72: Chapter 72 The Elixir is Completed, and It is Refined Again

Western Regions, Liuli Sect.

Inside the great hall, Sect Master Yin Wuji sat upright on the main seat, holding a shattered soul tablet in his hand, his expression as gloomy as water.

On the soul tablet, the three ancient seal script characters for "Yin Tianzheng" had dimmed and lost their luster.

"Dead."

Sect Master Yin Wuji's voice was low, yet it carried an irrepressible rage.

In the hall, several Elders of the Liuli Sect stood with their hands hanging down, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Yin Tianzheng was not only an Elder but also Sect Master Yin Wuji's younger clan brother; this time, he had gone to the Southern Wilderness to search for heart-cleansing bamboo for the Sect's Old Ancestor.

Now, not only was the heart-cleansing bamboo not brought back, but the man himself had died.

"Sect Master."

An Elder spoke up, bracing himself, "Yin Tianzheng went to the Southern Wilderness merely to track down the whereabouts of a few juniors; how could he have fallen?"

Sect Master Yin Wuji interrupted him, his gaze like a knife.

"I want to know even more than you."

He stood up, paced a few steps in the hall, and stopped abruptly.

"Send people to the Southern Wilderness to investigate the cause of Yin Tianzheng's death, who did it, and what forces are behind them."

"No matter who it is, killing an Elder of my Liuli Sect will require paying a price."

That Elder bowed to accept the order and turned to leave in a hurry.

Sect Master Yin Wuji stood in the hall with his hands behind his back; the heart-cleansing bamboo was of great importance and involved the Old Ancestor's path of Dao, so this absolutely could not be let go just like that.

Hopefully, those in the Southern Wilderness would not disappoint him.

— —

Medicine King Valley, Hundred Herbs Altar.

The Alchemy competition had reached its tenth day.

In the altar, on dozens of pill platforms, the furnace fires were blazing, and spiritual light flowed.

On the spectator stands, representatives of various forces and the watching Loose Cultivators let their gazes wander between the various pill platforms, whispering and discussing.

"Over at Beichen Feng's side, the pill fragrance has already drifted out; such rich Spiritual Qi."

"Mu Qing is not bad either; look at that ice-blue halo in her Pill Furnace. That is a unique phenomenon of the Ice Heart Alchemy Method; the quality of the Medicinal Pill will definitely not be low."

"Lu Chen's side is also fast; I wonder if he can refine an Advanced Profound Rank."

Amidst the discussions, the spiritual light on one pill platform suddenly extinguished, and the furnace fire dimmed along with it.

The Alchemist's face was pale, and he sat down dejectedly in front of the pill platform; the pill formation had failed.

This situation had occurred more than ten times in the past ten days.

Those failed Alchemists either left dejectedly or gritted their teeth to start another furnace, but more often than not, they didn't even have the Spirit Medicine to try again.

People were successfully forming pills one after another.

Medicinal Pills flew out from the Pill Furnaces, were collected by the Medicine King Valley stewards into jade bottles, labeled, and sent to the appraisal table.

Dan Qingzi sat in the center of the appraisal table, with Huo Lingzi, Daoist Xuandan, and several other Earth Rank Alchemists beside him, responsible for evaluating the rank and quality of the Medicinal Pills.

"Low Grade Profound Rank, Medium Grade."

Huo Lingzi picked up a pale green Medicinal Pill, took a glance, and casually announced the rank.

The steward hurriedly recorded it, put the Medicinal Pill into a jade bottle, labeled it, and sent it into the display cabinet nearby.

"Low Grade Profound Rank, High Grade."

Daoist Xuandan held a Medicinal Pill emitting a faint golden light, examined it carefully for a moment, and nodded slightly.

"The purity of this Medicinal Pill is not bad, and the refining technique is quite seasoned; it can be considered a boutique among Low Grade Profound Rank."

The steward recorded it, and the Medicinal Pill entered the cabinet.

"Low Grade Profound Rank, Medium Grade."

"Low Grade Profound Rank, Low Grade."

"Low Grade Profound Rank, Medium Grade."

On the appraisal table, the sounds of reporting ranks rose one after another.

Up to now, among the more than ten successfully formed Medicinal Pills, the best was only a High Grade Low Grade Profound Rank; not even a single Intermediate Profound Rank had appeared.

The discussions on the spectator stands gradually increased.

"It seems this year's Alchemy competition is just like this."

"Indeed, in the last session, Zhang Xiaoting refined a High Grade Advanced Profound Rank Medicinal Pill; this session hasn't even seen an Intermediate Profound Rank yet."

"Don't rush; there are still several who haven't formed pills yet. Beichen Feng, Mu Qing, and Lu Chen haven't finished yet; their ranks will definitely not be low."

"That's true, let's keep watching."

On Zhou Tianchen's pill platform, golden flames were burning quietly.

His expression was calm, his gaze focused, and his hands were constantly changing hand seals above the Pill Furnace.

At this moment, the Spirit Medicine in the qiankun furnace had been refined to the extreme, and the medicinal fragrance was so rich it seemed ready to condense into substance.

Zhou Tianchen's expression was calm, and his hands were steadily controlling the flames in the furnace.

On the spectator stands, Yao Li's gaze was fixed firmly on Zhou Tianchen's Pill Furnace, and his breathing became rapid.

It wasn't that he had seen any unique technique, but was simply shocked by Zhou Tianchen's unhurried demeanor.

That kind of demeanor did not look like a young Alchemist at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, but rather like a Grandmaster who had immersed himself in the Dao of Alchemy for thousands of years.

"This kid's Alchemy skills have actually progressed to such a degree in these six months!"

Yao Li muttered to himself, his voice carrying a hint of disbelief.

He had watched Zhou Tianchen grow up; although the Zhou Tianchen of the past was obsessed with the Dao of Alchemy and his Alchemy skills were considered outstanding among his peers, they had never reached this level.

What exactly had happened in these past six months?

Yang Danzi put down his wine gourd, rarely not drinking, and his gaze landed on Zhou Tianchen, lost in thought.

Huo Lingzi, Daoist Xuandan, Yun Yin, and others all involuntarily turned their attention to Zhou Tianchen's pill platform.

They keenly sensed that there was a faint, indescribable charm about this young man.

It was as if every action he made perfectly matched the circulation of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Dan Qingzi's cloudy eyes were fixed on the qiankun furnace, and his withered hand trembled slightly.

He could not understand Zhou Tianchen's Alchemy technique, but he could feel that faint, almost non-existent Dao rhyme.

That was something that transcended technique itself; it was the "intent" of the Dao of Alchemy.

Something that ordinary Alchemists could not even touch the threshold of in their entire lives, this young man already had the embryonic form of it.

Dan Qingzi took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.

He had a premonition that Zhou Tianchen's furnace of Medicinal Pills would definitely not be bad.

On the pill platform, the golden flames in the qiankun furnace suddenly retracted.

Turning from external release to internal containment, the temperature of the furnace body did not drop but rose, and a wave of heat, more intense yet restrained, radiated from the furnace.

Zhou Tianchen changed his hand seals, and the furnace lid vibrated slightly, emitting a low hum.

On the spectator stands, Yao Li stood up abruptly, his pupils constricting.

"Is he… about to open the furnace?"

Before the words fell, the lid of the qiankun furnace popped up, and a medicinal fragrance so rich it was almost condensed into substance shot into the sky, turning into a cloud of pale golden spiritual mist above the pill platform, lingering for a long time.

Zhou Tianchen raised his hand to guide it, and a flash of spiritual light appeared in the furnace.

A Medicinal Pill rose slowly from the furnace.

The Medicinal Pill was pale gold all over, with fine patterns flowing on the surface, emitting a warm and moist light.

This appearance was at least Intermediate Profound Rank or higher!

But Zhou Tianchen did not reach out to take the pill.

He waved his hand, and the Medicinal Pill traced an arc in the air, falling back into the qiankun furnace.

The furnace lid closed, and the flames in the furnace ignited again, even more intense than before.

The whole venue was silent, and everyone was stunned.

"What… what is he doing?"

"The Medicinal Pill has already formed; why did he throw it back in?"

"Is he crazy? He finally refined the Medicinal Pill, and he's re-refining it? This furnace of Spirit Medicine will be completely wasted!"

The spectator stands were buzzing with discussion, and no one understood Zhou Tianchen's action.