Chapter 95 - 94: Cheating?
Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Cheating?
"These are your materials. You have eight hours to refine them. You just need to produce three pills."
Once Gongsun Yang finished speaking, the Alchemists on the stone platforms below burst into an uproar.
"Scattered Demon Essence Pill? What’s that?"
"The Corpse Insect Pill was already obscure enough. I can’t believe there’s something even more unheard-of. My god!"
"It’s a good thing I’m not in this Alchemy Conference. I wouldn’t have even made it past the first round. Talk about a blow to the ego!"
"After this round, I doubt many Alchemists will be left on those platforms."
"Exactly. Even I, a Cultivator who sells elixirs, have never heard of this one, let alone the Alchemists competing."
"Judging by the name, it must be used against Demon Beasts."
The sky had already darkened, but the conference remained lively. The Cultivators who had been watching from beyond the stone platforms all day were chatting and laughing, their eyes fixed on the Alchemists with great interest.
"This elixir! What the hell!"
Duan Ran almost cursed aloud after reading the description on the Pill Formula.
It used Pregnant God Shy Grass as a catalyst and was detonated with one’s Divine Sense. It also required a combination of various rare and obscure ingredients, plus the refining conditions were incredibly strict. ’Is this really an elixir that can be refined in eight hours?’
’When did the standards for the Alchemy Conference get this high?!’
It wasn’t just Duan Ran. Even Hu Liang, Tao Le Xin, and Mi Lifu had grim expressions on their faces, a testament to the elixir’s difficulty.
Even when Yu Changsheng himself had first refined this elixir, it was with Gongsun Yang’s personal, hands-on guidance. It had still taken him an entire day to successfully form the pill, and that was only thanks to the high Pill Formation Success Rate of his Three-coin Fire Refining Technique.
For anyone else, it would have been utterly impossible!
’Only two sets of materials. That means I only have one chance to mess up.’
Hu Liang gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure for the first time.
’I’ve already reached Foundation Establishment. My Cultivation Realm is higher than the others. If even I can’t refine this, then neither can they. Worst-case scenario, we all fail together!’
He glanced back at the others. As expected, few dared to begin the Alchemy process immediately. They were all anxious, simulating the steps in their minds.
’Huh? That guy!’
But just then, Hu Liang’s eyes widened. He saw Yu Changsheng start his fire and toss the Pregnant God Shy Grass into his Pill Furnace!
’He’s figured it out already?’
’No, impossible! I haven’t even decided how to begin refining it!’
’Wait, Gongsun Yang is his master, isn’t he? Don’t tell me this elixir was chosen specifically for him. Wouldn’t that be cheating?!’
A sudden possibility occurred to Hu Liang, and his expression changed in an instant.
Of course, he didn’t dare voice these thoughts. He couldn’t just go and question a Tier Three Alchemist. Even though Gongsun Yang was also only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, his status was far beyond what an Inner Sect Disciple like himself could challenge.
The only one who could was his own master, Elder Xu, who held the same rank as Gongsun Yang.
Hu Liang glanced toward Gongsun Yang’s position and saw the old man smiling, stroking his beard.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt there was something fishy about this elixir challenge.
Then he looked at his own master and saw that, sure enough, his expression was the same as his own—full of doubt.
When Elder Xu saw his disciple looking over, he gave a slight shake of his head and sent a voice transmission, "Focus on refining first."
With no other choice, Hu Liang ignited the fire under his Pill Furnace.
’First, stabilize the fire’s heat. I can’t rush this elixir!’
His head was covered in sweat, his Divine Sense constantly guiding the Pregnant God Shy Grass inside. The slightest mistake and the grass would turn to ash.
Hu Liang panted, taking a deep breath and clenching his fists as he continuously poured his Magical Power into the Flame.
’All I can do now is hold on and carefully combine the Pregnant God Shy Grass with the other Spirit Grasses!’
SIZZLE!
However, his hopes were dashed.
RUMBLE!
A violent tremor ran through the Pill Furnace. Flames shot up wildly, and a scorching heat billowed out.
Immediately after, a plume of black smoke emerged from the Pill Furnace, accompanied by a pungent, foul smell.
"Not good!"
Hu Liang’s expression changed drastically. He cried out in alarm and hurriedly tried to control the fire in the Pill Furnace.
Unfortunately, it was too late. The Pill Fire flared up violently, devouring the Pregnant God Shy Grass in the blink of an eye!
By the time he got the fire under control, the medicinal ingredients inside the Pill Furnace had been burned beyond recognition.
First batch of materials, a failure!
Hu Liang’s face was as pale as paper, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
He had gained little experience from getting this far into the process, and he still hadn’t figured out the final step of pill formation.
’It’s fine. I still have one set of materials left.’
Hu Liang secretly glanced at the others and saw that the surrounding Alchemists were all dejected. Some had already failed and were smashing their Pill Furnaces with their hands in a frenzy, while others were still hesitating, unsure how to refine the pill.
And when he saw Tao Le Xin, Duan Ran, and Mi Lifu, Hu Liang’s mood didn’t seem quite so terrible anymore.
When he saw Yu Changsheng sitting in meditation before his Pill Furnace with his eyes closed, slowly refining the elixir, his brow couldn’t help but twitch a few times.
’The Three-coin Fire Refining Technique is known for being meticulous and having a high Pill Formation Success Rate. Don’t tell me he’s actually going to succeed on his first try?’
The moment Hu Liang thought of this, he felt a knot of tension and urgency.
’It’s fine. I’ll think it through again. If I run through a mental simulation, I’m sure I can refine it!’
Alchemy was not something that could be rushed. There were still six hours left; he had more than enough time to refine one batch of materials. He decided to first review what had gone wrong.
Hu Liang thought for a moment, then once again sized up the others.
After some contemplation, his brow gradually relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
’If I refine it like this, it should work!’
A look of anticipation appeared on Hu Liang’s face. His eyes were fixed on the Pill Furnace as he struck it with a trembling palm, and a jet of flame rose up.
’This batch will definitely be a success!’
He was eighty percent confident!
「Time flew by.」
Hu Liang stared at the Pill Furnace without blinking, his forehead covered in beads of sweat, his Magical Power constantly manipulating the Flame.
"Form Pills!"
After four grueling hours of refining, a glint flashed in Hu Liang’s eyes. He formed a hand seal and retracted the flame.
And at that very moment, the disciples watching from beyond the stone platforms erupted!
"Pills are formed! After all this time, someone finally did it!"
"To have such a difficult elixir in only the third round... this Alchemy Conference is on nightmare mode!"
"Look, he’s retracting the flame! He’s opening the furnace!"
Amidst the surrounding gasps of excitement, Hu Liang felt deeply satisfied. Just as he was about to lift the lid...
"Heavens, did he form more than six pills?!"
A sharp-eyed disciple suddenly shouted, making Hu Liang’s expression freeze.
’I haven’t even opened my Pill Furnace yet. How could anyone know how many pills I’ve formed?’
’Six pills? Impossible. My skill isn’t that advanced!’
Based on the process, Hu Liang figured that forming three pills in this batch should be no problem. The quality might be a bit poor, but it would still meet the third round’s requirements.
’But six pills? That’s a bit of an exaggeration!’
Hu Liang looked over and only then realized that the disciples weren’t looking at him!
They were looking at Yu Changsheng!
"Mm, very good," Gongsun Yang said to Yu Changsheng with a smile. "Six formed pills, and every one is perfectly round. It’s understandable that there are no Pill Patterns given the short time frame. Your Alchemy has improved a great deal."
"That’s thirty-six points for you."
Yu Changsheng smiled. "Yes."
When Hu Liang heard this, his face turned as dark as a spoiled pill.