"What a delicious cake!" Shi Xuan praised, "Don't you think this beautiful color suits Second Senior Brother perfectly? Yesterday, when he took me out to see the courtyard, he said he missed Third Junior Sister's spiritual food. Besides, I have to rush to Hundred Herbs Peak to refine pills, so I don't have time to eat it." Better to sacrifice a friend than himself, Shi Xuan decided to shift the blame.
“Hundred Herbs Peak? Junior Sister might not know, but they have rules that prohibit disciples from other peaks from using Hundred Herbs Peak's spiritual herbs or refining pills there; they can only sell finished pills,” she paused and added, “Perhaps asking the Peak Master for leniency might work. You're so powerful; once you make a move, I'm afraid all the disciples from their peak combined couldn't beat you. Peak Master Shu will definitely admire you greatly!”
Shi Xuan nodded and urged, "Third Senior Sister, hurry up and deliver the vegetable cake to Second Senior Brother, or it will get cold."
After she finished speaking, she ran at full speed to the flight station on Fuyu Peak and boarded a griffin bound for Baicao Peak.
Baicao Peak was much more lively than Fuyu Peak. Disciples were working in twos and threes in the vast spiritual fields, and groups of people came and went. It was a prosperous and thriving place.
Shi Xuan's griffin landed in front of Dingri Hall, the largest hall on Baicao Peak. Many disciples of Baicao Peak gathered here, where they practiced alchemy and exchanged ideas. Senior brothers of higher levels would also come to give guidance to their junior brothers and sisters.
Most people were focused on processing spiritual herbs and refining pills. A few people noticed Shi Xuan coming in, glanced at her, and wondered which peak she was from, since she was wearing the clothes of a disciple.
Shi Xuan entered Dingri Hall, walked behind them, looked them over one by one, and pondered how to stay in Baicao Peak for the long term.
After walking around twice, she suddenly stopped next to a disciple who was refining a pain-relieving pill, and sighed with feigned regret, saying, "Alas, too much millet sesame was added. Even if the pill is successfully made, it will only be a low-grade pill at best, my friend."
Distracted by her words, the disciple's attention was diverted, and the entire batch of pills was burned to a black char in a short time, rendering it completely useless.
He stood up angrily and rebuked Shi Xuan, "Where did you come from, an amateur, spouting nonsense in Dingri Hall? My formula strictly follows the dosage in the book. If you hadn't come to disturb me, the pill would have been made long ago!"
His voice was quite loud, attracting the attention of many people who looked in their direction.
Shi Xuan didn't even look at him directly, nor did he show any remorse. He arrogantly said, "Have you never produced a high-quality painkiller using this formula? Now I'm kindly wasting my precious time to instruct you, and you're still so unhumble. You're hopeless."
The other party was furious and shouted, "Who said there wasn't? The ones Elder Qu refined during his lectures were top-grade! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand! I think you're the one who's hopeless!"
Shi Xuan calmly crossed his hands in front of him and clicked his tongue, saying, "It's the elder's business if he can refine it, but you definitely can't. Am I right?"
The disciple was enraged by her attitude and roared, his chest heaving, "Everyone has their own expertise. If it were a sword fight, we certainly couldn't beat you Sword Peak disciples. But on Hundred Herbs Peak, everything is judged by alchemy skills. I advise you to put away your arrogant disciple attitude!"
The argument between the two attracted many disciples from Baicao Peak to gather around them. It was unclear who to side with, as a disciple from an outer peak was arguing with a fellow disciple from the main peak.
"Which peak are you from, daring to cause trouble on our Hundred Herbs Peak! Does your peak master know that someone like you has appeared?"
"A swordsman is actually instructing on alchemy? Has practicing swordsmanship made him stupid? He should go somewhere cool and stay somewhere else!"
"Turn right after you leave to buy the pills. There's a special reception area there. Are you in the wrong place? This is a place for refining pills, not for selling them."
"Aren't all the disciples of Jianfeng supposed to be hiding in the mountains practicing swordsmanship every day? When did they start to get interested in our alchemy?"
"How dare you belittle our disciples like this! Our pill formulas have all been tested, and have been for many years. You know perfectly well that your disciples' pain-relieving pills are never of superior quality. Anyone can say that! If you're so capable, then you try refining a batch of superior pain-relieving pills and make the entire Hundred Herbs Peak admire you!"
Just waiting for that "If you can do it, then you do it!" Shi Xuan quickly interrupted the others who wanted to speak, and said loudly and decisively, "I can do it! Today I'll show you the upper limit of painkillers!"
Seeing that she actually dared to accept the challenge, the people around her also became more determined.
One of the inner disciples, who appeared to be the leader, said, "Anyone can talk big. If you can't refine a high-grade pain-relieving pill, wouldn't it be a waste of our materials?"
Shi Xuan glanced at him disdainfully, took out two handfuls of mid-grade spirit stones from his storage bracelet, which looked to be at least seventy or eighty pieces, slammed them on the table, and said with an air of wealth and arrogance, "If I can't do it, these spirit stones are more than enough to compensate you for the materials."
There's more than enough; with so many spirit stones, I could buy three to five hundred portions.
Although the pain-relieving pill was only a first-grade pill, none of the disciples of Hundred Herbs Peak, regardless of their talent, had ever produced a high-grade one. The disciples pondered that either she would actually refine a high-grade one, or she would have to pay a large sum of money. Either way, Hundred Herbs Peak wouldn't lose out, so they all stepped back, revealing the position of the disciple who had just argued with Shi Xuan.
The disciple was displeased, but he still made way and gave up the alchemy furnace. He followed the other disciples to the outer perimeter, and the group tightly surrounded Shi Xuan in a circle.
Having achieved his goal, Shi Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in front of the alchemy furnace. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "If I succeed in refining it, you wouldn't be trying to embezzle my top-grade pain-relieving pills, would you?"
"What are you saying?" the disciple who had been arguing with her earlier shouted angrily. "What kind of people do you take us for? We are disciples of Hundred Herbs Peak, dealing with pills all day long. Would we covet your measly few coins? And you talk about top-grade pills? That's laughable. If you can refine top-grade pills, I'll show you how to eat the pill furnace upside down!"
"That's good," Shi Xuan said, patting his chest as if to put it off. "Since I have to pay so many spirit stones if I lose, I can take the pills I made if I win. You can only charge me for the materials at most."
"I don't want any money for the materials. Take everything you can refine! Get started now!"
Just as Shi Xuan was about to make a move, he seemed to remember something and straightened up again, saying, "Since it's a bet, I have to pay so many spirit stones if I lose. If I win, you all have to contribute some prize money, otherwise my skills will have been demonstrated for nothing."
The leader seemed to be getting impatient. "What kind of prize do you want?"
"How about this, we're all from the same sect, and I can't bear to see you suffer any losses. If I win, please allow me to come here anytime this month to refine some pills for myself."
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