Chapter 14: A Narrow Victory? He Just Got Lucky
“A bet… How about one piece of lightning-struck wood?”
Though Elder Xuan Ying was a Golden Core cultivator and a senior alchemy elder, he was also an avid gambler. The mont Master Xuan Mu suggested the wager, he blurted out his response without thinking. But as soon as the words left his mouth, sothing felt off. Master Xuan Mu had never been one for gambling. He didn’t even like it, often chastising Xuan Ying for the habit. His unusual behaviour made Xuan Ying uneasy.
“Senior Brother, don’t tell your disciple has already refined Cold-Heat Pills before?”
“He hasn’t. I’ve never even taught him about them. I guess this is the first ti he’s heard the na.”
“Oh? Look at him—he’s flipping through the alchemy manual!”
Xuan Ying looked closely and, sure enough, Xu Xuan was buried in a book, flipping pages while making gestures in the air. Every now and then, he paused to think deeply.
“This… this… is he learning it on the spot? Master Xuan Mu, aren’t you going to stop him? He’s your disciple! If he loses, won’t that be embarrassing for you?”
Master Xuan Mu chuckled.
“Xuan Ying, just say whether you’re in or not.”
“In, of course! How could I pass up a guaranteed win?”
And the long-awaited duel began. Jing Du worked thodically: sorting ingredients, inspecting the furnace, igniting the fire…Every step was precise and disciplined. Xu Xuan, on the other hand, seed completely reckless.
“Our new ‘Senior Brother’ is quite sothing! I’ve never seen anyone try to learn and refine at the sa ti.”
“His process is all over the place! He doesn’t even know the ingredients properly, yet he’s already lit the furnace!”
“By the ti he figures it out, he’ll have burned through all the fuel. This entire match is a waste of ti.”
“Exactly! Does anyone seriously think he can succeed?”
“Shh, the elders are watching!”
Minutes turned to hours. Xu Xuan had long discarded the alchemy manual, focusing entirely on refining the Cold-Heat Pills. As soone on the verge of advancing to Master Alchemist, ard with knowledge far beyond his era, only Master Xuan Mu, a grandmaster of alchemy, could truly surpass him.
The other elders and core disciples? They weren’t necessarily better than him at all. Victory had never been Xu Xuan’s concern. His real goal was to use this chance to earn more skills and attributes!
Half an hour later, the flas of Jing Du’s furnace dimd. With a controlled strike, he knocked the heavy lid off the furnace. Three erald-green pills shot into the air, shimring like jade. Jing Du caught them, unable to suppress his triumphant smile.
“I am honoured to have successfully refined these Cold-Heat Pills. I humbly present them for the three elders’ review.”
Master Xuan Mu shook his head.
“No need. They are Cold-Heat Pills without a doubt. Judging by their aura, they’re mid-grade. However, completing the refinent in such a short ti is impressive. You’ve clearly put in a lot of hard work.”
Elders Xuan Ying and Xuan Yin also offered their praise. Xuan Ying, in particular, was eager to praise Jing Du—after all, his face was on the line.
“Senior Brother, about that lightning-struck wood—”
“What’s the rush? The match isn’t over yet.”
“Fine, fine! You can hold onto it… for now.”
Finally, it was Xu Xuan’s turn. While the elders chatted, the disciples spoke more freely.
“Jing Du is incredible! Cold-Heat Pills are so obscure, yet he refined three of them!”
“I wouldn’t be able to make even one!”
“I told you, this whole challenge was pointless!”
“No matter how talented Xu Xuan is, even a saint needs ti to learn!”
“Oh? Looks like Xu Xuan is opening his furnace…”
“With such a chaotic process, how could he have succeeded?”
“The outco is already decided. He can’t turn this around!”
“Jing Du, congratulations! You really shined today!”
“Indeed! Looks like a core disciple position is within reach…”
“Not at all! It was just luck!”
Despite his words, Jing Du couldn’t hide his smug expression. But then, he turned just in ti to see Xu Xuan opening his furnace. With a light tap on the furnace, several brilliant green pills shot into his hands.
“My first ti refining Cold-Heat Pills, so I was a little slow. Apologies for the delay.”
Xu Xuan placed the pills in front of the three elders. Xuan Ying had already been craning his neck, but now his eyes widened to the size of saucers.
“He succeeded? You actually refined them? The color, the fragrance, the texture…One, two, three, four—wait, you made one more than Jing Du?”
Xuan Ying could hardly believe his eyes. The others were staring at Xu Xuan’s Cold-Heat Pills, But Xuan Ying? He was staring at his lost bet, watching his precious lightning-struck wood fly away. Elder Xuan Yin, who had barely paid attention, pursed his lips in surprise. He had assud Xu Xuan would win, so he hadn’t even bothered to check. But seeing those four glowing pills now, he was reminded of the wisdom of keeping quiet.
“The verdict is that both batches of pills are of equal quality, but since Xu Xuan refined one extra pill, this match goes to Xu Xuan!”
Master Xuan Mu declared the result. Jing Du’s smile froze. The disciples who had been congratulating him went silent.
“He lost? Jing Du actually lost?”
“Yeah! Xu Xuan just picked it up today, yet sohow, his haphazard refining actually worked!”
“He even made one more pill than Jing Du!”
“That’s just… infuriating!”
“Shh… look at Jing Du’s face…”
Jing Du’s expression shifted from green to white. Every polite word he had uttered earlier, felt like a slap to his own face.
“He just got lucky!”
His supporters rushed to comfort him.
“Senior Brother, don’t take it to heart! I was watching him closely while he refined the pills. His process was completely chaotic… He even skipped two key steps our master taught us! For him to succeed… it was just sheer dumb luck!”
Jing Du’s face relaxed slightly. After all, luck was a widely accepted belief in cultivation. But cultivators were ant to defy fate. If one relied only on luck, then what was the point of training? Jing Du clenched his fists.
“Lucky or not, we’ll find out soon enough.”
He stepped forward again.
“Many thanks for the lesson, Senior Brother Xu! But I would like to challenge you again. This ti, let’s refine White Bone Pearls. Would Senior Brother be willing to grant another opportunity?”
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