"...What was that?"
"What she did was far beyond modern alchemy."
The viewers who had the right to watch up close were shocked—especially two elderly men who had high-level knowledge about alchemy. They stared blankly at Bai Fanxian's movements in refining the second and third pills, unable to look away.
The pressure spreading out in giant waves when the pills were finished made them get goosebumps every single time, even on the third experience.
Bai Fanxian wrapped the pills with her qi one final time. Then she sent the dozens of pills to Mei Ying beside her to pack into the fine porcelain bottles prepared beforehand.
"...Finished."
The total time for her refining all the pills didn't even reach the five minutes Wu Jia mentioned. Her words brought those inside the clinic out of their trance. They stared at her as if watching a deity descending to the mortal world.
This was similar to ten thousand years ago. Bai Fanxian's alchemy could captivate people every time, drawing them to watch through to the end as if watching a famous performer's show. And because of her appearance including her disciples in the residence, in the end her residence was called "Goddess Alchemy Palace" ever since.
To be honest, at first many people doubted this Alchemy Empress's abilities greatly—especially those who didn't know the cultivation world before. They naturally didn't understand the art of alchemy, which they thought was merely medicine to support treatment. So they came here more because of the "Divine Doctor's" reputation.
But after seeing her refine pills before their eyes like a miracle several rounds, they started to feel those pills might truly be able to cure their illnesses.
So Bai Fanxian's reputation among ordinary people suffering from sickness and disease gradually spread quietly. It was like some people having faith in traditional healers. But here she displayed power before their very eyes, full of pressure that showed those pills were refined from truly precious materials, not deception.
What remained was just whether they would cure Liu Yianfei who seemed near death.
Liu Yianfei closed his eyes quietly. Sensing surges of power flowing out in waves from nearby, he smiled faintly. Since coming to live here, his confidence in Bai Fanxian had grown every day. He believed her pills would cure him.
"...Let's begin."
Bai Fanxian's clear voice made Liu Yianfei open his eyes. She stood before him with a tray of various pills beside her. Wu Jia checked Liu Yianfei's pulse and nodded.
"Then I'll start."
Wu Jia picked up a Tier 6 Recovery Pill whose name he didn't even know. The moment his fingertip thinly scraped off its outer shell, the life force packed inside overflowed, shocking him.
"...Eat this first."
Wu Jia used his qi to send the pill about the size of a marble into Liu Yianfei's mouth. He showed no resistance. The second he swallowed it, the viewers all gulped with excitement and curiosity about its results.
*Whoosh!*
His body trembled lightly. White light appeared glowing around him. This phenomenon sent out a fragrant scent that gave refreshing feelings to those who breathed it.
Waves of intense power were about to surge out in all directions. Bai Fanxian clenched her fist once. A border appeared around the clinic—the same one she'd placed last night. Similar to the house's border, it wouldn't block people from entering, only contain the power surges. If she ever refined Tier 7 or 8 pills here in the future, the whole region wouldn't panic from the released energy.
Several old people inside the clinic received full benefits. They sensed energy in their bodies as if they'd become younger by a year or two, and felt more energetic.
Even Zhu Jinming himself sensed it. He stared at those pills like magical objects with trembling eyes.
Liu Yianfei benefited most. Closing his eyes again, he sensed the power swirling in his body, restoring damage as fast as the wound devoured it. He exhaled lightly and opened his eyes.
"...This is even better than I thought."
"Don't talk yet. The hard part comes next."
Wu Jia scolded. He used his qi to pick up the second pill, one with corrosive properties. This step was extremely dangerous—Wu Jia had to use his own qi to guide the pill to affect only the wound area, eliminating the malignant flesh while the previous Recovery Pill's properties healed immediately.
Gathering his concentration, Wu Jia sent the pill into Liu Yianfei's mouth. Liu Yianfei didn't hesitate and swallowed it whole. This time there were no supernatural phenomena for the expectant viewers. But after five seconds passed, Liu Yianfei trembled and coughed up a mass of blood.
Wu Jia sent his qi into Liu Yianfei's body. Intense energy flows moved chaotically inside. Gritting his teeth, he poured his qi out continuously. But no matter how much power he used, he couldn't control that ferocious chaotic energy or calm it down even a bit.
His face was covered in sweat. Just when he thought he'd failed, he sensed another qi stream that was both the purest and most powerful he'd ever seen. The stream went straight to touch the pill's crazed wild energy. Just in a blink, the chaotic flows stopped still like a scolded child, flowing slowly under the control of that pure qi.
Wu Jia looked around. He found Bai Fanxian's finger was lightly touching the center of Liu Yianfei's chest. His face returned to normal. Wu Jia knew immediately whose qi stream that truly was.
"Concentrate... I'll give you control."
Bai Fanxian spoke softly. Wu Jia closed his eyes. His qi went straight to merge with Bai Fanxian's pure qi, and suddenly he could control it freely within Liu Yianfei's body. Without delay, his thoughts commanded the combined power to corrode those malignant wound areas section by section.
This process took more than twenty minutes. Bai Fanxian remained standing calmly and let Wu Jia use her power to control the pill's properties. She'd almost forgotten the pills she refined were Tier 6. Moreover, they'd received her qi and that cauldron's power, which made them wild and fierce beyond what a Grandmaster-level being could control. So Bai Fanxian took the opportunity to learn.
If she let it work by itself like the Recovery Pill, it would be fine. But because Wu Jia needed to use it to corrode wounds at specific points, if no one controlled it, it would definitely devour Liu Yianfei's entire body.
Liu Yianfei's face alternated between torment and relief. Both pills performed their duties vigorously. The moment they destroyed malignant flesh, the Recovery Pill would restore it. The experience was like plunging into hell then returning to heaven, cycling repeatedly until the treatment finally succeeded.
"Phew... one more. The Purifying Pill."
The final pure white pill was sent in. The moment it dissolved in Liu Yianfei's stomach, his body glowed white brilliantly. It went straight to expel the external power remaining in his wounds completely. Strange black smoke appeared then dissipated. After that, in less than one minute Liu Yianfei's breathing returned to normal. His expression relaxed and he felt his body was light and airy like being reborn.
"...Done."
Wu Jia sighed. He'd miscalculated. Liu Yianfei's wound was even more dangerous than he thought. If today Bai Fanxian hadn't been here, he didn't know if anyone else on earth would be able to cure this man.
But before he could withdraw his own qi, he found Bai Fanxian's pure qi had cut its connection with him casually. Her face remained calm and quiet while she started to do something.
"...Consider this a well-deserved gift from me."
No one understood what she meant. But Bai Fanxian used her other hand to point at the center of Liu Yianfei's forehead. His eyes snapped wide open with white light shining around him. The cultivation technique moved by itself within his body. People started to sense air tremors around him as his face went blank.
"Circulating qi to suppress your injury all these years... it actually helped you."
Bai Fanxian spoke another sentence. People remained confused. But the next sentence made their eyes widen.
"The Sage gate... can you open it?"
Zheng Renyi and Zhang Xianyuan, both 9th stage Grandmasters, came to watch closely. They were the closest to the next boundary and had been for a while. So if what Bai Fanxian said was true, both of them wanted to see it most.
Liu Yianfei remained calm, seemingly deaf to the outside world. The three pills were gradually losing their properties one by one. But when the Purifying Pill's turn came, Bai Fanxian used her power to merge in, surging its power up close to Tier 7!
*Whoosh!*
Liu Yianfei's body glowed so brightly ordinary people had to raise their hands to cover their eyes. But cultivators stared in amazement at the power surging upward from him.
The power seemed suppressed for a long time. The speed of increase remained intense without dropping. It broke through the 9th stage toward the 10th stage of Grandmaster without any obstruction. The second it reached the highest stage with only one step left, Liu Yianfei came to his senses!
*Boom!*
His power exploded around him. A thin light pillar appeared breaking through to the sky. Bai Fanxian smiled secretly while removing the border, allowing anyone in this city to clearly perceive the energy passing through their own bodies like a huge wave.
Her people's entry into the next realm must be grand!
Let the power spreading out announce their success!
And also be a small mischievous trouble for them. Bai Fanxian felt she started to show childish playfulness more often. Perhaps it was compensating for her childhood when she never had fun like normal children did.
Liu Yianfei roared one final time. That energy reversed into his body and exploded outward—this time both powerful and pure. People felt dirty things in their bodies blown away with the explosion. Zhang Xianyuan, most familiar with Liu Yianfei's power, trembled lightly when perceiving the qi surging in midair.
"...Level... Sage?"
Those words brought everyone to their senses. Right now Liu Yianfei was standing still in the middle of the room bare-chested. Thin rays glowing around him relaxed the minds of those nearby. Many people felt as if he had become younger by several years just from looking at him.
"...Intent of Purification. That's good."
Bai Fanxian nodded with satisfaction. Liu Yianfei who was immersed in the power in his body came to his senses. He turned to Bai Fanxian and bowed his head with overwhelming feelings in his heart.
"Thank you so much... I owe you everything."
"Mm..."
Bai Fanxian didn't refuse. Liu Yianfei looked up, as if deciding something. He'd been thinking about this for a long time since coming to live in this house.
Liu Yianfei scratched his cheek bashfully and asked Bai Fanxian:
"I have one more request."
Bai Fanxian raised an eyebrow. Though she felt curious, she didn't refuse outright.
"...Say it."
"...Can I call you 'my lady' like the others?"
"..."
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**End of Volume 4: The Modern Era of Cultivators**