He followed Zhong Fei into a test room, noticing its sober yet elegant design before the man gestured to the only piece of equipment: a furnace.
In the center and pristine white, he raised his brow at the small cultivator’s engravings running on its polished exterior.
Meanwhile, Zhong Fei and his colleague sat on luxurious chairs before his voice cracked impatiently.
"You have sixty minutes and three sets of materials to refine a tier-one pill." He raised his golden card and extended it to Adam. "If you have no questions, imbue your qi into your jade card to transfer the test’s fees."
With a shrug, he followed the man’s demands, his mind already swirling into the tumultuous sea of pill refining.
Yet, he sneered when the rude alchemist shoved the medicinal herbs he would work with in his hands. Crumpled and almost expired, he sensed through their dry texture their waning life force.
A deep furrow creased his brows as he turned and paced to the furnace.
’Are they trying to make things difficult for me?’ He forced down the mocking laughter about to burst out of his throat as a threatening smirk split his face. ’I endured your disrespect because I understand your dismissal of a seven-year-old kid. But your cheating won’t help you. Instead, I’ll make you swallow your pride and suffocate you with your egos!’
Simultaneously, he ran a finger on the yellowed stalk of herbs and used one of his innate abilities: natural dominance!
As if nourished by his touch, spots of green added a touch of vibrance to the material.
Without wasting a second, he opened the furnace lid and dropped it inside before it recovered to its peak. After all, he couldn’t draw the observers’ attention. Still, he repeated the process with every plant before pouring a generous quantity of water.
Observing him, the smug alchemist slapped his leg and sneered in ridicule.
"I’ve seen many try, but none have succeeded with such poor-quality herbs. Good luck, and let this be a lesson you’ll never forget."
Zhong Fei shook his head, a complex expression melding agreement and pity veiling his features.
"Isn’t your plan a little cruel? Instead of toning down his arrogance, he’ll blame the herbs for his failure."
The man grinned and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Good. He’ll return soon to waste his points pursuing a pipe dream." His eyes narrowed into slits as the soft crackling of flames enlightened the furnace. "I’ll spread his story after he crumbles under his failure. It’ll serve as a dissuasion to stubborn kids and save everyone’s time."
Zhong Fei scratched his moustache, his chest tightening at his colleague’s method, but remained silent despite his different view. Instead, he frowned at Adam’s chaotic technique and all the plants jumbled into the furnace.
"What is he doing? Even if their spiritual essences are negligible, their properties will clash during the condensation phase." His frown deepened. "He’ll make a poisonous pill at best or cause the cauldron to explode at worst."
He subconsciously leaned forward, his eyes drifting to the orange hues dancing under the furnace before a low whisper escaped his twitching lips.
"How is his temperature control so exquisite? Does he have a high affinity to fire?"
As he pondered the question, Adam manipulated his Qi with deft precision.
Like a maestro directing a fiery orchestra, he controlled the fire beyond what Zhong Fei could comprehend. In fact, he doubted anyone could surpass him in the crafting fields with equal knowledge.
Just like that, the flames licked the furnace at different temperatures while his water Qi encased the materials in a faint pellicle.
Unable to meld into the boiling water, the plants’ essences filled the bubbles as he grinned.
’Sixty minutes? Did you mean six?’
With a sharp snap of his fingers, he opened a hole the size of a needle to let the first material meld into the water.
Then, he repeated the process with the four next while suppressing the more potent ones with his natural dominance.
Once satisfied with the ratio, he closed the holes and forced the bubbles to the bottom. A drop of sweat glistened on his forehead as he increased the flames’ power, turning them into a raging inferno that scalded their contents.
The furnace whistled, and its lid clanged madly under the vapor’s pressure.
Yet, his hand came to secure it in its place as he chuckled.
’I bet they’re thinking it’ll explode. Dream on!’
Meanwhile, Zhong Fei raised two fingers before him. Qi coursing through his meridians, he prepared to save the kid from the blast.
Tense seconds passed, and the clangour increased in intensity, yet a deep sense of confusion crept into his hastening heart.
"Why is it not exploding?"
His colleague raised his palms and lowered his head, as lost as him about the situation.
Simultaneously, Adam condensed the sparkling essence-filled water into soft balls. He inhaled the thick medicinal scent they released with a satisfied smirk before he used wind qi on the harsh vapor to refine them further.
And six minutes after he had begun, he put the fire out.
Then, he turned towards the arrogant alchemists. Defiance burning in his eyes, he pulled his tongue out and mocked.
"You offered me great advice, senior." He seized the furnace’s lid, chuckling as he opened it. "Look! I refined three piles with a single material set by proceeding as if I were cooking!"
The man who had mocked him earlier clenched his fists. Blood rushed to his face, turning it scarlet red as his veins throbbed on his forehead. When did a shrimp not even ten years old disrespect him? A three-star alchemist?
Before he could teach the kid a lesson, Zhong Fei’s voice reverberated. Commanding and forceful, it imposed an oppressive silence into the room.
"Shut up and sit back."
Then, he walked to the furnace, the odour already ensuring him that the boy succeeded. Still, he had to see the pills with his own two eyes.
And there he saw them: three piles encased in a humid crust glowing a lush green.
His pupils constricted when he noticed the few golden spots sprinkling them as if to showcase their rarity.
"H-How? How did you refine a star-quality pill with those terrible ingredients?" He shook his head, a question more critical burning his lips. "Who taught you, and how are you so proficient at your age?!"