Chapter 92: This Turns Out to Be a Furnace

"Old man?"

A head poked through the entrance of the third floor. Xu Xiaoshou secretly wanted to add a prefix, but he didn't dare.

"Come in."

Xu Xiaoshou walked in.

It was cool.

This was his first sensation upon entering the third floor. Unlike the sweltering heat outside after the rain, it felt like an air-conditioned room in here.

He looked up.

He saw a large red orb embedded at the very top of the three-story pavilion, visible even from the outside.

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou realize that this object was designed to absorb heat, its presence accounting for the refreshing coolness of the third floor.

A faint, subtle fragrance lingered in the air.

His gaze shifted back, settling on an enormous, three-legged tub standing in the very center of the third floor. Its surface was incredibly smooth, and it looked large enough to comfortably fit ten people.

Xu Xiaoshou, who wasn't even half its height when standing, felt a bad premonition rise in his heart as he looked at the tub.

He desperately wanted to turn around and leave, but he didn't dare...

Only by activating his 'Perception' ability could he see Old Sang, who was actually sitting cross-legged in the air, eyes closed, at the far end of the tub.

Xu Xiaoshou scratched his head. What was going on?

Just then, he watched as the old man suddenly gathered a large handful of highly spiritual flowers and herbs and tossed them all into the tub.

He also threw in a dozen or so fruits, branches and all.

"Puff, puff!"

A familiar sound reached his ears.

"Scorching Skyflame?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart stirred.

He strained his eyes, only then vaguely discerning the outline of a large cluster of flames beneath the tub.

What level of 'Scorching Skyflame' was this, to be undetectable by 'Perception' at first glance? It was terrifying!

But to burn the tub like this, with no water inside, surely he wasn't planning a bath!

And with all these ingredients, what exactly was the old man trying to do?

"Old Sang?" he called out.

"Don't speak, just watch closely," Old Sang replied, his eyes still closed, fully focused.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but observe intently, wondering if this was a test, requiring him to figure out what Old Sang was doing.

It was quite possible!

Important figures often indulged in eccentric behaviors, specifically to mislead others.

Xu Xiaoshou was quite experienced with this; he acted similarly when he fooled Su Qianqian.

But...

The more he watched, the more something felt off to Xu Xiaoshou.

Using 'Perception', he observed that the flowers and fruits inside the tub instantly cracked from the extreme heat of the 'Scorching Skyflame', turning into wisps of smoke, yet miraculously, a few drops of their essence remained.

What incredible control that required!

To refine such pure energy using a potent flame like 'Scorching Skyflame' was astounding.

Xu Xiaoshou estimated that if he attempted it, the entire Spirit Treasury Pavilion would likely burn to ashes, let alone successfully extract any essence from the ingredients.

As more flowers and herbs were added, the liquid essence in the tub grew more plentiful, yet it remained separated into distinct droplets.

There was plenty of space inside, so there was no worry of them crowding together.

Wait!

These essences were starting to merge, forming a large, spherical mass of liquid...

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened. This situation felt a little wrong, yet also strangely familiar.

"Boom!"

With a resounding boom, the tub vibrated violently. The liquid, larger than a human head, instantly solidified, transforming into a grayish-black sphere.

Crackle!

The black sphere cracked open, releasing a rich medicinal aroma. Xu Xiaoshou instantly shivered, barely managing to suppress the urge to inhale everything.

He quickly covered his nose and mouth, his pores constricting.

Thump, thump, thump—

Round pills thumped into the tub one by one, then silently rolled down a small side opening at the bottom, falling into a large, pre-prepared bottle.

Judging by the sound, there must have been dozens of them.

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly stunned. This was...

Alchemy???

Staring at the massive tub before him, then glancing at its three legs, Xu Xiaoshou had a moment of dumbfounded realization.

A pill cauldron...a cauldron?

Old Sang opened his eyes, looking quizzically at the boy covering his nose. He casually took out a pill and sniffed it.

"It doesn't smell bad, why are you covering your nose?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Xu Xiaoshou quickly replied, lowering his hands and composing himself.

It was a good thing he hadn't inhaled earlier. If he'd given in to that impulse, those dozens of pills...

Xu Xiaoshou shivered.

Old Sang, while organizing the pills, asked, "What did you learn?"

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, his voice filled with disbelief. "You're making pills?"

Old Sang's movements froze. He looked back at the boy with equal disbelief. "You watched all that time, and *that's* all you figured out?" he asked in shock.

"I asked what alchemy techniques you learned!

What were you even watching for the past half hour?!"

Old Sang was utterly dismayed.

"Of course, it's not just that!"

Xu Xiaoshou's words brought a renewed sense of comfort to the straw-hat old man, who then looked at Xu Xiaoshou expectantly.

In his eyes, the young man before him possessed talent, perseverance, and was excellent in all aspects — truly outstanding.

While not one-of-a-kind, his aptitude was certainly extremely rare.

And after all, he was someone capable of comprehending Innate Sword Intent; he couldn't possibly be *that* bad.

Yet, Xu Xiaoshou pointed at the cauldron before him and declared loudly, "This is actually a pill cauldron!"

Thump!

Clang—

Old Sang stumbled, unable to restrain himself, knocking over several small pill bottles on the ground, sending the pills rolling out.

"Are you blind?! If this isn't a pill cauldron, what else could it be?!" Old Sang roared.

Xu Xiaoshou's bravado instantly deflated. Nobody would mistake this for a pill cauldron, would they?!

What kind of exaggerated and bizarre pill cauldron was this?

So tall, and so huge...

Fine, I can understand you having a peculiar preference and liking this particular model.

But just look at the exterior of this cauldron – so white, and so smooth...

Where did you even buy this cauldron? What kind of taste is that? It doesn't even have any carvings; it's just a giant tub on three legs, for goodness sake! It's utterly laughable!

But despite his disdain, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare raise his voice again, only weakly replying, "I initially thought it was a bathtub..."

"A bathtub?"

Old Sang's face turned green with fury, steam practically rising from his head.

"You rebellious disciple! It's only our first day meeting, and it seems you're already trying to infuriate me to death!"

He forcibly suppressed his anger. Turning back to look at the cauldron, the more he gazed at it, the more he realized the kid's description was quite accurate...

Hmph!

"This is a special pill cauldron required for our 'Scorching Lineage' alchemy technique," he explained. "It foregoes elaborate appearances and is forged from the most heat-resistant crystals."

"As you should know, the power of 'Scorching Skyflame' is such that even spirit crystals can't withstand it for a moment. If this were made of ordinary crystals, the cauldron would likely melt before the pills could even form."

"And don't let its appearance fool you," Old Sang added, sounding somewhat weary from explaining. "This one cauldron costs more than ten of its equivalent grade!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "That powerful?"

"Of course!" Old Sang's tone regained its pride.

Xu Xiaoshou reached out and touched the cauldron wall. It was amazing; despite the recent alchemy, its temperature was already almost back to normal.

He knocked on the cauldron again; the deep, resonant clang indicated its remarkable sturdiness.

With an amazed expression, Xu Xiaoshou turned back and asked, "Such a sturdy cauldron must really hurt if you hit someone with it, right?"

"???"

Old Sang stared blankly at the young man before him, veins suddenly bulging on his face.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Silence!"

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Why was he suddenly so agitated?

Menopause?

Request received, Passive Points +1.