Chapter 274: Revealing Bronze Tempered Cauldron Flaws.
Everyone’s gaze locked on the Chief Judge. The entire hall waited in tense silence for his decision.
Would he agree to her demand or scoff it off, relying on his authority?
The air was heavy and suffocating.
Not even the faintest whisper could be heard.
Feeling the immense pressure weighing on his shoulders, the Chief Judge seethed with rage.
How dare a mere Foundation Realm child demand that his dantian be shattered?
A mere Tier-1 Alchemist!
He was a renowned Tier-2 Alchemist known throughout the Central Region.
Yet today, he was humiliated before the crowd.
His fists clenched tightly beneath his robe as his sharp gaze swept across the audience.
From the looks in their eyes, he knew there was no turning back.
Curiosity burned in everyone’s face.
They all wanted to know the secret behind the claim that the Bronze-Tempered Cauldron was not good for refining a Tier-1 pill Bone Mending Pill.
No one cared whether the Chief Judge’s dantian would truly be shattered or not.
With the current fame of the Dust Valley Sect, everyone was desperate to uncover their secrets.
And this was a chance they couldn’t miss.
Also, all the ancient clans and powerful sects stared at the Chief Judge, waiting for his verdict.
"Fine," he said at last, his voice booming through the hall with forced confidence. "But I’ll add a condition."
His sharp gaze darted from Zhen Xi to Qiao Lian, then shifted toward the Dust Valley Sect area.
But before he could continue, a cold voice interrupted him.
"You either agree to the condition or not," Mo Jian said flatly, his tone cutting through the hall like a blade.
"If each side keeps adding new conditions, there will be no end to this." His eyes gleamed with disdain.
"You’re so sure there’s no mistake in your choice of cauldron? Then own it and stop wasting our precious time. Remember, my sect still has other finals to attend."
Hiss!
A collective gasp echoed through the hall.
Countless people drew sharp breaths, staring at the young man who stood so calmly, his confidence radiating with authority.
’So, this is their young master...’ Many thoughts and their minds began working on various schemes.
The Chief Judge’s words stuck in his throat.
His expression turned ghastly; veins bulged across his forehead.
He gnashed his teeth, and he was boiling with fury yet with nowhere to release it.
"Fine!" he spat. "I’ll comply. I want to see why your sect dares to condemn a cauldron that has been used for centuries!"
At that declaration, murmurs of excitement spread through the crowd.
Finally, they would learn why the Bronze Tempered Cauldron that has been considered a standard cauldron was now a mistake.
All eyes turned to Zhen Xi and Qiao Lian. With no more excuses left, they could only answer the question.
"Prepare to shatter your dantian and become our pill servant for a hundred years," Qiao Lian said mockingly, her voice dripping with false pity.
The Chief Judge glared at her but said nothing. Like everyone else, even he wanted to know what could possibly be wrong with the cauldron.
"I’ll take this as a chance to enlighten the ignorant people." Zhen Xi began. Her tone was soft and calm.
The hall was silent as everyone listened.
"Let’s begin with the pill itself." She began. "The Bone Mending Pill falls under the classification of bone treatment. I know many of you don’t truly understand this classification, but that’s not my problem."
She paused, her eyes sweeping across the silent crowd.
"Bones possess several distinct properties that must be considered during refinement. These properties are crucial. If ignored, they render the pill ineffective."
"For years, many of you have believed that your pills lack strength because the ingredients were weak. So, you searched for older, rarer herbs to compensate, wasting countless precious resources on common injuries."
The audience listened with rapt attention
"I won’t speak too deeply about the pill itself," she continued with a faint smirk. "Most of you wouldn’t understand even if I did. Instead, let’s talk about the Bronze Tempered Cauldron."
Her tone shifted casually
"The Bronze-Tempered Cauldron can only maintain a stable temperature of about six hundred degrees Celsius. Anything beyond that, and the heat becomes unstable, requiring more spiritual energy to control. That’s its first weakness."
"The second weakness lies in its slow response to temperature changes. When you want to increase the heat quickly, it lags behind. You lose the timing of the pill."
"The third weakness," she said, her voice dropping low, "Is perhaps the most foolish. Isn’t it ignorance itself to try to make bronze and metal essence compatible? The very essence of bone is metallic."
"So, when you use two opposing energies together, what happens?" She asked, letting the question linger. "They contradict each other. In the case of the Bone Mending Pill, the cauldron’s nature dampens the bone’s vitality instead of increasing it."
Her gaze swept the now-still hall. "That’s why you all fail to refine even a common Bone Mending Pill. Your technique is right but with the wrong tools and herbs. You all failed"
She shook her head and sighed dramatically.
"This is something even an apprentice alchemist in my sect knows. Yet here I am, wasting my precious time explaining it to you."
Another sigh escaped her lips, this one full of disdain.
"Alright," she said finally. "Consider this a free lesson from my Dust Valley Sect. If you wish to learn more about the variations of the Bone Mending Pill, you can come to our region and study properly."
A smile tugged at her lips. The mission was complete.
Beside her, Qiao Lian turned toward the Chief Judge and asked sweetly, "Is there anything else you’d like to say?"
Hiss!
Another sharp intake of breath swept through the hall.
All the alchemists were stunned with conflicted expressions.
Even though many didn’t understand every detail of Zhen Xi’s explanation, the parts they did understand made their hearts tremble.
Who would have thought that a single cauldron could harbor so many hidden flaws, flaws that had caused their failures for many years?
Temperature control was one of the most vital aspects of pill refining.
How many times had they struggled with unstable heat, blaming their technique or spiritual control?
Yet now, the truth revealed before them.
It wasn’t their skill...it was their cauldron.
The capital Alchemist Hall Master and the Silent Pill Sect Master were stunned inwardly. Although they knew some cauldrons were not compatible with some pills.
Their train of thought was always on the rare and legendary pills. But now, they realized they were wrong.