The Treasureforge First Furnace was already famous a century ago. Someone used it to create countless legends in the alchemy world, but since it never had a formal name, everyone simply called it the Pill Furnace.
Evan Yang knew nothing about these rumors, so everyone took him for an arrogant madman.
Brynn Bishop loved this Pill Furnace dearly. After taking it out, he carefully arranged his herbs and placed them inside. Then, with a crisp clap of his hands, a flame appeared!
"Wow, so the rumors are true! A furnace like this could never be driven by ordinary fire," someone exclaimed in shock.
Seeing that flame, Evan Yang was stunned. "Could he also use Ninety-Ninefold Purefire? But something feels off!"
"Kid, that's a flame formed purely from one of the worldly fire seeds. Looks like he absorbed a type of fire, otherwise he couldn't control the Treasureforge First Furnace." Just as Evan was shocked and suspicious, a familiar secret voice reached his ears.
This was a secret technique Brandon Tu mastered after reaching the Foundation-Building stage, called Sound-Transmission Technique. Anyone who reaches Foundation-Building will learn it, since it allows short-range communication without outsiders overhearing.
Recognizing the familiar voice, Evan Yang glanced at Brandon Tu. After Brandon nodded, Evan confirmed it was him, then turned back to Brynn Bishop to watch the flame.
Brynn Bishop gripped the flame in both hands, starting to preheat the furnace and perform other actions. Under his control, the flame moved with extraordinary skill.
This technique amazed many pill refiners. In alchemy, the most crucial factors are fire and the furnace. A good furnace naturally surpasses ordinary ones, and combined with this special flame, it’s truly formidable.
Some people started to suspect Brynn Bishop's background. With a top-tier furnace and expert flame control, where exactly did he come from?
After seeing the flame and hearing Brandon Tu's explanation, Evan Yang recalled what the alchemical scripture said about worldly fire seeds: different fire seeds have different powers. They can be used for combat, but most importantly, they're the dream tools of alchemists. Fire seeds are ranked—low-grade pale yellow, mid-grade pale blue, high-grade pale red, supreme pale purple, and even legendary heaven-defying flames.
As for Brynn Bishop's flame, Evan Yang carefully observed its color. It was the same pale yellow as his own Sparkfire manifestation of Ninety-Ninefold Purefire—already qualifying as a low-grade fire seed.
Thinking about Ninety-Ninefold Purefire, Evan Yang grew curious. What was the relationship between Ninety-Ninefold Purefire and fire seeds? Ninety-Ninefold Purefire is formed from spiritual qi inside the body, while fire seeds are absorbed by cultivators and, when needed, activated and controlled with spiritual power.
Once Evan Yang sorted out the relationship between Ninety-Ninefold Purefire and fire seeds, he snapped out of his thoughts, looking suddenly enlightened.
Brandon Tu grew anxious seeing Evan lost in thought. "Kid, what are you spacing out for?" "Uh, I was just thinking," Evan replied, walking over to Brandon with an awkward smile.
What's this kid doing? The contest has started, and he's still daydreaming? Chatting with someone? The crowd watched in surprise as Evan Yang walked up to Brandon Tu.
"Does this little beggar even know how to refine pills?" Tara Chu wondered inwardly. It was just her private reaction. If she ever heard that the beggar she once thought useless was actually a genius alchemist, she would be shocked.
Evan Yang ignored everyone's opinions and directly asked Brandon Tu for several hundred pieces of low-grade Spirit Crystal Ore. Although Brandon didn't know what Evan wanted, he handed them over without hesitation.
Watching Evan Yang carry a pile of Spirit Crystal Ore back to his pill-refining station, the crowd couldn't help but whisper behind his back. What was this little beggar up to now?
What happened next shocked everyone with even a bit of alchemy knowledge.
Evan Yang took out several pieces of low-grade Spirit Crystal Ore and arranged them under his furnace. At first, the crowd had no idea what he was doing. But once Evan finished and tapped a certain spot among the crystals—crackling sounds, and suddenly, fire ignited!
"Impossible!" Brynn Bishop was stunned mid-refinement by Evan Yang's maneuver—not just him, but all the nearby alchemists, including Nangong Yan, Brandon Tu, and the rest.
"Twelve-Shift Fire-Gathering Array!" someone who recognized it snapped back to attention.
That's right, this was the Twelve-Shift Fire-Gathering Array—a formation especially suited for alchemists. It's not something you see every day, and setting it up is complex. But it doesn't require spiritual power, meaning even someone with no cultivation can use it to control furnace heat for pill refining.
Evan Yang had read about it in the alchemical scripture. Wanting to avoid exposing his cultivation, he found this technique handy. The Twelve Shifts refer to twelve different patterns. For Human-Rank pills, he used the simplest one—so these days, he focused on mastering that first shift. The array's energy source is Spirit Crystal Ore, which is why Evan collected them earlier: to set up the array, produce flame, and achieve his goal.
"Is this kid really an alchemist?" Tara Chu was stunned by Evan's technique. The crowd was equally amazed, and some even started cheering wildly for the little beggar.
One side had the Treasureforge First Furnace, the other a bizarre Fire-Gathering Array. Who would win? The scene grew so intense that Nangong Yan couldn't help muttering, "Damn, what is this little beggar's background? He even knows this freakish array!"
The energy in the hall pushed Evan Yang and Brynn Bishop's duel to its climax. All the other alchemists faded into the background. No one dared underestimate the little beggar anymore. With the city lord's rumors in mind, some wondered—could Evan really be the number-one Human-Rank Alchemist?
Even if others agreed, Brynn Bishop did not. He collected himself and focused on refining his own pills.