The alchemy competition lasted thirty days. The disciples of the Middle Three Realms could not yet withstand the power of time or command its methods, so there was no way to speed up their alchemy.
The sect had also chosen those thirty days as a small trial of the disciples' character.
Thirty days without sleep posed no problem even for a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. But thirty days of nonstop alchemy, with magical power draining away and the mind under constant strain, demanded caution even from a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Thirty days was the limit: either they refined the pill or they did not. Choosing what to make and judging the timing were crucial. The sect also wanted to see who grew impatient or reached beyond their grasp.
Nor would the sect sit idle during that long stretch. It tested the Lower Three Realms disciples in alchemy, talisman-making, and artifact refinement at the same time.
For a while, several of the Hundred Cultivation Arts competitions ran together, presenting such a dazzling spectacle that spectators hardly knew where to look.
Some disciples were resting and gathering their strength. But every disciple still competing could look up and see the five seats of East Heaven. From the three Pure Yang Dao Lords Dejing, Jingxuan, and Xuanming to Xuanche Immortal Monarch and Jiang Sheng, not one had left his or her seat from beginning to end.
The sect's patriarchs, Immortal Monarchs, and True Lords remained on their Cloud Beds, watching the disciples perform. This gave the disciples tremendous encouragement. Many in the Lower Three Realms surpassed themselves while refining pills or drawing talismans, turning in exceptional performances. Others, proud and overambitious, fell short at the final step.
That was only to be expected. Those in the Lower Three Realms were still young and