Chapter 44 The Alchemist Tournament begins; progress is smooth.
At each Alchemist Conference, the Foundation Establishment group has the most participants, while the Golden Core group has far fewer.
Above that level, it's like gods battling it out, each possessing unique skills in alchemy. Rather than saying they're participating in a competition for rankings, it's more accurate to say it's a forum for philosophical exchange among alchemists, listening to different perspectives in order to further refine their own skills.
"Go, and remember what I told you yesterday." Qi Zibo led Song Yin to the venue, where he watched the competition from the upper spectator seats.
"I know, I know, Master, don't worry, I'll remember everything." Song Yin felt like her ears were about to fall off; her master had been nagging her all the way here to make sure she beat Shao Yangtian.
I said, Master, you and Elder Xin should take a rest!
At the assembly point of the Immortal Cloud Sect, Elder Xin and the other disciples were already ready. Upon seeing this, Song Yin quickly ran over and stood at the back of the line.
Qi Zibo saw Xin Huailiang, flicked his sleeve, and entered the building first.
Xin Huailiang also pretended not to see Qi Zibo.
Everyone in the group greeted Xiang Songyin.
"Junior Sister Song Yin".
"Hello, Senior Sister Song Yin."
"Junior Sister Song, you're here! Good luck in today's competition!" Shao Yangtian cheered.
Song Yin first greeted Elder Xin, and then responded to her fellow disciples one by one.
Some of these people had even learned alchemy under their master's tutelage. After all, it was a regular task for Danque Peak to go to the inner sect academy to teach inner sect disciples alchemy. There was reason to suspect that the ordinary disciples of Danque Peak were simply neglected by their master. If their master hadn't been unwilling, she would likely have seen these fellow disciples on Danque Peak frequently, and Danque Peak would be as lively as Lingdan Peak.
The atmosphere inside was lively, and Song Yin received number 91.
The Foundation Establishment group is on the first floor, the Golden Core group is on the second floor, and the higher the cultivation level, the higher the floor for the duel.
The Foundation Establishment group had the most participants, with rows of tables neatly arranged, each piled high with the spiritual herbs needed for alchemy. Song Yin glanced around, and several pill formulas immediately came to mind, giving her a rough idea of the pills she would be refining for the competition.
At a glance, there were nearly three hundred contestants in the Foundation Establishment group. The Alchemist Conference is an event for alchemists throughout the entire cultivation world. Even though alchemists are limited by their spiritual roots and not many people become alchemists, three hundred people in this competition is still too few. Song Yin found her seat with doubts. The spiritual herbs on the table in front of her were very fresh, and it seemed that they had been placed there just today.
As the contestants entered, the surrounding audience erupted in lively discussion.
"There are quite a few new faces this year, lots of newcomers."
"Which sects do they all come from? How many independent cultivators like me are there this year?"
"I saw the disciples of the Heavenly Fire Sect. It seems that the first place in this year's Foundation Establishment group competition is a foregone conclusion."
"That's not necessarily true. Although the Heavenly Fire Sect is a pill-cultivation sect, the pill-refining strength of the five major sects is not bad either. I think the first place in the Foundation Establishment group this year will come from one of the five major sects, but I can't guess which one exactly."
"I heard that this year's rewards are very generous, with some amazing prizes."
"You mean the Soul-Replenishing Grass? Offering something like that as a reward is incredibly generous!"
"Let's not talk about that for now. Look, it's the city lord! There are also elders from the Heavenly Stems Sect and other sects! And some heads of aristocratic families have come too! With so many powerful seniors coming all at once, it's worth spending spirit stones to watch the competition!"
"I'd much rather go upstairs and watch the competition between the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation groups. Heavens, if I could just go up and see it, I would have no regrets in this life."
For Nine Star City, the Alchemist Conference is a rare and important event, and the city lord also attended with the conference organizers to watch the competition.
Song Yin saw these people at the competition venue, said a few words of encouragement, and then went upstairs, leaving behind some excited contestants and spectators. For these people, those like Qi Zibo or Xin Huailiang were the real purpose of her trip.
Their goal was simple—to obtain the elixir.
He brought along precious spiritual herbs and spirit stones, hoping a skilled alchemist would refine valuable pills for him.
Not long after these people went upstairs, the Foundation Establishment group referees entered the arena. There were four alchemists in total: one from the Heavenly Stem Sect, one from the Azure Profound Sect, and the remaining two from the Heavenly Fire Sect.
Just as Song Yin was lost in thought, the first question was announced by an elder of the Heavenly Fire Sect.
The task is to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill using the spiritual herbs in front of you.
Hearing the question bring her back to her senses; Song Yin hadn't expected the first question to be so simple. The Foundation Establishment Pill was the first second-grade pill she had successfully refined, and the formula was already thoroughly memorized.
She took out the alchemy furnace she usually used for practice, used spiritual energy to ignite a flame, and then began to select the spiritual herbs needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill. She then processed the selected herbs. She was unhurried and handled each step very well, showing a clear difference compared to the others around her.
Clang—
The sound of something falling to the ground came from the left.
Song Yin's eyes flickered slightly, and she saw her opponent beside her so nervous that he dropped his alchemy furnace to the ground. Song Yin froze, pausing her work of processing the spiritual herbs. She hadn't expected that an alchemist would actually lose control of his alchemy furnace and drop it from mid-air.
Knowing she had made a huge fool of herself, her ears and neck turned bright red. She quickly used her spiritual energy to lift the alchemy furnace again, and then frantically began to process the spiritual herbs.
While processing the spiritual herbs, she got nervous and mixed the unused parts into the processed ones. When she saw this, she subconsciously dug out the excess parts with her hands. Her hands got dirty, so she wiped them casually on the table and then started processing the new spiritual herbs.
Song Yin didn't understand, Song Yin was deeply shocked!
I have never seen anyone struggle so much in alchemy.
Sensing Song Yin's gaze, the other person blushed and whispered to Song Yin, "I'm sorry, I've only been learning alchemy for less than three years, and I've only ever refined first-grade pills. This competition's questions are so difficult; they started with second-grade Foundation Establishment pills, which I've never refined before."
"No need to rush, take your time," Song Yin reassured the other person.
"Um, thank you."
The voice was faint; if they weren't all cultivators, they might not have been able to hear each other. Song Yin's curiosity was piqued. She seemed to be socially awkward; she wasn't sure, so she decided to observe further.
Watching helplessly as the other person lowered their head further and further, as if trying to shrink themselves into a ball.
It's confirmed, he's a socially anxious person.
Song Yin, showing great compassion, withdrew her gaze and continued processing the remaining spiritual herbs.
Noticing the gaze shift, the person with social anxiety quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure of being stared at was just too great; if she continued to be stared at, she was afraid she really wouldn't be able to take it!
The contestant to her left was socially awkward, so what about the contestant to her right? Anyway, the Foundation Establishment Pill was simple and efficient to refine, so Song Yin looked to her right.
The contestant on the right handles the medicinal herbs quickly and accurately, making him a formidable opponent.
Song Yin withdrew her gaze. The spiritual herbs in front of her had been mostly processed. With a gentle flick of her fingers, the alchemy furnace opened.
...
The Heavenly Fire Sect is an alchemy sect where 90% of the members are alchemists. Although it is not as powerful as the five major sects, and because alchemists are limited by their spiritual roots, the sect has fewer disciples than other sects, its strength should not be underestimated.
Li Fu was an inner disciple of the Heavenly Fire Sect. He was not interested in the Alchemist Conference and only wanted to cultivate and learn alchemy seriously. In the end, like many other alchemist predecessors who ascended to immortality, he attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans. His peaceful life was shattered by an accident, and he desperately needed Soul-Replenishing Grass, but it was extremely rare and was usually snapped up as soon as it appeared. When he learned that the prize for first place in the Foundation Establishment group of the Alchemist Tournament included Soul-Replenishing Grass, he immediately signed up for the competition, determined to win no matter what.
When the first competition topic was Foundation Building Pill, Li Fu didn't find it difficult. He skillfully handled the spiritual herbs and then started refining the pill.
He was so engrossed in the process of refining pills that the noise and conversation between the two female cultivators to his left did not distract him. Instead, he thought that if more of these unexpected events happened, he would have fewer opponents.
As time went on, Li Fu felt much more relaxed knowing that the Foundation Establishment Pills would be successfully refined soon. Throughout the competition, his pills were almost finished, while others were still processing spiritual herbs.
Li Fu's gaze was firm, determined to win the first place in the Foundation Establishment group.
"The elixir has been refined; please examine it, seniors."
A voice boomed in Li Fu's ear, causing his pupils to shrink and his head to turn rapidly. The female cultivator on his left had indeed completed her pill-refining process; the furnace was open, and the aroma of the pill filled the air as it was being bottled. Li Fu readily recognized the fragrance as that of a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. She was even faster at refining pills than he was, and the final product was so perfect!
"Bring up the elixir."
Song Yin put away the alchemy furnace. The pills were delivered by a special person, and she only needed to wait for the results.
The pills were delivered to the four judges by a male cultivator in the Qi Refining stage.
The alchemist from the Heavenly Stems Sect opened the pill bottle and poured the pills into the vessel in front of him.
"Eight pills have been successfully made, all perfectly round and flawless, and all are top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills." He handed the pills to the people beside him, "Look at this, the younger generation is truly formidable."
The alchemist from the Qingxuan Sect took the pill and examined it. "It is indeed as Fellow Daoist Zhang said." The pill passed through the hands of all four people, and finally, the alchemist from the Tiangan Sect announced that Song Yin had passed the competition and successfully advanced.
Amidst the gazes of everyone present, Song Yin remained composed and left the scene first.
Stepping outside, Song Yin couldn't suppress the smile on her face. She had shocked everyone, and then left with an air of nonchalance under their gazes—this was the treatment a true overlord should receive! It was exhilarating, absolutely exhilarating! She could already see herself ascending to immortality, causing the entire cultivation world to gasp in awe and worship!
"Hehehe! Ouch!"
The cool moment lasted only three seconds. The imagination was too beautiful. Not paying attention to the ground, I almost tripped over another threshold.
Song Yin cautiously looked around, hoping no one had seen her. Confirming no one had, Song Yin patted her chest, looked down, and quickly left the scene.
Even after Song Yin left, the discussion in the audience continued.
"Her alchemy speed is so fast! Who is she? What's her name? Which sect does she come from? I've never heard of her before."
“She should be a disciple of the Xianxiao Sect in the Eastern Continent. I saw her standing in the same line as the Xianxiao Sect disciples when she entered.”
"Xianxiao Sect? No wonder it's so powerful. I've heard that the alchemists in Xianxiao Sect are no less skilled than those in Tianhuo Sect, which specializes in alchemy. Many alchemists from the sect have ascended to immortality."
"What do you think? Next time the Immortal Firmament Sect recruits disciples, should I also join their ranks? Of the five major sects, only the Immortal Firmament Sect doesn't have an entrance exam. Being a rogue cultivator is really tough!"
"Fellow Daoist, listen to my advice: you can go to any of the five major sects except for the Immortal Firmament Sect." He looked around, then lowered his voice and continued speaking to the person next to him.
"Since the current sect leader of the Immortal Firmament Sect took office, it seems that anyone with spiritual roots can enter, but once inside, they are not necessarily disciples of the sect. Only those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage are considered true disciples of the Immortal Firmament Sect. It is said that the Immortal Firmament Sect has been very strict with its disciples in recent years, and quite a few disciples have been expelled from the sect! Those immortal families would rather send their children to other sects than send them to the Immortal Firmament Sect again."
One of the people in the audience who overheard the conversation touched his unremarkable face, got up, and left.
-----------------------
Author's Note: One second you're showing off, the next you're making a fool of yourself.
Almost tripped and shattered our dream of becoming the ultimate protagonist, Yin Yin! [laughing]
Song Yin, enraged and embarrassed: No one is allowed to laugh! [Sunglasses][Burning with sobs]
-
[Empty bowl]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com