"Ever since you left last time, the Miracle Hand Pavilion has turned into this. The temperature around here is at least a hundred degrees Celsius—if you put a pot of water nearby, it’d come to a boil in no time." Alex Fu looked at the Miracle Hand Pavilion and let out a sigh.
Evan Lin gazed ahead. The entire wooden Miracle Hand Pavilion was engulfed in a sea of orange-red flames.
But these flames seemed almost alive—they hadn’t burned the whole pavilion down. Instead, it looked like the Miracle Hand Pavilion was shrouded in a veil of orange-red fire.
The Miracle Hand Pavilion was built around a massive ancient tree, and now even that ancient tree looked badly yellowed and withered.
"Master Lin, what should we do now?" Warren Wu looked at Evan Lin and asked.
"Have them bring the herbs, Earthfire Stones, golden-nanmu wood, and thousand-jin Blackiron over here."
After Evan spoke, Celine Lin quickly sent people to fetch the items.
Five sets of century-old Crimson Blood Astragalus and Azureleaf Violet Lotus were brought forward, their rich medicinal aroma filling the air.
There were also four blazing red square stones—each one scorching hot, radiating streams of heat.
The golden-nanmu wood and thousand-jin Blackiron seemed much more ordinary by comparison, and were set off to the side.
With the materials in hand, Alex and the others all turned to look at Evan Lin, who was standing there.
Inside the Miracle Hand Sect, the Doctors had rushed over after hearing the news. Now they all stood not far away, watching intently—most of their eyes fixed on Evan.
"The reason the Miracle Hand Pavilion is burning is because, last time, I shattered several pill furnaces on all three floors, which threw the earthfire out of balance. Originally, Master Weiyao drew the earthfire into the pavilion’s furnaces for alchemy. Before I left, I absorbed some of the earthfire myself, which slowed things down a bit. But after I left, there was no one to control it, and it turned into this mess."
Evan spoke calmly and continued, "Also, the Heart Sutra of the Pill Master I left behind already has some fire-control techniques. If you want to make real progress in alchemy, you’d better study it hard."
"Since the earthfire inside the Miracle Hand Pavilion is at its peak, I won’t bother setting up a separate furnace. I’ll just use the whole Miracle Hand Pavilion as the cauldron, and use the surging earthfire as the flame source. I’ll refine a batch of pills right here for you all to see. How much you learn or figure out depends on your own luck."
With that, Evan spread his palm and picked up the five sets of Crimson Blood Astragalus and Azureleaf Violet Lotus, then strode forward.
"Using the Miracle Hand Pavilion as the cauldron!"
"Did I hear that right? He’s going to use the whole Miracle Hand Pavilion as a pill furnace?"
"The temperature over there is so high—won’t the herbs dry out before he even gets close? Most likely, they’ll be burned to ashes. How can you possibly refine pills like that?"
Hearing Evan’s words, quite a few Doctors below froze in shock.
Even though they’d seen Evan’s skills when he refined the Golden Marrow Pill, they still had their doubts about what he was saying now.
Alex Fu and Celine Lin exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of disbelief in each other’s eyes.
"A pill furnace has to be sealed on all sides to refine the herbs properly and keep the medicinal properties from getting contaminated. That way, you don’t end up with impurities."
"Never mind how huge the Miracle Hand Pavilion is, and with the temperature that high—even if he manages to refine the herbs, there’s no way impurities won’t get mixed in during pill formation. That would mess up the effects, or worse, cause an explosion."
Alex Fu frowned, watching Evan’s figure. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Evan was just pulling this stunt to cement his authority in the Miracle Hand Sect.
Right now, most people in the Miracle Hand Sect were only interested in the benefits of the Heart Sutra of the Pill Master that Evan had left behind, and the Doctors here were all proud and stubborn types.
If you really wanted them to be convinced, brute force alone wouldn’t cut it.
"Maybe he’s got some unique tricks? I read through the Heart Sutra of the Pill Master too—those techniques are practically miracles, and he just wrote them down offhand. Honestly, I’m getting more and more curious about Evan Lin." Celine Lin shook her head, her interest in Evan growing.
"You guys are seriously underestimating Master Lin. His skills are way beyond what you can imagine! Back in Medicine King Valley, he stood atop two divine dragons, commanding both water and fire. It was like watching a god descend to earth!" Warren Wu was practically starstruck, still buzzing with excitement even after all this time.
Two divine dragons?
Hearing Warren Wu’s words, Alex Fu and Celine Lin exchanged another look but stayed silent—they clearly didn’t believe him.
Lately, Warren had been singing Evan Lin’s praises nonstop in the Miracle Hand Sect. Every time he brought him up, it was with total reverence. Some people even joked behind his back that he was just Evan’s lackey.
Meanwhile, Evan walked toward the blazing Miracle Hand Pavilion, herbs in hand. As he approached, waves of scorching heat crashed against his face.
With a casual flick, Evan tossed all five sets of Crimson Blood Astragalus and Azureleaf Violet Lotus straight into the pavilion.
"He’s just throwing the herbs straight in? Isn’t that going to destroy them all?"
Everyone behind him was stunned by Evan’s move.
Evan’s expression stayed calm. After waiting a moment, he gently spread out his right hand in front of him and spoke a single command: "Fire, rise."
As soon as he spoke those words—
Everyone watched as the Miracle Hand Pavilion, previously wrapped in a gentle orange flame, suddenly erupted—a pillar of fire shot up from underground.
The raging, powerful flames burst out like a released beast, instantly swallowing the entire Miracle Hand Pavilion!
"Holy crap!"
Alex Fu’s eyes went wide—he was totally startled by the sudden pillar of fire.
Beside him, Celine Lin’s beautiful eyes were round with shock. She stared at the flames, her face pale.
Only Warren Wu looked absolutely thrilled. He watched Evan, who stood right in front of the Miracle Hand Pavilion and the fire pillar, his eyes full of open admiration.
The Doctors who had been skeptical before now craned their necks, staring up at the sky.
Overhead, the once-clear blue sky and its clouds were now stained blood-red by the towering pillar of fire.
Evan’s face was illuminated by the firelight, his expression calm and unruffled.
After a moment, Evan made a grasping gesture with his right hand. Instantly, the pillar of fire split into ten.
Each of the ten fire pillars had a visible shadow floating inside.
The ten fire pillars circled around Evan, spinning gently as he stood quietly among them.
No one had even processed what they’d just seen yet.
The next second, a breeze started to rise.
Then, the ten fire pillars began to slowly twist in the wind.