Close on His Heels

The so-called Competitive Pill Formula is a unique creation of the Star Luo Pill Pavilion, a fine product developed by True Man He.

The Competitive Spirit Pill produced by this Pill Formula has no special effects; it can neither enhance cultivation nor heal injuries or remove poisons. It exists solely for the purpose of the act of "elixir refining."

But precisely because of this, it abandons all utilitarian purposes and purely tests the Alchemist's understanding of the nature of medicinal properties, intuition about the flow of heat, and most fundamentally, that innate Alchemy Talent.

The combination of ingredients in Competitive Pill Formula may seem simple, but it actually contains many intricacies. There are multiple correct or even better paths to follow in the order of melting the medicinal materials, the subtle changes in the heat, and even the timing of the fusion of the medicinal liquids.

Those with exceptional Talent can quickly grasp the essence of Pill Formula formula and find the most suitable refining method for themselves through the Unseen spiritual intuition.

Those with mediocre Talent, even if they exhaust all the materials and try repeatedly, may never be able to grasp the essence, and the finished product they produce will only have the form but fail to capture the spirit.

To quickly and intuitively assess an Alchemist's true Alchemy Talent, simply give them a Competitive Pill Formula they are encountering for the first time to refine.

It can be said that a large part of the reason for this Alchemy Competition was to hold it for Su Bai!

True Man He wanted to see for himself just how high Su Bai's Alchemy Talent was!

True Man He sat upright in the center of the high platform, his gentle gaze sweeping over the numerous Alchemist. Seeing that the time was ripe, he said no more, simply waving his sleeve lightly. "Let's begin."

As soon as he finished speaking, the council members standing on both sides immediately activated their Method Formula.

Several council members activated the nearby Illusion Recording Array, which will record the entire process of this alchemy competition.

"Brother Lu, this Pill Formula... it's quite intricate, it's making my head spin."

Han Yanzi, standing beside Jade Slip, his brows furrowed, and couldn't help but complain to Su Bai in a low voice.

He has immersed himself in the Dao of Alchemy for decades, and his experience is undeniably extensive.

But faced with this Competitive Pill Formula that abandoned the traditional path and directly targeted the core of Talent, he felt powerless for the first time.

Many solutions came to mind, but I always felt something was missing, and I couldn't grasp that crucial clue.

In Su Bai's opinion, his Alchemy Talent was roughly at the Second Tier (ordinary genius) level, and its limitations were now becoming apparent.

"Brother Hanyan, please rest assured. The Jade Slip contains five sets of materials, which are sufficient for attempting the deduction."

"Just practice the method you're most confident in first, and focus on understanding the process," Su Bai reassured him gently, his hands continuing their work.

With a slight thought, the Alchemy Furnace, which he had obtained from the Star Luo Pill Pavilion and was of quite good quality, flew out of his Storage Bag, grew in size upon seeing the wind, and landed steadily in the empty space in front of him.

At this moment, he understood why the spaces between the Prayer Mat were so wide.

This space was reserved for everyone to Divine Ability and refine elixirs at this moment.

Su Bai immersed his Spiritual Sense into the Jade Slip, carefully studying the seemingly simple yet infinitely varied Pill Formula.

Just a few breaths later, he closed his eyes and rapidly deduced the scenario in his mind.

The Yellow Tier Talent [Candle Heart Reflecting Fire] quietly activated, igniting a spark of spiritual light deep within the Consciousness.

With the aid of this Alchemy Talent, the medicinal properties of dozens of first- and Second-tier Spirit Medicine recorded in the Jade Slip, the hundreds of possible interactions between them, and the different results caused by differences in the order of refining and the heat, were rapidly presented and combined as if peeling away layers of an onion.

The special effect of [Candle Heart Reflecting Fire], which "significantly improves the success rate of Pill Formula analysis and refining," is now on full display.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, several clear and efficient refining paths had already taken shape in Su Bai's mind. He could even predict the quality and quantity of pills that each path might achieve.

"Indeed, with my current cultivation level and understanding of spirit medicine, I am most adept at handling Competitive Pill Formula that primarily focus on the first and Second Tier tiers."

Su Bai made up his mind and no longer hesitated.

While most people on the field were still pondering over the Jade Slip slip or cautiously processing the medicinal materials, Su Bai opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

He waved his hand slightly, and a pure and peaceful Alchemy Fire leaped from his fingertip and fell into the bottom of the furnace.

Thanks to the unique Principle and environment of the Illusory Fire Secret Realm, this Alchemy Fire was more agile and active than in the outside world, as if it possessed a faint sense of sentience, and responded to Su Bai's Spiritual Power control with incredible speed.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

He acted with lightning speed, methodically feeding the pre-sorted spirit medicine into the Pill Furnace.

Whether it's done first or later, or the whole plant or just a part, the timing is perfect.

Under Su Bai's exquisite Fire Control Technique and the extraordinary medicinal perception granted by [Candle Heart Reflecting Fire], the medicinal herbs in the furnace quickly transformed into pure medicinal liquids of various colors, probing and blending with each other, yet precisely controlling the heat just before chaos ensued, guiding them towards the predetermined reaction path.

The entire process was smooth and effortless. Although the elixir was newly refined, there was little awkwardness or clumsiness; instead, it had a natural and seamless flow.

An hour later, the Pill Furnace in front of Su Bai began to hum slightly, and a faint, strange medicinal fragrance mixed with the Mu Qing wafted out from the gaps in the furnace lid.

The Spiritual Power within the furnace is becoming stable and harmonious, indicating that the Pill is about to take shape.

Su Bai's heart stirred slightly. "Non-Self can win first place?"

But just as this thought arose in his mind—

"The pill is complete!"

A clear, melodious sound came from not far away, accompanied by a richer, purer medicinal fragrance spreading out.

Su Bai's gaze shifted slightly, and as expected, the first one to successfully refine it was none other than Lan Alchemist Lan, the disciple of Qian Lu, a master of the Golden Pill Sect and possessing Yellow- Yellow Tier Talent!

With a calm expression, Alchemist Lan skillfully tapped the furnace lid, instantly revealing the scene inside to everyone.

One hundred Longan- sized, uniformly colored, milky-white Spirit Pills were spinning around, emitting a faint spiritual light.

The entire batch of pills was complete, and judging by its quality, it had already reached the "excellent" level that the Competitive Pill Formula could theoretically achieve!

To reach such a level on the very first encounter truly makes Alchemist Lan's reputation as a genius alchemist well-deserved.

"Indeed, among Fellow Daoist Foundation Establishment Realm on this Alchemy Street, the only one whose Alchemy Talent can openly rival mine is probably this Alchemist Lan."

Su Bai understood, but he was not discouraged; on the contrary, his fighting spirit rose slightly.

After successfully collecting the pills, Alchemist Lan's expression remained Clear and Cold, but a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flickered across his eyes as he glanced at his nearly perfect finished product.

Instead of refining the remaining materials, he put a hundred Competitive Spirit Pill into Jade Bottle and handed it to the council member who came to collect them. Then he put away the Pill Furnace, closed his eyes and sat quietly, looking like he was waiting for the conference to end.

Clearly, he was extremely confident in his first attempt at refining, and did not believe that anyone present could surpass it.

Shortly after Alchemist Lan handed over the pill.

"Buzz--"

Su Bai's Pill Furnace also emitted a deep, steady sound, and the furnace lid opened.

Inside the furnace, about sixty or seventy milky-white Spirit Pills floated quietly. The number was less than that of Alchemist Lan's full pills, and upon closer inspection, their color and roundness were also slightly inferior. However, they had already taken shape and stabilized, with spiritual light contained within, undoubtedly a successful refining.

"So fast?!"

"He succeeded too? This is the first time!"

"Look at this finished pill. Although its quality is slightly inferior to that of Alchemist Lan, it is still extremely rare!"

Astonished gazes immediately fell upon them from all around.

To be able to successfully refine this pill so close to Alchemist Lan is already a testament to one's extraordinary abilities.

Many Alchemist were still figuring things out, or even whose first attempt had failed, looked at Su Bai with disbelief.

Han Yanzi, standing beside him, gaped slightly. His first attempt at furnace firing had just ended in an explosion, and he was cleaning up the charred slag. Seeing this, he couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile, his opinion of his neighbor rising even higher. "Comparison is the thief of joy!"

Even the alchemist Lan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them again. His gaze fell on the dozens of spirit pills in Su Bai's alchemy furnace, and a hint of surprise flashed in his cold eyes before he frowned slightly.

He could naturally see that Su Bai's batch of pills still had room for improvement in the details, but to achieve such a level on his first attempt at Pill Formula that his Talent... should not be underestimated.

A subtle sense of crisis quietly crept into his heart.

On the high platform, True Man He took in the scene below, his face calm and composed, but his heart was stirred with subtle emotions.

With his vision and cultivation far surpassing everyone else present, he clearly saw the entire process of Su Bai's first refining, including the subtle adjustments, the occasional flashes of inspiration, and the potential displayed when the pill was finally formed.

"This child's Talent is indeed extraordinary. What he lacks is nothing more than the inheritance of experience and system. Given time, his achievements may not be inferior to Lan Yan's." True Man He stroked his beard and pondered, his determination to take him as a disciple growing stronger.

Director Fang Yuan approached Su Bai and asked gently, "Alchemist Lu Jiu, are you going to hand over the pill now, or continue refining the remaining materials?"

Su Bai looked up and met the gaze of Alchemist Lan in the distance; their eyes briefly met in the air.

Su Bai's lips curled into a slight smile, revealing a calm yet confident expression. He said to Fang Yuan, "Thank you for your trouble, Director Fang. I choose to continue refining."

"Good." A hint of appreciation flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes as he stepped back, leaving space for Su Bai.

Without pausing for a moment, Su Bai immediately began processing the second set of materials.

With the complete experience from the first attempt, coupled with the terrifying "tenfold success rate boost" and self-optimization ability of the [Candle Heart Reflecting Fire] Talent, the second refining process entered a different rhythm from the very beginning.

Several subtle adjustments were made to the order in which the medicinal materials were added, and the fluctuations and transitions in the heat were more decisive and in line with the changes in the medicinal properties. Even during the fusion stage of the medicinal liquid, Su Bai boldly tried a fusion method that was not explicitly mentioned in the Jade Slip, but which he judged to be more efficient based on his Talent intuition.

Just as Su Bai was immersed in his second attempt at perfection, the sounds of success and failure began to echo across the square.

Most Alchemist completed their first attempts, with some rejoicing and others lamenting.

Alchemist like Wei Chun, who have honed their skills through years of experience, can only produce Pill are barely formed, lacking brilliance and of mediocre quality, clearly failing to truly grasp the essence of the Pill Formula.

Those with limited Talent, like Han Yanzi, encountered even more problems, with explosions and burnt smells frequently emanating from the oven, eliciting sighs from everyone.

The cruelty and fairness of Competitive Pill Formula lies in the fact that it almost strips away the protective layer brought by experience, revealing the most essential talents of Alchemist in their rawest form.

Those who lack Talent, no matter how hard they rack their brains, will find it difficult to grasp the essence of the art.

Another hour or so passed quietly as they focused on the refining process.

When Su Baidan's alchemy furnace emitted that soft, auspicious sound once more, many people's attention was inevitably drawn to it.

This time, the sound of the stove lid opening seemed more steady, and the aroma of the medicine wafting out was purer.

The scene inside the furnace caused a glint of light to flash in the eyes of the council members who had been watching closely, and even in the eyes of True Man He on the stage.

One hundred!

One hundred milky-white Spirit Pills, each round and plump, with a uniform jade-like color, emanated a lingering spiritual light, slowly rotating inside the furnace to form a small Whirlpool of spiritual light.

Its quality has reached an excellent level, and it looks to be on par with the batch refined by Alchemist Lan before!

A brief silence fell over the room, followed by a low murmur of surprise.

Another batch of fully-filled pills?!

"This quality... seems to be no worse than Alchemist Lan's batch!"

"He's only refined it twice! This Talent..."

Several pairs of eyes focused on Su Bai.

Han Yanzi had already stopped cleaning, staring blankly at the hundred gleaming Spirit Pills in Su Bai's furnace. After a long while, he murmured, "Monster... truly a Monster..."