Chapter 33 – Completely taken aback
"Simple, just add three qian of Copper Crystal Sand," Terra Su said directly, knowing that Master Mo was anxious and didn't want to beat around the bush.
Upon hearing this, Master Mo immediately rushed to a cabinet like a whirlwind. With a dexterity that belied his age, he opened a drawer, grabbed a packet of Copper Crystal Sand, and without even looking, measured out exactly three qian. He then tossed it into the still-burning Alchemy Furnace.
Suddenly, a thick black smoke billowed out from the furnace!
"It's over!"
The alchemy apprentices in the room, though unfamiliar with the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir, knew that such thick black smoke surely indicated a failed attempt. If the smoke was like this, the elixir inside must be burnt to a crisp, right?
"It's all your fault, spouting nonsense. Now look at the mess you've made!"
"Master Mo is definitely going to blow up. I hope we don't get dragged into this!"
Several apprentices immediately began to blame Terra Su. This new guy must have lost his mind, daring to speak so boldly in front of Master Mo. They just hoped they wouldn't be implicated.
But just as they were eager to distance themselves from Terra Su, a joyful shout came from the other side of the furnace!
"It's done!"
Everyone turned to see Master Mo, his face ecstatic, extracting four snow-white elixirs from the furnace!
The four elixirs were not only crystal clear and perfectly formed, but they also emitted an enticing fragrance, indicating their superior quality.
"It... it worked?" The apprentices were stunned. How could this be? How could a novice like Terra Su know how to refine the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir?
"Hahaha, it's really the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir! It truly succeeded, hahaha..." Master Mo was almost in tears of joy as he held the four elixirs. His reaction was understandable; this success was hard-won.
After a long while, Master Mo calmed himself and walked over to Terra Su. Taking a deep breath, he bowed deeply, his voice filled with respect, "I, Mo Shiqiu, greet the Grandmaster!"
This declaration left everyone in the room dumbfounded. The president of the Alchemy Guild was showing such reverence to a fifteen-year-old boy, even calling him a Grandmaster? Were they dreaming?
Terra Su hadn't expected Master Mo to show him such respect. He knew that Master Mo was different from Alchemist Qian; he was an extremely esteemed alchemy grandmaster. Even Princess Anyang had to show him some respect.
In his past life, it was said that Princess Anyang had once personally praised Master Mo, saying, "Mo Shiqiu's value surpasses that of a city of a million people," and had bestowed upon him the title "Mo Yicheng."
This showed just how high Master Mo's status was in the eyes of the world.
Terra Su quickly helped Master Mo up, saying, "Master Mo, as the president of the Alchemy Guild, how can you bow to me?" He felt a surge of emotion. In his past life, he had only seen Master Mo from a distance at an alchemy conference, where Master Mo was revered by thousands, while he was just an unnoticed ordinary person in the crowd.
But in this life, Master Mo was bowing to him with such respect. Everything was changing.
Moreover, Terra Su had a special respect for Master Mo because he knew from his past life that Master Mo was a person of high moral character, who cared deeply for the common people. He often gave elixirs to the poor for free and waived treatment fees for seriously injured or ill martial practitioners.
He remembered that when an epidemic broke out in Clear River City in his past life, it was Master Mo who, along with a few subordinates, worked tirelessly for twenty days to bring it under control.
For such a person, Terra Su naturally wouldn't withhold his respect.
"Grandmaster, you are too modest," Master Mo said, shaking his head seriously, his white hair swaying. "Just for guiding me in refining the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir, you deserve the title of Grandmaster!"
Then, unable to contain his curiosity, Master Mo asked, "Grandmaster, there's one thing I still don't understand. What went wrong in my refining process that caused the failure?"
Terra Su shook his head, saying, "Actually, your refining steps were almost perfect. You just overlooked one thing: the Alchemy Furnace!"
"The Alchemy Furnace?"
Master Mo was puzzled, looking at the purple furnace beside him. "What's wrong with the Purple Silver Furnace?"
The Purple Silver Furnace was one of his most used furnaces, with its cold attribute being very suitable for refining the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir. There shouldn't be any problem with it.
"You only saw that the cold attribute of the Purple Silver Furnace was suitable for refining the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir, but you overlooked that it contains Infiltrating Silver Stone. When heated, the Infiltrating Silver Stone releases a small amount of vapor, which, when it meets the Nether Heart Flower in the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir, generates many impurities. This is why you always fail when using the Purple Silver Furnace to refine the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir."
"But if you add Copper Crystal Sand just before failure, it can purify the impurities in the elixir, allowing you to refine a perfect Snow Lotus Creation Elixir."
Hearing Terra Su's explanation, Master Mo was stunned, completely taken aback.
Indeed, what Terra Su said might not sound complicated in theory. However, to articulate this required a deep understanding of the Purple Silver Furnace, the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir, and the properties and characteristics of various materials.
Both the Purple Silver Furnace and the Snow Lotus Creation Elixir were quite obscure. Even seasoned alchemists with decades of experience might not know them so thoroughly.
Even if they did know, it would be challenging to connect all this knowledge and analyze the cause of the failure in such a short time.
Master Mo himself hadn't managed to do it, yet this fifteen-year-old boy had.
Master Mo felt a chill down his spine. He hadn't expected such a hidden genius to be in Clear River City, someone he had never heard of before.
Thinking of this, Master Mo tentatively asked, "May I know the Grandmaster's name and where you reside?"
"Master Mo, you are too esteemed. Calling me Grandmaster is too much," Terra Su replied. "Just call me Terra Su."
"So, it's Young Master Su," Master Mo nodded, repeating Terra Su's name softly. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and was extremely surprised. "So, you are Terra Su?"
Terra Su looked at him, puzzled. Master Mo, not caring about anything else, quickly asked, "Half a month ago, did you cure an old man bitten by a Cold-Hearted Python at the Five Treasures Hall?"
"You mean that incident?" Terra Su smiled. "Yes, it was me."