Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Chapter 522 The First Sound of Alchemy

Shen Mo and the others found their designated viewing area and waited quietly. A number of spectators had already gathered around, mostly fellow disciples or relatives, talking in hushed tones, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Thump!"

The clear sound of the jade chime rang out again, spreading throughout the entire "T-shaped area".

"Preliminary selection begins! One hour time limit: refine the Jade Condensation Pill!" You can bring your own materials or use standard materials! Start the timer now!

At the host's command, hundreds of alchemy chambers lit up with protective light almost simultaneously, with earth fire rising and the faint fragrance of medicine wafting out.

In the spectator area, everyone's eyes were drawn to the alchemy rooms, especially the rooms of several highly anticipated alchemists from prestigious sects.

Li Xiaocao's alchemy room was initially unremarkable. The earth fire was stable, but there were no astonishing phenomena. She first carefully inspected the alchemy furnace and the earth fire, and then calmly took out the medicinal materials she had prepared: several high-quality jade marrow herbs, several pieces of crystal-clear cold jade, and some auxiliary harmonizing elixir. She did not use standard materials.

She processed the medicinal herbs one by one, her movements not particularly fast, but extremely steady and precise, displaying a composure that seemed incongruous with her age and cultivation level.

Especially when processing the juice of Jade Marrow Grass and Cold Jade Powder, a faint, pale green spiritual light flickered at her fingertips, as if she was stimulating and harmonizing the medicinal properties in a special way. It was a processing method that she had figured out herself, which was more suitable for her own spiritual power attributes, by combining her understanding of "vitality" and "balance" in the "Yuanhai Daojing".

After processing the medicinal herbs, she began the formal alchemy process. Controlling the fire, adding the herbs, fusing them, and condensing the pill—she was completely focused on each step, her brows slightly furrowed and her face tense, but her technique remained flawless.

The earth fire beneath the alchemy furnace, under her subtle control of her divine sense, sometimes rose and sometimes simmered, always maintaining a wondrous balance and rhythm.

Time passed slowly. Above some alchemy chambers, the glow of completed pills was faintly visible, and the aroma of medicine filled the air; while in other chambers, the smell of burning or muffled explosions emanated, eliciting sighs of regret from the onlookers.

Li Xiaocao's alchemy room remained calm. It wasn't until more than half an hour later that a low hum began to emanate from the furnace, and milky white cinnabar began to seep out from the gaps in the furnace lid, emitting a delicate and condensed fragrance.

"Hmm? This girl's signs of Core Formation seem exceptionally stable and refined—" A discerning old cultivator among the spectators murmured.

"Judging from the purity of this Danxia landform, the quality of the resulting pill is probably quite high. Did she use her own materials? It seems she's very confident in her processing methods."

Shen Mo remained calm, but nodded slightly inwardly. Xiao Cao's basic skills were indeed solid. More importantly, her focused and calm demeanor was especially crucial when refining pills.

Finally, an hour was about to end.

"Time's up! Extinguish the fire and extract the pills!"

The jade chime rang again. The protective light from all the alchemy chambers faded, and the stone doors slowly opened.

The contestants emerged one after another, each with a different expression. Li Xiaocao also came out, her face slightly flushed from focus and the warmth of the earth fire, with sweat on her forehead, but her eyes were bright. In her hands she held a jade plate, on which were neatly arranged nine pills, each the size of a longan, crystal clear and smooth like mutton fat jade.

The moment the pills appeared, the medicinal fragrance emanating from several nearby pill-making rooms seemed to be suppressed. The nine Jade Condensation Pills were not only uniform in size and pure in color, but also had a faint, restrained radiance flowing over their surface.

What is particularly striking is that the central pill, at the very center of the elixir, seems to have a faint, almost imperceptible, pale golden pattern that is finer than a hair!

"The prototype of the cinnabar pattern?!"

"Nine top-grade pills! And one of them has developed a pill-like pattern?!"

"Who is this girl? Which sect does she belong to? Her skills are so amazing!"

A murmur of surprise and discussion immediately rose from the spectator area. Many eyes were fixed on Li Xiaocao, filled with astonishment, curiosity, and even a hint of jealousy.

Li Xiaocao seemed oblivious to the surrounding chatter, simply carrying the jade plate, and quickly walked to the alchemy exchange area at the side of the arena. There were three long tables there, behind which sat three judges with solemn auras, dressed in different styles of alchemist robes.

In the center was a long-browed elder from the Hundred Herbs Sect, whose cultivation had reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He was one of the most famous alchemy masters in the Eastern Wilderness.

On the left is a middle-aged female cultivator with a serious expression and a strange medicine cauldron pattern embroidered on her chest. She comes from an ancient family in Zhongzhou that is famous for its alchemy. On the right is an alchemy master from the Xuntian Pavilion.

Li Xiaocao presented the jade plate. The long-browed old man from the Hundred Herbs Sect took it first, picked up a Jade Condensation Pill, smelled it lightly under his nose, scraped off a very small amount of powder with his fingernail, tasted it on his tongue, and gradually a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"The medicinal power is pure, and the integration is near perfect. The 'condensing' property of cold jade and the 'moistening' property of jade marrow grass combine seamlessly. What's even more rare is that it contains a unique and gentle vitality, minimizing the side effects of the elixir and making the medicinal power easier to absorb."

The long-browed old man spoke slowly, his voice filled with undisguised praise, "Your methods of processing medicinal herbs and controlling the fire have an ancient feel, yet they are also original. Little girl, which master did you learn from?"

"Replying to Senior," Li Xiaocao replied respectfully, though a little nervous, "My alchemy techniques are mostly self-taught, supplemented by guidance from my elders. I have no fixed lineage."

"Self-taught?" The middle-aged female cultivator from a prominent family in Zhongzhou picked up a pill and examined it carefully, paying particular attention to the one with the nascent pill pattern. She nodded and said, "Solid foundation, exceptional comprehension. Especially the final step of 'nurturing and condensing the pill,' the timing was impeccable, allowing this nascent pill pattern to emerge. Although it's only a nascent form, it already shows extraordinary potential. Given time, the path to alchemy is promising."

The three judges exchanged glances and quickly reached a consensus. The long-browed elder personally imbued Li Xiaocao's jade tablet with a rich spiritual light and said in a gentle voice, "Preliminary selection passed. Rating: Top Grade. In three days, you will participate in the second round of the self-selected pill formula innovation competition. This is your certificate of advancement and information for the next round."

"Thank you, senior!" Li Xiaocao was overjoyed. She accepted the jade pendant and a new jade slip, and bowed deeply.

When she turned around and faced countless gazes—some amazed, some curious, some complicated—as she walked toward Shen Mo and the others, her little face was filled with uncontrollable excitement and pride.

"Sect Leader! I passed! The senior judges said I was in the top tier! They even praised my pill-refining skills!" Li Xiaocao ran up to Shen Mo and held up the jade token like a treasure.

Shen Mo smiled gently and ruffled her hair. "Well done, Xiao Cao. You didn't disappoint me, nor did you bring shame to the Qingyun Sect. This 'Top Rank' is what you deserve."

"Hehe." Li Xiaocao laughed happily, her eyes curving into crescents.

Shi Tie grinned from the side, "Haha, Little Grass, you're amazing! You've brought honor to our Qingyun Sect!"

Wang Hu, Zhao Ming, and others also offered their congratulations, feeling honored to share in the honor.

The gazes of many cultivators around them toward the Qingyun Sect members changed once again.

If the previous label of "mediocre" hadn't been completely removed, then Li Xiaocao's stunning first attempt at alchemy undoubtedly vindicated the Qingyun Sect, tearing off a significant piece of its reputation. A sect capable of producing such an outstanding alchemist must be extraordinary.