It had been one day since Lin Feng accidentally kicked a prodigy in the groin, tamed a pyromaniac duck, and was accepted into the prestigious Azure Sky Sect. He was now officially a disciple—though no one seemed to know why or how.
"New recruits must begin with alchemy class!" barked the stern-faced instructor, Elder Mu Dan, who looked like she hadn't smiled since the previous dynasty.
Lin Feng was already covered in bandages from an earlier "spirit duck fire incident" involving his blanket and one innocent sleeping elder.
"Alchemy is the path of patience, precision, and peace," Elder Mu Dan intoned as she handed out cauldrons. "Do not mix herbs randomly. Do not—"
"Do not sneeze into the ingredients," Lin Feng muttered under his breath, remembering the time he turned his village soup into a laxative bomb.
He was seated next to a cold, elegant Senior Sister named Bai Xue. She was said to have the Ice Phoenix Constitution and the personality of a tax auditor. Her pill flame glowed blue, her posture regal, and her disdain toward Lin Feng very pronounced.
"Keep your distance," she said, side-eying him. "I don't want your duck infecting my pill."
"It's not my duck, it just won't leave me alone," Lin Feng whispered, ducking (literally) as the fire-spitting bird quacked from the windowsill.
The class began.
One by one, disciples began refining low-tier Qi Recovery Pills.
Even Lin Feng, somehow, managed to light a flame under his cauldron—though it was with a matchstick, because his spiritual qi refused to cooperate unless threatened with a stick.
He followed the steps carefully:
1. Add Spirit Grass.
2. Add Azure Leaf.
3. Grind the Moonroot—
Oops. He ground his thumb.
"Ah, it's fine," he said, bleeding into the cauldron. "A bit of blood makes it spicy."
Bai Xue shot him a glare like he'd just insulted all ten thousand of her ancestors.
Moments later, just as Lin Feng leaned forward to sniff his concoction, a tickle danced in his nose.
"No. Not now…"
He held his breath.
He focused his qi.
He tried to think calm thoughts.
Then Bai Xue's icy spiritual aura hit him like a frosty slap.
"—ACHOOOO!"
The sneeze was legendary.
It shook his cauldron, shattered a nearby beaker, and sent a shockwave of wind—mixed with questionable spit—into Bai Xue's perfectly brewing pill.
BOOOOOOM!!
Her cauldron erupted like a volcano on vacation. A cloud of glittery, icy mist exploded across the alchemy hall, freezing three other cauldrons, two disciples, and one unlucky cat.
Everyone screamed.
Elder Mu Dan flipped three tables trying to dodge flying medicinal paste.
Lin Feng peeked from under his desk, eyes wide. "Is it… over?"
The duck quacked, spitting a fireball that defrosted a nearby frozen student.
---
After the Explosion
Elder Mu Dan stood before Lin Feng, twitching slightly.
"You sneezed… and caused a pill explosion," she said, voice dangerously calm.
"To be fair," Lin Feng replied, "it was more like a sneeze-enhanced spirit wind—very advanced stuff."
"You froze half the room!"
"That's just your interpretation of success."
Bai Xue stood nearby, covered in ash, her once-pristine robes frizzled, her eyebrows now slightly singed.
"You ruined my Ice Phoenix Elixir."
"I prefer the term 'remixed'," Lin Feng offered helpfully.
The duck quacked, then bit Lin Feng's foot.
Elder Mu Dan sighed the sigh of a thousand frustrated alchemists. "As punishment, you will clean the entire alchemy hall. With your spiritual energy."
Lin Feng raised a hand. "What if I don't have any?"
"Then use your mouth."
---
Later That Day…
Lin Feng was scrubbing melted pill residue off the walls with a toothbrush. The duck sat on a shelf, munching a spirit herb like popcorn.
A few junior disciples passed by, whispering.
"That's the guy who broke the Spirit Stone…"
"…and beat Long Wuji by kicking him in the peaches…"
"…and turned alchemy class into an ice festival."
Bai Xue walked past, now in a fresh robe, still glaring daggers.
"Keep your sneezy aura far away from me," she snapped.
Lin Feng gave her a thumbs up, elbow deep in flaming sludge. "Will do, Senior Sister!"