Ch182 Alchemy

I leisurely walk down the mountain path.

It is a very similar environment to the Beast Mastery Peak’s main mountain.

There are more and more disciples and stewards walking up the path, all excitedly talking about the combat tournament tonight.

“Who are you betting on? I placed all of my spirit stones from task rewards this month on the Ye Clan named disciples. They always win.”

“Not true! I remember a few years back, a Sun Clan heir placed first before being summoned directly to the Inner Sect!”

“Still, it’s worth the gamble.”

“Why didn’t you give it a shot?”

“I may have reached the 7th level this year, but I wouldn’t have made the top 64. I’m better off testing my luck at the side competitions. Some of them are still giving out low grade tier 2 prizes to their winners.”

“I heard Lan Xin isn’t competing in the main event this year. It’s a shame, I was looking forward to seeing her fight again…”

“At least there will be some disciples from the Inner Sect coming to watch today. Maybe we’ll get to catch a glance of some of the other top 10 beauties if they come out of their private booths.”

All kinds of chatter fill the air.

It is mostly positive and about the main event.

The topics begin to change as I approach the large open cliff ledge I planned to visit.

A small crowd has formed, with a few hundred disciples watching an event take place.

I step off the path and walk through a clearing where the trees have been thinned out.

A large white marble stage and newly tiled raised stone platform in front of it glow with the white light of dozens of active arrays.

Beneath each small domain of arrays, there rests a single disciple of the Alchemy Peak, a pile of herbs, and a high grade pill furnace.

They look similar to plain cauldrons, but have complex lids and array disks connecting to their cores.

Every one of them is glowing red with heat, and the disciples inside are sweating and focused.

They seem to be sound and aura suppression arrays, made so the contestants inside can concentrate and those in the crowds can watch and yell as loud as they want.

There is a young-looking woman in white and green robes walking on the main tiled platform.

She’s short, has bright blond hair and eyebrows, and her body is extremely dense with qi, even for a foundation establishment cultivator.

I squint as her facial structure appears familiar, and a system scan tells me why.

[Automatic Inspect Function Activated…]

[Sun Ling] [Age: 45]

[1st Level Foundation Establishment]

[Wood and Fire Spiritual Roots] [5th Grade]

[Acquired Alchemy Physique] [Perfected Stage - Mortal Grade]

[Innate Fragrant Pill Physique] [Partially Dormant - Spirit Grade]

[Granddaughter of the Alchemy Peak Master, older sister of twins Sun Hu and Sun Fei. She has publicly stated that she wishes to stay back in the Outer Sect to inherit the peak. However, since breaking into foundation establishment 8 years ago, she has not been able to progress her cultivation or technical alchemy physique. Her innate physique is blocking her from progressing until she gains a complete mastery of tier 1 pills.]

She keeps her gaze away from the crowd of cultivators watching the event, but still speaks up in a steady, loud tone for all of us to hear while she turns away and walks down another row.

“For those of you that have just arrived, welcome in. I am the Vice Peak Master of the Alchemy Peak, hosting our main event today. It started at sunrise and will last about an hour longer. All applicants have been given the same high grade furnace and the same assortment of high grade herbs. They can concoct whatever pill they wish. The higher quality the craft and the more difficult the pill level, the higher they will score. I will only be choosing one winner to receive an inferior tier 2 pill furnace and two runners-up to win a perfect grade tier 1 furnace from the peak. My grandfather is a very particular man, so you know he wouldn’t put a named disciple position up for a prize. Though, if anyone impresses me today, I’ll be sure to mention your name to him.”

I scan the competitors’ system scans, but my range doesn’t cover the whole event.

Only about a third pop up on my radar. The majority of them are 6th level qi refiners and above.

Over half are in the late stage.

My knowledge of alchemy is basically none. I can’t tell the difference in skill level between any of these cultivators.

The only small difference I see is that a few furnaces glow with a dim white, while others glow a dim green, brown, or purple.

The more colorful glows are all from far stronger qi refiners, making me believe they are trying to concoct qi nourishing, marrow cleansing, and possibly even barrier breaking pills.

I squeeze my way through the crowd to read some more scans and find almost everyone below the 6th level has a white glow, making it likely they are working on concocting qi gathering pills.

I spot a diligent middle-aged 4th level qi refiner controlling the soothing flame talismans beneath his furnace with very careful prods with a long iron bar.

It is Chen Yilin, the disciple I’ve been sending materials and enlightenment talismans to for months.

He lifts the lid of the furnace to let out small wisps of steam, smoke, and even excess medicinal essence.

At times, he grinds up new herbs and adds them to his concoction.

Extremely subtle wisps of qi come off his body and interact with the furnace, like some kind of imprint to manipulate the internal energies inside.

However, with the arrays blocking off the area, it’s hard for me to see. Using too much force would probably disrupt his focus, so I stay content, watching from a distance.

Sun Ling walks around this side of the competition too, repeating the welcome words she said before.

Cultivators in the crowd murmur back.

“I’m glad I made it here early. It’s rare to see the 12th ranked beauty of the sect up close for so long…”

“She’s a foundation establishment so young too. Why do you think she hasn’t gone to the Inner Sect? Senior Sun doesn’t participate in front-line conflicts, so I doubt it’s because of an injury.”

“She obviously wants to stay and take over the Peak for her grandfather. If she doesn’t establish her authority here soon, the Ye Clan might send in one of their elders to take over instead.”

I move further to the far edge of the crowd and finally get a look at every competitor’s system scan.

There is a small grouping of 10th level qi refiners closest to the back stage. All of their pill furnaces glow with the brightest and strangest glows. Some are bright white, while others are faint purple.

They all hold named disciple robes, and half are from the Sun Clan, while the other half is from the Ye Clan.

None of them have innate physiques, but they all have technical late stage acquired alchemy physiques.

They’re all extremely focused. Two of them catch my attention from the Ye Clan, as I glimpse their identical system secrets.

[Their branch patriarch, Ye Wuhun, ordered them to cheat with illusory soul stabilizing talismans to maintain alignment during their concoctions. Hidden within the gap between the soul and sea of consciousness, these tier 2 artifacts cannot be sensed by normal means. They wish to acquire a tier 2 pill furnace to add to the slow weakening of the Sun Clan’s dominance on the Alchemy Peak.]

I try to memorize their faces as best I can, but a bright white flash comes from the other side of the open courtyard that catches my attention.

Sun Ling’s voice calls out, “Our first disciple has completed their batch of pills! Let’s see what they have to present.”

The Vice Peak Master walks over, and the arrays surrounding the cheerful young man at the 6th level of qi refinement inside shut off.

An open pill furnace still gives off heat while the disciple takes a step back to bow.

Sun Ling peers inside the furnace and reaches a delicate hand inside, covered in a thin veil of white qi.

One by one, pills are taken out.

“You have successfully concocted a batch of Qi Gathering Pills, Disciple. Three Low Grade, Seven Mid Grade. I will give you one point for picking the lowest difficulty pill and two more points for succeeding in concocting a majority mid grade. No extra bonus points will be granted as you are at the 6th level of qi refinement. Three points total!”

The disciple bows, thanking the senior over and over.

She looks away, seeing another array flashing with light closer to the white marble stage.

Another 6th level qi refiner offers their furnace, and when Sun Ling inspects the inside, she pulls out blackened and misshapen blobs of herbs for most of the pills. Only two pale green elixirs come out of the furnace in the end.

“Two points for succeeding in making a Qi Nourishing Pill. One additional point for doing so while still a mid stage qi refiner. Three points total!

A full half an hour passes by, and I watch a dozen arrays flash bright. None receive more than four points for a while, until one of the 10th level qi refiners from the Sun Clan completes their concoction.

“Two points for succeeding with a Healing Elixir, a similar difficulty to the Qi Nourishing Pill. An additional three points for managing over half at the high grade standard! No extra points, as you are a perfected stage qi refiner. You are in the lead with five points!”

Another Sun Clan disciple at the 10th level finishes next.

“Three points for succeeding with a Marrow Cleansing Pill! That’s our most difficult pill so far! An additional two points for managing over half at the mid grade standard! No extra points for you either. You’re tied for the lead with five points!”

The crowd watching the event grows in size by about a hundred more as another half hour passes by.

Many qi refiners in this timeframe walk off the stone-tiled event stage shaking their heads, faces and robes covered in black ash.

These disciples tried making pills at too high of a grade than they were prepared to concoct.

The fiery explosions are contained inside the arrays.

The first named disciple’s array blinks bright white, and within a minute of Sun Ling walking over, another one blinks the same.

Both shut down their arrays, and a thin purple mist floods out in the air.

The Vice Peak Master’s pupils shrink while looking inside both their furnaces.

“Barrier Breaking Pills… That’s unexpected… Everyone knows this pill difficulty is far higher than the rest. Four points each to start. I can already smell you’ve succeeded in this batch.”

She then pulls out pills one by one from the first furnace. “Eight Inferior Grade, Two Low Grade. I… have to give you one extra point for creating edible pills. Normally, the first level of foundation establishment would be necessary, or a special innate physique. This is a rare feat in the Outer Sect.”

The burnt inferior pills crack apart to ash once they’re set down, but the two purple pills keep their shape. Her voice grows slightly shaky.

“Seven Inferior Grade, Three Low Grade. One additional point for you too. With five points, you’re all tied in first place… Though… to manage this without an external soul stabilizing array, it is a feat far more impressive than marrow cleansing pills, or even high grade healing elixirs..."

Sun Ling looks over to the one remaining Sun Clan disciple with a purple glow coming from his furnace, but looks away in disappointment.

Even some members of the crowd watching begin to murmur about the rarity of barrier breaking pills, some reminiscing about how they managed to get their hands on one during the border conflict when the Inner Sect sent out provisions.

She grits her teeth, “Although the points are tied, I must say, the Barrier Breaking pills will take the lead. Unless there is a pill master that makes four barrier breaking pills, or a more difficult concoction. Ye Tieyun, you will be today’s winner.”

The two Ye Clan named disciples, named Ye Tiefun and Ye Tieyun, sit back and relax with their arrays down, laughing to themselves. They watch from behind as the Vice Peak Master continues to survey the arrays.

I can clearly read their system secrets and know they’ve broken the rules of this event, but I don’t really care.

My main attention is on the disciple Chen Yilin, still extremely focused, channeling his qi into his furnace.

There is sweat dripping from his face, and no other mid stage qi refiners in his section concocting qi gathering pills are still working. Every single one of them finished theirs a while ago.

More flashes of light for healing elixirs and qi nourishing pills go off, and scores of 3 to 4 are granted, but no one comes close to the Ye Brothers.

Sun Ling’s soul trembles with anxiety as she walks, but it’s impossible to tell from the outside. She maintains an upright and indifferent demeanor as she checks on her fellow clansman.

It is an older man, almost 60, who has devoted his life to tier 1 pills. When Sun Ling reaches into the furnace, she lets out a light sigh.

“Nine Inferior Grade. One Low Grade Barrier Breaking Pill. Four points for the difficulty, one point for the success of such a feat at the perfect stage of qi refinement. You’re in third place.”

The older man’s eyes gleam with excitement at his own success of this nearly impossible pill, but the smug glances of the younger Ye brothers make him quickly see the reality of the situation too.

Sun Ling subtly grits her teeth and is about to face the crowd to make another comment, as the advanced section has all finished up, but a flash of light from the beginner section catches everyone’s attention.

The arrays around the middle-aged alchemist all fall down, and a strange burst of white energy ripples outward.

It’s filled with an invisible weight, and it slips right through some of the arrays that are still set up.

Multiple pill furnaces blow up, as the disciples in front of them completely lose concentration.

Every single alchemist stands up straighter when they feel the aura ripple through them, and a smile curves onto my lips.

The smell of a potent Qi Gathering Pill fills the air, far purer than any high grade pill concocted today.