Immortality Begins With The Alchemical Master Chapter 338: The Grand Pill Competition, Luo Chen Under the Spotlight! - Novel Cool

Chapter 338: The Grand Pill Competition, Luo Chen Under the Spotlight!

Chapter 338: The Grand Pill Competition, Luo Chen Under the Spotlight!

Five days later!

The first round of the arena battles has concluded!

Luo Chen stood in front of Tao Wan, gazing at their rankings.

"Fourth place?"

Tao Wan sighed, "Fourth place is already the best they could achieve. Even I personally participated once."

Following her gaze, Luo Chen looked towards the main contenders of the arena battles.

Tao Daonan's once rosy complexion had faded, and his aged appearance became more pronounced.

It was said that he personally fought Chu Kui.

In that battle, despite being at the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, he surprisingly failed to defeat his opponent.

Instead, he sustained non-trivial injuries.

Additionally, Qi Lingyun and Tan Xiao were not in the best condition either.

Qi Lingyun's right arm hung limply, while Tan Xiao's spiritual energy fluctuated erratically, indicating a depleted state.

Under these circumstances, they still managed to climb from fifth to fourth place.

It seemed that Tao Wan's personal involvement and victory over another true disciple, Du Changfeng, contributed to this achievement.

However, it was indeed a blow for a great lineage disciple to personally participate in the first round.

Of course, winning is a good thing!

This meant that with a higher ranking, by the third round of the true transmission sword duels, there would be ample time to observe opponents and adjust strategies.

"Here's the detailed ranking. You can take a look."

In fact, there was no need for a list.

Luo Chen only needed to observe the heights of the various high platforms to determine the top-ranked competitors.

First place still belonged to the Grand Elder of Qingdan Valley, Dan Yangzi.

With his singular strength, he withstood consecutive battles and maintained his top position, proving his exceptional combat prowess.

At the very least, his abundant spiritual energy allowed him to endure the intense consumption.

Second place went to Yu Xuan He Yuanqing.

Third place was Shangguan Yan.

Fourth place, Tao Wan.

Fifth place, Du Changfeng.

Sixth place, Fu Li...

"I need to be in the top three. Can you help me, Luo Chen?" Tao Wan's gaze burned with anticipation as she looked at Luo Chen, her eyes filled with hope.

With the current rankings, breaking into the top three would not be an easy feat.

The second round consisted of three rounds of competitions.

The top five would be considered winners, while the bottom four would be considered losers.

Only the winners could move up in the rankings.

They would also have to compete against opponents of similar rankings.

At the very least, they would need to maintain a top-three position in every round to allow Tao Wan, currently in fourth place, to move up one spot.

This was a challenging task!

However, Luo Chen merely smiled faintly.

"Let's wait for the good news!"

As he finished speaking, a radiant light shone from the central high platform.

An elderly man with white hair descended from the Celestial Palace.

It was the elder of the Great Pill Institute! He surveyed the surroundings without much ado and spoke directly:

"The second round, the first match, basic pill refinement techniques, begins now!"

"Please, all pill cultivators, take your places!"

Amidst the expectant gazes of over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Tao family, Luo Chen leaped forward and gracefully landed in front of a pill cauldron.

He caressed the seemingly transparent Jade Lotus Cauldron, his gaze sweeping over the other pill cultivators who were taking their places.

The first one was none other than Dan Yangzi.

His expression was solemn, his face slightly pale, indicating the toll the consecutive battles had taken on him.

In such a state, he was not in the best condition for pill refinement!

The second one was Xuan Yunzi He Yun.

Facing Luo Chen's gaze, he smiled slightly, appearing quite friendly.

Luo Chen thought of his opponent's background, which might be related to his past life's opportunity and considered it a spiritual inheritance.

He also revealed a kind smile.

At that moment, he sensed a malicious intent.

Turning his head, he saw Huang Hezi standing not far away, within a five-zhang range.

The other party was glaring at him with resentment.

A sound transmission came, unabashedly conveying his message.

"You little thief, I'll make sure Tao Wan knows just how great the gap is between you and me!"

To be called a thief, this old man truly lacks respect for his elders!

Luo Chen's eyebrows twitched, and he didn't bother to respond.

The next moment, the elder of the Great Pill Institute's gaze fell harshly upon Huang Hezi.

"The pill refinement competition is about to begin. No whispering or spiritual sound transmissions are allowed."

"Any further violations will result in immediate disqualification!"

Huang Hezi shuddered upon being reprimanded.

Indeed!

During pill refinement, the greatest taboo is causing disturbances.

If one could freely release their spiritual sense without restraint, wouldn't it be easy to interfere with others?

The pill refinement competition in Qingdan Valley was a scholarly contest, not a physical battle.

It was a competition of speed and pill quality.

Those methods were absolutely forbidden.

With this interruption, Luo Chen didn't bother to look at the others anymore.

In this second round, he was determined to seize the top position.

Having received various benefits from Tao Wan, he felt obligated to give his best effort.

If she could truly secure the Dao Seed position, it would undoubtedly provide great assistance to her future cultivation.

After the elder of the Great Pill Institute waved his wide sleeves, various familiar and unfamiliar medicinal ingredients were neatly arranged before Luo Chen and the others.

"The first round, a basic alchemy technique competition, involves decomposing and refining the provided materials. There are three sets of each material."

"You only need to produce one finished product. However! It must meet the specified standards to be considered qualified."

"The specific standards are already written on the paper."

"The winner will be determined by the speed of completion!"

"Begin!"

In an instant, three second-tier alchemists sprang into action.

Familiar with the medicinal ingredients, they immediately got to work.

Starting with the easier tasks and gradually increasing the difficulty not only boosts confidence but also saves time.

However, six people in the arena remained calm, carefully examining the five types of medicinal ingredients in front of them.

Luo Chen was among them.

Out of the five ingredients, he had worked with four before.

First-tier Azure Star Grass, first-tier Sky Blue Aloe, first-tier Crimson Flame Spirit Ginseng, and second-tier Blue Smoke Jade.

The remaining ingredient, though unfamiliar, he had studied through various diagrams and secret alchemy manuals.

It was called Return to Origin Cicada Molt.

It was the shed shell of a second-tier demonic beast, known as Cicada Molt, but it was not actually shed by a cicada bird; it only resembled one.

Processing this ingredient was simple; at least three different alchemy techniques could handle it individually.

However, to meet the standard set by the Supreme Alchemy Institute Elder, "Clear and bright, without loss of essence energy," this approach wouldn't suffice.

At the very least, two additional first-tier medicinal ingredients would be needed to neutralize and achieve the desired effect.

Luo Chen's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Qingdan Valley hadn't provided any supporting medicinal ingredients, had they?

But why would they set an impossible task?

His gaze swept over the other four ingredients.

Various medicinal properties emerged one by one from his mind.

Azure Star Grass was poisonous.

Sky Blue Aloe had a gentle medicinal property and was effective in healing wounds.

Crimson Flame Spirit Ginseng had a domineering medicinal property, often burning other supporting ingredients with its scorching nature.

Blue Smoke Jade contained Jade Mist, one of the main ingredients in refining the Jade Dew Pill, and it was extremely cold.

"If I use Crimson Flame Spirit Ginseng as the base, burning away the poison of Azure Star Grass, and then adding the extremely cold Jade Mist, followed by neutralizing it with Sky Blue Aloe, the resulting spirit liquid should be equivalent to the two supporting ingredients needed for processing the Return to Origin Cicada Molt, right?"

"No!"

"This way, there would be conflicts, but it's only a superficial resemblance."

"What if they were processed simultaneously?"

Luo Chen seemed to have found the solution.

Scanning the entire arena, he noticed that among the six who hadn't started, three more had begun working.

Only Luo Chen, Danyaozi, and Xuan Yunzi remained in contemplation.

But soon, Danyaozi made his move! His first action was to refine the Crimson Flame Spirit Ginseng with Earth Fire, using the Cloud Transformation Palm technique.

Witnessing this, Luo Chen confirmed his suspicions.

Indeed!

This first round was not solely a test of alchemy techniques.

It also involved an examination of medicinal principles.

Sometimes, one could draw parallels and learn from others' experiences.

However, Danyaozi's order of adding ingredients didn't seem to be the optimal solution?

...

As the grand alchemy sect, Qingdan Valley had a deep culture of pill refinement.

Even those without innate talent for alchemy would often start learning basic alchemy knowledge during the Qi Refinement stage to prepare for various alchemy-related tasks within the sect.

Therefore, for this second round, although there were no dazzling battles, many disciples eagerly gathered to watch, not wanting to miss a single match.

This was the first match.

Everyone knew it involved processing medicinal ingredients, a relatively straightforward task.

Many Qi Refinement stage disciples with ample resources often practiced privately.

Seeing the ingredients provided by the Supreme Alchemy Institute Elder, they couldn't help but discuss among themselves.

"Wow!"

One disciple whistled in admiration.

The discussions continued.

"This test is so difficult!"

"Yes, there are three first-tier medicinal ingredients. Azure Star Grass is highly toxic, Sky Blue Aloe has an incredibly tough outer skin, and Crimson Flame Spirit Ginseng has a domineering medicinal property. Each requires careful handling, and the time needed is significant!"

"These three are still manageable; it's just a matter of time. Look at those two second-tier ingredients; one is a mineral, and the other is a demonic beast material. Although both can be used in pills, the processing is extremely complex."

"I know about Blue Smoke Jade. I heard that only a Jade Breaking Hand could extract the essence, Jade Mist?"

"At least a Jade Breaking Hand at the advanced level could extract a wisp of Jade Mist."

"Strange, doesn't the processing of Return to Origin Cicada Molt require two supporting ingredients? Did the Elder forget to provide them?"

Amidst the discussions, three of the nine alchemists on the platform began their work simultaneously.

Their skilled movements demonstrated their confidence in handling the limited ingredients.

"From easy to difficult, this is the experience gained from numerous Alchemy Grand Competitions, an unbreakable truth!"

"These three seniors must have studied the records of previous competitions."

"Hmm, why aren't the other six moving?"

On the high platform, six alchemists remained motionless.

At that moment, everyone's gaze was drawn to this scene.

The Supreme Alchemy Institute Elder stood at the center of the platform, his eyes sweeping over the nine participants.

Seeing the three who had started first, he cursed inwardly, "Idiots!"

His gaze moved to the remaining six, and he nodded silently.

"They do have some knowledge, not fooled by the so-called experiences of past competitions. In our alchemy, there's no such thing as starting from easy to difficult, only the fundamental principles of pharmacology."

"I wonder, among these six, who will be the first to come up with a solution for the Return to Origin Cicada Molt?"

"Pill and Sword Sage has an extremely high talent for alchemy, and he follows his intuition. This won't be a challenge for him."

"Huang Hezi is experienced and knowledgeable due to his age. He should also be able to devise a reasonable solution."

"Regarding the Return to Origin Cicada Molt, although I didn't provide auxiliary materials, these four ingredients can be combined to form at least three solutions to address their properties. Let's see which one of you can comprehend."

His eyes scanned Luo Chen.

Seeing that Luo Chen was not only thinking but also had the leisure to observe others, he thought, "He's a loose cultivation alchemist with an unstable foundation and unclear understanding of pharmacology. He's just lucky to have obtained a Dao name."

"At such a critical moment, instead of coming up with a solution, he's trying to peek at others' methods?"

"He's not just an idiot; this is worse than idiocy. Pretending to understand and stealing others' ideas... Does someone like this deserve to participate in our Qingdan Valley's Alchemy Grand Competition?"

The Supreme Alchemy Institute Elder's heart was filled with extreme displeasure towards Luo Chen.

This displeasure extended to Tao Wan, who had invited Luo Chen.

He glanced at her coldly, with a hint of disgust.

Tao Wan didn't notice this glance.

At that moment, all her attention was focused on Luo Chen.

Out of the nine, three had started, and she remained unmoved.

This was because several others, like Luo Chen, hadn't made any moves yet.

Seeing that Pill and Sword Sage was the first to act among the six, she remained calm.

Senior Brother had an incredibly terrifying talent for the Alchemy Path, ranking first among the Azure Pill Seven Sages.

If not for his position as the Dao Seed, he would have been invited to become an elder of the Supreme Alchemy Institute long ago.

But when he saw Xuan Yunzi, Huang Hezi, and the other two start to process the ingredients one after another, igniting the Earth Fire to refine them, she began to feel restless.

The cultivators of the Tao Family behind her could no longer contain their dissatisfaction.

"What is Dan Chenzi doing up there?"

"Does he even know how to refine pills? Is he just going to embarrass himself?"

"If he can't handle it, he should at least process one ingredient!"

"Didn't you, the Clan Head, tell him about the various experiences and techniques of the Alchemy Grand Competition beforehand?"

Tao Yisheng's face turned red with anger.

Ignoring the others, he turned and shouted, "Shut up!"

"You have no idea about Brother Luo's alchemy prowess. Just watch and learn."

Then, he added, "Noise!"

Perhaps with the support of Tao Wan and the Clan Elder, Tao Yisheng's authority as the Clan Head had gradually solidified over time.

At his rebuke, even the Foundation Establishment Cultivators older than him could only glare in silence and remain quiet.

Tao Wan listened to the discussions behind her and felt a bit uneasy.

She even blamed Luo Chen a little. If he couldn't do it, he should have at least started with some common ingredients.

However, her brother's inexplicable confidence in Luo Chen seemed to have rubbed off on her.

Looking at Luo Chen's back, she unconsciously clenched her long fingers into a fist.

"You must have a plan, right?"

...

At that moment, on the high platform.

The Earth Fire blazed fiercely.

Various ingredients were being processed, releasing strange fragrances that made one's nose twitch.

Eight out of the nine second-rank alchemists had started working.

The only one who hadn't moved was Luo Chen, who became the center of attention.

He wasn't a hero but more like a clown!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a smile curved on his lips.

Amidst the exclamations, he directly threw the Return to Origin Cicada Molt into the Liuzi Cauldron.

"What is he doing?"

"Has he gone crazy? That's the most difficult ingredient. Shouldn't he leave it for last?"

"It's not about the order, but without auxiliary materials, is he trying to ruin the Return to Origin Cicada Molt?"

And at that moment, the Supreme Alchemy Institute Elder, who had previously looked down on Luo Chen, suddenly widened his eyes.

"No way!"

(End of Chapter)

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