ISSTH – Book 4 – Chapter 360
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Chapter 360: Zhou Dekun’s Treasured Pill
Zhou Dekun wasn’t the only one to stare in shock. Hanxue Shan also glared at Meng Hao angrily with wide eyes.
The surrounding Cultivators were struck speechless for a moment. Then, however, they burst out laughing.
“Fang Mu? Don’t tell me he’s talking about the famous Grandmaster Pill Cauldron from the Southern Domain?”
“Hilarious. This guy sure is insulting Grandmaster Zhou.”
“He really has some guts, and maybe some skills too. It’s too bad for him that he ran into Grandmaster Zhou. He’ll definitely be outdone.”
As the laughter continued to ring out, Grandmaster Zhou frowned and then gave Meng Hao a cold harrumph.
“Ignorant rapscallion,” said Zhou Dekun, flicking his sleeve. “It’s hard to believe you dare to even speak the name of Fang Mu. He’s my Junior brother, Grandmaster Pill Cauldron!” A proud look shone in his eyes; clearly he felt that his status as Grandmaster Pill Cauldron’s Elder Brother was a very prestigious one. “Originally I merely planned to teach you a thing or two about the Dao of alchemy. However, considering your blathering, you rascal, I will now help you to understand that the grandeur of the Dao of alchemy is not something to be blithely chattered about.” With that, he lifted up his hand to reveal a small bottle.
“Contained in this bottle is blood infected with the poison you used the other day,” he continued, his voice arrogant. “I’ve long since analyzed it, and I have to say, it seems very potent, but is in fact quite simple.” With that, he tossed the bottle over to Meng Hao.
“The first lesson I will teach you is regarding the liquified poison in that bottle. You….” Before he could finish speaking, his eyes went wide.
All of the surrounding Cultivators instantly went quiet, too, as their gazes locked onto Meng Hao. Even the four Grand Elders were watching him closely.
That was because the instant Meng Hao caught the bottle, it shattered. A putrid, black liquid emerged, along with a mist, which floated above Meng Hao’s hand.
A moment later, a burning tongue of flame appeared in his palm, which instantly caused the black mist to dissipate. The liquid began to writhe, and after the space of about two breaths, had transformed into a medicinal pill! Everyone watching could clearly see the entire process!
The black medicinal pill suddenly began to emit strands of red Qi, after which, the pill turned violet in color. It was no longer putrid; instead, a fragrant aroma wafted up from it which lifted the spirits of anyone who smelled it.
“Liquid Congealment Concoction!” thought Zhou Dekun, his heart thumping. He was shocked, but quickly began to rationalize in his head. “It has to be some kind of trick. This guy is simply too young. Liquid Congealment Concoction is something that only Violet Furnace Lords can do.”
Meng Hao coughed lightly, looking a bit embarrassed. He really didn’t want to cause problems for Zhou Dekun. In fact, he was quite happy to be able to see him here. Liquid Congealment Concoction wasn’t anything particularly astonishing to see. It was more of a method of extending greetings to another alchemist. Unfortunately, because of the situation with the Ji Clan, and Meng Hao’s lack of certainty regarding all the circumstances involved, he didn’t want to openly be involved with Zhou Dekun.
“As an alchemist, I won’t denigrate your petty gimmick,” said Zhou Dekun, sounding very much like a Grandmaster. In his best reprimanding tone, he continued, “However, in the process of researching that poison liquid, I imbued it with no small amount of medicinal plants. I never imagined you would dare to treacherously use them to make a medicinal pill! We’ll ignore your Dao of alchemy for the moment. Such tricks are unacceptable!” The onlookers, including the four Grand Elders, suddenly weren’t as shocked as they had been moments before. After all, they had very much faith in Zhou Dekun, from their outsider’s view.
Zhou Dekun was actually somewhat alarmed inwardly. However, he knew that this was the Black Lands, and he was a Furnace Lord of the East Pill Division. Therefore, he was fully convinced that trickery had just been used just now to congeal the pill.
“Come,” he said, setting his jaw. “Concoct a pill for me. Use all the skill you have.” His tone was arrogant, but inwardly he had decided to use this opportunity to determine the true skill level of his opponent.
Meng Hao gave a slight smile. He glanced at Zhou Dekun, then shook his head and slapped his bag of holding to produce an ordinary pill furnace. Then, he produced some medicinal plants, which he tossed into the furnace. After a few moments, a green medicinal pill emerged. The fragrant medicinal aroma was thick. It was really just an ordinary medicinal pill, but it should have been enough to shock the audience.