Chapter 2496: Temporary Loan

On Qiankun Peak, Huashan Xianzi had already risen with a smile. It wasn't about wanting to compete, but genuinely wishing to test Ye Chen's alchemy skills. Not just her, even Huashan Zhenren was curious.

After witnessing the little stone's combat prowess, it was time to see his alchemy techniques.

Ye Chen was secretly delighted; everything was unfolding according to his plan. Sparking the curiosity of these two old masters would naturally lead things in the right direction. Playing the underdog was one of his strengths.

When it came to alchemy, he had never backed down from anyone. The title of Dan Sheng wasn't given lightly.

Without delay, he pulled out his storage bag and took a look inside. The contents were embarrassingly meager, almost too awkward to behold. To outdo Huashan Xianzi, he needed at least a Ba Wen Dan. But as a newcomer to the heavenly realm, in the form of a little stone spirit, where would he get all those materials?

So, he glanced at Huashan Zhenren, then scanned the surroundings. Qiankun Peak was a treasure trove, full of alchemy materials everywhere. How could there be so many?

Perhaps sensing Ye Chen's intent, Huashan Zhenren lightly brushed his sleeve, took a sip of ancient tea, and said in an ethereal tone,"This mountain's alchemy materials are yours to take as you wish."

As the leader of Huashan, he was going all out. To witness Ye Chen's alchemy skills, some investment was necessary. Unearthing Ye Chen's potential was the top priority.

With the leader's permission, Ye Chen dashed off like the wind, vanishing in a flash.

Soon after, he was seen darting all over the peak. Wherever he went, something would go missing from the mountain. Patches of spiritual flowers and exotic herbs vanished one after another—all his doing. Since Huashan Zhenren had said so, Ye Chen wasn't holding back. He ignored the low-grade ones, focusing only on the high-grade materials. And to be thorough, if he could take more, he absolutely would.

Huashan Zhenren watched with a twitching corner of his mouth. He'd seen straightforward people before, but never one this bold.

This wasn't just picking—it was outright plundering! The spiritual flowers and herbs he had carefully nurtured were being swept away in droves. Each one taken made his heart ache.

At his side, Huashan Xianzi covered her mouth and stifled a laugh. He had dug this pit for himself; now he could watch it unfold.

Indeed, Huashan Zhenren was starting to regret it. He realized suggesting this alchemy contest was a mistake, and a bad feeling was creeping in.

Who could he blame? If you wanted to see a great performance, you had to pay the price.

Not long after, Ye Chen returned fully loaded. But Huashan Zhenren clearly noticed that Ye Chen was still clutching a half-eaten spiritual fruit in his arms—the kind that only ripened once every five hundred years.

"Got everything you need?" Huashan Zhenren asked with a laugh, though his face was a bit dark.

"Barely enough." Ye Chen wiped his mouth.

That "barely enough" nearly made Huashan Zhenren flip the table. Don't think I didn't see it—don't think just because I'm not an alchemist, I don't know how this works. The materials you've taken could refine ten Ba Wen Dans! You're not holding back at all when it's free!

Ye Chen was too busy tallying his spoils to care. Not finishing everything off was already giving you face.

Huashan Xianzi shook her head with a smile and waved her hand, summoning a cyan alchemy furnace. It was a rare treasure, forged from special immortal materials and inscribed with intricate patterns, truly impressive.

Next, she produced a crimson immortal flame.

This flame was no ordinary fire; it made Ye Chen's eyes light up. Even with his expertise, he couldn't discern its origin or name—he only knew it was incredibly powerful.

In an instant, the crimson immortal flame was fed into the alchemy furnace.

Before refining, the furnace needed to be warmed. Huashan Xianzi's technique was extremely skilled, her alchemy prowess even surpassing her skill with the qin. In all of Huashan, no one could match her in this.

Huashan Zhenren stroked his beard and glanced at Ye Chen.

This little stone was standing there perfectly still, just watching Huashan Xianzi refine her pills. He showed no sign of starting his own. Huashan Zhenren took a deep breath. If you're just going to stand there and watch, then all those spiritual herbs you took better be planted back one by one!

"Senior, could I borrow one more thing?" Ye Chen asked with an awkward smile.

"Speak."

"An alchemy furnace."

"I..." Huashan Zhenren nearly choked, struggling to catch his breath. Even with his good temper, this absurd situation made him want to curse. Aren't you an alchemist? And you don't even have a furnace? We've got a pill-refining contest here, and I put up with you not having materials, but now you don't even have a furnace? So, you're borrowing everything on the spot for this duel?

Still, he suppressed his urge to explode and flicked his sleeve, producing an alchemy furnace. It wasn't as fine as Huashan Xianzi's, but it was still of high quality.

Refine it for me. If you don't pull this off, I'll deal with you.

"Thank you, senior."

Ye Chen grinned widely, stood firm, and since he lacked true fire, he used his primordial spirit flame instead. This move made both Huashan Xianzi and Huashan Zhenren raise their eyebrows in surprise.

Clearly, refining with primordial spirit flame was no simple feat.

For a moment, Qiankun Peak fell into silence.

Huashan Xianzi waved her hand repeatedly, tossing immortal herbs into her furnace one by one. Even before the pills were formed, the scent of medicine filled the air. From the materials she used, she was refining a Jin Dan that replenished lifespan—specifically, a Ba Wen Xu Ming Jin Dan, the kind most cherished by those nearing the end of their years.

As for Ye Chen, Huashan Zhenren narrowed his eyes.

With his vision, he couldn't see through Ye Chen's furnace at all, because Ye Chen was using primordial spirit flame, which naturally concealed everything and shrouded the entire furnace.

Ye Chen remained calm and composed, tossing herbs in one by one.

However, the materials he used were all low-grade spiritual herbs. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was refining a low-level Dan—nothing more than a Yi Wen Dan, as it's known.

"A Yi Wen Dan?" Huashan Zhenren's eyelid twitched, utterly baffled. He nearly wanted to step forward and ask Ye Chen, Are you seriously planning to compete with a Yi Wen Dan against a Ba Wen Dan?

"You little one, if you refine something at that level, you won't win against me," Huashan Xianzi said with a smile. Even Huashan Zhenren could see it, so how could she not? Using a Yi Wen Dan to challenge a Ba Wen Dan meant a seven-grade difference—the outcome was clear.

"Don't jump to conclusions until the end." Ye Chen smiled faintly, continuing to add spiritual herbs methodically. His technique was quite skilled—he wasn't foolish enough to pit a Yi Wen Dan against a Ba Wen Dan. His strategy ran much deeper.

Huashan Xianzi smiled and said no more.

Huashan Zhenren relaxed a bit, brewing another pot of fine tea and quietly watching the two compete. If Ye Chen really tried to use a Yi Wen Dan, he would definitely lose his temper.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen never stopped adding herbs.

This time, he had switched from Yi Wen Dan materials to Er Wen Dan materials, and then to San Wen Dan, Si Wen Dan, Wu Wen Dan materials—progressing step by step. The whole process flowed seamlessly without any awkwardness.

This alchemy style left even Huashan Xianzi impressed, though she couldn't see through his furnace or know what he was refining.

As fellow alchemists, she had a sense for it: A high-level alchemist's movements carried an inexplicable aura, and Ye Chen definitely had that.

In other words, Ye Chen was undoubtedly an alchemist, and his skill was quite advanced.

As the two observed secretly, Ye Chen had finished adding Liu Wen Dan materials and smoothly moved on to Qi Wen Dan materials. This time, he slowed down, controlling the primordial spirit flame while extracting the essence. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The peak was utterly quiet; Huashan Zhenren didn't dare interrupt, simply sipping his tea.

Huashan Xianzi appeared calm and composed.

In contrast, Ye Chen was sweating more, clearly under pressure.

The two immortals didn't understand, but if anyone from the various heavens were here, they'd know exactly why. Ye Chen was under pressure, but only because his refining was more difficult than Huashan Xianzi's.

He wasn't doing this for no reason—he wanted a complete victory.

This sequence of moves left the two immortals even more puzzled. First Yi Wen Dan materials, then Er Wen Dan, all the way to Qi Wen Dan—what was he refining? Or was it some kind of stew? It was basically a big mishmash; the flavor must be interesting.

"Senior, the furnace might explode," Ye Chen suddenly said.

Huashan Xianzi quickly focused and saw her furnace buzzing intensely—it was indeed on the verge of exploding. Alchemy was a precise art; one slip could lead to disaster.

Ye Chen smiled and, while still adding, switched to Ba Wen Dan materials.

This made even Huashan Zhenren sit up straight. Materials from Yi Wen Dan to Ba Wen Dan, all in one furnace—was this really refining, or something else? Would it even work?

In the stillness, the scent of the pills grew stronger, wafting across the entire peak. Even disciples passing by below stopped in their tracks, as if they could smell the medicinal aroma—refreshing and invigorating. Without looking, they knew someone was refining pills up there, and of a high grade at that.

Sure enough, under their gaze, a golden light shot up from the mountain, followed by thunderous roars. Dark clouds gathered, with lightning flashing—that was Dan Lei.

"It's a Ba Wen Jin Dan." Many disciples and elders looked up, their eyes shining.

"It must be refined by our junior sister—absolutely her work." Quite a few old folks playing chess on other peaks turned to glance over, their eyes gleaming, though not particularly shocked. With Huashan Xianzi's alchemy skills, producing a Ba Wen Dan wasn't extraordinary.

"Always refining on Qiankun Peak—such a nuisance." More old folks muttered jealously, hands tucked in their sleeves. They were all smitten with Huashan Xianzi, but she paid them no mind.

The Dan Lei came quickly and vanished just as fast.

Huashan Xianzi reached out and caught the Ba Wen Xu Ming Jin Dan, examining it with satisfaction. It was definitely top-grade, an upper-quality Ba Wen Dan.

She sat down, poured a cup of ancient tea, and joined Huashan Zhenren in watching Ye Chen. This little stone was still diligently adding materials—all Ba Wen Dan grade.

"Senior, don't go back on your word later," Ye Chen said as he tossed in another herb.

"Don't get distracted—focus on refining first," Huashan Zhenren chided lightly. Alchemy wasn't a joke; it required full concentration. How could you chat while working? Those are my herbs—precious Ba Wen Dan materials. You don't feel the pain, but I do.

Ye Chen chuckled, surging his primordial spirit flame, infused with dao essence, now entering the pill condensation stage.

No one knew when, but he suddenly slapped the furnace and uttered two words:

"Out of the furnace."