Matthew and Jared followed closely behind. As they had yet to strike a deal, Jared needed to continue negotiating. The three of them soon arrived at Alchemical Sect.
The place was a total mess and reeked of herbs everywhere. “What happened here?” Matthew asked in confusion while glancing about. Isaac’s face clouded over, and he was exuding a terrifying murderous aura as he stood there in silence.
Jared’s lips curled into a faint smile as he briefly assessed the situation and determined the cause of the explosion. “The pill cauldron exploded.”
Matthew had shock and disbelief written all over his face. What? The pill cauldron exploded? Does that mean something went wrong with the alchemy process?”
Jared nodded. A few seconds later, five members of Alchemical Sect came running over and knelt in front of Isaac. “Mr. Bachman, the pill cauldron exploded, and the Ascension Pill is destroyed…” said the members in a trembling voice.
Isaac’s eyes were filled with murderous intent as he yelled, “You’re all useless! I’ve been synthesizing that pill for three years! It was finally going to be completed, but you guys ruined it completely! Why should I even keep you worthless pieces of sh*t around, huh?”
The next thing the disciples knew, he had unleashed his aura and started making his way toward them. The disciples were all terrified and trembling in fear.
“This pill cauldron would have exploded even if you were supervising the process yourself,” Jared said. Isaac stopped in his tracks the moment he heard that. “What do you mean by that? Are you questioning my alchemy skills?”
“No, I’m simply stating the facts. Are you seriously going to claim that your alchemy skills are flawless after your pill cauldron exploded?” Jared responded with a smile.
Isaac’s face was red with anger. “That was an accident! It does not mean that my alchemy skills are bad! This Ascension Pill is a Level Six pill! Do you even know what that means?”
“That doesn’t matter. You used the wrong pill formula and herb combinations, so it makes sense for the pill cauldron to explode,” Jared replied calmly.
“Nonsense! I got this pill formula from an ancient text on pills! Don’t assume that there is an issue with my alchemy skills simply because the pill cauldron exploded! I could produce much better pills than you, even with my eyes closed! If you don’t believe me, we can give it a go right now! I’ll show you what it means to be a true master in alchemy!” Isaac yelled furiously.
He insisted on competing with Jared to prove his superiority and protect the reputation of Alchemical Sect. After all, it would be bad for Alchemical Sect if word got out about the pill cauldron exploding.
“No problem! I don’t mind giving it a go, but what do I get if I win?” Jared asked with a smile. He was deliberately spiting Isaac so that he would propose a showdown.
That way, Jared would be able to use reverse psychology to his advantage and manipulate Isaac into lending him Spring of Regeneration. “You can’t win against me! Not a single person in the martial arts world has been able to beat me when it comes to alchemy!”
Isaac was incredibly confident in his abilities. “Let’s just assume the unlikely scenario where I win. What will happen, then?” Jared pressed on. “If you win, I’ll grant you free access to Spring of Regeneration! I won’t stop you from using it anymore!” Isaac replied. Jared broke into a smile when he saw that Isaac had taken the bait. “You have yourself a deal! So, how do we do this?”
“We’ll see which one of us is faster at synthesizing a pill. Of course, the pill’s efficacy will also play a huge role in determining the victor, so we will have to select the herbs ourselves. Since it would take too long to produce a pill, how about we settle for a Level Three Spirit Protection Pill?” Isaac asked.
