"On top of that furnace, molten iron has completely sealed the iron door. The so-called master inside must've been burned dry by the flames, his whole body carbonized—a dried-up corpse by now."
"The temperature in there is insane! Only the sect master could handle a divine furnace like this for pill refinement. No way anyone else is taking that half piece of Nirvana Leaf today."
Everyone could feel the temperature around them rising. The air near the pill furnace was already warping, and waves of scorching heat hit their faces, burning their skin.
Byron Liu had completely fainted, while Leo Liu’s eyes were dull with despair.
"Perfect timing. Watch how I refine this batch of Human Pills!"
Master Weiyao smiled faintly, tapped his foot, then leapt up and landed steadily atop the furnace.
Orange flames scattered from around the furnace, swirling around him.
Master Weiyao acted as if the heat and flames didn’t bother him at all. He took a deep breath, his belly swelling round, then blew all his breath straight down into the furnace below.
"That’s the sect master’s pill-refining technique!"
"Looks like the Breath-Furnace Divine Pill Art! He uses his own breath to control the furnace’s heat and timing, refining pills with pure skill!"
The breath Master Weiyao exhaled shot out like a white ribbon, invading the furnace and making the flames around it surge even wilder.
His Daoist robes fluttered as he stood atop the furnace, hands behind his back, looking every bit the master.
"Anyone who dares offend Miracle Hand Sect will meet the same fate! If anyone bullies my disciples again, I, Master Weiyao, will refine them with ten thousand flames and turn them into pills!"
"Let them never reincarnate or escape for a hundred lifetimes!"
As soon as Master Weiyao finished speaking, the Miracle Hand Sect doctors all dropped to their knees.
"Sect master, mighty and invincible!"
"Long live Miracle Hand Sect!"
The Miracle Hand disciples below shouted in unison, voices trembling with excitement.
"What a waste, just roasting him like that. I wanted to smash his kneecaps myself, since he’s ruined my plans three times already. Dying like this is way too easy for him." The scruffy youth yawned from the side, sounding completely indifferent.
The flames from the furnace burned even fiercer, and the air in the hall had become so dry it was unbearable.
Beside him, Leo Liu could hardly wait to tell his brother Leo Chao about this—what a satisfying turn of events.
"Senior Sister, I saw you nab a pill from him just now. Mind letting your junior brother take a look? By the way, you haven’t been looking so well lately—care for a diagnosis from me?"
The scruffy youth turned his head at that moment, grinning widely at Lynn Chen not far away.
"Scram." Lynn spat out the word, not even glancing over, her eyes locked on the furnace before her.
Inside the furnace, flames raged sky-high. She recalled the youth she’d seen downstairs earlier—something about him felt off. Now that he’d been sealed into the furnace, no matter what, he should be dead by now.
Lynn’s thoughts drifted, uncertain.
Just then, she heard Master Weiyao standing atop the furnace suddenly wave a hand and bark, "The timing is right—open the furnace and reveal the pill!"
"Rise!"
He shouted furiously, slapping his palm down onto the furnace below his feet.
Bang!
A clear ringing sound echoed in all directions.
As Master Weiyao’s palm landed, the giant furnace surrounded by flames seemed to swallow all the fire around it like a whale gulping water, drawing every last tongue of flame inside.
Even the fire within the furnace grew strangely quiet.
The crowd broke into a chorus of astonished cries, all eyes turning to Master Weiyao.
Master Weiyao laughed heartily, looking especially smug. He’d never managed this level of fire control so smoothly before—even on his best days.
"First palm, extinguish the fire! Second palm—watch me open the furnace!"
Master Weiyao shouted again, slapping his palm down once more.
Bang!
Another crisp, ringing sound.
The next second, everyone’s eyes snapped to the furnace.
Master Weiyao froze mid-move, standing atop the furnace, his body half-bent, palm still pressed to the lid—but the furnace didn’t budge. Not even a twitch, let alone opening.
"Huh?"
A bad feeling crept over Master Weiyao. He raised his hand and struck down again.
"Open for me!"
Bang!
Another echoing thud.
But the furnace didn’t move an inch. Not a single reaction.
Awkwardness flickered across Master Weiyao’s face, sweat beading on his forehead.
Bonesword Master, who’d been feigning sleep nearby, had planned to leave as soon as the furnace opened, ready to report that the so-called master died in Miracle Hand’s pill furnace—maybe even score some credit with the Southriver Sword Sect.
He hadn’t expected Master Weiyao to fail to open the furnace after two full-strength strikes.
"What’s going on?"
"The pill furnace isn’t opening."
"Maybe the pill’s not done yet?"
The crowd looked baffled; Master Weiyao himself was even more confused.
But just then, Bonesword Master seemed to sense something. His eyes snapped open, and he shot to his feet, locking his gaze on the furnace as he barked, "Get away from there—now!"
"No need to panic, Sword Master. It’s just a minor hiccup—I can handle it. Treat this Human Pill as my gift to the Southriver Sword Sect."
Master Weiyao hadn’t noticed anything wrong—he thought Bonesword Master was just doubting his skill and telling him to step aside.
That only made Master Weiyao more annoyed, his voice turning cold as he refused.
He had barely finished speaking—
"Sect Master, watch out!"
A voice shouted from the crowd in alarm.
"Watch out?"
Master Weiyao stiffened, suddenly feeling an impossibly high temperature shoot from his palm straight into his body.
"How is this possible!"
Master Weiyao froze, eyes wide in shock.
He saw that the furnace, which had just been extinguished, suddenly erupted with roaring flames again.
The flames surged like waves crashing on stone, rising like battle flags whipped by the wind.
Boom!
Master Weiyao’s figure shot backward.
At the same moment, a pillar of fire blasted skyward from within the furnace.
A crimson flame pillar, scorching skin like a burning sun, forced everyone to squint, arms raised to shield themselves from the sudden glare.
"What is that?!"
"The furnace! The furnace is melting!"
Someone cried out. The crowd stared, seeing the massive furnace visibly turning to molten iron, the liquid metal dripping to the ground with a harsh sizzle and leaving deep grooves wherever it landed.
Doctors scattered in panic, searching for cover, roasted by the intense heat until they were barely recognizable.
Master Weiyao’s heart pounded, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Bonesword Master rose, gripping his sword, ready for battle.
Leo Liu had collapsed on the ground, so terrified he wet his pants.
Lynn Chen’s beautiful face changed slightly, and even the scruffy youth now looked uncharacteristically serious.
Within the towering fire pillar, everyone saw a pill shining with golden light rising up through the flames.
"That’s... that’s the Golden Marrow Pill!"
Master Weiyao couldn’t help but cry out in shock.
His words dropped like a bomb—instantly, the hall went dead silent.
Leo Bai was utterly baffled, but he too saw a deep gray human silhouette slowly emerging within the fire pillar.
"That’s..."
Leo Bai’s heart hammered in his chest, shock written all over his face.