Ten Thousand Dragons Technique

Chapter 423: Fusion! Still Missing One Flame!

The Master of the Pill Tower turned to look at Lin Xuan, wanting to see how far he had progressed. But the sight stunned him. He found that Lin Xuan had already finished the extraction!

How is that possible?

The Master of the Pill Tower couldn’t believe it and hurried over to investigate. Upon closer inspection, he froze on the spot. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his mind buzzing. The hand holding the vial trembled.

He stared at the vial, then back at Lin Xuan. "You’ve really finished! When did you finish? How long did it take you?"

Lin Xuan replied, "About an hour and a half. I saw you were still busy after I was done, so I decided to rest for a bit."

An hour and a half! The Master of the Pill Tower was stunned. It had taken him two full hours to finish. Lin Xuan had done it in an hour and a half—he was faster! How can this be? The Master of the Pill Tower couldn’t believe it. He suspected Lin Xuan was bragging, but the medicinal liquids before him were undeniably real.

For a moment, he was completely dazed. He could only turn his head to look outside the array and ask, "Bing Qing, what happened? Tell me."

Bing Qing walked over to the edge of the array and said loudly, "Master, Young Master Lin really did finish in an hour and a half."

The other masters also came over, each excitedly chiming in. "Tower Master, you didn’t see Young Master Lin’s technique! It was truly heaven-defying!"

"Did you know? He extracted ten types of medicinal liquids at once, one more than you!"

"Young Master Lin’s talent is unparalleled! His future achievements will be limitless!"

The Tower Master was completely dumbfounded. He really finished in an hour and a half, and he extracted ten types of medicinal liquids at once! One more than me! How is this possible?

He knew this extraction step was extremely difficult. Extracting nine types at once was his absolute limit, and no other Alchemy Master could compare to him. Most of them could handle five or six types at most. But Lin Xuan... he had extracted ten types at once!

This is simply heaven-defying! Could this kid really be a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master? No, that’s not right. Even a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master shouldn’t be able to extract ten types at once.

"How did you do it?" the Master of the Pill Tower asked, his curiosity piqued. "Could you extract one more time for me to see?"

With that, he took out another ten types of medicinal materials, preparing for Lin Xuan to demonstrate.

"Alright," Lin Xuan said. In front of the Master of the Pill Tower, he once again displayed the Star-Plucking Hand, instantly extracting ten vials of medicinal liquid.

The Master of the Pill Tower stood dumbfounded. The young man had really done it. It was incredible. This technique is truly stronger than mine.

"The technique you just used... could it be the legendary Star-Plucking Hand, one of the Ten Great Alchemy Techniques?" the Master of the Pill Tower asked rapidly, seeming to have discovered something.

"That’s right, it’s the Star-Plucking Hand," Lin Xuan nodded.

It really was the Star-Plucking Hand! The Master of the Pill Tower was utterly shocked, and the other Alchemy Masters erupted into an uproar.

The Star-Plucking Hand! That was one of the legendary Ten Great Alchemy Techniques! Hasn’t it been lost to time? But Lin Xuan actually knows it! No wonder he can extract ten types of medicinal liquids at once!

Everyone had a sudden moment of understanding, which was immediately followed by overwhelming envy. Lin Xuan’s luck was just too good to have obtained such a legendary alchemy technique. If any of them could acquire it, their own skills would improve by leaps and bounds. Of course, they only dared to fantasize. With Lin Xuan’s status, they would never dare try to steal it from him.

「On the other side,」

Master Song was filled with jealousy upon hearing this. His eyes turned red. Damn it! What has this kid ever done to deserve knowing one of the legendary Ten Great Alchemy Techniques? I’m burning with envy and resentment!

「Within the array,」

The Tower Master was overjoyed. The stronger Lin Xuan was, the higher the success rate of the alchemy, and the happier he would be.

He said, "Young Master Lin, let’s begin the third step. For this third step, don’t act directly. Just use your Anomalous Fire to assist me from the side."

Lin Xuan nodded. The third step was the key to the alchemy and the core of the entire Pill Recipe. The part of the Pill Recipe Lin Xuan had obtained didn’t include the fusion information, so he was unable to take the lead. He simply stood beside the Master of the Pill Tower, ready to support him with Anomalous Fire at any moment.

The Master of the Pill Tower began to act. He tossed all the extracted medicinal liquids into the Alchemy Furnace, then enveloped them with fire. He controlled two types of flames: his own supreme Spiritual Fire and the Nine Nether Fire from the array. He manipulated both with perfect mastery. Under his control, the hundred-plus medicinal liquids began to slowly fuse.

"Young Master Lin, use your Anomalous Fire to assist me," the Master of the Pill Tower’s voice rang out.

Without hesitation, Lin Xuan activated the Nine Heavens Profound Fire, sending it into the Alchemy Furnace. The interplay of the three flames engulfed the medicinal liquids.

The fusion process was extremely slow. The entire hall fell silent once more, though the distant Alchemy Masters watched intently, discussing cautiously among themselves.

One master said, "If I’m not mistaken, Lin Xuan must be a true Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master."

"Yes, look at his skill. His level is already on par with ours."

The others were taken aback by this, then shook their heads with wry smiles. They had trained for decades to reach their current level, yet Lin Xuan, at such a young age, was already their equal. In the future, he would undoubtedly surpass them. The thought filled them with a sense of wonder.

Bing Qing gazed at Lin Xuan’s figure. As she watched, her face suddenly flushed, and she shyly lowered her head.

Only Master Song gritted his teeth and snorted coldly. "A Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master? I doubt it. That kid has merely mastered the Star-Plucking Hand, which is why his extraction technique is so formidable. But becoming a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master requires more than just extraction; it requires fusing all the medicinal liquids. That step demands immense Soul Power and control over the flames. This Lin Xuan is merely a Martial General. How could his Soul Power possibly be that strong? He can’t refine a fourth-grade elixir on his own, so there’s no way he’s a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master."

Is that really the case? The others sighed at this, but someone else countered, "Even if he’s not a Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master now, he’s probably not far from it. He’s already an eight-star Martial General, isn’t he? Once he becomes a true Grandmaster, his Soul Power will increase dramatically. At that point, he’ll surely break through and become a true Fourth-Grade Alchemy Master."

The group continued to discuss and watch.

「In the blink of an eye, a day had passed.」

Within the array, the Master of the Pill Tower was still in the fusion process. This step was incredibly slow and could sometimes last for several days.

「Soon, the second day passed.」

The fusion continued.

「The third day arrived.」

It was still the same.

Lin Xuan’s forehead was beaded with sweat, and he was amazed. This fifth-grade elixir takes so long! It’s been three days and it’s still not done? Unbelievable.

Another half a day went by.

Suddenly, the Alchemy Furnace began to shake violently. The flames inside churned fiercely, and the mass of medicinal liquid trembled as if it were about to break apart.

The Master of the Pill Tower’s face changed dramatically. He roared, frantically trying to control the flames and stabilize the liquid.

The spectators outside cried out in alarm. The Alchemy Masters all shot to their feet.

"Not good, something’s wrong with the fusion!"

"Is it going to fail?"

"How could this happen?"

"To fail at this stage is such a terrible waste."

"I wonder if the Tower Master can stabilize it..."

Cries of shock echoed through the hall. Bing Qing nervously clenched her small hands, praying in her heart. Please stabilize, please don’t fail...

"This is bad, it looks like it won’t stabilize," Master Luo exclaimed.

Master Zheng also frowned. "I’m afraid the Master of the Pill Tower can’t stabilize it alone."

Master Zhou sighed. "If only there were one more person helping."

"If there was just one more type of flame, it could definitely be stabilized!"

Master Song stood up and sneered. "Hmph, so it’s going to fail? I told you it couldn’t succeed with just that kid’s help. If I had been assisting, this would never have happened. This failure is all that kid’s fault!"

Sighing, the other Alchemy Masters shared the sentiment. Lin Xuan had refused Master Song’s help earlier. Now, without his flame, it seemed the alchemy was doomed to fail at the last moment.

「Within the array,」

Lin Xuan asked, "What’s wrong?"

The Tower Master’s voice was filled with despair. "We’re short one flame. Sigh... I should have let Master Song assist after all." As he spoke, his face was a mask of hopelessness. It seemed the alchemy was going to fail. Everything would be for naught.

I can’t accept this! I just can’t!

Still missing a flame? Lin Xuan was startled for a moment, then he smiled. "If you just need one more flame, I can provide it."

"I happen to have two Anomalous Fires!"

Hearing this, everyone froze.

Master Song burst out laughing. This kid is hopeless. Even at a time like this, he’s still bragging! You have a second Anomalous Fire? What a joke!

"Hmph! I’d like to see you produce a second Anomalous Fire!"