usatvline Chapter 419 Alchemy Competition 0.5
Chapter 419 Alchemy Competition 0.5
"Aren't there too many people being eliminated?" Elder Du Qing whispered to Elder Huo Yan beside him.
"Really?" Elder Huo Yan remained cheerful and gentle, nodding towards the remaining alchemists: "Aren't there still so many people persisting?"
Elder Du Qing's eyes widened suddenly: "You don't actually intend to eliminate them all in this round, do you?!"
Elder Huoyan just chuckled and remained silent.
Elder Du Qing: "..."
He felt that his old friend usually seemed kind and approachable, and also the easiest to talk to.
But when it comes to really tormenting people, they're the ones who torment the most.
Elder Du Qing felt a pang of sympathy for the disciples below.
But he neither called for a halt nor announced any changes to the rules.
The disciples who came to watch were puzzled by the quiet yet bustling arena.
After a brief explanation from the eliminated alchemist standing nearby, everyone finally understood.
Repairing the incomplete manual, and then thinking about those missing techniques, just by putting them into perspective, one can understand how much work and how valuable this task is. After all, no one has ever completed those incomplete manuals before.
Cheng Jiu had already stopped to recover her consciousness for the third time, and she had already accurately selected ten pill formulas that were easy to repair from the incomplete manual in her hand. The repair progress was at least 55%, and the one that was 60% complete was even 80%.
The more incomplete the pill formula, the harder it is to repair. Cheng Jiu felt that this thing was even more difficult than calculus in his previous life. That was the basics, this was advanced!
As time goes by, more and more people are abstaining, most of whom have already done their best and there is no way to improve the situation.
One by one, the alchemists left. This fifth round truly became a furnace for alchemists, revealing at a glance whether what was refined was pure gold or silver.
Liu Shaoyuan stopped his divination and looked regretfully at the jade slip in his hand. The fragments he drew were much better than Cheng Jiu's. At least five of the fragments were more than 60% complete, and some were even 70% complete!
Therefore, his progress in repairing products was much faster than others. However, he started with the easy parts and then moved on to the difficult ones. After he finished repairing the Dan manual with a 56% completeness rate, he was able to repair the manual.
He was completely stumped.
Previously, I could still find clues and refine my deductions, but now I am completely clueless when faced with this alchemical manual. White crane seeds, iron fir needles... are all auxiliary ingredients. Where is the main ingredient?
He turned to other alchemy manuals, but none of them had a higher success rate than this one. He looked at them all but still had no clue. He was stuck here!
Time passed slowly, and Liu Shaoyuan, who still couldn't find a solution, became increasingly anxious, especially since his familiar senior sister around him was clearly not hindered and was making steady progress.
But the more anxious he became, the less effective his approach became. After several fruitless attempts and reflections, Liu Shaoyuan decided to let go of his worries.
Sometimes people don't need to be so stubborn!
Liu Shaoyuan glanced at the figure ahead. "Junior Sister Cheng Jiu, keep going! I believe in you."
On his way out, Liu Shaoyuan ran into Wen Sishu, who had also abstained from the contest. The two, in the same boat, exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh with relief.
"You abstained too!"
"Aren't you too?"
The two laughed again. With someone by their side, the gloom of giving up and feeling frustrated seemed to dissipate considerably.
There were still quite a few alchemists left in the arena. Everyone held their breath and focused on the training. Both the alchemists and the audience knew what kind of trials they were going through.
Finally, the first person in the arena began refining pills!
Senior Sister Yingyue!
It was as if her actions had sounded a horn, and people began to start their furnaces one after another.
Xueyuan, Zhaoyan, Anqi... Familiar and unfamiliar, though few in number, they are astonishing enough.
Is it possible that so many people were able to complete such a difficult competition?
Cheng Jiu was also nearing the end of the repair process. Six out of ten pill formulas were completed, and the remaining few were only missing a few spiritual herbs.
Cheng Jiu exhaled a breath of turbid air, closed his eyes to rest, and realized that repairing the pill formula consumed too much mental energy, making it unsuitable for subsequent pill refining.
The heat emanating from the fire vein was both scorching and warm, and the little green flame greedily absorbed the energy emanating from the fire vein.
Cheng Jiu also opened his eyes and started refining pills!
Most of the spiritual herbs were in the rings that were distributed, and some even contained more than one. Cheng Jiu secretly suspected that the Medicine Alliance might have already completed the collection of these kinds of pill formulas, which was why they were so complete.
Otherwise, if they finally manage to repair the pill formula only to find that the spiritual herbs inside are not in their storage rings, who knows how many disciples would break down!
No wonder, even though it was only the sixth round of alchemy, the number of spiritual herbs in the ring was unusually large. I thought it was a trap to mislead people, but it turns out it was preparation for this.
The forces from outside are keeping a close eye on every alchemist who starts refining pills, for these are the future leaders among alchemists!
Although most of them are disciples of the five major sects, what if, what if a few slip through the net?
Even if you don't, if you encounter these disciples in the future, it's best to befriend them and never make enemies.
Just look at Medicine King Valley to see how protective and xenophobic alchemists can be.
Among the disciples who started alchemy, those from Medicine King Valley had the most!
This is normal. In previous years, Medicine King Valley stood out, but this time, Guiyuan Sect has fewer people, so it seems they can share the spotlight.
The fact that Guiyuan Sect obtained a large number of high-level resources was not a secret among the five major sects, and these forces had heard about it after so long.
They couldn't help but reassess the strength of the Guiyuan Sect and consider how to find an opportunity to befriend them.
The Guiyuan Sect was willing to share the high-level cultivation techniques that Cheng Jiu sent with the other four sects, but the other forces were unaware of this.
Cheng Jiu refined ten batches of pills, and the fifth round of the competition gradually came to an end.
Those who succeeded started working on it, but after realizing they couldn't finish and the ovens exploded a few times, they all voluntarily gave up.
Ten days had passed, and the alchemists present could not hide their exhaustion.
Although it is common for alchemy practitioners to go into seclusion for ten days or half a month when they reach a critical stage, and even at the level of Elder Huoyan, it is common for them to spend a year or ten years refining a single grade nine pill.
But this is a competition!
They refined over a dozen batches of pills in one go, which was a double drain on both their mental and physical well-being. When have these alchemists ever tormented themselves like this?
They are alchemists, not livestock!
With nearly two-thirds fewer people in the fifth round of the competition, the gap became increasingly apparent. By now, only a handful of alchemists outside of major sects remained.
Most of these alchemists have apprenticeships, and their masters are mostly ninth-grade alchemists.
This also shows that alchemists rely not only on talent, but also on solid foundation.
The seats were rearranged again, and Cheng Jiu could now see Senior Sister Yin Yue and Senior Brother An Qi.
The two of them looked behind Cheng Jiu at the same time, and Cheng Jiu also turned slightly to the side.
Then you see a trembling quail, and the alchemy furnace in front of him seems to vibrate in response to his emotions.
Ah! This scene is so familiar!
Is it going to explode again?
The boy's glassy eyes seemed to notice her gaze as well, sensing the increasing number of eyes watching them from all around.
boom!
The familiar explosion rang out!
The firelight enveloped the world, and the young man, somewhat aggrieved, took out the last alchemy furnace from his ring.
He's the type of person who explodes when he's nervous. He's made a lot of preparations for this alchemy competition, but this is the third time, and he's out of spare alchemy furnaces!
The commotion naturally attracted Elder Huoyan's attention. This was the third time this had happened, and even Elder Huoyan, who was experienced and knowledgeable, couldn't help but take a second look.
"Whose disciple is that?" Elder Huoyan was very curious about this disciple who always caused trouble, and asked his old friend beside him.
“My brother’s disciple!” Elder Duqing replied casually.
"Hmm? Your brother isn't..." Elder Huoyan fell silent, cautiously scrutinizing his old friend, afraid of displeasing him.
Elder Duqing had many younger brothers and sisters, but the only one he could acknowledge was probably that one. The two were not brothers from the same father and mother, and there was a five-hundred-year age difference between them.
When his youngest brother was born, his birth mother abandoned her son and went on a journey alone.
His birth mother was a rogue cultivator, and Elder Duqing's father only had one-night stands, but happened to get pregnant and gave birth to Elder Duqing, his youngest brother.
Elder Du Qing's family is considered a large family. His father was the previous patriarch and is now the family's Grand Elder, a powerful figure at the Tribulation Transcending Realm. The family has its own set of parenting mechanisms for its children.
But his father thought that Elder Duqing had no sons and had not taken on any disciples.
He spent his days cultivating and refining pills, with no entertainment whatsoever. Perhaps feeling lonely, he sent his newborn son to Elder Duqing to be raised.
It can be said that this younger brother was raised by Elder Duqing, who was both his father and his disciple, and both of them had a talent for alchemy.
They had all heard how much Elder Duqing doted on his younger brother.
Even at occasional small gatherings, Elder Duqing would bring his younger brother along.
Unfortunately, fate is cruel to the talented. A hundred years ago, his younger brother disappeared while exploring a secret realm, and later news of his death followed.
Unexpectedly, he has an apprentice who seems to have exceptional talent!
"Yes! I've been teaching her all along!" Elder Duqing didn't mind; a hundred years had passed, and even the most difficult hurdles had passed.
"No wonder, but isn't that kid a bit too timid?" Upon hearing this, Elder Huoyan mustered his courage and pointed it out.
He claims to be his younger brother's disciple, but what difference is there between him and his own disciple? Besides, Elder Duqing has no other disciples besides his younger brother.
Elder Duqing was somewhat helpless upon hearing this. Of course, he knew that the boy had shown signs of illness since he was a child.
He has a good talent for alchemy, but the money he earns from alchemy is less than what he spends on exploding his furnace.
Du Qing tried to correct it, but it was due to his constitution, and he couldn't control it.
Fortunately, he had his senior uncle, otherwise, given his tendency to explode the furnace when he got nervous, he probably would have been sentenced to death before his alchemy talent was even discovered.
After all, who is so rich as to have so many alchemy furnaces to blast? His current situation is good, which is already the result of Elder Duqing's efforts to correct it.
When he first started practicing alchemy, his alchemy furnace was constantly being blown up like firecrackers.
The seating arrangement was also suggested by Elder Duqing. He usually has several spare alchemy furnaces, and Elder Duqing knew this too. He just wanted to cure his habit of exploding furnaces.
He never expected that this kid would be so disappointing!
Yi Feng was unaware of his master's dilemma. At this moment, he was staring at the alchemy furnace in front of him with a bitter and resentful look. It was the last one. It absolutely could not explode. If this one was gone, wouldn't he have to use pure fire to refine pills?
The more anxious one is, the more unstable one's emotions become. And the more unstable one's emotions are, the more violently the alchemy furnace vibrates.
Yi Feng: "..." Help!
Cheng Jiu noticed the still restless alchemy furnace. Was it about to explode again?
The tremors gradually subsided amidst everyone's apprehension.
The sixth round of competition has begun.
The fifth round consumed too much elixir, so the sixth round is destined to be easier.
Of course, that doesn't mean it's easy. In front of each person appears a tray with a lump of something whose appearance, shape, and color are unknown.
It's so ugly it's almost unbelievable, and it's also very easy for people to associate it with bad things.
These are all discarded pills randomly selected by the Medicine Alliance from the alchemists below, and of course none of them are poisonous.
The sixth round involves writing down the medicinal herbs used in refining the failed pills and then refining them successfully yourself.
The failed pills placed here are all among the most difficult to refine among sixth-grade pills, and the reasons for their failure are varied and bizarre.
Simply put, most of these pills are based on existing formulas in the cultivation world, and the alchemists who have reached this level are all well-versed in the subject and may have even learned specific formulas.
The difficulty lies in the fact that this whole thing has all sorts of reasons for failure; perhaps the medicinal herbs were damaged during the refining process or they were simply forgotten to be added.
The rules refer to the medicinal materials used in the failed pills. Even if you know the pill formula, you won't get any points if you're missing even one ingredient. Even if you're not missing any ingredients, you still won't get any points if the formula isn't complete.
This is a great test of an alchemist's control over the refining of pills. Without experience and keen senses, it is impossible to make a judgment.
Cheng Jiu stared intently at the lump in front of him, momentarily at a loss for what to do. If it weren't for the rule that this was a waste pill, Cheng Jiu wouldn't have believed that such an ugly thing could exist. Could this really be refined in a pill furnace?
Could it be that other alchemists, with perfectly normal expressions, picked up the items from the plate, skillfully sniffed them, and some even scraped off some powder with their fingernails and tasted it to make their judgment?
They've seen waste pills before, and they even occasionally create some waste products themselves.
Although those who selected these discarded pills might have been picking the ugliest ones, after all, they had never refined anything so ugly.
Cheng Jiu mentally prepared himself, picked up the pill and held it to his nose. A burnt smell with a strange stench hit him, and Cheng Jiu almost vomited!
What on earth is this stuff made of?!
Disgusting!
Cheng Jiu's eyes trembled violently, as if he had made great preparations in the depths of his heart before he steeled himself, scraped off a bit of powder from the waste pill, and put it in his mouth.
An overwhelmingly sweet taste shot straight to the top of my head!
How much honey did they add?!
That's right, Cheng Jiu knew from the taste that this was brewed by sixth-grade yellow horse bees, and it should be royal jelly used by the queen yellow horse bee.
Cheng Jiu was very curious about who the alchemist who refined this pill was.
This elixir caused her immense harm, in every sense of the word.