Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 41 The Battle of Secret Techniques
After all, in the world of cultivation, there really is such a thing as being born with an immortal seed!

Some people are born with the spiritual roots of heaven and earth, making them the darlings of heaven and destined to be prodigies.

Some people are destined to be mortals from birth, their connection to the immortals severed.

After all, without spiritual roots, one truly cannot cultivate immortality!

The saying "Heaven rewards diligence" may exist, or it may be more of a pipe dream that would invite ridicule.

But coming from Lin Changheng, these words seemed more credible. After all, he had truly been an apprentice for eleven years, tending the furnace and tending the fire, and now he had genuinely become a master alchemist!
"I will not beat around the bush and will convey the decision to the clan on my behalf."

"I am all ears."

"Because the clan appreciates the dedication and hard work of all the alchemists, who strive day and night to improve their alchemy skills and continuously contribute to the clan's alchemy, it is decided to grant the qualification for the secret transmission of mid-grade alchemy to lower-grade alchemists who are capable of refining high-quality pills..."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Lin Changheng was overjoyed.

Although it was all high-sounding official talk, it made no mention of the loss of a mid-grade alchemist in the clan, who needed to be replaced.

The Xu family wanted to conceal the true situation and their true purpose, turning it into a purely benevolent act without any external motivation.

After all, there is a huge difference between being forced to open up and being given favors voluntarily.

Lin Changheng knew perfectly well what was going on, but he didn't expose it.

But upon hearing the second half of the sentence, he was taken aback.

Especially the last two words, "qualification".

As expected, Xu Hanji continued, "But in order to encourage them, the clan has decided to select only the best one to be taught."

At this point, she shook her head slightly, clearly not understanding the decision.

How many people are qualified?

Lin Changheng had no intention of speculating about Xu Hanji's or the Xu family's higher-ups' plans; he focused on asking the key questions.

"Two people. Fellow Daoist Lin, and Alchemist Lü."

Xu Hanji was quite decisive.

"Master Lü..."

Lin Changheng instantly understood why the Xu family had opened up their secret techniques to the public.

Lü and Lin are not Xu!

If even one of the low-grade alchemists surnamed Xu could refine high-quality pills, he probably wouldn't have revealed the secret technique; he would have given it away directly.

Because of the lack of successors within the clan, they had to select from outside the clan.

It was indeed a secret, not to be passed on to outsiders.

The thoughts of the Xu family's higher-ups are becoming increasingly clear.

"How about some competition? A pill-refining contest?"

Lin Changheng inquired.

"That's exactly what the clan intends to do."

Xu Hanji nodded, surprised that Lin Danshi was such a perceptive person.

Then, Xu Hanji, on behalf of the Xu family, offered some encouragement and reassurance.

The general idea is that you can simply wait for the news and participate in the competition. The chief alchemist will make the judgment, and there will be no bias, so you can rest assured.

……

half a month later.

A pill-refining competition was quietly held at the Guifeng Dojo.

There was no extravagant celebration.

The witnesses were only a few high-ranking members of the Xu family, some Xu family alchemists, and two competing "guest alchemists".

The leak was contained to a small area. However, no special measures were taken to prevent it from being leaked, since it would leak out sooner or later anyway.

Two alchemy furnaces were placed in the center of the main hall, where Lin Changheng and the alchemist Lü were to refine pills in full view of everyone.

This is to prevent cheating methods such as "preparing the pills in advance" or "secretly switching pills".

The competitor, Master Lü, was named Lü Bailian, whom Lin Changheng had also met.

He was only in his thirties, with a white beard and a handsome face.

According to Master Mo, his alchemy skills are also quite good, and he has long been able to refine high-quality pills.

It was refined earlier and absorbed into the art longer than Lin Changheng's, and it was quite famous within the Xu family. Therefore, many high-ranking members of the Xu family did not think highly of Lin Changheng.

But this has nothing to do with Lin Changheng.

He didn't want to embarrass himself or do anything that would attract attention.

Ideally, one should be able to slightly outshine Master Lü in the competition and obtain the secret teachings of a mid-grade alchemy master, but not in a dazzling manner; that would be the best outcome.

Moreover, with Lin Changheng's current fire control skills and alchemy techniques, he can achieve precise downward control.

The rules are simple: one batch of ten pills, each person refines three batches, and whoever refines more high-quality pills wins.

If the number of premium pills is the same, then the quality of the remaining pills will be considered to determine which one is of higher quality.

And so, with the announcement from Xu Qianyan, the chief alchemist of the Xu family and a top-grade alchemist, the two began refining pills.

Compared to Lin Changheng's minimalist approach of saving as much as possible, he stands still like a stone statue when he has free time.

Lü Bailian, on the other hand, is completely different. His technique is flashy, his movements are more exaggerated, and when he encounters dense movements, he has a more classical dance aesthetic.

The stark contrast caught everyone's attention, causing their expressions to vary.

Xu Hanji's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, as if he were deep in thought.

Time flies, and half a day has passed in the blink of an eye.

The audience consisted of cultivators, so they had plenty of patience, and the number of viewers did not decrease.

"clang!"

Suddenly, Lü Bailian slapped the alchemy furnace, casting an incantation into it. Immediately, a string of pills emerged, which were then placed on a tray and handed to the chief alchemist.

"One premium pill, the other six are all above average, and three are average."

As expected of a top-grade alchemist, he made his judgment with a slight twitch of his nose and a single glance.

Lu Bailian immediately looked smug.

The gazes of the crowd toward him were either filled with admiration or respect.

With this level of skill, there's a considerable chance they could become a mid-grade alchemist.

Lu Bailian was quite pleased with such a gaze, and immediately bowed to the crowd with high spirits before sitting down to rest.

All eyes in the room shifted to the black-robed figure in front of another alchemy furnace.

Still standing still.

"he……"

Because the contrast was so stark, some people whispered their doubts.

Xu Hanji's cold gaze swept over them. Their eyes met, and the man realized he had spoken out of turn and shouldn't have interrupted. He smiled awkwardly and shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

Lin Changheng also slowly made his move. Instead of striking the alchemy furnace, he remotely sent the alchemy incantation into the furnace, and thus completed the alchemy extraction in the same extremely simple way.

The pills were presented to the chief alchemist. At that moment, Lü Bailian, who was meditating, seemed to sense something and looked up.

"Hmm, one premium pill, seven of which are above average, and two are average."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room looked at each other in bewilderment.

If they heard correctly, Lin Changheng seemed to be just right, with a slightly better quality than Zhong Zhong, and thus slightly superior.
Lu Bailian also found it unbelievable; how could it be such a coincidence?

But he dared not question or act recklessly. He gritted his teeth, immediately got up, and started refining pills again.

Lin Changheng bowed slightly to everyone and then went to rest on his own.

At this point, a time difference emerged between the two individuals as they refined the elixir.

time flies,
Lu Bailian retrieved the pills again and received the evaluation of "one excellent pill, seven medium-to-high quality pills, and two medium-to-medium quality pills".

Half an hour later, Lin Changheng maintained his level of skill, and the pills he refined were all the same.

In this round, the two were evenly matched.

For the third batch, Lü Bailian became even more focused, meticulous, and serious, no longer showing off his skills.

"Indeed, Master Lü, this furnace produced one excellent pill, and the remaining nine are all of medium to high quality."

Chief Alchemist Xu Qianyan's old eyes, sharp as furnace fire, swept over them, and he gave his judgment in a deep voice, unusually using subjective terms.

Reaching this level is already quite an achievement.

(End of this chapter)