Self-Created Pill Formula

Everyone at the testing grounds held their breath, their eyes fixed in one direction—or rather, on one person!

Gu Fang.

The completion announcements had come one after another, and the one who finished first...

was Gu Fang, the one everyone had pitied!

In less than a minute, he had finished selecting the medicinal ingredients for three pill formulas. That kind of speed...

was simply unheard of!

Throughout the Ancient Clan's cultivation technique inheritance ceremonies, no one had ever reached such a terrifying speed.

Yet after the shock brought by Gu Fang's ghostlike speed, voices of doubt arose.

"Devil, madman—how much time has even passed?"

"Is he really human? This isn't just victory anymore; it's a complete crushing. Can anyone really do that?"

"Maybe he just grabbed three random piles of herbs. How could anyone select the ingredients for three pill formulas in forty-eight seconds?"

The situation on the testing platform could be seen from below, but not everyone had the ability to clearly sense the medicinal ingredients that had been selected!

People were like this. If someone surpassed others by just a little, they were called a genius.

But if they seemed to have gained an absolute advantage, then they became a madman or a devil!

Someone fit to be tied to the stake and burned.

The commotion below had no effect on the other test-takers. They could indeed hear it, and they were shocked as well, but neither their movements nor their pace faltered in the slightest!

Those who could become the strongest among the Ancient Clan's younger generation naturally possessed more than just formidable strength. Their temperament was also exceptional.

The test continued. Gu Fang glanced sideways and met Gu Qingyang's gaze.

Though Gu Qingyang said nothing, anyone could see the shock and disbelief on his face.

At the same time, a crisp voice sounded beside Gu Qingyang.

"Test complete!"

It was Gu Hua.

After Gu Hua finished, one voice after another rang out. This also showed that everyone's abilities were actually fairly close, with only dozens of seconds separating them.

But precisely because of this, Gu Fang, who had taken less than a minute, stood out like a crane among chickens.

About two minutes later, everyone had finished. As though they had agreed beforehand, they all turned their gazes toward Gu Fang.

There was no helping it...

Gu Fang's performance could no longer be described as merely outstanding.

Perhaps "eye-catching" was more fitting.

Gu Dao, hidden in the void, wore a helpless expression. As a high-ranking Dou Saint, it had been many years since such helplessness had appeared on his face.

Gu Dao had not expected...

that even after he had arranged things this way, Gu Fang could still turn the situation around.

The people below were still doubting, but as pillars of light descended from the heavens and pressed down, every doubt vanished. The first pill formula was correct!

The second pill formula was correct. Before the third pillar of light could descend, no one present had any doubts left. All that remained was heartfelt admiration.

Overwhelming strength had already shattered every voice of doubt.

"This time, you win!"

Gu Dao chuckled and casually spoke to Elder Han, who was hidden in the distance.

Gu Dao and Elder Han were both Dou Saints, and due to the forces behind them, they were fairly familiar with one another. Their conversations naturally carried a degree of casualness.

Gu Dao sent a soul transmission, intending to enter the testing grounds after receiving the other man's smug reply.

But Gu Dao had not expected...

that after sending his transmission, he received no response at all.

Gu Dao raised his eyes in confusion. The instant he did, the space before him twisted, and a strange ripple flashed into existence, instantly connecting to the distance.

Almost at once, the distorted space transformed into a clear mirror, revealing two figures.

They were Gu Nanhai and Elder Han.

Gu Dao swept his gaze over the two of them, but instead of seeing triumph on Elder Han's face, he saw worry.

Before Gu Dao could send another soul transmission, Elder Han had already raised his head and waved his hand. Drawing upon the power of space, he instantly shattered the spatial mirror!

"What happened?"

Gu Yuan asked casually.

"Nothing. Things seem to have gotten interesting."

Gu Dao replied. Then he extended his perception toward Gu Fang on the testing platform below. With Gu Dao's Heaven Realm soul power, a casual sweep was enough for every medicinal ingredient in the three piles to enter his mind.

The next moment, the confusion on Gu Dao's face vanished. He turned to look at Clan Chief Gu Yuan, and before Gu Dao could speak, Gu Yuan had already spoken. "As expected, Fang'er was too anxious and made a mistake!

What a pity... and what a delight!"

As Gu Yuan's final word fell, the towering pillars of light all descended, shining upon the medicinal ingredients of each participant. One golden beam after another shot into the sky, yet among the ten golden pillars, one blood-red pillar was glaringly conspicuous.

On the testing platform, gold represented success—a match for the pill formula. But blood-red meant...

there was an error in the medicinal ingredients chosen for the pill formula!

And the one corresponding to that blood-red pillar...

was naturally Gu Fang.

Gu Fang lightly closed his eyes, his breaths alternating between deep and shallow. His soul power swept over the ingredients shrouded by that final blood-red pillar as the pill formula and the properties of every ingredient continuously spun through his mind, interweaving, merging, matching!

Gu Fang had not been wrong, nor had the ingredients he deduced been wrong. Yet there was one thing he had failed to notice: an ingredient known as Greenwood Vine Tendril...

had excessively long root tips, which had snagged and shifted two other medicinal ingredients.

Strictly speaking, such a minor issue could have been discovered with a brief inspection, but...

Gu Qingyang had moved far too quickly at the time. There truly had been no time.

If Gu Qingyang took first place, then he could only be second. That would still have been quite good, but when combined with the first round, he would completely lose his chance to inherit the Ancient Sage Treasure Codex.

Moreover, Gu Fang had possessed more than enough confidence in his choice of medicinal ingredients. Yet it was precisely that confidence...

that had dragged Gu Fang from the throne of success into the abyss.

All his previous efforts would turn into nothing but an illusion.

"Failed? There was a problem with the ingredients for the final pill formula?"

Such thoughts arose in the minds of the other participants and spectators alike, but after those thoughts emerged, no one voiced a mocking remark.

Everyone was watching Gu Fang, their eyes filled with both astonishment and regret!

It was true that Gu Fang had failed the third formula, but the time he had taken was right there for all to see. In less than a minute, he had selected the ingredients for two pill formulas, which was already enough to prove his ability.

No matter the final result, Gu Fang had already earned everyone's respect through his own strength.

Gu Dao let out a soft breath and glanced sideways at Gu Yuan. "Clan Leader, I'll go over. Fang'er did well!"

As his words fell, Gu Dao's figure vanished, only to appear atop the testing platform.

With a wave of his hand, the eleven towering pillars of light instantly disappeared. He swept a meaningful gaze over Gu Fang before turning to Gu Qingyang. "This test has concluded.

First place, Gu Qingyang. Second place, Gu Hua. Third place, Gu Xing..."

"Wait..."

A sudden voice interrupted Gu Dao. It was Gu Qingyang.

Gu Qingyang clenched his fists tightly. His black eyes flickered as though he were making an extremely difficult decision, until he finally suppressed that flicker with resolve. "Elder Gu Dao, as the first-place winner of the pill test, I request a retest."

"Hmm?"

Hearing Gu Qingyang's words, Elder Gu Dao furrowed his brow slightly. Even without Gu Qingyang explaining, Elder Gu Dao knew the reason...

Pride!

The pride possessed by the Ancient Clan's finest younger generation.

Everything Gu Fang had done had already proven his overwhelming strength. He was the strongest of the younger generation—at the very least, in this field, he was unquestionably the strongest.

Whether Gu Qingyang himself or the others watching from the sidelines, all acknowledged this point.

Though according to the current results, Gu Qingyang was first, still...

in a certain sense, he would never truly be first!

Facing the strength of one's opponent head-on was one of the qualities the Ancient Clan strove to cultivate in its younger generation.

"I, Gu Hua, request..."

"I, Gu Yao, request..."

One voice after another rang out. Everyone raised their right hands, and requests spilled from their lips one after another.

As Gu Dao listened to those youthful voices by his ear, his expression did not change in the slightest. Yet his soul power continuously lingered over Gu Fang, Gu Qingyang, and the other participants.

However, Gu Dao immediately made his decision: the results would stand, and there would be no retest.

After all, the main purpose of this had been to teach Gu Fang a lesson. Only the loss of something sufficiently important could leave a sufficiently unforgettable impression, allowing Gu Fang to acknowledge... that this world had never been fair.

If the test were redone, then that purpose would not be achieved at all.

Just as Gu Dao had made up his mind and was about to speak, Gu Fang slowly opened his tightly shut eyes. His lips parted, and a calm voice slowly emerged from his mouth.

"There's no need for a second test. Rules are rules. Even unfair rules are still rules. You never know what situation you're about to face."

Only...

Only absolute strength could shatter all injustice!

Retreat!!!

As his words fell, Gu Fang slowly raised his right hand and lightly brushed his Storage Ring. A massive object crashed down with a boom.

Three-legged and round-bellied, its entire body grayish-yellow—it was an Alchemy Cauldron.

His left hand gently stroked the cauldron as his gaze settled on Gu Dao. He spoke softly, "Elder Gu Dao, if I remember correctly, if one successfully refines a medicinal pill using the selected medicinal ingredients, then that counts as passing too, correct?"

Hearing Gu Fang's words, Gu Dao first frowned. Then, a trace of surprise appeared on his usually impassive face before he nodded lightly. "That's right."

What surprised Gu Dao was naturally not Gu Fang's talent as an alchemist. With his strength, a sweep of his soul had already revealed that Gu Fang's affinity was fire with a trace of wood.

What surprised Gu Dao was...

Gu Fang's words—he intended to use those medicinal ingredients to refine a medicinal pill!

The testing platform Gu Fang and the others used was a supreme treasure of the Ancient Clan, and the Ancient Clan was one of the strongest ancient races on the Dou Qi Continent. It could be said that they possessed nearly every pill formula on the continent.

The earlier red markings indicated one thing: the medicinal ingredients Gu Fang had selected did not match any pill formula recorded by the Ancient Clan.

Without matching a pill formula, it should have been impossible to refine a medicinal pill.

Yet Gu Fang had said...

He could refine one!!!

Then there was only one possibility: he had created his own pill formula!