Splendour Translations
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Chapter 74:
Though it was deep autumn outside, the Holy Fire Palace looked like midsummer throughout the year. However, the Holy Fire Palace remained vibrant, with no sign of autumn.
Unfortunately, despite the breathtaking beauty of the Holy Fire Palace, the disciples were all single-minded cultivators, with no thoughts of appreciating the scenery.
But this fulfilled Jing Xiaoxuan's wish.
She had craved for a stroll in the Holy Fire Palace with Xu Ze for a long, long time. Jumping happily alongside Xu Ze, Jing Xiaoxuan's eyes reflected the azure sky above the Holy Fire Palace.
"Hey, hey, Holy Son, do you think this looks good?"
Jumping around, Jing Xiaoxuan plucked a crimson flower from somewhere. As she followed behind Xu Ze, she adorned the flower in her hair, holding her face with a big grin.
Xu Ze found it somewhat amusing and asked, "What are you asking me to judge?" This somewhat straightforward remark made Jing Xiaoxuan slightly unhappy, puffing out her cheeks. But before she could say anything, Xu Ze smiled again and said confidently, "If I were to judge the flower, I'd say it's simple yet extraordinary, beautiful but unable to outshine the stars. But if I were to judge a person..."
Xu Ze pursed his lips, smiling without saying more. It seemed like everything was said in silence.
Jing Xiaoxuan's face flushed red. "Bah... slick-tongued, scoundrel's words..." she muttered.
Despite her words, Jing Xiaoxuan felt her heart was sweet as honey and filled with warmth.
Xu Ze naturally knew what Jing Xiaoxuan was thinking.
Through nine reincarnations, he probably knew Jing Xiaoxuan better than she knew herself.
The more a woman hated being lied to, the more she liked to hear sweet words from a man.
"From what I see, the red flower is too bright. Though it's beautiful and elegant, it doesn't match with freshness and simplicity." Xu Ze plucked the red flower from Jing Xiaoxuan's head and held it tightly in his hand.
When he opened his hand again, the red flower had transformed into a fresh golden chrysanthemum.
Xu Ze placed the chrysanthemum on Jing Xiaoxuan's head. The pale yellow chrysanthemum seemed to blend with Jing Xiaoxuan, creating a perfect match.
Jing Xiaoxuan blushed as she watched Xu Ze place the chrysanthemum on her head.
Looking up at Xu Ze's handsome face, Jing Xiaoxuan's heart beat a little faster.
Memories of the joy and warmth she had with Xu Ze came flooding back to her mind. Jing Xiaoxuan's eyes shimmered like rippling autumn water, reflecting the sun's rays.
"Holy Son..."
"Hmm? What is it?" Xu Ze smiled. Jing Xiaoxuan gathered her courage and whispered, "Holy Son, I... I like..."
"Your Excellency!"
Suddenly, a disciple ran over from afar, calling out Ze loudly.
Jing Xiaoxuan's eyelids twitched, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily twitched.
"Oh? What's the matter?" Xu Ze turned to the approaching disciple with a smile.
The disciple immediately bowed and said with a smile, "Your Excellency, today, some of us disciples want to compare our alchemy skills and respectfully invite Your Excellency to oversee the competition."
"Oh? Alchemy?" Xu Ze was taken aback, then suddenly realized. "Alright, I can take a look."
The disciple seemed surprised that Xu Ze had agreed, and he was overjoyed.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Excellency!"
Xu Ze nodded with a smile, then turned to Jing Xiaoxuan.
"Xiaoxuan, what were you going to say just now? You like?"
Jing Xiaoxuan glanced at the awkward and annoying Holy Fire Palace disciple.
The disciple also looked at Jing Xiaoxuan curiously, blinking his eyes.
In this situation, how could she say it out loud... "Ahem, Holy Son, I, I mean, I like alchemy... I like alchemy."
Jing Xiaoxuan pointed to her chest with her fingers, showing a happy expression.
"Being able to see the alchemy assessment is really great... hahaha..."
That string of laughter sent shivers down the spine of the Holy Fire Palace disciple. Seeing the way Jing Xiaoxuan looked at him, he felt like he was about to be bitten by a shark.
The disciple shivered subconsciously and felt uneasy.
"Oh? Xiaoxuan, you also like alchemy?" Xu Ze asked knowingly, looking surprised. "That's great. Let's go watch the alchemy competition between the disciples."
With that, Xu Ze took Jing Xiaoxuan's hand and headed toward the alchemy room.
With her hand held in his, Jing Xiaoxuan's face flushed, feeling a tingling sensation in her heart.
When they arrived at the alchemy room, several disciples dressed in white with red stripes were preparing materials and checking the furnaces.
When they saw Xu Ze, they were all shocked and hurriedly came forward to greet him.
"Greetings, Your Excellency." Seeing the six Holy Fire Palace disciples lined up, Xu Ze nodded slightly, recognizing that they were all top students in alchemy. And the one who invited him to preside over this assessment was Fan Hua, who ranked first in alchemy achievements in the Holy Fire Palace.
"Senior Brother Fan, you really invited His Excellency?"
"That's amazing!"
Seeing them secretly giving him a thumbs up, Fan Hua looked pleased.
Xu Ze smiled and said, "Since you've invited me to oversee this alchemy competition and observe the alchemy, I won't be polite."
"We'll follow Your Excellency's instructions!"
The six disciples bowed and said respectfully.
"Well, let's use the topic of the Jade Glory Pill for this alchemy session." Xu Ze paced back and forth with his hands behind his back before opening his mouth. "The alchemy time will be one-quarter of an hour. Let's begin."
At Xu Ze's words, several Holy Fire Palace disciples immediately became serious and began their work.
Jing Xiaoxuan stood aside, listening to Xu Ze's words. She couldn't help but glance at him.
As the former top alchemist through nine reincarnations, Jing Xiaoxuan naturally understood Xu Ze's intentions.
The Jade Glory Pill was a health-enhancing pill with simple techniques, suitable for novice alchemists. However, the usual time for making the Jade Glory Pill was half an hour. Now, intentionally shortening it to a quarter, it required the alchemists to increase the flame intensity fourfold while ensuring pill quality. This was a huge test for the alchemists' techniques and control over the furnace. Only alchemists of Level Four or above could reach this level.
Jing Xiaoxuan nodded lightly, holding her arms. "I didn't expect the Holy Son to look into alchemy, but he seems to understand it well."
-To be continued!
T/N: Thanks for reading!
T/N: Thanks for reading!
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