Chapter 571: The Exploding Furnace of Reciprocity

Disaster! That servant had tampered with the water!

Zhong Shan suddenly stood up. The crowd was slightly taken aback at his abrupt movement.

"What's wrong?" Gu Qianyou frowned.

Tian Ling'er and Nie Qingqing also looked at Zhong Shan in confusion. What was going on?

Zhong Shan shot a cold glance at Crown Prince Chongtian, who responded with another sinister smile.

Zhong Shan turned his gaze towards the center of the arena, towards Bao'er.

Too late!

"Boom!"

A muffled explosion echoed, and Bao'er's alchemy furnace trembled, a plume of black smoke shooting out from its top.

Bao'er paused her hand seal, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes. She turned and saw Zhong Shan's expression and his furious gaze directed at the nearby servant.

Bao'er's expression tightened, and she quickly opened the furnace. With a wave of her hand, a pile of medicinal residue fell onto a jade plate beside her.

"You, you..." Bao'er suddenly glared coldly at the servant.

The servant's eyes flickered with panic but quickly adopted an innocent expression.

Perhaps because the Vermillion Bird had previously helped the Alchemy Sage, the Alchemy Sage had been paying close attention to Bao'er.

"Friend Gan, did your alchemy fail?" the Alchemy Sage asked as he approached.

"Dragon and Tiger Alchemy Sage, I demand an explanation!" Bao'er said, her eyes burning with anger.

Her alchemy had held great hope for her master. She had been so confident, yet she ended up with a ruined batch of pills. What if her master was disappointed? How could she not be furious?

"What happened?" the Alchemy Sage frowned.

"Was this servant of yours deliberately assigned to sabotage me? I instructed him to pour in eighteen bottles of water, but he skimped on it. Does he not know that in alchemy, a small error can lead to a significant difference? My batch was about to succeed, and he completely ruined it!" Bao'er fumed.

Bao'er's outburst quickly drew the attention of many spectators. All eyes turned towards her.

What was going on?

Everyone was curious. Why was this woman so furious over a failed alchemy attempt?

"Is that true?" the Alchemy Sage asked, turning to the servant.

"No, no! How could I dare? I followed the alchemist's instructions precisely, without the slightest deviation. She's blaming me because she failed!" the servant denied vehemently, refusing to admit fault.

The Alchemy Sage's eyes narrowed, staring at the servant.

The servant's body trembled instinctively, but he stubbornly refused to confess.

More people gathered to watch. The crowd was growing.

A servant sabotaging the process?

"Friend Gan, I will thoroughly investigate this matter. As for your ruined batch, I can only express my regret. After the Grand Alchemy Gathering, I will give you a satisfactory explanation!" the Alchemy Sage said solemnly.

The Alchemy Sage had also sensed something unusual about this servant. Moreover, many people in the imperial palace had become disloyal, a bad omen. If the emperor couldn't control the palace staff, the Blue Flame Empire was indeed in danger.

However, the Alchemy Sage could not punish the servant right now.

If he punished the servant, he would have to redress Bao'er's grievance, which would mean giving her a new set of herbs to try again. That would be easy enough, but what about everyone else who had failed? How would they be explained?

In the midst of the brewing tension, the Grand Alchemy Gathering continued, each moment laden with the potential for further conflict and intrigue.

Those who had failed in their alchemy would naturally claim that their servants had intentionally sabotaged them. If that happened, the Grand Alchemy Gathering would become a laughingstock.

For the sake of the greater good, the Dragon and Tiger Alchemy Sage could only apologize to Bao'er.

An explanation after the Grand Alchemy Gathering?

Bao'er wasn't a fool. She quickly realized the Alchemy Sage's concerns and that he intended to sacrifice her results. She cast a cold glance at the Alchemy Sage.

"Hmph!" Bao'er snorted coldly, then turned to glare at the servant.

"You will pay for today's actions. No one can protect you!" Bao'er said icily.

With that, Bao'er turned away from the servant and walked over to the remaining herbs.

Seeing Bao'er not leave despite producing a failed batch, the Dragon and Tiger Alchemy Sage frowned slightly, then sighed and turned his gaze to the servant, his eyes cold.

Was Bao'er going to use the leftover herbs to try again?

The spectators were puzzled. Bao'er had twelve types of herbs left, nine liang of each, which was not enough. Even for a fifth-grade pill, it wouldn't be sufficient. Moreover, those twelve herbs couldn't be used to make a pill at all.

It was absolutely impossible to produce an eighth-grade pill with them!

What was she planning?

Bao'er didn't give up. Instead, she re-divided the remaining herbs and then sequentially added portions to the furnace.

Forming a hand seal, flames roared to life, and the furnace started operating again.

Everyone watching Bao'er was taken aback. What was she doing? The remaining herbs were not even enough to serve as a catalyst. What was she planning?

Alchemy?

The servant, meanwhile, couldn't stand the pressure any longer and tried to slip away quietly.

"Leaving so soon?" A man in red suddenly appeared in front of the servant.

Zhi Huo, following Zhong Shan's instructions, blocked the servant.

"What do you want?" the servant asked in panic.

"Nothing much, just that you're not allowed to leave," Zhi Huo replied coldly.

With that, Zhi Huo sealed the servant's power and brought him to Zhong Shan.

"What are you doing?" the servant shouted.

"Wait. Wait until she deals with you personally!" Zhong Shan replied coldly.

"Do you know where you are? What are you trying to do? Alchemy Sage, save me!" the servant cried out.

His shout immediately drew the attention of many onlookers.

"Silence! Stay there and don't go anywhere!" the Dragon and Tiger Alchemy Sage commanded coldly.

The servant, frightened by the Alchemy Sage's command, didn't dare make another sound.

Unable to leave, the servant's gaze, along with everyone else's, slowly turned to Bao'er, especially the Alchemy Sage, Xu Fu, and Crown Prince Chongtian.

In the arena, some continued to fail, while others succeeded in producing eighth-grade pills.

As Bao'er continued, after initially adding the catalyst herbs to the furnace, everyone thought she was going to add the remaining herbs. Instead, she did something that stunned everyone.

Bao'er waved her hand, and the medicinal residue from the failed batch was thrown into the furnace.

The spectators, especially the failed alchemists, were wide-eyed. What was she doing? Using residue to make a pill? That was impossible. She couldn't possibly produce an eighth-grade pill from residue. Absolutely impossible.

However, Bao'er proceeded with unwavering determination. With a calm and focused demeanor, she continued the alchemical process, invoking spells and controlling the furnace with precision.

As time passed, the anticipation grew. The murmurs of disbelief turned into hushed whispers of curiosity. What could Bao'er be planning?

With the furnace blazing and Bao'er's intense concentration, it was clear she was attempting something extraordinary. The onlookers watched in awe, unable to look away from the unfolding spectacle.

But the truth was as it seemed—Bao'er really did put the residue into the furnace. However, she only used a portion of the residue.

At this moment, Bao'er restarted her alchemy. Although most people were skeptical, she continued her process.

Zhong Shan turned to look at Crown Prince Chongtian from a distance, his eyes cold!

Zhong Shan was not one to let things slide. Although he refrained from eliminating Crown Prince Chongtian to avoid alerting others, that didn't mean he could tolerate his previous actions.

With a cold smile at Crown Prince Chongtian, Zhong Shan shifted his gaze back to the arena.

He focused on one of the alchemists from the Taishui Empire.

Since Crown Prince Chongtian had acted, how could Zhong Shan, the aggrieved party, remain idle?

Zhong Shan stared at the alchemist and the furnace before him, which was emitting puffs of purple mist that were being inhaled back into the furnace in a cyclical manner, as if the furnace was breathing.

Fixing his gaze on the furnace, Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed. He released a large amount of colorless, odorless Hongluan Mist towards the furnace.

The Hongluan Mist, known as the world's most potent aphrodisiac, would certainly produce unexpected results when added to an alchemy furnace. Zhong Shan watched with anticipation.

As the furnace continued to inhale and exhale, the Hongluan Mist flooded into it.

The alchemist, sensing something amiss, couldn't pinpoint the problem and continued his work despite his unease.

Gradually, pink smoke began to emanate from the furnace.

"Something's wrong! Something's wrong!" the alchemist muttered.

"Boom—"

A thunderous explosion erupted, the furnace suddenly blowing apart, not just breaking but exploding into pieces. The noise was like a thunderclap on a clear day, startling countless onlookers.

Some alchemists, shaken by the explosion, faltered in their work and ruined their batches.

Frustrated and angry, those who failed due to the explosion turned to glare at the Taishui Empire's alchemist.

They saw a huge crater where the furnace once stood, the alchemist covered in soot. The furnace was shattered, and nearby alchemists were also affected, their own furnaces disrupted and ruined.

All the failed alchemists glared fiercely at the Taishui Empire's alchemist.

The alchemist stood dumbfounded, unable to believe his furnace had exploded. How could this happen?

The alchemist was brought back to Crown Prince Chongtian, still in a daze, unable to comprehend how his furnace had exploded.

Seeing him return, the other failed alchemists could only leave the arena, frustrated and bitter, forced to exit.

Crown Prince Chongtian glanced at the alchemist with a mix of surprise and anger.

"Hmph!" Crown Prince Chongtian snorted coldly.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I don't know what happened. It's impossible! I've made that pill countless times without any issues!" the alchemist explained, confused.

As a result, the Taishui Empire lost their chance to compete for the Eternal Alchemy Platform. Crown Prince Chongtian was furious, but now was not the time to act.

"Everything will be addressed when we return!" Crown Prince Chongtian said coldly.

"Yes," the alchemist replied, a hint of shame on his face.