Ye Chen closed his eye after Xu Fu left.
He stood before the stove, recalling the description of the recipe and Xu Fu's illustration.
After a long time, he opened eyes slowly.
"True fire emerges!"
As his yell sounded, he infused the true fire into the stove, plunged all the herbs into it and controlled the fire carefully.
It was long soul energy consumption.
Buzz!
Buzz!
As the stove kept its vibration, he failed continuously.
It soon dawned.
He remained before the stove until Qi Yue walked out from the side hall.
Over one-night core refinement, bloodshot his eyes stayed in hollow cheeks and moustache began to bud around his mouth.
She gazed at his back silently and the stubbornness on his handsome face.
Buzz!
The stove quivered again and the spirit herbs inside burned into ashes.
Pushed back by the force, he stumbled and nearly fell down.
"Haste makes waste. Have a rest!" She walked down the stair and said in a callous but gentle tone.
"Core refinement needs perfect skills!" He flicked his tongue and gulped down the spirit liquid.
"It's said that you're still an intern disciple?" She turned around her head and glanced at him.
He shrugged, "None of the chief masters of the three main peaks wanted to take me as their disciple. I had no other choice."
"They must be remorseful now!"
"I have no idea about that. But they trapped me recently." He rubbed his eyebrows.
"It's not difficult for you to enter the inner school with your cultivation base." She whispered and flicked a profound look at him, "You at least rank the top ten among the disciples of the outer school."
He put down the little purple gold gourd and looked her out of curiosity, "Senior martial sister, can you tell me who ranks the top ten?"
"Besides me, there're three disciples from the main peaks, Yin Zhiping from the Regulation Hall, Wang Lin from the Spirit Fruit Garden, Xiao Jing from the Execution Hall, Lu Xuan'er from the Books Pavilion and Huo Teng from the Task Pavilion…"
Patiently, she named all the disciples ranking the top ten, including their cultivation bases and fighting capability.
Then she turned to Ye Chen, "You're likely to win in the competition of the outer school if you won't encounter them. But it's unavoidable to meet them if you're unlucky."
"I see." He jumped up, drank some spirit liquid, and continued core refinement vigorously.
"What a freak." She mumbled.
He did not leave the stove over the day.
Xu Fu came to check the status of Ye Chen's refinement and was a little disappointed for his failure.
Time flew slowly.
Night descended now.
In the inner hall, Xu Fu gave a jade box to Qi Yue, "Inside it is a true Yang core. It may help you to advance to the true Yang stage."
"Master, thanks a lot." She hurried to take the core with a brilliant laugh.
"What do you think of Ye Chen?" Xu Fu stroked his moustache, glimpsed at Ye Chen and then settled his sight on Qi Yue.
"He surprises me."
"No, I mean how do you find his personality? Is he attractive?"