by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
The final part, condensing the pills, took the most energy. Normally, alchemists would reserve fifty percent or more of their Spiritual Strength to control that final burst of energy.
For Foundation Forging disciples, just refining the ingredients would use up over half their energy. Without using up that much, it would be impossible to extract the essence within those tough ingredients.
For Long San, someone only at the Foundation Forging realm, to actually start wasting his Spiritual Strength to boost the power of his Pill Flame, it was viewed as making things even worse for himself. Despite knowing that he had no chance of succeeding, he still wanted to draw attention to himself.
Even that elder on his side who had spoken to him was startled. The higher-ups had told him to help Long San as much as possible, but he couldn’t figure out Long San’s current actions. The competition’s difficulty was already so high, but he was making it even harder for himself.
For it to be hard wasn’t bad, nor was it unfair. If it was easy, everyone would have good results, and the top three would advance. And if it was difficult, all their results would be bad, and it would still be the top three that would advance.
In any case, three people would be joining the Divine Pill Hall, and the three lowest ranking members of the Divine Pill Hall would be kicked out.
Disciples that were kicked out of the Divine Pill Hall weren’t simply allowed to try again. They would be forced out of Pill Valley and sent to the Pill Towers.
If you weren’t strong enough, then even once you entered the Divine Pill Hall, you would only get two months. If you didn’t advance enough in that time and were ranked in the bottom three, then you would only ever get those two months in the Divine Pill Hall.
It was precisely because of this high difficulty that all of Pill Valley’s disciples went all-out cultivating their alchemy arts. Even the Divine Pill Hall’s disciples were in danger.
But Long Chen’s current actions were very foolish, and people couldn’t comprehend what he was doing. However, with so many people present, even the people on his side couldn’t warn him. They could only watch.
Boosting his Pill Flame with his Spiritual Strength was like adding oil to fire. The power of his Earth Flame roared. One reason Long Chen did this was to show off his power, and another was to purify the medicinal ingredients. That way, his chances of succeeding in this refinement would be higher.
During this time, if he hadn’t come to Pill Valley, his alchemy arts would have been wasting away. During the Foundation Forging realm, he hadn’t refined many medicinal pills to assist his cultivation.
If he hadn’t been doing that stupid studying, he really might be worried whether or not he could refine a ninth tier medicinal pill.
A bang came from his medicinal furnace, and he poured all his medicinal powders inside, sealing the furnace.
“He’s sealed the furnace already?”
The other disciples were all startled. No one else had even refined half their medicinal ingredients yet.
“Hmph, is it amazing to exhaust your Spiritual Strength faster than everyone else? Do you want to show off?” sneered a Jade Core disciple not far from him.
This competition did not prevent disciples from speaking. As long as they didn’t maliciously try to distract them, the people overseeing the competition wouldn’t care.
Long Chen lowered his head and acted like he couldn’t hear that person. He had to act like a good student, an obedient child. This was very important.
That was why since arriving at Pill Valley, whenever someone provoked or even cursed him, he would always act very timid. This was what he wanted.
Just as the fastest Jade Core disciples had finished refining their medicinal ingredients and were preparing to seal their furnaces, a rumbling sound suddenly came from Long Chen’s furnace.
“He… he’s finished already?!” Those disciples were all shocked.
Only now did they realize that while his Pill Flame was like a blooming lotus wrapped all around his furnace, his Spiritual Strength hadn’t weakened at all. Instead, it gushed forth like a tsunami, increasing the power of his Pill Flame to its peak. It was no wonder he finished his refinement so fast.
Those disciples that had mocked him were now staring at him lifelessly.
Even the elders overseeing this, the ones whose expressions looked like they were frozen in eternal ice, were shocked. Long Chen’s Spiritual Strength was shockingly vast, practically endless.
The rumbling sound continued like a monster was struggling within, trying to break free.
“Now’s the critical moment!”
Many disciples were focused on him now. The fluctuations coming from his pill furnace suddenly began to weaken, but this was the calm before the storm, the dark before the light. Ninety-nine percent of pills that failed were ruined here.
BOOM!
His pill furnace violently shook and terrifying energy spurted out of it. If at this time, the alchemist’s Spiritual Strength was not strong enough, they wouldn’t be able to suppress this berserk energy. Once this energy escaped their control, all their efforts would be ruined. Even if the pill formed, it would be a garbage pill.
A spiritual hand slammed into the pill furnace, sealing it tight. It was like an unmoving mountain and was extremely domineering.
“Heavens, he still has the energy to use a soul art now? Just how much Spiritual Strength does he possess?!” All the disciples were shocked.
For most disciples, their souls would be exhausted at this point. They would need to form spiritual seals around the furnace in advance to seal the berserk energy.
But Long Chen hadn’t prepared anything. He had just slammed a spiritual hand down when the energy had been about to burst, completely suppressing it. That was too arrogant, wasn’t it?
Long Chen slowly opened his furnace, revealing nine round medicinal pills calmly lying within. He couldn’t help but shake his head.
Chapter 1334 Formally Accepting a Master?
Seeing Long Chen shaking his head, the disciples were startled. It was a failure? But it hadn’t looked like one.
“Only three rings?” Long Chen took out one of the nine pills, revealing it only had three rings. The rest only had two rings.
After working so hard, he had only refined a three-ring pill. That disappointed him. Had his alchemy arts regressed? Or was it due to the curse?
He hadn’t held back much just now, having used about eighty percent of his true ability. He had thought that even if he didn’t refine a top grade pill, it should be no problem refining a nine-ring high grade pill.
But either he had overestimated himself or underestimated the difficulty of refining the Soul Gathering Heart Tempering Pill. He couldn’t even tell if it was because of the curse. That was why he was a bit stunned.
“Tch, what a show-off!”
Countless disciples almost coughed up blood from seeing Long Chen’s disappointed expression.
For the Foundation Forging disciples, just forming a pill would be a huge success, even if it was just a garbage pill.
As for the Jade Core disciples, originally they had felt that just refining a low grade Soul Gathering Heart Tempering Pill would be enough. If they refined a middle grade one, they would be mostly assured of getting in the top three. They hadn’t even thought about refining a high grade one.
For Long Chen to actually sigh with disappointment after refining a three-ring pill was truly unbearable. It was definitely bullying.
“Pay attention to your mental state. You are alchemists. With such a mentality, what kind of accomplishments could you possibly have?” shouted a stern elder.
Only then did Long Chen come out of his stunned expression. From those envious expressions around him, he seemed to understand something.
“Congratulations, Long San. You can wait outside.” One of the elders who was on his side spoke to Long Chen, a smile on his face. Long Chen’s skill far surpassed his expectations.
“Yes.”
Long Chen left. According to the rules, he was not supposed to touch anything on the refining platform after finishing his refinement. That was so that the people in charge could confirm there had been no cheating.
When Long Chen walked out, he saw Li Kang waiting for him.
“Long San, why have you come out as well? Did you fail? Don’t worry about it, you can try again in two months. Temporary failure isn’t a big deal,” comforted Li Kang.
“Hmph, disciples that get a free pass into the test only get one shot. If he wants to try again, he’ll have to get in the top thousand first. You think he’s qualified?” sneered a disciple.
Long Chen was enraged inside. How were there so many idiots? It wasn’t as if he had provoked these people. He stared icily at the speaker.
That person instantly jumped in terror. All his hair stood on end as he felt like he was being stared at by an ancient monster. He involuntarily retreated a few steps.
But then he felt that this action was very embarrassing, and his embarrassment turned into anger. “Brat, are you asking for a beating?!”
Long Chen ignored him. Pulling Li Kang to an empty corner, he asked, “Have Chai Liehuo and Fang Chang come?”
Long Chen truly wanted to know this. Fang Chang and Chai Liehuo were qualified to come to Pill Valley. He just didn’t know if they had.
“No.”
Li Kang shook his head. “I feel like they definitely know about the situation over here, which is why they don’t want to come. The two of them are peak geniuses in a place like the Eastern Wasteland. But if they came to Pill Valley, they would only be able to crawl at other people’s feet. They definitely don’t want such a thing.”
Long Chen nodded. The Huo, Chai, and Fang families had been in charge of the Eastern Wasteland’s Pill Tower. The Huo family had been destroyed, while the Chai and Fang family heads had been killed by Long Chen. Fang Chang and Chai Liehuo had very likely become the heads of their respective families, being the local rulers of the Eastern Wasteland.
Long Chen felt like the two of them didn’t like being constrained. Furthermore, they weren’t infatuated with alchemy. By staying in the Eastern Wasteland, it showed that the two of them would rather be the heads of a chicken than the back of a bull.
Long Chen felt some emotion when he thought of the two of them. The two of them weren’t bad people, and he had been brothers with them.
But their two family heads had been greedy for his Earth Flame and tried to kill him. Moreover, he had been the one to kill the two of them. At the same time as he had killed them, he had severed his ties with Fang Chang and Chai Liehuo.
If they were to learn that it was Long Chen who had killed their ancestors, no matter the reason, they wouldn’t be able to forgive him.
Even if they were so magnanimous as to not get revenge on him, they wouldn’t be able to stay brothers. So this relationship had been severed at that time.
Hearing that they hadn’t come comforted him, as well as disappointed him. This kind of feeling was hard to describe with words.
He chatted a bit more with Li Kang. After all, they were like people from the same rural town who had once more reunited. When Li Kang told him about how hard things had been on him in the past three years, even his eyes turned red. These three years had been rough.
After all, this place was Pill Valley. Everyone was advancing as fast as they could, and alchemy was the only thing that mattered. The pressure was great enough to drive a person insane. Without a person to complain to, his grievances all spilled out upon encountering Long Chen.
Long Chen was speechless. Within Pill Valley, you had to be prepared to be bullied and to face immense pressure. But at least there was no danger to their lives, so a person should know when to be satisfied.
Long Chen had spent these three years in a tempest of blood and fire. He had always been struggling at the border between life and death. Therefore, he was the one envious of Li Kang’s life.
As time passed, more and more disciples finished the test and walked out of the lounge. Once the final disciples left, the elders also came out.
The disciples immediately stood orderly and quietly when the elders appeared. Everything became silent.
“The top three disciples of this trial are as follows: Long San, Zhang Yao, and Yu Sijia. Congratulations!”
Once this was announced, countless eyes turned toward Long Chen, all of them filled with shock.
Those people who had mocked him were especially shocked. They had never imagined this brat would be able to charge his way into the Divine Pill Hall as soon as he arrived in Pill Valley.
“Long San, congratulations!” Li Kang was also shocked. He hadn’t expected Long San to be this outstanding even within Pill Valley.
“Thanks. If you need anything in the future, just ask.” Long Chen patted Li Kang on the shoulder. No matter how he put it, they were from the same place. Helping him out when he could was natural.
Li Kang immediately became indescribably grateful. To form a good relationship with one of the Divine Pill Hall’s disciples was a huge honor to him.
The other two disciples who passed were shouting excitedly. They were Jade Core disciples, and this chance had been hard-fought by them. One of them even wept silently.
The other disciples were envious. After the announcement, they scattered.
Long Chen and Li Kang had only just left when they saw Zhao Xiang waiting for them. He immediately smiled upon seeing Long Chen.
“Long San, congratulations on your first victory. Truly well done,” praised Zhao Xiang.
His talent far surpassed his expectations. Originally, he had been a bit worried. After all, he had given Long Chen too little time to prepare. And then the trial had been to refine the Soul Gathering Heart Tempering Pill.
But Long Chen had taken first place. It could be seen how terrifying his talent was.
“Let’s go. Protector Zhuo has already prepared a wine feast for you.” Zhao Xiang pulled Long Chen away.
In a luxurious palace within Pill Valley, there was a large table packed with delicacies and fine wine. When Long Chen arrived, he jumped in shock. Other than Zhuo Tianxiang’s group, there was another white-haired elder sitting at the head position.
Even Zhuo Tianxiang was standing to the side of this elder with a respectful expression.
The white-haired man turned to Long Chen. His eyes were electric, seeming to pierce Long Chen’s body. It was like all his secrets were laid bare.
“Not bad, his Spiritual Strength can be classified as monstrous. It’s too bad you didn’t notice him earlier. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be that much weaker than the Pill Fairy.” The elder sighed.
“Long San, hurry and greet senior Bishi,” said Zhuo Tianxiang.
“Disciple Long San greets senior Bishi.” Long Chen was shocked. This elder’s soul energy was terrifying. With just a look, it had felt like he had used a ruler to measure his soul.
Furthermore, for Zhuo Tianxiang to call this elder senior, it was clear his status was shocking.
Long Chen didn’t know, but this elder’s name was Dan Bishi. He was one of Pill Valley’s twelve Grand Elders. He was someone with true authority.
Within Pill Valley, although the valley master’s authority was the greatest, it wasn’t absolute. If the twelve Grand Elders were against his orders, they could reject the valley master’s orders.
Amongst the twelve Grand Elders, Dan Bishi was one of the representatives of the radical faction. Long Chen’s stunning display had caused Zhuo Tianxiang to invite him over.
“Long San, I saw everything during the trial. If a young person didn’t go a bit wild, they would simply waste their youth. If you clearly have the power, how can you allow others to bully you?” said Dan Bishi.
“But disciple doesn’t like fighting. I’d rather be an obedient disciple. It’s just my character,” said Long Chen shyly. But even with how thick his face was, he felt it reddening slightly
. Even he didn’t believe his words.
“That’s no good. We’ll need to temper his character.” Dan Bishi shook his head.
“Senior Bishi, how about you accept Long San as your titular apprentice? That way Long San will have the confidence and backing to act when he needs to,” probed Zhuo Tianxiang.
“Hm, that’s a good idea. Long San, you are now my titular apprentice. But there’s no need to kowtow. If your display satisfies me in the future, we can become formal apprentice and master later,” said Dan Bishi. Clearly, with his status, not just anyone could become his apprentice.
They wanted him to kowtow? Long Chen cursed inside. But hearing that it wasn’t the case relieved him.
“What are you just standing there for? Shouldn’t you hurry up and call senior Bishi master?” Zhao Xiang nudged Long Chen. He was excited. If Long Chen took Dan Bishi as his master, he would be truly rising.
“Apprentice greets master,” said Long Chen helplessly, bowing. Inside, he felt as irritated as if he had just eaten a fly. How had he ended up with such a garbage master?
“Good. Long San, you can go. I still have some things to discuss with them.” Dan Bishi nodded and sent Long Chen off. But no one noticed that the moment Long Chen called him master, a faint black qi had appeared on Dan Bishi’s forehead.
Chapter 1335 He Died?
The next morning, an emergency bell rang throughout Pill Valley.
“Long San, not good! Your master passed away!” Zhao Xiang pushed open the door to Long Chen’s room with a panicked expression.
“He died?”
Long Chen was startled. Hadn’t he been perfectly fine yesterday? He had even said that he wanted Long Chen to kowtow to him in the future. How did he die?
“What happened?” Long Chen put on a mournful expression, but he didn’t particularly care.
“I’m not sure about the details. I heard that a problem occurred in his cultivation last night. I don’t have the qualifications to learn about such matters, so hurry and come with me. Protector Zhuo wants to see you.”