Lifting his head proudly, he said, “Well, that’s what I thought would happen. Did you really think my research was just about how to improve the Soul Converge Pills? Obviously, I was aiming for something more useful, and apparently, I succeeded.
“When Bai Xiaochun concocts medicine, he always ponders how to do it in the most timely and advantageous fashion. You know, I actually intended for the pill furnaces to explode. Furthermore, the medicinal pills in the furnaces were only ninety percent complete. The final blast of energy was what catalyzed the last bit of the process, releasing the perfect amount of medicinal strength at exactly the moment of detonation!” With that, he flicked his sleeve and stuck his chin up.
Everyone else in the area exchanged awkward glances; if they hadn’t heard his nervous explanations from moments before, they might actually have believed him.... Bai Lin cleared his throat, but didn’t interrupt Bai Xiaochun’s boasting. Apparently, he even approved of it.
That in and of itself left everyone even more shaken. None of them had ever seen Bai Lin treat someone with such courtesy. It made it very obvious how highly he valued Bai Xiaochun.
Waving his sleeve proudly, Bai Xiaochun said, “Don’t worry, Brother Bai, it will take three days at the most for me to get another batch of exploding furnaces ready. No problem at all.”
Bai Lin laughed heartily, then set a specific date to come get the furnaces, after which he turned to leave.
Before vanishing, he cast an ominous glare at the grandmasters in the area, causing them to duck their heads and scatter. They were all feeling very down about the whole thing, but there was nothing they could do but grit their teeth and endure.
As for the three young guards, they were thoroughly rebuked by their major general for what had happened. Later, their friends told them what had occurred outside of the Great Wall, leaving them completely awestruck. [1]
As for the young guard who had been blasted off to parts unknown, he eventually was found, weak-kneed and nearly torn to shreds. The terror he felt toward Bai Xiaochun couldn’t have been more intense.
And thus, the ordeal ended. As for the other five pill furnaces, Bai Xiaochun opened them up later that night to find that, even though the furnaces hadn’t detonated, the medicinal pills inside of them were nothing more than slag.
He pondered the matter for a while, then got some rest. The following morning at dawn, he emerged from his residence, sat down in front of the pill furnaces and took a deep breath. Then he shouted, “Everybody, stay back. Don't say I didn’t warn you. Bai Xiaochun is starting to concoct medicine!”
His voice echoed out like thunder to fill the entire Armory.
The other grandmasters hurried out of their residences and scurried off into the distance, their hearts burning with fury. As for the four young guards, they began to tremble, and despite not wanting to stay behind, had no choice in the matter. They could only brace themselves, rotate their cultivation bases, and remain fully vigilant.
Apparently, Bai Xiaochun’s warning was effective. Feeling very pleased, he flicked his sleeve to begin concocting. This time, he decided to work on twenty batches!
[1] I don't think I mentioned before that, as the name makes clear in Chinese, major generals command 10,000 men
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Chapter
479: Thirteen!
“I think I'm heading in the right direction. I just overlooked a few of the problems that cropped up because of the ingredient interactions. I should be able to do a few tests and work things out. In any case, as long as the furnaces continue to explode, the general will be happy.” Bai Xiaochun sighed, convinced that life in Great Wall City was actually wonderful.
At the very least, he could concoct medicine in any way he wished, without fear of any punishments. He even got rewarded for detonating pill furnaces, which had never happened before.
Looking at the furnaces which had survived the first concocting session, Bai Xiaochun calmed himself and put a somber expression on his face. This time, he intended to vary the ingredient levels in each pill furnace, that way he would be able to quickly identity which medicine formula was the most effective.
Having reached the conclusion that this was definitely the best idea, he got to work. Drawing upon the incredible speed of his fleshly body, he began to produce medicinal plants and toss them into the furnaces. He would occasionally adjust the earthflame, ensuring that all of the various batches were being concocted slightly differently.
Of course, he couldn't forget how Bai Lin had requested more power. Therefore, he added extra atmosphere flower to some of the furnaces, and yet, was careful not to go overboard. After all, he was concocting these pills in his own residence, and if he somehow lost control of one of the batches, causing the furnace to explode ahead of schedule, he could end up hurting himself.
It was with caution and reserve that he continued to walk back and forth between the twenty different pill furnaces, making adjustments and occasionally adding more medicinal plants until all twenty of the furnaces were glowing bright red, and were emanating powerful medicinal aromas.
As he descended into complete and utter focus regarding this concocting session, the four young guards were off to the side, trembling with fear and anxiety. Then, after a few hours had passed, they noticed that Bai Xiaochun was putting lids onto all of the pill furnaces and sealing them. Instantly, the four guards’ minds began to reel.
“This is bad! Grandmaster Bai is sealing the pill furnaces again!”
“Heavens! The last set of furnaces exploded because they were sealed, and the energy couldn't escape. After enough energy built up, the furnaces couldn’t take it any longer, and exploded....”
“What do we do now?!” The four of them exchanged glances, then gritted their teeth and pulled out defensive magical items, simultaneously backing as far away from the pill furnaces as they could.
Bai Xiaochun’s eyes were glued to the pill furnaces, and as he adjusted the earthflame, rumbling sounds began to rise up. “This time, one of these furnaces is definitely going to explode. It’s hard to say which one it will be, but as long as just one of them blows, that will be enough!”
Of course, his mind was filled with the various ingredient ratios for all twenty furnaces. That, coupled with his manipulation of the earthflame and other concocting methods, would hopefully lead him in the direction of the ultimate medicine formula.
Soon, sixteen hours had gone by. All twenty pill furnaces were bright red, and were emanating terrifying fluctuations, as well as intense heat. The four young guards were shaking visibly, and their hair was standing on end.
“Last time it took only eight hours. But now... now....”
“It's already been sixteen hours so far!!”
Suddenly, four of the pill furnaces began to emit cracking sounds, and appeared to be in the process of breaking open!
Bai Xiaochun’s eyes went wide, and he shouted, “They’re gonna blow!!”
Simultaneously, he backed up, performing a double-handed incantation gesture as he threw a handful of paper talismans out in front of him, and even used a few magical items to put up some shields.
The faces of the four young guards completely fell, and yet, even as they hesitated about what to do, cracks spread out across the surfaces of seven more pill furnaces. Even the ground beneath those furnaces was starting to sink down and distort; clearly these furnaces were about to detonate!
“Elev... eleven!!”
“Last time only two detonated, and we almost had our souls wrenched out of our bodies. This time eleven are gonna blow!!” Without any hesitation, everyone began to flee from the courtyard.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he was so shocked that his eyes were on the verge of popping out of his head.