The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Before he left, Su Qinghe gave him a fourth-grade alchemy furnace, which was of a very high grade. Although it was not as powerful as the Qiankun Creation Cauldron, it was enough to deal with this battle.

Warming the furnace, adding the medicine, controlling the fire—all done in one smooth, effortless motion.

At the same time, the other alchemists in the hall also got busy.

Granny Miao, from the Southern Border Medicine Clan, deftly tossed dozens of medicinal herbs into the alchemy furnace with swift, precise movements.

Tie Yan of the Western Regions Fire Refining Sect went even further, pressing his palms directly against the furnace wall, and crimson flames erupted from his palms, turning the entire furnace body a deep red.

Liu Ruyan of the East Sea Pill Pavilion, however, remained calm and composed, her every move and stance elegant, like a textbook example.

Xiao Fan noticed that the disciples of the North Sea Pill Palace did not participate in the competition; they were simply watching from the sidelines and taking notes.

Yin Tianyuan looked at the rows of alchemy furnaces, pausing occasionally on one of them for a moment, a barely perceptible look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

As soon as the bell rang, everyone stopped. Dozens of fourth-grade pills were presented to the high platform one by one by the elders of the North Sea Pill Palace.

Xiao Fan refined a "Condensing True Pill" with nine-fold pill patterns, a fourth-grade upper-level pill, with a bright green body and a pure spiritual energy flowing within it.

Liu Ruyan's "Heart-Protecting Pill" is also a top-grade elixir, ranking second. Granny Miao and Tie Yan rank third and fourth respectively.

The results of the first competition were in, and Xiao Fan unsurprisingly came in first place.

On his high seat, Yin Tianyuan clapped his hands and laughed, "As expected of Young Master Xiao. In three days, it will be time to refine the fifth-grade pills. Everyone, get ready."

As the crowd dispersed and Xiao Fan was about to leave, an old voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Boy, where did you get the recipe for the Condensing Essence Pill?"

Xiao Fan turned around and saw Granny Miao holding a black wooden cane, squinting as she looked him over.

The old lady looked to be in her seventies or eighties, with many wrinkles on her face, but her eyes were sharper than those of a hawk.

"I learned it on my own," Xiao Fan said.

Granny Miao gave him a deep look, then suddenly grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth: "Kid, you're not bad. But I must warn you, here, the stronger you are, the faster you die."

She paused for a moment, then added, "Especially don't show your value in front of Yin Tianyuan."

After saying that, she leaned on her cane and walked away unsteadily.

Xiao Fan stared blankly at her figure until it disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The old lady's words had a deeper meaning.

The night before the second match, Xiao Fan sat alone in the courtyard, calming his mind and regulating his breathing.

The spiritual energy in the North Sea Pill Palace has been drained by the great formation, so he can only rely on the spirit stones and pills he carries with him to maintain his cultivation.

Fortunately, he came prepared, with over a hundred Rejuvenation Pills and Qi Condensation Pills in his storage bag.

Suddenly, a soft sound came from outside the courtyard wall.

Xiao Fan opened his eyes and saw a dark figure leap down from the wall. After landing, the person did not move but knelt on one knee, seemingly waiting for him to speak.

Xiao Fan glanced at him and found that the man was at the fifth level of the Yang Realm and had no killing intent.

"Get up."

The man in black looked up and saw a young man in his early twenties with fair skin and large, somewhat nervous eyes.

He took out an envelope and presented it to Xiao Fan with both hands: "Mr. Xiao, I am from the East Sea Pill Pavilion. This is entrusted to me by Senior Sister Liu to be given to you. She said that you must not let anyone see it."

Xiao Fan took the letter, waved his hand, and said, "I understand. You can go back now."

The man in black flashed and disappeared into the darkness.

Xiao Fan opened the envelope and quickly glanced at it in the dim light of the corridor. Liu Ruyan's writing was fast and messy, clearly done in a hurry:

"There's something fishy about this second challenge. The North Sea Pill Palace has brought out a fifth-grade spiritual herb called 'Frosty Marrow Heart-Drying Grass,' which looks exactly like spiritual ginseng, but its medicinal properties are completely opposite. If you put it into the pill furnace rashly, it may ruin the pill or even cause the pill furnace to explode."

I understand, but I didn't say it aloud. You'd better take care of yourself. Another matter is the white-robed elder beside Yin Tianyuan, Leng He, the second-in-command of the Beihai Dan Palace.

It's said that during this time, he's been secretly observing the alchemy techniques of every participant, seemingly searching for something. You must be careful.

Xiao Fan picked up the letter and burned it over the candle. The ashes fell into the cracks in the rocks and disappeared in the night wind.

Cold Marrow Grass? This was a medicinal herb he had seen in his previous life. It looked very similar to ginseng, but its medicinal effects were completely different. If one did not carefully distinguish between them, it would be easy to be deceived.

He gave a cold laugh.

Yin Tianyuan actually wants to eliminate a group of people in this second round.

The second match was held on the third day.

The atmosphere inside the main hall was noticeably more somber than last time. Refining a fifth-grade pill is far more difficult than refining a fourth-grade pill, and among these two hundred people, fewer than twenty are confident that they can successfully refine a fifth-grade pill.

As usual, Yin Tianyuan stated the rules: "Fifth-grade pills, three hours. The materials and rules for the assessment are the same."

The medicine cart was pushed up, and Xiao Fan walked over slowly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he looked at the dazzling array of medicinal herbs.

With a quick glance, he spotted the Cold Marrow Heart-Drying Grass. It was slightly darker in color, and its roots and stems were also somewhat different. It had a faint bitter smell.

He looked at the "Frosty Marrow Heart-Drying Grass" in his hand, shook his head, and put it away again.

Some people are just not lucky.

Tie Yan of the Western Regions Fire Refining Sect had a fiery temper. He casually grabbed a handful of medicinal herbs and threw them into the alchemy furnace, unaware of what kind of exotic species had mixed in with them.

Half an hour later, a sharp, piercing shriek suddenly came from the furnace. The furnace body trembled violently, and a wisp of black smoke billowed out from the crack in the furnace lid.

"boom!"

A loud bang.

Tie Yan was thrown back by the shockwave, slamming heavily against a pillar in the hall. He coughed up blood, his face charred black. Several disciples rushed to help him up, but Tie Yan struggled to his feet, his face filled with rage: "This medicine is strange!"

Yin Tianyuan sat upright on his high seat, expressionless: "Lord Tieyan, the medicinal herbs supplied by my Beihai Dan Palace are all of the highest quality. What's wrong with them? I think you might be mistaken."

Tie Yan wanted to argue, but was stopped by an elder of the Fire Refining Sect who whispered a few words in his ear. Tie Yan gritted his teeth, glared fiercely at Yin Tianyuan, and led his men away.

Xiao Fan watched all this, but his hands didn't stop at all; he continued to refine the pills methodically.

It took a full three hours for the fifth-grade spiritual pill, "Taiqing Pill," to be successfully refined. The pill had nine-turn patterns, was crystal clear, and shone with a faint white light.