“But… why do I feel like the Treasure Forest Pavilion is going to lose?”
“Same! This young man seems extremely unpredictable. Perhaps he’ll perform a miracle!”
The onlookers were all engaged in spirited discussions, and there wasn’t overwhelming support for He Jingyun.
“Our respects to Grandmaster He!” The alchemists of the Treasure Forest Pavilion all bowed toward He Jingyun. In this world, power was might.
He Jingyun raised his hand slightly, and said, “Rise!” He then looked at Ling Han, and said, “Sir, you’ve only just joined the Han Lin Pavilion, so why embroil yourself in this mess?”
“Heh.” Ling Han replied with an indifferent chuckle. He naturally wouldn’t waste his time discussing such nonsense.
Anyhow, who would know that Kang Xiu Yuan and Yun Yong Wang were actually his disciples? Moreover, with his protective nature, how could he stand by idly while his disciples were bullied?
No way!
A menacing look appeared in He Jingyun’s eyes. He was indeed a prodigy—a supreme prodigy. Thus, he was extremely conceited, and incredibly prone to becoming jealous.
Now that a younger and possibly equally as talented alchemist had appeared, he was naturally filled with displeasure.
“I’ll compete against you,” he said. “However, the loser will have to crawl out of this street!”
Chapter 1225 - Refining the Explosive Thunder Pill
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Crawl out of this street!
Everyone’s expression changed. This wager had gone way too far.
Although the Treasure Forest Pavilion had been picking on the Han Lin Pavilion, they had only targeted the pavilion, not specific individuals. It was simply a competition for business. If the Han Lin Pavilion couldn’t win, that was completely their own fault.
However, He Jingyun was clearly intending to humiliate Ling Han with this wager!
If Ling Han truly crawled out of this street, how could he still show his face in the future? He would definitely have to flee from this city with his tail between his legs. He wouldn’t dare set foot in this city ever again.
Ling Han’s expression became cold. He could accept competition between businesses, yet He Jingyun was clearly targeting him with malicious intent.
‘Humph, you’re seeking death!
‘Are you sure you want to compete against the Alchemy Emperor?’
“Deal!” Ling Han said.
‘You’ve asked for this yourself!’
“We’re refining Level Six Divine Pills!” He Jingyun stressed. Judging by Ling Han’s Qi and blood, he probably had yet to reach 1,000 years old. Thus, he could have only been a Level Six alchemist for a maximum of 1,000 years.
With a mere 1,000 years of experience, how many cauldrons of Level Six Divine Pills could he have refined? How much understanding of Level Six Divine Pills could he have?
However, little did he know that Ling Han was an Alchemy Emperor. Moreover, he possessed a Reincarnation Tree that allowed him to complete one years’ worth of comprehension in one day!
Ling Han smiled, and said, “Of course! Seeing as you’re a junior, I’ll choose my pill first. I’m refining the Explosive Thunder Pill.”
In reality, this was the only Level Six Divine Pill he could refine. Thus, he would have chosen it regardless of whether he picked first or second. That being the case, why not flex a bit?
Sure enough, his flex impressed many people.
They had already said that there was a big difference between choosing first and choosing second. The person who chose second would enjoy the advantage of knowing their opponent’s choice and being able to choose accordingly.
“Explosive Thunder Pill!” He Jingyun exclaimed in slight surprise. Among Level Six Divine Pills, this pill was extremely difficult to refine. Moreover, it was an ancient pill that few people knew the recipe of.
Coincidentally, he was one of those few people.
“Heh, then I’ll also choose the Explosive Thunder Pill!” He Jingyun said confidently.
He chuckled coldly in his mind. His opponent definitely didn’t know that he had spent a significant amount of time and effort studying the Explosive Thunder Pill. Few people knew how to refine this pill, yet its effects were extraordinary—it could elevate the battle prowess of elites at the medium extreme of the Sun Moon Tier by two stars. Thus, it was incredibly rare and expensive.
He would refine a cauldron of Explosive Thunder Pills every once in a while, so he was already able to achieve a success rate of 100%. Moreover, the quality of his pills had steadily improved over time.
‘You’re choosing to refine the Explosive Thunder Pill?
‘You’re digging a hole for yourself!’
“Okay, we’ll begin after preparing the ingredients!” Alchemist Hu announced.
Both parties started to prepare their ingredients. However, the members of the Han Lin Pavilion all wore troubled expressions. They didn’t have any Level Six alchemists, so they naturally hadn’t prepared any Level Six ingredients.
Ling Han smiled and retrieved the ingredients from his Black Tower. Yun Yong Wang and Kang Xiu Yuan were both moved and confused.
Why was Ling Han helping the Han Lin Pavilion?
However, they couldn’t push this powerful helper out the door at this moment, regardless of how confused they were.
After preparing their ingredients, they both said “start” together, marking the beginning of their match.
Ling Han’s actions seemed especially casual. He had already refined several cauldrons of Explosive Thunder Pills, and he would more so analyze his experiences and make improvements under the Reincarnation Tree after each session of refinement.
With his identity as the Alchemy Emperor and with the help of the Reincarnation Tree, his skills in refining the Explosive Thunder Pill would improve in leaps and bounds each time he reflected and completed comprehension.
Now, he could already refine the Explosive Thunder Pill with extreme ease.
On the other hand, He Jingyun’s actions were extremely cautious and careful. He didn’t dare let his attention waver. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he appeared as tense as could be.
The stark contrast between them clearly revealed who was superior.
“Unless he’s faking it, that Ling Han looks far more at ease. If this continues, he’ll definitely win the match.”
“Haha! Didn’t He Jingyun say the loser would have to crawl out of this street?”
“I’m already eager to see that happen!”
“Mm-hm! It’s not every day you get to see a Level Six alchemist crawling along the street.”
The onlookers couldn’t help but whisper among themselves. They all believed that Ling Han had a greater chance of victory. However, refining a cauldron of Level Six Divine Pills would take around half a month. Thus, even though Ling Han looked to be in control, the true victor would only be determined in half a month’s time.
Many people became impatient, and they returned home to eat and sleep. They could simply return in half a month to witness who won.
Time crept by, and half a month quickly passed.
There was a look of exhaustion on He Jingyun’s face. They were refining Level Six Divine Pills, and intertwining the divine patterns within them required an astonishing amount of concentration and energy. Not only was it taxing on one’s divine sense, but it was also taxing on one’s Origin Power.
When refining such pills, alchemists usually ingested pills to replenish their Origin Power as they refined. However, He Jingyun indeed lived up to his name as a prodigy. He didn’t ingest a single pill from beginning to end.
This wasn’t out of conceit, but rather out of fear that he would lose concentration when ingesting those pills. He didn’t want to affect the quality of his pills.
Refining pills smoothly in one go was naturally the best.
However, he was almost about to
be sucked dry. After refining this cauldron of pills, he would need to rest for at least one month.
Meanwhile, Ling Han’s condition caused the onlookers to click their tongues and shake their heads in wonder.
He still appeared at ease, and there wasn’t a bead of sweat on his forehead. The only difference was the extra glimmer in his eyes.
“Open!” He Jingyun shouted as he slapped his cauldron.
Pa!
The lid of his cauldron flew up, and three pills immediately attempted to fly out as if they were trying to escape. He Jingyun was prepared for this, and he grabbed at the pills with his right hand. The three pills instantly landed in his palm.
A look of satisfaction appeared on his face. In the past, he could only refine two pills at most. However, he had performed above par this time, successfully refining three pills.
‘Haha! Victory is mine, right?’
Ling Han also slapped his cauldron.
Xiu, xiu, xiu!
Like with He Jingyun, several dots of light flew from his cauldron. However, there were clearly more than three dots of light.
Five pills!
Pu!
The alchemists from the Treasure Forest Pavilion instantly spluttered loudly. Although none of them could refine the Explosive Thunder Pill, this didn’t prevent them from knowing that the maximum number of Explosive Thunder Pills per cauldron was five.
In other words, Ling Han had achieved perfection!
Pa!
The five pills landed in Ling Han’s palm. He unclasped his hand, and the five faint-blue pills immediately started to roll about as if they wanted to break free from his grasp and soar into the sky.
He Jingyun gritted his teeth, his face becoming a shade of red and a shade of blue. ‘I actually lost?!’
He couldn’t accept this!
If he lost, he would have to crawl out of this street. How could he show his face in the future?
“You’ve indeed refined more pills than me,” he shouted. “However, we still have to compare the quality of the pills. If your Explosive Thunder Pills only possess a quality of one or two stars, how can they compare to mine?”
This wasn’t unreasonable. However, successfully refining more pills usually meant that the pills were also of a higher quality. Thus, alchemists would only compare the quality of their pills if they had successfully refined the same number of pills.
He Jingyun was clearly unable to accept defeat.
Ling Han smiled, and said, “Sure, then let’s appraise the pills!”
Chapter 1226 - Arrival of the Level Seven Alchemist
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The appraisal quickly returned a result.
Alchemy skills and appraisal skills were two different matters. Even Level One alchemists—or non-alchemists, for that matter—could be skilled in appraising alchemical pills. This simply required one to have a good understanding of alchemical pills.
Ling Han had achieved a resounding victory!
He Jingyun’s Explosive Thunder Pills barely reached six stars, while Ling Han’s reached a whopping nine stars.
It wasn’t perfect, but that was because Ling Han hadn’t used the Three Fire Guide. After all, he didn’t want his disciples to guess his identity yet.
He Jingyun looked completely demoralized. He had lost, and lost in emphatic fashion, no less. The gulf between him and Ling Han was huge.
“Please!” Ling Han said with a smile.
‘You’ve lost, so it’s time for you to crawl out of this street.’
He Jingyun humphed before turning around to leave. He was too embarrassed to stay here.
“Oi, oi, oi, use all four limbs, not just your two legs,” Ling Han said.
He Jingyun glanced back, and said in a proud voice, “You want to make me, a Level Six alchemist, crawl out— Aaah!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Ling Han had already walked over and lifted him up, forcing him to spread his arms and his legs. He couldn’t break free from Ling Han’s grip no matter what. He couldn’t help but feel shocked. One had to realize that he was at the low extreme of the Sun Moon Tier, which was the same cultivation level as Ling Han’s. Yet, he couldn’t even resist?
“I hate dishonest people the most!” Ling Han flung him to the floor, and said, “It was your own suggestion, so you’ve got to abide by it even if it means eating sh*t!”
“If you dare to touch even a single hair of mine, believe me, the Treasure Forest Pavilion will crush you into pieces!” He Jingyun said in a threatening voice. If he had to crawl on the street in public, that would be humiliating not just for himself, but also for the Treasure Forest Pavilion.
Ling Han chuckled, and said, “Oh no, I’m so scared!” He then kicked He Jingyun, and shouted, “Crawl!”
He Jingyun obviously wasn’t willing to do so. If he crawled, he really wouldn’t be able to show his face anymore.
“What the f*ck are you? Are your promises farts from your mouth?” Ling Han continued to stomp on He Jingyun’s face as he spoke. However, He Jingyun finally became “tough” for once, sticking his head between the cracked tiles in the floor. He was going to cower from Ling Han’s attacks.
Although having his face stomped on wasn’t anything glorious, it was at least still better than crawling along the street in public.
“Grandmaster Ling, it’s about time you stopped,” Alchemist Hu and the others said in persuasion.
Ling Han smiled, and said, “Fine! Which of you is going to crawl out of the street for him? I’ll let him go if any of you volunteer.”
The members of the Treasure Forest Pavilion all exchanged a glance. They then shook their heads in unison. What a joke—He Jingyun cared about face, so why wouldn’t they care about face too?
“Hurry up and call for reinforcements!”
They attempted to keep Ling Han in check as they waited for the Treasure Forest Pavilion’s reinforcements.
Ling Han didn’t mind this. Even if He Jingyun didn’t crawl out of this street, he would still lose all face after being stomped on by him.
After a while, the reinforcements from the Treasure Forest Pavilion finally arrived.
“Stop!” a cultivator shouted. There wasn’t a hint of medicinal smell on his body, so he definitely wasn’t an alchemist. Two complete Suns and Moons materialized behind him, signifying that he was at the peak stage of the medium extreme of the Sun Moon Tier.
“Fine!” Ling Han answered cooperatively. However, he continued to stomp on He Jingyun aggressively.
“I told you to keep your hands off him!” the elite shouted in rage. He reached over and grabbed at Ling Han.
Ling Han swung his fist in reply, smiling, and said, “I did keep my hands off him. However, you didn’t tell me to keep my feet off him.”
Peng!
Their strikes collided, and Ling Han suddenly sunk down. His power was on par with the late stage of the medium extreme of the Sun Moon Tier, though this was still 10 times weaker than the peak stage. However, his physique was incredibly powerful, so he was completely unaffected by the strike.
Meanwhile, his foot was still resting on He Jingyun’s body. The force of their strikes instantly coursed through him and traveled into He Jingyun’s body.
Pa, pa, pa!
The tiles on the floor exploded into smithereens, and He Jingyun’s body instantly disappeared underground. Even his shadow couldn’t be seen.
“You…!!” The elite flared up in rage. He was a protection officer at the Treasure Forest Pavilion, and although his strength wasn’t in the top echelon, he should have still been able to crush Ling Han, who was only at the early stage of the Sun Moon Tier.
However, the reality was completely different from his expectations.
“Heh, want to come again?” Ling Han said as he swept his gaze around. This elite wasn’t the only backup that had come. Among the reinforcements from the Treasure Forest Pavilion, there were also several alchemists
who had clearly been involved in alchemy for too long. In fact, the medicinal smell on their bodies could even be seen.
This medicinal smell formed an aura that steamed behind their bodies, much like a dense mist.
“Young lad, you’re not going to tell me that you’re a Level Seven alchemist, right?” an elder said with a humph. There was a disbelieving look in his eyes.
Although Big Trade City was very large, it was only a small city from the perspective of the entire Imperial Empire. This was evident when looking at the surrounding forces. The most powerful force near this city, the Cloud Phoenix Sect, merely had an elite at the consummate level of the Sun Moon Tier.
Thus, the most skillful alchemist assigned to this Treasure Forest Pavilion branch was only a Level Seven alchemist. Level Eight alchemists would occasionally come here to refine some pills depending on the branch’s needs. After all, there were only a few elites at the consummate level of the Sun Moon Tier in this place, so there was no need to refine too many Level Eight Divine Pills. If they refined too many, whom would they sell them to?
This elder’s surname was Li, and he was one of the three Level Seven alchemists who remained stationed at this Treasure Forest Pavilion branch. He had already stagnated at this level for almost 2,000,000 years, and it was extremely likely that he would never become a Level Eight alchemist.
However, he was very senior, so he was naturally very conceited.
Right now, it was possible that this young lad—who was heaven knew how much younger than him—was a Level Seven alchemist. How could he not be jealous?
Ling Han chuckled in scorn, and said, “Old geezer, all your years of experience may as well have been wasted on a dog! You’re unable to improve, yet you’re becoming jealous of others. This is very bad!”
“You!!” Alchemist Li almost exploded in anger, and chided, “You have no respect for your elders! Despicable!”
“No respect?” Ling Han shook his head, and said, “We’re all Level Seven alchemists, so how is there any notion of seniority relevant? Respect is earned, not demanded!”
“Fine, this elder will have a match with you!” Alchemist Li roared. He was so furious that even his white hair billowed in the air. It was as if he wanted to swallow Ling Han alive.
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