“What’s with him?” an inner sect disciple asked.
“You may not know, Senior Brother, but this Ling Xiao, with a peak Martial Vein Eighth Layer cultivation, consecutively defeated the 26th and 10th ranked outer sect half-step masters, breaking a 100,000-year record of the Moonlight Sect,” the old outer sect disciple replied.
“Heh, martial challenges have a lot of chance factors, but alchemy is different. Alchemy requires refined experience and an excellent flame to match. Ling Xiao is playing with fire; his tail’s already up in the sky,” the inner sect disciple, also an apprentice in the Medicine Hall, said. Naturally, he understood how difficult alchemy was and didn’t believe Ling Xiao could beat Qing Mu.
In fact, aside from Yang Danlin and Lan Yuer, everyone in the audience thought the same.
Even the three Medicine Hall elders acting as judges shared this view.
These three elders matched Yang Danlin in cultivation and alchemical skill, though they were decades older, nearing the end of their lives. Still, they were considered treasures of the Moonlight Sect.
At the very least, their judgement was impeccable, making them perfectly fair referees.
“Alright, let’s not waste time. You two, begin. Today, each of you will refine one batch of pills, specifically the ‘Superior True Essence Pill.’ The materials are already prepared, and that’s all you get. Whoever has the highest yield and perfection rate wins,” one of the elders announced, starting the alchemy contest.
The Superior True Essence Pill was a low-grade pill, not even qualifying as a Yellow Grade pill, but for Martial Vein Realm martial artists, it was the best for boosting inner strength and cultivation.
In the secular world, it was practically impossible to obtain.
This alchemy duel tested technique, not capability, so they couldn’t give Ling Xiao a pill he was unable to refine.
After all, no matter how talented Ling Xiao was, he was currently just a low-grade alchemist, only capable of refining low-grade pills.
If Ling Xiao could refine the same pill better than Qing Mu, he would win.
When selecting materials, Ling Xiao was noticeably faster and more precise.
Though the materials were pre-prepared, how much or how little to use was entirely up to them. Taking too much or too little could cause problems.
After selecting materials, both began grinding and shaping the pills, a tedious but necessary process.
Then, almost simultaneously, they placed twenty raw pills into their respective alchemy furnaces.
Raw pills were unrefined pills, not yet possessing the special effects of finished pills.
What came next was crucial.
“Wow! It’s the Sacred Flame Martial Soul!”
Suddenly, the crowd exclaimed.
Ling Xiao hadn’t yet ignited his flame. He glanced at Qing Mu.
Impressive, behind Qing Mu emerged a flame. Interestingly, one half of it was fierce, as if it could incinerate everything, while the other half was gentle, clearly better suited for sustained heating.
In the art of alchemy, there’s the concept of civil and martial flames.
The civil flame refers to a steady, gradual infusion of energy, while the martial flame is a forceful surge of energy.
The Sacred Flame combined the traits of both civil and martial flames, with even better effects, making it ideal for alchemy.
Ling Xiao glanced at it, then looked away, focusing on his own alchemy.
Qing Mu’s Sacred Flame was indeed impressive, but for refining a low-grade Superior True Essence Pill, an ordinary flame was sufficient.
Ling Xiao had already refined the Superior True Essence Pill thousands of times in the Mountain and River World, achieving absolute mastery.
The key was that the Mountain and River World allowed simulated alchemy without consuming materials, though the resulting pills couldn’t be used.
Still, the process was virtually identical to real alchemy, so the techniques Ling Xiao learned were genuine, with no shortcuts.
However, Ling Xiao encountered a slight problem.
He noticed something wrong with his raw pills.
Typically, the humidity, age, and quality of a batch of materials should be consistent.
But after forming the raw pills, Ling Xiao suddenly realised something was off. His materials were too damp, as if someone had deliberately splashed water on them.
In the crowd, two people were whispering.
“Heh, that kid’s done for. His materials were soaked with special spring water. This water has an extremely high ignition point, so an ordinary flame can’t evaporate it. His pills will never form unless he uses one of the twelve divine flames,” one said.
“Well done. If Hall Master Qing Mu wins this, he’ll truly be the Medicine Hall Master. You won’t have to do those material-hauling chores anymore. Come cultivate by my side,” the other replied.
This second person was none other than Hei Suo.
Hei Suo had been looking for ways to deal with Ling Xiao, but for so long, Ling Xiao was either back at his cave dwelling or with Lan Yuer or Yang Danlin, leaving no opportunity.
But this time, for some reason, Ling Xiao had challenged Qing Mu to a public alchemy contest.
And Hall Master Yang Danlin had even staked his position as hall master on the bet.
How could Hei Suo not seize this chance to trip Ling Xiao up?
He didn’t doubt Deputy Hall Master Qing Mu’s ability, but Ling Xiao had caused too many surprises, so to be absolutely certain, he had someone tamper with Ling Xiao’s materials.
“Thank you, Senior Brother Hei Suo!”
Hei Suo smiled, his gaze returning to the plaza.
At this moment, Yang Danlin and Lan Yuer also sensed something was wrong.
Ling Xiao, who should have ignited his flame, was sitting there, stunned.
With their keen eyes, it wasn’t hard to see that the materials were the issue.
“Hall Master, should we pause the match? This could get troublesome,” Lan Yuer asked nervously.
Yang Danlin’s face showed a grave expression. He had staked his position as Medicine Hall Master, so it was impossible to say he felt no pressure, especially knowing Ling Xiao’s materials had been tampered with.
“No, interrupting the match now would make others think we’re cheating,” Yang Danlin said, shaking his head. He wanted to stop the contest, but doing so would cost him the face to continue as hall master.
Even if they proved someone had tampered with the materials, it would be seen as his failure to manage, and it likely wouldn’t implicate Qing Mu.
“But this way, he’ll lose,” Lan Yuer said anxiously.
“Don’t panic yet. Let’s see what happens. The time limit for refining the Superior True Essence Pill is half an hour. There’s still time,” Yang Danlin said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. His fate was now tied to Ling Xiao, and he could only hope Ling Xiao could solve the problem himself.
Would a miracle happen?
Phew~~
Ling Xiao let out a long breath, forcing himself to stay calm.
Since someone had tampered with the materials, he’d have to find a solution from another angle.
