LRAB 574. Self-created elixirs
574. Self-created elixirs
Outside the core area of the competition, Ling He and Ling Haonan were watching from afar. They could have easily watched from the very center if they wanted, but their presence here was clearly for a purpose, one they couldn't afford to be discovered by the Pill Tower. Fortunately, with their Dou Sheng-level strength, being thousands of feet apart had little impact.
Seeing that Ling Zhuo didn't excitedly engage in a fire-based battle with Xiao Yan, but instead quickly settled into the rhythm of alchemy, Ling Haonan felt a touch of relief: "Knowing he was no match, he didn't fight for a temporary victory. It seems this time in the Pill Realm has still yielded some results..."
Ling He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, she had only seen Ling Yu by Ling Zhuo's side and had been quite worried about Ling Luo. Ling Luo and Ling Yu both belonged to the Spirit Guard and were both eighth-grade alchemists, making their status much more important than that of ordinary members of the Spirit Clan. If they were to die in the Pill Realm, there would be some explanation required. The Spirit Guard always obeyed only the orders of the Supreme Elder Ling Haonan, so as long as he didn't pursue the matter, everything would be fine.
Ling Haonan's focus was clearly not on that; he was watching the contestants in the arena and said in a voice only he could hear, "Hopefully, it's not too late..."
……
During the alchemy competition, as time passed, all the contestants gradually entered the state of alchemy.
Xiao Yan has finally decided to refine his own self-created pills, and there are two considerations behind this decision.
Firstly, the source of his pill formula was the combination of Mingmei's blood transfusion for Qinglin. He observed Danchen's sick body at the Dan family and gained a preliminary understanding of the effects of imperial blood on the human body. During the fourth trial of the Heavenly Talent Ranking, while modifying the "Beast Bone Marrow Pill", he had a flash of inspiration and obtained the prototype.
Later, Xiao Yan obtained the purest bloodline of the Spirit Clan's Dou Di descendant from Ling Luo, and with Cao Ying's comprehensive analysis of his being controlled, he finally finalized the pill formula.
Xiao Yan's final self-created pill formula can replace the user's essence and blood from the source, though not entirely; the user can decide based on their own situation. If this refinement is successful, it might solve Cao Ying and Dan Chen's physical problems. With their strength, they will eventually become part of the team that subdues the Three Thousand Burning Flames. Bringing them back to the Pill Tower camp is itself a very meaningful thing.
He had almost finished completing the last part of the pill in his final time within the Pill Realm, and only the final step of verification remained.
Previously, Xiao Yan had specifically asked Wei Jiangyuan and Lei Jingxiao to make a big commotion, hoping to attract the attention of everyone present and then use Yao Qingyu to have a final conversation with Cao Ying.
If she, the person involved, feels there's no problem, then I certainly have a chance to give it a try!
The second reason is that although it is risky to try things out rashly in the Alchemy Gathering, an alchemist who cannot find his own path will not be able to reach the final ninth rank.
This was something that Yao Lao had mentioned to Xiao Yan before: only by creating one's own pill formula could one have a chance to enter the ninth rank. Even Yao Lao himself back then was still far from truly reaching the ninth rank.
The difference between the eighth and ninth ranks, though only one word, is like an insurmountable chasm.
Although Xiao Yan still has a long way to go to reach the ninth rank, it's definitely possible to start planning now. The path to the ninth rank is the ultimate goal that all alchemists dream of, and it's the same for Xiao Yan!
Since this was his first serious attempt at refining pills, Xiao Yan wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he slowly and methodically refined each ingredient one by one. To create a pill formula and succeed on the first try, one must have the utmost patience and do everything within one's control to the best of one's ability.
At this moment, everyone in the room was extremely focused, concentrating all their attention on their respective medicine cauldrons.
To be precise, not all of them did; one person caused his medicine cauldron to explode twice in a short period of time.
Such an embarrassing performance naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially since the person was located on a stone platform quite close to the core circle. When they saw who it was, they showed considerable understanding, as this person had also caused numerous mishaps and embarrassing situations during the trials of the Heavenly Talent Ranking.
This person was none other than Lei Jingxiao, who was diligently studying fourth-grade pills. With his current strength, he actually had a real chance of refining fourth-grade pills, but the two consecutive furnace explosions had left him quite depressed.
He wasn't arrogant; he simply felt that since he was at this alchemy gathering, he should at least take the opportunity to participate. He didn't intend to achieve instant success by directly refining eighth-grade pills, as fourth-grade pills shouldn't be too difficult. However, even though he followed Wei Jiangyuan's formula exactly, he still couldn't control himself at the crucial step and could only helplessly cause the cauldron to explode.
Fortunately, the medicine cauldron he obtained from Xiao Yan was very powerful, remaining unmoved even after two explosions.
Lei Jingxiao's eyes also revealed a defiant look. He took a deep breath, focused his attention, and picked up the prescription again to study it word by word.
Lei Jingxiao's performance made even the most knowledgeable people's eyelids twitch, after all, his last-minute cramming was really absurd.
The three giants of the Pill Tower could only smile wryly at this scene. Lei Jingxiao's status was undeniable; compared to the Spirit Clan, he was far more docile. The Pill Tower had never stated that contestants were forbidden from studying pill formulas during the Pill Gathering, even if they were only refining a fourth-grade pill.
After enjoying the farce, the people on the high platform began to exchange ideas. Xuan Kongzi first asked Venerable Mingshui beside him, "Wei Jiangyuan's flames, could they be...?"
Venerable Mingshui seemed to know what Xuankongzi was thinking, and directly shook his head to deny it, saying, "No, the reason why this color appears is mainly related to the cultivation technique that my senior brother is practicing. Our teacher has no intention of passing on his most treasured secrets to my senior brother yet."
Xuan Leizi also understood the hidden meaning in Venerable Mingshui's words: there is none yet, but there will be in the future!
"Did Senior Shennong really care that much about Wei Jiangyuan?"
Venerable Mingshui looked at his senior brother who was working hard on the stage, and his tone was filled with undisguised envy: "The inheritance of mantle, there is no other choice."
These eight words made Xuan Kongzi unconsciously click his tongue. After all, seeing someone with such talent and good fortune was already something to be envious of.
Looking at the situation, Xuan Yi suddenly said, "Ling Zhuo's pace of alchemy seems a bit too fast?"