Dan Cheng caught the Dan Thunder with one hand!

Shen Wen's Hand Seal suddenly changed, and the output method of his Soul Power subtly shifted accordingly.

The Soul Power that had originally been steadily injected into the Medicine Cauldron now seemed to possess life.

It began to tremble and weave at a special frequency, infiltrating thread by thread into the nascent Medicinal Pill that was about to take shape.

On the Examiner's Platform, Xuan Yi's gaze slightly narrowed, and a hint of surprise finally appeared on her perpetually calm face.

"This is... the Spirit Ascension Method?"

She muttered softly, a trace of complex nostalgia flashing in her eyes. "No wonder he chose this time to attempt refining an Eighth Grade Pill. Is he using this opportunity to master the Spirit Ascension Method?"

Her voice was not deliberately lowered, and several sharp-eared Alchemists and Elders nearby heard it.

"The Spirit Ascension Method? What is that?" Some younger or lower-ranked Alchemists looked confused.

A Seventh-Rank Alchemist wearing the Pill Tower Deacon Robes heard this and quietly explained to the person next to him: "The Spirit Ascension Method is an extremely high-level refining technique.

Simply put, it uses one's own Soul Power as a guide during the final stage before the Medicinal Pill takes form.

It performs an additional 'tempering' and 'enlightenment' on the pill, thereby enhancing the Medicinal Pill's final quality or slight efficacy."

His tone carried reverence: "This technique is usually only approached and attempted by Alchemists who have reached at least the Seventh-Rank.

To master it proficiently, one often needs to reach the Eighth Grade Realm, and furthermore... must possess a Heavenly Realm Soul!"

"Heavenly Realm Soul?" Someone gasped. "And it requires extremely precise Soul Control?"

"Exactly." The Seventh-Rank Alchemist nodded. "Because you must control not only your own Soul Power but also use it to guide and stimulate the hidden Spiritual Nature within the Medicinal Pill.

One careless mistake, and not only will the Spirit Ascension fail, but it might damage the foundation of the Medicinal Pill, or even cause all previous efforts to be wasted.

Therefore, this 'slight' quality improvement is already a lifelong goal for many Alchemists."

At this moment, another elderly man with a composed demeanor, dressed in Pill Tower Elder Robes, slowly spoke. This was Elder Han Li, who was responsible for certain internal assessments and tests of the Pill Tower.

He looked at Shen Wen's increasingly skilled and fluid application of the Spirit Ascension Method in the arena, his voice full of emotion:

"The Spirit Ascension Method is indeed extremely difficult to master. However... speaking of the Spirit Ascension Method, one must mention Venerable Yao, Yao Chen."

His gaze was distant, as if recalling something: "Back when Venerable Yao astonished the continent, one of his signature techniques was an extremely special and more powerful 'Spirit Ascension Method.'

Ordinary Spirit Ascension Methods merely add icing to the cake based on the Medicinal Pill's original foundation.

But Venerable Yao's Spirit Ascension Method is rumored to be able to, in the final moments before the Medicinal Pill is completed,

rely on his extraordinary understanding of Medicinal Properties and powerful control over his Soul, forcibly elevating the Medicinal Pill's potential 'Grade'!

That is the true 'Spirit Ascension'."

"Ordinary Spirit Ascension turns 'Good' into 'Excellent.'

Venerable Yao's Spirit Ascension, however, can sometimes force a Medicinal Pill that should only be at the Seventh-Rank Peak to touch the threshold of the Eighth Grade.

The profoundness of his method is far beyond that of ordinary Spirit Ascension techniques."

Elder Han Li's words gave everyone a deeper understanding of the technique Shen Wen was currently performing in the arena.

It turned out he was not only refining an Eighth Grade Pill but also attempting to practice this profound technique.

And what he was using did not seem to be the legendary special Spirit Ascension Method of Venerable Yao, but rather a more basic, yet by no means easy, Universal Spirit Ascension Art.

Even so, to be able to start attempting and performing the Spirit Ascension Method so smoothly at this age and stage... countless gazes focused on Shen Wen once more, the shock in their hearts indescribable.

The Thunderclouds in the sky had also accumulated to their Peak at this moment, letting out a low roar.

The Thunderclouds rolled in the sky, and Three-Colored Lightning streaked like angry Dragons, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of destruction.

"Three-Colored Pill Lightning!" someone exclaimed, their face pale. "With this power, ordinary Dou Zun wouldn't dare to take it head-on..."

Everyone subconsciously looked towards Xuan Yi on the Examiner's Platform. With her presence, it was naturally impossible for the Pill Lightning to truly run rampant.

But what they were more curious about was how Shen Wen would handle this final test of the pill's formation.

Just then, the Cauldron Lid of the Medicine Cauldron automatically flipped open with a "hum."

A milky-white stream of light shot out like an intelligent entity, moving so fast that it only left an afterimage.

The soul cleansing and spirit purifying pill actually tried to escape the moment it was formed!

However, it had only rushed less than three meters outside the Medicine Cauldron.

Shen Wen didn't even lift his eyes to look; he merely made a grasping motion with his left hand.

The space around the Medicinal Pill seemed to instantly solidify, fixing it firmly in mid-air. No matter how it trembled and struggled, it could not move an inch further.

Meanwhile, his gaze never left the terrifying lightning about to strike down from the sky.

Facing the Three-Colored Pill Lightning that was powerful enough to change a Dou Zun's expression, Shen Wen showed no trace of solemnity or fear.

He looked up at the roaring lightning descending, his eyes calm to the point of indifference.

The next moment, he raised his right hand toward the Vault of Heaven, abruptly spread his five fingers, and then clenched them!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor a brilliant clash of energy.

An Illusory Giant Hand, colored by Chaos and wrapped in gray air currents and silver light traces, appeared out of thin air beneath the Thunderclouds, as if it had existed in that sky since ancient times.

The giant hand opened, and without deviation, it grabbed the thick Three-Colored Lightning... right into its palm!

The mighty Pill Lightning fell into the Chaos palm.

It was as if it were a python grabbed by its weak spot; the struggling lightning instantly dimmed and contracted, and even its sound was forcibly suppressed by some invisible power.

Under the gaze of countless stunned eyes, the five fingers of the Chaos giant hand closed.

The Three-Colored Pill Lightning, which made Souls tremble, was forcibly compressed and imprisoned, turning into a fist-sized Lightning Sphere whose surface crackled with electricity but could not dissipate even an iota!

Shen Wen beckoned with his palm, and the Lightning Sphere, containing terrifying energy, obediently flew down. He opened his mouth, inhaled, and swallowed it directly into his belly.

The entire process was swift and decisive, and even... seemed somewhat casual.

It was as if what he crushed and devoured was not the Three-Colored Pill Lightning capable of severely injuring a Dou Zun, but merely a slightly irritable Candy Bean.

Silence.

A deathly silence enveloped the entire Pill Refining Area.

Everyone's mouths were wide open, their eyes wide and round, their expressions frozen in extreme shock and bewilderment.

What happened?

Bare-handed... caught the Pill Lightning? And... swallowed it?

What kind of maneuver is this?!!!

Even Xuan Yi on the Examiner's Platform completely lost her composure at this moment, her fair hands slightly clenched, and a nearly lost look of shock appeared in her watery eyes for the first time.

"Such strength?" Xuan Yi murmured. Currently, when many people in the Pill Tower mentioned Shen Wen, they only thought of his Refining Techniques.

But they overlooked his strength. Now, seeing his effortless method of catching the Pill Lightning, perhaps an ordinary Dou Zun would not be Shen Wen's match?