Zhang Fei - The Abandoned Son

Chapter 860: Emperor Rank Alchemist

The young alchemists lining up on all four sides of the teenage girl were jealous of her, especially since Zhang Fei [5] was helping her, and some of them hoped that he would also teach them.

Sometime later, they smelled a strong aroma coming from the teenage girlʼs furnace. She became excited to smell the aroma, indicating that her pills were about to be formed.

Based on information from Mei, the teenage girl is Ning Zhuanʼer, and she is a 17-year-old human. Even though she is still young, her cultivation is at the 1-Star Core Realm, which means she is a genius.

ʼPull your fire element back.ʼ Ning Zhuanʼer immediately followed Zhang Fei [5], who also retracted his Qi out of her body. ʼNow open the lid.ʼ

Ning Zhuanʼer took a deep breath and opened the lid of her alchemy furnace, but she fell unconscious after she looked at the pills inside, confusing the young alchemists around them.

ʼHaha.ʼ Zhang Fei [5] inwardly laughed as he supported Ning Zhuanʼer. ʼShe was too excited and shocked to see the pills that she fell unconscious.ʼ

[How could she not be shocked, Master? She is an apprentice-rank alchemist, and her alchemy almost failed before.]

Feng Shanxi hurriedly approached them, and she used her Qi to take out the five pills in Ning Zhuanʼerʼs alchemy furnace.

”Five superior-grade pills!”

The screams of the young alchemists attracted the attention of the other alchemists, including Long Taiyuan and Long Zhenxia, ​​who were performing alchemy on the other side.

The other alchemists immediately looked at Zhang Fei [5], and they wondered about his identity, especially since they had never seen him in their sect before. Moreover, concocting five superior-grade pills in one furnace is not an easy matter, and few alchemists can do it; even Feng Shanxi canʼt do it.

”Focus!” The young alchemists immediately returned their focus to their alchemy process as soon as Feng Shanxi said that. She then looked at Zhang Fei [5] and spoke. ”How can you reverse the process? Zhuanʼerʼs alchemy was bound to fail if you didnʼt help her, especially since she made a mistake in the process, and one of the herbs was almost destroyed.”

Zhang Fei [5] picked up an herb on the table and used the plant manipulation ability that he mimicked from Lillea long ago. Instantly, the herb grew by itself, shocking Feng Shanxi and the other alchemists.

”The wood elements.” Feng Shanxi muttered in a daze.

Zhang Fei [5] simply smiled. ”Her herb was almost destroyed before, but I reversed it, allowing her to continue the process.”

”I see.” Feng Shanxi nodded in understanding. ”Are you really a king-rank alchemist?”

”Do you think a king-rank alchemist canʼt concoct superior-grade pills?” Zhang Fei [5] turned the question around.

”No.” Feng Shanxi shook her head. ”Concocting superior-grade pills has nothing to do with our alchemist ranks, and an apprentice-rank alchemist can do it as long as they have great talent, like my princess.”

”Unfortunately, there are not many talented alchemists in this realm, and the availability of superior-grade pills in this realm is too little or even rare.” Zhang Fei [5] said this as he stole glances at the other alchemists, particularly Long Taiyuan and Long Zhenxia. ”At first, I wanted to open my alchemy branch shop in this realm, but I changed my mind because of the ridiculous rules.”

Unlike the calm Feng Shanxi, Long Taiyuan and Long Zhenxia were offended by Zhang Fei [5]ʼs words. Since their alchemy process was at a critical stage, they suppressed their anger and focused on their alchemy first.

Feng Shanxi released a soft sigh. ”This realm is not our home realm, and we are forced to create such rules to maintain stability and harmony.”

”Haha.” Zhang Fei [5] laughed at her response. ”Donʼt talk about stability and harmony, especially since both are just illusions in this realm. All of you are afraid of being outcompeted by other races, so you guys are restricting the circulation of pills in this realm to prevent that.”

”Zhang Fei.” Feng Qingmeng walked over to them. ”You—”

”Are you offended by that fact?” Zhang Fei [5] posed the question, shaking his head. ”Compared to this realm, my home realm is much more stable and harmonious. Not a single resident of my realm tries to hinder the development of others; power in my realm is evenly distributed. By the way, do Empress Feng and Feng Yao know about the situation in this realm?”

”No.” Feng Qingmeng and Feng Shanxi shook their heads.

”As expected.” Zhang Fei [5] suddenly had another idea. ”I originally wanted to help you because I have a favorable relationship with the phoenix race, but I changed my mind now. I will only help you if you report the situation in this realm to Empress Feng or Feng Yao; otherwise, you can forget about it.”

”We—”

”Hey, Brat! Youʼre too cocky!” Zhang Fei [5] looked at Long Taiyuan, who was walking towards them. ”You are just a newcomer to our realm, and you have no right to comment on our rules.”

Zhang Fei [5] softly snorted. ”Is it me, or are you the cocky one? You are an emperor-rank alchemist, but you canʼt concoct superior-grade pills, and you can only concoct two advanced-grade pills in one furnace.”

”You—”

”How about we make a bet?”

”Hmm?” Long Taiyuan raised an eyebrow at Zhang Fei [5]. ”What kind of bet do you want?”

”You are an emperor-rank alchemist, and you should be able to concoct rank 5 pills. As for me, I am a king-rank alchemist, but I will bet with you to concoct rank 5 pills.” Zhang Fei [5] immediately showed them the five basic pills, making them shocked and drooling. ”If I lose, you can have my pills. If you lose, you have to pay me ten million blue jewels, and I also want your dragon flames.”

”What the fuck? How could your pills be that expensive?” Long Taiyuan asked in a high voice. ”Moreover, you are a human, and I will never give you my dragon flames.”

”Is an emperor-rank alchemist like you afraid of betting with me?” Zhang Fei [5] asked mockingly.

”You—” Long Taiyuan swallowed his words as soon as Zhang Fei [5] transformed into his half-fox form, and his six white tails danced behind his hips. ”A fox race?”

Zhang Feiʼs [5] half-fox form instantly enchanted the female cultivators present in the room, including Long Zhenxia, ​​Feng Qingmeng, and Feng Shanxi.

”Thatʼs right.” Zhang Fei [5] casually replied. ”You should be ashamed, you know that? You are a flame dragon, yet you canʼt smell my beast scent when I use my human form.”

”Tch!”

”My pills may be expensive for you, but the people in the Xianjin Realm are willing to pay ten million blue jewels for a set of them, especially since my pills are much more potent than others.” Zhang Fei [5] then asked. ”So, do you dare to bet with me?”

*Thud*

Long Zhenxia suddenly landed by their side after she completed her alchemy. ”I will bet with you, and I will give my dragon flames if I lose to you.”

A thick braid of Long Zhenxiaʼs long crimson hair drapes over her shoulders, softening her confident posture. Her red eyes carry both heat and fierceness, framed by delicate lashes. She looks beautiful, bold, and not to be underestimated. Her figure is voluptuous with soft curves—refined yet feminine. Her bust is full and prominent, accentuated by the fitted red gown that wraps around her with delicate embroidery and sheer lace sleeves. The off-shoulder design shows off her smooth shoulders and collarbones, giving her a subtle sensuality without being too bold.

”Sister, you—”

”Said nothing.” Long Zhenxia spoke to Zhang Fei [5] again. ”Since you are still a king-rank alchemist, I will give you the opportunity to concoct the rank 5 pill two hours earlier than me, and I will start my alchemy after that.”

”Haha! You underestimate me too much, and I donʼt need that to defeat you.” Zhang Fei [5] turned to Feng Shanxi. ”Do you have a rank 5 pill recipe that she hasnʼt concocted before?”

Feng Shanxi directly took out a parchment and seven kinds of herbs. ”True Fire Refining Pill is a rank 5 pill, and its benefit is that it enhances the purity of the flame used in forging and pill-concocting. Since you donʼt know anything about this pill, you two can read and understand it first, and you can start your alchemy when you are ready.”

”You can read it first.” Zhang Fei nodded, read the document for a few minutes, and then handed it to Long Zhenxia. ”Are you sure youʼve understood everything?”

”You better think about yourself, or you will lose to me.” After he said that, Zhang Fei [5] immediately went to an empty spot and sat down before taking out an alchemy furnace.

Long Zhenxia immediately took her furnace from her previous spot. She then sat down beside Zhang Fei [5], and she read the pill recipe first. Unfortunately, she still doesnʼt realize that she has fallen into his trap from the start, especially since she doesnʼt know anything about him.

Zhang Fei [5] and the other four clones immediately used the first technique of the Divine Alchemy Method to simulate the process of concocting the pill. In the pavilion, Zhang Fei also learned and simulated the process of concocting the pill, and the flow of time in there greatly helped them, which accelerated their understanding of the concoction process.

Once they understand it, they use the second and third techniques— the repeating simulation technique and the combining simulation technique. They concocted the pills in their minds through several concoction processes at once, and they repeated them over and over again.

Sometime later, Zhang Fei [5] and the others had finished learning it, and he turned to Long Zhenxia, ​​who was still seriously thinking about how to concoct the pill properly.

Zhang Fei [5] decided to duplicate the herbs before putting them into the system inventory, and he waited for Long Zhenxia to finish first.

The other alchemists had already completed their pills; some succeeded and some failed. They then focused their gazes on Zhang Fei [5] and Long Zhenxia, ​​waiting for the competition between them to begin.

Ning Zhuanʼer, who had previously fallen unconscious, finally woke up. She was confused by the silence in the room, but she realized the situation once she saw Zhang Fei [5] and Long Zhenxia sitting next to each other. She was a bit surprised when she saw his half-fox form, and her eyes sparkled in admiration.

Since the herbs were available, Zhang Fei immediately took them and duplicated more of them. After that, he started to concoct the pill using the Heaven Creation Furnace.

About thirty minutes later, Long Zhenxia had finished studying the recipe. ”Are you ready?”

”Letʼs get started.”

”Yeah.”

Zhang Fei [5] controlled the seven herbs and prepared them all at once. After that, he used his fire element in low heat to purify all herbs, ensuring no impurities remained, especially from the Molten Earth Sand and Nine Flame Spirit Vine.

Unlike Zhang Fei [5], Long Zhenxia prepared her herbs one by one, so she was truly shocked by his speed in preparing his herbs. Long Taiyuan and Feng Shanxi were also shocked when they saw that.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Fei [5] immediately heated his alchemy furnace, and he kept the flame steady at medium heat. He then put the Scarlet Sun Lotus and the Blazing Meridian Root into the furnace, and he slowly dissolved them into their base essences.

Zhang Fei [5] added a Fire Essence Crystal into the mixture after the two herbs had completely dissolved. He controlled it carefully, or his flame would spike and cause combustion. An hour later, he added the Molten Earth Sand and the Flame Spirit Vine, gradually mixing them together.

Once it was stable, Zhang Fei [5] sprinkled the Vermillion Bird Feather Ash as a binding catalyst. He did not immediately add the last ingredient into his furnace, and he waited for all the herbs to blend perfectly.

Although she was shocked and panicked by Zhang Feiʼs [5] alchemy speed, Long Zhenxia still maintained her calm and focus. After all, the quality of their pills, not the speed of their alchemy, determined their victory.

ʼHey, Shanxi! Can you concoct pills as fast as this kid?ʼ Feng Qingmeng asked via voice transmission.

Feng Shanxi shook her head in return as she paid attention to the inside of Zhang Fei [5]ʼs alchemy furnace. ʼThis kid is not only fast; he goes through all the processes precisely, and his control over his fire element is too skilled even for a cultivator at my level. He just read the pill recipe for a few minutes today, but he was able to concoct it so quickly.ʼ

ʼSigh.ʼ Feng Qingmeng released a soft sigh. ʼAt first, I was confused about why our princess wanted to be close to this kid, but I understand her reason now. No wonder he dares to be arrogant in alchemy; he has the ability to back up his arrogance.ʼ

Feng Shanxi gave a light nod. ʼThis kidʼs talent is equal to or even surpasses our princessʼs. Even if Long Qichao, Zhu Weiqing, and I join forces to fight this kid in alchemy, we may not be able to defeat him.ʼ

ʼDo you think we should change that rule?ʼ

ʼWe should discuss it with the others first, and we will meet them after this.ʼ

ʼAll right.ʼ

On the side of the two women, Long Taiyuan stood with a serious expression and both fists clenched. Watching Zhang Fei [5] perform his alchemy made him realize the difference in their abilities, and he was sure he would lose to him if they really competed against each other.

Another hour passed, and Zhang Fei [5] took out the last ingredient, the Flame Essence Liquid. The mixture erupted with a brief flame burst after he poured it into his alchemy furnace, but he hurriedly compressed and condensed those ingredients into pills.

===

[Ding]

[The Alchemy feature is upgraded to level 5.]

[New items available.]

===

Zhang Fei [5] breathed a sigh of relief, pulled his fire element back, and opened the lid. He then took the five pills inside his furnace and smiled with satisfaction.

”Five superior-grade pills!”

The shout caused Long Zhenxiaʼs concentration to waver slightly, and the heat of her flames increased. She quickly calmed herself down and stabilized her flames. However, she was aware that she would lose to Zhang Fei [5], especially since she had no confidence in concocting five superior-grade pills in one furnace.

[Hehehe! This woman will definitely be shocked if she finds out you tricked her, Master. She doesnʼt know anything about you, but she dares to challenge you in alchemy. Unfortunately, that male dragon didnʼt join the bet with you, so youʼll only get ten million blue jewels.]

ʼIt doesnʼt matter to me.ʼ Zhang Fei [5] glanced at Long Zhenxia. ʼThe important thing is that I will get her dragon flames after this, and my flame power will increase to 300%. Not to mention, my other clone is on his way to finding the Earth Flame, which will increase my flame power by another 100%. If Gong Ren has refined my weapon, and I fuse my fire element into it, its explosive power will definitely be terrifying. Unfortunately, the Sky Flames are in the Sovereign Heaven Realm, and I still need some time to go thereʼ.

About an hour later, Long Zhenxia finished her pills and immediately took them from her furnace, but she only managed to concoct three advanced-grade pills, which meant her defeat.

Long Zhenxia let out a disappointed sigh and turned to Zhang Fei [5]. ”I lost this match.”

”Honestly, your alchemy skills are not bad, but you still have a lot to do to improve yourself.” Zhang Fei [5] then extended his hand to Long Zhenxia. ”Time to pay the bet.”

- To Be Continued -