Chu Shanhe's heartfelt sigh—"lucky star"—echoed across the small square in front of the pavilion.
Though he didn't say it outright, his relieved and grateful gaze landed on Chen Yi. Several people present immediately understood.
The Grand Elder wore a faint smile. The Second and Third Elders nodded slightly as well, and the way they looked at Chen Yi softened.
Yang Wudi and Yang Wushuang exchanged glances, their appraisal of this young sect master rising again.
Ye Cien gently patted the back of his granddaughter Ye Lingling's hand, signaling her to observe more carefully.
In the silence, the atmosphere gradually became harmonious—yet an unmistakable solemnity also drifted in, hinting at what was about to begin.
After pausing for a moment, the Grand Elder gave a light cough, pulling everyone's attention back to reality. He looked at Chu Shanhe, returning to his usual steady tone.
"Sect Master, since you have passed seclusion and are in good condition, then the crucial alchemical task—guarding the pill furnace and suppressing medicinal power—will be entrusted to you."
Upon hearing this, Chu Shanhe instantly grew spirited.
After a year of seclusion, he had been worried he wouldn't have a chance to display his mighty power. Now the moment had arrived. He immediately waved his hand, pounded his chest with a dull thump, and declared loudly:
"Brother, don't worry. Leave it to me. Let me test these muscles and bones of my third Golden Awakening! Just tell me—can I carry the furnace now?"
His tone was relaxed, brimming with confidence, eager to "open up" after the breakthrough.
However, the faces of the three elders beside him turned slightly strange. Their lips twitched as if they wanted to speak, then hesitated.
The Third Elder had personally gone to Gengxin City and supervised the construction of this pill furnace. He knew every detail.
With Chu Shanhe's current Rank 98 strength—and a completed Gold-tier awakening—guarding an ordinary pill furnace would indeed be easy.
The key was…
This furnace's "scale," the total amount of soul power required to cover it during refinement, and the intensity of continuous output were no longer "protection" in the usual sense.
It could only be called a massive project.
The Third Elder opened his mouth, then swallowed his words. He decided it would be better for the Sect Master to experience it personally.
"Then… let's go into the pavilion and begin," the Grand Elder concluded.
Hearing this, everyone grew solemn and followed behind the elders and Chu Shanhe into the thick stone building.
As the heavy stone door was pushed open, a complicated aroma surged forward—countless herbs, minerals, and a hint of sulfur mingling together. It was a unique scent formed over many years.
But when their eyes adjusted to the dim light inside and they saw the interior clearly, only the three elders and Chen Yi were mentally prepared.
Everyone else—including Chu Shanhe—couldn't help but gasp.
The interior of the pavilion was far wider and taller than its exterior. It was clearly expanded by spatial soul-tool guidance techniques.
The most eye-catching thing wasn't even the gigantic alchemy furnace in the center.
It was the long table to the side, made of ten-thousand-year cold jade, upon which lay dozens of exotic flowers, spirit herbs, ganoderma, and immortal ginseng.
Every plant had a different form. Some branches and leaves looked like carved jade, flowing with blue light. Some roots and stems coiled like dragons, emitting an ancient, time-worn aura. Some were shrouded in mist, towering and mysterious…
Without exception, all radiated rich heavenly-and-earth energy and magnificent life force—brilliant and dazzling—turning the entire pavilion into a fairyland.
"This… this is… Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum? Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew… My heavens!"
At this moment, Ye Cien—patriarch of the Nine Heart Begonia clan, famous for composure and elegance—completely lost control.
His pupils dilated. His breathing unconsciously quickened, chest heaving violently. His fingers trembled slightly as he pointed toward the immortal herbs, his voice shaking with disbelief.
"So many… so many rare immortal herbs! Incredible—how can they actually be gathered here!
"I've studied pharmacology my whole life and have never seen a true immortal herb—yet there are so many here. This is… this is truly shocking!"
Ye Cien was so excited he could barely restrain himself. If he didn't force himself to hold back, he would have pounced forward to examine them closely.
The Yang brothers' reaction was even more unbearable.
They came from an alchemy line; their obsession with medicine was far stronger than ordinary people's.
The moment they saw the table full of immortal herbs, the brothers' eyes turned red, as if they had seen a dragon hoarding peerless treasures. They stopped caring about etiquette or demeanor. Almost simultaneously, they let out low roars and flashed toward the cold-jade table.
"Qiluo Tulip! It really is! The books say it is elegant and luxurious, and its fragrance can move soul power on its own—so it's true!"
Yang Wudi carefully lifted the golden flower whose petals layered like clouds. His beard trembled with excitement.
"And this Eight Petal Immortal Orchid—said to solidify the foundation, nourish essence, and reshape one's base!"
Yang Wushuang stared at the orchid-shaped immortal plant with eight crystalline petals.
The brothers were like children entering a treasure vault—dazed and entranced. They grabbed immortal herbs one after another—things that existed only in legends and ancient illustrations—examining and rubbing them carefully while muttering excitedly to themselves.
They sank completely into a sea of medicine, as if the outside world had vanished.
In the end, their gazes were always pulled toward the center of the table—toward an oddly shaped immortal plant.
It was a peony-like flower of pink and white, larger and richer than normal, with no leaves, and a soft green stem.
It didn't blaze with dazzling light. Instead, it possessed a restrained, understated luxury.
Yet a faint, strange fragrance drifted from it, filling the air—refreshing, and making the flow of soul power feel subtly smoother.
"You… you are… the Aromatic Silk Beauty…"
Yang Wudi's voice trembled violently, almost choking. He reached out a rough palm, wanting to touch it, yet stopped in midair, afraid of defiling such a holy object.
Yang Wushuang was equally stunned. His eyes shone with unprecedented light, his voice hoarse.
"So it's real… the nemesis of all poisons. The Aromatic Silk Beauty…
"Our Breaking Clan… our ancestors searched for years, traveling thousands of mountains and rivers for immortal herbs…
"And yet… it's actually here!"
The Breaking Clan was famous for medicine refining and poison usage. This Aromatic Silk Beauty was the sacred antidote they dreamed of—called in the clan's inheritance records the highest divine treasure.
How could they not tremble with anticipation upon seeing it now?
Unable to endure it any longer, the brothers carefully reached out like pilgrims and gently stroked the delicate petals and warm stem, as if touching the most precious treasure in the world. A faint glimmer of tears appeared in their eyes.
This wasn't merely an immortal herb.
It was the obsession and dream of the Breaking Clan—carried across generations.
Unlike those shocked by the immortal herbs, Chu Shanhe's attention only strayed briefly when he first saw the table. Surprise flickered through his eyes—clearly, he hadn't expected the sect to gather so many, and such high-quality, immortal herbs.
But in the next moment, his hawk-sharp gaze locked firmly onto the enormous object in the center of the pavilion—
The pill furnace he was supposed to guard.
He saw a massive existence occupying more than a third of the pavilion.
It was pitch-black, simple, heavy, and stood on three legs—like an ancient beast asleep.
Its surface was not smooth; countless complex, mysterious lines were engraved across it. In the dim light, they carried a dark-red sheen that faintly flowed, like subterranean fire burning.
The furnace stood silently there, seemingly connected to the earth beneath it, radiating a pulsing heaviness and stability.
"This…"
Even with Chu Shanhe's Rank 98 cultivation and heart, upon seeing the true form of this furnace, the corner of his eye twitched.
This volume, this texture—was far more solid than he had imagined.
At that moment, the Grand Elder's voice sounded in his ear at just the right time, with a faint hint of meaning—as if he had seen through Chu Shanhe's doubts.
"Sect Master, in order to withstand the impact of so many immortal medicinal powers and ensure the refinement process, the Third Elder personally went to Gengxin City and asked Master Lou Gao of the Divine Craftsman Pavilion to design and supervise construction."
The Third Elder continued, sounding a little proud and a little pained.
"That's right. The main materials are large quantities of rare metals. At the core, we even added two pieces of Black-Striped Iron.
"And for stability and durability, there's also Deep Sea Silver, and even some Silver Mother extracted from it."
He added, "The overall frame was repeatedly precision-forged from many top-grade metals Gengxin City had stored for years."
Then he paused, pointing at the dark furnace body, and emphasized, "Sect Master, don't think this furnace is 'not big.' It's because most of the structure has been extremely compressed and consolidated."
"Back then, to bring it back fully packed in the highest-grade storage soul tool, we almost used up all the tool's space. Master Lou Gao and I worked so hard we nearly had to dismantle it and reinstall it."
"Calling this 'not big'…?"
After hearing the introduction, Chu Shanhe's mouth twitched hard. He almost wanted to grab the Third Elder by the collar and ask whether there was some misunderstanding about the word "big."
Even with his Rank 98 soul power, to evenly and steadily permeate every corner of a gigantic furnace cast from high-density rare metals—forming a complete protective field—was already an exhausting task.
And during refinement, he would have to continuously resist the energy backlash produced when immortal medicinal powers fused.
As he imagined that scene, Chu Shanhe suddenly felt the burden on his shoulders grow as heavy as a thousand pounds. Most of the pride from when he had pounded his chest evaporated instantly, and his expression darkened involuntarily.
Only then did he understand what the Third Elder's "strange face" had meant.
The Grand Elder glanced at Chu Shanhe's changing expression and secretly smiled in his heart, as happy as drinking a cup of ice water on a blazing summer day.
Originally, the plan had been for the Second Elder to guard the furnace, with the Grand Elder supporting with most of his attention—and at critical moments, he might even need to shoulder part of the pressure himself.
After all, the Second Elder's soul power had not yet reached the peak of a Douluo, and he had always been somewhat lacking in this aspect.
Unexpectedly, Chu Shanhe had successfully emerged from seclusion at this exact time, his strength skyrocketing.
With a Rank 98 Sect Master who had completed a Gold-tier awakening right in front of them, the pressure on their shoulders suddenly lightened greatly. They could better coordinate the overall situation and focus more on handling other accidents—like "drowsiness meeting a pillow."
"Perfect timing," Chu Shanhe stared at the Grand Elder. His face was expressionless, but deep in his eyes was a trace of relief.
He snorted through his nose, then said with a hint of irritation, "Since everything's ready, what are we waiting for? Can we start or not?!"
His tone carried the frustration of having "fallen into a pit," but his eyes showed even more responsibility—and the willingness to take on the challenge.
The three elders exchanged smiles, and the room quieted.
The Grand Elder suppressed his grin, turned solemn, and faced Ye Cien, Yang Wudi, and Yang Wushuang—who had finally recovered from the shock of the immortal herbs.
In a low voice, he said, "Brother Ye, Clan Leader Yang, Elder Yang—the immortal herbs are prepared, the furnace is heated, and the defenses are in place."
"Alchemy—officially begins!"
With the Grand Elder's command, the atmosphere inside the pavilion instantly became extremely solemn.
The earthfire beneath surged hotter, flames licking at the bottom of the dark furnace. The air grew scorching, and a vast energy began to churn within the confined space.
...
PS: Read advanced chapters at patreon.com/AbsoluteCode