Danwu God Emperor

All eyes turned to Ye Lou. Just moments before, they had been captivated by Gu Mu's superb alchemy skills, but suddenly they were drawn to Ye Lou's words. Indeed, he was a man who would never be outrageous.

"This Ye Lou is far too arrogant. He's a second-grade alchemist, yet he insists on bragging in front of others. He's probably going to suffer a crushing defeat!" Some people in the crowd below were already beginning to waver in their opinion of Ye Lou.

Ye Jinyu came to Ye Lou's side and saw him propping up the back of his head with one hand and holding an apple in the other, swaying back and forth in the chair, looking quite comfortable.

"Ye Lou, are you really sure? This is no joke."

"Second Elder, have you ever seen me do anything I wasn't sure about?"

"But..." Ye Jinyu nodded slightly, hesitating to speak, but was finally pulled back by Ye Baxi.

"You can go back and keep an eye on things in peace." Ye Lou turned around and grinned at his father and elders, watching Gu Mu perform as if he were bored, occasionally eliciting applause.

"Good! Good technique!" Ye Lou clapped and cheered while biting into an apple, making the crowd around him laugh and cry at the same time. Who cheers for their opponent? Ye Lou was really relaxed and casual.

However, judging from his effortless alchemy skills, he is definitely one of the best among second-grade alchemists.

Even so, Ye Lou still wore a contemptuous smile. This confidence did not come from his own alchemy skills, but from the pseudo-alchemy manual that Uncle Xiao had passed down to him.

This fake pill is extremely useful in pill-refining competitions. No matter what kind of pill the opponent refines, it can produce a pill that is exactly the same, perfect in color, aroma, and texture.

However, fake pills have a drawback: they contain very little spiritual energy, so once consumed, the difference between real and fake pills can be discerned, and they will automatically dissolve after a period of time.

While the ancient wood had already been cleaned of impurities, Ye Lou's side remained completely still.

"You brat, confidence is a good thing, but arrogance will only make you lose even more miserably later!" Gu Mu said, while still working on the refining part.

Ye Lou shrugged. "Since you've put it that way, I'll give you half an hour for the refining part."

"You!" Dong Kuofeng was so angry that he wanted to come up and attack.

Gu Mu blocked him with one hand and sneered disdainfully, "Let him be arrogant for a while longer. Once he takes control of all the Ye family's pill business, he'll be crying."

Half an hour passed quickly, and Gu Mu had finished this part of the cleansing process. Everyone's attention turned to Ye Lou, wondering if Gu Mu would have to spend another half an hour instilling the essence.

Ye Lou smiled faintly and slammed his hand on the octagonal table.

The techniques of removing impurities, refining, concentrating, and guiding were so skillful, as if they had been performed tens of thousands of times, that everyone present was dumbfounded.

"Ye Lou has started refining pills, this..."

"I can't believe my eyes." Everyone rubbed their eyes, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.

At this moment, Ye Lou became the focus of everyone's attention. If Master Gu Mu's technique was enough to make people applaud, then Ye Lou had definitely reached a terrifying level of perfection. Among them, the most surprised was Gu Mu, because only he understood how terrifying Ye Lou was. Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but tremble.

"This is impossible! No one without a second-grade alchemist could possibly have this technique. What is this kid doing?" Neng Kuo, who was on the upper floor, was stunned and couldn't help but point down and shout.

Wu Xuanqing turned around and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with him?"

"He actually, he actually did all of these simultaneously: removing impurities, refining, concentrating, and guiding!"

"Impossible, impossible, this goes against the principles of alchemy." Master Gu Mu still couldn't believe it, but what was she seeing before her eyes?

Although the Ye family members don't understand alchemy, it's not hard for them to see something from Gu Mu's astonished eyes. None of them can see Ye Lou's hand movements clearly; they can only see afterimages waving in front of them.

"Young Master is amazing!" The Ye family members jumped for joy.

The reason why Gu Mu was allowed to undergo the purification and refinement process first was not because Ye Lou was being lenient. In fact, he did not know what kind of pill Gu Mu was refining, nor did he understand his methods. A fake pill is actually a counterfeit of the other party's pill.

He busied himself nonchalantly, but in reality, he was just taking notes of the techniques.

Gu Mu steadied himself. Even if this kid's methods were strange, his mental strength as a first-grade alchemist would never be comparable to mine after the pill was made. I must not let this kid cloud my judgment.

Half an hour later, Ye Lou and the ancient tree completed their elixir amidst gasps of amazement.

Gu Mu looked at Ye Lou and sneered, "Even if you have some strength, you can't possibly beat me in terms of the quality of your pills. This is a two-star low-grade pill, the Three-Leaf Rainbow Pill. It can not only help martial artists in the Spirit Guiding Realm increase their cultivation speed, but also increase their success rate by 40% when breaking through."

As he spoke, Gu Mu opened his palm, and the Three-Leaf Rainbow Pill emitted a dazzling light, instantly opening everyone's eyes to awe.

Then he smiled confidently and said, "Even if you are exceptionally talented, you are still too young. If this kid's alchemy skills are surpassed by mine in three years, it's a pity that after today, you will never have a chance to turn things around."

"Master Gu Mu truly lives up to his reputation as a second-grade alchemist; he has actually managed to refine such a precious pill." Dong Kuofeng looked on with envy, as this pill could be of great help to him, and he couldn't help but fawn over him.

"Now that I've seen yours, it's my turn." Ye Lou smiled calmly and slowly opened his palm. "Mine is also a Three-Leaf Rainbow Pill, but its color is brighter and its fragrance is stronger than yours. Look closer, I also have seven-colored pill patterns on it!"

"What! Seven colors!" Gu Mu's legs went weak with fright upon hearing this.

"A single-colored Danwen pattern is already a top-grade item among its kind, three-colored is one in ten thousand, and seven-colored Danwen is a legendary existence!" Neng Kuo was so frightened that he trembled and sighed, then said, "There are always higher levels out there, I admit defeat!"

Wu Xuanqing turned to look at Neng Kuo, and was shocked. Neng Kuo had always been proud. In a small place like Wushan Town, he had the right to be proud, but he had never seen him so convinced of someone's worth.

Gu Mu plopped down on the stool, utterly dejected.

Ye Lou immediately put away the fake Three-Leaf Rainbow Pill to avoid any unforeseen complications. Looking at the defeated appearance of Gu Mu and Dong Kuofeng, he was already grinning from ear to ear. He hadn't expected the fake pill to be so useful.

If I hadn't refined it myself, it would have been really hard to tell the difference between the real and fake Three-Leaf Rainbow Pill.

Ye Haotian and the two elders also breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The former couldn't help but laugh and said, "Lou'er likes to walk a tightrope. He can always make the impossible possible. My heart can't take it."

"That's exactly what I mean," Ye Jinyu clapped her hands, strongly agreeing with the statement.

"You just don't understand Ye Lou at all," Ye Baxi said with a smile.

Ye Jinyu rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "You think you know anything? Who was it that was muttering to themselves just now?"

The two elders were joking around like children, and they were indescribably happy.

Ye Haotian stepped forward and said, "Dong Kuofeng, I will send someone to take over your pill shop later. This is a promise you made yourself. With so many people here, you won't renege on your promise, will you?"

Dong Kuofeng angrily flicked his sleeves. This defeat was something he could only swallow his pride and bear. Although the family's pill shop business was not as good as before, those pill formulas were still priceless, and the plantation was, after all, part of the Dong family's land.

Now I've lost everything!

His gaze was sharp. He turned and glared at Ye Lou, his little fists clenched so tightly that his fingernails turned white. He took a deep breath and felt relieved. In a few days, he would get them all back!

The crowd dispersed, and everything returned to calm. However, they had a new perspective on Ye Lou: the genius alchemist Ye Lou who could defeat a second-grade alchemist.

Ye Lou didn't care how others evaluated him. As soon as the Danbi competition ended, he rushed back to the pill shop. If it weren't for Gu Mu's loud clamor outside, he wouldn't have wanted to be distracted. This was the crucial moment for him to study Qingfeng Yaoye.

Since his spiritual power was restored, his spiritual seed has become much brighter. The gentle breeze he had obtained from Jiao Xinghe, which he drank a sip or two of, would make him feel his strength improve.

It would be a waste if such a good thing couldn't be reused.

Ye Lou stayed at the pill shop for a full day. Every time he took a sip of Qingfeng Yaoye, he would savor the taste and write down the medicinal ingredients he could detect. This continued for about half a day.

There are always some herbs that cannot be distinguished by taste buds, which Ye Lou had anticipated. Otherwise, every alchemist could buy a bottle and develop their own version of "Gentle Breeze Swaying".

"What exactly is missing?"

Ye Lou began to experiment relentlessly, with servants constantly bringing in new herbs. Hundreds of failed attempts had piled up in front of Ye Lou, and through so many trials, he had naturally found quite a few substitutes.

But one fragrance was always missing, an indispensable fragrance.

This was his biggest headache. He sat on the ground, racking his brains but couldn't come up with any herbs that could replace the fragrance. Ye Lou had been in the medicine shop for a day and a night, and Ye Haotian and the two elders were also a little worried.

Will something happen if he doesn't eat or drink? They value Ye Lou highly now, even more than their own lives.

After a day and a night of experimentation, Ye Lou finally made some breakthroughs. Although he still couldn't find a herb to replace the fragrance, he changed the ingredients of the wine to Qianli Zui. The previous Bai Ri Niang lacked fragrance and vibrant color.

The aroma of "Thousand Miles Drunk" is strong enough to compensate for the lack of "Gentle Breeze Swaying," but it is still several levels below the quality of "Gentle Breeze Swaying" from the Jiao family.

"Lou'er, are you alright?" Ye Haotian knocked on the door of the pill room.

The door opened, and Ye Lou walked out. He looked at his father and elders, who were full of worry, with suspicion, and said with a wry smile, "I'm just developing new pills. What problems could possibly arise?"

"That's good. Miss Wanrou is waiting for you in the hall. Go on your way."