The crowd erupted in disbelief. "Who is that?! Does he have a death wish or something?!" Similar sentiments rippled through the onlookers, panic clear in their expressions as they began to retreat from the hall. Even Master Zain, the rank 5 alchemist at the center of the chaos, looked at Emery with concern. "You should leave! I won’t be able to hold this for much longer," Zain said, his voice strained as beads of sweat trickled down his furrowed brow. But Emery stood firm, his calm demeanor contrasting sharply with the chaos around him. He turned to face the struggling alchemist. "One of the ingredients you used—the blood vine—you didn’t remove its chaotic elements. That’s the cause of this instability." Master Zain froze, his eyes narrowing as he processed Emery’s words. "Blood vine has no chaotic elements," he said, shaking his head. "No... that’s impossible... there’s no point in arguing about it now. You need to leave before this explodes!" Emery’s gaze remained steady. "If you’ve given up... then let me try." The hall fell silent for a brief moment as all eyes turned to Emery, who stepped forward, his confidence cutting through the rising tension. Even the young noble and his grand magus guardians paused in their retreat, watching intently as the mysterious young man approached the trembling cauldron with unwavering determination. Emery calmly released his spirit energy into the bronze cauldron, merging his presence with the volatile concoction. Spirit energy was the lifeline of any high-grade alchemical process, and Emery could sense Master Zain’s overwhelming cosmic realm energy intertwined with traces of powerful soul force. It was clear Zain was using both his spirit and soul energy to maintain control, a technique only a grand magus realm alchemist could perform. By conventional standards, a magus like Emery had no place interfering with a high-grade concoction of this magnitude. But Emery was no ordinary magus. His mental fortitude and refined soul strength allowed him to seamlessly merge his energy with the cauldron’s chaotic flow, his contribution equaling, if not surpassing, that of several alchemist apprentices combined. Master Zain’s voice trembled as he felt Emery’s energy integrate into the process. "How... how can you...?"Emery’s focus remained sharp, his eyes locked onto the swirling energies inside the cauldron. "I’m going to remove its chaotic properties now. Hold steady." There were over thirty essence components involved in the concoction, most of which had already fused together and could no longer be separated. However, Emery’s keen senses pinpointed the chaotic essence from the blood vine—still lingering unmerged, its acting like a wildfire spreading instability throughout the mixture. Isolating a single essence at this stage of refinement was a task requiring surgical precision and an unyielding mind. Even the slightest mistake could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction. But Emery’s mental strength kept his focus razor-sharp as he channeled his energy into the unstable essence. Seconds ticked by like hours as Emery carefully isolated and neutralized the chaotic properties of the blood vine. With one final pulse of energy, he succeeded. The cauldron’s violent tremors began to subside, and the oppressive, chaotic energy that had filled the hall started to dissipate. Relief washed over the faces of the remaining onlookers. Continue your adventure at freewebnovel But Emery didn’t relax. "It’s not over yet," he said under his breath, "It’s a tier 7 pill—it would be such a waste to stop here." To stop would mean ruining the pills, hence without hesitation, Emery reached into his storage ring and pulled out a few rare ingredients of his own. With practiced hands, he mixed them with the isolated essence. "What are you doing?!" Master Zain exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and confusion. "Please, focus on refining the main concoction," Emery replied firmly. Emery poured his full concentration into stabilizing the isolated essence. His nature energy flowed like a gentle stream, carrying with it a soothing balance of elements. The water element, in particular, showed exceptional results in calming the once-unstable fragment. The crowd began to murmur again, whispers spreading among the alchemist apprentices. Even the young noble and the elderly grand magus watched in astonishment. After what felt like an eternity, Emery had successfully dispersed the chaotic energy from the isolated essence. But the most difficult task still lay ahead—merging the stabilized essence back into the main concoction. For this, Emery utilized his Dao Divine technique. It was the perfect method to counter the opposing forces that would inevitably arise during the merging process. His energy wove delicately around the cauldron’s contents, creating an intricate balance between power and precision. When he was halfway through, Emery started to feel resistance. The mixed energies pushed back against his control, threatening to unravel his delicate work. Fortunately, Master Zain had more than enough cosmic power to stabilize the concoction, anchoring the volatile mixture and allowing Emery to focus solely on the merge. Minutes passed, each one dragging out with agonizing slowness. But finally, the resistance faded, and the energy within the cauldron harmonized. A deep, satisfying hum resonated through the chamber as an intoxicating, refined aroma filled the air. Moments later, three glowing pills emerged from the cauldron, each radiating a brilliant, golden light—a clear sign of their flawless, masterpiece-tier quality. Master Zain stepped back, his chest rising and falling as he released a heavy breath. A satisfied smile spread across his face as he carefully retrieved the pills with trembling hands. The alchemist master approached Emery with a deep, respectful bow. "May I know the master’s name?" he asked, his voice filled with reverence. "I am Emery," came the calm reply. "Master Emery," Zain said, his tone sincere, "these pills would have been lost without your intervention. Our Alchemist Center’s reputation would have been in ruins. You have my deepest gratitude." He presented the three tier 7 Soul-Calming Pills and continued, "One of these pills has already been commissioned, but please, I insist you take the other two as a token of my gratitude." Emery’s sharp eyes glanced at the pills. He knew their immense value—masterpiece-tier 7 pills were not only rare but also priceless treasures. However, he was also aware of the tremendous effort, resources, and time that Master Zain had invested in this endeavor. "I cannot accept both," Emery said respectfully, shaking his head. "My contribution was in the final stage. The rest of the credit belongs to you, Master Zain." He accepted one pill and returned the other with a slight bow. Emery didn’t feel any loss, knowing he had gained something far greater. He turned to the old grand magus with a knowing smile. x x x x