"Where is Qin Xuan?"
Just then, Instructor Li, who was adjusting the order of the line, suddenly asked offhandedly.
"Instructor, I'm here."
Instructor Li looked at Qin Xuan with an expression full of disdain.
"What are you doing in the back? Get to the middle of the line!"
Qin Xuan looked up in surprise.
"What are you looking at? Now, get going."
Qin Xuan quickly lowered his head and obediently moved to his new position in the line.
Instructor Li then casually arranged for a few more people to be pulled into the middle of the line, making no effort to hide his special attention toward Xiao Ran.
"Elder Sun heard about Xiao Ran's deeds from Zheng Xiangzhu and holds him in high regard. You should all get along well with him. Come, Xiao Ran, you stand at the very front."
With that said, he waved his hand grandly.
"Alright, wait out here. I'm going inside to announce your arrival."
After Instructor Li left, the other Demon Disciples looked at Xiao Ran with eyes full of envy.
What incredible luck!
They had thought Xiao Ran had offended Instructor Li, but it turned out he already had backing and was favored by an Elder!
As for Qin Xuan...
The crowd looked toward Qin Xuan, their eyes filled with ridicule.
Qian Kai even sneered in a low voice:
"A certain someone should know their place. So what if you try to suck up to Instructor Li? You're still despised, aren't you?"
The remaining Demon Disciples all nodded, showing their agreement.
Qin Xuan glanced at Qian Kai's position.
'At the very back of the line?'
Qin Xuan shook his head, not bothering to argue with him.
However, a Demon Cultivator standing behind Qin Xuan quietly tugged on his sleeve.
"Younger Brother Xuan, you can't be doing things to stand out like that next time. Not only will you fail to please the Steward, but you'll also get ostracized."
Qin Xuan turned to see it was Zhao Youliang.
Zhao Youliang's luck had been terrible. He had suffered a backlash yesterday while cultivating the White Bone Yin Talisman, causing more than half of his qi and blood to simply evaporate. His face was pale and his steps were unsteady, but he still kindly offered Qin Xuan a word of warning.
Qin Xuan returned a kind smile but didn't explain further.
...
Inside the Alchemy Room, purple smoke curled and an eerie light flickered.
A short, drunken old man in a vermilion Daoist Robe was leisurely lying on a recliner, hugging a massive wine gourd. He looked utterly content.
Instructor Li: "Elder Sun, I've brought you the sixteen Alchemy Apprentices you requested. They are right outside the door. Please, accept them."
"Not bad, not bad. All top-quality Human-shaped Grand Pills! My Blood Essence Pill needs exactly this kind of consumable material."
Elder Sun's spirits lifted. He sobered up in an instant and roared with laughter.
"Ah, Junior Brother Li, I remember we joined the sect at the same time. How have you aged so much?"
Li Cang's expression shifted, and he bowed his head in submission. "You speak too seriously, Elder. You are a Foundation Establishment Elder, while I am but a humble Instructor. I wouldn't dare presume such a connection."
Elder Sun waved his hand dismissively, looking bored. "Forget it. Go and collect your reward."
"Thank you, Elder Sun."
Instructor Li bowed and backed out of the Alchemy Room, his fists hidden in his sleeves clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh.
...
The Alchemy Room was vast.
In the center stood a towering Three-legged Giant Cauldron. Its body was carved with images of dragons and serpents rising from the land and qilin stepping on clouds. A faint golden luminescence surrounded it, the residual Pill Rhyme accumulated from countless alchemy sessions.
A raging fire blazed beneath the cauldron, fed by a full eighteen air vents. The firewood crackled and popped, yet not a single spark flew out.
Wisps of green smoke slowly rose from the cauldron's mouth, mingled with the rich aroma of stewing Spirit Medicines.
It had the magnificent air of an Immortal Family's abode.
The Demon Disciples breathed a sigh of relief.
The fear in their hearts was scattered by the dense Spiritual Qi suffusing the Alchemy Room.
"So this is a Foundation Establishment Elder's Alchemy Room? It's so grand!"
"Instructor Li didn't lie to us! Maybe we really will get a reward," someone said excitedly.
Just then, Elder Sun, dressed in his vermilion Daoist Robe and hugging his wine gourd, appeared leisurely before them.
"You're all here?"
The Demon Disciples hastily bowed. "Greetings, Lord Elder!"
"Mm, rise."
Elder Sun said, "Your task is to add firewood to my Pill Furnace. Remember, the fire must not go out."
"As for the firewood..."
Elder Sun's figure moved like a phantom. He raised his leg and kicked Qian Kai, who was at the very end of the line, into one of the Pill Cauldron's air vents.
Everyone's faces changed drastically.
The sudden turn of events happened so fast they couldn't even react.
"AHHHH!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from within the Pill Cauldron.
Qian Kai struggled violently, his frantic pounding making the walls of the Pill Cauldron ring. BANG! BANG!
A great plume of eerie green furnace fire suddenly flared up.
The screaming gradually grew fainter until it vanished completely.
The stench of blood mingled with the rich fragrance of the pill and spread through the air.
Qin Xuan recalled the Divination from before.
[The Worst Draw: You will be passively sent to the Alchemy Room to serve as an Alchemy Apprentice. When adding firewood, you will be last in line, suffer the scorching of fierce flames, and be turned to ash. Nothing will be gained. A great misfortune.]
A skeleton of pristine white, its flesh and blood shriveled away, slowly emerged and transformed into a translucent, blood-red Grand Pill that floated above the giant cauldron.
'Firewood... so that's what he meant?'
The disciples were aghast.
"Demon! He's actually refining Human Pills!" someone cursed, turning on their heel to run.
"Noisy."
Elder Sun frowned in displeasure. With a wave of his large sleeve, a giant silver sword appeared behind him, roiling with a sea of blood.
In an instant, a brilliant light flared, and complex Array Patterns lit up across the ground.
The Demon Disciples discovered in terror that their feet were firmly fixed to the ground, unable to move an inch.
They wanted to escape, but there was no escape at all!
"AHHHH!"
Accompanied by another bloodcurdling scream, another person from the line was kicked into the Pill Furnace by Elder Sun.
"Human skin for paper to create Daoist Soldiers, flesh and blood for mud to nurture red lotuses, white bones to forge swords and slay powerful foes, souls into banners to protect the True Spirit..."
Elder Sun shook his head and hummed, strolling about leisurely. With every step he took, another person became a departed soul in the Pill Cauldron.
"To be transformed into a Blood Demon, free and unrestrained—it is your good fortune!"
"AHHHH!"
The bloodcurdling screams rose and fell, one after another, creating a stark contrast.
Especially Qian Kai. Just moments ago, he had been mocking and sneering at Qin Xuan; now, not even his ashes remained.
The eerie green flame gradually turned to a bronze color.
"Refining the Blood Essence Pill takes seven times seven, forty-nine days. Each day requires a blood sacrifice of fourteen Demon Disciples who have achieved Introducing Spirit into the Body for it to succeed."
Elder Sun continued, "Fortunately, you are the final batch. Once I throw all of you into the furnace, the Blood Pill will be complete."
"Old Li sent over sixteen people this time. Want to guess who the last two lucky survivors will be?"
A chill ran down everyone's spines.
TAP... TAP...
The sound of Elder Sun's footsteps drew closer, and endless despair washed over the disciples like a tidal wave.
At the front of the line, Xiao Ran subconsciously touched the ring pendant on his necklace and let out a soft sigh of relief.
'Going by the order, Elder Sun is picking people from the end of the line. I should be able to survive.'
The others weren't so lucky.
Seeing Elder Sun about to reach him, Zhao Youliang, who was in the middle of the line, swallowed hard. He felt his heart turn to ash.
THUMP, THUMP!
The vast Alchemy Room was deathly silent, and the frantic thumping of his heart echoed in his chest.
Sweat slid down his temples, soaking the collar of his robe.
Elder Sun, walking toward him step by step, was like a soul-reaping Abyss Demon. Zhao Youliang's heart filled with terror and despair.
Zhao Youliang trembled all over with fear.
Just as he closed his eyes to wait for death, the situation suddenly changed.
"Think you're about to die?"
"Hehe, congratulations. You guessed wrong."
The next moment, Elder Sun's figure appeared like a phantom behind Xiao Ran.
???
Xiao Ran's face was a mask of utter shock.
"AHHHH!!"
With a bloodcurdling scream, Xiao Ran's tall frame was kicked into the furnace fire by Elder Sun.
THUD... THUD! THUD!
Several more heavy thuds followed in quick succession.
Aside from Zhao Youliang and Qin Xuan, all the remaining Demon Disciples were kicked into the Pill Furnace by Elder Sun.
One after another, illusory, blood-red Grand Pills slowly floated up above the Pill Cauldron.
Elder Sun stroked his beard in satisfaction, just about to say something.
Suddenly, a streak of golden light shot across the sky and zipped into the Alchemy Room.
"By order of the Peak Master, all Elders are to assemble at once!"