Chapter 4839 — Such a Big Mouth

Besides, even a seventh-grade alchemist could not possibly refine ten Great Restoration Pills in a single day—absolutely impossible!

"Who gave me the nerve? You will know in a day," Wei Zhao said, watching him with a half-smile. "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and bring out all the materials. Prepare an alchemy chamber for me, and in a day we shall see the outcome."

"Fine, you said it yourself!" Qing Xuanzi immediately ordered his people to make preparations, while Steward Hao was beside himself with joy. The qualification for the academy's partnership was now destined to fall into the hands of the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce.

Apart from the dedicated auction halls, the Morning Star First Tower was equipped with everything one could want. Not only were there private boxes for distinguished guests, but there were also no few special-purpose chambers such as alchemy rooms. Once the materials were ready, Wei Zhao went straight into seclusion to refine his pills.

As for the rest of the crowd, they did not disperse. After all, this was only the first day of the Morning Star Auction Gala, and a whole series of events would follow—most notably the long-anticipated individual auction in a few days' time. And so all those present would be lingering in Morning Star City for a while.

Apart from the disciples of the Morning Star Academy, most of the others were lodging right here at the Morning Star First Tower, which gave them a front-row seat to the spectacle—and no one passes up a free show.

The onlookers did not scatter. Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao had wanted to rush down at the first opportunity to be reunited with Wei Zhao, but with so many eyes and ears in such a gathering, they were at last persuaded out of it by the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea. Since they now knew Wei Zhao was with the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce, there was no harm in waiting a little longer; better to let him settle this small tangle of business first.

Amid the waiting, the day flew by in an instant. Qing Xuanzi, Chai Laoshi, and their party kept watch at the door of the alchemy chamber, waiting for the moment it would open.

"Ha, you are all here," Wei Zhao said in greeting as he opened the door and saw the crowd.

"Well?" Chai Laoshi hurried forward. This matter concerned the very survival of the Morning Star branch, and he was even more nervous than Wei Zhao himself, afraid that some mishap might occur along the way. After all, failed refinements were perfectly normal—no alchemist, however remarkable, was exempt.

"Hmph, need he even say it? Just look at his empty hands!" Qing Xuanzi and Steward Hao and the others sneered with curled lips.

"Empty hands? Are your eyes truly so poor, gentlemen? Find the time to see a physician and have them properly examined—an illness should be treated." Wei Zhao gave an unconcerned smile, then with a flick of his hand suddenly produced a box of modest size.

When it was opened, a wave of hissing gasps rose and fell all around. As for Qing Xuanzi and his companions, their eyeballs nearly dropped to the floor—no more, no less, exactly ten seventh-grade Great Restoration Pills!

Seeing the disbelief on every face, Wei Zhao smiled silently. Even now he was holding something back; as it happened, his luck this time had been rather good, and ten sets of materials had yielded eighteen Great Restoration Pills outright. To avoid causing too great a stir, he had hidden away the extra eight.

Even so, Qing Xuanzi was utterly dumbstruck. If those ten Great Restoration Pills had been prepared in advance, that would be one thing—but these still carried warmth and the fragrance of the pill. All ten were unquestionably of superior quality, and they had been refined within a single day. This was nothing short of a miracle!

"You... is this the legendary Absolute Success in Pill Refinement?" Qing Xuanzi swallowed with difficulty, looking Wei Zhao up and down anew in disbelief.

Absolute Success meant a hundred percent success rate in refinement—the realm nearly every alchemist pursued. Whether of high grade or low, it was an eternal, unchanging dream.

"Absolute Success?" It was the first time Wei Zhao had heard the term, but a moment's thought made it clear. With a perfectly ordinary expression, he said, "Oh, that. It is easy enough. What is so strange about it?"

"Easy?!" Qing Xuanzi gave such a start that he nearly bit off his own tongue, and stared at Wei Zhao as though at some freak of nature. "I said Absolute Success, mind you—how could that be easy? I have never seen a single alchemist achieve it. Aren't you afraid a strong wind will catch your tongue..."

Here Qing Xuanzi suddenly froze. The man was not boasting idly—he had genuinely achieved Absolute Success. What was as hard as climbing to heaven for himself might truly be child's play in this fellow's eyes.

Seeing Qing Xuanzi suddenly struck dumb and silent, everyone assumed he was once again scheming some way to squeeze the Hong Clan Chamber of Commerce. Even Wei Zhao thought so. But when they saw what Qing Xuanzi did next, they were all struck senseless.

Thud! Qing Xuanzi dropped to his knees before Wei Zhao, his expression turning incomparably grave and reverent. "Master above," he said solemnly, "please accept your disciple!"

"What is this? What is going on here?" Not only Wei Zhao but Chai Laoshi, Steward Hao—every soul in the hall—was struck dumb on the spot.

Even Ling Yuanqing's expression turned somewhat odd. The chief alchemist of his own academy had suddenly knelt before another man begging to be taken as a disciple—such an outlandish thing he had truly never encountered. The man had plainly been scheming against this very opponent a moment ago, so how had such an astonishing twist come about all at once?!

Another one whose face turned faster than the pages of a book! Watching Qing Xuanzi's expression, Wei Zhao could not help the twitch at the corner of his mouth, and instinctively thought of Aotian Ba—except that creature, while talking pleasantly enough, would suddenly turn on you and fling you into the sea, whereas this one before him was rather more peculiar: in the thick of a furious quarrel, he would suddenly drop to his knees...

Ignoring the strange looks from the crowd, Qing Xuanzi gazed at Wei Zhao with burning eyes and said cautiously, "If your disciple has not guessed wrongly, you must surely be a first-grade Mystic-Rank alchemist?"

By the hierarchy of alchemists, above seventh-grade Yellow Rank lay an entirely new realm—the legendary Mystic-Rank alchemist. Even a first-grade Mystic-Rank was a height no seventh-grade Yellow-Rank alchemist could ever hope to reach. It could only be looked up to, never rivaled.

"Oh?" Wei Zhao gave him a look of inexplicable meaning at these words, neither admitting nor denying it on the spot.

"It must be so. Your disciple has seen no few seventh-grade alchemists, but not one could refine a seventh-grade Great Restoration Pill so swiftly. Never mind ten in a day—I have never even heard of one in a day. And on top of that, yours is Absolute Success. Apart from a first-grade Mystic-Rank alchemist, your disciple truly cannot conceive of any other possibility!" Qing Xuanzi declared with the utmost conviction.

As the chief alchemist of the Morning Star Academy, Qing Xuanzi was regarded by all as a figure of lofty, unassailable stature. Yet behind that glory lay a torment of colossal proportions: he had been stuck at the seventh grade for over two hundred years without the slightest breakthrough!