Three-day rest
Tao Yue sighed, "Chi Zhao, when do you think Qian Luo will come out?"
Chi Zhao patted his bulging belly, turned over, and lazily basked in the sun: "I estimate ten minutes."
Tao Yue sighed again: "Then guess how long it will take me tomorrow?"
Chi Zhao: "Half an hour."
"Hey, you don't even think?"
How could this fat cat be so sure she'd be out in half an hour? She was also worried that she might not perform well tomorrow and fail the test. She had pre-test anxiety!
Chi Zhao grabbed her bracelet and said, "Just wait and see. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six..."
Listening to Chi Zhao counting, Tao Yue felt a palpitation and his heart was pounding: "Stop, what are you counting now! I can't stand the countdown now!" As soon as he heard the time, he remembered that he had to go to the battlefield tomorrow.
Chi Zhao ignored her and stretched out his body, revealing his soft belly. His tail drooped lazily. In the sunlight, his entire furry body glowed red and gold, and he looked very majestic.
“Three, two, one…”
"It's out."
Tao Yue's heart skipped a beat as she felt uneasy. "What?! Who's coming out?"
A pair of slender white hands brushed across the furry ground with a scent of medicine. The person who came was fair and beautiful, and had a pleasant voice: "Tao Yue, my competition is over."
She didn't want to come out so early and wanted to refine more, but the spiritual plants on each alchemy table were limited. There were no extra spiritual plants, so she couldn't refine extra pills.
Tao Yue was stunned: "Ah ah???" He looked down and saw that it was indeed ten minutes!
"Chi Zhao, you are amazing!" Not a minute late!
Chi Zhao, lying in Qianluo's arms, was extremely proud, with his tail raised. "Don't worry! I told you to come out in half an hour tomorrow, and you will come out in half an hour tomorrow. Don't worry, go back and have a good sleep, and you'll be able to compete tomorrow."
…
Chi Zhao gave Tao Yue a reassurance. On the second day of the audition competition, Tao Yue was in high spirits. As soon as she entered, she saw many people wearing blue medals with two stars hanging around their waists.
"Don't worry, I'm a third-grade alchemist. I can easily win this small audition!"
She walked to her competition position, held her breath, lit the fire to preheat, blended the spiritual energy, and refined eight first-grade rejuvenation pills. She tried again the second time and produced nine first-grade rejuvenation pills.
"Ding—the audition competition is complete!"
Tao Yue finally let out a sigh of relief as she heard the robot's voice. The moment she stepped out of the formation, her legs nearly gave out. The flying saucer carried her back to the hotel, while Chi Zhao and Qian Luo chuckled behind her.
Looking up, I saw blue sky and white clouds, and the streets were deserted for the meeting. The breeze was blowing gently, and the water was calm. My friend behind me smiled, and the fat cat was cunning, jumping up and down.
Suddenly, Tao Yue felt relieved: "The auditions are over just like that?" All those days of anxiety were gone in an instant? It's incredible!"
So short? So short that she didn't even realize it. The audition was over?
She suddenly wasn't afraid of the first round anymore, because she felt like she could make it! The first round looked like an individual competition, but it could actually be a team competition. After all, grabbing spiritual plants required a lot of help.
"It's over." Qian Luo smiled faintly. The first round of the competition would be held in three days.
…
After the auditions, the total number of participants was over 200,000, which was more than half of the total number. The total number of people was displayed on the big screen in Baodan Square to remind everyone at all times.
Even though some were eliminated, the streets were still bustling. The lower-ranked alchemists were there to watch the excitement, so not having entered the official competition was a good thing.
Qian Luo and Tao Yue were having dinner in a restaurant. The spiritual food on the table was delicious. Chi Zhao didn't like strange fire but loved delicious food, so he was very greedy. No one took him to eat and drink for two days during the competition, so he started eating as soon as the auditions were over.
The two stood on the second floor, watching people on the street whispering to each other, with different expressions, some shaking their heads, some nodding, some distressed, and some secretly happy.
Tao Yue: "They are looking for teammates."
Qianluo frowned: "So soon? The first round isn't over yet."
Tao Yue poured tea with a smile: "Wrong, it's the first round teammates."
The spiritual tea was steaming, and half of Tao Yue's face was intoxicated. She leaned in and smiled, her smile as bright as a flower, full of enthusiasm: "Qianluo, you don't know this. The first round of the competition may seem to be an individual competition, but it can actually be a team competition. You have to know that the first round of the competition will be completed in one day, without any batches, and 200,000 people will be taking the exam at the same time. What does this mean? It means that I can ask my friends for help and fight together for the spiritual plants."
"For example, Fellow Daoist Zhang from the butcher shop downstairs is a butcher. He wields his two knives with great power and is in the middle stage of foundation building. His cultivation is quite good, but unfortunately he is only a second-grade alchemist and barely made it past the audition."
"I heard that he's currently searching for alchemists of a higher rank than himself, planning to form a temporary team in the first round of the competition, with one person refining pills while the other fights for them."
Qian Luo frowned, "How is this possible? Apart from the team competition, everyone refines their own pills. Can the pills refined by others also count towards his achievement?"
Tao Yue shook her head: "No, if 200,000 people were to fight over a spiritual plant warehouse, how chaotic would that scene be? How do you know that the elixir you made is yours, and not someone else's that you mistakenly took?"
Qian Luo had never thought of such a big loophole when she heard it: "But everyone has their own alchemy table, which should be monitored. The surveillance can capture the scene of you refining pills on this alchemy table."
In the audition competition, alchemists all made pills on their own alchemy tables.
Tao Yue: "In the auditions, we only refine pills, not fight over spiritual plants. The scene is not chaotic. As long as there are 10 pills on the table, it is considered a success. And there are so many alchemists in the first round, and the machine has to identify and capture them. How can they handle it manually?"
Seeing Qianluo's face full of disbelief, Tao Yue leaned over and said, "I've already quietly inquired this morning. In fact, many people in previous competitions did this in the first round. Aren't there four-person teams in the second round? They've already started to play a role in the first round, so don't underestimate the power of a team!"
Qianluo was in the early stages of the Core Formation stage, so she wasn't worried about losing to others. But Tao Yue wasn't worried at all. She remembered that they were both in the early stages of the Foundation Establishment stage. Many of the alchemists participating in the alchemy conference were in the late stages of the Foundation Establishment stage. Wasn't she worried about losing to others in the first round?
Tao Yue had a proud look on her face that said, "Just ask!" Qian Luo curled her lips and asked, "What do you have in mind?"
Tao Yue took out a Bagua formation plate, which was made of brass and was simple and ancient. There were a few small cracks on it, but it did not affect the momentum of the formation plate, which was like a dormant lion.
Qianluo is just a junior formation master and doesn’t understand much. It seems to be a defensive formation.
"This is an intermediate formation plate given to the Tao family by an intermediate formation master. It has the Eight Trigrams defense and can withstand attacks from Jindan-stage cultivators! At this alchemy conference, there are only a handful of Jindan-stage cultivators left, so we must win!" Tao Yue laughed heartily while embracing the formation plate. "The self-defense treasure the old man gave me has finally come in handy!"
She rubbed Chi Zhao's belly, which was incredibly soft, and purred as she touched him, "The Alchemy Conference didn't say we couldn't bring spirit pets. Chi Zhao will be right beside us when the time comes. If anyone hits us, you'll have to spit fire at them. It would be best if you could spit out all their spirit plants too!"
The formation defends, the spirit pet attacks, one of them snatches the spiritual plants while the other refines the elixir. Her plan is simply perfect and impeccable!
"Okay, I'll leave it to you then!"
"Don't worry!" Tao Yue assured, patting his chest.
Tao Yue touched his chin and said, "However, the first round is too short. After we succeed, we can see who on the field is suitable to be our teammates for the second round. If we can't form a team of four, then we won't be eligible to participate in the second round."
"That's true."
Afterwards, the two heard people at the next table discussing the types of pills for the first round of this year's competition.
"Healing wounds, nourishing the spirit and strengthening the essence, beautifying the complexion, replenishing qi and concentrating the mind, cleansing the soul and changing the marrow... after breaking it down, there are so many varieties of elixirs!"
"Yes, although I am a third-grade alchemist, I am only familiar with three types of elixirs. I rarely refine other types of elixirs and am not familiar with the formulas at all!"
“There are so many choices, it’s like opening a blind box!”
"Then I'm even more screwed. I haven't even read many of the pill recipes!"
For a moment, there were sighs in the restaurant.
"That's true. Ordinary alchemists don't have that many recipes. Basically, they use whatever spiritual plants are cheap. The cheapest spiritual plants are naturally first- and second-grade medicinal herbs, such as the Soul-Replenishing Pill, the Rejuvenating Pill, and the Qi-Nourishing Pill..."
Tao Yue said she was tired and took a sip of tea. The spiritual tea was full of aftertaste. "Fortunately, my family has been practicing medicine for generations. We need to be familiar with various spiritual plants and elixirs. I can refine most basic elixirs."
"Qianluo, you are from the Lan family. The Lan family grows spiritual plants. You are more familiar with spiritual plants than I am. There should be no problem with the basic pill formula, right?"
Qianluo thought about it and realized that she didn't have a preference for refining one type of elixir. She had dabbled in many, so there shouldn't be any problem. She nodded and took two bites of the spiritual meat: "No problem."
Tao Yue held her chin up, looking forward to the first round of the competition. She was so excited! It felt like a country bumpkin stepping onto the big stage!
Her pre-exam anxiety has turned into pre-exam excitement!
——
At Baodan Square, the first round of competition officially begins.
She had been in such a rush and such a short time attending the audition competition a few days ago that she had forgotten how luxurious and spacious the square was, covering such a large area and looking flat at first glance.
There was a huge pavilion with green tiles and red walls in front, with five chairs below. In the middle sat Jiang Baiwei, the head of District Five. On her right sat the president and elders of the Alchemy Association. On her left sat two red-robed men. Their faces could not be seen clearly, but their cultivation level seemed unfathomable. They were said to be from the Immortal Cultivation Alliance of the Upper Three Districts.
Nine elixir patterns hung above his head, and a precious elixir released thousands of feet of light until the blue light surrounded the entire square.
"So it's a magic weapon, a reinforcement for the formation. I actually thought it was a ninth-grade elixir. I was so surprised!" Tao Yue patted his chest and pulled Qian Luo with him. "The district chief and several other elders are here, but it's different. The formation has been reinforced. They didn't come during our auditions, and they didn't reinforce the formation either. Compared to this, it's better to participate in the official competition. It's really eye-opening."
Qianluo and Tao Yue received their own exam alchemy platforms on their bracelets: "Number 123."
Tao Yue frowned: "Number 251 is a random number. With our foundation building level, this distance is still quite close."
"I just don't know what type of elixir is being refined today."
As soon as he finished speaking, the bells under the eaves of the green-tiled and red-walled building rang, and everyone was cast under a spell, shutting their mouths and unable to speak. They could only look at the five people on the platform.
Tao Yue widened her eyes: He doesn't even let me speak, so domineering!
Jiang Baiwei said to the microphone with domineering attitude: "Everyone, don't panic. To prevent too many people from talking and making it difficult to explain, I have cast a silencing spell. Except for the five of us, no one else has the right to speak during this period."
"I thought about it yesterday and realized that our first round of competition had many loopholes. So today I came up with a plan and decided to change the first round of competition."
As soon as these words were spoken, the alchemists in the audience, although unable to speak, expressed their dissatisfaction with their actions and protested with their eyes.
"Everyone, please be quiet. Stop gesturing." Jiang Baiwei's eyes narrowed. "I neglected the previous alchemy competition. Everyone was too good at taking advantage of the situation. One person was refining pills while another was snatching spiritual plants. What should have been an individual competition turned into a team competition!"
When the alchemists in the audience heard this, their eyes flickered and they felt a little guilty, but they continued to make gestures. More than 200,000 people were making gestures, so densely packed that it disturbed Jiang Baiwei's eyes.
He simply cast a spell to immobilize him, and now not only could he not speak, he couldn't even move his body. He could only express his dissatisfaction with his eyes.
Jiang Baiwei: "Since everyone wants to turn the individual competition into a team competition, then I will satisfy everyone's wish. Now I don't care whether the first round is an individual competition or a team competition. As long as we can snatch the spiritual plant and refine the elixir, it will be considered a success. No matter who snatches the spiritual plant or refines the elixir, as long as we have the elixir in hand, it will be considered a success."
"Complete ten detoxification pills within six hours!"
The alchemists in the audience softened their gazes and stopped glaring at Jiang Baiwei, thinking this was all a good thing! This way, they could work together with their good friends and teammates.
But some people frowned, clearly thinking of something deeper. For example, Gu Xianyun, Qu Chun, Jiang Feiyao, Qian Luo...
The key point wasn't the individual and team competitions, but her subsequent statement, "No matter who made the elixir, as long as you have it, it's considered a success." So, there was no need to seize the spiritual plant; simply seizing the elixir would be considered a success. In that case, it was likely more than just seizing the spiritual plant; the subsequent scene would be even more chaotic, turning into a chaotic battle.
Everyone grabbing the spiritual plants might not guarantee a successful elixir, but everyone grabbing the elixir would guarantee success. Whoever possessed the elixir would become the target of public attack. The chaotic fight that only appeared in the second round actually occurred in the first round.
This is not a good thing.
Jiang Baiwei saw everyone's different expressions and smiled: "Since I have met everyone's requirements, then everyone should also meet mine. I just said that I hope this competition will be a little different."
Qianluo felt a chill in her heart: she had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, the beautiful woman smiled slightly, her face as bright as a spring flower: "This time, the spiritual plant storage is no longer in a fixed position, but will appear randomly. It may appear on the left or right, or above or below."
The sun rises and the dawn breaks. A woman in a yellow robe, with her skirt fluttering and eyes sparkling, is extremely beautiful. There are no signs of time on her fair skin, which makes her look more profound, introverted, beautiful and affectionate.
She stretched out her long arms as if embracing the sun, moon and stars, and opened her red lips slightly, speaking not the tender words between lovers, but an unquestionable order, representing supreme power.
"Then let the first round begin."
"My little medicine boys!"
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