The abandoned cannon fodder girl's path to immortality

Chapter 257 Ancient Formula Deduction
"hateful!"

"That bitch... stole the 'Earthfire Seven-Leaf Orchid' and 'Ice Heart Jade Marrow Mushroom' that we five risked our lives to gather! Otherwise... otherwise how could she..."

Amidst the murmurs, a disciple named Zhou Tian, ​​dressed in the light blue inner robes of the Medicine King Valley, looked even more ashen than if his father had died.

He watched helplessly as his name hung precariously on the jade disc, about to be swallowed up by the names that followed, filled with resentment.

"Otherwise what? Wouldn't you just become useless anyway?"

"Otherwise, the five of us would be at the top of the list! And now? We've all failed! We can't even get close to the top 100!"

The round-faced disciple beside him sneered, his eyes sweeping over the injured people nearby, full of mockery. If he had acted alone, how could he have failed the first round?

The titmouse on Chen Jinshu's shoulder curled up into a fluffy ball, its black bean eyes half-closed.

When the medicinal plants were handed over, the steward of Medicine King Valley, who was in charge of counting them, glanced at the few rare plants that were sealed with special restrictions and clearly bore different spiritual power imprints. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, with a hint of scrutiny.

She calmly handed over her Hundred Herbs Token, letting the jade disc project her name's ranking onto the light screen.

The rule of robbing others' spiritual plants in this first round of secret realm herb gathering was something they had already tacitly agreed to. Now that they see so many disciples being robbed, they are unhappy about it?
Chen Jinshu had no intention of indulging them.

"Quiet!"

Soon, the voice of the Nascent Soul Elder from Medicine King Valley, who was presiding over the alchemy gathering, came over and quickly suppressed all the noise.

"The first round of 'Secret Realm Herb Gathering' at the Hundred Herbs Elixir Gathering has concluded! The top 100 participants on the Jade Wall, please proceed to the 'Hall of Ten Thousand Laws' to participate in this round of 'Ancient Formula Deduction'! The rest, please make yourselves at home!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large number of disciples left amidst the sympathetic or gloating gazes of those around them.

……

A moment later, inside the Hall of Ten Thousand Laws.

One hundred ancient stone tables are arranged in a fan shape, and the remaining one hundred alchemists sit upright.

The star-shaped stones inlaid on the roof emit a soft, cool light that falls evenly.

On the high platform, the five elders of Medicine King Valley sat upright as if they were sitting on a rock.

An elderly man with silver hair in the center slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the entire room with a sharp, penetrating insight:
"In this round, we will deduce the incomplete ancient prescriptions. The jade slips on the table contain incomplete ancient prescriptions, some of which have conflicting medicinal properties, some have unclear principal, assistant, and adjuvant ingredients, and some have missing records of the cooking time."

You all need to use your own alchemical cultivation to complete the theory and deduce feasible alchemical formulas.

The time limit is three incense sticks. The deduction process, thought process, and results must all be imprinted on the jade slip with divine consciousness.

Finally, the five of us discussed and judged which was superior.

With a slight flick of his sleeve, a hundred streaks of light landed precisely on the stone tables in front of each alchemist.

Chen Jinshu picked up the blue jade slip in front of him and immersed his consciousness into it.

"The main ingredients of the Chiyang Rejuvenating Powder are the Three Yang Grass and the thousand-year-old Fire Toad Skin... supplemented with... (missing), and refined by fire for seven times seven... (missing). When taken, it burns the meridians and causes the spirit and soul to dissipate."

"The prescription is in disarray, with large blank spaces at crucial points. Several of the labeled medicinal ingredients contain hidden poisons, and the cooking time is also vague."

Chen Jinshu frowned slightly; at first glance, this incomplete prescription did indeed look like a poisonous one.

However, deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the illusory image of the Mysterious Female Treasure Furnace rippled slightly, and the vast and comprehensive "Mysterious Female Elixir Classic" automatically deduced the medicinal properties of herbs and plants and their combinations.

Several medicinal herbs marked as toxic in the incomplete prescription were quickly disassembled and analyzed based on the deductions in the alchemical texts.

“No…” Chen Jinshu looked at the newly deduced formula and couldn’t help but mutter to himself after thinking about it.

The herb *Sanyangcao* is potent, and the toad skin is even more toxic and fiery. If the two are combined directly, it will indeed cause a burning poison.

However, if the heat is changed from the intense heat of "seven times seven" to a gentle heat for slow roasting, the dryness and toxins on the surface of the fire toad's skin can be removed first, and the "essence of fire" hidden deep within can be used as a guide. Then, an extremely cold "Nine Yin Dew" can be added as a buffer and medicinal guide.

The raging fire poison then has a channel for release and transformation, which can stimulate vitality. What is burned is no longer the meridians, but the cold, deathly energy that invades the soul.

"I see!"

In an instant, her mind cleared. Then, she gathered spiritual energy at her fingertips, transforming it into a carving knife, and swiftly imprinted it onto the jade slip:
"The original name of the incomplete prescription, 'Chiyang Fanhun San,' is incorrect. It should be 'Chiyang Bixie Dan.' The main ingredients are Sanyang grass, thousand-year-old fire toad skin (which needs to be roasted over a low flame for nine cycles to remove the surface toxins and extract its essence), and three qian of Jiuyin Ninglu."

Add half a coin of amethyst powder to stabilize the veins, and three drops of rootless spiritual dew for blending. The process requires nine cycles of gentle heat; avoid rushing or being impatient…

The resulting pill is vermilion with faint golden patterns. It is not a poisonous pill, but rather an excellent remedy for dispelling evil spirits and stabilizing the soul, especially effective against malevolent spells!

After imprinting this one, she didn't stop, her divine sense sweeping over the other fragments.

Time flowed silently in the quiet atmosphere of the entire venue.

The first incense stick in the incense burner burned out quietly, leaving only fine ash.

Some alchemists were already sweating profusely, scratching their heads and hesitating to put pen to paper.

The jade slip in front of Chen Jinshu had already been replaced with the third one.

"The 'Rejuvenating Ointment for Dead Trees' contains rotten dragon scale wood heartwood... (missing ingredient)... For those whose life force has been severed, taking it can regenerate their bodies..."

How can something decayed be brought back to life?

Chen Jinshu's mind raced, and the profound meaning of the vitality of Yi Wood in the Mysterious Female Elixir Classic came to mind.

Her fingertips transformed into carving knives, once again moving swiftly within the jade slip:
"It is not taken from its decayed state, but from the primordial wood marrow that springs from the depths of death! It needs to be supplemented with three drops of 'Essence of Wood' as a catalyst to fuse with the 'Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Stalactite'..."

The second incense stick was halfway burned.

On the high platform, the white-haired elder in the center glanced unintentionally in Chen Jinshu's direction several times.

This woman's aura was calm and composed, and her deductions were effortless, as if the ancient mysteries that troubled others were merely a matter of course for her.

As the third incense stick was lit and wisps of smoke rose, Chen Jinshu had already put down the fifth jade slip.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, her mind still repeatedly verifying the last "Nine-Turn Poison Dragon Pill".

This pill is even more complicated, based on several kinds of highly poisonous demon pills, reversing yin and yang, turning deadly poison into a breakthrough medicine. Its danger and ingenuity require even her full concentration.

"The time has come!"

After an unknown amount of time, the clear and melodious sound of bells resounded throughout the hall.

The jade slip on the stone table was lifted by an invisible force and flew towards the high platform.

The five elders each took a stack of jade slips, and their powerful divine senses instantly covered them. Only the sound of the jade slips being rapidly flipped through remained in the hall.

Time passed bit by bit.

The atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heavy.

Finally, the elders' spiritual communication ceased.

The white-haired elder solemnly declared, "The evaluation is complete. Chen Jinshu, your deductions of the five ancient prescriptions are in line with the ancient wisdom, the deduction process is rigorous, the explanation of the mutual generation and restraint of the medicinal properties is exquisite, and the control of the heat is ingenious and subtle. All five prescriptions are judged as 'superior'! You should be the champion of this round!"

"what!"

Five?

A wave of suppressed gasps of amazement surged through the hall.

"What kind of background does this woman have that allows her to overpower so many inner disciples painstakingly cultivated by Medicine King Valley!"

All eyes were focused on Chen Jinshu, each with a different expression.

In a corner of the high platform, a young man dressed in a moon-white alchemist's robe with three golden pill patterns embroidered on the cuffs had a look of regret in his eyes.

With his handsome face and aloof demeanor, he was none other than Chu Nanguan, the head of the current generation of disciples of Medicine King Valley.

At this moment, his deep eyes were fixed on the green figure not far away, and a hint of scrutiny flashed across his cold eyes.