Chapter 220

“Poison Beggar Old Master... it's time to go.”

At that moment, an extremely faint divine sense transmission sounded from the darkness.

“Otherwise, if you delay the Island Master's grand plans, you know the consequences.”

“Hmph... crazy old woman.”

Poison Beggar Old Master bared his teeth, revealing a mouthful of broken, blackened fangs.

He thought to himself, 'The Island Master's affairs are naturally the most important. Still, I've already planted a divine sense mark on that fellow. As long as he's within a hundred li, I'll be able to sense him.'

'He won't escape.'

'But I must be careful not to let this madwoman discover it. Otherwise she'll definitely try to steal my opportunity.'

His figure shifted. Limping slightly, he walked out of the marketplace. As he entered a patch of shadow, his body vanished instantly.

...

One month later.

Tianquan Island.

The Foundation Establishment division of the Pill Origin Grand Assembly.

Towering alchemy platforms rose from the ground, each glowing in different colors and protected by its own formation.

The alchemists who had passed the preliminary rounds stood or sat in various poses. Some faced the wind with hands behind their backs, while others sat cross-legged in meditation. Each displayed their own unique bearing.

Zhan Hongxiu stood among them, feeling guilty and nervous.

'I can't believe we actually guessed correctly and managed to slip into the main competition.'

After all, she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. With the advantage of divine sense, Old Turtle secretly helping her cheat, and Fang Qing assisting with predicting the examination topics, if she still failed to make it into the main venue, she might as well go home and sleep.

'This is bad... There are so many alchemists here, and even more cultivators watching from outside... I'm going to make a complete fool of myself.'

Zhan Hongxiu was panicking internally.

At that moment, Old Turtle's calm voice sounded within her sea of consciousness.

"Once you've entered this venue, you've already succeeded. Later, use the secret technique I taught you. Pretend to refine pills while secretly gathering that 'Hundred-Fold Pill Qi.'"

"When you've collected enough, simply fail the refinement deliberately and admit defeat before leaving."

"It's that simple."

“Fellow Daoists... the topic for this Foundation Establishment alchemy competition shall be the Azure Departure Profound Origin Pill!”

A Core Formation True Personage hovered in the air. His divine sense swept across the entire venue before he waved a hand.

Streams of jade slips descended onto every alchemy platform, accompanied by ten sets of ingredients and specially prepared alchemy furnaces.

At the official competition stage, even the furnaces and spirit springs were standardized.

This was specifically done to prevent cheating.

“Begin.”

Zhan Hongxiu maintained a perfectly calm expression. Picking up a second-rank spirit flower, she quickly tossed it into the furnace.

After her recent crash-course training, she at least knew enough not to blow up the furnace immediately. That alone would buy her a considerable amount of time.

...

The Core Formation division.

“True Personage has arrived...”

“Qingdan True Personage and True Personage Huoding, Dan Shuzi, True Personage Jinxia...”

The spectators immediately became solemn.

Nobody dared speak too loudly, as though afraid of offending the Core Formation True Personages.

Seated among the audience, Fang Qing quietly observed the scene, paying particular attention to one cultivator dressed in azure alchemy robes.

Qingdan True Personage!

'This Qingdan True Personage founded the Azure Pill Merchant Association. He was originally one of the subordinate forces under the Profound Center Sect.'

'The fact that he still came this time... was he deceived, or is he deliberately here to drag other Core Formation True Personages into the pit with him?'

If the Profound Center Sect offered sufficient compensation, Qingdan True Personage could simply refrain from refining pills for the next few years.

Yet his appearance at the Pill Origin Grand Assembly would shatter many of the rumors currently circulating.

In simple terms, it was standard operating procedure for major powers.

'With Zhan Hongxiu, a daughter of destiny, present, there is no way this final Pill Origin Grand Assembly will end peacefully.'

'All I need to do is wait.'

'Wait for the variable to appear.'

While Fang Qing was contemplating these matters, a cultivator at the peak of Core Formation descended into the venue.

The pressure of perfected Core Formation pill power radiated outward without the slightest concealment.

“Ah... it's Fairy Yuecang!”

“This fairy is not only a third-rank grand alchemy master, but also a peak Core Formation cultivator... and a true disciple of the Profound Center Sect. I thought she had long since entered seclusion to attempt Nascent Soul. I never expected her to personally preside over this assembly!”

The moment the woman appeared, countless cultivators stared blankly at her, their eyes filled with admiration and intoxication.

“The pill to be refined within the Core Formation division today is known as the Profound Jade Separation-Reunion Pill.”

Fairy Yuecang spoke.

Her voice resembled an icy mountain spring flowing gently across the entire venue.

“Profound Jade Separation-Reunion Pill? I've never heard of it.”

“Even True Personage Jinxia seems troubled. That alone proves this pill is no ordinary formula. It's probably at least a third-rank high-grade pill.”

“Dan Shuzi truly deserves his reputation as the greatest alchemy genius of the past century. He's already begun preparing the spirit spring...”

Fang Qing silently observed the movements of the various alchemy masters and nodded inwardly.

'The Eastern Sea's methods of water-method and fire-method alchemy both possess considerable merit.'

'Perhaps I should find a complete fourth-rank alchemy inheritance someday.'

Of course, treasures of that level were considered ultimate trump cards even within Nascent Soul sects.

Without sufficient opportunity, fortune, and strength, obtaining one would be extraordinarily difficult.

For Fang Qing, however, it was merely somewhat difficult.

Just as the Pill Origin Grand Assembly was proceeding in full swing...

On Tianquan Island.

Around the island's sole fourth-rank spirit spring, the Heaven-Bestowed Spring, a grand arrangement had quietly been established at some unknown time.

At each position stood a Core Formation cultivator holding a peculiar magical artifact, seemingly driving some vast array.

Within the unseen currents of fate, countless alchemists appeared to be selecting herbs, opening furnaces, and refining pills.

Scenes of both success and failure converged together before being filtered by the array. In the end, only fine strands of golden qi were extracted and infused into the fourth-rank spirit spring.

At this moment, an elderly man in azure robes stood beside the spring. His beard hung all the way to the ground, yet his spirit remained vigorous and robust.

In his hands was a fist-sized spiritual fruit resembling a ginseng fruit.

It was none other than a fourth-rank [Heavenly Infant Fruit]!

In terms of value, it surpassed even the Resentful Infant Fruit Fang Qing possessed. It was also the primary ingredient used in refining the Nascent Soul Condensation Pill.

Beside the old man stood a group of alchemists, all alchemy elders of the Profound Center Sect. Every one of them possessed alchemy attainments above the third rank and was responsible for processing the supplementary ingredients.

Numerous alchemists worked in orderly coordination, employing water-method alchemy together to assist in refining an entire pool of fourth-rank medicinal pills.

Had the Heaven-Bestowed Spring not been protected year-round by arrays and concealed beneath a five-colored cloud restriction, the strange phenomena here would likely have already shaken the entirety of Tianquan Island.

High above.

Two Nascent Soul cultivators observed the scene.

One was handsome and elegant.

The other was a slovenly old man.

"Martial Uncle Xuande's alchemy skills continue to deepen. Even a pill like the Nascent Soul Condensation Pill seems effortless in his hands. In the future, he may very well advance to fourth-rank high-grade."

The sloppy old man smiled toward the handsome cultivator beside him.

"Senior Martial Uncle Xuangui, what do you think?"

Though he looked old, his seniority within the Profound Central Sect was actually rather low. He was a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator who simply never cared much for appearances.

The man beside him, Master Xuangui, was the Sect Master of the Profound Center Sect. His seniority was extremely high, and his cultivation had already reached the middle stage of Nascent Soul.

"These days, the sect's younger generation is lacking..."

Master Xuangui shook his head.

"Junior Brother Xuande's alchemy alone cannot satisfy our demand for Nascent Soul Condensation Pills, which is why we were forced to activate this alchemical ritual."

"But this ritual touches upon the mysterious currents of fortune themselves. Exactly how much benefit it can provide is impossible to determine."

"One can only say that it is better than having nothing."

"For this reason, we even abandoned the protection of our fourth-rank upper-grade grand array and came here to refine pills. Whether this proves a blessing or a calamity remains unknown."

The slovenly old man immediately fell silent.

Time passed swiftly.

The Pill Origin Grand Assembly gradually approached its conclusion.

...

Within the Foundation Establishment venue.

"Success!"

Zhan Hongxiu looked at the strange strand of pill qi forming within her pill furnace, and delight immediately appeared on her face.

She secretly circulated a hidden technique, drawing the strand of Hundred-Fold Pill Qi into her body.

Strangely enough, the pill qi was incomparably light and completely silent.

After entering her dantian, it settled there quietly without leaking even the slightest trace of aura.

Even the Core Formation cultivators present failed to notice anything unusual.

As for the pill furnace before her, however, failure could no longer be concealed.

Boom!

Countless flames exploded outward, mixed together with pitch-black medicinal liquid.

"Alas... another failure."

Zhan Hongxiu shook her head sadly.

"I concede."

She was just preparing to complete the final performance and withdraw gracefully from the competition.

Yet in the next instant, a wave of icy dread swept through her entire body, causing her to shiver involuntarily.

High above the heavens, a patch of "dark clouds" had appeared at some unknown moment.

But it was not a cloud.

It was an incomparably massive floating island.

Appearing slow yet moving with terrifying speed, it crashed into Tianquan Island.

Before its immense size, the island-protecting grand array was utterly insignificant.

It shattered effortlessly.

Dense blood-fiend qi immediately flooded outward.

"Blood Fiend Island?!"

"One of the Three Islands, Blood Fiend Island?"

"Those devil cultivators are attacking Tianquan Island?!"

Every hair on Zhan Hongxiu's body stood on end.

Yet what frightened her even more was Old Turtle's sudden silence and his final words:

"A Nascent Soul old monster's divine sense just swept past..."

"This old man must enter seclusion immediately and conceal myself with the Turtle Breath Art."

'Even Old Turtle can be discovered by a Nascent Soul old monster's divine sense!'

A profound sense of instability instantly arose in Zhan Hongxiu's heart.

Without hesitation, she activated her escape light, blended into the crowd, and fled from the Foundation Establishment venue.

'And Wan An...'

'Forget it.'

'Compared to treasures, my own life is more important.'

'Everyone can fend for themselves.'

"Hm?"

Just as she was preparing to quietly leave Tianquan Island, her eyes suddenly narrowed.

A group of rogue cultivators had transformed into bandits amidst the chaos, taking advantage of the turmoil within the marketplace.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator they were surrounding and attacking appeared to be none other than Wan An.

At this moment, Wan An was already covered in blood and heavily wounded.

'Excellent opportunity!'

Zhan Hongxiu immediately waved her hand.

A black iron shield appeared and floated around her body as protection.

At the same time, thirteen supreme-grade wooden nail spirit artifacts shot into the air.

"Daoist Wan, I'm here to save you!"

...

"Blood Fiend Island?"

Master Xuangui's expression became incomparably grim as he watched the island descend.

With a wave of his hand, strange golden array flags appeared one after another.

They rapidly expanded, becoming enormous pillars that seemed capable of supporting heaven itself.

Boundless spiritual qi surged forth like ocean tides.

Five-colored spiritual light spread in every direction, transforming into countless runes that formed a protective barrier around the Heaven-Bestowed Spring.

Only after completing all of this did he and the slovenly old man transform into streams of light and fly before Blood Fiend Island.

"Tiansha Old Monster..."

Master Xuangui spoke solemnly.

"Are you intending to go to war with my Profound Center Sect?"

As he said these words, however, fear lingered in his heart.

After all, the sect's late-stage Nascent Soul Supreme Elder was not present.

"Hahaha!"

A burst of demonic laughter rang out from Blood Fiend Island.

A pillar of demonic light shot into the sky and transformed into a blood-robed Nascent Soul old monster.

"If you want war, Xuangui, then war it shall be!"

"The Island Master is absent."

"As Acting Vice Island Master, what if I simply seize your Tianquan Island?"