The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Xiao Fan was taken aback: "When did I say I was going to participate?"

Gu Yuan laughed loudly, "From your eyes, I can see that you're truly tempted. Are you really willing to give up this thousand-year-old Crimson Flame Mushroom? Besides, with your alchemy skills, dealing with the alchemists here should be a piece of cake, right?"

Xiao Fan shook his head, not refusing.

The next morning, Chixia Square became lively.

The first round of the preliminary competition was held in an open space in front of the platform. More than 100 contestants each had a table in front of them, which was filled with dozens of kinds of medicinal materials, some of which were finished products, some of which had been ground into powder, and some of which had been boiled into ointments.

The appraiser must write down the name, properties, and year of each medicinal herb within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Xiao Fan calmly picked up a herb, smelled it, then rubbed the edge of the leaf with his fingers and wrote: "Red Flame Grass, three years old, belongs to fire, hot in nature, can be added to Guiyuan Pill or Liehuo Powder."

He examines the medicine very quickly, as if he were holding it in his hand, smelling it, and writing it down.

While the other contestants were frowning and studying the material carefully, he had already completed more than half of it.

Before the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was up, Xiao Fan stopped. The examiner took the test paper, glanced at it, and his expression immediately changed. He quickly walked towards the chief referee.

On the referee's platform sat three elderly men dressed in gray robes. One of them glanced at the scroll, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Xiao Fan with some surprise.

Soon, the results of the first round were released. Xiao Fan got a perfect score and ranked first, while the second place only got 75% of the questions right.

Below the arena, Master Gu Yuan slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he almost fell over, while Han Fei looked at everyone with a proud expression.

In the afternoon, the second step began—controlling the fire to condense the elixir.

Nine alchemy furnaces were lit simultaneously, and ten people stood in front of each furnace, taking turns to input spiritual energy into the furnace to control the heat.

The standard for the assessment is to refine a finished pill from a pile of miscellaneous medicinal materials within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn; the one with the higher grade wins.

After Xiao Fan went on stage, he did not rush to start refining pills. Instead, he closed his eyes and felt the flames flickering inside the furnace.

This alchemy furnace was formed from ordinary fire, completely different from the fire of creation he usually used, and he needed to readjust to it.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, placed his palm on the furnace shell, and an almost invisible flame of creation seeped into the furnace from his palm.

The flames, which had been flickering, suddenly became docile, like a gentle wild beast, enveloping the medicinal herbs within them.

While everyone was frantically adjusting the flames, Xiao Fan had already extracted all the medicinal herbs and then controlled the flames to condense the liquid into a pill.

The moment the pill left the body, three pale golden lines appeared on its surface, and a rich medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air.

On the referee's stand, the three elderly men stood up in unison.

One of them quickly stepped forward, picked up the pill, and examined it carefully for a while before turning back to Xiao Fan with some disbelief: "Three-Pattern Qi Gathering Pill, where did you learn the fire control technique?"

Xiao Fan cupped his hands in greeting, offering no explanation, and simply said, "I've known alchemy since I was a child, and I have some understanding of the art."

The old man stared intently at him, asking no further questions, but a terrifying light gleamed in his eyes.

In the second round, Xiao Fan won the championship without any suspense.

As night fell, Xiao Fan sat alone in an inn, toying with a remnant of the pill he had refined that day. The medicinal liquid spun slowly between his fingers, yet it did not lose any warmth.

He had a vague feeling that during the preliminary round today, he felt a gaze on him that was unusual, full of vigilance and scrutiny.

The man sat between the three judges and didn't say a word from beginning to end, but whenever Xiao Fan looked up, he could always see the man's calm yet sharp gaze.

"Elder Gu." Xiao Fan pushed open the door and walked out, saying to Gu Yuan, who was holding a wine pot, "Help me find out who that old man in the referee's seat today is."

Gu Yuan put down the wine pot, and the smile on his face disappeared.

"But judging from his posture and his aura, he's at least a Pill King level. There shouldn't be someone like that in Crimson Cloud City."

Xiao Fan nodded, looking out the window at the outline of the Crimson Cloud Mountains in the distance, and he vaguely guessed what was going on.

It seems that this alchemy conference is not simple.

The final match was held on the mountainside of Chixia Mountain on the second day.

Led by three judges, the ten contestants who had passed the first and second rounds climbed the stone steps and arrived at a flat area surrounded by reddish-brown rocks.

In the center of the flat ground stood a black alchemy furnace, which was more than three times larger than an ordinary alchemy furnace. The furnace body was engraved with intricate patterns, and a faint red light flowed between the patterns, as if flames were passing through it.

"This is the Earth Fire Cauldron, the treasure of Crimson Cloud Mountain." The referee who asked the question yesterday came out and explained to everyone, "The bottom of the cauldron is connected to the Earth Fire Spirit Vein, and the purity of the flame is more than ten times that of an ordinary cauldron."

The final test has no formula or restrictions on medicinal materials. You can choose the elixir you are best at making, and the quality of the elixir will determine the winner.

As Xiao Fan looked at the Earth Fire Cauldron before him, the Creation Fire within his sea of ​​consciousness flickered slightly, as if it had triggered some kind of resonance.

Although earth fire is not as pure as creation fire, it is superior in its richness and endurance. If used properly, it is not difficult to refine high-grade pills.

The ten contestants stood in their respective positions, preparing their respective medicinal herbs.

This time, Xiao Fan chose to refine a fourth-grade pill called "Crimson Blood Nourishing Essence Pill". This pill can strengthen the foundation of true essence, and the control of the flame is very strict. If you are not careful, all your previous efforts will be wasted.

He went through the steps in his mind three times to make sure there were no problems before he started.

The firepower of the Earth Fire Cauldron is indeed very different from that of an ordinary alchemy furnace.

Flames rose from the bottom of the alchemy furnace with a powerful momentum. If the heat was not controlled properly, the medicinal herbs would turn to ashes in an instant.

Xiao Fan fused the aura of the Creation Fire with his true essence, transforming it into a gentle yet resilient force that enveloped the earth fire layer by layer, like a tamed steed, turning it from raging to docile.

Several other contestants had already started making mistakes, with black smoke billowing from their furnaces, forcing them to withdraw from the competition. Only two or three people managed to barely control the flames, their foreheads beaded with sweat and their arms trembling slightly, showing signs of considerable strain.

Only Xiao Fan remained calm as always.