You all think too highly of the people who came before you, you all think that their knowledge is the best there is. But none of you thinks of using their knowledge to learn and create something new…you all are just a bunch of monkeys… Monkey see, monkey do.
The heat kept rising and the smell of burnt material kept rising, it smelled like something was overcooked then overburnt, and everyone thought I had failed.
Especially since the Cauldron began shaking and black fume rose from within it.
"Why are you doing this Shen Bao, you have already lost, don't you realize that your alchemy had failed?" she said mocking.
"That's not for you to decided, until I open the cauldron, everything is still undecided," I said.
"We'll see about that attitude of yours once the cauldron is open and there is nothing but ash there," she said.
I smiled then continued applying heat.
Soon, the cauldron seemed to turn red as more and more fumes came out, and everyone began backing away.
"That thing is going to blow up!" someone said.
And he was right, if I kept this up a bit more, the cauldron, especially cracked will blow, but I was already done.
So out of nowhere, I smacked the side of the cauldron as powerfully as I could.
The sound resounding from the smack caused everyone to wince.
Then I opened the cauldron's cover.
The teacher approached, took a look at the content of the cauldron and scoffed at me.
"What did I tell you, nothing but grim and ash there," she said.
"Is that so," I smiled as I scooped up something from the cauldron.
In my hand was a sludge that seemed to have something mixed within it. it was a pill, a brown looking pill that seemed too charred to be of use.
"Hah! This is the first time I ever saw a pill that charred, is that even considered a pill I can't even smell the medicine in it, it only smells of scum and burnt grass," a kid said.
I blew on the pill removing some of the ash on it, and it was true, the look of this pill was pretty similar to a ball of coal that has been put in fire and charred to extreme levels.
"Are you ready to go down on your knees now, Shen Bao," she said, "You have already lost!"
"Lost? Who said I lost?" I frowned.
"Are you mocking me, or are you acting stupid? Do you think that thing in your hand can qualify to be a pill?!"
"Well, if even you can't see it, then I don't think you yourself qualify to be a Receptarier," I said.
"Those are big words Shen Bao," she said.
"That's confidence," I said as I lightly tapped the pill in my hand.
The tap was all it took to cause a fracture to appear on the pill. Then like a chick hatching, the pill broke and a powerful surge of Qi, so dense and so potent shot outward from my hand.
The medicinal smell of the pill was so powerful that it chased away all the fumes all the grim and became the only smell empowering and overbearing over the whole class.
"P-p-pill… Pill Cloud!" one of the students said as he was pointing at my hand.
And it was true, this is the next and maximum level any pill can ever reach.
Pill Clouds, the symbol of clouds on a pill preserve the pill to forever retain its purity until the end of times, it is by the law of heavens that this pill is preserved, and unless the heavens fall it won't lose any of its medicinal value.
"That can't be!" someone said "There is no way someone below the Ascendant Stage can make a Pill Cloud! We all saw how he failed! He must have bought it before, and now he took his chance here and replaced that disgusting sludge with that pill cloud!" some student said.
The teacher's eyes however never wavered never looked at the other people in the room and they were fully fixed and focused on my hand and the pill on it.
"Miss Ryoon! You can't believe him!"
"Shut up," she said.
She then, looked up. And seemed to be waiting something.
"You're smart," I said to the teacher.
She ignored me and kept her eyes on the opened hatch on the roof of the room.
The reason why I called her smart was simple, pill clouds are not something that is easy to see in the world. And when they are birthed, they are a sign of defiance. Defiance over the perfection of Heaven. And when one defies heaven…
The world began shuddering as the skies rumbled. And the heavens seemed to gaze at this room.
Red clouds began forming above our class and then finally the teacher looked down.
She sighed and looked at me, then slowly went on her knees.
Everyone seemed too shocked and stunned to speak.
I hurred towards the teacher before she prostrated herself, and stopped her.
"The hell are you doing?!" I said.
"I lost the bet!"
"It was a joke! Are you seriously thinking that I would care for someone prostrating themselves, get up, I was just messing around with you," I said as I pulled her up.
"Teacher! Why did you do that! He must have cheated!" someone said.
"Shut up, he didn't…the heavens were Shen Bao's witness, if that Pill was something he had bought before, they wouldn't have called Pill Tribulation. This is a newly birthed Pill, and the heavens approve it…Shen Bao…" she said as she looked at me.
"I was wrong, and I admit my shortcomings, but this shouldn't be possible, who is your master? I would like to meet them, though you forbade me kneeling down, I must apologize to a master who taught you to such degree." She said.
"No need, he passed away a long time ago," I said shrugging. "It's that I just don't like it when people underestimate me, so I did this, I'll have to apologize for my earlier behavior too," I said.
"No need, those with power and knowledge can boast it, it's not arrogance then, it is confidence," she said, "I'm not feeling too well however, class dismissed," she said and left the room.
Well, that turned out better than expected. I can go back home early!