Reaper of the Martial World

Book 12: Chapter 166: Phantom (3)

A phantom pill…

Not everyone could have a godly technique on the level of the [Simulating the Hands of a Deity]. In truth, Dyon had created this technique himself and he had never shared it with anyone, not much unlike he had created the split minds technique when he was still a youth in Focus Academy.

Of course, he wasn’t aware of this fact until he awakened his memories once more. But, that was hardly a point of emphasis now. The important point was that even though he had kept a technique like this to himself, it didn’t mean that others hadn’t come up with solutions of their own.

The phantom pill was one such example and was even the most widely accepted due to its unique aid during training.

It was actually inappropriate to consider the phantom pill a technique as there was no one way to complete it. It was better to consider it as a mode of training.

The phantom pill was not unlike what it’s name suggests. It was the process of creating a pill while missing certain subsidiary ingredients, or even in some cases, main ingredients. In fact, there were even times where one would use this technique even if the ingredients were readily available.

In comparison to concocting the true pill, concocting its phantom was several times more difficult. Even in the best and most lenient cases, the difficulty was at least 20% more. In the worst, it could supersede even twofold.

However… As long as one could concoct a phantom pill, one would most definitely succeed in concocting the true pill! This was the prowess of the phantom pill. It was an invaluable training resource.

“70%, huh. This will be somewhat interesting.”

After Dyon said this, he said no more. His smile disappeared and a look of incomparable seriousness took over his features as he sat in silent meditation, even closing his eyes.

Nazaire followed suit. It was clear that both men were taking this task with utmost seriousness. Dyon was no longer playful and Nazaire had hidden his disdain long ago.

“Pill Sword Mountain only has 70% of the ingredients? They’re two madmen. They should have just requested the God Stele choose another pill.”

In the Phoenix Hegemon, Jeanna mumbled beneath her breath. Though it took her several steps more than Dyon to see through the percentage of ingredients they had, she saw through it nonetheless in the end.

As a pinnacle god grade pill, the Yin-Yang Eight Reversals pill required thousands of ingredients. There were over ten thousand Empyrean grade subsidiary ingredients, over a hundred lower god grade ingredients, several dozen middle god grade herbs, sixteen higher god grade ingredients, and three peak god grade main ingredients.

70% of such a large enough was a massive chunk. If it was only ten ingredients, that would only be a loss of three. But, when speaking of over ten thousand, that meant over three thousand.

Of course, Pill Sword Mountain would never be lacking in mere Empyrean Grade ingredients. The reason the phantom pill would only be 70% was because god grade herbs were weighted more than the lower graded herbs.

All together, those over ten thousand Empyrean Grade herbs wouldn’t amount to even 1% of the total. The ultimate reason why they were losing out a whole 30% was because Pill Sword Mountain only had a single set of the main ingredients.

In order to make things fair, Nazaire would concoct the phantom pill with two of the three peak god grade main ingredients.

That was right. Out of over ten thousand heavenly herbs, even taking into account hundreds within the god grade, Pill Sword Mountain was ultimately only missing two. Yet, just because of those two missing pieces, it was akin to having lost 30% of the pill.

But this wasn’t why everyone was shocked. It was perfectly normal to not have two sets of ingredients for a pill of this caliber. The reason for the shock was the 70% number.

It was well known that newbies to the phantom pill training method would struggle madly even if having ingredients totalling 99% of a pill’s efficacy, it was only veterans who could complete a phantom pill with just 90%. Even these so-called ‘veterans’ were all elites of the elites and a large majority of them appeared on the four alchemy steles…

Those who could complete an 85% phantom pill were monsters amidst monsters. They were existences that lorded the common people and everyone looked up to them with respect.

As for those who complete a 70% phantom pill… Well, let’s just say that the only ones who could were show offs of the Alchemy God Realms come down to refine mere Venerable Grade pills. The thought of someone managing to complete such a feat with a pill of their alchemy level… Was unheard of!

SHUUUHAA

The two men opened their eyes at one, their gazes piercing across the veil of space and time and colliding in the air, causing the heavenly platform which had just calmed to begin to relentlessly quake once more.

Dyon’s weapon’s pagoda opened its doors. But, inexplicably, it wasn’t a weapon that exited this time… but rather… a cauldron!

The blinding light zipped forward, fusing with Little Chibi’s main body as the little girl hopped with excitement. But a moment later, her expression became solemn as well as she fused with her physical body.

At that moment, the mere Empyrean Grade cauldron radiated an imposing aura that lost out to Nazaire’s treasure cauldron in no way. To one side, there was the roar of dragons, but to another there was deathly silence that swallowed the noise and left nothing behind.

Dyon’s aura reached its peak, his shirt bursting apart to reveal a toned and tempered torso, chiseled down to the finest detail.

Then, the heavenly herbs rose into the air.