"What …" The old man was obviously stunned and said unhappily, "You little brat, do you think I'm a fool?"
"Grandmaster, I'm telling the truth. Why don't you believe me?"
I had a helpless expression. Actually, sometimes, I felt that I was too outstanding. Being outstanding wasn't a bad thing, but being too outstanding wasn't necessarily a good thing either. Not to mention the old man in front of me, even my wife and the others sometimes thought that I was just bragging.
"Hmph, you're still talking nonsense now?
What I, Sui Yunxiao, hate the most in my life are people who talk too much. Do you believe that I won't bring you to the Pill Refining Hall right now? Don't regret it when you embarrass yourself! "
The old man was a little dissatisfied. Even if I found an excuse and said that it was a gift from an expert, he would feel a little better. Yet, he just had to talk nonsense and say that he refined it himself.
Although Sui Yunxiao didn't know much about pill refining, he knew that a qualified alchemist needed at least ten years of accumulation. The difficulty and obstacles in this process were no less than the road of martial arts.
It was undeniable that this brat's attainments in martial arts were better than many geniuses. His conduct was also not bad. Only his bragging personality greatly reduced his points.
Of course, considering my age, Sui Yunxiao couldn't say anything. Even if he was the strongest person in Jianghu, he didn't know where he was messing around at my age. On the other hand, I, a foreign martial artist, was able to look down on all the heroes in the capital, overshadowing the local genius martial artists. Just this courage alone was commendable.
"It's okay, grandmaster. I'm not afraid of fire." I shrugged and said lightly.
"Good, good, good. I want to see what makes you say that." Sui Yunxiao was a little annoyed and walked in front to lead the way.
It was obvious that my words had successfully diverted his attention so that he wouldn't associate me with the people of the Demon Path. That would be troublesome.
Not long after, under Pavilion Master Sui's lead, I arrived at the True Martial Hall's Alchemy area. It was a separate courtyard, and on the ancient signboard, there were three big words — Alchemy Hall!
Just as Pavilion Master Sui was about to go in with me, she stopped and looked towards the foot of the mountain. "An old friend is here. You go in first and bring your finished product to me later!"
After speaking, he hurriedly left.
"Eh?" I couldn't help but be stunned. Old friend?
Could it be that he sensed something?
I didn't think too much about it and walked into the Pill Refining Hall. A faint fragrance assaulted my senses, making me feel relaxed and happy.
He saw a few people who looked like disciples, surrounding a few large alchemy furnaces, walking back and forth in the courtyard, obviously working together.
They didn't notice my existence. Usually, there would be disciples who came to visit, so they weren't surprised.
Compared to my small rank two alchemy furnace, these large alchemy furnaces were easier to control, and the pills refined would have a significant improvement.
"Senior Brother, do you think the people in the Martial Arts Practice Hall will be able to accept this batch of pills?" As they busied themselves, they discussed.
"It should be possible. At least one-fifth of the rank two pills can be guaranteed. Although it hasn't reached the standard of one-fourth given by Master, it's almost there. We've only been studying for a month. Practice makes perfect, and we'll definitely be able to fight for the top five!"
No matter what stage an alchemist was at, the success rate was always a headache. The rarer and more precious the elixir, the lower the success rate. Moreover, the corresponding treasures would be more expensive.
"But yesterday, the people of the Martial Hall said that they needed fifty rank two pills. We only have thirty or so. I'm afraid we can't report it!"
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't talk about the Martial Hall. We, the people of the Pill Refining Hall, work so hard. Isn't it for their future?
It's already not bad to have thirty pills. If anyone has any objections, don't eat them in the future … "
Before that guy could finish, a figure suddenly walked in from the other side door, and his words stopped abruptly.
"Senior brother Wang."
These disciples shouted in unison with unspeakable respect, yet they were complaining incessantly in their hearts. Speak of the devil and he will appear. This person's name was Wang Shixiong, and he was one of the top three heroes of the Martial Arts Exhibition Hall.
"Zhang Xi, what did you just say?
Previously, we agreed on fifty pills.
Now that we're cutting corners, you still think you're in the right?
Don't think I don't know that part of your time is used for private work. Why don't we go to the Discipline Hall and argue?! "Wang Shixiong curled his lips and said unhappily.
The so-called private work was actually their extra business. For example, if the six martial halls didn't have enough pills every month, they would think of some way to buy them directly from the black market. Although it was easy, they would be cheated. Generally, every martial artist had their own connections in this area. After pulling the strings, the pharmacists of the True Martial Hall would also supply a portion of the pills.
The biggest advantage of their pill refining was that they didn't need to use their own money to buy treasures of heaven and earth. They could just use the True Martial Hall's. This was a typical case of abusing the public for personal gain. Of course, this kind of thing could be said to be tacit. As long as it wasn't too excessive, the True Martial Hall wouldn't deliberately deal with it.
After all, every alchemist was equivalent to an endless supply of pills. They joined the True Martial Hall because of the principle of enjoying the shade under a big tree. Naturally, it was best for everyone to benefit each other.
"Cough cough, Senior brother Wang, you misunderstood. I didn't mean it that way. It's just that the materials are a little tight recently. If you must gather fifty rank two pills, then give us another three days." Zhang Xi braced himself and said.
"No, I want it today. If there's one less, I'll go to the Discipline Hall and expose you!" Wang Shixiong's attitude was quite unyielding.
"Hey, Senior brother Wang, this is where you're wrong. Who doesn't know that you and Zhang Xi have a personal grudge? You're already an ex-girlfriend. Why do you have to be so serious?"
"Yeah, let's just treat it as nonsense."
It turned out that Wang Shixiong was tired of playing with a female student, so he directly dumped her and refused to pay any compensation. As a result, that girl later got together with Zhang Xi. She said that Wang Shixiong was short and fast, causing her to be unsatisfied all year round. She couldn't be compared to Zhang Xi at all. This matter spread like wildfire in the True Martial Hall, and the two became enemies because of this …