The Third Hall Master and the two elders were left speechless, just about to happily see their guest out. Suddenly, a cold snort pierced through the corridor, followed by an icy, penetrating voice: “What prescription? Boasting so much—bring it here and let me have a look.”

William Grant paused, about to speak, when the Third Master smiled and said, “That was Old Arthur speaking. Old Arthur is our honored guest, a titan in the world of alchemy. Even our Grand Master must show him great respect.”

“Can an honored guest make decisions?” William Grant snorted, nose in the air.

“If Old Arthur has appraised it, our Alchemist Hall can trust it.”

An honored guest with such prestige? What kind of guest is this? William Grant found it odd, but it wasn’t something he needed to worry about.

The prescription was passed over. In another room, an old man with white hair and beard, exuding an immortal aura, took the prescription, glanced at it, and at first had the same impression as the Third Master and the others. But then his brows furrowed, and before long, he was lost in deep, grave thought.

After a long while, Old Arthur’s brows furrowed even deeper, and he muttered to himself, “Is there really such a prescription in this world? I’ve been in the alchemy world for two hundred years—could I really be so ignorant?”

Suddenly, Old Arthur stood up and pushed open the door to a garden behind the room. In the center of the garden, a young girl dressed in light blue gauze stood among a grove of emerald bamboo, feeding a few birds. The morning mist hung in a thin veil, making her snow-white skin appear as lustrous as mutton-fat jade.

“Grace,” Old Arthur called.

The girl turned around, her stunning beauty like the silvery moon and melting snow, exquisite beyond compare. A faint trace of sorrow lingered between her brows, adding a touch of melancholy to her breathtaking appearance.

Such beauty truly rivaled that of a celestial maiden.

“Old Arthur, what is it?”

Old Arthur smiled and said, “I just received a prescription and can’t quite judge it. Could you take a look, Grace?”

The girl smiled gently, and with that smile, the sorrow between her brows faded, making her even more lively and radiant.

“If even Old Arthur can’t judge it, I’m afraid Grace won’t be able to either. Let me see.”

Taking the prescription, Grace paid no attention to the paper or handwriting, but couldn’t help exclaiming softly, “Shenxiu Zaohua Pill? That’s an ancient pill name.”

The more she read, the more surprised Grace became. In the end, she read the prescription from start to finish again. “I’ve seen this prescription in a rare ancient text, but it was incomplete. However, the ingredients listed there are exactly the same as those in this prescription. In fact, the ancient text’s list wasn’t as complete as this one.”

Old Arthur was astonished. “So, this Shenxiu Zaohua Pill prescription is real?”

“Whether it’s real or not, Grace has never seen a complete prescription. But judging from this, it’s at least eighty or ninety percent genuine. Old Arthur, where did this prescription come from?”

Old Arthur’s expression suddenly became animated, his eyes lighting up, but then, as if recalling something sad, the light slowly faded.

“Alas, even if this Shenxiu Zaohua Pill is real, it’s only a miraculous medicine for healing flesh and bone injuries. It’s of no help for your illness, Grace.”

With that, Old Arthur’s excitement immediately waned.

But Grace smiled faintly. “Old Arthur, matters of fate cannot be forced. Let everything follow its course.”

……

The prescription was returned to the Third Master and the others, and at the same time, Old Arthur coldly tossed out a remark: “The prescription is ninety percent genuine. Moreover, once this Shenxiu Zaohua Pill goes into production, all the healing pills in your Eastern Kingdom and even those in the surrounding sixteen countries will be trash in comparison. They’ll be completely pushed out of the market, left with no buyers. How you handle this is up to you!”

It was clear that although Old Arthur was an honored guest, his status was extremely high, and the Alchemist Hall had to curry favor with him.

The Third Master was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected that, after Old Arthur’s firm appraisal, this prescription—one he thought was as fake as could be—turned out to be ninety percent real.

If it were just real, that would be one thing, but Old Arthur’s words were truly frightening. Once the Shenxiu Zaohua Pill appeared, all similar products on the market would be taken off the shelves. That was terrifying.

This was a market monopoly! The enormous profits and huge returns from monopolizing the market were enough to make anyone tremble with excitement.

In contrast, William Grant felt a huge weight lifted from his heart after hearing Old Arthur’s evaluation. A benefactor, a master, a kindred spirit—someone who truly recognized value.

William Grant had been afraid that after Old Arthur’s appraisal, he’d be dismissed with the word “trash.” If that happened, he, William Grant, would have had to slink out of the Alchemist Hall in disgrace.

Now, with Old Arthur’s evaluation and seeing the reactions of the Third Master and the others, William Grant knew that Young Marquis had won this gamble—it was truly as if blessed by the gods!

With newfound confidence and a trump card in hand, William Grant straightened up even more, smiling faintly. “Since the Alchemist Hall has no stance, I won’t waste any more time. I’ll take my leave.”

“Please wait, sir!” Third Master grew anxious.

He couldn’t help it—if this Shenxiu Zaohua Pill fell into the hands of a competitor, it would be a disaster. According to Old Arthur, not only would the Eastern Kingdom’s market be taken, but even the markets of the surrounding sixteen countries would be dominated by this pill.

It was simply too terrifying.

Chapter 0009: Truly Struck It Rich