Chapter 108: Raozhou Prefecture is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery (asking for monthly votes)

The first round is over and we will go directly to the second round.

This prompt approach made the monks who were watching even more satisfied.

Chu Ning also saw Bao Huining and eight other second-grade alchemists landing on the alchemy platform.

The other five came from other cities.

The second round is to identify the elixir.

Soon the referee came out with ten jade boxes and opened them one by one. There was a pill in each jade box.

"All alchemists can observe these ten pills and then write down the ingredients of each pill. Each time they write down a main ingredient, they will get one point. The top fifteen will advance."

After the referee announced the rules, smiles appeared on the faces of Bao Huining and other second-grade alchemists.

When it comes to identifying elixirs, what matters is the experience in alchemy. In this respect, they are far superior to those first-class alchemists.

After the referee finished speaking, Chu Ning's expression became a little strange.

This level was simply free points for him. With the help of the Secret Mirror, the ingredients of these elixirs were as transparent as can be seen in front of him.

His strange expression was not because of this reason, but because he had seen these pills before.

After comparing the results given by the Secret Mirror with the pills in the notes given to him by the mysterious powerful man, he found that these ten pills had been described in detail in the notes.

"Thank you, my friend. This level is not friendly to some alchemists who have talent but no foundation."

At the top of the mountain, an alchemist looked at Xie Shouping in confusion.

"The ten pills I refined are all made from very common medicinal materials that even a first-grade alchemist can get access to. Moreover, these ten pills were obtained by me by chance and have never been leaked to the outside world. This is the same for both first-grade and second-grade pills."

After Xie Shouping answered, he muttered to himself: It is true that it has not leaked out, and it does not count as leaking out if I show it to my own disciples.

There were a total of fifty-eight people on the field.

Bao Huining and other eight second-grade alchemists finished observing first, and then it was the turn of Chu Ning and others.

Chu Ning pretended to observe each pill for a minute, since he couldn't touch it and could only watch it with his eyes. After looking at it, he walked aside, picked up a pen and paper and started writing.

Just after Chu Ning finished writing the ingredients of the first pill, a golden light suddenly fell and landed on an alchemist.

The alchemist groaned, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his whole expression became listless.

"Spiritual consciousness peeping, eliminated."

A majestic voice came from the top of the mountain, and the alchemists on the scene were startled, especially those who had the same little plan in mind, and they dared not disperse their spiritual consciousness anymore.

Chu Ning hesitated a little. He was thinking, how many herbs should I write wrong? After all, it would be too fake to write all of them right.

"It's okay if you make a mistake, just forget about a few medicinal herbs, and don't include those that become colorless and odorless after refining."

A quarter of an hour later, Chu Ning finished writing and glanced at the entire room. Many alchemists had finished writing like him, but many others were still observing the ten pills again.

Ding! Half an hour later, a bell rang out.

At the same time, the intimidating voice came again.

"The first place is Chu Ning, the second place is You Xing, the third place is Huang Zhan... the seventh place is Qiong Liangyou, the eighth place is Bao Huining, the ninth place is Ke Yunxin..."

In the second round, only the top 20 will be selected.

As the voice fell, everyone's eyes fell on Chu Ning again.

"This... How come the rankings are out without even looking at them?" a young monk asked in confusion.

"Stupid, a Jindan master can tell what the alchemists wrote on paper with just one look. Why do you need to read it? Do you think they are the same as you?"

Being called a fool, the young monk not only did not dare to argue, but also apologized quickly.

"You are right, senior. I am too stupid."

"It's not stupid, it's foolish."

"It's the younger generation who are too stupid."

…

At the top of the mountain, Xie Shouping asked the people around him, "Do you have any objections to the rankings I announced?"

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for being very fair. I agree with this ranking."

"Well, Chu Ning did give the most answers, and he didn't make any mistakes. Although You Xing had the same number of correct ingredients as Chu Ning, he wrote three more incorrect herbs."

These third-grade alchemists all recognized the ranking given by Xie Shouping.

They only paid attention to the top three and just glanced over the rankings below.

"In the third round, what are you going to let these alchemists compete in, Old Xie? We already have first-grade and second-grade alchemists. How can you let them refine the same kind of pill?"

Zhao Yangming spoke up and said that if this was the case, it would be a bit unfair to those first-grade alchemists.

"Yes, especially Chu Ning, who doesn't even seem to be at the foundation building stage. He has obviously suffered a great loss. And You Xing is only at the initial stage of foundation building, which is far behind those second-grade alchemists who are at the late stage of foundation building."

“It’s simple. You can refine pills for your realm. If you haven’t built your foundation yet, you can refine pills for the Qi Condensation period. If you have built your foundation, you can refine pills that can be used by other cultivators who have built their foundation.” Xie Shouping said nonchalantly.

But no one present objected to what he said.

Although they knew that this would be a bit unfair to the second-grade alchemists, because the higher the level of the elixir, the more difficult it would be to refine.

The difficulty of refining elixirs in the Foundation Establishment Period is higher than that in the Qi Condensation Period. Some alchemists have a high success rate in refining Qi Condensation elixirs before the Foundation Establishment Period, but the success rate of refining Foundation Establishment elixirs drops sharply after the Foundation Establishment Period.

But none of them objected because this competition was meant to select talented alchemists, and if one couldn't even overcome this, what kind of genius would he be?

Only truly talented alchemists could be taken seriously by them. Second-grade alchemists like Bao Huining, who were in the late stage of foundation building, were not taken seriously by these people at all.

If they were really talented, they would have been accepted as disciples long ago. To put it bluntly, these people were destined to be runners-up.

When the referee explained the rules of the third round, Bao Huining and others looked unhappy, but this was the decision of the fifth elder, and no matter how dissatisfied they were, they could only suppress it in their hearts.

"There is such a good thing? Then let's refine the Condensation Pill."

Chu Ning smiled. This was a rule tailor-made for someone like him who was at a low level. This Fifth Elder was truly a good person.

Everyone tells the referee what elixir they want to refine, and then the referee arranges for someone to bring the required herbs.

There is another benefit for the alchemists in this alchemy competition, that is, the medicinal materials are provided by the Wenjin Sect, and the elixirs belong to the alchemists themselves, which can be regarded as a benefit for those eliminated alchemists.

You Xing glanced at the herbs beside Chu Ning, "Are you going to refine the Condensation Pill? Below the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Condensation Pill is the best pill to improve your cultivation."

Wen Jinzong acted quickly. In just a quarter of an hour, all the materials needed by the alchemists were refined, and the alchemy furnaces were also replaced with a new batch.

Some second-grade elixirs cannot be withstand by ordinary elixir furnaces.

You Xing looked at Chu Ning, and Chu Ning also looked at You Xing. His intuition told him that this person would be his biggest competitor.

"Spirit Cleansing Pill? This is the most valuable and expensive pill for the initial stage of foundation building."

From the medicinal materials in front of You Xing, Chu Ning also figured out the elixir that You Xing was going to refine.

From Qi Condensing to Foundation Building, there is a transformation from gaseous spiritual energy to liquid spiritual energy. After foundation building, although the spiritual energy becomes liquid, there will be many impurities in it, so these impurities need to be washed away.

Those who have financial resources will use elixirs to cleanse the spiritual liquid, among which the Spirit Cleansing Pill is the most effective. Those who don't have financial resources can only rely on time to slowly purify it.

Suddenly feeling a malicious gaze, Chu Ning squinted and found that it came from Bao Huining.

Chu Ning only glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and immediately looked away, but he was alert in his heart, afraid that Bao Huining might cause trouble.

Bao Huining is the second-rank alchemist of Wen Jin Sect. He has a good network of contacts in Wen Jin Sect, so the most likely thing he could tamper with is the medicinal materials.

Therefore, Chu Ning carefully checked the herbs again, and only felt relieved after confirming that there was no problem, but he still remained on guard.

"Does this little bag have a grudge against my disciple?"

Xie Shouping, who had been paying attention to Chu Ning from beginning to end, also discovered the clues. A hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Since you have a grudge against my disciple, there is no need for you to live anymore.

Although Bao Huining was Xie Shouping's registered disciple, in Xie Shouping's eyes he was no different from other ordinary disciples of the Wenjin Sect.

Ding! The bell rang, signaling the start of the third round.

Start warming the oven.

The time for alchemy this time will be a bit long. Fortunately, cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage can practice fasting and it is no problem for them to go without food for ten days or half a month.

As Chu Ning is a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Condensation, a few days will be no problem, but it will be uncomfortable if it lasts any longer.

However, Wen Jin Zong was very considerate and provided the Qigong Pills, which were placed on the side of the alchemy table. People could take them if they needed them.

"The organizers are really thoughtful. They even took into consideration someone like me who has not yet established a foundation."

Chu Ning thought to himself, if he were the fifth elder, he probably wouldn't have thought of these things. Who would have thought that an alchemist in the Qi Condensation Stage could get to this point? No wonder he is an elder or a golden elixir. He thinks about all aspects of the problem thoroughly.

Chu Ning and his friends had fasting pills, but some of the cultivators watching did not have such good treatment. Many cultivators also knew that this time it would probably take ten days or half a month, so many cultivators decided to leave first and come back to watch in the second half.

Among the departing crowd, there were several men and women in the late Qi Condensation stage who were slowly walking down Wenjin Peak.

"Brother, that alchemist Chu Ning is too powerful. Except for him, all the people in the third round are strong in the foundation-building stage."

"More than just amazing, although Chu Ning has not yet established his foundation, with his talent for alchemy, there are many forces willing to offer foundation-building pills to recruit him."

"Big Brother, why don't you say anything? What are you thinking about? Are you feeling depressed?"

"What's so shocking about this? Although Chu Ning looks young, his real age cannot be determined from his appearance. Alchemists love to eat anti-aging pills the most."

The Rejuvenation Pill costs spirit stones for ordinary cultivators to take, so would an alchemist be short of this stuff? "That's right, Senior Brother, you have already reached the late stage of Qi Condensation at the age of 40. You are a genius disciple in our sect. Even Master said that you are likely to break the record of our sect and become the first person to establish a foundation before the age of 60."

Zhang Kaijia listened to what his fellow disciples said but did not respond. He was not thinking about these things but about Chu Ning's background.

If it was really the same person as he guessed, then he would have to inform his master immediately.

"How many spirit stones do you have?"

"Spiritual stones? Brother, do you want to buy something?"

The total assets of the three junior brothers and two junior sisters amount to one hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones.

"If I have two hundred or three hundred spirit stones on me, it should be enough."

Zhang Kaijia calculated in his mind: "You should lend the spirit stones to my brother first. My brother needs the spirit stones to verify something. This matter is very important to our sect."

Hearing what Zhang Kaijia said, several junior brothers and sisters looked at each other, but they all handed it over to Zhang Kaijia readily.

After going down the mountain and returning to the inn, Zhang Kaijia painted a picture, then went to a place, and appeared at the post station in the market town half an hour later. He spent three hundred spirit stones and mailed a letter and the painting back to the sect.

If you go with expedited shipping, the price will be extremely expensive.

…

…

Liang Dynasty, Shangyun School.

The head of Shangyun Sect was a little confused when he received the letter from his eldest disciple.

Super urgent?

Did something big happen?

When I opened the letter, I first saw a portrait? Who is this?

Why would his disciple mail a portrait to him? However, after reading the letter that came with the portrait, the head of the Shangyun Sect became excited.

"Kaijia is great, this news is extremely important."

Afterwards, the sect leader convened several elders for a secret discussion and finally came up with a plan.

First, investigate whether the genius alchemist Chu Ning in the portrait is the same person as the Chu Ning who walked out of Raozhou Prefecture. If they are the same person, then Shangyun Sect will give up Raozhou Prefecture.

In order to seize Raozhou Prefecture, the Shangyun faction conducted a preliminary investigation on the Chen family, not only the existing combat power of the Chen family, but also the young disciples of the Chen family.

The investigation was originally led by Zhang Kaijia.

When Zhang Kaijia investigated the Chen family, he naturally found out the relationship between Liu Junshan and Chen Jingyi. When he investigated Liu Junshan, he learned that Liu Junshan had a disciple named Chu Ning.

Liu Junshan was only in the middle stage of Qi Condensation, so his disciple Zhang Kaijia naturally would not take it seriously. He investigated Chu Ning because he discovered that the jade pendant worn by Liu Junshan's son was a magic weapon.

It is actually normal for Qi Condensation cultivators to have magic weapons, but it is not normal for the Qi Condensation cultivators of the Liang Dynasty to have magic weapons. The Liang Dynasty had been blockaded for so long that some of the original magic weapons had long since become ineffective.

It is no exaggeration to say that among the families in the Liang Dynasty who have reached the late stage of Qi Condensation, each family probably only has one or two magic weapons that are on the verge of becoming ineffective.

Zhang Kaijia looked down upon this magic weapon, but the fact that he was just a son-in-law of the Chen family and yet he had a magic weapon made Zhang Kaijia interested in it, and he also remembered the names of Liu Junshan and Chu Ning.

But I just remembered the name.

It was not until recently that I learned that the extremely talented alchemist was called Chu Ning.

The memory came back to him and his heart skipped a beat.

At first he suspected that it was someone with the same name, but when he thought of Liu Junshan's magic weapon, he became a little worried and decided to go to the market to find someone to inquire about Chu Ning's origins.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

There are people who sell information in the market, and Chu Ning is extremely dazzling in this Alchemist Competition. Many people come to inquire about the information. The people who sell information do not doubt Zhang Kaijia's purpose of inquiring.

Even if there is some ulterior motive, it has nothing to do with them.

After getting some information about Chu Ning, Zhang Kaijia began to wonder. This Chu Ning had no background or origin. He was a person in the late stage of Qi Condensation and just lived in the outermost part of the inner city. He earned his first spiritual stones by selling his life span, and he also learned alchemy in the market. This was consistent with the characteristics of coming from the Liang Dynasty.

The common characteristic of Liang Dynasty monks: poverty.

The only inconsistent point is that Chu Ning appeared in Wenjin City several months earlier than before the Liang Dynasty lifted the blockade.

After some thought, Zhang Kaijia decided to spend a few hundred spirit stones to pass the news back to the sect.

Wrong, although a large amount of spirit stones were lost, but what if... what if this Chu Ning is that Chu Ning.

It goes without saying that such a talented alchemist can definitely build a foundation. And once he has built a foundation and has this terrifying alchemy talent, if he really has to stand up for his teacher, then Shangyunmen will not be able to withstand this blow.

How many cultivators of the same realm can an alchemist call upon? Someone has done the math, and the minimum number is ten.

The longer you live, the more you can call upon.

Not to mention that the elixirs he refines can be used by cultivators of the same level, even if he asks for some elixirs for his disciples, he would still owe them a favor.

The most important point is that no matter what conflicts there are within the alchemy circle, once they face the outside world, they will be very united.

To put it bluntly, it is to safeguard the collective interests of alchemists.

Shangyun Sect has only one leader who is in the early stage of foundation building. If Chu Ning loses his temper for his master, Shangyun Sect will be destroyed.

Raozhou Prefecture, Liu Mansion.

Liu Junshan saw Liu Da off with a confused look on his face.

"Junshan, what happened?"

Chen Jingyi saw her husband's confused expression and asked from the side.

"Liu Da just told me that someone was holding a portrait of Chu Ning and asked if the person in the painting was Chu Ning. Although the person who approached Liu Da concealed it very well, Liu Da was sure that the other party was from the Shangyun Sect."

Liu Junshan did not hide it from his wife. After listening to Liu Da's words, he was a little confused. Why did the people of Shangyun Sect investigate their own disciples? Chu Ning had left Liang Dynasty for more than a year. Logically speaking, he should have no connection with Shangyun Sect.

Shangyun Sect? Chen Jingyi was also confused. Over the past year or so, the outside sects had established a firm foothold in the Liang Dynasty and began to gradually erode their local forces.

She learned from her eldest brother that recently the Shangyun Sect and two other sects with powerful warriors in the Foundation Establishment Stage had set their sights on Raozhou Prefecture and wanted to force their Chen family to give up Raozhou.

Now the elders are also considering, how to make a choice?

Either send the Chen family members to one of these sects and form an alliance with the other party, which means that the Chen family is their subordinate family, or leave Raozhou.

Otherwise, even if they gave up the territory of Raozhou, as long as the Chen family was still in Raozhou, no matter which sect occupied Raozhou in the end, the Chen family would be like a thorn in their side and would pull it out as soon as possible.

"I will tell my eldest brother about this. We know too little information to come up with any conclusions."

Seven days later.

The sun was shining brightly, but it could not dispel the heavy atmosphere hanging over the Chen residence.

Today is the day when Shangyun Sect and two other major sects issued an ultimatum to the Chen family.

Several talented members of the younger generation of the Chen family had been secretly transferred, but Chen Jingwu did not leave. Instead, he was pressed behind the crowd by the four elders.

"Have you, the Chen family, made your choice?"

A black shadow was flying in the sky. An old man was floating above the wall of the Chen Mansion on his sword, and beside him were three late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators sitting on cranes.

The visitors were the Blue Flame Sect's leader and three elders.

The pressure from the Foundation Establishment Stage expert made the faces of the Chen family members turn pale. The four elders of the Chen family released their auras when they saw the uncomfortable looks on the faces of their clansmen, but soon all four of them took a step back.

"Old Monster Lan, you're here quite early."

Before the four elders of the Chen family could respond, several figures appeared in the sky. This time they were from the Qingshan Sect, and there was still a Foundation Establishment Stage expert and three Qi Condensation Stage late stage cultivators.

There are more than one company looking at Shangrao Prefecture.

"My dear seniors, my Chen family is willing to give up Raozhou Prefecture, but who will Raozhou belong to? Let's wait for the seniors from Shangyun Sect to arrive and let the three seniors decide."

Give up Raozhou.

This was a unanimous decision made by the elders of the Chen family. If the land was lost, the descendants could take it back if they had a promising future and could build a foundation.

As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.

"Just giving up the sect, your Chen family doesn't plan to merge into my Blue Flame Sect?"

The leader of the Blue Flame Sect snorted coldly. The Chen family had four cultivators in the late Qi Condensation stage, plus those talented disciples. If they were merged into the Blue Flame Sect, the Blue Flame Sect would definitely be able to produce a second Foundation Establishment stage powerhouse within a hundred years.

"What's so good about the Blue Flame Sect? Just merge it into my Qingshan Sect, and Raozhou will still be left to your Chen family."

The leader of the Qingshan Sect spoke next. He also took a liking to the Chen family members, especially Chen Jingwu. Although he was only in the middle stage of Qi Condensation, his cultivation talent was not low and he had the potential to build a foundation.

The expressions of the four elders of the Chen family changed. It seemed that the two factions not only wanted the territory, but also the people of their Chen family.

As for the fact that these two factions were not afraid that the Chen family would rebel against the sect after joining and achieving success in cultivation, the four elders of the Chen family also knew the reason.

There are plenty of ways in the cultivation world to control disciples. Not to mention elixirs and some forbidden spells, even the oath to heaven is enough.

"Two seniors, let's wait until the seniors from Shangyun Sect arrive before we talk."

The four elders of the Chen family could only choose to delay for the time being, and just as the eldest elder of the Chen family finished speaking, a stream of light came from the distant sky.

Everyone knew that people from Shangyun Sect had arrived.

"I am Zhang Jinghe, the head of the Shangyun Sect, who has come here uninvited. I can only offer an apology. I hope fellow Taoists from the Chen family will forgive me."

Zhang Jinghe and five elders did not float in the air like the other two sects, but landed in the Chen family's yard.

This scene made everyone in heaven and on earth silent?

Be polite before using force?

There is no need for that.

Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Zhang Jinghe smiled and said, "Raozhou Prefecture is a place of outstanding people and talents, and the Chen family has made great contributions. My Shangyun Sect will not fight for Raozhou, and our sect is willing to form an alliance with the Chen family. It is an equal alliance."

Giving up Raozhou and making friends with the Chen family was the result of discussions between the head of Shangyun Sect and the five elders.

This time, Zhang Jinghe originally only wanted to bring two elders, but all five elders wanted to come. These five elders were all in the late stage of Qi Condensation and were only one step away from building a foundation.

What is missing? Isn't it just the foundation-building pill? When Chu Ning becomes a second-grade alchemist, won't he be able to refine the foundation-building pill? Now let's build a good relationship with the Chen family first, and most importantly, build a good relationship with Chu Ning's master, so that we can ask for help in the future.

Zhang Jinghe also knew what the five elders were thinking, so he brought them all with him in the end.

The two leaders of the Blue Flame Sect and the Green Mountain Sect who were floating in the sky were a little confused. What was Zhang Jinghe planning?

They suddenly gave up Raozhou and wanted to form an equal alliance with the Chen family. Doesn't this mean that if the Chen family is unwilling to withdraw from Raozhou, they will take action against the Chen family, and the Shangyun faction will stand on the side of the Chen family and go to war with them?

The two sect leaders guessed correctly. Zhang Jinghe did have this idea. If the Chen family was determined not to leave, he would stand on the side of the Chen family.

As for the foundation-building cultivators, although there were two on the opposite side, and all three of them were in the middle stage of foundation-building, he entered the middle stage of foundation-building twenty years earlier than these two.

If it was just an ordinary competition, he would not be a match for these two people combined, but if it was a life-and-death battle, it might not be certain. After all, he could drag someone down with him, and after all, these two people would have to be on guard against whether the other side had any tricks up their sleeves.

The number of cultivators in the late Qi Condensation stage, including the four from the Chen family, is no less than that of these two factions.

The most important thing is that Zhang Jinghe knows clearly that these two people will not really risk the entire sect just for Raozhou.

"Master, there may be something fishy going on here. Zhang Jinghe's words about "a land of outstanding people and talents" may not be groundless."

The elder of the Blue Flame Sect sent a message to the Sect Master, but his message also reached the ears of the Sect Master of the Green Mountain Sect.

The sect leader and the clan leader looked at each other, and they got the answer from each other's eyes and knew what to do.

"Haha, what Fellow Daoist Zhang said is right. Raozhou is blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. The Chen family has indeed made an indelible contribution. My Blue Flame Sect was just joking before."

"Okay, the Chen family was able to withstand the pressure from us and leave Raozhou to the Chen family. This sect master is relieved."

The two changed their tone and said something that made the young men of the Chen family a little confused? How could they be called withstanding the pressure? Didn't the elders and the head of the family decide to evacuate?

However, the four elders of the Chen family guessed some clues. Maybe the problem lies in the words of the head of the Shangmen sect: "The place is blessed with outstanding people and talented people."

But it seems that their Chen family does not have any outstanding children who can make Shangyun Sect afraid of them.

Are there any in the entire Raozhou Prefecture? Probably not.

Even if there really is such a genius in Raozhou Prefecture, it has nothing to do with their Chen family.

Among all the people present, only Chen Jingwu had his eyes wide open. He thought of what his sister had told him a few days ago, that the Shangmen Sect seemed to be investigating Chu Ning's information.

A place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery...

This kid Chu Ning can indeed be considered a genius.

The most important thing is that Chu Ning has a good relationship with their Chen family.

Meeting these two conditions, and with Shangyun Sect's investigation, Chen Jingwu knew that his judgment was probably correct.

But that was what shocked him even more.

Not long after, Chu Ning had grown to the point where even the strong men in the Foundation Establishment Stage were wary of him.

Others cultivate step by step.

Chu Ning is practicing on a flying sword, right?

…

…

Ask about the current city.

Ask Jinfeng.

Alchemy platform.

It's time to start the furnace for this round of pills.

The entire viewing platform was packed with people again, and Zhang Kaijia's eyes were fixed on Chu Ning's alchemy furnace.

It has been such a long time and the sect has not sent any news back. According to what he said in the letter, this Chu Ning is that Chu Ning.

If not, the sect will send a message.

7,000 words. Thanks to Zhuxia's Nuzhen book friend and other book friends for their rewards. Please give me a monthly ticket (end of this chapter)