Chapter 151: The Fire Control Trial

Under the shocked gazes of the two lower-intermediate veteran alchemists, Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming, Chen Mu tossed the Great Sun Clear Flame into his exotic yet crude and simple cauldron, beginning to warm it up.

Both veteran alchemists were filled with doubt and astonishment. Such an overpowering flame used to refine medicinal materials... No, wouldn't simply placing it inside a cauldron of such mediocre quality cause it to crack or even explode from the intense heat?

However, the situation they anticipated did not occur. The previously violent energy of the Great Sun Clear Flame instantly gentled upon entering the cauldron under Chen Mu's control, lying quietly inside like a docile, adorable cat.

Under the gentle heating of the Great Sun Clear Flame, the temperature within the furnace was nothing short of perfection, waiting only for Chen Mu to drop the medicinal materials in for refinement.

Placing three empty jade bottles on the table in preparation for collecting the medicinal essences later, Chen Mu proceeded to drop the three herbs, notoriously difficult to purify at the Origin Core realm, into the cauldron one after another.

Chen Mu's actions left the two elders Mo and Xiang, along with Yao Juanjuan, dumbfounded. All three dropped into the cauldron at once? Had this Chen Mu never purified herbs before? Was he acting recklessly, or had he given up in despair upon seeing how difficult these three herbs were to refine?

A single one of these herbs was already exceedingly difficult for an Origin Core realm cultivator's alchemy flame to refine, let alone refining three simultaneously! And to use such a fierce flame for purification—was he acting out of ignorant recklessness, or was he simply a madman?

All three felt a pang of heartache over the preciousness of these herbs. After all, although these were only tier-three herbs, their numbers were extremely scarce, and their native habitats were so rare that artificial cultivation was utterly impossible.

Yao Juanjuan looked at Chen Mu with disgust, clearly infuriated by his reckless and ignorant stunt. It was utterly deplorable that such precious herbs were about to be turned to ashes by a wild, unpolished rogue cultivator.

Just as Yao Juanjuan was about to step forward to rebuke Chen Mu's "clownish" behavior, Xiang Ming stopped her and said, "No, those three herbs haven't been turned to ashes. I can sense the fluctuations of vital energy contained within them; their essences are being extracted bit by bit."

The truth was that Chen Mu's cauldron was of such a low grade that the vital energy fluctuations of the refining herbs were constantly leaking outward. This caused Chen Mu to frown deeply; it seemed he would have to change to a better cauldron.

He immediately formed hand seals to envelop the escaping vital energy within the flame, creating a small, enclosed fire shield that wrapped around each of the three herbs individually, preventing the vital energy essence inside from leaking out.

Thus, under Chen Mu's exquisite and peerless fire-control techniques, the three herbs were refined in an orderly fashion within the cauldron.

Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming wore extremely solemn expressions, whispering to each other in private, while Yao Juanjuan was left entirely bewildered and at a loss.

"What kind of fire-control and purification technique is this? Why have I never seen it before? Not only are this flame and the style of the cauldron completely unfamiliar to us, but we have never even heard of this method. And what is most terrifying is that this boy's cleverness and proficiency in fire-control surpass even ours at the Origin Infant realm. I thought his claim of having some talent in fire-control was just a young man's exaggeration, but I didn't expect this to be mere modesty. Is this just 'some talent'? He is clearly a monstrous freak..."

"Indeed, when you told me earlier that this boy's fire-control was remarkable, I didn't quite believe it, thinking he was merely slightly outstanding within the Origin Core realm. What kind of monster is this? To control such a violent flame without blowing up the cauldron, and furthermore refining with one mind and three uses? Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed such an absurd thing could happen."

"I suspect it is very likely that this boy's soul strength exceeds his own realm, or else he possesses an extreme affinity for flames, or perhaps both... Alas, we truly are old; it is the young people's world now. I can guarantee that before long, this boy Chen Mu's attainments in the dao of alchemy will surpass the two of ours. As long as his path remains smooth, he will likely reach the realm of Senior Huang Ru."

"Indeed, this boy's purification techniques are peerless; it is only his knowledge of pharmacology and herb identification that is lacking. Once he learns some basic common sense, there will be no cause for concern."

"Wait, since he can only brew tier-one pills, his pill- condensing technique shouldn't be very high-level. Perhaps he only possesses such exquisite fire-control and purification skills, while his pill-forming method is unremarkable. Therefore, what he still needs to learn is an outstanding pill-condensing technique."

"Ah, now that you mention it, I agree. Otherwise, he wouldn't just be an introductory rookie capable of brewing only tier-one pills. If we can teach him the proper methods to condense pills, then this boy Chen Mu undoubtedly has a boundless future in the dao of alchemy."

"This kid really is a freak... To be able to use multi-tasking to refine medicinal materials at such a young age—although I, too, can simultaneously refine tier-one or even tier-two herbs, that is because I am an Origin Infant realm cultivator. Moreover, ordinary tier-three herbs cannot be refined by me simultaneously, let alone these tier-three herbs, which are among the most difficult to purify."

"Based on all these abnormal displays, I believe this boy is likely a member of a secluded family. Even if he is not from the direct lineage succession, he must be akin to an illegitimate child. Therefore, we must treat him with as much favor as possible. If we can pull him into the chamber of commerce, it would be like grabbing onto a powerful backer."

"Your conjecture has some merit. Showing him favor is fine, but we cannot fathom the thoughts of those secluded families, and should we become embroiled in the struggles of these powerful secluded factions, our chamber of commerce will be doomed. The internal struggles of these secluded factions are terrifyingly ruthless. If we get caught up in internal conflicts like the struggle for the heirship, we would become the immediate sacrifices of this conflict. However, trying our best to be on good terms is the right thing to do; offering timely assistance now will forge a favorable bond for the future."

"..."

Chen Mu remained entirely unaware of the telepathic whispers exchanged between the two elders; clearly, Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming had misunderstood something.

Chen Mu was by no means a member of any secluded family in the Azure Firmament Continent. Though he did possess an extraordinary background, that was a story for another time.

As matters stood, Chen Mu was indeed a rogue cultivator from a remote region, lacking connections or sects, and so dirt poor that others looked down upon him—though this disdain was strictly directed at his wealth in origin stones.

Amidst this eerie atmosphere, Chen Mu continued to refine the three herbs. Yao Juanjuan had also realized that Chen Mu had likely not incinerated the three herbs to ashes, but was instead purifying them.

However, her common sense and arrogance refused to allow her to believe such an absurd thing, so the thought, once formed, was instantly dismissed by her. Left with a lingering sense of insecurity, she arbitrarily concluded that Chen Mu was simply putting on a mysterious show.

Although she refused to concede that Chen Mu possessed the ability to refine these three herbs, her subconscious still told her that Chen Mu must have some tricks up his sleeve; otherwise, her master Xiang Ming and Mo Shouchen—whose status was slightly higher than her master's—would not have behaved with such a loss of composure just moments before.

Yet the two elders were engrossed in their own private transmissions and completely ignored Yao Juanjuan, leaving her entirely in the dark about the true situation.

Consequently, Yao Juanjuan felt a twinge of jealousy that Chen Mu was held in such high regard by two lower-intermediate alchemists. In her eyes, Chen Mu was merely a rogue cultivator—how could he possibly compare to her?

Furthermore, Chen Mu was suspicious from head to toe. Yao Juanjuan had never seen a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth reach the Origin Core realm unless he had given up and advanced to the Origin Foundation realm without opening many origin meridians.

Yet even that scenario came with drawbacks; for instance, fewer origin meridians meant a lower quality of vital energy foundation, which in turn drastically reduced the probability of forming an origin core.

If Chen Mu had truly advanced with such a lack of wisdom, reaching the Origin Core realm would have been exceedingly difficult. But clearly, Chen Mu did not fit that situation, leading Yao Juanjuan to steadfastly believe that Chen Mu had used some secret technique to maintain his youthful appearance.

In fact, this was one of the primary reasons Yao Juanjuan looked down on Chen Mu. Such a hypocritical act of pretending to be young to showcase extraordinary talent disgusted her deeply, though all these conjectures were purely products of her own imagination.

With a solemn expression, Chen Mu continued to refine the three herbs. Although they were tier-three herbs, it was obvious that Chen Mu had bitten off more than he could chew. After all, these were medicinal materials that even Origin Core realm cultivators found extremely difficult to purify, and Chen Mu was attempting to refine all three simultaneously, which stretched his limits.

Fortunately, his fire-control techniques and the purification methods taught by Rou'er were top-tier, utterly unmatched by peers of the same realm in the Azure Firmament Continent.

Thus, Chen Mu was still barely able to manage the simultaneous refinement of the three herbs, though it was somewhat strenuous; he could not sustain the flames indefinitely, and his output and replenishment were somewhat out of sync.

By this time, Mo Shouchen and Xiang Ming had finished their conversation and turned their full attention to Chen Mu's fire-control operations, gesturing in the air with their hands as they committed their new insights to memory.

In less time than it takes to burn half an incense stick, the refinement of the three herbs was finally complete. Normally, refinement at a standard pace would have been faster, but because his vital energy supply could not keep up with the continuous consumption, Chen Mu had chosen to slow down the purification speed and reduce the flame's intensity.

Once the refinement concluded, Chen Mu summoned the three empty jade bottles he had prepared earlier into his hand, guiding the three streams of medicinal essence directly into them.

Mo Shouchen and the veteran Xiang Ming nodded nonchalantly, as if they had anticipated the outcome. Having witnessed the entire process with their own eyes, they felt that Chen Mu successfully extracting the medicinal essence was only natural.

Yao Juanjuan, however, had been completely lost throughout the entire ordeal. Although she suspected Chen Mu might be refining, her own cultivation level prevented her from perceiving the depth of what was happening.

When she saw three streams of medicinal essence truly being drawn into the jade bottles inside Chen Mu's cauldron, she let out an incredulous gasp and cried, "Impossible! This cannot be true!"

Ignoring Yao Juanjuan's loud outcry, the two elders walked straight up to Chen Mu and said, "Little friend, you have passed the assessment. From now on, you may study alchemy within our chamber of commerce."

Drained of a significant amount of vital energy and looking somewhat pale, Chen Mu asked, "What? Aren't the two elders going to inspect the purity of my refinement before letting me pass?"

"Ah, I almost forgot about that. However, the fact that little friend was able to use one mind and three uses to refine those three herbs already proves your talent in fire-control. Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Still, since little friend is so confident, checking is naturally fine. I believe that with your exquisite purification methods, you will surely achieve a marvelous grade," Mo Shouchen stroked his beard and chuckled heartily, his attitude toward Chen Mu growing even warmer and friendlier, as affectionate as if he were looking at his own junior.