As Han Xian finished his refinement, a low murmur rose involuntarily in the square. “Did that guy succeed?” Wu Hao, although extremely enthusiastic about combat, was utterly clueless about alchemy. Seeing Han Xian step off the stone platform and hand over the pill to Elder Hao, his brows furrowed tightly.
“It shouldn’t have succeeded. It’s said that when a fifth-grade pill takes form, it should exhibit some anomalies. But earlier, besides a common medicinal fragrance, there were no signs of any anomalies. Furthermore, from Elder Hao’s expression, it doesn’t seem like he saw a genuine fifth-grade pill,” Xun’er pondered slightly before shaking her head gently, speaking in a soft voice.
Hearing Xun’er’s analysis, Wu Hao and the others nodded in agreement, then turned their gazes back to Xiao Yan, who was still fully focused on his refining. “But even if Han Xian failed, he at least managed to submit something. If Xiao Yan ends up with nothing just like the previous two attempts, even if neither of them succeeds, the victory will still be attributed to Han Xian.”
“Let’s just hope Xiao Yan can succeed,” Xun’er said with a wry smile. At this moment, this was all she could do to console him.
Under the intense scrutiny of everyone in the square, Xiao Yan remained oblivious, his eyes fixed on the cauldron. Above the blazing blue flame, a large, pale-red, pure liquid was churning rapidly. Even through the thick cauldron, Xiao Yan could clearly feel the immense power contained within the liquid through the soul force extending into the cauldron.
“The extraction is complete. Next… it’s time for fusion…”
Gazing intently at the churning pale-red liquid, Xiao Yan murmured softly. He had failed here last time, but now, having identified the cause, he split his soul force into two streams, pouring both entirely into the cauldron. One stream suppressed the flame, while the other wrapped around the liquid and suddenly unleashed a powerful compressing force.
Sensing the compressive force, the pale-red liquid began to fluctuate violently. With each wave, an extremely powerful energy ripple surged out, colliding with the invisible giant hand formed by the soul force.
*Bang!*
The cauldron on the stone platform trembled, and a sharp clashing sound emerged. As the cauldron shuddered, Xiao Yan’s face paled slightly. Stamping his foot, he suddenly clenched his fist in the air as if trying to crush the very air before him.
As Xiao Yan tightened his grip, the violently churning liquid in the cauldron suddenly halted. The invisible giant hand of soul force instantly swelled in power. What was once a large mass of liquid now shrunk to the size of a ping-pong ball. However, when it reached this size, it began to resist fiercely, refusing to enter the final stage no matter what.
Xiao Yan’s fair face gradually flushed red under the liquid’s desperate resistance. He hadn’t expected the Dragon Strength Pill to be so difficult to refine; the level of resistance was even greater than that of the Three-striped Green Spirit Pill.
Still, Xiao Yan knew that if he could successfully refine this Dragon Strength Pill, he would likely ascend directly to the level of a Fifth-Grade Alchemist.
The changes in Xiao Yan’s expression were also noticed by the crowd. They had seen the cauldron’s tremor and now held their breath, watching without blinking.
“Refining a fifth-grade pill is already this difficult, I wonder how much harder it would be for higher grades?”
While his soul force grappled with the liquid’s power, Xiao Yan quickly ran this thought through his mind. Taking a deep breath, his face flushed even more, and his right hand, which was hovering over the cauldron, gradually opened before tremblingly closing again. A low, determined growl emerged from his throat: “Condense!”
With that shout, Xiao Yan’s hand tightened abruptly. The tiny liquid in the cauldron, now the size of a ping-pong ball, quivered violently. It shrank rapidly before their eyes, transforming into a small, thumb-sized, pale-red pill.
With the pill formed, the most difficult part was over. Xiao Yan’s forehead dripped with cold sweat as he took several rapid breaths. The previously restrained blue flame slowly released its scorching heat, roasting the irregular-shaped pill.
Unlike Han Xian’s semi-finished product, the pill in Xiao Yan’s cauldron was a true prototype. While its shape was also irregular, its color was vastly different from Han Xian’s mottled semi-finished product.
If someone ate Han Xian’s semi-finished pill, it was uncertain whether they would gain a brief surge of strength or be overwhelmed and die from the chaotic mix of ingredients. No one dared to test it.
Xiao Yan’s pill, though only a prototype, already carried the aroma of the Dragon Strength Pill. While the enhancement from taking it now wouldn’t match a true fifth-grade pill, it at least wouldn’t pose a lethal threat.
From these points, it was clear who the victor was…
Elder Hao, seeing Xiao Yan panting heavily, smiled and nodded. Slowly stroking his beard, he glanced at the pale-faced Han Xian. The latter seemed to realize that his semi-finished product couldn’t compete with Xiao Yan’s prototype.
“Haha, Han Xian, wasn’t I right?” Elder Hao tossed Han Xian’s semi-finished pill, laughing.
Han Xian’s lips twitched, and he replied in a hoarse, forced laugh, “Elder, the competition isn’t over yet… The condensation is indeed the hardest part, but there are still many challenging steps. If Xiao Yan makes even a single mistake, he’ll waste his last chance. By then… at least I’ll still have my semi-finished product.”
“We’ll continue watching, then.” Seeing Han Xian’s stubbornness, Elder Hao smiled and turned back to Xiao Yan.
In the cauldron, the blue flames leapt, turning the cauldron into a furnace. The irregularly shaped prototype pill, under the heat, gradually became smoother, its surface growing more lustrous. From a distance, it looked like a ruby, shining brilliantly in the blue flames.
After the condensation, the subsequent baking and polishing steps were completed perfectly by Xiao Yan. But such precise control left him sweating profusely, his breathing rapid, and his face a shade paler, indicating he was near his limit.
Han Xian, initially disheartened by Xiao Yan’s progress, now sneered at the sight of Xiao Yan’s fatigue, hoping his soul force would deplete.
However, Han Xian’s curses had no effect, and he underestimated Xiao Yan’s resilience. Despite his rapid breathing, his black eyes remained clear, unaffected by external factors.
Staring intently at the cauldron, a dark red pill became visible among the blue flames. Now, the pill, no longer dazzling, looked ordinary, lacking the illustrious appearance of a fifth-grade pill.
Watching the dark red pill, now nearly perfect, Xiao Yan knew the Fifth-Grade “Dragon Strength Pill” was about to take form!
The dark red pill spun in the flames, and as it did, the blue flames’ scorching heat condensed into a twisted, invisible thread, continuously infusing into the pill.
*Dong!*
Suddenly, a ring of dark red energy ripples burst from the spinning pill, crashing against the cauldron’s inner wall with a crisp, resounding sound.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan’s face grew grave. This was the energy chaos caused by the formation of a fifth-grade pill, just like when Master Pharmacist had refined one on the flying beast en route to the Tager Great Desert in the Jia Ma Empire.
*Creak…*
Following the crisp sound, a tiny, yet thunderous noise rang in Xiao Yan’s ears. His pupils contracted as he noticed a small crack spreading across the cauldron’s surface. An exasperated sigh escaped him. How many times had he experienced this?
*Dong!*
Another energy ripple spread from the pill, causing the crack to branch out, spreading across the entire cauldron.
The cracks grew denser, drawing the attention of the crowd in the square. Seeing the pale blue fire leaking through the cracks, everyone gasped, and some female students even covered their mouths in shock.
No one expected such a frustrating turn of events at the critical moment.
Elder Hao’s face changed, his brows furrowing as he watched the cauldron. Then, he saw Xiao Yan, standing behind the cauldron, a resigned smile on his face.
Han Xian, initially stunned, then smirked maliciously. Hearing the series of cracking sounds, his grin widened.
Under everyone’s watch, the spreading cracks on the cauldron suddenly stopped. Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, the dark red pill in the cauldron erupted with another violent energy ripple…
The energy ripple silently contacted the cauldron, and a low, rumbling explosion followed. Shards of the cauldron flew everywhere.
“A single failure ruins everything…” Elder Hao sighed, deeply regretful. If the quality of Xiao Yan’s cauldron had been better, he had no doubt Xiao Yan would have succeeded.
In the square, everyone sighed, feeling the defeat was undeserved.
Stunned by the sudden explosion, Han Xian’s lips curled into a smile. But before he could laugh, a cough came from the white mist, and the footsteps of a somewhat battered, black-robed youth emerged.
Xiao Yan, now with a few black spots on his face, his black robe singed and burnt, gripped his hand, blood dripping from it, splattering the floor in a crimson flower.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s state, everyone fell silent, feeling sorry for him.
Han Xian, equally surprised, quickly regained his composure, stepped forward, shrugged, and said, “Junior Brother Xiao Yan, failure in alchemy is common. Don’t take it to heart. About those three formulas…”
Xiao Yan cast a cold glance at Han Xian, walked past him, and ignored him completely.
This dismissal made Han Xian frown, muttering, “Failed people are always like this…”
Smiling, he turned, but his grin faded, eventually freezing.
Passing by Han Xian, Xiao Yan approached Elder Hao. The latter, thinking of how to comfort this promising young man, saw Xiao Yan extend his blood-stained hand, slowly opening it…
In his palm lay a dark red, bloodstained, perfectly round pill, appearing amidst countless shocked gazes!
“Hehe, Elder Hao, mission accomplished.”
Clutching his chest, Xiao Yan coughed lightly, his soft voice echoing through the square, earning a new respect from many for the black-robed youth.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage