By the evening of the second day, Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu formed their pills one after another.
The pill Yin Wenzhou refined was called the Dragon Breath Pill. Refined primarily with Purple Gold Flower and Soul Jade Liquid, it was a Tier-3 pill capable of temporarily enhancing one's physique and unleashing latent potential. Shaped like a purple-gold sphere, it released a faint ambergris aroma, signifying a medium-grade result.
Qin Qingmu, on the other hand, had refined the Soul Spirit Pill. Consuming this pill would accelerate the recovery of divine sense, making it an extremely practical Tier-3 pill as well. Resembling a sphere of white jade, it emitted a cool, subtle fragrance, also reaching medium-grade quality.
The quality of their finished pills was evenly matched. A clear winner could only be determined after the test concluded, when the association president and elders carefully evaluated them.
“Not bad,” Yin Shixiu commented briefly, though no joy showed on his face.
In past exchange conferences, producing pills of such quality would have earned either Yin Wenzhou or Qin Qingmu the top spot. But this year... with an unexpected variable like Pei Yanji, Yin Shixiu found it hard to lavish praise on such performance.
Yin Wenzhou glanced at Pei Yanji and Shi Yu. Seeing that neither had formed their pills yet and were still in the middle of refining, his fists slowly clenched. An unusual sense of anxiety and restlessness welled up in his heart. What on earth is that evil cultivator named Pei refining? Why is there no sign of him wrapping up? And that country bumpkin girl... could she be refining a Tier-3 pill as well?
Qin Qingmu was equally uneasy. Storing her Soul Spirit Pill into a long-necked jade bottle, she gripped it tightly and bit her lower lip. The quality of my finished pill is higher than ever before. Can I really not take the top spot even like this?
Shi Yu was completely unaware of their thoughts, entirely immersed in her own world of alchemy.
Not long after Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu completed their pills, she followed closely behind, proceeding to split the pills and infuse spiritual energy.
Executing a pill seal, she gathered the stray medicinal power inside the furnace and infused it into the uneven pill embryos. Through her divine sense, she observed the two pitted embryos rapidly transform into smooth, perfectly round pills.
Concluding the refinement, she lifted the furnace lid, revealing two freshly made Lesser Extreme Devouring Pills.
Looking over, the crowd saw two longan-sized, delightfully spherical pills. Not only did they emit a rich, refreshing pill fragrance, but a hazy halo of light also enveloped their surfaces... Both Lesser Extreme Devouring Pills had achieved high-grade quality.
Yin Shixiu narrowed his eyes. Although he didn't recognize the specific pill, he sensed its aura and stated plainly, “It's a Tier-3 pill.”
Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu stood frozen on the spot, their expressions shifting rapidly.
A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.
“Little Yu actually... managed to refine a Tier-3 pill...” Master Ji murmured. “And it's high-grade at that.”
President Song let out a long breath, unable to hide the shock on his face. “This girl kept quiet and pulled off something massive.”
That was a Tier-3 pill—something that, in common knowledge, even Foundation Establishment cultivators might not necessarily be able to refine.
The spectating crowd boiled over with excitement.
“Is this for real?”
“Could President Yin have misidentified it? Is it actually a Tier-2 pill?”
“President Yin is a Golden Core powerhouse and a Tier-5 alchemist! How could he possibly misidentify it?!”
“Hiss... A seventeen-year-old Tier-3 alchemist... This is truly... completely unheard of!”
“With such talent, to have remained unheard of until now—astonishing, truly astonishing!”
Cut off by the formation array, Shi Yu paid no attention to the clamor outside. Taking out a jade bottle, she scooped them up with a gesture, sending the two Lesser Extreme Devouring Pills rolling smoothly into the bottle.
Pei Yanji, who was still in the middle of alchemy, seemed to sense something and glanced over at her, catching the exact moment the pills rolled into the bottle.
“A Tier-3 pill. Interesting...” His eyes deepened, a playful curve lifting the corner of his lips. “Though that is as far as it goes.”
Shifting his gaze back, Pei Yanji resumed his alchemy.
Having completed the two Lesser Extreme Devouring Pills, Shi Yu found her divine sense and spiritual energy completely depleted. She quickly downed a couple of gulps of Life Spring water, popped a few recovery pills, and sat cross-legged to regulate her breathing.
At this point, aside from the alchemists who had already begun refining their second batch of pills, Pei Yanji was the only one still working on his initial batch.
What pill he was actually refining sparked endless speculation and wonder among the spectators.
...
Shi Yu rested for a full day before fully recovering. Having pushed herself to exhaustion before regulating her breathing, her cultivation speed had subtly increased. At this moment, she had reached peak condition, her spiritual power surging with vitality.
Meanwhile, morning of the fourth day had arrived.
Opening her eyes, Shi Yu sensed that the surrounding atmosphere was somewhat off. Looking over toward Pei Yanji, she saw that after over three days of alchemy, he was finally about to form his pill.
The crowd watched him with varying expressions—some stared blankly, some were terrified, and one had even stumbled to the ground, staring dumbfoundedly. Overall, a subtle, heavy tension filled the air.
The cause of this subtle atmosphere was that anomalous phenomena were faintly emerging around Pei Yanji.
The emergence of a phenomenon meant...
Shi Yu's eyes darkened slightly.
Pills were divided into nine tiers: Tiers 1, 2, and 3 were lower-tier; Tiers 4, 5, and 6 were mid-tier; and Tiers 7, 8, and 9 were upper-tier.
Starting from Tier-4 pills, pill formation would be accompanied by phenomena. This was because the spiritual energy and magic power contained within high-tier pills were too dense to conceal, triggering resonance and reactions from heaven and earth.
Different tiers of pills brought different phenomena upon completion. Furthermore, the higher the quality of the finished pill, the more prominent the phenomenon would be.
Phenomena came in several types, and they did not necessarily manifest alone; it was not uncommon for multiple phenomena to intertwine.
First were weather anomalies: rain ceasing as rainbows appeared, surging clouds and shifting winds, or strikes of heavenly thunder—commotions capable of shaking heaven and earth. Next was celestial chanting, where vast, ethereal music echoed from the horizon upon pill formation. Imbued with profound truths bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, these sounds sometimes even imparted secrets or methods of cultivation.
These two types of phenomena only occurred upon the completion of extremely high-tier pills. The catalyst for Shi Yu's arrival in this world had been the heavenly thunder summoned when she refined a Tier-9 pill in her game.
Below those was the manifestation of spirit beasts, where phantom images of spirit beasts materialized around the area during pill formation. These spirit beasts generally aligned with the pill's attribute: fire-attribute pills might summon fire phoenixes or fire dragons, while water-attribute pills might evoke water Qilins or water turtles.
Further down were subtle visions like iridescent mist, mystical light, howling winds, or flowing water—minor phenomena with small disturbances that were easily overlooked.
Right now, dark gusts of wind blew around Pei Yanji, distorting the surrounding space and calling forth layered illusions—a phenomenon in its own right.
The pill formed, the phenomenon manifested... thus, the pill he was refining was a Tier-4 pill.
A Tier-4 pill.
Silence blanketed the entire venue.
An eerie stillness spread from the high platform to the spectator seats below.
Below the stage, Yin Shixiu and Qin Yu looked livid, their fists tightly clenched. “Good... Very good...”
On stage, Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu also wore complex, crestfallen expressions.
Yin Wenzhou's face flushed with humiliation. “What kind of trickery did an evil cultivator like him use? At this rate, won't he lay his hands on the Yanyang Xuancang Flame?”
Qin Qingmu tottered on her feet, letting out a quiet sigh. So this is what Master meant by 'there is always a higher sky and a greater talent.' Even in Shiyan Academy, amongst the outer court peers, almost no one possessed alchemy attainments like Pei Yanji; only a select few in the inner court could compare.
With a Tier-4 pill in play, who could possibly compete?
Following the silence, hushed whispers gradually arose.
“Could it be... the top spot in this year's competition will really be snatched away by an evil cultivator from Wanchou Prefecture?”
“What a total humiliation...”
Aware that he now dominated the field, Pei Yanji flashed a contemptuous smirk. He sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing and recover under the astonished or hateful gazes of the crowd.
Even for him, refining a Tier-4 pill was quite taxing, nearly draining his divine sense and spiritual energy. It would be difficult to recover in a short time.
Fortunately, with the Tier-4 pill complete, there was no need to worry about anything for the remaining time.
...
Amidst the bleak and gloomy atmosphere, Shi Yu slowly knitted her brows.
There were still several days left before the evaluation ended, and right now, she had reached peak condition.
Should I give it a try? she murmured inwardly, glancing at her freshly refined Lesser Extreme Devouring Pills.
Try a Tier-4 pill? If she consumed a Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill to temporarily boost her cultivation, it wasn't impossible to try.
However... gazing at the pill furnace gifted to her by President Liang Guan, Shi Yu silently noted an oversight.
She had originally assumed a Tier-3 pill would be the limit for this grand competition. Now that a Tier-4 pill had appeared, using this furnace to follow suit wouldn't suffice—the medicinal potency during the refinement of a Tier-4 pill was far more violent, and a Tier-3 pill furnace definitely wouldn't hold up.
But where was she supposed to find a higher-tier pill furnace right now?
President Song did have a Tier-4 pill furnace, but it had long been bound to him with blood recognition, meaning no one else could use it.
Aside from Pei Yanji, only Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu possessed Tier-4 pill furnaces on stage. She couldn't very well ask to borrow theirs—regardless of whether they were willing, the competition wasn't over yet, so how could she take someone else's tool?
“In that case, the only option left is...”
Shi Yu rubbed the space between her eyebrows and muttered, “I'll just have to refine one myself.”
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