Xiao Baichi, who was almost out of the alchemy room, turned around abruptly upon hearing these two words.
"How is that possible!"
Qi Yu's furnace exploded! How could there be five pills?!
Xu Shengsheng frowned slightly and walked over to take a look.
In Bai Shu's hand were indeed five Rejuvenation Pills.
Moreover, that pill was perfectly round and of excellent quality, far superior to Xiao Baichi's inferior pills.
Bai Zhu's usually indifferent gaze finally softened with a hint of eagerness.
He parted his pale lips slightly and uttered five words that shocked everyone else in the alchemy room.
"Seventh-grade Spirit Restoration Pill—"
Rank 7?!
Qi Yu was also somewhat surprised to take the five Rejuvenation Pills from Bai Shu's hand and examine them carefully.
Xiao Baichi exclaimed, "How could it be a seventh-rank? Commander Bai, you must have misread it!"
Bai Shu glanced at him expressionlessly, and Xiao Baichi was so frightened that he shut his mouth and dared not say another word.
The fact that Qi Yu had refined a seventh-grade Rejuvenation Pill alarmed the people in the other alchemy rooms, who all came to admire the pills that Bai Shu was holding.
"To be able to refine five Grade 7 Rejuvenation Pills on the first try..." a female disciple murmured.
Another disciple continued, picking up where she left off: "Could Qi Yu be a genius at alchemy?"
"Sure enough, when God closes a door, He opens a window. Qi Yu may only have five spiritual roots, but he is a genius at alchemy."
One of the disciples who witnessed Xiao Baichi provoking Qi Yu said, "Tsk tsk tsk, Xiao Baichi really kicked a hornet's nest. He was so confident just now, but now, I feel ashamed for him."
"Hey, what's this called? You can't speak too soon, and you can't do things to the extreme."
"Hahaha……"
While the disciples watching were laughing and joking, Xiao Baichi, who was at the center of the conversation, was not so happy.
His face flushed red, and he clutched the two poor-quality Rejuvenation Pills tightly in his hands. The sour smell of his sweaty hands seeped into the pills, creating an indescribable odor.
The more perfect Qi Yu's elixir was, the more it made him look like a clown.
How could this be...?
Xu Shen patted his shoulder and said, "Junior Brother Xiao, don't be too sad. We can't compare to talent."
She didn't mention a word about Xiao Baichi's batch of pills, which were probably made by her. She also didn't mention Qi Yu's control over the proportions of ingredients and the heat, only attributing it to Qi Yu's talent, while Xiao Baichi's talent was not as good as Qi Yu's.
This seemingly effortless maneuver only fueled Xiao Baichi's inner turmoil.
Qi Yu's face was covered in soot from the stove fire, making him look disheveled.
Gou Dan ran over, wet a handkerchief, wiped Qi Yu's face, and then handed Qi Yu his three Rejuvenation Pills.
"Sister, please take this elixir."
He hadn't dared to disturb Qi Yu, who was focused on refining pills, and he didn't know that Qi Yu was trembling all over because of the depletion of spiritual energy. Only now did he realize why Qi Yu was struggling so much.
Qi Yu smiled, refused the Rejuvenation Pill, and said, "This is the first pill you've ever refined. Keep it as a souvenir. I'm fine now."
Someone who loved watching the drama unfold said, "Xiao Baichi, didn't you just say you wanted to compete with Qi Yu? Why don't you bring out your pills and compare them?"
Anyone with eyes can see that Qi Yu's pills are better than Xiao Baichi's; saying this is just an attempt to stir up trouble.
Xiao Baichi's hands trembled as he held the pills, and the mocking looks from the crowd made him wish he could disappear into a hole in the ground.
He struggled to utter each word through clenched teeth.
"Qi Yu, it was I... blind and ignorant, not recognizing your genius... I apologize for my boastful words just now..."
His unwilling tone made it sound like Qi Yu was forcing him to apologize, and it hurt her ears to hear it.
"Stop, stop." Qi Yu grabbed the handkerchief from Gou Dan's hand and vigorously wiped the dust off his face. "You are indeed blind and can't judge people well, but I'm not a genius either. I just kept what Commander Bai just taught me in mind and did it with my heart instead of just going through the motions."
"You said it was alchemy, but all you did was have Xu Shenshen throw the materials into the furnace for you, and then casually light a fire talisman. With this attitude, you think you can refine some world-shaking elixir? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"
Xiao Baichi paused, slowly opened his mouth wide, and stared blankly at Qi Yu.
Qi Yu wiped her face clean, handed the handkerchief back to Gou Dan, and continued, "Commander Bai is a fourth-grade alchemist with rich experience. He is meticulous and attentive when refining pills. How can we beginners compare ourselves to geniuses? Without hard work and dedication, how can we expect to reap any rewards?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Shu gave Qi Yu an appreciative look.
Besides Xiao Baichi, there were other disciples in the alchemy room who, like him, had been inattentive and lowered their heads in shame.
Bai Shu took out a delicate little wooden box from his storage ring, put five Rejuvenation Pills inside, and handed it to Qi Yu.
He looked around and said seriously, "Qi Yu is right. I have already explained all the precautions. If you all follow them carefully, the result will not be too bad."
"But it cannot be denied that," he suddenly stopped, glanced at Qi Yu, and said, "Qi Yu does indeed have a talent for alchemy."
"A talent that even I can't match."
Qi Yu blinked, not daring to speak. "Master, I was just being modest, why are you putting me on such a high pedestal again? Being too aloof is not good for interpersonal relationships, Master."
Bai Shu, unaware of Qi Yu's inner thoughts, continued, "But you don't need to be discouraged. Talent is important, but diligence can make up for lack of talent. Your previous teacher, Jin Dan, had only average talent, but he eventually became a fifth-grade alchemist."
Qi Yu pretended to be mute while holding the small wooden box. She had figured it out: this Commander Bai was a pill-refining maniac with zero emotional intelligence. Who would publicly say that his previous colleague was not talented but hardworking?
Commander Jin, no, Jin Dan probably doesn't want this evaluation either!
The room was completely silent; no one dared to respond to Bai Shu's words.
He didn't realize there was anything wrong with what he said, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he assumed that his teachings had been heeded and nodded.
"If you want to pursue the path of alchemy, you must learn from Jin Dan's spirit, work hard, and feel free to ask me anything you don't understand."
He glanced at Qi Yu one last time and said, "Qi Yu, you are quite good. If you want to become an alchemist, I can take you to join the Pill Alliance."
Bai Shu is a member of the Dan Alliance; this is an olive branch extended to Qi Yu.
Qi Yu smiled, without saying whether it was good or bad, and only thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your approval, Master. I will consider it."
Bai Shu took this as agreement, nodded in satisfaction, and left the alchemy room.
As soon as he left the alchemy room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and surrounded Qi Yu, eager to see the seventh-grade Rejuvenation Pill.
Since they were so enthusiastic, Qi Yu didn't hesitate and opened the small wooden box to show them.
Some people picked it up and held it in their hands, admiring it as they looked at it.
"Qi Yu, your pills are really beautiful."
"If this were sold at the Flying Star Treasure Pavilion, it would probably fetch several hundred low-grade spirit stones, right?"
Someone asked gossipily, "Do you have some secret technique? You even had a third-grade wound medicine before. Are you perhaps the heir of a family of doctors?"
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