Chapter 228: Astonishing the Audience (1)

[A/N: We are just a few more golden tickets away from reaching another milestone!!]

The horn signaling the start of the second round of Alchemy blew, and the atmosphere in the square became even more solemn and heavy than the first round.

The Reversal Holy Spirit Pill was a standout among Saint King Rank Medicinal Pills. Its effects were heaven-defying, capable of helping Saint King Realm experts reverse a portion of their Saint Power at critical moments to briefly enhance their combat strength or repair Dao injuries.

Its difficulty of refinement was like night and day compared to the Saint Breaking Pill.

The remaining hundred contestants were all skilled in the Dao of Alchemy. At this moment, every one of them had a solemn expression and was fully concentrated.

The medicinal ingredients before them, whether in type or quantity, far exceeded those of the first round, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations they emitted were also more dense and complex.

Almost everyone, including Ye Wuhen, Su Yingxue, Feng Lingxiao, and the Saints and Saintesses of the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land, immediately channeled their most prized flames.

The faint roar of Beast Flames sounded as lights of various colors shot into the sky, reflecting off the Alchemy Furnaces with shimmering brilliance. The air distorted slightly due to the high temperature, and the fragrance of medicine mixed with the heat of the fire, creating a unique atmosphere.

However, when everyone’s gaze habitually swept toward that one figure again, they couldn’t help but freeze.

Chen Chuan was still standing in the same spot. As his fingertips guided the hand seals, what rose from beneath the Alchemy Furnace was still that ordinary Earth Fire, crimson with a hint of dusky yellow.

"He... he actually still dares to use Earth Fire?" On the VIP seats, Ye Qingfeng almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Then, an undisguised sneer appeared on his face as he turned to Mu Qing and said:

"Old Ghost Mu, is this Disciple of yours arrogant beyond measure?"

"A Reversal Holy Spirit Pill! This isn’t comparable to a basic saint pill like the Saint Breaking Pill! Using Earth Fire? Who does he think he is? The Reincarnation of an Alchemy Emperor?"

Hai Yan also shook his head repeatedly, his tone filled with schadenfreude:

"The temperature of Earth Fire is more than peaceful enough but lacks explosiveness. It is already a stretch to temper Saint King Rank ingredients, let alone provide the extreme control and instantaneous burst of power required for the Fusion of the ’Reverse’ medicinal properties."

"Mu Qing, it seems your Disciple was just lucky in the first round. This time, he will surely be exposed."

Wang Shishan sneered even more: "Heh, I’m afraid he won’t even be able to fully refine the ingredients. It would be heaven-defying luck if he manages to form a pill at all. As for quality? I doubt it will even reach Low-Grade. Just wait for him to be eliminated."

Hearing the repeated taunts from his three old rivals, Mu Qing, who originally had quite a bit of confidence in Chen Chuan, couldn’t help but frown slightly.

A trace of worry did indeed rise in his heart.

He knew all too well that refining a Saint King Rank Medicinal Pill had extremely high requirements for the flame.

Earth Fire was indeed too ordinary.

What on earth was this kid Chen Chuan planning?

Could he really be confident in controlling a Saint King Rank pill with Earth Fire?

But thinking of Chen Chuan’s shocking performances at the Taiyi Holy Land and his unfathomable Comprehension, Mu Qing felt a bit more at ease.

After all, Chen Chuan could refine Great Saint Grade Elixirs; a mere Saint King Rank Medicinal Pill should be well within his grasp.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his worry, and once again put on that reckless and proud expression, tilting his chin up:

"Humph! You three old geezers don’t know a thing! The highest Realm of the Dao of Alchemy lies in the heart, in the intent, and in the insight into the essence of medicinal properties."

"Flames are but tools! My Disciple Chen Chuan has long transcended the shackles of external things. Even grass, trees, bamboo, and stones can be turned into pills. In his hands, even mere Earth Fire can turn the mundane into the miraculous."

"Forget a Saint King Rank pill; even if it were a Saint Emperor Pill, he could refine a Top-Grade one using Earth Fire."

"What? Refining a Top-Grade Saint King Rank pill with Earth Fire?" Ye Qingfeng laughed out loud as if he had heard the world’s funniest joke: "Old Ghost Mu, have you Cultivated so much that you’ve lost your mind? How can you say such nonsense?"

The several Myriad Medicine Sacred Land Elders beside him also couldn’t help but smile, shaking their heads in amusement.

A lean Elder stroked his beard and said:

"Fellow Daoist Mu Qing, it is understandable to be protective of your beloved Disciple, but these words are indeed too... well, shocking."

"A Half-Saint Realm, First Level using Earth Fire to refine a Top-Grade Saint King Rank pill? Throughout the records of our Myriad Medicine Sacred Land, there has never been such a precedent."

"The limit of Earth Fire is already a miracle if it can support the refinement of a High-Grade Saint King Rank pill. Top-Grade? Absolutely impossible."

Another portly Elder also laughed: "It’s good for young people to have spirit, but if they are too arrogant and don’t know the height of the heavens, it will eventually be like a castle in the air—all for nothing. Fellow Daoist Mu, as his Master, you still need to provide more guidance."

"Guidance? I think he’s been led astray by his Disciple!" Hai Yan sneered.

Wang Shishan said sarcastically, "Arrogant and haughty, it seems the Master and Disciple are cut from the same cloth. Truly, the ignorant are fearless."

Faced with everyone’s collective doubt and ridicule, Mu Qing glared and counterattacked without hesitation:

"It’s you who are looking at the sky from the bottom of a well, stuck in your ways! How can your old stubborn minds fathom my Disciple’s Alchemy attainments?"

"Just wait. When the Medicinal Pill comes out of the furnace, let’s see where you’ll hide your faces. When that time comes, don’t be so ashamed that you try to find a crack in the ground to crawl into."

Hearing this, everyone looked disdainful.

"Humph! Stubborn and incorrigible!"

"Then we shall wait and see!"

"Let’s see who gets the last laugh!"

Ye Qingfeng and the other two were so angry their beards twitched. Along with the several Myriad Medicine Sacred Land Elders, they were all determined to see Mu Qing and his Disciple Chen Chuan become a laughingstock.

Around the square, the Disciples of the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land saw that Chen Chuan was still using Earth Fire, and their previous shock had long been replaced by even greater disdain.

"And here I thought he really had some trump card. Turns out he’s just thick-headed?"

"Using Earth Fire to refine a Reversal Holy Spirit Pill? Is he here just to be a comedian?"

"I think he was just lucky in the first round, probably just familiar with the Saint Breaking Pill. In this second round, he will definitely show his true colors."

"Exactly. Just wait to see his furnace explode or for him to refine a pile of medicinal dregs! Let’s see how the Taiyi Holy Land keeps its face then."

"Senior Sister Yao Xian has the help of a Spirit Fire. She will definitely refine another Top-Grade pill this round and secure her victory! This Chen Chuan is just a joke; it ends here for him."

Almost everyone was certain that Chen Chuan’s arrogance and foolish choice would lead to his ruthless elimination in this round, making him the biggest laughingstock of this assembly.

However, as the Alchemy progressed, the expressions on the faces of those who were watching Chen Chuan with contempt began to slowly change.

Chen Chuan’s technique was still as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation.

When handling those Saint King Rank ingredients with violent medicinal properties and complex structures, his movements were terrifyingly precise.

In his hands, the Earth Fire seemed to possess a life of its own, sometimes like a trickling stream, gently enveloping the ingredients to slowly melt and purify them without a single drop of medicinal power being wasted.

At other times, it was like a spiritual snake flicking its tongue, suddenly strengthening at a critical juncture to precisely complete a highly difficult tempering or Fusion step.

That seemingly ordinary Earth Fire was actually controlled by him to a state of sublime perfection. The transitions in heat and the subtle adjustments of temperature were simply like art.

Some steps that they would need to handle with extreme caution even with Beast Flame or Spirit Fire were handled by Chen Chuan with Earth Fire as if they were light and easy.

"This technique..." The pupils of a Myriad Medicine Sacred Land Elder shrank slightly. The contempt on his face had long vanished, replaced by deep astonishment. "His understanding of heat and his grasp of medicinal properties are simply inconceivable!"

"Earth Fire can actually be controlled to such a refined degree? This boy’s Divine Soul power probably far exceeds his cultivation Realm!" another Elder said solemnly, no longer laughing at all.

Ye Qingfeng, Hai Yan, and Wang Shishan were also becoming more alarmed as they watched. They exchanged glances and saw the disbelief in each other’s eyes.

Their previously certain thoughts began to waver.