Chapter 230: Dissatisfaction (1)

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

The horn for the third round of Alchemy blew, low and solemn, amidst the gaze and whispers of the multitude.

Above the square, an invisible pressure seemed to condense, making the air feel a few degrees heavier.

Saint Emperor Grade Elixirs!

For the vast majority of the qualifiers present, this was an insurmountable peak, a true touchstone to test the foundation of an Alchemy Grandmaster.

The remaining contestants were all elites who had survived the cruel screening of the first two rounds.

But at this moment, not a trace of ease could be seen on their faces; there was only focused solemnity and even a hint of imperceptible panic.

The majestic medicinal power and violent characteristics contained within Saint Emperor Grade ingredients were far beyond what the Saint King Rank could compare to. A slight oversight would result in a ruined pill and a damaged furnace, wasting all previous efforts.

Almost everyone’s gaze, intentionally or otherwise, focused on that still-indifferent figure: Chen Chuan.

After his inconceivable performance in the first two rounds, no one dared to look down on this Taiyi Holy Land Disciple who had refined Top-Grade Saint King pills using only Earth Fire.

Doubt and mockery had long since been replaced by amazement and curiosity.

Now, they only wanted to see if this young man, who constantly created miracles, could once again perform a myth when facing the mountain that was a Saint Emperor Grade Elixir.

"Hmph!"

In the VIP seats, Mu Qing took in all the complex gazes around him, feeling incredibly refreshed. The gloom from being mocked by the trio of Ye Qingfeng, Hai Yan, and Wang Shishan earlier had been swept away.

He leisurely crossed his legs, tapping the armrest rhythmically with his finger as he glanced sideways at the three men whose faces were ashen.

"Old Ghost Ye, Old Ghost Hai, Old Ghost Wang, do you see that? It’s what the people want!" Mu Qing’s voice was almost overflowing with smugness.

"My Disciple Chen Chuan is now the focus of the entire venue! Look at your three good-for-nothing Disciples; they barely managed to scrape by with Low-Grade in the second round. Tsk tsk, the difference is clear!"

He paused and deliberately elongated his tone: "I think you’d better prepare those Origin Stones properly and hand them over to this old man obediently. It’ll save you from looking too pathetic when the results come out later."

Ye Qingfeng and the other two were so angry their bodies trembled, and their beards nearly pointed to the sky.

They actually knew in their hearts that they had almost certainly lost the bet for the first two rounds.

Chen Chuan had produced Top-Grade results for two consecutive rounds, while their Disciples’ best results were only Low-Grade. This gap was like a heavenly chasm.

But to have them yield and admit defeat before Mu Qing was absolutely impossible.

"Old Ghost Mu, don’t get ahead of yourself!" Hai Yan suppressed his anger and said stubbornly, "The third round isn’t over yet. Saint Emperor pills are no small matter; the variables are huge! Who knows if your precious Disciple will drop the ball at the critical moment?"

Wang Shishan immediately followed up sinisterly:

"Exactly! Don’t forget, one of your Disciples has a history; his experience with exploding pills is quite extensive."

"Maybe this time he won’t be able to control it, the Earth Fire will backlash, and the furnace will explode, leading to elimination. That would be quite a spectacle."

Hearing this, Ye Qingfeng acted as if he had caught a final straw and quickly chimed in:

"That’s right! Exploding pills! Haha, Old Ghost Mu, don’t forget that famous scene when your Disciple’s furnace exploded back then."

Mentioning his past dark history, Mu Qing’s old face immediately darkened, and he huffed irritably:

"Keep being stubborn! When my Disciple refines another Top-Grade, let’s see where you’ll hide your faces. This old man will make sure you’re utterly convinced and slap your old faces until they’re red."

Seeing Mu Qing get angry, the three old fellows sneered repeatedly and stopped talking, though the frustration and a hint of hope in their eyes could not be hidden.

In the center of the square, the Alchemy had already begun.

Various powerful flames rose again, beast roars echoed faintly, and spiritual light flickered.

Ye Wuhen, Su Yingxue, and others pushed their flames to the limit, the veins on their foreheads bulging; they were clearly giving it their all.

The several Saints and Saintesses of the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land also looked solemn, controlling their respective Beast Flames or special flames, cautiously performing extraction and Fusion.

However, when people’s gazes fell on Chen Chuan again, they couldn’t help but feel speechless once more.

It was still that ordinary Earth Fire, crimson with a hint of dim yellow, quietly dancing and burning beneath the Alchemy Furnace.

"He’s still using Earth Fire?"

"It’s a Saint Emperor Grade Elixir! Can Earth Fire really work?"

"Does he not even have a single Beast Flame? No matter how declined Taiyi Holy Land is, they wouldn’t be unable to provide even one decent flame, right?"

Thick doubt and confusion rose in everyone’s hearts.

But this time, no one dared to speak out in mockery easily.

The facts of the first two rounds had proven that this young man could not be judged by common logic.

In his hands, the Earth Fire seemed truly capable of turning the mundane into the miraculous.

They were more curious and expectant, wondering if this seemingly ordinary Earth Fire could once again carry a miracle.

Chen Chuan’s expression remained focused and calm, as if all the discussions around him had nothing to do with him.

His movements were still as smooth as flowing water, precise to a terrifying degree.

Under his control, the Earth Fire was sometimes like a spring breeze and rain, gently soaking those violent Saint Emperor Grade medicinal materials.

At other times, it was like a master butcher carving a bull, bursting with the perfect amount of power at critical junctures to complete seemingly impossible refinements.

His powerful Divine Soul energy and his profound understanding of the essence of Alchemy were displayed to the fullest at this moment.

The limitations of the Earth Fire seemed to be completely compensated for by his god-like control, even giving people the illusion that Earth Fire was supposed to be used this way.

Time passed bit by bit, and burnt smells or muffled sounds began to come from Alchemy Furnaces across the square, meaning more people had failed their refinement and left in disappointment.

Ye Wuhen, Su Yingxue, and Feng Lingxiao managed to hold on until the end.

But when the pills were formed, their luster was dim and their medicinal power was scattered. They clearly failed to reach the passing line for a Saint Emperor pill and were directly declared eliminated by the examining Elder.

The Saints and Saintesses of the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land also failed to succeed and were eliminated with regret.

Just as everyone was still lamenting the difficulty of the Saint Emperor pill, a crisp and pleasant elixir chime rang out once again from Chen Chuan’s area.

The furnace lid opened, and a hazy glow emerged as a rich medicinal fragrance, seemingly containing a hint of Imperial Qi, permeated the air, refreshing the mind and spirit.

A pill the size of a dragon’s eye, with faint golden patterns flickering on its surface, flew out and was casually collected into a Jade Bottle by him.

He was actually the first to complete the pill again!

"Whoa!"

The entire venue instantly erupted in an uproar, the sound waves piercing the clouds.

"He succeeded! He succeeded again!"

"First place! It’s still him!"

"Refining a Saint Emperor pill with Earth Fire, and the speed can still be this fast? This is simply unreasonable!"

Everyone was deeply shocked, including the high-status figures in the VIP seats who had seen much of the world.

The Myriad Medicine Sacred Lord, a man of profound aura, couldn’t help but sit up straight at this moment, his sharp gaze fixed on Chen Chuan, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"This boy could actually reach this step?" The Myriad Medicine Sacred Lord’s heart was in turmoil. "Half-Saint Realm, First Level, Earth Fire, three consecutive rounds, and both speed and quality are the best in the field? Xian’er she..."

A strong sense of unease quietly spread through his heart.

Would the glory of the Myriad Medicine Sacred Land as the champion of Alchemy really suffer a setback at this boy’s hands today?

Yao Xian was the last to complete her pill.

Her movements were still elegant and calm. The moment her pale green Spiritual Fire retracted, the pill flying out of the furnace emitted startling energy fluctuations and brilliant luster; its quality was clearly extremely high.

But the look in her eyes as she watched Chen Chuan had completely changed.

Those clear eyes were filled with unprecedented solemnity and a hint of tension that even she hadn’t noticed.

This Chen Chuan was too mysterious, too unfathomable.

The allotted time ended, and all contestants stopped.

Only Chen Chuan and Yao Xian remained on the field having successfully refined their pills.