Chapter 1725: Breaking the Toxin, Condensing the Pill

In the hall outside the chambers, Elder Liu and Deacon Li watched the screen. The disciples were using various methods to break the red pill. Most were analyzing the properties and seeking counter-elements—the most common and effective method.

Others took the opposite approach, attempting to decompose the pill into its original ingredients to find the recipe. This was much harder, as similar materials could be substituted for one another during refining, leading to inaccurate analyses that could leave a candidate disoriented.

The two elders watched the various methods. Most were taught within Huangqi Valley, but some were outside techniques. The amber jade bowl used by the handsome youth required a specialized artifact; its success rate depended largely on the user’s personal alchemy skill and herb knowledge.

Deacon Li was focusing on nine people, including Li Yan. He glanced at Li Yan before moving his gaze to the others. Li Yan and two others were performing very normally, proving their alchemy was decent and the recommendations weren’t baseless.

Li Yan would have been pleased to know he had fooled two alchemy experts. However, the other six were in trouble. Some were sweating profusely, paralyzed by the analysis. Others had produced a pile of treasures to test the pill, but their movements were chaotic and lacked sequence. Deacon Li recorded their behavior.

One unfortunate candidate had even trapped himself in a hallucination while testing the pill. He had been screaming in his room for a long time. Deacon Li had no intention of helping; since it wasn’t lethal, he would let the man go mad inside.

Time flew. Four hours in, some candidates had already placed their slips in the teleportation array to request materials. Elder Liu and Deacon Li paid them no special attention; being first didn’t mean they were certain of success.

…

Inside his room, Li Yan’s red pill was ninety percent gone. He had been testing various antidotes he possessed—a standard method for alchemists to confirm toxicity by seeing which existing remedies had an effect.

However, everyone in the selection knew this specific pill wouldn’t be easy to break. It was specially crafted by elders for the assessment. Most standard antidotes would be ineffective against the specific criteria of neutralizing it within a hundred breaths. Candidates used existing antidotes to gauge the reaction, recorded their judgments, and used that as a reference.

Li Yan looked at the remaining scrap of the pill. He picked up a blank jade slip and quickly recorded dozens of materials. After a moment of thought and a final confirmation, he sent the slip into the teleportation array. With a hand seal and a low rumble, the slip vanished in a flash of white light.

Li Yan estimated the time: four hours had passed. He had long since identified that a combination of two Fragmented Poisons could suppress this hallucinogenic toxin. Having his result, he spent the remaining time pretending to scrape and analyze the pill. In reality, he was mentally calculating which combination of herbs could mimic the effects of those two toxins.

He had tried to mimic his toxins with pills before. The effects were far inferior to the real thing, but they shared enough similarity to be useful. He didn’t need to match the Fragmented Poison perfectly; he just needed to neutralize the target pill. By adjusting the proportions of the ingredients slightly, he could produce wildly different results, preventing anyone from seeing anything amiss.

He pondered how to pass this selection. There were three stages. He had originally planned to give his all in every stage to reach the top ten. He hadn’t expected the first stage to play so perfectly into his hands. He had researched toxins for too long; they were part of his body. His only worry was hiding his technique.

‘The final ruling is based on the aggregate. I don’t know what the next two stages are, so I can’t afford to hold back for the sake of staying hidden. I must take first place in this stage…’

Even if it made him stand out, he had to ensure a top ten finish for Senior Sister Bai’s sake. He couldn’t afford to be too safe.

Through the formations, he could see the hall outside. It was a one-way mirror, allowing candidates to gauge the progress of others without seeing into other rooms. Li Yan had observed the situation and decided to act at the four-hour mark. Most were still in the analysis phase. Even if someone started refining now, it would take about two hours. Even for a high-level Alchemist, the success rate for a 4th-grade pill wasn’t perfect.

A incense-stick’s time after sending his request, the formation flashed with white light. A storage bag appeared. Li Yan beckoned, and it flew to him. He scanned it—every material he requested was there. Elder Liu had warned against asking for rare items, so he had chosen a mix of common and moderately valuable materials to avoid looking like he was using a “cheat” recipe while still appearing professional.

He pulled the materials out. A massive pile of herbs and a glowing green beast bone surrounded him. He performed a hand seal, and within seconds, the Grade Six Earth Fire erupted. It was crimson with a blue core. Huangqi Valley’s fire control techniques worked perfectly on these standard tools.

He didn’t need delicate control. With his strength and Divine Sense, he could achieve eighty percent effectiveness with ease. He struck another seal, and a pillar of fire shot up from the center, hitting the base of the cauldron. The room’s temperature skyrocketed. The patterns on the cauldron blossomed like glowing flowers. Within breaths, the air above the cauldron distorted from the heat.

Li Yan raised the lid with spiritual power. He sent the herbs and the bone inside, and the lid slammed shut.

Three hours later, the cauldron began to hum. His pile of materials was half-depleted. He had prepared two sets—a standard practice for alchemists to ensure they could try again immediately if they failed.

‘I didn’t expect to succeed in one go, and ahead of schedule,’ Li Yan thought, sensing the interior. However, he knew why. This “antidote” was likely barely functional or even a failed pill by standard metrics. He only cared about two things: it had to form a solid shape, and the cauldron couldn’t explode. As for impurities, he didn’t care if it was entirely slag, as long as it looked like a pill. This removed the usual constraints of refining.

He was also prepared for the worst: if the first batch didn’t solidify, he would refine the second into a medicinal liquid. It would make his skill look lower, but he only cared about the top ten ranking.

Just as he sensed three pills forming in the cauldron, his expression shifted. He had kept a strand of Divine Sense on the outside world.

In three breaths, two doors opened, and two candidates walked out!