Everyone was stunned; no one had ever seen anyone use their own blood to refine pills!
"Could Qin Yang be refining a poison pill?"
"How could he possibly know such dark and twisted methods?"
"The icy aura emanating from him is so profound. Has he truly deluded himself into thinking he's an ice-type mythical beast?"
Yu Shaojie suddenly laughed. "He'll definitely fail! Using human blood to refine pills? It's utterly absurd! If that pill actually succeeds, I'll..."
Before he could finish, another burst of pure cold energy erupted and vanished, leaving only a fleeting sense of coolness in its wake.
Yu Shaojie's face turned crimson from suppressed laughter as everyone turned to stare at the slowly opening pill furnace, gasps rippling through the crowd.
"What were you going to do?" Qin Yang frowned, regretting he hadn't delayed opening the furnace...
Inside the pill furnace, an ice-blue pill floated serenely, surrounded by a miniature nebula of swirling light - a dazzling spectacle.
Upon closer inspection, it revealed itself to be composed of countless tiny ice crystals made of spiritual energy, orbiting the pill in a mesmerizing dance.
"This... This is a pill manifestation! A supreme-grade pill!" Martial Heaven's eyes widened in astonishment.
Though Martial Heaven himself wasn't a pill refiner, he knew that supreme-grade pills always manifested extraordinary signs upon their creation. That icy crystalline nebula—what else could it be but a pill manifestation?
He cast a meaningful glance at Qin Yang. This brat's pill-refining skills were as monstrously exceptional as his combat prowess!
"Ah..." Qin Yang sighed. To refine this single pill, he'd expended nearly half of his true qi.
In theory, his blood couldn't substitute for that of a mythical beast. But why did pill refinement require mythical beast blood? Wasn't the true need that pure cold ice power?
He'd poured all his strength into channeling that frosty energy into his flowing blood, finally completing the refinement process.
Extracting the ice-crystalline Body Tempering Pill encased in the swirling nebula, Qin Yang presented it to Lou Mengyu under the collective gaze of envious eyes.
"Keep this safe. After I refine the Flame Tempering Pill, I'll perform the body tempering for you," Qin Yang instructed.
Lou Mengyu blinked in confusion. Perform the body tempering for me? What does he mean by that?
The cafeteria erupted in renewed commotion.
"Heavens! He's going to refine another Flame Tempering Pill?"
"One success, and of supreme quality too. Does he dare attempt another?"
Yu Shaojie's body trembled with cold. Though Qin Yang had already withdrawn his frost power, the chill seemed to have seeped into his very bones.
Even among his clan's experts, none could refine a supreme-grade Frost Body Tempering Pill from a beast's blood. At best, they might achieve high-grade quality.
Qin Yang's feat shattered two truths: first, the Yu Clan's exclusive Frost Body Tempering Pill was no longer unique; second, the implications of supreme-grade quality...
Yu Shaojie's gaze fell on Jin Wanshan. Given Qin Yang's close friendship with the Gold Family heir, should the pill formula fall into Jin Wanshan's hands, the Yu Clan's Chamber of Commerce would lose its foundation. How then could they compete with the Gold Family's Wanshan Chamber of Commerce?
"Hmph. You can refine a Flame Body Tempering Pill too?" A cold glint flashed in Yu Shaojie's eyes.
"Don't rush. We haven't reached fifteen minutes yet," Qin Yang shrugged.
"Is Qin Yang suggesting he can produce two Body Tempering Pills within fifteen minutes?"
"Even the most skilled alchemist couldn't achieve consecutive successes, could they?"
"Yu Shaojie only gave Qin Yang two materials: one portion of Froststeel Body Tempering Pills and one portion of Flamesteel Body Tempering Pills. This clearly shows that even if Qin Yang could concoct them, success would be impossible!"
Yu Shaojie declared, "Very well, I'll wait with bated breath to see the outcome!"
The crowd's estimation of Yu Shaojie plummeted. Since Qin Yang had already succeeded, according to their wager, Qin Yang should have won. Moreover, the pills he produced were of supreme quality!
"Wait here," Qin Yang said, turning to Martial Heaven. "Let me enter the Imprisonment Tower first."
Martial Heaven blinked. "Why would you go into the Imprisonment Tower?"
The crowd fell silent. This was likely the first person in history to voluntarily request entry into the Imprisonment Tower.
"To obtain a beast's blood, of course!" Qin Yang replied. Although he could channel the power of blazing flames into his own blood, that method wasted his true energy.
Martial Heaven immediately stored Qin Yang within the tower.
As everyone waited in silence, Yu Shaojie chuckled. "Obtain a beast's blood? To refine a fourth-order pill, you need blood from a Zongshi-level beast. Does Teacher Wu's Imprisonment Tower even contain such a creature? And even if it did, could Qin Yang possibly retrieve it?"
Yu Shaojie sneered openly and declared, "It seems Qin Yang won't cut off his own hand. Even if the academy continues to shield him, I'd like to see how he dares to show his face in the world!"
Martial Heaven observed Yu Shaojie silently. Qin Yang's next concoction required the Blazing Body Tempering Pill, which demanded blood from the Three-headed Flame Hound. Not even mentioning the Flame Hound, even Qin Yang's Treasure Rat was Zongshi-level...
Soon after, Qin Yang was released.
"Trash," Qin Yang spat, hurling the panda from his shoulder.
The crowd finally noticed Qin Yang's scorched garments, along with the panda's singed fur.
The panda pouted, turning its head, and transmitted a defiant mental message only Qin Yang could hear:
"Give this old man a bit more time, and I'd have subdued that Fire Dog completely. You could've taken its blood without lifting a finger!"
"Hmph!" Qin Yang rolled his eyes. "If I had time, why would I need you?"
Lou Mengyu, pitying the panda's forlorn state, quickly gathered it into her arms. This drew another glare from Qin Yang.
"Whatever. Let's continue the concoction." Qin Yang sighed.
No need for Fire Dog blood here. This guy's bloodline is too powerful, and he's on the verge of a breakthrough. If he were to overheat, it would be disastrous.
His techniques were equally masterful, whether handling spirit medicine or controlling the flame's intensity - everything was executed with pinpoint precision.
The uninitiated see spectacle, while the expert sees substance.
Even Yu Shaojie, an "expert" himself, found Qin Yang's methods increasingly incomprehensible.
Others might have mistaken it for a performance, but Yu Shaojie felt only awe. Having known Qin Yang could refine pills before, he now witnessed operations so breathtakingly superior that they seemed beyond reach.
As they reached the final step, Yu Shaojie snorted coldly. "Without beast blood, I'll see how you concoct this Blazing Body Tempering Pill!"
Qin Yang shot Yu Shaojie a glance before extending his own wrist.
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. What? What did this mean? Was Qin Yang's blood truly omnipotent?
Before anyone could comprehend, a wave of fiery heat engulfed them.
What had been an icy cavern now felt like standing at a volcanic crater!
Qin Yang's blood, now infused with pure blazing energy akin to molten lava, flowed into the earth-grade pill furnace.
Qin Yang's face paled slightly; the true qi he'd expended was truly immense. Without such expenditure, the fiery power within his blood would never have been sufficient!
Everyone held their breath, eyes fixed intently on the earth-grade pill furnace.
At last, the pill had formed!
Qin Yang exhaled in relief as the furnace slowly opened, revealing a crimson Pill of Body Tempering enshrouded in flames!
"Phenomenon... another supreme-grade quality!" Martial Heaven exclaimed in awe.
Qin Yang picked up the pill and handed it to Lou Mengyu. Turning to Yu Shaojie, he smiled, "How is it?"
Yu Shaojie gritted his teeth. "Hmph! You must be using some trick! There's no way you succeeded!"
"Are you blind?" Qin Yang frowned.
The two pills lay there, their phenomena still lingering. It was pure nonsense to claim they hadn't succeeded.
"So what if you succeeded? Fine, you're strong. Happy now?" Yu Shaojie spat.
Qin Yang shook his head slowly. "Have you forgotten something?"
"Say it! Yu Shaojie is a toad trying to eat swan meat!" Jin Wanshan shouted, leading the jeers.