And Tempering An Unsullied Body - Chapter 59

As the name implied, the rules of the competition were straightforward. Everyone refined pills together. Whoever refined the most powerful pill would be the final winner.

“The competition is divided into three rounds. The pill needs to be refined within the stipulated time. If the time is exceeded, or the cauldron explodes midway, or the pill does not meet the standards, it will be considered a failure.”

“If any cheating or framing of the opponent occurs, once discovered, it will be considered as a forfeit. You will be immediately expelled and your eligibility to participate will be permanently revoked.”

“I’m looking forward to everyone’s performance.”

The voice of the old man rang out from the judges’ seats. It was deafening, as if he was close at hand. One could see that his face was amiable, his beard and hair were all white, and his body was emitting various medicinal fragrances. Everyone could not help but feel their spirits jolt.

“It’s Alchemy Emperor Lu! Alchemy Emperor Lu is here too!”

Someone recognized Lu Haoxuan’s identity and immediately became extremely excited. Who did not know that Lu Haoxuan had hidden from the world for many years, devoting himself to researching Flawless pills, and had rarely been seen?

Even at the Capital Dao Conference, he had refused to appear many times. Many had never thought that he would actually appear here this time.

“If I can win this time and gain the favor of Alchemy Emperor Lu, not to mention being chosen by him as a disciple, even getting a few pointers from him would be immensely beneficial.”

This was the Alchemy Emperor’s guidance. Many people came because of his fame and wanted to pay him a visit, but were rejected by Lu Haoxuan. Not everyone could meet the world-famous Alchemy Emperor, and there were countless people who wanted to obtain medicinal pills.

Now that this great opportunity was placed in front of everyone. The distance between them and the Alchemy Emperor was so close!

For a moment, the eyes of all the alchemists became bright, and a fierce fighting spirit rose in their hearts.

Everyone rubbed their fists, hoping that the Alchemy Emperor would take a fancy to them or give them some pointers. From then on, not only would their path of alchemy be smooth, they would at least be able to solve many problems.

Compared to most of the alchemists who seemed to be on stimulants, Gu Xi appeared exceptionally calm. Suddenly, his gaze paused, and he saw a woman standing at the front of the crowd, leisurely and independent.

Her green dress was like a lotus flower that had been cut open. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as if a pool of spring water had bloomed. As she walked, green waves appeared, and the hem of her dress created ripples. It was as if a cool breeze had brushed past her face.

She was like a lotus flower that had bloomed in the middle of summer. She stood tall and graceful as she stood alone, unconsciously attracting the attention of the people around her. It was none other than Baizhi. As the Alchemy Emperor’s disciple, she had also participated in this competition.

Her status was naturally priceless. She was ranked at the top along with the other super forces. Gu Xi was almost standing at the back of the team, and the two of them looked at each other from afar.

Baizhi seemed to have noticed the gaze, turned her head, and disappeared. Her beautiful eyes swept across the bustling crowd, as if it was her illusion just now.

At this moment, the crowd had already begun to move. Baizhi drew a spell with both hands, and with a flash of inspiration, a small and exquisite cauldron appeared in front of her.

On it were carvings of flowers, birds, fish, and insects. It looked lifelike and full of vitality. It formed a small world of its own, as if it was about to come to life. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that it was definitely not an ordinary item.

Her slender jade-like hand swept over the medicinal herbs and threw them into the cauldron. The entire process was smooth and unhurried, and her every movement was indescribably elegant. It was as pleasing to the eye as a landscape painting.

Baizhi was young, she looked like she was in her twenties. After all, she was the Alchemy Emperor’s disciple, so no one dared to underestimate her.

“The first round’s requirements are very simple. Refine a fifth grade, the Origin Convergence Pill. Although the grade of the pill isn’t high, this Origin Convergence Pill is extremely difficult to refine. The difficulty isn’t any less than those of the sixth or seventh grade.”

“As expected of the Alchemy Emperor as the judge. The requirements are actually so strict. Even the task for the first round is so difficult. I wonder how many people will be sifted out.”

Looking at the situation in the arena, everyone discussed animatedly. It turned out that although this Origin Convergence Pill was a fifth grade medicinal pill, as the name implied, it was in the words ‘Origin Convergence’. This required the alchemist’s aura to be very stable during the process of refining the pill, there could not be any mistakes.

Otherwise, if there were any small mistakes, such as the medicinal ingredients had not completely fused or the temperature was right, it would cause the inner Origin Qi of the pill to leak out, resulting in the eventual inability to refine the Origin Convergence Pill.

Therefore, the conditions for refining the Origin Convergence Pill were extremely harsh, to the point of being picky. There was no room for any deviation. This was a headache for many alchemists.

Not long after, they saw black smoke rising slowly in the arena. This meant that some of the participants had lost their Origin Qi in the process of refining the pill. That was why there was such a scene.

Wisps of black smoke dissipated into the wind one after another.

Many people revealed dispirited expressions. A failure in refining meant that everything had to be redone. The alchemists did not have that much time to repent and blame themselves, so they could only start over.

Although refining the Origin Convergence Pill was not easy, there was one thing that was worth rejoicing over. Its medicinal effects were relatively mild, so there were still very few cases of cauldrons exploding.

However, it was already half past the time and everyone was intensifying their refining. Everyone’s expressions were grave. The spectators on the sidelines took a glance out of the corner of their eyes and discovered that at the back of the team, there was actually someone who had not even taken out his cauldron!

It was a little out of place with the tense atmosphere on the competition grounds.

“What’s going on? Am I seeing things? It’s almost half past the time of the competition and there’s actually someone who hasn’t even taken out his tools. What is he doing?”

The others hurriedly looked over as well. That person was none other than Gu Xi. He refined medicinal pills as he pleased, relying entirely on his own fumbling. It was not Orthodox, and no one had ever given him any guidance, relying on his own understanding.

It could be said that he was completely blind. Even refining the Flawless medicinal pill back then was an accident.