A Spent Force

Shi Yu didn't have many options for Tier-4 pills to refine at the moment. Previously constrained by her cultivation, she hadn't expected to refine Tier-4 pills so soon, so she hadn't gone out of her way to prepare or collect the relevant spiritual plants, only purchasing one or two whenever she happened to come across them.

Scanning the spiritual plants stored inside the Fate-Tapping Bell, she realized she had only one viable option: the Ailment-Clearing Pill.

The Ailment-Clearing Pill was a formula she had developed back in the Xian Yuan game. Utilizing Ice Marrow as its primary ingredient, it could purge pill toxicity, clear blockages, and dispel fiendish energy upon ingestion.

Whenever cultivators consumed pills, a degree of pill toxicity inevitably remained in their bodies. In small amounts, it was negligible, but as it accumulated, it would impair one's state of mind and cultivation. If not eliminated early on, it would form a bottleneck and become a major hidden peril on the path of cultivation.

Refined with Ice Marrow as the primary ingredient, the Ailment-Clearing Pill could effectively eradicate pill toxicity and enhance one's physique.

Ice Marrow grew only in lands of extreme frost, formed as a crystal-clear core by absorbing the cold energy of heaven and earth. It was extraordinarily rare; the single piece Shi Yu possessed had been won at an auction by Master Ji, who had gifted it to her as a meeting present along with the silk of the Mist-Cloud Silkworm.

Composing herself, Shi Yu brought out the Ice Marrow along with over twenty supplementary spiritual plants.

At a glance, the crowd knew she intended to continue refining pills.

Seeing that the spiritual plants she produced were all of high ranks, President Song said with a grave expression, “Little Yu is likely planning to refine a Tier-4 pill.”

He exchanged a glance with Master Ji, both seeing worry and shock in each other's eyes.

Having known Shi Yu for so long, they understood her temperament well enough to know she was not acting recklessly. She was undoubtedly determined to compete head-to-head with Pei Yanji.

Therefore, since she was making her move, she must be refining a Tier-4 pill of the same rank as Pei Yanji's.

“This girl...” Master Ji clenched his fists as he watched Shi Yu's face turn increasingly pale. “Her condition doesn't look right. She shouldn't force herself.”

President Song took a deep breath as well. “The pill she swallowed earlier was so domineering, forcibly elevating her cultivation to Foundation Establishment. Who knows what aftereffects it carries?”

On the high platform, not far from Shi Yu, Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu looked at her with complex expressions—a mixture of wariness, doubt, and subtle indignation.

Without anyone noticing when, Pei Yanji had finished regulating his breathing and was now looking coldly at Shi Yu. At this moment, his absolute confidence had faltered, replaced by a gaze filled with vigilance and dark gloom.

Shi Yu did not care what anyone thought.

Gently touching the newly re-refined pill furnace, she prepared to strike while the iron was hot and proceed with her alchemy.

However, right at that moment, the effects of the Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill ran out, unable to hold on any longer.

Her temporary Foundation Establishment cultivation abruptly began to recede as the pill's power faded, plummeting back to her original eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm in mere moments.

Simultaneously, with her cultivation collapsing, the severe depletion of essence blood made her feel as though countless needles were piercing her body. Every inch of her flesh twitched violently, and her blood boiled within her. Her vision suddenly went dark, leaving only the sound of her heavy gasps and thumping heart in her ears.

“Haa... haa...”

Shi Yu knew the blood and Qi depletion caused by the Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill had pushed her to the absolute limit; it could no longer sustain her temporary realm.

The rest of the crowd noticed the shift in her aura as well.

Yin Shixiu couldn't say whether he hoped Shi Yu would press on or stop right there. Looking at her sallow, paper-thin expression and swaying figure, he said in a low voice, “She can't hold on any longer.”

Yin Wenzhou exhaled softly, feeling a surge of secret glee. If I can't defeat him, you can't either, he thought to himself. Proud as he was, how could he tolerate someone repeatedly stepping over him? Having Pei Yanji snatch away the glory that was rightfully his was bad enough—how could he endure a second person doing the same?

Qin Qingmu bit her lip and sighed softly.

Pei Yanji's furrowed brow slowly smoothed out. “It seems you can only stop here,” he remarked quietly.

Below the platform, however, no spectators uttered words of dissatisfaction or mockery.

Even if Shi Yu stopped now, after today, her name would surely resound throughout Hengze Prefecture and even Changyuan Prefecture. Cultivating both the Dao of Artifacts and the Dao of Alchemy—and possessing astounding talent and achievements in either path individually—when had Changyuan Prefecture ever seen such a brilliant prodigy?

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Shi Yu suppressed her churning blood and Qi, furrowed her brow, and with great effort fluttered her eyelids open, looking at the single remaining Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill.

She was near her absolute limit. If she consumed another, she risked damaging her spiritual meridians and shattering her divine soul.

“Am I supposed to give up now?” She pinched the pill between her fingers, examining it as she murmured to herself.

Her body hurt immensely. The burning of essence blood was an agonizing feeling—an unsettling hollowness that surged from the depths of her physique and divine soul. Yet, she had experienced pain far worse than this before.

When she first arrived in this world, her spiritual meridians had been ripped out alive; that hollow agony had been far more excruciating than what she felt now.

Shi Yu suddenly smiled softly, making her decision. “I promised President Song that I would win first place.”

Below the platform, President Song and the others realized she intended to force herself further. Alarm struck them, and they wished they could fly onto the stage and drag Shi Yu down themselves.

“Foolish girl! Stop!”

Unfortunately, blocked by the array, their shouts were entirely cut off from the stage.

President Song and Master Ji could only watch helplessly as Shi Yu placed the remaining Lesser Extreme Devouring Pill into her mouth and swallowed it.

Her essence blood ignited once more. A searing pain even more intense than before surged from the depths of her body as hairline cracks fractured across her skin, blood seeping out continuously to stain her robes red. The terrifying sound of bones cracking echoed softly, sending chills down the spines of those who heard it.

Shi Yu coughed up a mouthful of blood, her consciousness hazing over. Forcing herself to stay alert, she produced an undiluted drop of Life Spring water from the Fate-Tapping Bell, holding it under her tongue before summoning the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame into the furnace to begin refining the pill.

Inside the Fate-Tapping Bell, the Seven-Color Luan—which had long returned to its interior—sensed her unstable aura and flew up and down in an anxious frenzy, but Shi Yu had no spare focus to comfort it.

President Song clenched his fists tightly, his voice raspy. “Foolish girl... burning essence blood comes at a grave price. Doing it once was already enough, how could you do it again...”

Master Ji gave a bitter smile. “She's likely keeping the association's expectations in mind, desperate to secure first place for us.”

Overwhelmed with regret, President Song's eyes turned blood-red. “It's all my fault! Why did I blabber to her about all that nonsense? Who cares about some blasted first place or that stupid Yanyang Spiritual Realm?! As long as the girl stays safe and sound, that's all that matters...”

Shi Yu had a vast and promising path ahead. If she damaged her foundation and ruined her future cultivation over this, President Song felt he might have to apologize with his life just to atone for his bitter guilt.

However, now that the pill was swallowed, the die was cast, and nothing could undo it.

At this point, all everyone could do was watch.

Not far away, seeing that Shi Yu still had the strength to carry on, Pei Yanji's eyes darkened as he sneered coldly. “What good will forcing it do? You are already a spent force. Even if you manage to form a pill by some stroke of luck, its quality won't compare to mine. Is damaging your future path really worth the price?”