Chapter 14 Alchemy

"So, what do you want?" Du Fei stared intently at Lian Zhen and asked calmly. Hearing this, a twitch appeared at the corner of Lian Zhen's eye. After taking a deep breath, he scoffed coldly, "Indeed, my subordinates are useless. However, they have lost face for me today. If I don't stand up for them, how am I, Lian Zhen, supposed to continue my days in Buyue City?" As the last word left his lips, Lian Zhen stomped on the ground. His body shot towards Du Fei like a cannonball. Simultaneously, his right hand clenched into a fist. Even before he reached Du Fei, the powerful fist wind was already on its way. "Is this the power of the ninth level of Body-forging?" Du Fei thought. Seeing the punch, which was significantly stronger than the one Du Qing had thrown at him before, Du Fei couldn't help but be taken aback. However, he didn't retreat. Instead, with a slightly stern face, he clenched his right fist and fiercely collided it with Lian Zhen's incoming punch. "Bang!" Upon the collision of their fists, Du Fei immediately felt an incredibly strong surge of internal energy. His throat turned sweet, and his vision blurred. He was forced to retreat rapidly, skidding over the ground for more than ten meters before stabilizing himself. Even so, a trace of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. The gap between the fourth and ninth levels of Body-forging, it seemed, couldn't be completely bridged with just the Body-forging Fist! "Young Master..." Little Ai exclaimed, her voice tinged with worry. "It's fine." Du Fei raised his hand to wipe away the blood from his mouth, his expression unwavering. Although he had coughed up a bit of blood, the internal energy from Lian Zhen was mostly dissipated by his Soft Fist, so he wasn't severely injured. Lian Zhen observed Du Fei's condition and felt a hint of astonishment. He knew that although the gap between the ninth levels wasn't large, the difference between him and Du Fei was a full five levels. Logically speaking, Du Fei should have been instantly defeated with one strike. But the current situation... However, even though Du Fei had blocked his move, Lian Zhen was confident. If he used his full strength, he was a a hundred percent sure that he could kill Du Fei on the spot. Such was the confidence of someone at the ninth level of Body-forging! "Young Master Du Fei is truly skilled. People of the Du Family are indeed extraordinary! Let's go again!" With a cold laugh, Lian Zhen once again stomped on the ground. As his body twisted, both of his hands swung out in a strange arc. Then, with a sudden twist of his right hand, the top of his fist, akin to a sly venomous snake, aimed for Du Fei's face! "Serpent Fist!" As the punch was thrown, it appeared as if a group of snakes danced chaotically in front of Lian Zhen, which formed a terrifying scene. "Lian Family's Serpent Fist? Even though it's only a ninth-grade martial technique, this time Du Fei is surely finished!" Upon seeing this move, some of the surrounding onlookers couldn't help but gasp in shock. The combination of the ninth level of Body-forging and a ninth-grade martial technique was definitely not something someone merely at the fourth level of Body-forging could withstand! Watching the scene before him, Du Fei's pupils slightly constricted, and a cold electronic voice quickly echoed in his mind. However, just as he was about to issue some kind of command, a beautiful silhouette suddenly darted in front of him. "Thud Thud Thud Thud..." A series of muffled explosive sounds rang out instantaneously. Moments later, the intertwined figures in front both momentarily stiffened, then rapidly retreated from each other. "Bang!" Lian Zhen's feet heavily landed on the ground. His body wavered slightly, and his face turned red. He looked ahead, an expression of shock clear on his face and impossible to hide. At the same time, Du Fei's gaze also fell on the figure in front. After a short pause, the corner of his mouth twitched as he exclaimed in disbelief, "Little Ai?" This sudden turn of events caught not only Du Fei off guard but also most of the surrounding people. It took a while before the sounds of sharp intakes of breath filled the area. After all, Little Ai appeared to be merely a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, but she managed to hold her ground against Lian Zhen, who was at the ninth level of Body-forging? If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they'd likely find it unbelievable! "Ninth level of Body-forging?" Lian Zhen took a deep breath, his expression mixed, "Miss Ai, you truly are extraordinary..." "Do you want to try again?" Hearing this, Little Ai's face turned cold, and her angry eyes landed on Lian Zhen. "My skills are inferior, I, Lian Zhen, admit it!" Although he was defeated, there wasn't much resentment in Lian Zhen's demeanor. Instead, he laughed and said, "With Miss Ai's abilities, why do you lower yourself to stay beside a loser? The doors of the Lian Family are always open for you! If you're willing, from then on, you'll be regarded as someone above all!" His tone was sincere, and the admiration in Lian Zhen's eyes became even more intense, to the point where it was hard to conceal. Upon hearing this, Little Ai slightly furrowed her brows, and after a moment responded coldly, "I'm not interested!" "Hehe, since Miss Ai isn't interested, I won't insist. However, I have a piece of advice for you... With your talent, is it not a loss to follow such a guy?" "As for you?" Lian Zhen's gaze shifted to Du Fei, sneering coldly, "Today you're lucky, able to hide behind a woman! But next time, it won't be so easy... I heard that Du Qing plans to cripple you during the Du Family's Clan Contest! I'll eagerly await that moment! Hahaha..." After saying this, Lian Zhen, without even glancing at the others on the ground, left with an uproarious laugh. Du Fei's cold gaze followed Lian Zhen as he left. Taking a step forward, he gently pulled Little Ai closer, whispering, "Let it go... now's not the time to dwell on this." "But... are we just going to let him off like that?" Little Ai bit her lip, speaking resentfully. "Though he's despicable, some of what he said was not wrong... If I'm to settle scores with him, it will be me who does it... Hehehe... Du Qing, Lian Zhen, Long Aotian, the man in black... I won't let any of them go..." Du Fei said with narrowed eyes, followed by a cold chuckle. His tone was casual, but the chilling menace within made one's skin crawl. Hearing this, Little Ai slightly nodded, seemingly in agreement. Seeing Little Ai's expression, Du Fei chuckled and changed the subject, "Speaking of which, when did my little genius advance to the ninth level of Body-forging? How did I not know?" "About that..." After a moment of hesitation, Little Ai finally responded, "Half a year ago. But the Old Master instructed me not to tell you, which is why you've been unaware..." She was not even fifteen years old half a year ago yet she had already reached the ninth level of body-forging? Thinking of this, Du Fei couldn't help but stick out his tongue. It seemed that his father had truly picked up an extraordinary prodigy back then! As Lian Zhen left, what was originally a much-watched confrontation ended in such a manner which truly left many onlookers baffled. In this situation, Du Fei didn't want to stay outside to be gawked at. Holding the items he bought, he quickly returned to the family estate. Upon entering the family grounds, the two carefully avoided most of the clan members. Only after returning to their own courtyard did they let out a sigh of relief. "Young Master, are you really planning to refine pills with these items?" Little Ai looked at the pile of items on the table with a peculiar expression. Du Fei smiled and didn't divulge the secret of the system. Instead, he patted the medicine tripod and said, "I found a pill formula in my father's study. I don't know where he got it from, but it's worth trying... If I can successfully refine the pill, well, I don't need to explain further. Perhaps you, the genius girl, might make a breakthrough and advance to a Ninth-grade Martial Artist." "I don't mind... but Young Master, isn't it said that pill refining requires a master's guidance? Won't it be dangerous if you mess around?" Little Ai asked with a worried face. "It should be fine. Just keep an eye out for me, and don't let outsiders disturb us. I'll give it a try, and if it doesn't work, I'll naturally give up," Du Fei whispered. "Alright then!" Unable to dissuade Du Fei, Little Ai pouted and left the room, dutifully standing guard in the courtyard. After chuckling, Du Fei quickly moved the items to the inner room. The place where Du Fei lived was not large. Besides a small hall for receiving guests, there were only two bedrooms and one inner room. This inner room was obviously where Du Tian used to practice back in the day. It was quite secluded, so Du Fei's decision to choose this place for pill refining seemed apt. Inside the quiet room, Du Fei carefully opened the jade box, allowing the medicinal ingredients inside to spill out. Immediately, a fragrant medicinal aroma filled the air. Smelling this scent, Du Fei felt a jolt of energy and couldn't help but inhale deeply before whispering, "System, review the pill refining procedure again." "Beep!" A cold electronic tone resonated deep within Du Fei's mind, and the scene of pill refining he had witnessed that day re-emerged in his thoughts. A moment later, Du Fei exhaled, his gaze settling on the medicine tripod in front of him. It seemed that he was ready to start now! According to the pill refining process, at this moment, it would be appropriate to use Qi for refining. However, Du Fei hadn't even cultivated his true breath, let alone Qi. Fortunately, the fire requirements when refining a ninth-grade pill weren't high. After Du Fei casually ignited the medicine tripod with firewood, the refining process began. The medicine tripod was divided into two sections. In the lower section, fierce flames slowly bubbled. In the upper section, after removing the lid, wisps of blue smoke gently wafted out from the ancient cauldron. Taking a subtle breath, Du Fei grabbed the Stone Heart Marrow from the jade box and evenly sprinkled it atop the tripod. As the Stone Heart Marrow was added, the medicine tripod made a sound akin to frying beans. The freshly added Stone Heart Marrow jittered slightly due to the high temperature. However, moments later, these pieces gradually melted into a liquid state, as if a bowl of water was being poured in. "The first step is complete!" Joy bubbled in Du Fei's heart, and he swiftly grabbed the Purple Wisteria leaves and tiger bone flowers, tossing them into the medicine tripod almost simultaneously. With the addition of these two ingredients, a fierce purple flame blazed atop the tripod. This flame, enveloping the two types of ingredients, flickered eerily. To this spectacle, Du Fei wasn't overly surprised. According to the system's prompt, refining at this stage would take a substantial amount of time. At the moment, other than controlling the flame's intensity, he didn't have much else to do. Time ticked by. Roughly an hour later, the Purple Wisteria leaves and tiger bone flowers, resembling melting snow, gently softened within the medicine tripod, merging with the liquid below. However, the merged ingredients didn't blend with one another and appeared distinctly separate. The final step was approaching. After a quiet murmur in his heart, Du Fei carefully picked up the orchid marrow leaves and gently tossed them into the tripod. "Bang..." A loud bang echoed, and a surge of smoke instantly filled the inner chamber, causing a dizzying sensation before one's eyes. After a moment, the smoke slowly dissipated. Du Fei's anxious gaze fell upon the medicine tripod in front of him. Moments later, his face darkened. Had he failed?