Half-complete Pill

Mu Yu turned around to face Shi Minghui and asked, "You going to talk me into failing or something?"

Neither of them would fight there as damaging the manuals would be a grave mistake. Hence, Shi Minghui leaned on the wall, folded his arms and tugged up the corner of his lips. "Let me enlighten your ignorant self. The incomplete pills are the handiwork of famous alchemists who were considered prodigies – geniuses. If they failed, what makes your pompous face think you'll succeed? I doubt even your shifu could pull it off. My bad. I forgot you two jokes pursue poison."

Disparaging comments about Ku Mu always struck Mu Yu's wrong nerve. In particular, the fact that Shi Minghui was running his mouth when he suffered defeat at Mu Yu's hands rubbed Mu Yu the wrong way. After the insult, Shi Minghui would be unrealistically optimistic if he assumed Mu Yu wouldn't hunt him down at Second Heaven to dish out a beat-down lecture.

"Poison? More like a joke," disparaged someone with a crooked, rectangular-shaped face at the door.

"People who think too highly of themselves are also jokes, Shishu Xu. His shifu gives our sect a bad name. I guess we should not be surprised his disciple is also a disappointment."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Useless people following useless people begets more useless people. Complete a half-complete pill, my foot," mocked Xu Ziye, a second generation disciple and close friend of Shi Minghui's

Mu Yu didn't want to go around slapping whoever mocked him and then slap their uncle, shifu, grandmaster and so forth until the end of time. Moreover, he wasn't strong enough to go around punching everybody who crossed his path at Pill Cauldron Sect.

"Since you're so sure, how about we make a bet? If I can complete this half-complete pill before it's time to go to Second Heaven, you two are to fly up above Pill Cauldron Sect, announce yourself and declare you are brain dead. Everybody must hear you for it to count. You are to then slap yourselves ten times in public. Then, you are to climb Bamboo Peak and kowtow to my shifu. You have the balls to play?" asked Mu Yu, confident he could complete the pill using his wood-control ability.

Mu Yu's bet avoided bloodshed, and the publicity would shut down doubts about him, saving him trouble of having to beat everyone just to stop the bullying.

"Childish," responded Xu Ziye.

"Okay, so you're too scared. How about you?"

"Bring it on. What if you fail?" asked Shi Minghui.

"I'll give you whatever you want."

"Deal."

"I shall be the witness," announced Bie Wenxuan.

Shi Minghui tensed up upon seeing Bie Wenxuan's appearance at the door because his plan to feign ignorance if Mu Yu succeeded went out the window.

"I welcome your presence as a witness and feel assured, Shishu Bie," stated Shi Minghui. He then pointed at Mu Yu and declared, "I'll be waiting for your dragon vine."

Mu Yu watched the two buddies leave, grinning to himself subtlety.

"I can't imagine you winning the bet whatsoever," expressed Bie Wenxuan, entering the room.

"Why did you sign up for the witness role, then?" Mu Yu inquired.

Bie Wenxuan smiled. "I want to see the skills of the one who turned Floating Celestial Island on its head."

Mu Yu cracked a polite smile. "In that case, how about helping me spread awareness of the bet? I want everyone in the sect to know, lest they try to go back on their word. I can't trust them."

Piggy backing off what Mu Yu said, it applied for him, as well. If the bet wasn't public knowledge, he'd only have to deal with being ridiculed. If the bet was publicly announced, and he lost, he would be forced to hand over the dragon vine and shoulder the derision. As such, if Shi Minghui could conceive the potential gains as opposed to just the risk, he'd also publicise the bet to lock Mu Yu into the unwritten contract.

"How confident are you? Your loss will be substantial if you fail. Candidly speaking, I'm sceptical you'll succeed, at the very least, not at your current level. My shifu is considered the most accomplished alchemist in history, yet even he judged it to be impossible."

"60% to 70%? Don't forget my shifu is Ku Mu. You're being extremely presumptuous if you think we adopt the same mindset as you. You never know what we might have in the bag," Mu Yu bluffed.

"You can take the pill as long as you put in a word with the guardian elder."

"I can? Is it so worthless? Do I need to pay compensation if I damage it?"

"You'll find out. The rule is everyone is welcome to give it a try. It's not as if anyone can fumble with the minds of such inconceivable pills."

"Sounds tough."

Sentient pills were simply called spirit pills. Funnily, they despised being created to the point they resisted their creation – the resistance purportedly being nature's resistance. Pills ranked high enough could create phenomena through their sheer presence.

"I'll be awaiting the good news." Bie Wenxuan stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "His name is Xu Ziye. If you're vying for the slot, he's one of the two people you need to be wary of."

"Who's the other?"

"I'll give it my all for a spot."

Mu Yu flapped his eyelids. He could discern Bie Wenxuan was a capable but modest individual. Regardless, he had no interest in an abstract first place trophy. All he needed was to score the slot. Worded another way, they just needed to beat Xu Ziye.

Mu Yu scrutinised the reversal pill's cauldron and figured it had its own defence system if anybody could try completing it. Since he couldn't find Speed Alchemy, he made up his mind to attempt completing the pill. He stumbled back when he lifted the cauldron because it was considerably lighter than he imagined.

The elder still hadn't returned by the time Mu Yu reached the entrance. With no means of completing the official registration, he scribbled on a sheet of paper his name and the fact that he took the pill. He was unaware the hall was under surveillance at all times – courtesy of the hall's guards. The security guards were out of sight, but they would reveal themselves if a disciple did something he shouldn't have.