Ch. 1109 - Pill Tribulation, Ancient Phoenix Furnace

“I’ll just watch how you refine without a cauldron,” Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters said as he stepped back, leaving space for the contestants.

The ten alchemists all bore solemn expressions. Though a sixth-grade pill wasn’t overly difficult for them, in alchemy, the grade came first, and the time taken came second.

A true master could even take first-grade ingredients and refine them to their absolute peak, achieving the perfect fusion those herbs could sustain.

Around the plaza, spectators whispered among themselves.

The Myriad Alchemy Gathering had been building momentum for a month already. Dao Courts and Imperial Clans had scoured the land in search of alchemists, and enthusiasts from all directions had flocked here just to witness this grand event.

The main event hadn’t even started yet, and already this preliminary spectacle was drawing a crowd.

On the Buddha Faction’s side, a disciple brought over a chair for Ghost Buddha, who sat down slowly.

“Lord, do you think any of these people pose a threat?” a disciple whispered.

“Let’s watch first. I doubt it, but sometimes hidden talents surface among common folk,” Ghost Buddha said coolly.

He and Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters had long been at odds, not just from clashing personalities, but because of the ongoing rivalry between the Demon Faction and Buddha Faction.

Though they constantly clashed, Ghost Buddha never truly underestimated Thousand-Slaughters. By nature, he was cautious.

“Brother, look! Someone’s refining pills up ahead. So many people are watching!”

A young girl shouted, holding a stick of candied hawthorn, her mouth sticky with syrup.

She was about thirteen or fourteen, with two lamb-fat braids tied neatly. When she smiled, a dimple appeared on her left cheek. Her skin was soft and pink, like porcelain, a picture of innocence and charm.

Behind her stood a young man, indulgently carrying her on his back.

“Higher, higher, I can’t see!” the girl cried, waving her candied fruit.

The youth smiled helplessly, weaving swiftly through the dense crowd.

In just a few breaths, he had brought her right to the front of the plaza.

“Clear enough now?” he asked with a grin.

“Yes,” she nodded eagerly.

“What’s the point of watching alchemy contests? You’d be better off reading more pill manuals,” the young man said with a sigh.

“No! I want to watch,” the girl pouted.

At the center of the plaza, the contest had begun.

Xu Zimo didn’t rush. Instead, he glanced at the others.

Six of them were utterly ordinary, nothing worth noticing.

But three stood out.

One was a white-haired youth, his hair like snow, features chiseled, and eyes deep, strikingly handsome. His cauldron gleamed pure white. With a slap, it hummed to life. Flames like snow blazed forth, not cold, but searing hot. Snowflakes seemed to swirl under spring sunlight, condensing within the cauldron, crackling as they melted into fire.

The second was a close-cropped youth, stern-faced, dressed in black robes. His cauldron was shaped like a lion. The lion’s mouth gaped open, spewing flame as if roaring. Around him, fire shaped like lions coiled and danced, as though spirit beasts had fused with his cauldron.

The third was a woman in Confucian robes. Her black hair, tied with a butterfly ribbon, fell straight down her back. Her features were plain, but she had a quiet grace, beauty that grew the longer one looked. Before her stood a most unusual cauldron. From it came faint phoenix cries.

Its form was that of a phoenix spreading its wings. The wings burned red, the four legs blue, the head green, the eyes black, and the body golden.

Five flames of different colors merged into the shape of a phoenix.

As the fire blazed, the void around it trembled, the sheer heat awe-inspiring.

“It’s the Ancient Phoenix Furnace!” someone exclaimed.

“They say it was once the national cauldron of the Ancient Phoenix God-Empire. After that kingdom was destroyed, the cauldron vanished. Who would have thought it would surface here, in this woman’s hands?”

“Who is she? She doesn’t look familiar. Could she be a survivor of the Ancient Phoenix God-Empire?”

Speculation rippled through the crowd.

The candied-fruit girl’s eyes widened. “Such beautiful flames!”

“Pretty flames, yes, but her alchemy skills are clumsy. A pity, with such a furnace,” the youth beside her remarked.

“Brother, you’re comparing everyone to yourself again,” the girl teased with a giggle. “Even in the Nine Heavens, few would dare claim certain victory against you.”

Within the plaza, the nine others worked carefully, skillfully tossing herbs into their cauldrons.

The quality of an alchemist’s fire was crucial. The right flame not only melted ingredients faster but preserved their essence, raising the pill’s final grade.

Xu Zimo, meanwhile, yawned. He looked bored.

Then he slowly raised his right hand.

Up until now, his stillness had left many spectators curious.

Now, as he finally moved, countless eyes locked onto him.

A green flame burned on his palm.

With a wave, Xu Zimo tossed out all the herbs Progenitor Thousand-Slaughters had given him, every last one.

Water Grass, Green Wood Root, Fire Phoenix Blood, White Gold Vine, and Purple Wisteria.

Five-element herbs as the core, with others as auxiliaries.

But instead of carefully sequencing them, Xu Zimo simply ignited them all at once in his green flame.

“Reckless fool!” someone shouted angrily.

“He’s wasting precious herbs. Doesn’t he know anything about alchemy?”

After all, herbs often had conflicting properties. One needed to follow the cycles of the Five Elements, mutual growth and restraint.

Yet Xu Zimo had dumped them all together like a stew, and without even using a cauldron!

Such crude behavior was worse than that of a novice. It was outrageous.

But before the critic’s voice even faded, a rich pill fragrance spread across the plaza.

“Whose pill is that? Already?”

“Such a strong aroma, far too strong for an ordinary sixth-grade pill!”

“This… this is top-grade among top-grade!”

The crowd buzzed in astonishment.

Then gasps erupted as Xu Zimo’s green flames vanished, revealing a single pill floating in the air.

The pill shimmered with all five elemental colors, rotating gently in the void.

As it formed, glowing dao runes lit up across its surface.

At that instant, the clear sky darkened.

Thunder rumbled. Clouds gathered overhead.

“This… this is a Heavenly Tribulation?”

“Pill Tribulation? But sixth-grade pills don’t cause this kind of lightning!”

Shock rippled through the crowd.

Everyone knew. From sixth grade onward, pills summoned lightning.

But normally, sixth-grade pill lightning was mere spectacle, harmless.

This… was something entirely different.

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