Chapter 84: The Peerless Pill Venerable (12) |
Yan Zhaoxi carried herself with unmistakable pride. Not yet thirty and already a seventh-grade alchemist—she had every right to that arrogance.
Two months earlier, Su Chen might have chosen to avoid direct confrontation. Now, however, his gaze remained calm, and his voice left no room for doubt. "This Blazing Sun Golden Lingzhi—I claim it."
Yan Zhaoxi's phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly. She let out a soft sigh. "What a pity…"
Neither of them would yield. A battle was inevitable. Another spatial rift tore open, swallowing both figures.
Facing a true pill-dao monster like Yan Zhaoxi, Su Chen did not dare to underestimate her. Both chose to refine seventh-grade pills without hesitation.
One month later. Outside the Ancient Pill Domain.
Yang Wang, standing among the eliminated crowd, suddenly spotted a familiar crimson figure appear at the edge of the zone. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. When he looked again, a face as beautiful as a blooming flower hovered inches from his own.
In any other place, seeing Yan Zhaoxi would have delighted him. But this was the elimination zone! Before he could process what was happening, a delicate pink fist smashed into his face.
Yan Zhaoxi was furious. She had lost by a single misstep! Rage consumed her. This time, she had emerged into the world with one goal: to claim first place in the grand alchemy conference across the five domains. Yet she had not even survived the elimination round!
…
When Su Chen opened his eyes, he found himself back in the familiar surroundings of Blazing Valley. The victor, after all, was him. Another month passed before he finally claimed the Blazing Sun Golden Lingzhi.
With this single seventh-grade herb in hand, Su Chen did not pause. He knew that relying solely on the Golden Lingzhi would make victory precarious at best. He continued searching for additional seventh-grade ingredients.
Soon, word spread through the Ancient Pill Domain: the monster genius of the Yang Pill Sacred Land, Yan Zhaoxi, had been defeated. Shock rippled through every faction.
The name Su Chen burst into prominence like a dark horse, reaching the ears of every pill-dao prodigy. No one dared underestimate him anymore. No one dared look down on the Eastern Wasteland again. The title "pill-dao monster" was now openly acknowledged as belonging to Su Chen.
Stolen novel; please report.
Half a year later.
The entire Ancient Pill Domain trembled violently. Beams of light pierced the heavens and fell upon every participant who had not yet been eliminated.
When Su Chen opened his eyes, he stood on a vast platform of flawless white jade. All around him gathered familiar and unfamiliar faces alike.
"Congratulations to all of you for passing the elimination round. What comes next is the final battle of the alchemy conference. Use every herb you obtained in the Ancient Pill Domain and refine the pill you take the greatest pride in. The highest grade, the highest score—only that will determine the victor!"
The voice of a Pill Saint echoed from the sky above.
Su Chen found an empty alchemy chamber, entered it, and began his refinement. The pill he intended to create hovered on the cusp of eighth grade: the Five Elements Creation Pill. It required five seventh-grade herbs, each of a different elemental attribute.
Unfortunately, even counting the Blazing Sun Golden Lingzhi, he had secured only three of the five necessary seventh-grade Five Elements herbs. The remaining two had eluded him.
"Three… that will suffice!"
Though it would not be the complete Five Elements Creation Pill, among seventh-grade pills it still ranked at the absolute peak.
Su Chen had his own plan in mind. The other pill-dao monsters were no less formidable. In an instant, dazzling phenomena shot into the sky from every direction.
High above, the great figures of the Pill Dao watched every movement below.
"It has been a long time since so many monsters have emerged in a single generation of our pill path."
"Not only have those old hermits released their hidden prodigies—even the Eastern Wasteland produced a remarkable young man. He actually defeated Yan Zhaoxi of Yang Pill Sacred Land. Tsk tsk."
"Zhaoxi was merely careless for a moment, allowing that boy a fluke victory. If she had shown her true strength, he would have been eliminated long ago."
"Heh, how old are you, still picking on a junior? A loss is a loss. That Eastern Wasteland youth is no simple character. Unless my senses deceive me, his physique is the Seven Apertures Exquisite Body."
"Seven Apertures Exquisite Body? That constitution has become exceedingly rare… the last time I heard of one was seventeen hundred years ago."
"Seventeen hundred years ago—the one from the Eastern Wasteland's Purple Sun Su Clan? What a pity. If that member of the Su Clan had not died, the Central Continent might have gained another sacred land orthodoxy. Instead, they provoked someone they should never have crossed."
"Su… the youth from the Eastern Wasteland is called Su Chen, isn't he?"
"…"
Silence fell among them.
After a long pause, someone spoke in a low, troubled voice. "This matter… has become somewhat difficult to handle."
One month later.
Most alchemists had completed their pills. Fewer than ten remained on the platform, still persisting. Dazzling, majestic pill-dao phenomena rose one after another. Every conceivable alchemy technique displayed the profound mysteries of the Dao of pills.
Then, with a deafening bang, Su Chen's furnace exploded in front of him. The massive disturbance instantly drew the attention of every pill-dao monster still competing.
"Looks like someone failed."
"It's that one from the Eastern Wasteland… so defeating Yan Zhaoxi really was just luck."
"Failure means elimination. One less rival to contend with."
"…"
The commotion lasted only a moment. In the blink of an eye, everyone refocused and poured their full concentration back into their own refinement.
No one noticed that amid the billowing smoke and dust where the furnace had stood, eight fire dragons now coiled and breathed roaring flames. They fused together to form a blazing new cauldron, cradling a single pill at its heart.
Su Chen… had not failed at all.
…