Pill Refining Contest

"Old Man Dan, aren't you a little too confident in that girl?" Shi Gandang muttered softly. "Though her future achievements will surely be limitless, she is still far too young."

He knew the circumstances of the three Shi Clan alchemists on the stage inside out. Though all three were Dou Saints, their soul power was not particularly strong, having only just stepped into the Heavenly Realm. Even the strongest among them had no more than an eighty percent chance of refining a Nine-grade Treasure Pill alone. He found it even less likely that the young Yao Ling could independently refine a Nine-grade Treasure Pill.

"I still have great confidence in that little girl," Yao Dan said with a smile. "Old Shi, just watch."

As they spoke, four enormous medicinal cauldrons condensed from Heavenly Flames appeared in the square, drawing waves of astonished cries. For these four Saint Stage alchemists, no actual cauldron was needed to refine pills. They only needed to use their own Heavenly Flames to temporarily condense medicinal cauldrons. These cauldrons were practically extensions of their bodies; saying they could use them as effortlessly as their own arms would not be an exaggeration.

"Volcanic Stone Flame? Hasn't this Heavenly Flame always been kept by the Yan Clan? How did it appear here?" Yao Ling tilted her head slightly, gazing thoughtfully at the three orange-red medicinal cauldrons beside her. Given how the Yan Clan regarded Heavenly Flames as their lifeblood, they would never loan one to the Shi Clan. Not even a Heavenly Flame ranked seventeenth would be an exception.

"You have sharp eyes, miss. This Volcanic Stone Flame has actually always been a Heavenly Flame collected by our Shi Clan. Four thousand years ago, the Yan Clan paid a certain price to obtain this Heavenly Flame from our clan," the Shi Clan alchemist beside her explained with an honest grin. "Of course, when it comes to controlling flames, they are still more skilled."

"No wonder. I have learned something," Yao Ling said, clasping her hands slightly. She had a very favorable impression of this simple-looking Shi Clan alchemist. The Shi Clan had always been known for their honest and steadfast nature, and seeing them today proved that reputation was well deserved.

"You flatter me. Then what is the name of the Heavenly Flame you use, miss?" the Shi Clan alchemist asked curiously. "Its color is bluish-white, and its form resembles a gale. It does not seem to be any of the twenty-three Heavenly Flames. Yet its power is in no way inferior to the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

"Um, Senior, this Heavenly Flame is called the Azure Spirit Wind Flame. I went to some trouble to have someone fuse it for me." Recalling that awkward scene, a blush rose to Yao Ling's face as she answered sheepishly. "Senior, the demonstration is about to begin. If you have any more questions, I can answer them after it is over."

"No need, no need. I was merely curious," the alchemist said. He understood the implication behind Yao Ling's words and did not press further.

Yao Ling said no more. She removed the Medicine Gourd hanging from her body and flicked its stopper with a finger. More than a thousand medicinal ingredients flew out, hovering above the center of the square. Among that vast quantity of ingredients, an inconspicuous emerald-green speck of light drew the attention of every knowledgeable person present.

"Bodhi Seed!"

Even Shi Gandang, with his exalted status, was slightly astonished upon seeing that speck of light. Every Bodhi Seed possessed the potential to allow a Nine-Revolutions Dou Zun to become a Saint on the spot. If refined into a medicinal pill, that possibility could increase severalfold, but...

"Old Man Dan, if I remember correctly, the Bodhi Pill is only an Eight-grade Nine-color pill, right?" Shi Gandang turned to Yao Dan. "It seems this little girl chose to play it safe for such an important ceremony. Still, it does no harm. At her age, being able to independently refine an Eight-grade Nine-color pill is already extremely impressive."

"Yes, perhaps that is the case," Yao Dan agreed casually. Though Shi Gandang was knowledgeable and well-traveled, he was ultimately an outsider. Only an alchemist like Yao Dan, who knew the ingredients used to refine Bodhi Pills by heart, could notice that the ingredients Yao Ling was using this time differed subtly from those used for a Bodhi Pill...

The three Shi Clan alchemists had naturally noticed that slight difference as well. They exchanged glances. They did not believe Yao Ling would act recklessly at such an important ceremony, and they believed even more strongly that, given her skill in pill refinement, she could not possibly make such a basic mistake. Thus, there was only one possible conclusion.

"She is refining a pill we do not know, most likely a Nine-grade Treasure Pill above the Eight-grade Nine-color Bodhi Pill!"

The three of them thought of this at the same time, then exchanged looks to confirm the answer. Through their gazes, they affirmed the conclusion in their hearts.

"Ha ha, splendid! Young people truly have courage!" The Shi Clan alchemist who had spoken with Yao Ling earlier laughed heartily, his eyes full of admiration. He lightly flicked the Storage Ring on his hand. It gave a crisp chime, and more than a thousand medicinal ingredients emerged in response. Seeing this, the other three followed suit. In an instant, several thousand ingredients hung above the square, creating a spectacular sight.

"Seniors, the time has come. Let us begin," Yao Ling said with a faint smile, her voice carrying a trace of pride. If they were competing in a life-and-death battle of Dou Qi, any one of these three alchemists could take her life within thirty exchanges. But if they were competing in pill refinement, she was confident she was no inferior to any of these seniors. Because she was a member of the Yao Clan!

The moment her words fell, the several thousand medicinal ingredients split into four streams and surged respectively into the four flaming medicinal cauldrons. At such a momentous ceremony, none of the four would hold anything back. After all, each represented one of the Ancient Races to which they belonged!

Yao Ling swept her sleeve, and a vast, tangible surge of soul power erupted forth, enveloping the entire medicinal cauldron. The melting speed of the thousand-plus ingredients within increased severalfold. Within less than an hour, they had transformed into pure energies of every color. Even the Yao Clan elders on the stage were astonished by this display.

"Flower Saint, you have truly given birth to a fine daughter." As the clan's teaching elder, Yao Dao did not hold back his praise. "At such a young age, her soul realm has already entered the Late Heavenly Realm. I have served as teaching elder for more than two hundred years, yet she is the only girl with talent this extraordinary that I have ever seen."

"Yes, I did not expect that whether in soul realm or Dou Qi strength, she would already be not much weaker than I am." The beautiful woman called Flower Saint smiled slightly. Though her aura was much weaker than Yao Dao's, it was still quite formidable. At the very least, she remained somewhat stronger than Yao Ling.

"You praise her too highly, Elder. My daughter has indeed achieved a few things, and we are proud of her. But she truly cannot bear such lavish praise from you." The kindly-faced, slightly plump middle-aged man beside the beautiful woman spoke slowly. Though he said so, the smile filling the corners of his mouth and eyes betrayed his true thoughts.

The Shi Clan alchemists were unwilling to fall behind. With a sweep of their hands, the flames within their cauldrons shot into the sky, and the refinement speed of the ingredients inside visibly increased. Their soul power was far inferior to Yao Ling's, but they possessed abundant Dou Qi, enough to use brute force in place of soul power to melt the ingredients.

Though this method was certainly not as precise as refining ingredients with soul power, they were all experienced masters of pill refinement. The gap in precision could be offset by their extensive experience and age. After all, even the youngest of the three was more than two hundred years older than Yao Ling...