Chapter 579 - 579: A Strange Attitude

The two apprentices wore long faces as they said in unison, "Master, the Purifying Qi Pills have a ninety-percent efficacy!"

"I'm not deaf. I heard you loud and clear, no need to repeat yourselves!" Bai Yuting snorted.

But a moment later, it dawned on him. His expression changed in a flash, his jaw dropping as he let out a shriek so shrill his voice cracked. "H-How much? Ninety percent? How is that possible? You must have made a mistake! No, it has to be a mistake! It absolutely must be! What kind of elixir for Purifying Qi could possibly reach such a ridiculous level of efficacy?!"

Yue Tianchi was thinking the same thing.

If the Purifying Qi Pills' efficacy was forty or fifty percent, he would have been shocked, but he wouldn't have doubted it. But ninety percent... The efficacy was so absurdly high that it was impossible to believe. Unfathomable, even.

So he said, "Alchemist Shan, why don't you test it again?"

"Alright, I'll test it one more time," Shan Han agreed with a nod.

Although she was confident in her skills, the result was so absurd that even she couldn't help but have her doubts.

Before Zhao Yuan could say anything, Cheng Haoyu and Hao Li started protesting indignantly.

"By what right do you get to demand another test?"

"Exactly! I didn't see you re-testing that Nine Revolutions Essence Storage Pill earlier! You're clearly showing favoritism! And you have the nerve to claim the evaluation process is fair, impartial, and transparent? What a joke!"

Bai Yuting snorted. "What, scared? Afraid to have it tested again? Don't tell me that first result was because you pulled some trick behind the scenes?"

Yue Tianchi, playing the mediator, offered an placating smile. "Fellow Daoists, please calm down. I'm not asking Alchemist Shan to re-test the Purifying Qi Pills to cause trouble; it's just that its efficacy is simply too astonishing. This is just a precaution to rule out any mistakes and uphold the principles of fairness, impartiality, and transparency. I hope you can understand."

Cheng Haoyu and Hao Li still wanted to protest, but Zhao Yuan pulled them back. "It's fine," he said. "Let them test it again. As the saying goes, true gold fears no fire. A good thing is a good thing, no matter how many times you test it."

Since Zhao Yuan himself had spoken, Cheng Haoyu and Hao Li stopped protesting. Instead, they asked in a low voice, "Are you really this confident?"

"Completely," Zhao Yuan replied with a smile.

'Was he kidding? These Purifying Qi Pills were made from an Elixir Recipe provided by Wu Peng himself! A ninety-percent efficacy in Purifying Qi couldn't possibly be a mistake. If there was an error, it would only be because they'd underestimated its power, not overestimated it!'

Zhao Yuan didn't even bother watching the second test. He returned to his chair, picked up his teacup, and began to leisurely savor the fine tea Yue Tianchi had provided.

Although Cheng Haoyu and the other two trusted Zhao Yuan immensely, they were still too nervous to be as composed as him. They joined Yue Tianchi, Bai Yuting, and the others, crowding around the coffee table to anxiously await Shan Han's results.

More than twenty minutes later, Shan Han looked up, her expression strange.

"Well? What was the result of the test this time? What's the efficacy?" Yue Tianchi asked.

Bai Yuting, also looking impatient, urged, "Was the last test result incorrect?"

Shan Han nodded. "The result from the previous test was indeed a mistake!"

"See? What did I tell you," Bai Yuting said, bursting into laughter. He then asked, "So what is the actual efficacy of these worthless Purifying Qi Pills? Ten percent? Twenty?"

A flicker of disappointment crossed Yue Tianchi's face. In truth, he had been hoping that Zhao Yuan's Purifying Qi Pills really did have a ninety-percent efficacy for Purifying Qi. If that were the case, he would have struck a major bargain. What a shame it was a mistake.

With a sigh, Yue Tianchi asked, "Then what is the true result?"

Ying Ji and her two companions frowned, not expecting this to be the outcome of the second test. The three of them turned in unison to look at Zhao Yuan, but saw that he remained completely calm, not the least bit nervous, which they found rather baffling.

It was at this moment that Shan Han spoke, her voice thick with excitement as she announced a new figure: "Ninety-five percent! I made a small mistake in the previous test. I measured this elixir's efficacy five percentage points lower than it actually is."

"Wha—what? Ninety-five percent?" Yue Tianchi cried out, his shock immediately melting into pure ecstasy. The efficacy wasn't lower, it was higher! This result was far beyond anything he could have predicted!

The smile on Bai Yuting's face instantly froze. "Ninety-five percent?" he said incredulously. "How is that possible! Shan Han, you're not in cahoots with this group to trick us, are you?"

Shan Han's expression immediately darkened. "I swear on my reputation," she said coldly, "that there was absolutely no deception during the testing process! You can question my competence and say I made a mistake, but you absolutely cannot accuse me of colluding with anyone to falsify the results!"

Bai Yuting was cowed by the powerful presence that erupted from her and didn't dare accuse her of colluding with Zhao Yuan's group again, but he still didn't believe the test result.

In fact, even Shan Han herself couldn't quite believe it.

Discovering a ninety-percent efficacy for Purifying Qi had already been outrageous. For the re-test to reveal it was five percentage points *higher*... The situation was simply unbelievable.

She couldn't even be certain her own results were correct. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Why don't we... have my grandfather test Alchemist Zhao's Purifying Qi Pills? He happens to be in Jiangyang visiting a friend right now."

"Excellent!" Yue Tianchi agreed.

Shan Han didn't immediately make the call. Instead, she turned to Zhao Yuan and explained, "Alchemist Zhao, it's not that I'm doubting you, it's just that the efficacy of your elixir is incredibly high. If this has caused you any offense, I apologize in advance!"

Shan Han's attitude now was a stark contrast to her previous cold arrogance. She knew that if the Qi purification from Zhao Yuan's Purifying Qi Pills really reached ninety-five percent—no, even if it were just seventy or eighty percent—it would be enough to shake the entire Cultivation Realm! With this skill alone, he was qualified to become a first-rate Pill Master!

Though Shan Han had a cold personality, she held a great deal of respect for truly capable people.

"Don't worry about it." Zhao Yuan set down his teacup and smiled. "We have plenty of time. Since you all still have doubts, feel free to keep testing until you're completely convinced!"

However, at that very moment, something completely unexpected happened.

Upon hearing they were going to call for Elder Shan, Bai Yuting suddenly blurted out, "No need to trouble Elder Shan to come and test it! I believe Alchemist Zhao's Purifying Qi Pills are indeed exceptionally effective! Fellow Daoist Yue, hurry up and bring out the Thousand-Day Wine and make the trade with Fellow Daoist Zhao."

His words left everyone in the room stunned.