NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Alchemy
Cough! Yang Haoxuan chuckled for a moment, then quickly composed himself. He cast a disdainful glance at the two men lying on the ground, fully aware of the gap between them—both in strength and, more importantly, in martial arts and skills.
It was almost his first real fight, and Yang Haoxuan had gained significant insight from the experience. He was relieved to realize that Spiral True Power didn't rely on attributes like strength or intelligence. Instead, it was a technique that harnessed all of one's energy and focused it into a single, powerful strike.
Stepping between the two men, a strange smile crept across his face. He coolly said, "I'll give you another choice: Apologize, or I'll kill you."
The two burly men, lying on the ground, looked up in terror. They had never expected Yang Haoxuan to defeat them. Their belief in their own strength had shattered in an instant, leaving them in complete fear, unable to react.
"Did you hear me?" Yang Haoxuan suddenly shouted again, his voice cracking like thunder in their ears, striking at their very souls.
"Yes, yes!" The two men immediately trembled as they crawled to Xiao Qing, bowing their heads and begging for mercy. Yang Haoxuan's overwhelming pressure had completely robbed them of any will to resist.
Xiao Qing, witnessing such a scene for the first time, felt a bit scared but also enraged. "Get the medicinal materials into the room, now!" she ordered.
The two men, clearly intimidated, scrambled to carry box after box of medicinal materials into the room. Seeing this, Yang Haoxuan smirked, a look of contempt spreading across his face. He winked playfully at Xiao Qing before heading inside.
The room was filled with towering piles of medicinal herbs, and Yang Haoxuan inspected their properties one by one. Most of them were just ordinary herbs, but they were all ingredients for the Juqiqi Dan.
These seemingly unremarkable herbs could be transformed into Juqiqi Dan by an alchemist, and the price of those pills was astronomical.
The two frightened men, still wary, didn't forget to check the room to make sure no one was hiding inside. After confirming it was safe, they cast one last fearful glance at Yang Haoxuan before leaving.
Yang Haoxuan noticed they were lingering outside the room, but he didn't care. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, closed the door, and placed his hands on the herbs. What happened next was truly strange.
As his hands pressed down, the huge piles of medicinal herbs began to vanish, one by one. Simultaneously, a stream of messages flashed across the game interface:
"Obtained Dragon Tongue Grass ×99"
"Cold Ice Grass ×99"
"Water Spirit Wood ×99"
"..."
The herbs that had been spread across the floor were now neatly organized in his inventory, appearing in rows, their quantities perfectly arranged.
Yang Haoxuan focused on his thoughts, and the Alchemy Furnace icon in the game interface suddenly appeared to respond. With a click, the alchemy interface was activated. In the center was a three-legged cauldron, with empty slots lining the sides where he could place the ingredients. Not daring to be careless, Yang Haoxuan decided to start by adding ten herbs at a time.
At the same time, a small line appeared in the bottom-left corner of the alchemy interface:
"Can refine 10 Juqiqi Dan. Success rate: 80%!"
Yang Haoxuan smiled slightly and clicked Confirm. Immediately, flames began to burn beneath the cauldron, and his eyes reflected the fiery glow.
The process of refining wasn't painful for him, but he did notice that his mana was being consumed at an alarming rate, much faster than ever before.
Boom! After a moment, the roaring flames in the cauldron subsided, and a prompt appeared in the game interface:
"Refinement successful! You have obtained 10 Juqiqi Dan. Lost 10 Dragon Tongue Grass, 10..."
"Was that really so easy?" Yang Haoxuan was slightly surprised. He looked at the pills in his inventory. With a thought, a few Juqiqi Dan appeared in his hand, and he was amazed at their quality—these were far better than the ones he had consumed before.
The pills were purer, more polished. He hadn't expected such excellent results, but Yang Haoxuan wasn't in a rush to flaunt them. Instead, he continued to refine the herbs, producing a total of more than ninety pills. His mana was nearly depleted, and he felt a wave of dizziness. He quickly lay down on the bed to rest.
He slept deeply, not waking until the next morning. Shaking his head groggily, he muttered, "The side effects of depleting all my mana are more severe than I thought. I'll have to be more careful next time."
However, he didn't immediately retrieve the pills. Instead, he continued to request more herbs and refined more Juqiqi Dan, laying a solid foundation for his future cultivation. Although he wanted to refine higher-level pills, his current materials were insufficient.
The herbs for the Juqiqi Dan were easy to come by and inexpensive, but it was the alchemist's skill—and of course, the game interface—that turned them into something extraordinary.
With all its features, the game interface was practically perfect. Aside from refining pills, Yang Haoxuan didn't go out much. Everyone was staying indoors for the winter, and there was little to do. However, as the days passed, the higher-ups in the Yang family began to grow increasingly anxious.
The family was still uncertain whether Yang Haoxuan could produce the hundred Juqiqi Dan on New Year's Eve. If he failed to do so, he would have to face the consequences of his promise, and Yang Baotian's position would be in jeopardy.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Yang family was about to face a new destiny.
The snow continued to fall for some time. Just before New Year's Eve, it finally stopped, leaving behind buildings in Dayan adorned with sharp icicles. The air had grown even colder.
New Year's Eve
The Yang family's crimson gates were adorned with two large red lanterns, decorated with colorful ribbons, and firecrackers hung from the sides. Inside the mansion, the decorations were grand, and the atmosphere was festive.
The lights were bright, the red lanterns glowed, and the sound of laughter filled the air. Occasionally, fireworks shot into the sky, eliciting cheers from the children.
It was the Yang family's annual banquet, a tradition that was no different from the New Year celebrations of any other family. But since the Yang family was large, they held this feast to celebrate the end of the year.
"Young master! The New Year's banquet is about to begin!" Xiao Qing called out with some exasperation as she looked at her master, who was still curled up in bed.
"Ah!" Yang Haoxuan yawned and stretched, exposing his bare chest.
"Ah!" Xiao Qing, flustered, immediately ran out.
"Such a fuss! I'm not even wearing pants!" Yang Haoxuan waved dismissively, lifting the blanket, and then paused. "Wait… I really am not wearing anything."
After quickly getting dressed in a luxurious outfit—looking every bit the dashing young master—Yang Haoxuan checked his inventory. His Juqiqi Dan was neatly arranged in the 19 available slots, with over two thousand pills in total.
He then took Xiao Qing and made his way toward the main hall.
Outside the hall, the square was filled with hundreds of tables, all occupied. Laughter and clinking glasses filled the air as the Yang family members and relatives celebrated the new year.
Yang Haoxuan's striking appearance caught the attention of many in the crowd. Some of the younger disciples, hands on hips and exuding arrogance, tried to act superior in front of him. But beneath their proud exteriors, jealousy flickered in their eyes.
"Let's see how you manage to produce those hundred Juqiqi Dan today!" the disciples muttered under their breath, each displaying a look of amusement.
Since Yang Haoxuan had only obtained ten Juqiqi Dan so far, many had been secretly observing him. Even those sent by Elder Bai to monitor him had found no signs of alchemy. Not even a cauldron was visible. This mysterious absence led them to believe that Yang Haoxuan would surely fail, and they were eagerly awaiting his humiliation.
Yang Haoxuan, however, paid them no mind. He caught sight of someone in the crowd—Yang Ying—and a strange smile appeared on his lips. "Hmph! Today, I'll make sure you regret acting so arrogant in front of me!"
He walked confidently toward the main seating area, where Yang Baotian had been waiting. Without a word, Yang Baotian gestured for him to sit down.