As soon as Wu Changfu finished speaking, he slashed his hand, and an astonishing energy fluctuation immediately spread in the space in front of him. The void space was torn open with a crack tens of feet wide, and within it, the remaining Origin Qi continuously suppressed the repeatedly healing space.
"You have half a month to throw the pills you have successfully refined into the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron for refining, and to retrieve the Fragrance- Fragrance-Nurturing Pill from Black-Maned Clam's mouth. However, it is best to pass this test before the spatial rift heals. Those who fail to do so will be eliminated."
Wu Changfu, resonant reminder, his imposing gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan looked at the pitch-black medicine cauldron beside him with some surprise. Through the fire hole, he could indeed see a black clam shell the size of a washbasin floating inside the cauldron, and his eyes immediately showed astonishment.
"It really is Black-Maned Clam, tsk tsk tsk... Pill Tower really has a masterful hand!"
Somewhat embarrassed, Xiao Yan took a deep breath and then exclaimed in amazement.
Hearing this, Xiao Siyu nodded repeatedly, her expression extremely solemn as she said:
"Nearly ten thousand Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, and these Black-Maned Clam —these are indeed things only the Pill Tower has the capability to produce. Putting aside the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, the Black-Maned Clam are rare creatures that grow by absorbing the fragrance of pills. Even some alchemy grandmasters are already astonished if they can cultivate just a few in their lifetime. The Pill Tower actually managed to produce so many at once, and even their size far exceeds those I have seen before."
Leaving aside the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, the Soul-Suppressing Stone, is something that most aristocratic families possess. However, the Black-Maned Clam is different; across the entire continent, only alchemists are likely capable of raising it.
This thing wasn't born that way; rather, it was nurtured and cultivated by an alchemist with medicinal liquid when the spirit clam was young. After it grew up, it fed exclusively on the fragrance of elixirs, and after a certain number of years, it was able to condense Fragrance-Nurturing Pill within its body. The energy contained in this thing was no less than that of Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone.
It can be said that the Fragrance-Nurturing Pill is one of the few Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone on the continent that can be created by human effort. Therefore, for alchemists who are unable to find High-Grade Spirit Stone, the Black-Maned Clam has become a rather good pet.
"Bang bang bang..."
Just as Xiao Yan and Xiao Siyu were marveling at the two extraordinary treasures before them, a series of sounds of cauldrons being opened suddenly came from the arena. Looking around, they saw that many people were already sitting cross-legged in front of the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, throwing the pills they had just refined into the cauldron and beginning to refine them.
Although the Black-Maned Clam feeds only on the fragrance of elixirs after it matures, if an alchemist refines the elixirs into a kind of energy and incorporates it into the catfish, it can achieve a similar effect. However, due to the different refining results, the coarseness of the Pill Qi itself will also differ, which will affect the Black-Maned Clam's absorption speed.
Furthermore, given the unique nature of the Return Fire Pill, no one can guarantee that there won't be any medicinal impurities that weren't removed during the double refining process, which greatly increases the difficulty of refining it into Qi.
Moreover, with the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron providing external support, the special pressure not only causes the Black-Maned Clam Shell to close tightly, but more importantly, it affects the alchemist's control over the flame. If the fire is not controlled properly, destroying the pill is a minor matter; the real danger is that if the energy within the pill goes out of control, the cauldron could be destroyed and the alchemist could die.
"Puff!"
After exchanging a glance, Xiao Yan and Xiao Siyu each walked to a Soul-Suppressing Cauldron. With a single open mouth, a ball of Heavenly Flames shot out, colliding with the cauldron and simultaneously opening its lid, allowing the flames to then shoot into it.
However, the moment the fierce Heavenly Flames entered the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, an astonishing pressure immediately struck. Even though Xiao Yan was prepared, the Heavenly Flames he threw into the cauldron was instantly extinguished under that pressure.
"This level is definitely not easy to pass!"
He exclaimed inwardly, took a deep breath, and then Xiao Yan his hand, sending an even more ferocious ball of Heavenly Flames into the cauldron. At the same time, his immense Spiritual Strength rushed into it, forcibly dissipating the enormous pressure emanating from the cauldron. The ferocious Heavenly Flames immediately began to burn wildly inside the cauldron.
Within the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan had also used the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron to hone his Soul Power. In fact, the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron within the clan was much heavier and more substantial than the one currently in use. However, judging from the pressure released from the cauldron, the former was far inferior to the one in front of him at the Pill Tower. This was likely related to the black cauldron in the sky. After all, ever since Wu Changfu control of it, even the arena had been faintly permeated with that soul-suppressing aura.
"Call!"
Feeling the astonishing pressure still emanating from the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, Xiao Yan slowly let out a long breath. After concentrating slightly, he flicked his finger and threw the Return Fire Pill, which had just been refined and had advanced to the seventh rank, into the cauldron. Then, under the careful control of the Heavenly Flames, it slowly floated to a few inches above the Black-Maned Clam in the center of the cauldron and began to carefully refine it.
"Puff!"
While Xiao Yan officially began the slow refining process, elsewhere in the arena, some unlucky alchemists, either due to momentary carelessness or by placing the flame and the pill together in the cauldron, burned their pills to ashes before even starting the refining process. After a sigh of resentment, they helplessly left the arena.
After a few cups of tea's time, the many alchemists on the platform began the refining process one by one. However, compared to the dazzling scene of flames flying in the previous stage, the scene now appeared much calmer. But if a careful observer looked closely, they would find that the situation inside those Soul-Suppressing Cauldron was not as calm as it seemed on the surface.
Three days later.
As time slowly passed, the huge crack in the sky that Wu Changfu had carved out had unknowingly shrunk a little, and many Tier Six Alchemist left the platform below one after another.
The remaining people focused all their attention on the medicine cauldron in front of them.
At the same time, they were somewhat alarmed to discover that as the number of people leaving increased, the eerie oppressive force within the uncontrolled Soul-Suppressing Cauldron seemed to be distributed among them, the alchemists. As a result, whenever an alchemist left, they could sense the change in pressure within their own cauldrons.
By the eighth day, the number of alchemists on the platform had decreased by nearly one-fifth compared to when the Pill Gathering began. Now, all the alchemists who could sit on the platform were at least at the high level of the sixth rank.
The real competition will unfold among them.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
Inside a certain Soul-Suppressing Cauldron, the raging fire that was originally clinging tightly to the inner wall of the cauldron had now uncontrollably shrunk by nearly half. Helpless, it had no choice but to unleash the full power of the flames to once again resist the astonishing pressure emanating inward.
In the center of the medicine cauldron, a huge clam shell covered with black bristles floated silently.
A few inches above it, a pill was spinning rapidly, surrounded by a thin, faint flame. Beyond that flame, another layer of flame barrier and Spiritual Strength enveloped it, separating it from the third outermost layer of raging fire.
Under the intense heat of the central flame, the outer layer of the elixir melted into a shimmering liquid that flowed and rose into wisps of mist with a slight sizzling sound. Then, under the deliberate control of the Heavenly Flames, it floated into the crevices of the clam shell and silently merged into it.
This process may seem simple and casual, but each step requires a large amount of Spiritual Strength to complete, and there can be no slackening throughout the entire process, especially in resisting the enormous pressure inside the Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and controlling the different temperatures of the three layers of flames. If you are even slightly distracted, the entire refining process will fail.