Cultivation: From Menial Laborer to Immortal Venerable Section 26

The process was surprisingly smooth; he completed these two steps perfectly.

However, Feng Bao didn't get excited.

Every previous failure had been at the step of merging the medicinal liquids.

For some unknown reason, he followed the refining instructions in the pill recipe for every detail, yet the merge always failed.

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for alchemy!"

With a "might as well try" attitude, Feng Bao began the third step of refining the Pigu Pill: merging the medicinal liquids.

He wasn't sure if it was because he'd changed alchemy rooms or some other reason, but he actually succeeded in the third step!

He felt a mystical, indescribable sensation!

Every sufficiently experienced alchemist had experienced this before.

In their descriptions, at such times, they could often refine pills that exceeded their usual standard.

High-quality pills were often produced during these moments!

Feng Bao's heart raced with excitement!

At this moment, he had a strong premonition.

This time, he would succeed in refining the Pigu Pill, and the quality of the resulting pills would be high.

Riding this feeling, Feng Bao executed the pill-condensing technique.

Streams of incantations flew towards the alchemy furnace.

Under the effect of the incantations, the liquid divided into nine portions, forming into balls.

At this stage, ninety percent of the refining process was basically complete.

"Nailed it!"

Feng Bao smiled slightly, just waiting to open the furnace and retrieve the pills!

As soon as Wei Shangyi entered the alchemy room, he immediately activated the Earth Fire.

But he didn't start refining immediately.

During the time he had been in the alchemy room, he had calmed down.

After careful consideration, he had indeed found a way to deal with it.

From his previous conversation with Old Man Lin, he learned that Old Man Lin was controlling the Earth Fire's eruption to cause refining failures by activating the Earth Fire at a specific time and then estimating the refining duration.

Therefore, he just needed to activate the Earth Fire first, wait for the time it would take to refine a batch of Pigu Pills, and then begin refining the pills.

This way, he could avoid the Earth Fire eruption.

And complete the Pigu Pill refining without interference.

"Haha, I, Wei Shangyi, am a naturally gifted genius, able to find a way out of any predicament!"

As for Zhou Xun, He had seen very clearly just now that Zhou Xun had entered Alchemy Room B-5.

The alchemy room where the Earth Fire erupted!

"Zhou Xun, Zhou Xun, it seems even heaven doesn't want you to pass this assessment!" he said, chuckling sinisterly.

"Although the process had some twists and turns, exceeding expectations, the outcome has ultimately returned to my expectations!" Wei Shangyi finally concluded.

On the other side, in Alchemy Room B-5.

As soon as Zhou Xun entered, he activated the Earth Fire and began refining the Pigu Pill according to the usual procedure.

Except for the first time when he intentionally failed the refinement, in the subsequent dozens of attempts, Zhou Xun consistently produced no less than ten pills per batch.

Furthermore, each pill maintained a standard quality.

With such skill, passing the assessment was naturally a certainty.

What Zhou Xun needed to consider was at what level to control the quality of the Pigu Pills.

He had to avoid attracting undue attention while ensuring he passed the assessment smoothly.

After all, with just a slight misstep, he might end up taking first place.

This was not the outcome Zhou Xun desired.

While others worried about how to refine well, Zhou Xun worried about how to refine poorly.

Elsewhere, that Old Steward Lin Hongjiu.

Since the assessment began, he had taken out the Earth Fire Array control token.

He was closely monitoring those three alchemy rooms.

He was truly dedicated.

He was determined to make the Wei brothers feel they had received excellent value for their money.

After all, a commission worth thirty Spirit Stones was not something he encountered often in his life.

This is a major customer.

Just as he was getting a bit impatient waiting, suddenly, at the light barrier projected by the token, over a dozen fiery red light spots lit up.

"It's starting!"

The old man's spirits lifted, and he quickly looked towards the three alchemy rooms.

Indeed, they had also started!

The elder silently calculated the time in his heart.

After about half an hour, he felt a stir.

"It's time!"

Immediately, he cast a spell!

At the same time, in alchemy room B-8, the Earth Fire suddenly surged!

The pill, on the verge of successful refinement, was agitated by the sudden burst of fire, instantly cracking and then emitting a puff of black smoke.

Following this came a string of curses and shouts.

The elder smiled slightly and cast another spell.

The Earth Fire in alchemy room B-5 also surged.

Astonished cries also came from alchemy room B-5.

The elder's smile widened. Now only the last room remained. After completing this, he could leave with grace and elegance, his identity hidden.

"Third Uncle, Third Uncle!"

Just as he was about to act, a voice suddenly called out from outside.

The elder's expression changed. With a wave of his hand, he immediately put the token into his storage pouch.

He tidied his appearance and opened the door with a calm expression.

"Nephew Ruochang, why have you come?"

Nearly half an hour later, after Lin Ruochang left, the elder closed the door again.

He hurriedly took out the token and opened the light screen to check.

At this time, the Earth Fire in most of the alchemy rooms had already been shut off.

"Fortunately, fortunately, the Earth Fire in B-17 is still on!"

"If I control the Earth Fire to surge now, I will have fulfilled my promise. As for whether it disrupts the refinement, that's not my concern!" the elder thought, and without hesitation, he cast a spell towards the fiery red dot representing alchemy room B-17.

Feng Bao was full of confidence. Finally, he cast a spell, waiting only for the liquid to condense and the pill to be collected.

At the very last moment when the pill was forming, the Earth Fire beneath the pill furnace suddenly surged.

A powerful burst of heat rose, disrupting the balance of the medicinal liquid that was about to stabilize.

The nine pills, already formed into their original shapes, exploded. Immediately, a puff of black smoke rose.

A faint smell of burning wafted past the pill furnace and permeated the entire alchemy room!

Feng Bao stared blankly at everything before him.

"Why!"

"Why did the Earth Fire suddenly surge uncontrollably at the moment the pill was formed, turning his hard-earned pills into ashes!"

Looking at the nine clumps of powder, as black as charcoal, inside the pill furnace.

Feng Bao felt like crying but had no tears.

This was the closest he had ever been to success!

The same scene also occurred in alchemy room B-5.

The difference was that Zhou Xun, possessing Divine Sense, had forcibly controlled the pill furnace to cut off the heat supply the moment the Earth Fire surged.