Chapter 45 - Ain’t That Hard To F*ck You Up
With his eyes bloodshot, only refinement existed in Bai Xiaochun’s mind. He paid no heed neither to the promotional examination’s results, nor to how many times he had succeeded. At that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was how to ensure success for the next batch.
Unless he was absolutely certain, the furnace would never start.
After all, he had that meticulous personality, and its extremity was reflected in his refinements.
But at this moment, he felt that it was to no avail. Unless he condensed the black components from the Black Spirit Fruit, the problem wouldn’t be resolved. If he did that, it would be a small adjustment, and it wouldn’t be considered as changing the recipe. Having considered it for a moment, he settled on it.
“Looks like those small adjustments are the only way to go. I can’t follow the recipe completely.” said Bai Xiaochun as he squeezed the fruit in his hand.
Under the pressure, the fruit was crushed as many droplets of its juice dropped down. They didn’t land in the furnace, but remained suspended in mid-air. Bai Xiaochun was controlling the concentration of the liquid, condensing the droplets together.
This did not impress the audience, nor did it impress Bai Xiaochun. He used this method because of a personal preference for the stability it provided, that was all.
Elder Xu, however, did not view it the same way, in fact, his eyes were burning with shock. Compared to the seven successes in a row which had managed to only surprise the elder, this shock was much stronger.
“This kid, he’s trying to adjust the recipe! It’s no wonder I was asked to keep an eye on him!” Elder Xu thought.
A moment after, Bai Xiaochun swung his fist hard, removing the excess black components, leaving only a small amount which was the size of a fingernail. Only after he threw it in the furnace did he finally take out the rest of the herb set. The eighth batch was then in progress.
The furnace was turning visibly red, and before an hour had passed, the furnace once again shook from the medicinal aroma exploding out. It was, once again, a success.
Elder Xu immediately focused his attention on the furnace. In the furnace, an incense stick ten inches long lay, it had a faint purple hue that could easily be distinguished from its black colour!
“It has almost reached the medium quality!” Elder Xu was astonished.
Bai Xiaochun’s eyes shone, he finally understood why the medicine he had refined before were all low quality.
“Recipes aren’t set in stone… they have to be adjusted according to the person making the refinements, that’s how you reach above medium quality!” Bai Xiaochun felt enlightened, his body filling up with excitement. He then began the ninth batch before the crowd even had time to burst into an uproar.
No one spoke; they were all in shock. Bai Xiaochun had succeeded eight times in a row, it was too much to take in.
Not only had Bai Xiaochun surpassed Zhou Xinqi, he had reached the level of the legendary disciple from the Jade King Mountain!
Bai Xiaochun’s speed had increased. This time, it only took half an hour; this refinement only consumed the time it took for an incense stick to burn. Rumbles followed, and the ninth batch… was successful as well!
“Never before-!”
“Never before has anyone done that! And the fact that these are Black Incense sticks… Bai Xiaochun did use an incredible amount of time for scrutiny and thinking, but his success rate broke all records!”
Xu Baocai could only blink as he stared at Bai Xiaochun. As for Du Lingfei, she was suffering a headache.
Han Jianye, on the other hand, was actually relieved. He was bitter about the whole thing, but Bai Xiaochun was simply on a another level. There was no point for him to compete with him. It was his loss.
“The last one… Will Senior Brother Bai create history? Will he create a… miracle?”
“It’s worth it! It doesn’t matter how many days we wait for him! It’s all worth it now!”
They were all on Bai Xiaochun’s side now, excitement filling them as they waited for Bai Xiaochun to create history. Even Elder Xu stared at Bai Xiaochun, not daring to turn away, the shock he felt was far stronger than the rest of the audience.
Soon after, Bai Xiaochun started working again, his face filled with seriousness. He sorted out the components and ingredients, placing them into the furnace accordingly.
Time flowed by, the spectators were so silent that their heartbeats could be heard. One incense stick burned up, half an hour had passed.
As an explosion resounded, the furnace shook. No smoke of failure spread out, nor was an aroma exuded. At this moment, the tension was high.
“Did he fail?” Xu Baocai asked hoarsely.
Staring at the furnace, Bai Xiaochun’s eyes brightened up. He had some idea what would happen next.
Light shone from the furnace, gradually seeping through the cracks. Elder Xu walked toward the furnace where the audience had their eyes fixated. Within the