Chapter 68 Immortal Capital 3: Aren't I a genius alchemist?
"Have you heard? Senior Brother Le Lin actually invited the Deer Clan's Junior High Priest to help him out!"
"Although I have never heard of this junior priest's reputation in alchemy, the demon race has always been more talented in alchemy than the human race. He must be a high-level alchemist!"
"What's there to be afraid of? Winning or losing doesn't matter. Being able to see the alchemy process up close is enough to make the trip worthwhile."
"Not necessarily. Junior Sister Fang Yi is already a third-tier alchemist at the peak of Foundation Establishment. I heard that even the sect leader said she has great talent in alchemy! I don't think Changji Island is necessarily the winner."
On the Water Cloud Platform, the disciples from various islands who were participating in the alchemy competition had just arrived when Le Lin, a disciple from Changji Island, and Tian Li, whom he had invited, had already become the subject of much discussion among the disciples.
Xu Xing overheard this and noticed that the disciples mentioned Tian Li of the Deer Clan, Le Lin of Changji Island, and Fang Yi of Huaxi Island the least. Clearly, they were the favorites to win the competition.
Mei Ze was trying to calm the two down. Although Xu Xing didn't seem nervous at all, he said, "Han'er's alchemy skills are all self-taught. I, as his teacher, can't teach him anything. This competition is all about participation, so don't feel any pressure."
The other Lanze Island disciples cheered them on, "Go, Senior Brother! You and Fellow Daoist Xu can definitely do it!"
Seeing Xu Xing looking around curiously, Shen Du gently reminded him, "When you're refining pills later, try to... restrain yourself a little."
restraint?
Mei Zihan overheard this by chance and couldn't help but wonder, what does alchemy require restraint?
Xu Xing nodded vigorously, "Senior brother, don't worry, I understand."
Her alchemy techniques were quite different from other alchemists, and she did need to conceal them to avoid attracting attention.
However, Xu Xing, who had hardly ever witnessed the alchemy process of ordinary alchemists, underestimated the extent to which he needed to restrain himself...
A total of thirty-six islands participated in this alchemy competition, with two people from each island. However, most of them were disciples of Shuiyun Immortal Capital. Although they could invite outside help, not many specially invited cultivators from other sects. Therefore, Xu Xing and Tian Li, the two few who were not wearing the robes of Immortal Capital disciples, were somewhat conspicuous.
The Thirty-Six Islands are divided into three groups, with twelve teams in each group. Each alchemist is accompanied by a disciple of Shuiyun Xiandu, who serves as both a temporary assistant and a supervisor.
When the order was drawn, Changji Island was placed in front of Lanze Island. Xu Xing looked at the brightly colored robes on Tian Li beside him and hesitated to speak.
This young priest seems to love changing clothes way too much! She's changed several outfits a day; she can't help but wonder if Tian Li has a super-sized wardrobe in his storage space. Recently, they've bumped into each other several times, and if Tian Li hadn't greeted her first, Xu Xing, who tends to daydream while walking, would have barely noticed him—white is definitely more eye-catching.
Tian Li noticed her gaze, his smile deepened, and he turned his head gently, asking, "What's wrong?"
"nothing."
Xu Xing hesitated for a moment, thinking that he and Tian Li were not familiar with each other, so he swallowed her words that she thought Tian Li would be more recognizable in white, since this beauty-loving young priest wouldn't understand anyway.
Before leaving the Deer Clan, Tian Li had Na Yun prepare nearly a hundred different sets of robes for her, each with a unique color and style. Seeing Xu Xing's unusual expression, his smile deepened, as if he were deep in thought. Was she really as easily seduced by beauty as the Snake King...?
"In addition to the original prize, the first place winner of this competition will receive an additional seventh-tier seven-leaf Ganoderma lucidum. This medicine is a gift from the Snake Clan to show the friendship between the two clans."
The words of Xin Xian, the sect leader of Shuiyun Xiandu, stirred up a great deal of waves and attracted everyone's attention.
Xin Xian turned to look at Yun Xi, "What does the Serpent Envoy think of this arrangement?"
Yunxi nodded indifferently and said, "The medicine has been delivered. The snake clan will not interfere with how the immortal capital handles it."
Although three seven-leaf Ganoderma lucidums are nothing to the snake race, they are highly sought after in the human realm. The fact that Shuiyun Xian could offer one as a reward shows that this sect treats its disciples well on a regular basis.
Upon hearing that the prize included the Seven-Leaf Lingzhi, all the alchemists from Shuiyun Immortal Capital who had not participated in the alchemy competition were filled with regret and remorse.
"Seven-leaf Ganoderma?! The snake clan has quite the grand scheme!"
"If I had known there was such a wonderful thing, I would have definitely gone to participate! I regret it now!"
"..."
Seeing the disciples below the stage discussing among themselves, Xin Xian glanced at the young female cultivator with a nonchalant expression beside Mei Zihan from Lanze Island and said with a smile, "That must be the fairy accompanied by the Snake Envoy, right? She certainly has an extraordinary temperament. After the competition ends, I should personally meet her and thank her."
Having obtained these two seven-leaf Ganoderma lucidum, after refining them into pills, several elders in the sect will be able to clear the poison from their bodies, and their cultivation will surely reach a higher level. Moreover, the snake clan is willing to cooperate, which is a great thing for Shuiyun Xiandu, no less than a pie falling from the sky. It is all thanks to Mei Zihan of Lanze Island who invited Xu Xing, who is on good terms with the snake clan.
Upon hearing this, Yunxi's expression softened considerably. "Sect Master, there's no need for you to be so polite."
Seeing that she seemed to feel a sense of pride, Xin Xian became even more curious. How could a female cultivator, who was just a human, have received such special treatment from the snake clan?
"Do you want to?"
Hearing Tian Li's question, Xu Xing was puzzled, "Isn't it whoever wins?"
Tian Li smiled and said, "If you want these prizes, I will give them to you once I win them."
Le Lin looked resentful but dared not utter a word. He knew that Tian Li hadn't come for his sake, but big brother, was it really okay for you to say something like giving up the prize in front of your teammate?
Xu Xing frowned, somewhat displeased. "Young High Priest, let's win first."
Xu Xing had initially thought this young priest was gentle and a good person, but he hadn't expected her to be so arrogant. Her impression of him instantly plummeted. If she wanted it, she would naturally win it herself; why would she need him to give it to her?
Tian Li, who had intended to offer a gift to curry favor, was taken aback. Was she angry? Why was that?
In fact, Xu Xing misunderstood Tian Li. With Tian Li's alchemy skills, this competition should have been a foregone conclusion, but he just happened to run into Xu Xing, who possessed life skills...
"Each team of cultivators needs to refine three pills within two hours. The first two are the Spirit Cultivation Pill and the Dust-Free Pill, and the third is up to each individual. During the pill refining process, you may select materials from the medicine storehouse, but you must not hoard them and they must be used in this pill refining. Any excess materials will be recycled."
Soon, a semi-transparent wall appeared before the alchemists. One side of the wall displayed a dense list of spiritual medicine names. This wall connected to the Shuiyun Immortal Capital's medicine storehouse; with just a word, a disciple would fetch the corresponding medicine for them. On the other side of the wall were dozens of types of spiritual fire, available for the alchemists to use.
“Fellow Daoist Xu, the Spirit Cultivation Pill is relatively simple, I will refine it. The Dust-Free Pill is yours. As for the third one…” Mei Zihan said quickly, “I wonder if you are confident that you can refine the Poison-Clearing Pill within an hour and a half?”
An hour and a half? That's too long. Xu Xing was a little troubled. Even if she deliberately dawdled, she could finish refining it in half an hour at most...
Mei Zihan, however, thought that the difficulty on her face meant she was not confident. Indeed, it was really too much to ask Xu Xing to refine such an extraordinary pill as the Detoxification Pill in such a short time. Thinking of this, he said gently, "Then how about I refine both the Spirit Nourishing Pill and the Dust-Free Pill, and you just refine the Detoxification Pill, is that alright?"
He's only at the second rank, so he'll probably fail at refining the Dustless Pill, but if he can refine the Poison-Clearing Pill, they can win the championship in one fell swoop! No one knows better than Mei Zihan how much of a stir the Poison-Clearing Pill, which can remove demonic blood, will cause once it's released.
Fearing that Xu Xing was under too much pressure, he added, "It's okay. Even if we can't refine it by the time it's done, it's alright. We'll just do our best."
Xu Xing was somewhat interested in the seven-leaf Ganoderma lucidum, so he agreed to Mei Zihan's suggestion and planned to refine the detoxification pill first.
Although the Spirit Cultivation Pill and the Dust-Free Pill are not easy to refine, the formulas are not secret. Therefore, all the alchemists chose the materials from the medicine storehouse. As for the materials needed for the third pill that they could refine themselves, they kept some of them to themselves, mostly only using some common spiritual herbs and medicines, so that others could not guess the formula.
Many people want to refine rare elixirs and are naturally unwilling to risk revealing the formula. Fortunately, they can take the refined elixirs with them, so it's not a loss.
Xu Xing glanced around and began slowly reporting the information to the Shuiyun Xiandu disciple beside him.
"Third-tier Moonbone Grass, and powder from Frost-Eroded Rock, preferably a hundred years old, but fifty years old will also do..."
"I also need a fourth-tier Twin Star Lotus, a Luoshui Treasure Flower... Hmm, let me think..."
While the other alchemists had already begun refining their pills, Xu Xing was still dawdling over the ingredients, reciting them like a menu, pausing occasionally to "ponder" as if he couldn't remember the recipe.
She wasn't in a hurry, but the disciples of Shuiyun Immortal Capital who were waiting to fetch the medicine for her were getting anxious for her. She couldn't even remember the pill formula, how could she possibly refine it?
The disciple who served as Xu Xing's assistant was named An Xingyu. He had only recently begun learning alchemy, and he kindly suggested, "Fairy, why don't you try a different elixir that you're more confident in? After all, time is limited!"
"Don't worry, don't worry, I remember now, there's also Crimson Moon Dew..."
Seeing that Xu Xing had listed dozens of materials, Mei Zihan, who was refining the Spirit Cultivation Pill, had to be distracted and remind him, "Fellow Daoist Xu! Do not select too many, or the pill formula may be leaked."
"It's alright, there's still a lot of material I haven't revealed, it won't be leaked."
Although Xu Xing didn't care if others guessed the formula, she still kept seven or eight special ingredients from her mind. If the formula for the Detoxifying Pill hadn't already been sold to Gu Hongguang, she would have definitely chosen all the ingredients from the Shuiyun Immortal Capital's medicine storehouse.
"Okay, that's all for now!"
After An Xingyu retrieved the materials Xu Xing needed, he saw Xu Xing slowly and deliberately select spirit fire from the wall. She was holding a pile of materials with a blank look in her eyes. Was she really here for the competition?
"The materials in the alchemy furnace in front of the Deer Clan's junior priest have already condensed into medicinal liquid? Judging from its grade, it should be third-grade."
“Fang Yi’s is also a third-tier refinement, not much worse than his.”
"Huh? Why is it that one of the alchemists didn't even bring out his alchemy furnace?"
"She's choosing a spirit fire? Doesn't she even use her own?"
Alchemists generally use their own spiritual fire, unless they have other exceptionally high-quality fire, because only their own can be better controlled, especially in major competitions where mistakes are unacceptable.
"I think she's just here to go through the motions; she has no intention of refining pills at all."
"Fellow Daoist Mei, how did your Lanze Island come to invite such an alchemist?"
"Such a careless attitude? Does he even deserve to be called an alchemist?"
Mei Ze scoffed, "This is only the beginning, why are you all so eager to draw conclusions?"
“Exactly, I think she doesn’t seem nervous at all. Maybe she’s just confident.” Minghua, who usually likes to argue with Mei Ze, actually spoke up for him because of their half-day fishing buddy friendship.
Xin Xian also heard the discussion and, seeing Yun Xi's displeasure, she spoke up to guide the conversation, "That's right, let's see how it goes until the end."
Yunxi didn't actually know how good Xu Xing's alchemy skills were. Although she was a little unhappy that her prince was being criticized, the cultivation world was all about strength. If her prince really didn't have enough skill, even if she used the power of the snake clan to suppress people, she couldn't silence the gossip.
Having chosen a mid-grade spirit fire, Xu Xing finally realized that his slow pace would attract attention, so he had no choice but to take out the alchemy furnace to prepare for alchemy.
"This alchemy furnace is so dilapidated!"
"It turns out she's just a poor alchemist. Alchemy consumes spirit stones, so it must have been hard for her to get here. We shouldn't be too picky."
"No wonder she was willing to risk the secret of the formula to select materials from the medicine storehouse; she probably couldn't provide them herself."
"However, although I've used all the materials she chose, why do they combine so strangely? Can you tell what kind of elixir she's trying to make?"
Xu Xing certainly wouldn't take out the Azure Feather Heavenly Fire Furnace to use, so she randomly chose a pill-refining furnace that she had bought a few years ago. Because she refined pills too frequently and hadn't maintained it, it did look a bit shabby. But she didn't expect that she would attract everyone's sympathy with a dilapidated pill furnace.
After all, most alchemists are wealthy; I've never actually seen one so poor that they can't even afford a pill-making furnace...
Xu Xing, who usually threw all the ingredients into the alchemy pot at once, learned her lesson this time. She threw them in little by little, successfully making herself look like she was busy but didn't know what she was busy with.
Seeing her like this, the audience on stage lost interest and turned their attention to Tian Li and Fang Yi, no longer paying attention to Xu Xing. Only Chen Du's gaze remained fixed on her from beginning to end.
Looking at Xu Xing, who stood out casually among the solemn-faced alchemists, Chen Du felt an inopportune surge of joy. Only he knew how outstanding she was.
But from this day forward, she will be famous throughout Shuiyun Immortal Capital and even the Demon Realm. He is both happy that she will no longer be looked down upon, and worried that she will attract ill-intentioned people.
Shen Du gently turned the storage ring on his left index finger—the one Xu Xing had given him. Inside were only a spirit sword and a lotus lamp. He thought to himself, Xu Xing has grown too fast, while he is not strong enough. He needs stronger power, strong enough to be a qualified guardian…
"That alchemist from the Deer Clan actually refined the Spirit Nourishing Pill so quickly! As expected of the demon race, their alchemy talent is so outstanding!"
"Fang Yi is almost here, but I'm afraid the quality won't be that good."
"It's only been less than half an hour, yet this young man is truly formidable."
Xu Xing looked around at the alchemists and saw that several other alchemists, following Tian Li and Fang Yi, had also successfully completed their pills. She felt relieved and quickly condensed the medicinal liquid that she had been haphazardly kneading and shaping with her spiritual fire into a solid form. If she dawdled any longer, it would burn.
Mei Zihan, standing to the side, had a bead of sweat on his forehead. He didn't specialize in alchemy and was finding it difficult to refine second-tier Spirit Nourishing Pills. Worried that he would hold Xu Xing back, he shut down some of his senses and focused on alchemy. As a result, he didn't notice that Xu Xing had started to idly pluck leaves to play with.
Peeking over to check Mei Zihan's progress, Xu Xing could tell at a glance that even if Mei Zihan finished refining this batch of pills, it would only be of low grade. So he simply asked for more materials and began refining the Spirit Nourishing Pill and the Dustless Pill.
"Why aren't there any Fire God Wood Fruits?" Xu Xing nudged An Xingyu beside him. "Did they take less than expected?"
The fruit of the Fire God Tree is an ingredient for refining the Spirit Cultivation Pill. It is not only a spiritual medicine but also a sweet-tasting spiritual fruit, which is especially loved by demonic beasts.
"Sorry, I'll go get it right away."
After checking and finding no Fire God Wood Fruit, An Xingyu immediately ran to the Spirit Wall to retrieve the material again, muttering to himself, "...I definitely took it just now."
Even though he was deliberately stalling for time, Xu Xing still managed to refine one Spirit Cultivation Pill and two Dustless Pills in half an hour, leaving one hour remaining.
An Xingyu stared at the two perfectly round Dustless Pills and stammered, "Immortal Xu, Fairy, are you refining Dustless Pills?"
"right."
"Two, two?"
“Yes,” Xu Xing tilted his head, puzzled, “You only gave me the materials for two.”
An Xingyu's eyes widened. It was true that they had provided enough materials to refine two, but how could anyone possibly refine two?!
The Dustless Pill is very special. This kind of pill is very wasteful during the refining process, often consuming half of the materials. Therefore, all alchemists can only refine one pill from two. Xu Xing refining two pills means that she achieved almost zero loss in the refining process!
What astonishing alchemy skills!
An Xingyu felt a wave of dizziness. Had he just witnessed the alchemy process of a future alchemy master?
No, he needs to think carefully about the alchemy process that the master just went through; he'll definitely learn a lot from it!
An Xingyu recalled Xu Xing's actions in his mind, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. It seemed that Xu Xing did not use any mysterious techniques at all. It was as if she just threw the materials in, burned them with fire, and then it was finished.
Impossible! He must have been distracted and missed something!
Every movement of a master who can refine two Dustless Pills must have a deeper meaning! An Xingyu racked his brains, finally remembering that Xu Xing had plucked some leaves before refining the pills. That's it! She must have done that to better understand the medicinal properties! Truly a master!
Xu Xing watched the others refine pills for a while. Seeing how precise their every movement was, as if measured by a ruler, he couldn't help but stare blankly, feeling drowsy. He forced himself to stay awake, but when he turned his head, he saw the incredibly admiring gaze of the junior disciple of Shuiyun Immortal Capital next to him. Startled, he immediately became more alert.
Why are you looking at me like that?
An Xingyu blushed and hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Um, could you give me your autograph?"
This is a future master alchemist! Why wait any longer to sign his autograph?!
Huh? Xu Xing was completely confused, but then she saw the person in front of her touch her body as if she couldn't find suitable materials, so she turned her clothes over and moved closer to Xu Xing, looking at her expectantly.
After signing her name in a daze, Xu Xing belatedly realized that she might have lost control. She glanced guiltily at the stage and saw that everyone was looking at Tian Li and the others, and almost no one was paying attention to her. She breathed a sigh of relief.
However, she wasn't unnoticed; her senior brother had been watching her the whole time! Xu Xing spotted her senior brother's location immediately.
And Yunxi and the others, hmm? Who is that beautiful fairy among them? The sect leader of Shuiyun Immortal Capital?
Xin Xian sighed softly, "No wonder the snake clan values it so much; this world will surely gain another master alchemist."
"I wonder what kind of pill she refined first. I really can't wait to see it..."
Yunxi, who was wishing she could sprout wings and take Xu Xing back to the Snake Clan, was both happy and worried. Her Highness's talent in alchemy was rare in the world. Even if the identity of the Snake Clan's princess had not yet been revealed, she was destined to attract the world's attention.
Thinking about the troubles His Highness might encounter in the future, Yunxi was extremely annoyed. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have listened to Tianli and should have taken His Highness back to the Snake Clan and hidden him away long ago!
Unaware that Yunxi had cursed him several times in his mind, Tianli finally pulled himself out of his immersion in the mysteries of alchemy after refining the three pills. He looked at the three pills floating in his hand with satisfaction. The Spirit Nourishing Pill and the Clear Dew Pill were both fourth-grade high-quality pills, and although the Dustless Pill was third-grade, it was also of high quality. At this time, there was still nearly half an hour left before the end.
Tian Li subconsciously looked in Xu Xing's direction, only to find her squatting on the ground chatting with a disciple of Yishui Yunxiandu. The dilapidated alchemy furnace next to them was empty, showing no signs of having been used for alchemy. He shook his head slightly, somewhat disapproving. Even knowing that defeat was inevitable, they shouldn't be so lacking in fighting spirit as to not even try.
He thought to himself, this snake princess was, after all, raised in the wild. Although she had some cleverness, her character still needed to be tempered. In the future, when the two tribes were to be united by marriage, he, as her husband, would naturally have to teach her well...
"Time's up! Shut down the furnace and collect the medicine!"
The disciples of Shuiyun Immortal Capital immediately collected the pills that the alchemists had finished refining. Mei Zihan said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I only refined one second-tier Spirit Nourishing Pill. The Dustless Pill is not yet finished..."
Xu Xing waved his hand dismissively and handed his four pills to An Xingyu, saying, "It's alright, I've finished refining them."
"She just refined pills?" Tian Li looked over upon hearing this, and was taken aback when he saw the several round and plump pills in An Xingyu's hand. Among them was a third-grade spirit pill, which even his keen sense of smell couldn't identify...
When did Xu Xing refine the pill? Could it be that he finished refining it even earlier than Xu Xing?
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Author's Note: I couldn't help but add extra chapters while writing; it's been a long time since I posted at 10 PM sharp. [Pity]
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Thank you, Ji, for the generous vote! [Rose]
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Thank you wm金,再睡一回,雪竹, taya,星星,蓝翎之泪,ATOBE.,Ruby_,咸鱼之师,陆陆,西凉千,白栀温酒,枫染,小圆oo,墨案书, 61304878, and 佚名 for the nutrient solution irrigation! Thank you everyone! [Sprinkling flowers]
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