Chapter 764 - 288: Young Man, You Have No Etiquette
Chapter 764: Chapter 288: Young Man, You Have No Etiquette
’If only I had known Xiao was sitting right next to me,’ he thought. ’He seemed so friendly and unassuming, not putting on any airs at all.’
’I should have seized the opportunity to say a few flattering words. I might have been able to build a connection with him.’
Although Dai Yongliang was a Golden Core Cultivator himself, he knew that not all Golden Cores could be judged by the same standard.
He clasped his hands in a respectful salute toward Alchemist Geng’s back, then took it upon himself to go outside, call for the servants, and have them take the Spirit Beast Eggs away.
Lu Rending, who was standing to the side, was also quite astonished.
He was considered to have some connections within the Cloud Sea Sword Pavilion. Because of this, long before the rumors started circulating in the outside world, he had already heard of Xiao Chen’s renown from several True Disciples.
Especially after his return from the Relic, the sect’s internal evaluation of him was frighteningly high.
In the words of Steward Zhang of the Punishment Hall, if the Supreme Elders didn’t intervene, Xiao could single-handedly challenge all of Caiyun Peak.
Remembering how he had just been showing off his Spirit Beasts in front of Xiao Chen, Lu Rending felt a jolt of panic. ’If I’d known, I never would have run my mouth like that.’
He hastily recalled Xiao Chen’s expression at the time.
Fortunately, if he remembered correctly, the man had been nonchalant and completely unconcerned.
’That makes sense,’ he thought. ’A man of his stature wouldn’t possibly care about a lowly Manager like me.’
’As the saying goes, a great man overlooks the faults of the small. He figured Xiao probably wouldn’t mind.’
After comforting himself with this thought, Lu Rending didn’t dare to delay any further. He quickly directed the servants to carry away all the mahogany boxes.
He even personally pulled the main door almost shut before tiptoeing away.
He briefly considered it. ’Should I wait by the door and offer a formal apology?’
But after careful consideration, he decided it was better not to overdo it.
’He might have already forgotten about it, only for me to remind him.’
The two men left one after the other. Back in the tea hall, a steaming cup of Spirit Tea had been placed in front of Xiao Chen.
He lifted the cup and took a small sip. "Mm, this is quite good. A slight bitterness followed by a sweet aftertaste."
Of course, in reality, he couldn’t taste any sweet aftertaste just yet.
Alchemist Geng didn’t seem to mind, however. Instead, he simply took out a small jade bottle and placed it on the table. "It seems Xiao has grown impatient."
"The Spirit Pill is in this bottle. Feel free to open it and take a look."
Xiao Chen didn’t stand on ceremony. He immediately picked up the jade bottle. "Don’t mind if I do."
He gently uncorked the stopper, and a peculiar Pill Fragrance immediately wafted out.
The aroma was exceptionally rich, but it wasn’t sweet. Instead, it carried a faint, sour tang, almost as if the bottle were filled with aged vinegar.
That was very strange.
Normally, a finished Spirit Pill wouldn’t have such an issue.
Xiao Chen, an Alchemist himself, had never heard any rumors about something like this.
He frowned slightly but didn’t seem anxious.
Instead, he inquired with curiosity, "This Pill Fragrance is rather unusual. Is there a reason for it?"
Seeing this reaction, Alchemist Geng couldn’t help but marvel internally. ’He’s truly worthy of his reputation as the foremost expert of the Golden Core Stage. His composure is unshakable.’
’To remain so calm when something as crucial as a Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill is at stake...’
In his early years, he had seen countless Golden Core Cultivators at the Great Perfection stage lose sleep and appetite, their nerves frayed with anxiety over a Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill.
Some would even drop their fawning act and turn on the Alchemist on the spot the moment it seemed the alchemy had failed.
Yet, even after realizing the Pill Fragrance was off, Xiao Chen’s expression remained steady. He showed no signs of anxiety whatsoever.
Moreover, Alchemist Geng could tell this wasn’t some feigned composure; he genuinely wasn’t angry.
This alone put him head and shoulders above many others.
"Xiao, you truly are exceptional. Calm in the face of the unexpected, with great depths to your character."
Alchemist Geng sighed in admiration before explaining with a smile, "Indeed. This scent is a byproduct of a unique secret technique of mine."
"Please, feel at ease and inspect the elixir."
Xiao Chen found this a little baffling, but didn’t dwell on it. ’So that’s it,’ he thought to himself.
The reason he hadn’t panicked when he suspected the alchemy had failed was simply because he still had another Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma.
’Besides, alchemy isn’t guaranteed to succeed every time. Worst case, I can just try again.’
Observing the elixirs’ color and luster, he saw that, as expected, both Spirit Pills were perfectly round and smooth as jade, plump and full-bodied.
Xiao Chen carefully used his True Essence to levitate one of the pills and brought it closer to observe.
There, on the surface of the moon-white elixir, were three purple patterns as fine as strands of hair.
These were the very Pill Patterns that only appeared on elixirs refined by a Tier Four Alchemist.
A Spirit Pill with Three Patterns meant its efficacy was thirty percent greater than that of an ordinary Jade Marrow Infant Pill.
Although this enhancement was relatively limited—after all, the base pill only provides a twenty-percent success rate, so a thirty-percent boost would bring the total to just under twenty-five percent.
But the very nature of a Rank-Breaking Spirit Pill meant that every last bit of success rate was incredibly precious.
For Xiao Chen, however, something else was more important: the Pill Patterns themselves were proof of a successful refinement.
Inferior-grade elixirs never had Pill Patterns.
He let out a breath. "The Pill Patterns are intricate, the body is perfectly formed. Thank you for your hard work, Alchemist."
Seeing this, Xiao Chen broke into a smile of deep satisfaction.
He then took out a small jade bottle he had prepared in advance, ready to store the elixirs.
"Hold on!"
But Alchemist Geng quickly stopped him. "Xiao, what are you doing? A Spirit Pill of this quality should be stored in a Qilin Fat Jade Bottle for optimal preservation. How can you use an ordinary Cyan Jade Bottle?"