Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 501 - This Is Impossible!

Every seven-star alchemist needed to master the refinement of the Spirit Recovery Pill, and this was the most produced pill in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

The Spirit Recovery Pills refined by the Azure Crimson Gate were far lower in quality than the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. This was mainly due to a critical ingredient grown in the Three Gorges Valley. The pills refined using the herbs from the Three Gorges Valley could reach a higher quality. This meant the herbs grown somewhere else were inferior in terms of their quality.

The Three Gorges Valley, under the control of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, had long been a target of the Azure Crimson Gate's greed. In recent years, they had even sent forces to disturb the area, leading to numerous large-scale battles.

Everyone had long memorized the process of refining the Spirit Recovery Pill. There was a fixed process over thousands of years.

Many alchemists tried innovating and modifying the Spirit Recovery Pills, but their effects could only be as high as those of the original. This was why Bi Gongyu drew so much criticism when he changed the process.

"I knew it! They're just a bunch of garbage who came to cause trouble in the Treasure Pill Peak with their half-baked alchemy skills," one of Huang Tao’s disciples jeered, directing the insult at Liu Wuxie’s group.

The other seven-star alchemists also frowned because they weren't familiar with Bi Gongyu's methods. They had never seen it before and even wondered if Bi Gongyu only had half-baked skills, as everyone had said.

Elder Tian Xing also frowned at this sight. Even though he wasn’t an alchemist, he was familiar with the process of alchemy. With just a glance, he could tell that Bi Gongyu's method differed significantly from Mo Lan's.

From the surrounding discussions, everyone could tell that Bi Gongyu's refinement method differed from those in the True Martial Continent, and no one had seen it before.

More people began to mock Bi Gongyu, but he paid no attention to the surroundings and focused on refining the Spirit Recovery Pill. Under Liu Wuxie's guidance, he had refined several batches that achieved good medicinal effects.

However, Bi Gongyu didn't dare to be careless today because he would have to cripple his cultivation and leave the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion if he lost.

Yi Xuan watched quietly, even glancing at Liu Wuxie, who was meditating and ignored the surrounding discussions.

It was remarkable that Liu Wuxie maintained such composure for his age, and someone else in his shoes would've argued back under the surrounding taunts. But there wasn't a hint of anger on Liu Wuxie's face, whose calmness was almost frightening.

Time slowly passed, and Mo Lan was nearing the end of his refinement process.

"Mo Lan's alchemy skills have reached perfection, and he's closer to becoming an eight-star alchemist," many people flattered.

"That's for sure. Senior Brother Mo Lan is only one step away from becoming an eight-star alchemist," Mo Lan's other junior brothers echoed along with the crowd.

With Mo Lan potentially advancing to become an eight-star alchemist, the master-disciple duo would gain even greater prestige in the sect.

"Senior Brother Mo Lan's refinement speed is really fast, and he has improved by fifteen minutes compared to before. The quality even looks higher!" the crowd praised Mo Lan.

Everyone praised Mo Lan. As for Bi Gongyu, everyone had utterly sidelined him. No one even desired to watch him because his methods were too unfamiliar, while Mo Lan's refinement process was a pleasure to watch.

Each of Mo Lan's actions was engraved in the hearts of the crowd, and it was undisputable that Mo Lan's refinement method had reached perfection.

"Stop!" Mo Lan extinguished the flames and closed the valve, causing the cauldron's temperature to drop. Pill fragrance weaved and permeated into the air, spreading throughout the square.

"What a rich fragrance! This batch of Spirit Recovery Pills is definitely of high quality!" Several seven-star alchemists began to clap, acknowledging that these pills were among the finest the sect had produced. Supreme-grade pills were exceptionally rare.

"Grandmaster Huang, you've taken a good disciple!" Huang Tao was surrounded by several eight-star alchemists, who congratulated him when they saw the pills produced by Mo Lan.

All the eight-star alchemists had taken in disciples, but there weren't many with accomplishments comparable to Mo Lan on the Treasure Pill Peak.

"This is all due to Lan'er's diligence. As his master, I only gave him some guidance occasionally," Huang Tao said. He stroked his beard with a proud smile stretched across his face after being praised.

One minute after Mo Lan finished, Bi Gongyu extinguished the flames in his cauldron. Unlike Mo Lan, he closed the valve slowly, without the same urgency.

As Bi Gongyu didn't open the cauldron, no pill fragrance emerged, leaving the crowd unable to gauge the quality of his pills.

"What's going on? Why didn't he open the cauldron?" Everyone was baffled because alchemists would typically open their cauldrons for others to inspect the quality.

"Bi Gongyu, it's not too late for you to kneel and beg me for mercy now. As long as you're willing to admit that you're trash, I will consider sparing your life," Mo Lan said, looking at Bi Gongyu. Since Bi Gongyu didn't dare to open his cauldron, this could only mean one thing: he was ashamed to show everyone the pills he refined.

"It's too early to talk about that now!" Bi Gongyu sneered. He didn't open the cauldron because he didn't want to cause a commotion, and he also did this on purpose to let Mo Lan have his moment like a clown.

"Let the judges verify the quality!" Mo Lan snorted. He invited Yi Xuan and the other judges to inspect their pills, and everyone stood up and walked over.

Elder Yi Xuan picked up a pill and brought it to his nose for a sniff. He said, "High-grade Spirit Recovery Pill, and the quality is pretty good."

This verdict brought applause from ninety percent of the crowd. Elder Yi Xuan wasn't an alchemist but was at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm, and his words carried significant weight.

Mo Chong was next to inspect the pill and gave the same verdict as Elder Yi Xuan. He wouldn't smear the quality of Mo Lan's pills just because he had a feud with Huang Tao, and it was also impossible for him to make a false verdict with so many witnesses around.

All the judges had a high status, and no one would ruin their reputation over a single competition.

After all the judges inspected Mo Lan's pills, they all gave the verdict of high-grade Spirit Recovery Pills.

"Liu Wuxie is in danger now. Aside from the eight-star alchemists present, it's practically impossible for anyone to beat Mo Lan," said a bystander.

Ten high-grade Spirit Recovery Pills were as close to perfection as supreme-grade pills.

The crowd gathered around Bi Gongyu's cauldron, urging him to open it. Instead of complying immediately, Bi Gongyu performed a complex seal and carefully manipulated the space around the cauldron, setting up a barrier.

What a profound technique! Mo Chong thought.

Bi Gongyu made all preparations before he opened the cauldron, releasing a cloud of mist hovering in the air, but the pill cloud couldn't dissipate because the surrounding space was sealed.

"Pill cloud! It's a pill cloud!" Hundreds of alchemists in the surroundings were stunned. They leaped from their seats in disbelief at the sight before them; they couldn't believe that Bi Gongyu's Spirit Recovery Pills had formed a pill cloud.

Mo Zhong froze before quickly stepping forward and taking a pill from the cauldron.

"It's a supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pill!" Mo Chong seemed to have gone insane. He was speechless as he looked at the crystal-clear pill in his hand.

The other alchemists quickly rushed forward to find twelve pills inside the cauldron. Mo Lan only produced ten pills using the same ingredients, but Bi Gongyu produced twelve.

Most importantly, the quality of Bi Gongyu’s pills far surpassed that of Mo Lan’s. Although high and supreme grades might seem close, everyone understood the difficulty in achieving the latter.

Refining high-grade pills was relatively straightforward, but crafting supreme-grade pills required not only exceptional skill but also a deep understanding of alchemy and a bit of luck.

"All twelve supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pills! How did he manage to achieve it?" A curious alchemist stepped forward. Though not a judge, he was eager to see the results firsthand.

"This is impossible! How could he possibly refine supreme-grade pills?!" Mo Lan fell to the ground, looking utterly defeated.

Huang Tao was still chatting with other alchemists when the sudden change of events caught them off guard. Many alchemists disregarded their pride and stepped forward, wanting to grab the pill from others to take a closer look. They hoped to learn more about refining techniques from these pills.

“This isn’t just a supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pill,” Yi Xuan announced suddenly, capturing everyone’s attention and piquing their curiosity.

"Elder Yi Xuan, are you saying these Spirit Recovery Pills aren't just supreme-grade pills?" Mo Chong inquired respectfully. Despite being a nine-star alchemist, his cultivation was lower than Elder Yi Xuan's.

"I believe everyone knows the effects of supreme-grade pills, and they're five times more effective than high-grade pills. However, the medicinal effect of this pill is ten times stronger than high-grade Spirit Recovery Pills," Elder Yi Xuan said.

The effect of a supreme-grade pill was typically five times compared to a high-grade pill.

Everyone nodded in agreement because that was common knowledge.

"Ten times the medicinal effect? How is that possible?!" An eight-star alchemist found it hard to believe. They had seen supreme-grade pills before, and the best one only had five times the medicinal effects of high-grade pills.

"I also refuse to believe it. They're both Spirit Recovery Pills, so how can they be ten times more effective than high-grade pills?" More alchemists began to think that Elder Yi Xuan was exaggerating.

The ingredients were identical, but Bi Gongyu had produced two more pills, all of which were supreme-grade. If the medicinal effect was ten times stronger than high-grade pills, all the alchemists present might as well smash their heads into a beancurd. After all, even Mo Chong couldn't refine supreme-grade Spirit Recovery Pills.

Even if Bi Gongyu was lucky enough to refine a supreme-grade pill, how could the medicinal effect be ten times greater than a high-grade pill?

Huang Tao couldn't remain seated and squeezed his way into the crowd. He frowned deeply when he took a pill from a fellow alchemist.

"Send your divine sense into them if you don't believe me. You'll see the remarkable effect of this Spirit Recovery Pill." Elder Yi Xuan didn't explain anything further and looked at Liu Wuxie. He was beginning to understand why Liu Wuxie had asked him to come today, but that was only a speculation, and he didn't dare to confirm.

A series of gasps were heard from the surroundings when everyone poured their divine sense into the pill. They all had disbelief on their faces, including Huang Tao. None of them could believe pills could reach this level.

"This is impossible..." Mo Lan snatched the pill from his master and sent his divine sense into the pill before he began muttering incoherently in a daze.