Watching Chen Chuan’s greedy expression, Ye Linger’s inner calculations were clicking away with delight.
She cleared her throat and lifted her fair chin like a proud peacock, announcing the terms of the competition:
"Ahem! Listen up, Junior Brother. What we are going to refine this time is an Elementary Grade Four Medicinal Pill, the Poison Essence Pill."
"A Grade Four Pill? The Poison Essence Pill?" The smile on Chen Chuan’s face instantly froze, and he was completely dumbfounded.
He wondered if he had heard her correctly.
Ye Linger was clearly only a Rank 3 Alchemist; how did she dare to challenge a Grade Four Pill?
Furthermore, this Poison Essence Pill was no small matter. It was a highly toxic substance, and the refining process was extremely dangerous.
The refining process for this kind of pill was very strict. The slightest mistake would not only cause the pill to explode,
but the escaping pill poison would be enough to severely injure the Alchemist or even endanger their life.
Was this girl really so ruthless just to beat him?
Upon hearing this, Elder Murong Xuan’s expression also changed drastically, and he immediately spoke up to dissuade her:
"You girl, stop fooling around. Is the Poison Essence Pill something you can easily attempt?"
"Quickly change it to a Grade Three pill. Do not try to be brave."
Ye Linger stubbornly puffed out her chest and said with full confidence:
"Master, rest assured! This is not the first time your Disciple has attempted to refine the Poison Essence Pill."
"Although last time it only turned out as a semi-failed product with poor quality, I have the steps memorized by heart. I will definitely succeed this time."
In order to prove herself, she did not hesitate to reveal her trump card.
"What? You... you can already touch the threshold of Grade Four Pills?"
Murong Xuan was shocked, and his gaze toward Ye Linger was filled with disbelief and a hint of wild joy.
With a cultivation in the Ming Quan Realm, she could refine Grade Four pills. Even if the success rate was extremely low, it meant that Ye Linger’s talent in the Dao of Alchemy far exceeded his estimates.
This girl already had one foot in the ranks of a Rank 4 Alchemist.
A sixteen-year-old Rank 4 Alchemist would absolutely be an Alchemy Prodigy throughout the entire Sacred Martial Continent.
Chen Chuan used his Eye of Wisdom to carefully observe Ye Linger.
He discovered that Ye Linger did indeed possess the potential to refine Grade Four Pills.
However, her refinement of Grade Four Pills was unstable.
The key issue lay in her cultivation.
The total amount and endurance of spiritual power in the Ming Quan Realm were simply insufficient to support the consumption of a complete Grade Four Pill refinement.
Especially during the final pill condensation stage, the failure rate was extremely high.
"This chick is really ruthless," Chen Chuan sighed inwardly.
Seeing Chen Chuan’s silence, Ye Linger thought he was afraid and became even more smug, her dark eyes flashing with a cunning light:
"How about it? Junior Brother, it’s not too late to admit defeat now. Just be my obedient little follower, and your Senior Sister will show mercy and let you off."
"But as for those one thousand contribution points, they’ll be gone."
Looking at her smug, villainous expression, Chen Chuan felt both annoyed and amused.
He took a deep breath. Since he had already boarded this "pirate ship," there was naturally no reason to flee before the battle.
His face returned to a calm state, even carrying a faint smile:
"Since Senior Sister has such an interest, I shall naturally accompany you. Once the bet is made, there will be no regrets."
Ye Linger was afraid he would back out, so she immediately finalized it as soon as she heard him, as if fearing he would regret it: "Very well, you have courage. No backing out!"
The competition officially began.
Ye Linger focused her mind and walked to the Pill Furnace, her expression more solemn than ever before.
She channeled the Earth Fire and began to process those poison-attribute medicinal ingredients that emitted an eerie aura.
She was careful with every step, striving for perfection, clearly being extremely familiar with the Pill Formula.
Adding ingredients, extracting the medicinal liquid, and controlling the heat.
Although the early steps were arduous, under her full concentration, she managed to complete them, albeit with some difficulty.
Murong Xuan watched from the side with his heart in his throat, feeling both gratified by his Disciple’s progress and deeply worried.
Soon, it reached the most critical pill condensation stage.
Inside the Pill Furnace, the medicinal liquid churned and toxic gas swirled, requiring a large amount of spiritual power and Divine Soul power to compress and condense it.
Ye Linger gritted her teeth, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead.
The spiritual power of the Ming Quan Realm within her body poured out like a floodgate opening, fully supporting the condensation process.
Her face gradually turned pale, and her body began to tremble slightly; she was clearly unable to keep up.
"Linger, stop! Your spiritual power is insufficient. Forcing the condensation will lead to a backlash!"
Murong Xuan shouted urgently, his face written with anxiety.
"No, I can’t! I will definitely succeed. I must win against that guy."
Ye Linger shook her head stubbornly, her eyes filled with the flames of refusal to lose.
She forcibly channeled her remaining spiritual power, attempting one last struggle.
However, reality was cruel.
The chasm in cultivation could not be crossed by will alone.
Boom!
A dull, strange sound erupted from within the Pill Furnace.
Immediately following, a dark green poisonous mist accompanied by a burnt smell violently exploded outward.
The pill had exploded!
Ye Linger, being closest to the Pill Furnace, bore the brunt of it.
Although Murong Xuan reacted extremely quickly, waving his sleeve to disperse most of the toxic mist,
a trace still managed to enter Ye Linger’s nose and mouth.
"Ugh..."
Ye Linger let out a muffled groan, her eyes rolled back, and her delicate body slumped down softly.
Her pretty face was instantly covered in an eerie greenish-black layer; she had fallen unconscious.
"Linger!"
Murong Xuan caught his beloved Disciple in a flash, and as his Divine Sense swept over her, his expression turned incredibly ugly.
There was big trouble!
He hurriedly took out several detoxification pills and fed them to Ye Linger, but the effect was minimal.
The toxicity of the Poison Essence Pill was extremely fierce; it was difficult to clear quickly without a specific antidote.
Refining an antidote on the spot would take at least one or two hours, and Ye Linger simply could not wait that long.
"There’s no time to refine an antidote. What should I do?"
Murong Xuan was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Seeing his Disciple’s breath becoming weaker and weaker, his heart sank to the bottom.
Just then, Chen Chuan, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.
He used his Eye of Wisdom to observe.
He clearly saw that most of the lethal toxin was still gathered in Ye Linger’s throat and the area above it, not yet fully spreading to her heart and lungs.
A bold idea rose in his mind.
"Elder, perhaps I have a way to temporarily alleviate Senior Sister’s crisis," Chen Chuan said in a deep voice.
"What way?" Murong Xuan asked, as if grasping at a life-saving straw.
"Most of the toxin is still in the throat. If it can be sucked out, it might delay the spread of the poison, buying time for the Elder to refine the antidote."
Chen Chuan said calmly.
"Suck it out?"
"No! This poison is fierce. If there’s even the slightest break in the mouth, the one sucking the poison will surely be affected. It’s too dangerous."
Murong Xuan was first stunned, then horrified.
"I know what I’m doing and will act carefully." Chen Chuan’s gaze was firm. "Please grant your permission, Elder. We can’t delay any longer."
Looking at Chen Chuan’s steady eyes and then at his dying beloved Disciple, Murong Xuan finally gritted his teeth:
"Fine! Be careful. If you feel any discomfort, stop immediately."
Chen Chuan nodded and no longer hesitated.
He leaned down and, under Murong Xuan’s complex gaze, gently pinched open Ye Linger’s cool little mouth.
Then, without hesitation, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his own.
Once.
Twice.
Chen Chuan carefully controlled the suction, pulling out the breath containing the toxin.
Immediately after, he used his skill, Purification, to instantly purify and eliminate that lethal toxin into nothingness.
He appeared to be taking a risk on the surface, but in reality, he was as steady as an old dog.
Just as Chen Chuan was performing the last suction, Ye Linger’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly woke up.
What entered her sight was Chen Chuan’s face right in front of her, and the warm touch coming from her lips.
"Mmph!"
Ye Linger’s eyes instantly went wide and round, and her mind went completely blank.
Following that, an indescribable sense of shame and anger rushed to her head.
"Ah!"
She let out a short, sharp cry of alarm.
Due to the surge of blood and her excitement, her vision went black, and she actually fainted again.
Only this time, before fainting, that look of absolute shame and fury was deeply imprinted in Chen Chuan’s mind.
Chen Chuan: "..."
He quickly finished the last suction and Purification.
After confirming that the majority of the toxin in this girl’s throat had been cleared and her life was temporarily out of danger,
he stood up and cupped his hands toward the still-dazed Murong Xuan:
"Elder, the toxins in Senior Sister’s throat have been mostly cleared. I’ll leave the rest to you."
"I shall take my leave first!"
With that, without waiting for Murong Xuan’s response, Chen Chuan greased his feet and slipped away faster than a rabbit.
He clearly remembered the meaning of that look Ye Linger gave him when she woke up.
That was definitely a "fight until death" look!
If he didn’t run now, when would he?
Murong Xuan looked at Chen Chuan’s rapidly disappearing back, his eyes filled with amazement.
He carefully checked Ye Linger’s condition.
He found that the toxin in the girl’s throat had indeed miraculously dissipated for the most part, and her life was no longer in danger.
What shocked him even more was that Chen Chuan had personally sucked out such a fierce toxin, yet after finishing, he actually ran off lively as if nothing had happened?
"This kid’s body is strange."
Murong Xuan muttered to himself, his evaluation of Chen Chuan rising another level.
...
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Linger woke up again.
The moment her consciousness returned, that embarrassing scene before she fainted flooded into her mind like a tide.
Chen Chuan’s close-up face, and that soft, warm touch.
"Ah!"
An even sharper scream, filled with shame, anger, and Killing Intent, echoed throughout the side room of the Pill Hall.
Ye Linger’s pretty face was so red it almost dripped blood. She was both ashamed and furious, her whole body trembling.
That was her first kiss!
It was actually taken away by that hateful Chen Chuan in such a manner.
"Chen Chuan! I’m going to kill you."
"I’ll castrate you, you pervert!"
"Shameless bastard..."
She jumped up from the bed like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
Grabbing the sword hanging on the wall, she was about to rush out to settle the score with Chen Chuan.
"Linger! Calm down! Listen to your Master!"
Murong Xuan quickly stopped her, explaining earnestly:
"Chen Chuan was trying to save you at the time."
"If he hadn’t risked his life to suck the toxin from your throat, you would probably have perished by now."
"He also risked his life to do that."
Ye Linger was stomping her feet in anger, tears welling up in her eyes—partly from lingering fear, but mostly from endless shame and fury. She simply couldn’t listen to any explanation.
"I don’t care! Who told him to use... use that kind of method."
"He just took the opportunity to take advantage of me! Master, don’t stop me. I must teach him a lesson!"
"I’m going to beat him until he’s looking for his teeth all over the floor."
Seeing Ye Linger holding her sword and looking like she was truly going to fight Chen Chuan for her life, Murong Xuan felt a headache coming on.
This girl was usually quirky and clever, but once her temper was up, she would do anything.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch his own Disciple kill another Genius who might be a future Alchemy Grandmaster.
"Stop fooling around! Stay right there!" Murong Xuan hurried to follow her, sighing in his heart, "What a mess!"
Meanwhile, Chen Chuan, who had escaped the danger, suddenly felt an unprovoked shiver.
He faintly sensed a powerful Killing Intent rapidly approaching from behind him.