Twenty minutes after performing the first set of hand seals, Gu Zhiqi performed a second set, followed by a third and fourth set.
Once the four sets of hand seals were completed, Gu Zhiqi quickly led everyone away from the scene.
Everyone was puzzled but still moved to a spot far away from the stove.
After walking about 20 meters, they heard loud explosions, one after another, exactly 20 times.
Everyone turned to look back and saw all 20 high-pressure cookers had exploded, leaving the site in a chaotic mess with 20 columns of thick smoke rising into the air.
Everyone fell silent.
Lu Yuanjiang scratched his head and voiced the thoughts of the others, "Did... we fail?"
Ling Yuxuan looked at the chaotic scene and was taken aback, feeling a wave of disappointment.
Originally, seeing Gu Zhiqi perform alchemy on twelve furnaces filled her with hope, thinking that all the disciples could be saved.
But to think that the furnaces would explode at the last minute.
The amount of hope from before was now replaced by an equal amount of disappointment.
At the scene, except for Gu Xiyue and Gu Zhiqi, everyone was enveloped in a cloud of disappointment.
Not noticing the expressions of the others, Gu Zhiqi kept her eyes on the thick smoke. When most of the smoke had dispersed, she finally said, "It’s time to dig out the medicine."
Amid their disappointment and silence, everyone suddenly heard Gu Zhiqi’s voice and turned to look at her, their eyes filled with confusion.
"Didn’t we fail?" the dull-witted Ruan Hao asked as he looked at Gu Zhiqi.
Gu Zhiqi raised her eyebrows and looked back at Ruan Hao, "Who said we failed?"
"But... didn’t the furnaces explode?" Ruan Hao asked weakly.
Listening to his question, Gu Zhiqi resumed her persuading mode, "You don’t understand; the explosion is the essence of alchemy."
"Huh? Is that... so?"
Gu Zhiqi did not respond to Ruan Hao but looked at the assistants, "Go dig it out. After you’re done, please rebuild the stoves."
The assistants hesitated for a moment, then rekindled their hope and stepped toward the smoking area.
"There it is! There are really antidotes!" an assistant exclaimed, then began digging more energetically.
Soon after, the other assistants also cried out in surprise.
Minutes later, a total of 84 elixirs were freshly dug out. The assistants, each holding seven antidotes, walked up to Ling Yuxuan, "Alliance Hierarch, here are the medicines."
Ling Yuxuan stood staring at the antidotes before her, completely stunned.
Her heart was filled with shock, both that the antidotes had indeed been produced and at the pill success rate.
From twelve furnaces, a total of 84 pills, with 7 pills per furnace—a 70% pill success rate.
The success rate was actually this high.
Gu Xiyue, although she had long known Gu Zhiqi would succeed in producing the medicine, was still profoundly shocked upon seeing it with her own eyes.
Gu Xiyue walked over to a disciple, took an antidote from their hand, and, holding it in her palm, marveled again. Clearly, despite all being antidotes, the quality of this antidote looked much better than those from Mo Qingsnow.
The group stood in shock for several seconds, then took the antidotes and examined them carefully over and over.
Finally, it was Gu Zhiqi who brought everyone back to their senses, "Shouldn’t we start rebuilding the stoves?"
Upon hearing her, everyone snapped back to reality.
Ling Yuxuan immediately called for people to rebuild the stoves.
Half an hour later, everyone began a new round of alchemy. This time, everyone participated.
Thanks to the first experience, the assistants were now quite skilled. The first assistant had even perfected the timing for adding and reducing fuel, so after Gu Zhiqi performed the hand seals, she did not need to remind them about the fuel adjustments anymore.