Chapter 201: The Saint Soul Pill Challenge

While most Disciples were still tensely controlling the heat and performing the critical steps of medicinal liquid Fusion...

...the Alchemy Furnace where Chen Chuan was located vibrated gently once more. A medicinal fragrance even more rich and refreshing than in the first round spread out, and a hazy spiritual mist even faintly gathered above the furnace.

His hand seals changed, the furnace lid opened, and three perfectly round pills emitting a faint glow flew into a Jade Bottle.

Finished again!

And once again, he was the first in the entire venue to finish!

This time, the square did not immediately erupt into an uproar; instead, it fell into a strange silence.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Chen Chuan, staring at the Jade Bottle in his hand.

The Saint-level Tianyuan Pill—he finished early again?

This time, no one dared to easily mention words like "failure" or "useless pill"; instead, there was a strong sense of curiosity and anticipation.

"Is this guy even human?" a Disciple murmured.

"It’s too fast. And did you smell that fragrance? It’s even purer than the High-Grade Tianyuan Pills I’ve seen before."

"Could it be that he refined a Top-Grade one again?"

This thought arose in the hearts of countless people, making them feel a sense of dry mouth and parched throat.

Chen Chuan being the first to finish again was like an invisible slap delivered harshly to Gu Chen’s face.

Gu Chen felt the change in the surrounding gazes, and his expression instantly turned unsightly. His hand refining the pill even paused slightly, almost causing the heat to go out of control.

Forcing himself to steady his mind, he roared inwardly:

"Impossible, he must be bluffing."

"How could a Saint-Grade Elixir be so easily refined successfully? And a Top-Grade one at that? Absolutely impossible."

He absolutely did not believe that Chen Chuan, under Earth Fire conditions, could refine a Tianyuan Pill faster and better than he could.

The inspection phase began once again.

The results were cruel and real.

The difficulty of a Saint-Grade Elixir far exceeded that of the first round; more than half of the Disciples failed their refinement and were dejected.

The few who succeeded mostly just barely reached the Low-Grade standard, narrowly advancing.

Relying on her solid foundation and a bit of luck, Su Mengxi refined a Low-Grade Tianyuan Pill. Her pretty face was slightly pale, clearly having consumed a great deal of energy, but she managed to advance.

When it was Gu Chen’s turn, the Elder inspected it and announced loudly: "Gu Chen, Tianyuan Pill, quality: High-Grade! Advanced!"

"High-Grade! Holy Son Gu is indeed powerful; he can refine a High-Grade Saint Pill using only ordinary Earth Fire."

"Yeah, if he hadn’t given up his Spirit Fire for the sake of fairness, a Top-Grade one would surely have been no problem."

Praises rang out, but compared to before, they seemed a bit less fervent and more expected.

Because everyone’s thoughts were now tied to another person.

Finally, the inspection Elder walked up to Chen Chuan.

The entire square fell silent instantly; one could hear a pin drop.

Even Elder Mu Qing on the high platform unconsciously leaned his body forward slightly.

The Elder opened the Jade Bottle and poured out the pills.

The three pills were lustrous in color, and on their surfaces, subtle cloud patterns were actually faintly visible. The rich medicinal fragrance condensed into a physical mist that flowed around the surface of the pills without dissipating.

The Elder examined them closely, even using his Soul Power to sense them for a moment, before his face finally revealed an expression of incomparable shock.

His voice carried a hint of trembling as he said loudly:

"Chen Chuan, Tianyuan Pill, quality: Top... Top-Grade! Advanced!"

"Boom!"

The silence was instantly broken, and the square completely boiled over like a pot of boiling water.

"Top-Grade! It’s really a Top-Grade Tianyuan Pill!"

"Refining a Top-Grade Saint Pill using Earth Fire... this is simply a miracle."

"Monstrous talent! An absolute Alchemy monstrous talent! Even Holy Son Gu only reached High-Grade using Earth Fire!"

"I was mocking him earlier for overestimating himself, but it turns out I was the clown all along."

"Hahaha, two hundred thousand low-grade Origin Stones—Holy Son Gu is likely going to suffer an unexpected defeat this time."

"It seems the suspense for the third round is huge. Who could have imagined that this Chen Chuan was hiding so much?"

Gasps, praises, and discussions intertwined as all eyes converged on Chen Chuan, filled with shock and disbelief.

The direction of public opinion completely reversed at this moment.

Listening to the undisguised praise around him, the optimism for Chen Chuan, and the enthusiastic talk about the two-hundred-thousand Origin Stone bet...

...Gu Chen’s face turned from pale to red, and a sense of unprecedented shame welled up in his heart.

He clenched his fists tightly.

"Top-Grade? How is he capable of that?" Gu Chen roared inwardly.

The fact that Chen Chuan refined a Top-Grade Tianyuan Pill using Earth Fire was like a heavy hammer, ruthlessly smashing his long-held pride.

This even exceeded the scope of his understanding of the Alchemy Dao, making him feel immense pressure and a hint of panic.

However, the pride of a Holy Son did not allow him to admit defeat just like that.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and his gaze became sharp and cold once again:

"Luck! It must be luck! Or he possesses some unknown secret technique."

"The third round of refinement will definitely be harder, and I still have my trump card, the Spirit Fire! Yes, as long as I use the Ice Heart Cold Flame and go all out, the final victory will surely be mine."

"First place is mine! He can forget about taking the two hundred thousand Origin Stones."

Relying on his absolute confidence in his Spirit Fire, he barely maintained his mental balance, but his previous composure had already vanished without a trace.

Elder Mu Qing looked at Chen Chuan, the smile on his face no longer suppressible as he stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly:

"Good! Good! Good! You truly didn’t disappoint me."

"Refining a Top-Grade Saint Pill using Earth Fire... such control is unheard of! I am definitely taking this boy as my Disciple!"

He was filled with unprecedented anticipation for the upcoming third round.

Su Mengxi gazed at Chen Chuan, who was the focus of everyone’s attention, her beautiful eyes shimmering with brilliance, while she also felt a sense of powerlessness.

She had only narrowly advanced in the second round, and she had little confidence for the upcoming third round.

But seeing Chen Chuan being so dazzling, her heart was filled more with joy and pride.

After a brief rest, the White-Robed Elder stood up once more. The entire square instantly fell silent; everyone knew that the third round, which would determine the final victory, was coming.

The Elder’s gaze swept across the twenty or so remaining qualifiers, and he announced in a grave voice: "The third round, and also the final round of the assessment. The pill to be refined this time is the Saint Soul Pill."

"Saint Soul Pill?"

These three words were like a thunderclap exploding in everyone’s ears, causing a commotion ten times stronger than when they heard "Tianyuan Pill" earlier.

"It’s actually the Saint Soul Pill. That is recognized as one of the most difficult Saint-level pills to refine."

"It’s said that its Pill Formula is incredibly complex, and the requirements for Soul Power have reached an abnormal level. A slight oversight will lead to failure in pill formation, or even a backlash against the Alchemist’s Divine Soul."

"More than that! I’ve heard that even for some veteran Elders of the Pill Hall, the failure rate for refining the Saint Soul Pill is extremely high."

"Most importantly, it’s rumored that if one can perfectly control the refining process, there is a tiny chance that the Saint Soul Pill’s quality can transcend the Saint-level and give birth to a hint of a Holy Son King Rank Pill’s embryonic form."

"That’s right. Although the probability is slim, it’s enough to drive all Alchemists crazy."

"The topic for this assembly is too difficult; it’s pushing the Disciples to their limits."

Everyone discussed fervently, all shocked by the difficulty of the Saint Soul Pill.

The twenty or so surviving Disciples, including Su Mengxi, mostly showed expressions of despair.

For them, the Saint Soul Pill was almost an impossible task.

When Gu Chen heard "Saint Soul Pill," a confident smile appeared on his face because he was already very proficient in refining it.

Using the Ice Heart Cold Flame, he had full confidence in successfully refining this pill, and the quality could reach High-Grade.

He subconsciously looked at Chen Chuan, only to see that the other’s expression remained calm, as if what he heard was just an ordinary name.

Chen Chuan’s calmness caused Gu Chen’s heart to sink suddenly.

Could it be that he even has confidence in the Saint Soul Pill?

Elder Mu Qing’s gaze also tightly locked onto Chen Chuan, his heart full of expectation:

"The Saint Soul Pill... this pill can best test an Alchemist’s comprehensive strength and Soul talent."

"Kid, facing this most difficult Saint Pill, to what extent can you achieve? Can you create a miracle once again?"

The gazes of everyone in the venue focused on Chen Chuan once again by common consent.

Expectation, doubt, curiosity, shock... all sorts of emotions intertwined.

What kind of answer would this newly joined Disciple, who had brought shocking reversals for two consecutive rounds, give in the final round when facing this daunting Saint Soul Pill?

Between him and Gu Chen, who possessed a Spirit Fire, who would ultimately emerge victorious and win that Holy Son King Pill as well as the staggering bet of two hundred thousand low-grade Origin Stones?

Immense suspense shrouded the entire central square of the Taiyi Holy Land.