Chapter 226: Chu Ning of Jiuhua Zong, Wins!

Chapter 226: Chu Ning of Jiuhua Zong, Wins!

Cold Spring's expression changed as well at this moment.

"This madman!" he muttered to himself. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a yellow stone inkstone and sent it to intercept the flying dagger.

However, the inkstone failed to activate in time and couldn't produce the yellow mist to counter the attack.

Though it blocked the black dagger with its flickering red glow, the spiritual charm on the inkstone instantly faded.

Obviously, it could no longer be controlled.

At the same time, the immense force of the impact sent Cold Spring flying backward.

But he didn't seem to mind.

Just then, the yellow mist had struck Yuan Rongzhang's defensive shield.

Even with its decent defensive capabilities, the shield couldn't withstand the attack of such a treasure and immediately scattered.

The next moment, the remaining yellow mist swept Yuan Rongzhang off his feet.

He flew through the air, spat out a mouthful of blood, and slammed heavily into the defensive restriction.

"Brother Yuan!"

"Uncle Yuan!"

At this sight, the alchemists of Jiuhua Zong's Pill Refining Pavilion cried out in concern.

On the high platform, Yu Changge and Yuan Zhuo stood up almost simultaneously.

Yuan Zhuo clenched his fists, his cold face filled with a flickering gaze.

It seemed like they were about to rush onto the platform to rescue their fellow disciple.

At this moment, Yuan Rongzhang, pale-faced with blood at the corner of his mouth and wounds all over his body from the aftermath of the yellow mist, struggled to stand up.

The black dagger had returned to his hand, and he took a handful of pills and swallowed them.

"Rongzhang!"

Watching the scene unfold, Yu Changge's expression changed slightly.

He had a vague idea of what Yuan Rongzhang was about to do and said to Yuan Zhuo, "Brother Yuan, bring Rongzhang down."

Yuan Zhuo shook his head. Instead of worry, a smile appeared on his face.

"No need, this is good!"

Seeing Yuan Zhuo's reaction, Yu Changge gave the arena one last glance before turning away without another word.

At this moment, Cold Spring seemed to realize something.

Since he couldn't use the inkstone anymore, he slapped his hand and added several defensive shields around his body.

At the same time, he shot several talismans toward Yuan Rongzhang in quick succession.

However, Yuan Rongzhang's expression only became more frenzied. He forcefully supplemented his spiritual power by consuming a large number of pills and quickly channeled it into the black dagger in his hand.

"For the sect, I must... win this once!"

With a roar, Yuan Rongzhang thrust the black dagger forward!

The crimson glow on it was even more dazzling than before.

The talismans and spells shooting toward him from the air were instantly scattered by the residual crimson glow!

In the next moment, the crimson glow reached Cold Spring and struck the shield protecting him.

The shield, obviously a high-grade talisman, couldn't withstand the blow and scattered.

The crimson glow then pierced through Cold Spring's body!

Ao Langtian flashed and appeared on the competition stage.

He quickly supported Cold Spring, channeled spiritual power into his body, and fed him a pill.

Then, he turned his gaze to the other end of the stage, where Yuan Rongzhang was now being protected by Yu Changge.

Though Yuan Rongzhang was swaying unsteadily, he still managed to smile weakly at the late-stage Gold Core cultivator.

Ao Langtian let out a cold laugh, then carried the unconscious Cold Spring off the stage.

Yuan Rongzhang raised his head to look at the high platform and flew up slowly to land on it.

He looked at the white-haired elder with the surname Peng.

"Senior, can you announce the result now?"

The white-haired elder named Peng looked at Yuan Rongzhang with a strange gaze, then nodded slightly. He raised his head to look at the arena below and said slowly, "This match... Yuan Rongzhang of Jiuhua Zong wins!"

With these words, Yuan Rongzhang softly collapsed to the ground.

"Brother Yuan!"

"Uncle Yuan!!"

In the arena below, the disciples of Jiuhua Zong watched the high platform with concern.

They all clenched their fists tightly.

Chu Ning and Yuan Zhuo flashed to Yuan Rongzhang's side and supported him.

The elder with the surname Peng opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately remained silent.

Chu Ning quickly took out a Small Sky Yuan Pill from his storage bag and fed it to Yuan Rongzhang.

Yuan Rongzhang opened his eyes slightly and glanced at Chu Ning before speaking in a barely audible voice, "Brother Chu, I'm sorry..."

Despite the pyrrhic victory, Yuan Rongzhang's face showed no joy, only guilt.

In the previous two rounds, he and Lu Jiakang had each won only one match, which meant that for Jiuhua Zong to win, Chu Ning had to win all three matches in this round.

It was almost an impossible task.

Chu Ning gently patted Yuan Rongzhang's shoulder and smiled faintly, "Rest assured, leave it to me!"

Having said that, Chu Ning slowly stood up.

Chu Ning met his gaze, his expression calm, but his chest felt like it was burning with fiery passion.

Having transmigrated to this cultivation world, Chu Ning had always been cautious and careful, calm and rational.

Although he had encountered dangers along the way, he managed to navigate through them safely.

He rarely acted on impulse or let his emotions get the better of him.

But at this moment, Chu Ning felt his blood boiling.

After spending over eight years in Jiuhua Zong, he had witnessed the sincerity of everyone in the sect, all striving towards a common goal.

Today's competition stirred the emotions of the over ten thousand disciples watching in the arena.

He saw Lu Jiakang's unexpected defeat and the guilt and bitterness that followed, and he witnessed Yuan Rongzhang's madness and obsession in the final moments.

Chu Ning admitted that, at this moment, he was deeply moved!

He wanted to be impulsive, to let his passion take over!

Even if it went against his usual style and his initial intention to stay low-key.

But at this moment, he no longer wanted to think about all that.

"Let's make this a spectacular moment then!"

Chu Ning whispered to himself, feeling the heat in his heart rise to his head.

He looked directly at Ao Xuan, his voice calm and resolute, "The disciples of Jiuhua Zong do not kneel and admit defeat!

Am I right, fellow disciples of Jiuhua Zong?"

As his words fell, the ten thousand Jiuhua Zong disciples in the arena all raised their heads and looked towards the high platform.

"Yes!!!"

Their voices thundered throughout the entire Jiuhua Mountain range.

The astonishing aura, emanating from the tens of thousands of disciples, caused even the Golden Core cultivators on the high platform to change their expressions.

And the more than a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators from Daluo Zong, feeling oppressed by this momentum, quickly erected spiritual power defensive shields.

Even so, they still wore extremely ugly expressions!

Ao Xuan, too, was forced to change his expression by this momentum, but he quickly recovered, coldly huffing, "Good, then let your loss be a resounding one!"

At this moment, the white-haired elder with the surname Peng handed the last elixir formula to the two of them.

Then, Chu Ning and Ao Xuan flew up and landed on the pill refining platform.

Chu Ning focused his spiritual sense on the jade slip in front of him and began examining the elixir formula within.

"Oh? It's actually a spiritual sense-type elixir formula?"

Chu Ning was a little surprised as he looked at it.

Intermediate upper-grade elixirs that focused on spiritual sense were more difficult to refine than ordinary Qi-refining elixirs.

The key was that Chu Ning had also heard that this elixir formula was improved by a cultivator based on an ancient formula.

"I guess that cultivator's alchemy skills were also extremely high, probably at the late Golden Core stage."

As this thought flashed through his mind, Chu Ning quickly scanned through the contents of the elixir formula.

This jade slip only contained the elixir formula, which included the order of adding spirit herbs, but it did not specify the details of controlling the fire for refining.

However, for Chu Ning, who had already researched two intermediate upper-grade spiritual sense-type elixir formulas, this was not too difficult.

In just a quarter of an hour, Chu Ning had already formulated a relatively complete plan for refining the elixir.

At this moment, Chu Ning's heart stirred, and he directly put away the jade slip and walked towards the pill furnace.

Whether it was the Golden Core cultivators on the high platform or the disciples below in the arena, they were all surprised by this action.

"Is Brother Chu about to start refining the elixir?"

"It seems so. Look, he's put away the jade slip and is already cleaning the pill furnace."

The disciples of Jiuhua Zong whispered among themselves, and on the other side, the Foundation Establishment cultivators from Daluo Zong were also abuzz with discussion.

"What's going on? Has this guy already mastered the contents of the jade slip?

Even Brother Ao is still studying the elixir formula!"

"Do you think he's just putting on a show to affect Brother Ao?"

It was no wonder they thought that way, as Ao Xuan on the other pill refining platform had also noticed Chu Ning's movements and looked bewildered.

He glanced down at the jade slip in his hand and then at Chu Ning, his face full of astonishment.

From his expression, it was clear that he was surprised that Chu Ning was preparing to start refining so soon.

Ao Langtian on the high platform stood up and said to the white-haired Elder Peng, "Friend Peng, you haven't announced the official start of the elixir refining yet. This person should be violating the rules, right?"

"How is he violating the rules?"

Before Elder Peng could speak, Yu Changge spoke up, "When Friend Peng mentioned the rules earlier, he referred to the maximum time limit of half an hour to comprehend the elixir formula.

But he didn't say that one must spend the entire half-hour studying the formula.

The fact that our Jiuhua Zong disciple can quickly understand the formula is also a reflection of his high level of alchemy skills."

Elder Peng nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, I didn't say that the elixir formula must be studied for half an hour. If this disciple, Chu Ning, can understand the formula in such a short time,

In his opinion, that fellow Chu Ning wouldn't be able to win even a single match against Ao Xuan, let alone three.

At this moment, Ao Langtian was a hundred percent certain that Chu Ning's actions were aimed at affecting Ao Xuan's state of mind.

In fact, Chu Ning did have such intentions.

However, he wasn't trying to affect Ao Xuan's performance in this pill refinement.

When it came to alchemy, Chu Ning was extremely confident. Unless a Golden Core cultivator stepped in, no one could surpass him.

What he wanted to influence was Ao Xuan's mindset for this entire round.

Of course, more importantly, at this moment, Chu Ning had indeed thought through every step of the pill refinement process.

While cleaning the pill furnace, Chu Ning once again went through the pill refinement process in his mind, basically ensuring that there would be no problems.

Then, he began to cast a series of hand seals to control the fire and start the refinement.

This pill didn't have a name, but some of the spirit herbs used in it were also found in Chu Ning's Iron Soul Pill and Earth Spirit Pill.

Once the temperature in the pill furnace reached the required level, he started to add the spirit herbs in a specific order.

At the same time, the hand seals he used to control the fire were constantly changing.

Since he wasn't sure of his opponent's level, Chu Ning didn't hold back at all.

He focused all his attention on the pill furnace before him.

One by one, the spirit herbs were added, and hand seals were cast.

Once all the spirit herbs had been refined, the hand seals changed again, and he began the separation process.

At this moment, on the high platform, one of the witnesses, a Taoist priest, and an elderly man with drooping eyebrows from the Daluo Sect, both had looks of surprise in their eyes.

Both of them were skilled in alchemy, so they could naturally tell what stage of the process Chu Ning was in based on the hand seals he was using.

Now, they realized that Chu Ning had truly understood the pill formula.

Moreover, in the previous stage of extracting and refining the spirit herbs, he had completed it smoothly and effortlessly.

The elderly man with drooping eyebrows from the Daluo Sect immediately transmitted his voice to Ao Langtian.

Ao Langtian was slightly startled when he heard the transmission. He glanced deeply at Chu Ning and then at Ao Xuan.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of pressure as he watched Chu Ning. Then, his gaze shifted to Ao Xuan.

At this moment, Ao Xuan had also put down the jade slip.

The two pill refinement platforms were built facing each other, so as long as Ao Xuan, the pride of the Daluo Sect, looked up, he could see what was happening on Chu Ning's side.

Naturally, Ao Xuan could see that Chu Ning's pill refinement had progressed to the latter stages.

His face twitched, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is a spiritual sense-type intermediate upper-grade pill formula, and he's grasped it so quickly?

How is that possible?"

At this moment, Ao Xuan's heart was no longer as calm as before.

He knew that Chu Ning was the Chief Executive of the Pill Refining Pavilion of Jiuhua Zong, but the Daluo Sect had previously dismissed this information.

Firstly, Chu Ning had never revealed himself to the outside world, and secondly, the Pill Refining Pavilion of Jiuhua Zong had been in decline for many years. As a result, Ao Xuan didn't take it to heart.

With Ao Xuan's arrogance, he didn't believe that among the cultivators in the Cloudsoaring Alliance, there was anyone whose alchemy skills could surpass his own.

Even if there was, it was impossible for them to be from Jiuhua Zong.

But now, Chu Ning had clearly outpaced him in understanding the formula, and this caused Ao Xuan's mindset to falter.

At this moment, Ao Xuan happened to look up and saw the gazes of Ao Langtian and the others on the high platform, encouraging him to stay calm.

Ao Xuan took a deep breath.

"In the end, the winner will be decided by the success rate and quality of the pills.

I refuse to believe that someone from Jiuhua Zong can truly surpass me!"

With that in mind, Ao Xuan stopped paying attention to Chu Ning and began his pill refinement.

On the other side of the pill refinement platform, Chu Ning had completed the separation process.

In the past six years, his alchemy skills had also improved.

If it had been six years ago, facing an intermediate upper-grade pill for the first time, Chu Ning wouldn't have been able to handle it so skillfully.

But now, refining pills of this grade was a piece of cake for him.

Separation, liquification, pelletization...

Chu Ning executed each step flawlessly.

At this moment, even through the pill furnace, the fragrance of the pills wafted out.

The restriction only had a soundproofing effect, so the scent of the pills naturally drifted outside the pill refinement platform.

With the additional explanations from the disciples of the Pill Refining Pavilion, the tens of thousands of Jiuhua Zong disciples in the arena wore joyful expressions.

"Uncle-Master Chu has succeeded in refining the pills! He's taking them out now!"

"What a rich pill fragrance! The grade must be high!"

"Look, how many pills did he make?"

...

At this moment, tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on the pill refinement platform.

Unlike Cold Spring, who had refused to take out his pills earlier, Chu Ning extended his palm and pressed it against the pill furnace. The lid of his pill furnace opened, and several pills flew out, hovering above it.

Chu Ning did this intentionally, allowing everyone to see the pills clearly.

The next moment, the entire arena erupted in cheers. Many within the Jiuhua Zong had witnessed Chu Ning's pill-refining prowess before.

Seeing his incredible success rate, they knew that this round was a sure win for Chu Ning!

On the high platform, the Golden Core cultivators of Jiuhua Zong couldn't help but reveal smiles.

On the other hand, the witnesses from Daluo Zong wore looks of surprise.

"A ten out of ten success rate?" The elderly man with drooping eyebrows from Daluo Zong couldn't help but mutter, his tone filled with disbelief.

The next moment, he silently added, "Even Ao Xuan might not be able to achieve such a success rate."

With that thought, the elderly man's gaze shifted to Ao Xuan, and he felt slightly relieved. Ao Xuan seemed unaware of Chu Ning's pill count and thus didn't seem affected.

After everyone, including Chu Ning, had clearly seen the number of pills, Chu Ning waved his hand and collected the nine pills into a jade bottle.

The next moment, he flew out from the pill refining platform and landed on the high platform, holding the jade bottle.

"I've finished refining the pills. Please examine them, seniors." Chu Ning said as he handed the jade bottle to the white-haired Elder Peng.

Elder Peng smiled at Chu Ning and took the bottle.

"Then let's take a look at the pills refined by Chu Ning." The others were curious to see the quality of the pills, given that Chu Ning had refined them so quickly.

Especially the old Taoist priest, who was skilled in alchemy; he stepped forward first.

When Elder Peng opened the bottle and poured out the pills, the old Taoist exclaimed, "What high-quality pills!"

Elder Peng knew that the old Taoist was adept at alchemy, so he handed the bottle to him.

"Friend Qu, take a closer look." The old Taoist took the bottle, carefully examining each pill, and then passed them to the others to inspect.

Then, he turned to Chu Ning, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"A ten out of ten success rate, and each pill is of superior quality. This is the highest-grade among intermediate upper-grade pills!

Even we Golden Core cultivators may not be able to refine pills of this caliber.

Jiuhua Zong's Master Chu truly has remarkable pill-refining skills!" The old Taoist, Master Qu, couldn't help but praise Chu Ning, and his words caused the Daluo Zong cultivators, including Ao Langtian, to change their expressions.

Master Qu's reputation as an alchemist was well-known throughout the Cloudsoaring Alliance, and they understood the weight of his words.

On the other pill refining platform, Ao Xuan couldn't hear the conversation on the high platform, but he certainly noticed Chu Ning's actions.

Even with a good mindset, he couldn't help but be affected by this.

This disturbance caused the pill furnace to act up, and Ao Xuan's expression changed slightly as he quickly cast a series of hand seals to stabilize it.

He then calmed his mind and focused entirely on the pill refinement, not daring to be distracted again.

In the arena, all eyes turned to Ao Xuan.

When they saw seven pills being separated from the furnace, the Jiuhua Zong disciples burst into cheers.

Ao Xuan collected the pills and happened to glance at the arena, guessing what had caused the commotion.

Although he couldn't hear the cheers, he could read the excitement on their faces.

His expression changed slightly.

However, after glancing at the high platform, he flew up with the jade bottle in hand and landed on it.

This way, he also saw the unusual expressions on the faces of the Daluo Zong Golden Core cultivators.

His heart sank.

Nevertheless, he handed the jade bottle to Elder Peng.

After witnessing Chu Ning's pills, the witnesses had already guessed the outcome when they saw that Ao Xuan had only refined seven pills.

But they still poured out Ao Xuan's pills to examine them.

Then, Elder Peng announced the results.

"Daluo Zong's Ao Xuan refined seven pills, and Jiuhua Zong's Chu Ning refined nine pills, all of superior quality.

In this match, Jiuhua Zong's Chu Ning wins!"

"Boom!!!

"Hooray!!!"

As Elder Peng's announcement echoed through the arena, thunderous cheers erupted from the Jiuhua Zong disciples.

Ao Xuan's face contorted with shock, and his eyes reflected his disbelief.

"Nine pills? How is that possible?" Having just refined the same pill, he was well aware of the difficulty.

Beyond a six-out-of-ten success rate, each additional pill represented a significant improvement.

Although he had already guessed from the earlier reactions that the situation was not in his favor, he never imagined that Chu Ning would achieve a perfect ten out of ten success rate!

At this moment, Elder Peng smiled and opened the emerald green jade bottle.

"Everyone on the platform has already seen it, but let's have Fellow Ao verify it with his spiritual sense."

Ao Xuan swept his spiritual sense over the pills, and his gaze toward Chu Ning became incredibly complex.

It held a mix of jealousy, anger, disappointment, and disbelief...

"It really is nine pills. How could it be nine?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end