Chapter 733: Old Friend from the Past

"

Sigh...

"

With a soft sigh, Feng Wuhen obediently scribbled a receipt of indebtedness for the Pill Devil, promising to send over a million elemental crystals within three days.

Only then did the Pill Devil wave his hand generously, tossing a token to Feng Wuhen and nodding towards the medicine vault. "Take this token and go collect the herbs yourself."

"Yes..." Feng Wuhen clutched the token, feeling a deep urge to cry.

One million elemental crystals, gone just like that. Even as a supreme elder of the Tianmeng Chamber of Commerce, he couldn't help but feel cheated!

"Come on, Little Crazy Feng, don't make that gloomy face like you've been bullied by an old man!"

Pill Devil, swinging his leaf fan leisurely, didn't show even the slightest shame after swindling a million crystals out of Feng Wuhen!

"..."

Feng Wuhen's gaze was filled with resentment. If this wasn't bullying, then what was?

Oh well, he had no choice but to swallow it. After all, he was the one in need!

The Divine-Will Nine-Transformations Pill was crucial for him to advance to the human emperor realm. It had to be refined in the Flame Valley Xuanling Cauldron to ensure his peace of mind.

Ling Feng naturally understood this as well. Alchemy always had a success rate, and only with the best alchemy furnace and an alchemic fire array could he maximize the chances of successful pill formation.

After all, even a 90% success rate left a 10% chance of failure.

The Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evil was down to its last bit, so he couldn't afford any carelessness.

Before long, Feng Wuhen brought out a tray filled with various materials. He dared not take any more than needed from Pill Devil's precious supplies; otherwise, if Pill Devil decided to investigate, he'd face severe consequences!

"Hey, Little Crazy Feng, where's the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evil? Aren't you going to show it to this old man?"

Pill Devil raised an eyebrow, clearly eyeing the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evil again. If there were any left after refining the Divine-Will Nine-Transformations Pill... heh heh...

"Senior Pill Devil, I don't have the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evil; it was brought here by this young friend Ling Feng." Feng Wuhen answered honestly.

"

Oh?

"

Pill Devil looked at Ling Feng with disbelief. Given the power of the Tianmeng Chamber of Commerce, obtaining such a rare treasure made sense, but how on earth did this young man manage to get his hands on something so extraordinary?

Ling Feng took out the last bit of the Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evil and placed it on Feng Wuhen's tray, inspecting the other ingredients. He nodded slightly. "Alright, if everything is set, I'll begin."

Pill Devil glanced at the withered Poison Fruit of Ten Thousand Evil, feeling a bit disappointed.

This tiny bit could at most refine one Divine-Will Nine-Transformations Pill. Was this kid really planning to succeed in just one attempt?

How arrogant!

"Start whenever you want! Let me handle it if you can't. Don't waste these valuable materials just to show off!"

Though Pill Devil seemed eccentric, his dedication to alchemy was genuine.

The same goes for those who achieved greatness in alchemy, and Ling Feng was no exception.

"Rest assured, Senior."

Ling Feng accepted the tray, leaping gracefully to the area around the Flame Valley Xuanling Spirit Cauldron. He activated his true qi, testing his control over the volcanic flame array.

"What a skilled technique!"

Pill Devil's eyes twitched. Judging by Ling Feng's handling of the flame array, he didn't resemble a novice but rather an experienced alchemist with decades, if not centuries, of experience!

In no time, Ling Feng mastered the array's flames with extraordinary precision. Satisfied, he began extracting the herbs.

Pill Devil was left utterly speechless by the entire process.

Even Feng Wuhen, who knew little about alchemy, could tell by Ling Feng's speed that he seemed even more adept than renowned alchemy grandmasters.

Seeing Pill Devil's shock, Feng Wuhen started to understand why Ling Feng, despite his age, could become the chief honorary elder of the Alchemist Guild.

If it weren't for his youth, he'd likely be qualified for the role of honorary president as well.

"

Gulp!

"

Pill Devil swallowed hard, muttering to himself, "

Could this kid be an alchemy genius? Even Yun Danqing wasn't this talented in his youth!

"

"Skill, precision, speed, adaptability!"

Sword Maniac, too, stood by with a stern expression, muttering, "If this kid trained in forging with me, he could surpass me within ten years!"

"..." Pill Devil stayed silent. He sensed that Ling Feng's skill in alchemy might actually exceed his own.

After about a quarter of an hour, Ling Feng merged all the ingredients into the cauldron.

With the experience from his previous attempt, this time, the refining process flowed smoothly.

"What? The Nine Refinements of Mystic Fire technique!"

Pill Devil's face showed shock. "Isn't that the method of Su Dongling, the 'Empire's Top Poison Master'? Is this kid his disciple?"

"Not just that; look closely!" Sword Maniac squinted, his voice deepening. "Besides the Nine Refinements of Mystic Fire, there's also a hint of the

Daoist Art of Heavenly Fire

. I know whose disciple he is now."

"Mu Tianhou!"

Pill Devil's eyes widened. "It's him! Back then, he grasped some of your forging techniques, even creating the

Daoist Art of Heavenly Fire

.

Ha!

Among the three of us, only that old man had such incredible talent!"

"But it's been more than a hundred years. This kid must be several generations down the line."

Sword Maniac stroked his beard, reminiscing on events from over a century ago, a wave of nostalgia overtaking him.

"What a shame the friends of the past are gone! We old relics can only live out our days in seclusion."

Pill Devil sighed, his gaze fixed on Ling Feng's back as if he saw a shadow of his old friend.

"It seems this was fate." Sword Maniac took a deep breath, eyeing Ling Feng's silhouette with a glint in his eye, as if he had made a decision.

...

"Seal of Incineration!"

"Seal of Combustion!"

"Seal of Scorching!"

"Seal of Melting!"

Ling Feng executed the Nine Refinements of Mystic Fire method with full concentration. With his current cultivation and mastery of both the

Nine Refinements of Mystic Fire

and

Daoist Art of Heavenly Fire

, he was on the verge of merging the two techniques into one.

After about half an hour, Ling Feng formed the final hand seal and called out, "Pill condensation!"

Boom!

The alchemy furnace shot into the air as a brilliant, nine-colored light burst out, filling the area with a rich fragrance.

There was no need to check; the Divine-Will Nine-Transformations Pill had been successfully refined!

"Dragon Capture Seal!"

With a wave of his hand, Ling Feng seized the Divine-Will Nine-Transformations Pill, placing it in a prepared jade box. He then leaped back to Feng Wuhen, presenting the box to him.

"The Divine-Will Nine-Transformations Pill is complete. I recommend you wait half a month until your mind is steady before consuming it."

Ling Feng's tone was calm, his demeanor less like a youth and more like Feng Wuhen's senior. Compared to Pill Devil and Sword Maniac, he seemed the true elder.

With slightly trembling hands, Feng Wuhen accepted the jade box and gasped, "Six... six pill inscriptions!"