Alchemy is an extremely time-consuming endeavor, particularly when refining elixirs. It often takes ten days to half a month, and such situations are not uncommon. The people present understood this well, so they did not show any impatience during the long wait. Most of those who could make it to the Holy Pill City had some strength, and the necessary patience was a must-have quality.
Under the countless expectant gazes, time slipped away quietly. In the blink of an eye, five days had passed. During these five days, the sky remained relatively calm, but occasionally, low, rumbling sounds emerged—these were due to problems that occurred during the alchemy, leading to the explosion of alchemical furnaces.
In these five days, a small number of alchemists successfully refined their pills. However, as soon as their pills were refined, they realized their participation in this competition was over. The higher the grade of the pill, the longer it took to refine. Thus, they were essentially relegated to the bottom ranks.
The crowd’s attention did not linger on the few who had completed their pills. Instead, most eyes were fixed on Cao Ying, Song Qing, and other renowned alchemy masters. They knew that the contest among these individuals would be the most exciting part of the Alchemy Gathering.
During these five days, Xiao Yan also experienced a mishap once. While fusing the Frost Bone Ginseng, a very minor discrepancy led him to decisively discard it and choose to refine it again. Fortunately, during the second fusion, there were no further errors. After all, Xiao Yan only had two sets of these herbs, and if he failed again, he would have to find another way.
When the fifth day’s sun rose to the center of the sky, Xiao Yan’s slightly closed eyes slowly opened. With a serious expression, he watched the alchemical furnace, where three masses, either liquid or dust-like substances, floated in the rising flames. Though these three things looked inconspicuous, they exuded a dense and pure medicinal force, which was breathtaking.
These three items were the results of Xiao Yan’s work over the last five days. Now that the extraction was complete, the next step was to perfectly fuse them together and refine them into a prototype pill, ultimately completing the pill.
Fusion is a crucial step in alchemy, and with Xiao Yan’s limited herbs, the fusion could not afford to fail. Failure would not only waste time but also consume a significant amount of energy. Refining this level of pill was already exhausting, and sustaining it for long periods was impossible.
While maintaining his concentration, Xiao Yan quickly glanced at Cao Ying, Mu Gu Lao Ren, and others. They were all seriously controlling the flames within their alchemical furnaces, from which a dense wave of energy spread.
“These guys’ alchemical furnaces are extraordinary, suppressing most of the herbal fluctuations. Otherwise, I might be able to guess the grade of the pills they are trying to refine,” Xiao Yan sighed inwardly, seeing their intense focus. He then quickly refocused his mind, drew in the scorching air of the sky, and turned his serious gaze back to his alchemical furnace. With a thought, the glimmering Heart Lotus Flame swept out, enveloping the three refined medicinal liquids!
Fusing the medicinal power is a step that demands a high level of control from the alchemist. Any slight mishap would render the entire effort futile. Therefore, this step was exceptionally important. Xiao Yan, naturally understanding this, concentrated his vast soul power in every corner of the alchemical furnace, instantly receiving feedback on the slightest changes.
With such meticulous attention, the fusion fortunately did not go awry. Although the fusion process was incredibly slow, no one dared to speed it up. Stability was the key.
Fusing the medicinal power required the longest time among the various steps of alchemy, and Xiao Yan’s fusion lasted almost ten days before it neared completion.
Time passed like sand through fingers, and in a blink, nearly half a month had gone by. More and more participants successfully refined their pills, causing the air to be saturated with a potent medicinal fragrance. A single breath dispersed the fatigue from the long wait.
Although more and more participants succeeded in refining pills, none of the pills managed to summon the Pill Thunder. The strongest one merely attracted dark clouds, but without any thunder, let alone the true Pill Thunder.
No one was too disappointed, as they knew the Alchemy Gathering was gradually reaching its climax. The pills already being refined were now at the Sixth Grade, and it wouldn’t be long before Seventh Grade pills appeared.
Xiao Yan paid no heed to the outside commotion. His gaze remained fixed on the alchemical furnace. After ten days of fusion, a small, egg-shaped object about the size of a fist appeared in the rising flames. This object was the result of the fusion of hundreds of medicinal herbs, though it was only a very preliminary form of the pill.
Despite not being a fully formed pill, the most difficult step had been overcome. Now, as long as Xiao Yan maintained his composure, he could complete the Life Bone Blood Fusion Pill!
However, some nurturing time was still needed.
“Boom!” A low, rumbling sound reverberated through the somewhat heated sky, drawing the attention of countless gazes upward. A dark cloud, emanating a low, rumbling noise, had appeared in the sky—clearly indicating the formation of Pill Thunder.
“Pill Thunder? A Seventh Grade pill has appeared!”
At the sight of the heavenly phenomenon, the square buzzed with excitement. Countless eyes converged on a stone platform, where a middle-aged man gazed at the thunderclouds in the sky with elation. He was the first to summon the Pill Thunder.
The appearance of the Pill Thunder caught Xiao Yan’s attention. Half-closed eyes briefly opened, and he glanced at the thunderclouds. Shaking his head, he deduced that, given the weak Pill Thunder, the pill likely belonged to a low-grade Seventh Grade.
Turning his gaze back to Cao Ying and the others, Xiao Yan’s heart skipped a beat. He could faintly sense the energy fluctuations from their alchemical furnaces. From the trajectory of these fluctuations, it was clear that these guys were not working on ordinary pills.
“The pressure is indeed immense. I wonder if the Life Bone Blood Fusion Pill will be enough to win. If it isn’t, I’ll have to consider the last resort.”
Smiling bitterly, Xiao Yan pushed the thought aside and focused on observing the situation. The final measure was just a last resort.
Just half a day after the first Pill Thunder appeared, another thundercloud formed, even more powerful than the first, indicating that someone had refined a better pill.
In the following days, the atmosphere became lively, with Pill Thunder appearing almost every day. Some were more intense than others, but according to Xiao Yan’s estimates, the highest-grade pills were around mid-Grade Seven.
The constant appearance of Pill Thunder made the square exceptionally lively. The previous drowsiness dissipated, and each time a Grade Seven pill appeared, it attracted many covetous gazes. Such pills were extremely attractive to most strong cultivators, save for those who had already entered the Dou Zun realm.
As Pill Thunder, a rare sight, became a daily occurrence, the number of stone platforms with active alchemical fires decreased. By the end, fewer than fifty remained, but everyone knew that those remaining were the top-tier figures in the Alchemy world. The champion of the Alchemy Gathering would likely emerge from this group!
As the alchemical fires on the dozens of stone platforms rose, the atmosphere in the sky subtly grew tense and serious. Everyone understood that the most intense confrontation of the Alchemy Gathering was about to begin!
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