away by this scene. He had become an alchemist for a long time but had never seen this style of pill refinement. How could it be possible for one to refine pills as easily as frying beans? He had never heard of something even remotely similar and couldn’t see Li Qiye’s pill refinement method when he did it so quickly.

Shi Hao, on the other hand, couldn’t gauge anything since he was less knowledgeable than Bai Weng, so he just stood there silly.

Li Qiye handed a box to Bai Weng and said: “Okay, here is the proof that you need. Take it.”

For Li Qiye, this kind of proof or becoming the national Alchemy Chief were not worth thinking about. He only wanted to go take a look at the capital as well as do a favor by paving the way for Shi Hao, allowing him to have a future position in the Giant Bamboo Country.

Bai Weng shook his body to calm down and opened the box to look at the five transformations fate pill. His scream quickly ensued.

“This... this... this is seventy percent purity! How... can this be!?” His knees met the ground as he was scared out of his mind.

Shi Hao was similarly awestruck. Despite being a Junior Alchemist, he still understood the significance behind a seventy percent purity for a five transformations fate pill.

“It is only like that because I wasn’t in the mood. If I was more serious, then eighty percent wouldn’t have been a problem.” Li Qiye leisurely commented.

Bai Weng suddenly felt the urge to kneel down and hit his head on the ground. Seventy percent purity for a five transformations pill was enough to scare all alchemists to death, not to mention the speed and ease that Li Qiye had demonstrated, as if he was just frying beans. All the genius alchemists, Alchemy Saints, and Legendary Alchemists were not enough to reach the apex if this was the norm.

The ingredients for this fate pill had only transformed five times so their potency was limited. It was already considered great to be able to refine a pill with fifty percent purity, and only Alchemy Saints and Legendary Alchemists were able to reach sixty percent.

But now, Li Qiye easily refined one with seventy percent, so his skill should be around the peak of Legendary Alchemists. However, he nonchalantly stated that it was only because he wasn’t in the mood or else even eighty percent would be possible. Any alchemist would have a heart attack upon hearing this.

If anyone else said this, Bai Weng would think that the person didn’t know his own capabilities, but he was completely convinced at this moment. With his body kneeling on the ground, he would believe anything Li Qiye said even if the words were even more outrageous.

“Are you... an Alchemy Emperor?” Bai Weng asked with a blank gaze.

Li Qiye only smiled and didn’t answer.

Shi Hao joined Bai Weng on the ground by squatting straight down. He didn’t know how to describe his feelings at the moment.

Alchemy Emperor was the highest title as well as the greatest achievement for an alchemist. Although an Alchemy Emperor was not as powerful as an Immortal Emperor, they were highly respected by all in the Nine Worlds.

An even more illustrious title was Alchemy God. However, only one person across the eons was worthy of this title — the Alchemy God himself!

***

The Stonetreading County was a tiny county in the Refreshing Prefecture, a sizable prefecture in the Giant Bamboo Country.

The Ancient Pine Demon Monarch was the overseer of this prefecture. He was one of the eighteen demon monarchs beneath Madam Zi Yan, the Giant Bamboo Overlord.

Just like his name, the monarch was a pine tree who succeeded in the dao. Although he was not the strongest out of the eighteen, he was the oldest one among the group.

As the ruler of a big prefecture, he was very busy, especially with the recent task of finding young alchemists for the Demon King.

He had found some young alchemists but was not satisfied with them. Although their innate talents were okay, their current skills were simply too shallow.

While the monarch was deep in work, Bai Weng from the Stonetreading County tried to rush into his office despite being stopped outside.

“Bai Weng, can’t you wait a bit before reporting?” The monarch’s brows furrowed after seeing Bai Weng’s intrusion and said: “Wait until I’m done with work, then you can report what you have discovered.”

He was busy deciding between these young alchemists and was already in a foul mood, so Bai Weng’s intrusion only made it worse.

If it was anyone else, the monarch would have kicked them out already. However, Bai Weng was an experienced alchemist and was almost at the Grandmaster level. In the future, he could join the court any time as an alchemist, so the monarch viewed him in high regard.

“Demon Monarch, nothing is more important than this!” Bai Weng stated: “I will introduce an alchemist to you, a supreme and matchless alchemist!”

The monarch shook his head in response: “From your Stonetreading County? Outside of you, that county still has more alchemists? Although your disciples aren’t bad, the matter this time is very important; those disciples won’t do.”

“No, no, Demon Monarch misunderstood my intent.” Bai Weng quickly replied: “I am not recommending my own disciples. Moreover, my own skills are nothing before the Young Noble I am about to recommend, I’m not even worthy to hold his shoes!”

The Ancient Pine Demon Monarch was startled after hearing this. Although Bai Weng had yet to become a Grandmaster, he was already a top Alchemy Master. His self-deprecating praise to this person caught the demon monarch by surprise.

The monarch shook his head and said: “Are you joking right now? In the contemporary times, if any young person was worthy of being called supreme and matchless, then they would be the four alchemy prodigies. No one in the younger generation is comparable to those four.”

Bai Weng quickly said: “No, Demon Monarch, the four alchemy prodigies are nothing compared to Young Noble Li!”

The monarch’s expression became serious. While squinting his eyes, he deepened his tone: “Bai Weng, you can’t joke around like that. As the saying goes, one can eat indiscriminately but cannot speak indiscriminately. If others hear what you said just now, it would cause trouble for us. You should know how strong the backings of the four prodigies are.”

The four alchemy prodigies were renowned across the Stone Medicine World. Many people believed that if a new Alchemy Emperor were to appear, then it would be one of these four prodigies.

“Demon Monarch, I know just how much weight my words carried just now.” Bai Weng also became serious and answered: “But Young Noble Li, who I am recommending, is worthy for our Giant Bamboo to do everything to keep him here regardless of the price, which is why I spent all night running here. If we miss this chance, then we won’t be able to recruit another peerless alchemy genius.”

After seeing Bai Weng’s austere appearance, the monarch became more solemn as well: “Tell me why this alchemy genius is so amazing.”

As the monarch, he knew that characters like Bai Weng were not the frivolous type and wouldn’t joke around.

Bai Weng carefully handed the five transformations fate pill that Li Qiye concocted over to the monarch.

After seeing this fate pill, the monarch stood straight up from his seat and exclaimed: “Seventy percent purity! How... is this possible?!”

“Nothing is impossible for Young Noble Li.” Bai Weng said in the most earnest manner: “You would be stunned if you saw him refine pills in person.” Having said that, Bai Weng described Li Qiye’s alchemy process.

The monarch was shocked as he listened, standing there like a statue. After a while, the monarch fell to his seat then looked up at Bai Wang and uttered: “This can’t be real!”

Bai Weng replied solemnly: “This is one hundred percent real. This old man guarantees this with my life.” Here, his tone became more urgent: “This is a once-in-ten-thousand-years opportunity for the Giant Bamboo Country. Her Majesty wants more talents, right? We need a young alchemist to join the Alchemy Conference, right? If Young Noble Li agrees to represent us, then we’ll take first place for sure!”

The monarch calmed down and quickly asked: “This Young Noble Li, where is he from and which sect does he belong to?”

He was very emotional at the moment. If such a young alchemist had such capabilities, then he would surely be the Alchemy Emperor in the future.

Bai Weng answered: “Young Noble Li is a human, a vagrant cultivator that doesn’t belong to any sect.”

The monarch couldn’t help but ponder after hearing this answer: “How could that be? As such a powerful alchemist, if he is not already an Alchemy Emperor, then he would be a Legendary Alchemist. It is one thing to be unknown, but not having any sect trying to recruit him? That is abnormal.”

The Ancient Pine Demon Monarch’s skepticism made a lot of sense. Alchemists have always been popular in the Stone Medicine World, and the high-ranking ones were always in demand and were invited by all the sects.