Chapter 193 Eighth-Level Pill Furnace
Zhong Cai also maintained absolute trust in Wu Shaogan, focusing wholeheartedly on refining pills without being distracted by anything else.
Wu Shaogan's avatar appeared instantly, flashing to Zhong Cai's side and swiftly killing the attacking wooden beast!
At the same moment, Wu Shaogan also killed the one that was attacking him, which was being used as a smokescreen.
It was still incredibly fast.
Wu Shaogan still had a smile on his face, but he had already estimated that the strength of the two wooden beasts had increased—by about 20% to 30% compared to the previous ten rounds.
This is just the beginning.
Wu Shaogan estimated that the difficulty of the wooden beasts would be increased this time, and he would have to be more careful.
·
Because Wu Shaogan was not negligent in the slightest, he was able to block all the various attacks from the wooden beasts that followed.
Wu Shaogan is like a puppet that never makes a mistake. Although his fighting style has a hint of madness at its core, it is always stable in its performance—just like Zhong Cai's consistent output of pills in each batch.
Wu Shaogan could precisely adjust the Xuan energy consumption of each attack and defense according to the strength of the wooden beast, ensuring that it would kill the wooden beast every time.
This tests a martial arts practitioner's combat acumen—they must be able to roughly assess the opponent's skill level the instant the fight begins, make reasonable allocations, and be prepared for any unexpected events.
It is extremely difficult.
But for Wu Shaogan, it was as simple as eating and drinking.
·
Anyone who has witnessed Wu Shaogan's fighting skills will greatly admire him.
Wu Shaogan's approach to martial arts cultivation is vastly different from that of countless other martial arts practitioners.
·
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan, this couple, were busy with their own things and "fighting side by side," paying no attention to anything else.
They didn't notice that the leaves they were sitting on or stepping on had already risen more than ten feet.
Neither of them noticed that many of the other leaves below them, which were originally two or three hundred feet away, had already floated upwards for a considerable distance—and these leaves beneath the alchemist's seat had accumulated to a very thick thickness.
At the same time, the martial arts practitioners on these thick leaves all exude a powerful killing aura.
They had swept away countless martial arts cultivators and alchemists, yet they continued to collide with the surrounding leaves.
Since many alchemists ascended the Pill God Tree, quite a few alchemists have failed to satisfy the Pill God Tree even after three consecutive furnaces. However, the number of alchemists who failed to satisfy the Pill God Tree even more often was due to the chaotic battles between martial arts cultivators.
As time went on, when the alchemists still couldn't summon the wooden beasts to test their skills, the martial arts cultivators also found it increasingly difficult to endure and were more likely to antagonize their "neighbors."
Not to mention the large number of people who were passively resisting and thus dragged into the situation...
Amidst the fierce melee, the number of alchemists who died increased considerably, with many more suffering serious or minor injuries from falling from trees. The fighting among martial arts cultivators was even more brutal; when conflicts escalated, bloodshed was inevitable!
On many leaves, bright red blood was already flowing freely, even staining the entire leaf blood red.
That's an illusion.
The Dan Shenmu tree had no interest in the blood; it couldn't possibly stain its leaves, branches, or trunk.
They simply dripped and flowed down the leaves, eventually disappearing into the soil beneath the Divine Tree. The Divine Tree itself—even those leaves with rivers of blood—was simply swept away with a slight burst of energy, instantly expelling all the blood from the leaves, leaving behind the pristine, untouched leaf surface.
·
Before we knew it, three days had passed.
Not only did many high-level alchemists come from Sang Yunchu's side, but many other alchemists who had not yet ascended to the Alchemy God Tree also gathered with their friends to chat.
Sometimes they would comment on the disciples of various schools and other outstanding alchemists they didn't know. Apart from a few exceptionally talented young alchemists like Zhong Cai, most of them would offer criticism. Sometimes they would raise questions about alchemy and exchange ideas. Those of higher rank and with better alchemy skills were often generous with their guidance—after all, those who could be together were usually on good terms. Sometimes the alchemists would also personally refine a batch of pills for other alchemists to watch—and some martial arts experts would crowd around early to finalize the decision.
At this moment, Yuan Yifei is refining a batch of level seven pills.
He was a Spirit Transformation cultivator, and it would take him at least five days to refine a batch of seventh-grade pills. However, since he was refining a pill that he was very familiar with, he didn't need to concentrate on it and even had the leisure to join in the chatter of many other alchemists.
A dozen or so advanced alchemists sat scattered around, occasionally exchanging pleasantries.
One of the alchemists suddenly looked at Sang Yunchu and asked, "Brother Sang, in the past few days, it seems that no two of the pills your disciple has refined have been the same. Each time, he has also refined about thirty different kinds of pills in the shortest possible time, excluding the time for rest and adjustment."
The other alchemists understood and remembered as well, and were somewhat surprised.
"Indeed, including the batch refined on the ground, there are thirty-one."
"Brother Sang, as his master, do you know just how many kinds of fourth-grade pills Master Zhong can refine?"
"He's so young, yet he knows so much. If I remember correctly, every single one of them is consistently top-notch."
Another alchemist laughed and said, "These past few days, we've said countless words of envy, but Brother Sang hasn't even offered a few words of humility or comfort. He's really heartless!"
Sang Yunchu replied with a smile, "If it were any of you, you would probably be even more ruthless than I am."
Upon hearing this, many alchemists burst into laughter.
Sang Yunchu deliberately showed a smug look and said, "As you all asked before, I can remember now... Cai'er seems to have mentioned that she has learned forty-one kinds."
The advanced alchemists all shook their heads and pretended to sigh.
·
On the Dan Shen Tree, the battles between martial arts cultivators are becoming increasingly fierce.
Some of those menacing figures, when their leaves reached a certain level, happened to find that their "neighbors" were alchemists concentrating on refining pills, while the martial arts cultivators protecting them were fighting with wooden beasts. They were unwilling to give up the opportunity and simply took the chance to kill them!
That martial arts cultivator was also a genius; he quickly reacted and engaged in battle with him.
Unfortunately, the opponent had already reached such a level, having experienced countless battles. This martial arts genius was also being attacked from both sides by two wooden beasts, making it a three-way conflict with the attackers. In addition, he also had to protect the alchemist... so naturally, he appeared quite disheveled.
Those who are exceptionally strong are not troubled much; on the contrary, those who attack are knocked down. Those who are not strong enough are lucky enough to barely resist and keep fighting while waiting for the alchemist to finish refining the pills. The unlucky ones are simply overturned and thus eliminated.
·
Zhong Cai is refining the Elixir of Overcoming Calamity.
At this moment, he channeled his inner energy and performed various hand seals, sensing that the refining process was nearing its end.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed, "Condense!"
The next moment, the alchemy furnace trembled slightly, and the pills that had already condensed inside began to collide rapidly.
The fragrance of the cinnabar wafted out in wisps, spreading in all directions.
It is refreshing and invigorating.
Zhong Cai's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This time, he felt exceptionally good, and he felt that his alchemy skills had made a small breakthrough!
Of course, such breakthroughs often occurred when he was refining pills in private—but none of them were the Breaking Calamity Pills, and this was the first time they had occurred since he came to the Pill God Tree.
Zhong Cai didn't dare to be negligent and stared at the alchemy furnace with some anticipation.
He remembered that his best result in refining the Breakthrough Pill was three pills... This time, it was probably more than just catching up.
At this moment, a buzzing sound came from the alchemy furnace!
The furnace chamber shook slightly until the bouncing sound inside stopped.
Successfully completed!
Zhong Cai opened the alchemy furnace and took out all the pills, one by one.
As he expected, this time the refining of the Calamity-Breaking Pill broke through his bottleneck in this type of pill, allowing him to successfully refine four top-grade pills!
Although Zhong Cai had previously produced five pills under the tree, he had already been expending a lot of energy on the Pill God Tree—not only was his profound energy depleted, but his spiritual essence was also being consumed. The longer he stayed there, the more easily he would become mentally and physically exhausted.
The fact that four top-grade pills could still be produced under such circumstances means that Zhong Cai's alchemy skills have risen to a new level!
Zhong Cai held up the pill and smiled with satisfaction.
He presented the two top-grade pills, along with all the other rare-grade pills, to the Pill God Wood.
The Dan Shenmu absorbed the energy as always, immediately causing the other wooden beasts on the leaf to cease their attack—the wooden beasts were very obedient, and in the blink of an eye, they all disappeared.
Safety!
Zhong Cai happily and skillfully reached her hand into the blue light that suddenly appeared in front of her.
Then……
"Old Wu, give me a hand!"
Wu Shaogan had already noticed, and without needing Zhong Cai's reminder, he quickly stood behind Zhong Cai, letting him fall into his arms.
Then he discovered that the reason his Ah Cai was yelling was because he had dragged a huge black lump out of Guanghua!
With difficulty, Zhong Cai managed to get the object firmly seated on the blade with a "thud".
Looking closer...
Wu Shaogan then realized that the huge black lump was actually a pill furnace.
Moreover, it is by no means an ordinary alchemy furnace.
·
The alchemy furnace was pitch black all over, but that was its original color. It exuded a vast and ancient aura, and it was something from ancient times as well.
It is unknown what material it is made of, but it is completely seamless and reaches a height of one zhang. After it was erected, Zhong Cai could not even see the top of the alchemy furnace directly!
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan circled around the alchemy furnace.
Then they saw that the alchemy furnace had many familiar natural patterns.
Zhong Cai stroked his chin, then remembered, and said, "The patterns on the level-six alchemy furnace that Dan Shenmu gave me before are exactly the same as this one." He laughed heartily, "Lucky! I think this might be a self-concealing alchemy furnace!"
·
The so-called "mysterious artifacts are naturally hidden" can only be produced by alchemical furnaces with spirituality—that is, level seven or above.
Therefore, the level-six alchemy furnace that Zhong Cai obtained previously did not possess this technique.
The appearance of this level eight alchemy furnace is quite different. Because of its self-concealment, its luster and the feeling it gives people are all extremely ordinary. At first glance, it is often impossible to see any clues.
However, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan instinctively sensed something unusual—which was largely due to their status as top geniuses.
Zhong Cai, in particular, as a top-tier alchemist, had a vague premonition that this item was extraordinary.
·
After the two observed it for a while, the aura of the level eight alchemy furnace gradually began to emanate outwards, making it easy to distinguish that it was a level eight alchemy furnace.
Zhong Cai immediately beamed with joy.
Seeing this, Wu Shaogan smiled at Zhong Cai and said, "Congratulations, Cai."
Zhong Cai winked at him and said with a grin, "I've decided, I'll give this thing to my master after I take it back."
Wu Shaogan had no objection to this, and simply said sincerely, "It should be very suitable for Master Sang."
·
Because the two of them were unable to receive outside information after ascending the Pill God Tree, they still did not know that the natural patterns on both the previous level-six pill furnace and the current level-eight pill furnace could shorten the pill refining time.
But their idea was correct.
Such a furnace is truly perfect for the master and apprentice to wield.
Zhong Cai couldn't even use that level six alchemy furnace for the time being, let alone this level eight one.
So he decided to give it to his master.
This is a rare treasure from ancient times! His master's alchemy furnaces are all too old and need to be refurbished. It wouldn't hurt to have one more to practice with.
What Zhong Cai is holding in his hand right now is something his master can use directly!
Zhong Cai whispered in Wu Shaogan's ear, "Master, use it for now. I'm still a long way from breaking through. When Master becomes a level nine alchemist, he can use a level nine alchemy furnace. By then, maybe I'll be level eight too? Then I'll ask Master to try this out."
Wu Shaogan also agreed: "Indeed, we should give the alchemy furnace to Master. If Master Sang happens to find it more suitable, it can further improve his alchemy skills."
Zhong Cai nodded.
·
Wu Shaogan carefully put away the alchemy furnace and placed it into a small, exquisite bag.
Actually, this is one of the newly separated mustard seed bags, containing resources specifically for the two masters.
Whenever Zhong Cai received any high-level resources from Dan Shenmu that were suitable for her two masters, she would select them, put them in a separate mustard seed bag, and hand them over to her masters all at once after the event was over.
Now, Master Sang has several resources in his mustard seed bag, while Master Jiang has fewer—after all, the Divine Pill Wood favors alchemists more and often tailors its selection to martial arts cultivators.
Zhong Cai was quite satisfied.
We're just here to work on alchemy for a short period of time, and it's already very good that we've obtained so many resources suitable for our masters.
Thank you, Dan Shenmu.
·
Then, Zhong Cai continued to rummage through the blue light.
What they took out was a piece of refining material of a very high grade, but it was impossible to tell what it was.
However, it exudes an extremely vast and powerful aura, indicating that its level is actually very high.
The aura emanating from it was still extremely hot.
Zhong Cai murmured, "Although the price of ordinary refining materials is relatively low compared to other resources of the same level, level nine is level nine... and it's fire attribute, so it can be considered as one item to make up the numbers." He gave it to Gu Cheng.
Wu Shaogan put the refining materials away again—he calculated that it was still quite a long way from upgrading the ancient city, but he and A Cai would still save them slowly, so that they wouldn't be left with nothing when the time came.
Afterwards, Zhong Cai took out two more level-seven rare medicines and three level-seven jade tablets, all of which were handed over to Wu Shaogan.
The total value of the resources provided this time was roughly the same for both of them.
Each one is of very good quality.
What Dan Shenmu did even better was that every resource was exactly what they needed.
·
Zhong Cai cupped her face in her hands and praised herself for a while.
Wu Shaogan couldn't help but chuckle and leaned down to kiss Zhong Cai on the cheek.
Zhong Cai: "!!"
Why doesn't Lao Wu consider the occasion?!
Wu Shao chuckled dryly and immediately admitted his mistake, saying, "I couldn't help myself. I won't do it again next time."
Zhong Cai cleared her throat and said, "Then, this won't happen again."
The two looked at each other again, and then got back to work.
·
Another day has passed.
Zhong Cai finally finished refining all the level-four pills she knew, and also received a total of forty rewards.
It must be said that the treasures accumulated by the Pill God Tree are countless—it's unknown where it's hidden, but it's always quite easy to take them out, and it can always quickly select what alchemists need.
Because Zhong Cai was fed very high-quality pills, Dan Shenmu was even more generous with them.
If you do the math, Zhong Cai has been given so many resources, including at least fifteen items that are at the eighth level!
Although each reward usually includes more than one item, the total number is still quite staggering!
However, apart from providing a piece of level-nine refining material and an image of the Sun-Shooting Bow, Dan Shenmu has not offered any other level-nine resources.
The so-called inheritance of the Divine Pill Wood has never appeared.
·
Outside the Dan Shenmu tree.
Yuan Yifei successfully produced the elixir.
Each batch of level seven pills yields only three pills, but that's considered a successful full-scale production.
Among these three, there is even a top-grade elixir.
Other alchemists gathered around to observe the quality of the pills and, based on the alchemy techniques they had previously witnessed, made further inquiries and analyses.
After all the alchemists had examined and studied it, Yuan Yifei decisively gave the top-grade one to his Daoist partner Yuan Bing. The remaining two were then intended for sale.
The martial arts cultivators who had been guarding the vicinity were all a bit crazy.
Even a seventh-level alchemy master may not always produce top-grade pills, but this batch, in addition to one top-grade pill, also produced one high-grade pill and one medium-grade pill.
Normally, the chances of them being able to buy mid-to-high-grade items are extremely slim, so now is a great opportunity to snag a batch.
As a result, many martial arts practitioners in the vicinity began to make offers.
Just like at certain auctions, cultivators who desperately need these pills worry about them being bought by others, so they always have to bid fiercely to determine their final owner...
After several rounds of bidding, an elder at the peak of the Spirit Transformation stage won the top-grade pill, spending a considerable amount of resources. He didn't leave with the pill, but instead sat down and consumed it directly.
Then comes the competition for the mid-grade items.
Even a mid-grade level seven item is not easy to obtain, and many people compete for it.
Later, it fell into the hands of an old woman, who also immediately took it.
Yuan Yifei obtained a large number of Xuan Stones. The martial arts cultivators who failed to bid for the pills looked expectantly at the advanced alchemists, waiting for their next move... It would be even better if they could all start refining pills together.
The advanced alchemists didn't think too much about it and continued chatting and laughing.
·
Several alchemists took a sip of tea, glanced at Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan who were tidying up resources, and felt a mixture of numbness and subtlety.
The good things that the two younger ones acquired one after another truly broadened their horizons, but after seeing so many, they were no longer so shocked.
They still smiled and said:
"It seems that Master Zhong Xiaodan has never been able to obtain a high-level inheritance. This year's test of the Pill God Tree seems to be much more demanding."
"If you ask me, if even Master Zhong Xiaodan can't get it this time, then no other alchemist has the ability."
"That's right. Many alchemists performed very well this year, but even those at level six didn't receive much favor from the Pill God Tree. The resources they received were certainly good, but..."
"But compared to Master Zhong Xiaodan, he is far inferior."
"I remember who were the people who received the ninth-level inheritance in the past? There haven't been any in recent years."
"It's not that there aren't any, it's just that they're mostly scattered..."
"Just now I saw a junior refine a top-grade level six pill and obtain a pill formula. Judging from his expression and lip movements, it seems to be a level nine ancient formula. The drawback is that it's just a pill formula, far from being a level nine inheritance..."
"I think I also saw three or four people who obtained level nine pill formulas..."
·
The so-called ninth-level inheritance is certainly not just about ninth-level pill formulas. It must contain a large number of pill formulas and a lot of experience and explanations about alchemy in order to barely be considered as such.
In addition, there should be some unique alchemy techniques belonging to the alchemist, as well as many private alchemy ideas, etc.
To date, no alchemist has ever obtained it.
As for the rigorous tests of the Divine Wood... they are not actually more rigorous than before.
However, in the last tens of thousands of years, no alchemist has been able to obtain a level nine inheritance from the Divine Pill Tree.
However, some of these have been recorded in ancient books.
Anyway, those few who reached 500 zhang as soon as they ascended the Pill God Tree did indeed obtain the ninth level inheritance.
Zhong Cai is now highly regarded by the alchemists, who all believe he is likely to succeed...
The reason it hasn't been obtained yet is probably because Zhong Cai needs to be "observed" by Dan Shenmu for a longer period of time.
·
Zhong Cai didn't think too much about it and continued refining pills.
When he started refining duplicate pills, the pill production became more stable.
The success of the Breaking Calamity Pill seemed to have turned on a switch, instantly stabilizing his alchemy skills to another level—almost all the pills he had refined before reached the level of four top-grade pills per batch!
Only a very small number of certain types of pills may have only three top-grade pills available.
Moreover, the more pills Zhong Cai refined, the more progress he continued to make!
Around the third round, Zhong Cai managed to get five top-quality items several times!
After another round, there were even more five top-quality ones...
In the next round, almost all of them had five top-quality items, with only a very few having four...
Zhong Cai seemed to have entered some strange state, and her refining technique became increasingly smooth.
Wu Shaogan stayed by his side the whole time, helping him attack the wooden beast.
The difficulty of the wooden beast increases every ten rounds—although the increase is not much each time, after so many ten rounds, the difficulty is basically two or three times that of before.
Wu Shaogan took full responsibility without making a single mistake.
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