Qian Qian was genuinely concerned for Lin Xuan; she didn’t want him to beco a laughingstock for the crowd.
But Lin Xuan was completely unfazed. "Don’t worry, I won’t lose," he said. "I’ve refined top-tier, second-grade elixirs before. My chances of winning are quite high."
With that, he stood up and strode forward. With a wave of his hand, he summoned an alchemy furnace and declared loudly, "Co on, then! Let’s compete."
The crowd erupted in an uproar. This kid was actually going to compete with Qin Xingchen in alchemy!
"Sigh, isn’t he just asking for humiliation?"
"This kid is too arrogant."
"Does he think that just because he defeated Qin Xingchen in the Martial Dao, he can continue being arrogant in the Alchemy Dao?"
"He’s mistaken this ti. He can’t possibly surpass Qin Xingchen."
"That’s right. Among the younger generation, I’ve never seen anyone whose alchemy technique surpasses Qin Xingchen’s."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and no one was optimistic about Lin Xuan’s chances. Even Qian Qian was taken aback.
"Lin Xuan, get back here!" she urged, stamping her foot anxiously, wanting to pull him back.
But Qin Xingchen wouldn’t give her the chance. From his perspective, this was the perfect opportunity for revenge! He had lost to Lin Xuan in the Martial Dao, but he would win back his pride in the Alchemy Dao. He wanted to utterly disgrace his opponent, to make him kneel and tremble at his feet.
With this in mind, he leaped forward. "Alright, let’s have a showdown then," he declared. "We’ll have Immortal Yu be our judge."
Immortal Yu nodded and looked around, asking, "Does anyone else wish to compete?"
Everyone shook their heads. They had no desire to humiliate themselves.
"Very well, then the two of you may begin your competition," Yu Shiqie said with a smile. She didn’t know Lin Xuan and didn’t think much of his prospects; her confidence was in Qin Xingchen. Although Qin Xingchen was wicked, his talent for alchemy was undeniably top-notch. If she were to choose an alchemy genius, it would most likely be him.
It’s over, Qian Qian’s face fell upon hearing this. Now that Yu Shiqie had spoken, it was too late to stop anything. All she could do was stand aside anxiously. If Lin Xuan loses, I’ll take him away at once so no one has a chance to mock him.
"Boy, I’ll soon show you what a true alchemy genius is," Qin Xingchen sneered.
With a wave of his hand, he produced an alchemy furnace. It was a black furnace, carved with four lifelike tigers that encircled it, seeming to cradle the furnace in their palms.
"It’s the Divine Tiger Pill Furnace!" the surrounding people exclaid. It was an exceptionally high-grade alchemy furnace, of a level that even veteran alchemy masters rarely possessed.
The crowd watched the scene with amazent, and the other young alchemy prodigies were incredibly envious. They all dread of owning such a furnace.
"Can I refine any elixir? Then I’ll begin," Qin Xingchen said with a confident smile. He ca from a family of alchemy masters and had been practicing with the elders since he was a child. He was certain no one could surpass him in alchemy technique.
However, Yu Shiqie shook her head. "I will decide the elixir you are to refine, and I will provide the dicinal materials."
With that, Yu Shiqie waved her hand, and two boxes erged from her storage ring. With a graceful point of her finger, the boxes flew over to Lin Xuan and Qin Xingchen, landing gently at their feet.
"The elixir you are to refine is a second-grade pill: the Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill."
This was a very special elixir. Its grade was only second-grade, which might not seem high, but it was incredibly difficult to refine because it required continuous refinent of the dicinal materials. Refining the materials once produced a One-Turn Peiyuan Pill; the number of refinents determined the number of turns. The most powerful Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill was extrely hard to create. Even high-grade alchemy masters found it challenging.
"What you two will be refining is the Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill," she continued. "Whoever refines the pill with a higher number of turns will be the final winner. However, I must remind you, the box contains only one set of dicinal materials. This ans you only have one attempt. Failure ans elimination."
The crowd was once again in an uproar. To think they would be refining the Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill! This was a true test of an alchemy master’s skill, especially their ability to refine dicinal materials.
Many of the young alchemy prodigies frowned, feeling lucky they hadn’t participated. Otherwise, they would have surely failed.
One of them said, "Although I’m a second-grade alchemy master, I estimate I could only manage a Three-Turn Peiyuan Pill at most."
"Indeed. Refining dicinal materials is extrely difficult and is a crucial step in alchemy."
"Just one refinent is hard enough, let alone multiple in a row."
"Three consecutive refinents is my limit. Any more is impossible."
"As for the legendary nine refinents, that’s completely impossible."
"Alright, which of you will go first?" Yu Shiqie asked.
Lin Xuan opened his box and said, "Let see the pill recipe first. I’ve never heard of this Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill before."
Though Lin Xuan had never refined it, he wasn’t worried. From what everyone was saying, the key to this pill was extracting the dicinal power, and for him, that was the simplest task of all. The Heaven-Burning Fire he cultivated was a supre thod for just that.
"Very well. Young Master Qin may go first, then," Yu Shiqie said nonchalantly.
The others were stunned.
"Is this kid really a second-grade alchemy master? He’s never even heard of the Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill?"
"How ignorant!"
"Exactly! The Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill is one of the most famous second-grade elixirs. Many alchemy masters specifically refine it to improve their skills."
"This kid has never made it before, and he dares call himself a second-grade alchemy master?"
"I bet he isn’t a second-grade alchemy master at all. He’s probably just a first-grade one who’s all talk."
The crowd sneered relentlessly. Qian Qian also had a bad feeling. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like Lin Xuan could succeed.
As for Qin Xingchen, he just gave a disdainful smirk.
He ignored Lin Xuan, waving a hand to open the box at his feet. His other hand ford a seal, and a black fla suddenly materialized in his palm. The mont the fla appeared, a searing, domineering aura swept through the great hall. Many people’s bodies trembled slightly.
So of the alchemy prodigies gasped, "The Nether Spirit Fire!"
"Rumor had it that Qin Xingchen possessed a type of spiritual fire. It turns out to be true!"
They had only ever heard that Qin Xingchen was a brilliant alchemist but had never seen him in action. This was the first ti they were witnessing his process, and naturally, the first ti they saw him wield a spiritual fire.
Seeing this fla, the crowd stared, completely awestruck.
Qin Xingchen smiled smugly. He directed the spiritual fire into his furnace, and the black flas imdiately began to churn. Then, with a flick of his other hand, a dicinal herb flew from the box and into the furnace. Throughout the process, he carefully controlled the fla, beginning to lt the herb and extract its essence.
The entire crowd stared with wide eyes, watching his every move. Even Yu Shiqie’s gaze held a hint of expectation.
As for Lin Xuan, he was still squatting on the ground, studying the pill recipe for the Nine-Turn Peiyuan Pill.
The crowd laughed at the sight. Is this kid really not giving up?
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