Chapter 124: Many Thanks, Junior Brother Zhang

The formation returned to a state of calm. Both those inside the room and those outside suddenly ceased their movements, turning their heads in unison to see what had happened; in truth, it had all occurred in a mere instant.

Upon closer inspection, the newcomer was revealed to be a young man dressed in a crisp black outfit, lacking the attire of an inner-sect disciple. Aside from one person who looked overjoyed, everyone else was momentarily stunned. They were completely baffled by the sudden appearance of this total stranger.

Then, Xu Jinglong stepped forward and laughed heartily, saying, "Many thanks, Junior Brother Zhang!"

Junior Brother Zhang? Who was he?

Having regained their composure, the onlookers were filled with curiosity and began to size him up discreetly. The young man in black had a baby face and appeared quite youthful, yet his every gesture was restrained, or perhaps introverted. He was sparing with his movements and expressions, and even in the face of Xu Jinglong’s gratitude, he offered only a faint, shy smile.

This demeanor immediately won the group over, and they signaled to Xu Jinglong, waiting for an introduction.

Xu Jinglong, who had been bracing for the worst—having prepared his life-saving treasures at the final moment to stabilize the cauldron and help everyone escape—felt a slight pang of disappointment. Though he knew his junior brother had a knack for alchemy, it was still disheartening to have to be saved by him in front of everyone.

He hesitated for a moment before saying with a sense of relief, "This is my junior brother, Zhang Danyi. He comes from a family of alchemists and possesses profound insights into the control of medicinal concoctions. He is a genius of our Alchemy Pavilion."

After the introduction, everyone stepped forward to introduce themselves. Li Sibai was particularly interested in this Junior Brother Zhang. Though the technique he had used was swift, Li Sibai had seen it clearly through his Purple Eye Divine Light. While it differed slightly from his own internal conclusion, he understood the principle behind it.

Once the pleasantries and expressions of gratitude were finished, the group returned to the side of the alchemy cauldron in silence.

Kang Wei sighed, his expression conflicted. "It’s a pity about that Crimson Gold Bear core."

This high-grade Earth-tier core was something he had coaxed out of Li Sibai. Such materials were rare and hard to come by; one could not simply hunt Crimson Gold Bears at will, and one had to ensure the beast did not self-destruct during the hunt. Given these factors, if the core had been successfully refined into a Crimson Gold Spirit Pill, it would have offered tremendous benefits to a cultivator with a metal affinity, not only rapidly boosting their strength but also elevating their raw power to a new height. Now that it had failed to refine, he could not help but feel regret. It seemed he had been too impatient; he should have been more cautious and sought an elder to handle the refinement.

Xu Jinglong felt even more embarrassed hearing this. He had been confident, and everything had been going smoothly until, for reasons unknown, things suddenly changed. The speed of the deterioration left him no time to rectify the situation, nearly causing the cauldron to explode. Although Junior Brother Zhang had prevented the explosion, the pills inside were surely ruined, as the cauldron-protection formation had been activated.

"Senior Brother and everyone, do not take it to heart. Alchemy is a matter of fate," the black-clad Junior Brother Zhang said, offering rare words of comfort.

Before anyone could respond to Zhang Danyi, two abrupt coughs broke the silence. "Actually... it’s not a pity. It can still be saved."

Since the pills would have been wasted once the cauldron was opened, Li Sibai did not want to see them go to ruin, so he couldn't help but speak up.

The crowd reacted with mixed expressions. Most were skeptical; the two alchemists and Xiahou Lu remained silent, while the fat man, Tai Cheng, looked on with disdain. Only Kang Wei’s expression was complex, and he was the first to ask, "Junior Brother Li, what do you mean by that?"

Li Sibai smiled slightly. "Everyone, wait a moment."

The group watched as Li Sibai casually flicked a stream of energy at the formation and then struck the body of the cauldron with a series of palms. After only a few breaths, he stepped back and signaled to Kang Wei and Xu Jinglong that he was finished.

Kang Wei and Xu Jinglong exchanged a puzzled look. Even Zhang Danyi looked bewildered. Could it really be that simple?

Without a word, Xu Jinglong decisively opened the cauldron to collect the pills. With a flick of his right hand, a lustrous, perfectly formed medicinal pill appeared in his palm. A wave of fragrance drifted out, shocking everyone present.

Kang Wei felt both excited and saddened. He was excited because he had been right to bring Li Sibai along. The young man’s performance in the cultivator’s duel had already impressed him, but he had assumed it was merely luck—he hadn't expected another pleasant surprise here.

"Young Hero Li, do you know alchemy?" Xiahou Lu asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Xiahou Lu was puzzled. Wasn't he here to observe, just like him? His knowledge of Li Sibai was limited to their interaction that afternoon. He had thought it impressive enough that Li could challenge those at higher cultivation levels, but it appeared he also understood alchemy and arrays. How many more surprises did this young man hold?

Li Sibai chuckled and admitted candidly, "I do not!"

"Then how did you manage that?" Xu Jinglong asked.

"Oh, I just noticed a small problem with the formation and helped patch it up, which allowed the pills to finish forming," Li Sibai said dismissively.

"I see." Upon hearing this, Xiahou Lu politely expressed his understanding. Even if the other party didn't know alchemy, his understanding of formations exceeded his own. To spot a flaw in a stabilization formation in such a short time was something even he couldn't do. One should not judge a book by its cover; there were truly many hidden talents in the world.

Xu Jinglong fell into a brooding silence. Zhang Danyi, however, hesitated before asking, "Brother Sibai, do you really know nothing of alchemy?" To him, it did not seem that simple.

Li Sibai looked earnest. "That’s right, Brother Zhang. I’ve only read a few books on alchemy. Isn't that why I’m here to observe and learn? If I already understood it, I wouldn't have come!"

Hearing this, Xu Jinglong felt a tightness in his chest. As a top-twenty inner-sect disciple and a student of Elder Yun, he felt it was absurd that he was being outperformed by a lad who knew nothing of the craft.

Zhang Danyi nodded helplessly. Though he still had many doubts, he felt it would be improper to press further.

In truth, Li Sibai’s actions had been guided by his communication with Zizhu. The Crimson Gold Bear had lived in the bamboo forest for years, and influenced by the powerful wood-elemental environment, its core possessed not only a metal attribute but also a trace of wood energy. This trace of wood was enough to affect the stability of the refinement process. Ordinarily, an alchemist must be intimately familiar with the properties of all materials to bring out their full potential, but no one had realized the primary ingredient contained this interfering factor.

Xu Jinglong and the others could have racked their brains for ages and never discovered the cause. After all, who here knew more about the Crimson Gold Bear and the nature of formations than Zizhu? (Zizhu’s mastery of arrays far surpassed such a minor alchemy formation; after all, it was an array itself).

Thus, Li Sibai had simply borrowed a little power from Zizhu.