Chapter 199: From Doubt to Shock (2)

[A/N: We are just a few more golden tickets away from reaching another milestone!!]

This first round tested not only basic Alchemy techniques but, more importantly, an Alchemist’s understanding and ability to discern the properties of medicinal herbs.

For the same Spirit Essence Pill, subtle differences in the age, quality, and combination of the selected herbs would result in vastly different final qualities.

To refine a High Grade or even a Top-Grade pill, material selection was the critical first step.

He walked unhurriedly into the herb area, his gaze like lightning as it quickly swept over the dazzling array of herbs.

The Eye of Wisdom operated in secret, clearly presenting the age, medicinal properties, contained essence, and even subtle flaws of each herb to him.

His movements were swift and precise. As his fingers brushed past, the nine herbs with the best quality and most pure, abundant medicinal properties were selected into his jade tray. The entire process was seamless, without the slightest hesitation.

Su Mengxi also selected carefully. Her Alchemy talent was not weak to begin with, and she soon finished choosing her herbs.

The two returned to their respective Alchemy Furnaces.

With the ring of a bell, the first round of pill refining officially began!

In an instant, flames flared up across the square, and a wave of heat hit everyone’s faces.

The vast majority of Disciples, including Chen Chuan and Su Mengxi, drew upon the earth fire beneath their furnaces.

Earth Fire was stable and mild, the most common choice for refining low-level pills.

Somewhat surprisingly, Gu Chen, who possessed a Spiritual Flame, did not use his flame.

He simply selected a few herbs casually, drew upon the earth fire, and began preheating his furnace.

An arrogant smile hung on his lips, and his gaze occasionally flickered toward Chen Chuan, filled with provocation.

In his view, using a Spiritual Flame to deal with someone like Chen Chuan was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—it was an insult to his status.

He wanted to use earth fire to crush Chen Chuan fairly in a field where Chen Chuan thought he had a chance, making him lose convincingly with nothing to say.

Chen Chuan was not surprised by Gu Chen’s choice, and he was happy to have it so.

He concentrated fully, sinking his mind into the Alchemy Furnace before him.

Adding herbs, extraction, purification, Fusion... Chen Chuan’s movements were like flowing water, without the slightest hitch. Every step was as precise as a textbook.

His control over the heat was even more exquisite; the earth fire seemed to come alive in his hands, sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, perfectly coordinating with the refining of the herbs.

He was immersed in the world of Alchemy, and all the clamor of the outside world seemed to have faded away.

Time passed minute by minute.

Suddenly, Chen Chuan’s Alchemy Furnace trembled slightly, and a rich medicinal fragrance was the first to spread, refreshing the soul.

He performed a pill-collecting hand seal, the furnace lid opened, and three round, translucent pills, faintly carrying a strange luster, flew into the jade bottle in his hand.

Done!

He was actually the first person in the entire square to finish refining!

"So fast?"

"How is that possible? Not even half an hour has passed."

"He couldn’t have failed, could he? Forcing the pill to form—it must be a dud."

Chen Chuan’s early finish immediately caused an uproar and doubt among the observing Disciples.

Almost no one believed he could successfully refine a qualified Spirit Essence Pill in such a short time, let alone one of high quality.

Everyone thought he had either failed and was forced to end early, or he had refined a low-grade, inferior pill.

Gu Chen also noticed the commotion on Chen Chuan’s side. He frowned slightly but then relaxed, sneering in his heart:

"Grandstanding! The way of Alchemy lies in constant refinement; how can one pursue speed? With such impulsiveness, the quality of the pill will surely be low and wretched."

He still didn’t think Chen Chuan could pose any threat to him. He continued to control the earth fire unhurriedly; in his view, only a steady approach could refine a Top-Grade pill.

A brilliant light flickered in Su Mengxi’s beautiful eyes. She had an almost blind confidence in Chen Chuan and wasn’t worried in the slightest that he would fail.

The one-hour time limit soon arrived.

At the supervising Elder’s command, all Disciples stopped immediately, regardless of whether their pills were finished.

The inspection phase began.

Several Elders walked down from the high platform to check each Disciple’s Alchemy Furnace one by one.

"Li Mo, Spirit Essence Pill, ninth-grade Low Grade, fail!"

"Zhang Yuan, Spirit Essence Pill, ninth-grade Middle Grade, fail!"

"Wang Hao, Spirit Essence Pill, ninth-grade High Grade, pass! Advance!"

...After checking more than ten Disciples, only two had successfully advanced. The Elders couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh; the overall level of this year’s Disciples seemed less than ideal.

Soon, an Elder arrived at Chen Chuan’s Alchemy Furnace.

Before even opening the furnace, he keenly caught a scent of an extremely pure medicinal fragrance that far surpassed the previous ones, causing his eyes to light up.

He impatiently opened the lid, carefully inspecting the remaining herb dregs and pill Qi inside, then picked up the pills in Chen Chuan’s jade bottle to examine them closely.

The three pills were as round as jade, their surfaces showing faint cloud patterns, with the pill halo contained within and the fragrance condensed without dispersing.

A look of unbelievable surprise appeared on the Elder’s face. He took a deep breath and announced loudly, his voice echoing through the entire square:

"Chen Chuan, Spirit Essence Pill, quality: Top-Grade! Advance!"

"What? Top-Grade?"

"Boom!"

The entire square fell into a momentary silence before erupting in a deafening uproar.

Everyone was stunned, their gazes all focusing on the calm young man in green robes.

"A Top-Grade Spirit Essence Pill? How is that possible? He’s only at the Spirit Transformation Realm First Level!"

"My god! Isn’t he a new Disciple? His Alchemy skills are actually this terrifying?"

"No wonder he dared to bet with Holy Son Gu! He really does have some skill!"

"Who was just calling him trash? Does your face hurt now?"

Those Disciples who had previously mocked and looked down on Chen Chuan were now red-faced and speechless.

The way they looked at Chen Chuan instantly changed from contempt to shock and deep disbelief.

With a single Top-Grade Spirit Essence Pill, Chen Chuan had fiercely struck back at all the doubts, preliminarily proving his strength.

The previously one-sided public opinion finally showed a crack, and many people began to re-evaluate this seemingly ordinary young man.

Hearing the Elder’s announcement, Gu Chen’s hand as he was collecting his pills suddenly stiffened. He abruptly looked up at Chen Chuan, real shock and gravity appearing in his eyes for the first time.

"Top-Grade?" Waves rose in his heart. "I underestimated you. It seems you aren’t completely trash; you have some skill. However..."

His gaze was soon filled with arrogance and confidence once again:

"You just happened to refine a Top-Grade once. The Pill Refining Assembly relies on overall strength and stability."

"In the coming second and third rounds, I will show you what a true Alchemy Genius is."

Soon, the inspection Elder came to Gu Chen and, after checking, announced, "Gu Chen, Spirit Essence Pill, quality: Top-Grade! Advance!"

Gu Chen had also refined a Top-Grade Spirit Essence Pill!

However, the sensational effect of this news was far less intense than Chen Chuan’s.

This was because Gu Chen refining a Top-Grade was taken for granted by everyone; he was the biggest favorite to win the title.

Chen Chuan’s Top-Grade, on the other hand, was the sudden emergence of a dark horse, full of surprise and impact.

Su Mengxi also successfully refined a High Grade Spirit Essence Pill and advanced smoothly.

She looked at Chen Chuan with a charming smile, appearing even happier than if she had advanced herself.

The first round of assessment ended with fewer than fifty people advancing.

After a short break, the even more intense second round was about to begin.

Everyone’s expectations had been raised to a new height.

The bet between Chen Chuan and Gu Chen had also become even more eye-catching due to the results of the first round.