Time passed bit by bit.

For Qin Feiyang, every breath right now was torture.

Not to mention the Mu siblings, from whom an occasional miserable groan could be heard.

「Half a day passed.」

Finally, the torment came to an end.

After the fusion of spiritual power and the Heavenly Thunder Flame, the extreme pain vanished, replaced by a warm feeling.

"Phew!" Qin Feiyang exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Glancing at the purple pill flame, he turned and left the alchemy room, cupping his hands. "Tower Master, I have completed the fusion with the pill flame."

"Taking half a day to fuse, you haven't disappointed your spiritual power," the woman's tone was flat, devoid of any discernible emotion. "Go refine a healing pill for me to see. If you succeed in one try, I will accept you as a closed-door disciple."

Qin Feiyang was overjoyed, but shortly thereafter, worry crept in.

If it were the Netherworld Demon Flame, he would be confident. Even with his eyes closed, he could produce a pill in one try. But he knew, now that he was using the Heavenly Thunder Flame for refining, he would need to re-master the heat control. It would be impossible to be as proficient as before. The failure rate would far exceed the success rate. However, now, there was absolutely no room for failure. He had made such an effort to impress the Tower Master; he couldn't afford to fall short at this crucial step!

He walked back into the alchemy room.

He didn't immediately start the alchemy, instead staring at the purple flame, calming the nervousness in his heart.

PHEW!

A hundred breaths passed.

He took a deep breath, fetched the bronze Pill Furnace, and placed it over the pill flame. Next, he took out the ingredients for a healing pill as well as the Solidifying Liquid.

Everything was ready. Qin Feiyang then dedicated himself fully to refining the Spiritual Liquid.

Before each medicinal herb entered the Pill Furnace, he would lower the temperature inside to its absolute minimum, then increase it ever so slightly. He was extremely careful with every step.

Having practiced alchemy for so long, he had never been as cautious as he was now. Even when the Black Wing King and the White Wing King rebelled, and he refined the Lifespan Extension Pill for the Mermaid Emperor, he wasn't this careful.

Just refining the Spiritual Liquid took him less than an hour!

Ironically, if he were using the Netherworld Demon Flame, he could have produced hundreds of healing pills in less than an hour.

Next, when fusing the Spiritual Liquid, he was even more careful. He could not afford to make even the slightest mistake.

And yet, the result was not as he wished.

In the final step of the fusion, accompanied by a loud CLANG, the bronze Pill Furnace suddenly exploded.

"How did the furnace explode?" Qin Feiyang was startled and quickly ducked.

Shards of the Pill Furnace flew past his head and slammed into the wall of the alchemy room, creating blinding sparks!

After a moment, Qin Feiyang stood up and looked at the utter mess in the alchemy room, his mind filled with doubt.

He was certain that there hadn't been a single mistake in his heat control, timing, or manipulation. So why did the bronze Pill Furnace explode? The most crucial point was, he had been just one step away! He had been about to succeed, but then this happened. Didn't this mean all his previous hard work had gone to waste?

"Do you know why you failed?" The woman's voice suddenly rang in Qin Feiyang's mind.

A War Ancestor! A chill ran down Qin Feiyang's spine. Only a powerhouse at the War Ancestor level or above could transmit their voice directly into someone's mind.

He turned to look at the woman and asked, "Why?"

The woman conveyed through voice transmission, "Because a second-grade Pill Furnace can't withstand the burn of the Heavenly Thunder Flame."

"So that's it," Qin Feiyang muttered, then asked, "What about a Third Grade Pill Furnace?"

"Both Third Grade and fourth-rank Pill Furnaces are the same. Only those of Fifth Grade or higher won't explode," the woman conveyed.

"Then why did you ask me to refine the pill?" Qin Feiyang was somewhat irritated.

A Pill Furnace of Fifth Grade or higher was simply an extravagant hope for him at this stage. With her intelligence, it was impossible she hadn't realized he didn't have a Fifth Grade Pill Furnace. Yet she still asked him to refine a pill. Wasn't this clearly a trap?

The woman remained silent, looking towards the alchemy rooms of the Mu siblings.

Qin Feiyang didn't attempt to refine any further and left the alchemy room. Without a Pill Furnace of Fifth Grade or higher, all his efforts would be in vain.

BANG!

At this moment, the tower door opened.

The City Lord strode in and said respectfully, "Tower Master, the spiritual power test is over. When can we proceed with the third round of the assessment?"

The woman asked, "How many people passed?"

The City Lord replied, "About five hundred."

So half the participants were eliminated again! Qin Feiyang thought with a chill.

The woman pondered for a moment and said, "After I finish the assessment with Mu Qing and Mu Xue'er, let them in."

"Yes." The City Lord respectfully acknowledged and turned to leave. The tower door then shut.

The third round assessed control over the pill flame. This test required the pill flame, so naturally, it was necessary to enter an alchemy room. In the past, the City Lord could have made the decision himself. But now it was different. With the Tower Master personally present, everything needed her approval.

「Time flew by.」

「Another half day passed.」

Night had already fallen outside.

The Mu siblings finally stepped out of their alchemy room.

Mu Qing clasped his hands respectfully. "Tower Master, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Go refine a healing pill. If you succeed in one attempt, I will accept you two as closed-door disciples," the woman said, expressionless.

The siblings' faces lit up with joy, and they quickly ran into an alchemy room.

Once they were ready, they each took out their Pill Furnaces.

Qin Feiyang frowned when he saw their Pill Furnaces. Because both their Pill Furnaces were also second-grade.

He turned his head again to look at the woman. The woman's gaze was indifferent. She offered no reminder, merely watching the siblings silently.

Qin Feiyang was puzzled. She knew their furnaces would explode, yet she still allowed them to conduct alchemy. What was this woman trying to do? And the Mu siblings obviously didn't know that a second-grade Pill Furnace couldn't withstand the Heavenly Thunder Flame.

Before long, as Mu Xue'er was extracting the Spiritual Liquid from the third medicinal herb, her Pill Furnace exploded with a BANG!

With a disappointed face, she walked out.

The woman remained silent.

Mu Xue'er walked to Qin Feiyang's side and asked in a low voice, "Brother Xui, did your furnace explode too?"

Qin Feiyang nodded.

Another moment passed. When Mu Qing was extracting the Spiritual Liquid from the last medicinal herb, his Pill Furnace also exploded!

"Come out!" the woman finally spoke.

Mu Qing walked out, looking dejected.

The woman coldly said, "The furnace explosions are not your fault. Your Pill Furnaces are too low-grade."

Upon hearing this, the siblings felt a little better.

The woman's tone shifted as she continued, "However..."

"However what?" The siblings' anxiety returned.

The woman said, "You have disappointed me."

Their hearts sank.

The woman said, "Your furnaces exploded while you were extracting Spiritual Liquid. This proves your control over the pill flame is weaker than Xui Ping's."

Mu Qing, somewhat unconvinced, frowned and asked, "Then when did Xui Ping's furnace explode?"

"His exploded during the final step of fusing the Spiritual Liquid. If he were given a Fifth Grade Pill Furnace, he definitely would have succeeded. Under the same conditions, even if you were given a Fifth Grade Pill Furnace, you would not be able to succeed in one attempt. So, you lost. Xui Ping, you are formally my closed-door disciple," the woman said indifferently.

Qin Feiyang was stunned, and his heart suddenly filled with immense surprise.

Mu Qing took a deep look at Qin Feiyang and nodded, "Alright, I concede."

He had no choice but to concede! Qin Feiyang's alchemical talent was clear for all to see; there was simply no comparison. His becoming the Tower Master's closed-door disciple was also perfectly justified.

The woman waved her hand, and the tower door opened again. She said, "City Lord, bring them in for the assessment."

With that, she swept up Qin Feiyang and the two siblings, flying toward the top floor of the Elixir Tower.

Soon, the four of them entered a large hall.

The hall was empty, about fifty to sixty meters across. On the opposite wall, there were only four stone doors in total. Three of these stone doors were numbered: Number One, Number Two, and Number Three. But on the centrally located stone door, there was not a single word.

"Your talents are also acceptable. I will give you alchemy rooms Number Two and Number Three," the woman said, looking at the Mu siblings. "If there's anything you don't understand, you can also come to alchemy room Number One to find me."

"Thank you, Tower Master," the two hastily bowed.

The woman then said, "Xui Ping, you are in alchemy room Number One."

Qin Feiyang nodded.

The woman glanced at the three of them, then opened the only unnumbered stone door and walked in. The stone door slowly closed behind her.

Mu Xue'er smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Xui!"

"Congratulate me for what?" Qin Feiyang said, shaking his head. "Although I've become a closed-door disciple, my treatment isn't that different from yours." To be honest, he really didn't see what advantage being a closed-door disciple offered.

"Still not satisfied?" Mu Qing shot him a look. "Don't you know? Merely by your status as a closed-door disciple, it's enough to make anyone bow and scrape before you."

Qin Feiyang shook his head and smiled bitterly. This wasn't what he wanted at all.

Suddenly, as if he'd thought of something, he asked puzzledly, "Why haven't I seen anyone else in the Elixir Tower?"

Mu Qing said, "Aren't they all still undergoing the assessment?"

"No, no, no," Qin Feiyang said, shaking his head. "What I mean is, doesn't the Elixir Tower recruit disciples every five years? Where are the disciples from previous years? Why haven't I seen them?" He was confused.

Mu Qing had a look of sudden realization and said with a laugh, "Oh, that's what you were asking! The disciples from previous years have all left."

"Left?" Qin Feiyang asked, stunned.

Mu Qing explained, "The Elixir Tower isn't exactly a faction... Forget it, I won't go into detail. Simply put, the Elixir Tower is essentially a training ground for Alchemists. Those who enter can only stay for two years. After two years, they are all asked to leave."

Mu Xue'er added with a smile, "Brother Xui, that includes you, the closed-door disciple."

"Such a rule exists?" Qin Feiyang asked, dumbfounded.

Others cultivate talent to serve their own purposes, to strengthen their own factions. Yet the Elixir Tower does the complete opposite, cultivating talent for others. Is this Tower Master so bored she has nothing better to do?

"Stop thinking about it. The thoughts of such important figures are not for us to comprehend," Mu Qing patted Qin Feiyang's shoulder, then turned to Mu Xue'er and asked, "Little sis, which alchemy room do you want?"

Mu Xue'er glanced at alchemy rooms Number Two and Number Three, then smiled. "Either is fine."

"Alright then, your big bro will make a sacrifice and let you have alchemy room Number Two," Mu Qing joked. With that, he entered alchemy room Number Three.

Mu Xue'er looked at Qin Feiyang and asked, "Brother Xui, when you have some free time another day, could you give me some guidance on alchemy?"

Qin Feiyang paused, a little surprised, and asked in confusion, "Didn't the Tower Master just say to ask her if you don't understand anything? Is there really a need for me to guide you?"

"Honestly, what a blockhead," Mu Xue'er said, rolling her eyes at him. Then, without a backward glance, she entered alchemy room Number Two.

What did she mean by that? Qin Feiyang paused, puzzled for a moment, but didn't dwell on it. He glanced at the unnumbered stone door where the Tower Master had gone, then entered alchemy room Number One.

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