Amidst the smoke and dust, a chubby old man staggered out of the alchemy room, coughing repeatedly and grumbling, “This alchemy furnace is no good… You brat, what did you say? It really exploded? Are you cursing me?”

The servant, seeing the chubby old man with a face full of soot and a fierce expression, shook his head in terror, “No, no, no, it wasn’t me…”

Benjamin Evans had just stabilized Thomas Baker’s injuries when he heard the explosion and hurried over. Upon seeing the old man, he immediately cupped his fists and bowed deeply, speaking with utmost respect, “Grandmaster Uncle, you… are you alright?”

The old man waved his hand at Benjamin Evans’s attitude and said, “I’m fine, I’m fine. Hurry up and clean up here, and get me another alchemy room.”

Benjamin Evans sneaked a glance inside the alchemy room. Almost all the formations had been obliterated in the explosion. With such power, even a Golden Core cultivator would have been blown to pieces, yet this old ancestor was completely unharmed. No wonder Master called him a powerhouse of the sect.

“Still looking? Hurry up and find me an alchemy room,” the old man urged impatiently.

Benjamin Evans couldn’t help but ask, “Grandmaster Uncle, the Mingxin Morning Dew Pill is mild in nature. How could the furnace explode to such an extent?”

“How would I know? Go find me an alchemy room!”

Benjamin Evans turned curiously to look for an alchemy room, not noticing the momentary flush of embarrassment that flashed across the old man’s dust-covered face when asked about the Mingxin Morning Dew Pill.

“By the way, was it you who cursed my alchemy furnace to explode just now?” The chubby old man once again fixed his gaze on the servant who had fallen to the ground and couldn’t get up.

“No, no, it wasn’t me, it was the Peak Master…” The servant shook his head frantically in panic.

“Peak Master? Which peak?” The chubby old man said with displeasure, “Does he have a grudge against me? How dare he curse me!”

“Si… Sibao Peak…” Although the servant was a mortal, he had heard that this Jiazi-numbered alchemy room’s formations couldn’t be destroyed even by a Golden Core cultivator at full strength. Now that the door had been blown off, it was clear all the formations inside were gone.

Such a massive explosion, and no one died! The servant also realized that this chubby old man was no ordinary person.

“Sibao Peak?” The chubby old man furrowed his brow, seriously pondering whether there was such a peak in the Hundred Peaks Sect.

Benjamin Evans was about to leave to find an alchemy room, but upon hearing it involved Brian Carter, he immediately perked up, planning to frame the other party first.

“Grandmaster Uncle, this Sibao Peak is ranked one hundredth in our Hundred Peaks Sect,” Benjamin Evans said quickly. “The Peak Master usually looks down on everyone, so don’t take his words to heart.”

“He actually cursed me like that? What else did he say?” The chubby old man’s brows knitted into a deep frown, already deciding to stop refining pills for now. Even if the other party was a Peak Master, he’d have to show him his strength.

“He…” The servant, encouraged by Benjamin Evans’s gaze, said nervously, “He also said that the esteemed one wasn’t refining the Mingxin Morning Dew Pill, but the Blazing Fire Frenzy Pill… and that if it weren’t for your profound cultivation suppressing it, the furnace would have exploded yesterday…”

The chubby old man’s face froze in embarrassment for a moment in his rage, and this time Benjamin Evans caught the expression.

As a shopkeeper, he was naturally skilled at reading people, and couldn’t help but probe, “Grandmaster Uncle, you weren’t refining the Mingxin Morning Dew Pill? Then… your deposit isn’t correct… If you were refining the Blazing Fire Frenzy Pill…”

“You shut up first!” The chubby old man poked Benjamin Evans’s forehead with his short, thick finger, then looked at the servant in surprise and asked, “You just said that person passed by my alchemy room, smelled the medicinal fragrance, and said all that?”

The servant was now completely bewildered, only able to nod blankly.

The chubby old man raised his hand to stroke his chin, his index finger tapping his chubby face as he pondered. To distinguish the pill being refined just by its scent—an excellent alchemist could barely manage that, and only if he happened to know the recipe.

As for judging whether the furnace was about to explode just by the scent, that was something even most master alchemists couldn’t do! And to pinpoint the timing of the explosion? That would take a true elite among alchemists!

If this person wasn’t just guessing, he must know how to refine the Blazing Fire Frenzy Pill, right?

“Sibao Peak?” After seeing the servant nod, the chubby old man strode out of Baoding Pavilion.

Benjamin Evans saw the old man leaving and immediately reacted, hurrying after him, “Grandmaster Uncle, if you were refining the Blazing Fire Frenzy Pill…”

“You shut up first!” The chubby old man rushed out of Baoding Pavilion, displaying the authority of a senior to Benjamin Evans behind him. He turned and grabbed a passing disciple, asking, “Where is Sibao Peak?”

Intimidated by the chubby old man’s presence, the disciple instinctively replied, “To the east, not far from Falling Star Lake.”

“Good!” The chubby old man tossed the disciple aside and soared away at high speed toward the west.

The abandoned disciple stared after the flying old man, dazed for a moment before muttering softly, “Um… Senior… you’re flying west…”

Unfortunately, the disciple spoke too late and too softly, and the chubby old man flying through the sky didn’t hear a thing.