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"You seem a bit hesitant?" Wei Yang smiled. "No worries, go back and think it through."
"After all, the medicinal ingredients needed to refine Soul Mending Pill aren't easy to find. If you want me to do it, the rule is you prepare three sets of ingredients. Payment will be negotiated separately once the pill is formed—that's the industry standard, and I can't just break it at will."
Medusa frowned slightly upon hearing that.
Indeed, gathering three full sets of ingredients for Soul Mending Pill was no easy task.
"How about this—considering we're old acquaintances, and given your current situation, it's definitely not easy for you to gather all those materials. I'll give you a discount—two sets."
Wei Yang raised two fingers and said, "As long as you can gather two full sets of Soul Mending Pill ingredients, I'll personally refine the pill for you and guarantee at least one successful pill. As for the time, there's no limit. Once you've got them, I'll refine it immediately."
"As for the payment, we'll talk about that after you bring the materials. Just be mentally prepared—since I'm giving you a discount on the ingredients, the service fee might be a bit higher than usual."
Upon hearing that, Medusa's frown relaxed and was replaced with a seductive smile.
She nodded gratefully, her tone respectful as she agreed readily, "No problem. Thank you, Master Wei. It's a deal!"
She was sincerely grateful—Wei Yang had already made an exception for her, and what more could she ask for?
As for the higher service fee?
That was to be expected. After all, he was saving her the trouble of one whole set of rare materials. A higher fee was only reasonable.
At the same time, she was inwardly shocked. Soul Mending Pill—that was a genuine Tier 6 pill!
And yet, Master Wei dared to promise that if she provided two sets of ingredients, he would definitely refine one successful pill?
This man… was truly unfathomable!
"It's getting late. You should head back." Wei Yang yawned, waved his hand, and started ushering her out.
"Giggle~ Then I'll take my leave. I won't disturb Master Wei's rest any further." Medusa covered her mouth with a soft laugh. Her figure flickered and disappeared into the night without a sound.
In the air, only the faint echo of her laughter and a trace of delicate fragrance remained.
…
Wei Yang stood with hands behind his back, gazing up at the full moon in the night sky.
"Xiao Yan, this is the opportunity I've secured for you. Whether or not you can seize it… that's up to you." he murmured softly.
Two sets of Soul Mending Pill ingredients—that was Wei Yang's final chance offered to Xiao Yan.
If during this time Xiao Yan still couldn't win Medusa over, then he'd have no one to blame but himself.
Should Medusa decide to leave Xiao Yan and come to Wei Yang for help refining pills instead, Wei Yang wouldn't refuse.
After all, he had to make a living too.
By the time Medusa gathered those two sets of ingredients, Wei Yang might already be at the peak of Tier 6—or even a Tier 7 alchemist.
The chance of failure in refining Soul Mending Pill would be extremely low.
He would earn one full set of rare ingredients and receive a hefty reward. Why would he say no?
Xiao Yan?
He was given the chance. If he couldn't make use of it, that was his own incompetence—not Wei Yang's fault.
…
The next morning, Xian'er left early to participate in the internal association prediction trials.
These trials were an internal assessment conducted by the headquarters ahead of the main competition.
Outsiders didn't need to attend, but any participants recommended by regional branch leaders were required to take part.
It was also a way for the headquarters to test the judgment of those branch leaders. If the candidates they recommended couldn't even pass the internal test, there was no point in letting them go embarrass the association at the grand competition.
Originally, as one of the association headquarters' trump cards, Xian'er didn't need to attend such trials. But she insisted she didn't want special treatment and was determined to take part.
Wei Yang couldn't do anything about it.
When it came to alchemy, Xian'er had a stubborn streak and was extremely serious.
So he had no choice but to let her do as she pleased.
And in this prediction trial, she went head-to-head with Xiao Yan on the same stage for the first time.
The strength she displayed shocked Xiao Yan greatly—it caught him completely off guard.
Damn it, wasn't she supposed to have the Woeful Poison Body?
Wasn't her soul talent supposed to be weak?
You're someone born to play with poisons, yet your alchemy skills are this strong too? Sis, did you accidentally max out the wrong skill tree or something!?
At the same time, Xiao Yan put away any thoughts of underestimating her. He started to take Xian'er seriously, feeling an unexpected amount of pressure.
This pressure… was even stronger than what he'd felt from Liu Ling, Gu He's personal disciple.
Even Yao Lao, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, was a little surprised.
This generation's Woeful Poison Body… was this capable?
…
In the courtyard—
Inside a spacious alchemy room—
A bronze cauldron stood tall, with black flames dancing inside.
Within the cauldron, a faintly transparent medicinal liquid was slowly forming, giving off a rich medicinal aroma that brought a deep, soul-soothing sensation just from smelling it.
Wei Yang sat cross-legged before the cauldron, his hands forming seals that shifted fluidly and skillfully.
Off to the side, Qing Lin squatted down with her hands propping up her chin, watching with anticipation. From time to time, she even stuck out her small tongue to lick her lips.
Standing silently behind her was Du Jiao, his face expressionless as he stood like a towering iron pillar.
Inside the cauldron, the item being refined was a Tier 4 Soul Nurturing Liquid.
A moment later—
As the final warming phase concluded, Wei Yang sensed the medicinal energy within and nodded with a smile.
This batch of Soul Nurturing Liquid, improved under Yao Lao's guidance and thanks to Wei Yang's own progress in alchemy, had now reached full potency—100% of its medicinal power had been activated.
This batch was at least 30% more potent than previous ones.
That meant, even if divided the same way—two parts with 30% each and one with 40%—a single 30% portion now would be comparable to a previous 40% portion, possibly even surpass it.
He glanced at Qing Lin.
She immediately understood, flipping her hand to retrieve three small jade bottles and opening them. Holding them up eagerly, her eyes sparkled like a hungry baby bird waiting to be fed.
Wei Yang chuckled. With a thought, the medicinal liquid in the cauldron flew out.
Midair, it split into three portions and landed precisely into the three jade bottles.
As per the usual distribution—two bottles with 30%, one with 40%.
Qing Lin quickly sealed them, hugging the bottles to her chest with a joyful smile, her eyes squinting into crescents.
In her memory, this might have been the very first time Young Master had refined something just for her.
Wei Yang smiled and gently rubbed her little head. "The 40% one is for you. Take it to enhance your soul power. One bottle goes to Du Jiao. As for the last one, keep it for now—we'll decide based on how well Du Jiao recovers."
"Okay, Young Master." Qing Lin nodded sweetly, even rubbing her head against his palm like a kitten.
Wei Yang laughed, his eyes full of anticipation.
It was certainly beneficial for Qing Lin to enhance her soul power with the Soul Nurturing Liquid.
After all, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils didn't rely heavily on Dou Qi. The stronger her soul, the better.
Wei Yang withdrew the flames and cauldron, stood up, and patted her on the shoulder. "Take it while it's fresh. I'm heading out."
"Mm." Qing Lin nodded. Watching him leave, she finally looked down at the three jade bottles in her arms and smiled sweetly.
…
Time passed—
After consuming the Soul Nurturing Liquid, Qing Lin's soul power had been significantly enhanced. Though she was only at the peak of Nine-Star Da Dou Shi, her soul power was already comparable to that of a low-level Dou Wang.
Once she broke through to Dou Ling, her soul would likely rival even a high-level Dou Wang.
That was extremely rare.
It seemed that her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, especially when activated, also provided a buff to soul growth.
It made sense. Without high soul talent, she couldn't have possibly tamed so many serpent-type magic beasts.
Moreover, every time she successfully formed a soul contract with one, depending on the strength of the beast, she would receive a certain degree of soul feedback—an increase in soul power.
That was another broken aspect of her special constitution.
Wei Yang couldn't help but think of the original novel—how later in the story, Qing Lin subdued the remnant soul of that Ancient Heaven Serpent.
After it fused completely with her soul, her soul power became absurdly powerful.
As for Du Jiao—after taking the Soul Nurturing Liquid and resting for two days, his soul had recovered nicely.
Of course, the memories lost due to toxin damage couldn't be recovered.
But over time, his eyes grew more animated, and his expression became less stiff. He even started to show some emotion on his face.
Wei Yang tried giving him a few more complex commands. This time, Du Jiao no longer needed Qing Lin's soul-link communication—he could now understand and execute them himself.
This was a very good sign.
After some more time, with another round of Soul Nurturing Liquid, Du Jiao's recovery would likely be even better.
…
Peaceful days passed again.
Three days later—
The Alchemist Grand Meeting… finally began.
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