Chapter 197 Zong Jinhai's Reaction
Wu Shaogan had no good feelings towards the visitor.
With just a glance at the cultivator refining pills, Wu Shaogan knew that the other party's strength was far inferior to A Cai's. And since the other party was a fourth-level alchemist in the Suspended Illumination Realm like A Cai, the time it took for him to produce each batch of pills could only be longer than A Cai's... So the fact that the other party was able to catch up could only mean that he and his martial arts cultivators had driven away or eliminated hundreds of alchemists.
Wu Shaogan looked away.
Acai will definitely find it an eyesore.
Wu Shaogan suppressed his fighting spirit and continued to slaughter the wooden beasts with feigned seriousness. However, each time he made a move, he only focused on archery skills. Before the wooden beasts appeared and before they could exude an aura several times stronger than that of ordinary wooden beasts, he had already shot them down with just the right amount of power. At first glance, these wooden beasts seemed to have not undergone any enhancement and were just like the ordinary wooden beasts when they first appeared.
This only demonstrated his superb archery skills, but did not reveal his terrifying combat power.
Wu Shaogan knew that the martial arts cultivator on the adjacent leaf was observing him.
He'll pretend for a while and then wait.
Wait for the other party to make the first move.
·
Zong Jinhai looked solemn as he carefully observed the trajectory of the arrows.
Each arrow, aside from its unpredictable trajectory, did not display any particular power. It was as if the opponent could anticipate the location of the wooden beast and immediately shoot it down.
He knew that martial arts cultivators skilled in archery were indeed more sensitive to danger and could often predict where the enemy was coming from.
To deal with such a sharpshooter... you have to get close to him.
Zong Jinhai is experienced and will not act rashly unless he is absolutely certain of success.
Just then, a burnt smell came from behind.
Zong Jinhai knew that Master Ning had wasted another batch of medicinal herbs.
This happens every three or four times the furnace is opened; he's gotten used to it.
At this moment, while remaining on guard, he took a few steps back and stood beside Ning Xuran.
Ning Xuran looked up at Zong Jinhai and gave him an impatient wink.
Zong Jinhai took out a talisman and cleaned the alchemy furnace on his behalf.
Once it was almost done, Ning Xuran began the minor cleaning, then lit the fire again and started the furnace once more.
Zong Jinhai once again stood guard at the edge of the leaf, still observing the situation on the other side.
He pondered.
Judging from the alchemist's skills, he was much better than Ning Xuran. The martial arts cultivator who could stand guard next to him was also quite strong.
Although Zong Jinhai felt that the other party had a weakness, he had a vague premonition deep down, which made him dare not be careless.
Since they've already risen to the highest point, even if they knock the other side down, they'll still have to wait for the other blades to rise... There's no need to rush now.
·
Indeed, as time goes by, alchemists and martial arts practitioners will encounter various situations.
If an outstanding alchemist works well with his partner, he can persevere even if he is passively drawn into the battle... At this point, both of them will make the leaves float to the surface.
However, most alchemists are honing their alchemy skills, and the martial arts practitioners around them also have the opportunity to deal with the wooden beasts. Both sides receive excellent resources, so there is no need for the martial arts practitioners to actively attack others... Therefore, their improvement speed is naturally not as fast as Zong Jinhai's.
Currently, dozens of feet below, there are already many alchemists and martial arts practitioners floating on the leaves.
It will take them a few more days to catch up.
·
Wu Shaogan continued to slaughter the wooden beasts, and although the beasts' gazes lingered in his direction without any sign of goodwill, they did not make a move.
With his back to Zong Jinhai, he revealed a cold smile, still leisurely acting as an ordinary "sharpshooter".
Wu Shaogan was naturally not in a hurry.
Although he originally planned to eliminate A Cai before she produced her elixir, it was in public and inconvenient to provoke her.
So……
Gradually, Wu Shaogan's profound energy was "exhausted," and his face turned slightly pale.
His technique was clearly slower.
So much so that on several occasions when the wooden beasts appeared, Wu Shaogan was unable to eliminate them with a single draw of his bow. Instead, he fired arrows in succession, and the arrows were more fragile. Although the wooden beasts were killed by a series of arrows as soon as they appeared, it was obvious that Wu Shaogan had squeezed out more Xuan power. Occasionally, his figure swayed slightly.
·
Zong Jinhai was indeed very cautious. Perhaps because he always had some hidden worries in his mind, he was tempted to take action several times, but in the end, he chose to remain still based on his intuition.
This intuition had saved him many times. Although he had suspected that the other party was deliberately setting him up, after careful observation, he found that there was no trace of disguise and everything was traceable.
Moreover, Zong Jinhai had compared his own strength with that of other powerful martial arts cultivators of the same level within his own faction, including the Xuan Qi consumption of the archers he knew, and they all matched up.
After much deliberation, Zong Jinhai finally restrained himself.
Having experienced the destruction of his sect twice and struggled for over a century, Zong Jinhai's rational analysis and instinctive intuition were constantly intertwined...
Zong Jinhai hesitated for a long time, unable to make a decision.
At this moment, he noticed a wonderful fragrance emanating from the opposite side, a sign that the pills were about to be ready!
Zong Jinhai's pupils suddenly contracted.
He had followed Ning Xuran for many years and had seen Ning Xuran produce pills himself, as well as his fellow disciples and even the seventh-level alchemist who demonstrated the production of low- to mid-level pills to his disciples.
However, Zong Jinhai had never smelled such a fragrance before.
Clear and rich, refreshing and delightful.
What kind of elixir has been refined?
Subconsciously, Zong Jinhai stared intently at the young alchemist who was performing the pill-collecting technique. He watched as the alchemist swiftly opened the furnace lid and took out a full six pills!
It's Mandan!
Zong Jinhai, who usually controls his emotions well, couldn't help but show a slight change in expression at this moment.
He recognized them as Flying Feather Pills, and there were five of them, all of them being top-grade pills!
That explains it.
The fragrance emitted by the five top-grade stones is naturally unique.
Zong Jinhai carefully went through all the outstanding fourth-level alchemists he knew in his mind, but couldn't find any match.
That means that, at least in their state and the surrounding states, there is no such person.
What is the background of this young alchemist?
As the guardian cultivator of such a top-tier genius alchemist, the handsome archer opposite him was clearly lacking in strength. Logically, it would have been better to choose someone with fewer flaws.
If it were him...
A hint of jealousy flashed in Zong Jinhai's eyes.
Then he noticed that the young alchemist turned to talk to the sharpshooter, and they seemed quite intimate with each other.
Zong Jinhai understood.
These two are probably a couple. For a young alchemist, a sharpshooter is the most trustworthy person, and it is appropriate that he lacks some strength.
·
Zhong Cai spoke to her old master while holding the pills, her expression actually carrying a hint of regret.
"Old Wu, look, it's still five beads this time, and they're still not polished to perfection."
Wu Shaogan gently patted Zhong Cai's head, both to comfort and to encourage her.
Zhong Cai quickly perked up.
However! I think maybe after two or three more batches, it will be successful!
I have a feeling about this!
Wu Shaogan couldn't help but smile.
【Ah Cai is the best!】
Zhong Cai wanted to feel smug, but when he remembered that he hadn't been able to grind the Flying Feather Pill yet, he suppressed his pride.
I'm not in a hurry to be smug.
Let's talk about it after he succeeds!
Wu Shaogan slightly turned his body to the side, blocking the leaves on the other side.
Zhong Cai was completely focused on her husband, so she didn't pay attention to her surroundings.
Then, he began feeding the Dan Shenmu and taking resources from the azure light.
Zhong Cai habitually took out three jade tablets in succession and handed them all to Wu Shaogan.
Then, he took out a level seven rare herb and a level eight ancient elixir formula.
These are all common resources.
Basically, every time Zhong Cai refined five top-grade pills, the Dan Shenmu would reward him with a combination of rare herbs and ancient pill formulas.
Many ancient elixirs... even if Zhong Cai didn't study them carefully, just glancing at them made him find them very interesting.
Some of them are not very useful for cultivation, but they contain many ingenious ideas. Some are not even complete pill formulas. They seem to be ideas that alchemists once conceived but could not fully realize and are waiting for others to complete them.
That makes it even more interesting...
Zhong Cai, as always, poured all the resources into Wu Shaogan.
Then, he casually took out a top-grade purification talisman to cleanse the alchemy furnace and began refining the next batch.
·
Because of the close proximity, Zong Jinhai saw all the resources Zhong Cai had obtained, and his pupils trembled violently.
I obtained so many resources from just one pill extraction!
In terms of value, the total amount Ning Xuran had gained from all the battles he had fought his way up was less than what the alchemist opposite him had gained in a single battle.
He himself, however, had obtained such a jade tablet.
However, the total number of jade tablets Zong Jinhai obtained was only two more than the martial arts cultivators opposite him.
Are the things obtained by alchemists through alchemy and martial arts practitioners through fighting wooden beasts really that much stronger?
Soon, Zong Jinhai understood.
The main reason is that the alchemist's alchemy skills are so superb that Dan Shenmu naturally has a strong preference for him.
The marksman's ranged attacks also gave him a real advantage—the number of kills far exceeded those in melee combat.
The next moment, Zong Jinhai smelled the burning smell again.
Ning Xuran failed again.
Zong Jinhai remained silent, calmed his mind, and walked to Ning Xuran's side again.
Only then did he notice that Ning Xuran had raised her eyes and was staring at another alchemist opposite her.
It's unclear how long he stared at it. Perhaps his failure to refine it again was because he was distracted by the aroma of the pill and looked over there... and his mood was already bad.
Zong Jinhai paused.
Ning Xuran was indeed in a bad mood because the alchemist's skill level was too high! Moreover, he could also recognize that the ancient alchemy formula was at least level seven or higher!
even……
Ning Xuran could tell that the other alchemist's bone age was only in his thirties.
This is only a fraction of his own age.
Ning Xuran gritted her teeth and transmitted her voice.
Go kill them!
Zong Jinhai did not want to kill such an outstanding young alchemist, but he had no choice but to obey Ning Xuran's orders.
Therefore, he had no choice but to respond telepathically.
"Please wait a moment, Master Ning. I will seize the opportunity."
Ning Xuran closed her eyes tightly, but at least she still had some sense and knew that this was not a good thing.
Don't let me down.
Zong Jinhai had no choice but to agree again.
·
Wu Shaogan was still slaughtering the wooden beasts.
This time, he felt a strong sense of malice coming from behind him.
However, the source of the malice was not the martial arts cultivator, but the alchemist who caused the furnace to explode twice.
A cold glint flashed across Wu Shaogan's lips.
·
Although he harbored murderous intent, Wu Shaogan did not act rashly, but instead maintained the same rhythm and approach as in the previous round.
To show that he had actually consumed too much Xuan power, he even took out a pill and pretended to take it.
Then Wu Shaogan went all out to shoot the wooden beast.
Each time, he anticipated the attack and swiftly slaughtered his enemies, but his expression gradually turned grim.
At the same time, he dared not stop, fearing that the wooden beast would endanger the alchemist he was protecting. With agile but obviously not very nimble movements, he moved around the alchemist and kept drawing his bow.
He revealed that he was extremely mentally exhausted.
·
Zong Jinhai remained cautious, waiting until more than half an hour had passed before, under Ning Xuran's impatient urging, he seized the moment when the opposing martial arts cultivators were continuously drawing their bows to shoot the wooden beasts, suddenly stood up, and slashed out with his sword!
At that moment, the blades flashed fiercely and suddenly split in mid-air. One blade slashed towards the archer's neck, while the other swiftly struck the young alchemist who was sitting cross-legged refining pills!
Zong Jinhai wanted to kill him with one blow.
However, at that moment, another identical figure suddenly emerged from the archer's body, carrying a hard bow, and rushed towards Zong Jinhai!
Zong Jinhai's pupils twitched!
We've been tricked!
But he had no time to think further and could only quickly raise his knife to fight another sharpshooter who was rushing towards him.
The archer, wielding a hard bow, struck the blade directly.
"Clang—"
The sound of the blade was long and drawn out, its tone like a lament.
Zong Jinhai was suddenly shocked. The power emanating from the blade was terrifying. Caught off guard, he lost his grip!
Then, he retreated repeatedly, having already lost the initiative.
To Zong Jinhai's utter surprise, the two fierce blade lights he had unleashed earlier were easily shot away by the archer's own two arrows, completely dissipating without even touching the alchemist's clothes—no, they were shattered before they could even get within three feet of the opponent.
The sharpshooter was truly amazing; now, he showed no signs of being pale or exhausted.
Every time he made a move, he unleashed a massive energy storm, forcing Zong Jinhai to retreat steadily and stand guard in front of Ning Xuran, desperately trying to shield him from the aftershocks of the energy and protect his safety.
But Zong Jinhai couldn't do many of those things.
Not to mention killing his opponent, he was completely suppressed and unable to even launch a counterattack!
Ning Xuran hadn't expected that things would turn out like this in just one breath.
Zong Jinhai was no match for the other side at all!
Even more terrifying was the overwhelming killing intent that rushed towards him, almost engulfing him and taking his life!
Zong Jinhai stood firmly in front of him, the flashing blades forming a continuous line, barely managing to block the attack.
Despite this, Ning Xuran still broke out in a cold sweat.
He smelled blood.
Zong Jinhai is injured.
Moreover, even though it was only a few moments, the stench of blood grew stronger and stronger!
·
The development of events was completely beyond Ning Xuran's expectations, and even though Zong Jinhai was extremely cautious, it was still too late.
The opponent's attacks became more and more ferocious with each strike, and even when the main body was still on the leaf and did not move, the opponent never left the alchemist's side, even when there were no more wooden beasts attacking.
The opponent's avatar had already arrived on the leaves on their side. Every attack from the hard bow was exquisite, in no way inferior to the opponent's archery skills—how could this be a flaw in close combat? Clearly, it was even more ferocious in close combat!
Zong Jinhai's sense of foreboding grew stronger.
Even though it was just an emotionless avatar attacking, he felt... a murderous intent.
Especially as Zong Jinhai raised his sword to clash head-on with the giant bow that had transformed into his body, his tiger's mouth was already bleeding from the shock, leaving him unable to defend further or even retaliate—he felt an even greater sense of foreboding.
Soon, Zong Jinhai's arm went numb, and several deep, bone-revealing holes were quickly pierced by the hard bow.
From the beginning until now, only a few breaths have passed.
That's too fast!
Zong Jinhai received these attacks entirely on his instincts, without having time to make any subjective reactions!
If this continues, he will die!
How could Zong Jinhai allow himself to die here? But at the same time, he couldn't let Ning Xuran die here either, otherwise even if he survived, he wouldn't be alive either.
Without hesitation, Zong Jinhai raised his left arm and forcefully blocked the hard bow.
"Sizzle!"
A sharp object has entered the bone and is stuck!
Almost at the same moment, Zong Jinhai discarded the long sword in his hand and manipulated the blade to flip it over!
The next instant, Zong Jinhai's left arm detached from the hard bow, and he fell to the ground.
Ning Xuran also fell.
The two left the leaf together, but the battle could only be fought on the plane and above the leaf.
The avatar cannot be pursued.
Despite the pain, Zong Jinhai used his fastest movement technique to quickly catch up with Ning Xuran and capture him.
In the end, the two of them fell down together.
·
Ning Xuran fell to the ground, shoving Zong Jinhai aside, her face contorted in a grimace.
At the same time, he muttered under his breath, "What a useless piece of trash!"
This caused him to miss the opportunity to obtain the Divine Wood!
Zong Jinhai lowered his head and stepped aside, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
He actually disliked Ning Xuran, but he had to please him for the sake of resources.
But as long as Ning Xuran provides the necessary resources, he will tolerate Ning Xuran's arrogance and domineering behavior.
This wasn't the first time Zong Jinhai had been subjected to such insults, and he always found it quite amusing—Ning Xuran clearly had no idea who the real trash was!
—No, perhaps Ning Xuran knew he was useless, which is why he vented his anger on his so-called guardian senior brother.
·
On the Divine Pill Tree, only those alchemists with exceptional alchemy skills can reap the greatest benefits.
Secondly, there are martial arts cultivators who can protect alchemists and slaughter large numbers of wooden beasts.
As for the struggle between the leaves, it is another test set up by the Alchemist God Tree—testing the alchemist's ability to recognize people, deal with crises, and so on. The Alchemist God Tree has given so many benefits, and adding only this little bit of extra difficulty is already very mild.
For martial arts cultivators, whether they are slaughtering wooden beasts or fighting with other leaf-shaped creatures, they need an accompanying alchemist to refine pills in order to find benefits related to martial arts in the alchemist's rewards.
Among them, slaughtering wooden beasts is a relatively upright method. As long as a martial arts cultivator slaughters more than three beasts each time, they will definitely receive martial arts-related benefits. The amount of benefits varies depending on the number of beasts slaughtered.
When fighting against other leaves—whether being attacked or actively attacking others—winning is only a matter of chance, not a certainty.
·
Ning Xuran spent several attempts to pass the initial review of the Pill God Tree and gain the opportunity to climb it, but his position was only 235 zhang.
All fourth-level alchemists start at a location of more than two hundred feet.
—The so-called "layer" that the leaves float upwards actually refers to a distance of one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).
When Ning Xuran caught up with Zhong Cai, Zhong Cai had already reached a height of over 700 zhang because he had been successfully forming pills all along.
Ning Xuran rose more than 500 zhang in total, all thanks to Zong Jinhai.
In other words, more than 500 alchemists were forced to leave the Alchemy God Tree because of Zong Jinhai.
Some of the martial arts cultivators around them died at the hands of Zong Jinhai, while others simply fell down with the alchemists.
Some alchemists even died because they couldn't escape in time.
This number looks terrifying.
In reality, the area covered by the Dan Shenmu tree is too vast, with many dense layers of canopy, and even a single layer can produce hundreds or thousands of branches.
With over five hundred people here, it's like raindrops falling into a vast ocean—it's really nothing.
·
Ning Xuran's alchemy skills were mediocre, and he was unable to summon a wooden beast to attack the test, but Zong Jinhai was able to rise all the way with the leaf, which was actually considered to be Ning Xuran's good judgment.
After all, no matter how ruthless Zong Jinhai is, he still needs experience and a solid foundation. He needs to be able to assess the situation and make appropriate judgments in order to continuously scheme and find the opportunity to win.
Therefore, the improved quality of the benefits Ning Xuran received after producing the pill was a reward for his keen eye.
However, since the alchemist himself could not establish himself on alchemy, the additional reward was only very minor.
For example...
Now, the day of the return of spring has been going on for twenty-four days.
Ning Xuran can only attempt to refine pills seven or eight times a day, and the success rate is only about 60%.
Only about a hundred batches of pills were actually produced, and the experience gained should have been only equivalent to that of a level four or five alchemist.
After the bonus, more than half of the Dan Shen Wood gifts obtained are level 4 alchemist experience, twenty or thirty level 5 experience, five level 6 experience, and two level 7 experience.
Each experience document contains video recordings of one or more alchemists refining pills, including the refining process of one or more pills, along with detailed explanations.
This was naturally helpful to Ning Xuran, as it broadened his horizons.
But Ning Xuran still wanted more level seven alchemists—if he hadn't been interrupted at this moment, when the alchemists below floated up, Zong Jinhai would naturally deal with them and they would become his "nourishment".
Unfortunately, Ning Xuran has now chosen the wrong person and has become the one who lost.
·
Ning Xuran reluctantly raised her head, looking resentfully at the leaf high at the top.
From this vantage point, he couldn't see the people above at all; just by looking at his gaze, it was so intense it seemed capable of piercing through the leaf!
His eyes were practically spitting fire, and he muttered a few more curses at Zong Jinhai.
Zong Jinhai remained silent and did not even attempt to heal his wounds.
He may look down on Ning Xuran, but he would never show it in any way at this moment.
Insults and the like can be tolerated and will pass.
In any case, the benefits he received from martial arts cultivators this time were enough to make his efforts worthwhile.
Yes, what Zong Jinhai obtained was worth almost twice as much as what Ning Xuran obtained.
But it's only twice as much.
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