"You? You can refine pills?" Yu Shaojie burst out laughing.
Qin Yang's words also set off a wave of laughter throughout the hall.
"Stop daydreaming! Even your lies should have some credibility. The formula for Body Tempering Pills is exclusive to the Yu family!"
"Truly delusional. Trying to impress a beauty will only end in humiliation!"
"Don't believe me? Let's make a bet." A mischievous smile played on Qin Yang's lips.
"Bet it is! But we need stakes!" Yu Shaojie's eyes gleamed with delight. Qin Yang had practically delivered himself to them.
Martial Heaven observed this silently, his brow furrowing repeatedly. Qin Yang didn't seem like a man to make empty claims, yet this Body Tempering Pill...
Recalling how Qin Yang had immediately identified Yu Shaojie's Body Tempering Pill as mid-grade quality, Martial Heaven felt a flicker of surprise.
If Qin Yang truly can refine pills... Martial Heaven's gaze intensified on Qin Yang. This would be extraordinary!
"Name your stakes," Qin Yang said with deliberate ease.
Yu Shaojie glanced at Lou Mengyu and smiled. "I'll give you a month. If you can't refine a Body Tempering Pill by then... you must proclaim to the world that you're unworthy of Lou Mengyu and abandon the marriage alliance with the Lou Clan!"
Qin Yang's expression turned cold. Martial Heaven instinctively drew his black tower, leaving Qin Yang momentarily speechless.
The young man quickly schooled his features into a forced smile. "Let's change the stakes."
"Tsk! I knew it! He doesn't know how to refine pills!"
"The Qin Family's downfall means he's only clinging to his connections with the Celestial Academy and the Lou Clan marriage. How could he possibly pass up this chance to soar?"
"Especially with Lou Mengyu's peerless beauty and strength. If I were in his shoes, I'd never risk such a gamble!"
Yu Shaojie looked at Qin Yang with contempt. "What's wrong? Can't handle the bet?"
Qin Yang shook his head slowly. "Lou Mengyu's choice of husband is entirely hers. Her will must be respected - no one can dictate her heart."
"Tsk. Who doesn't know how to spout such empty words?"
"Such a noble-sounding excuse?"
Lou Mengyu gazed at Qin Yang, warmth flooding her heart. Yet, upon reflection, she realized she had no choice but to marry him...
With a soft click of her tongue, a blush of embarrassment spread across Lou Mengyu's face.
Qin Yang scanned the crowd and declared, "I'll propose a wager. Provide me with the required spirit medicines. If I fail to refine them within fifteen minutes, I'll sever my own tendons right here!"
The declaration sent shockwaves through the assembly!
Even Martial Heaven flinched in surprise!
"Qin Yang, have you gone mad?" Jin Wanshan frantically signaled at Qin Yang, but the young man refused to acknowledge him.
Yu Shaojie recovered first, barking out a laugh. "Agreed! I accept your wager!"
"He's courting certain death!"
"Is Qin Yang truly insane?"
"Even if he avoids self-harm, his reputation will be ruined beyond repair!"
None present believed Qin Yang could succeed. To them, this reckless gamble stemmed not from confidence, but madness!
"And if I do succeed?" Qin Yang pressed.
"Dispose of me however you wish!" Yu Shaojie's heart raced with anticipation. Whether Qin Yang died or not, the outcome served his purposes perfectly. The Lou Clan would never consider marriage to such a disreputable man.
Among the onlookers, some girls began to view Qin Yang with newfound admiration. To stake his life for Lou Mengyu's dignity? This was precisely the image of every girl's dream lover!
"Let me think." Qin Yang pondered briefly before smiling. "How about this? If I succeed in refining it, you'll publicly shout three times: 'Yu Shaojie, the toad who dares to feast on swan meat!' How's that?"
Yu Shaojie's face darkened instantly as he glared at Qin Yang. "Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Scattered snorts of laughter in the crowd were quickly suppressed.
"I mean no insult," Qin Yang enunciated clearly. "It's simply the truth."
Shrugging, he added, "If you choose to interpret it that way, there's nothing I can do."
"Fine! I'll provide the spirit medicines for the Body Tempering Pill now. In fifteen minutes, we'll see how you plan to resolve this!" Yu Shaojie declared, producing a series of spirit medicines that he laid out on the table.
"Refining fourth-order spirit medicines requires an earth-grade pill furnace..." Qin Yang frowned.
Yu Shaojie sneered, "Haha, I knew you'd pull this trick!"
Thud! Yu Shaojie slammed an earth-grade pill furnace onto the table.
He snorted coldly, "I may be a Qi Sea Realm cultivator, limited to tier-three pills, but did you think I'd lack an earth-grade pill furnace?"
Qin Yang nodded, satisfied. Glancing at the spirit medicines, he added, "Do you have Zongshi-grade demonic beast blood? Both ice and fire elemental types needed."
"Demonic beast blood?" Yu Shaojie's eyes glinted. High-tier pills indeed required such blood, but most alchemists couldn't control its volatile power.
The reason these Froststeel Body Tempering Pills and Blazingsteel Body Tempering Pills had poor quality was precisely because they'd substituted milder spirit medicines for demonic beast blood!
"What? Trying to make things difficult? Too late to change methods now, isn't it?" Yu Shaojie glared at Qin Yang, refusing to believe he truly knew the formula.
"Fine, let's proceed. Shall I begin?" Qin Yang asked.
The entire hall held its breath, eyes fixed on Qin Yang's movements.
"When will he start refining the Body Tempering Pill?" Jin Wanshan whispered.
Lou Mengyu shook her head, her gaze tender as she watched Qin Yang. "If he said he could, then he will."
This was Qin Yang's first active use of the upgraded system to copy a pill formula. To his surprise, merely glancing at the pill now allowed him to replicate both the formula and the top-tier refinement techniques.
His fluid motions stunned everyone present, leaving Yu Shaojie increasingly uncertain. He had observed his clan's alchemists refining Body Tempering Pills before, but Qin Yang's steps and control over the flame were executed with perfect precision!
No, judging by Qin Yang's relaxed expression, even the high-ranking alchemists in his clan paled in comparison!
"This..." Yu Shaojie clenched his fists.
In the cafeteria, the silence was so profound that the drop of a needle would have been audible. All eyes remained fixed on Qin Yang as he worked.
"Qin Yang actually knows how to refine pills?"
"He's working on a fourth-order pill that only Zongshi Realm cultivators can create!"
"But wait... he's controlling that earth-grade pill furnace with such ease..."
The realization struck everyone simultaneously, sending shivers down their spines. Only Yu Shaojie remained oblivious, still focused on whether Qin Yang would succeed in his refinement.
"Holy shit! That bastard Qin Yang is actually a Zongshi Realm cultivator!"
"Regardless of whether he can succeed, a Zongshi Realm master at this age..."
"As a special admissions student, how could we possibly dismiss him just because he's a Qin family descendant?"
In an instant, everyone realized this truth. Recalling their previous discussions about Qin Yang, their hearts turned to ice.
Some who had even threatened to beat him up now prayed desperately that Qin Yang wouldn't remember them.
The pill refinement had reached its final step. This time, he was creating a Cold Ice Body Tempering Pill, needing only one last ingredient: the blood of an ice-type demonic beast!
"Teacher Wu, please release the Nine-feathered Ice Phoenix," Qin Yang said.
"Impossible," Martial Heaven refused outright.
You're joking! A beast nearly as large as a magical flying ship, and you want me to just let it go?
"Huh?" Qin Yang's face filled with frustration. Without releasing the Nine-feathered Ice Phoenix, how could he obtain the beast's blood? And going back to the Imprisonment Tower now would be too late!
Qin Yang frowned deeply. In desperation, he channeled all his cold ice power, transforming the cafeteria into an icy cavern.
A layer of frost covered everyone's faces and heads.
Martial Heaven glared at Qin Yang, ready to imprison him in the Imprisonment Tower at any moment. But then he saw Qin Yang form his fingers into a sword-like gesture and gently slice his own wrist.
"Qin Yang!" Lou Mengyu gasped, covering her mouth. Qin Yang was actually using his own blood to refine the pill!