44: Chapter 44 Competition

Chen Jiancang immersed his consciousness into the Qi Gathering Pill experience he had gained, and countless details, insights, and techniques about Qi Gathering Pill refinement were imprinted in his memory as if he had personally experienced them.

"With this experience, refining Qi Gathering Pills is simply effortless."

At this time, within Lin Yu's cave dwelling in the Little Cloud Mountain Spiritual Vein, the small Gathering Spirit Array was constantly operating, and the spiritual energy within was dense, like materialized mist pervading the surroundings, creating an excellent environment for Alchemy.

Chen Jianhong's forehead was covered in fine sweat beads, his expression was solemn, and his hands rapidly changed hand seals, controlling the spiritual fire beneath the Alchemy furnace.

Lin Yu's brows furrowed slightly, his gaze was like a torch, tightly fixed on the changes within the Alchemy furnace.

"Jianhong, steady your mind, don't be impatient. Slow down the rhythm of controlling the fire slightly. At this moment, the spiritual energy of the Gathering Spirit Flower has not been fully stimulated, so don't rush to add the next ingredient."

His voice was low but clear, echoing within the cave dwelling.

Chen Jianhong took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner tension, and slowly adjusted the intensity of the spiritual fire according to his Master's instructions.

Within the Alchemy furnace, under the scorching of the spiritual fire, the Gathering Spirit Flower gradually released a brilliant light, its petals slightly curled, and a rich spiritual energy ascended like wisps of green smoke.

Just then, Lin Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened, "The time to add the Ningmai Grass has arrived, don't hesitate!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianhong did not dare to delay in the slightest and quickly put the Ningmai Grass into the Alchemy furnace.

In an instant, the light within the Alchemy furnace greatly intensified, and the spiritual energies of the two Materials collided and merged with a "sizzling" sound.

However, an unexpected situation arose. The spiritual energy fluctuation within the Alchemy furnace suddenly became chaotic, and the originally stable spiritual fire also began to flicker erratically.

Chen Jianhong's Face instantly turned pale, and a hint of panic was revealed in his eyes. "Master, this...what should I do?" He looked at Lin Yu anxiously, his voice trembling slightly.

Lin Yu's expression was stern. He quickly formed a hand seal, and a spiritual energy was injected into the Alchemy furnace, helping Chen Jianhong stabilize the situation.

"Don't panic, this is a normal spiritual energy conflict. You only need to follow what I taught you before, guide the spiritual energy's direction, and make it merge again."

His voice was steady and powerful, like a sea-calming needle, gradually calming Chen Jianhong's panicked heart.

Chen Jianhong gritted his teeth, concentrated his mind, and controlled the spiritual energy to move within the Alchemy furnace.

After a difficult adjustment, the spiritual energy within the Alchemy furnace finally returned to stability, and the two Materials also began to gradually merge, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

As time passed, the medicinal fragrance became increasingly strong. Sweat beads rolled down Chen Jianhong's forehead, but they could not hide the tension and anticipation in his eyes.

Lin Yu stood by, his expression calm, but his gaze never left the Alchemy furnace. He nodded slightly, as if he had anticipated all of this.

"Gather!" Lin Yu suddenly let out a low shout. Chen Jianhong understood, his hands quickly formed hand seals, and a spiritual energy was accurately struck into the Alchemy furnace.

The furnace lid slowly flew up, and two Qi Gathering Pills with concave surfaces quietly floated in the furnace, emitting a soft glow.

"Master, I succeeded!" Chen Jianhong's Face was flushed, and he shouted excitedly, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

He carefully held the two Qi Gathering Pills in his hands, as if holding the most precious treasures in the world.

Lin Yu's lips curved slightly, revealing a relieved smile: "Not bad, two pills were formed. Although the quality of the pills is still low-grade, it is not easy for you to refine them under such pressure with your current strength."

His voice carried a hint of praise, and when Chen Jianhong heard it, his heart was filled with pride.

"Thank you, Master, for your diligent guidance. If it weren't for Master being by my side, this Disciple would probably not have been able to succeed today." Chen Jianhong quickly said respectfully, his gratitude towards Lin Yu overflowing.

"The competition is tomorrow. You should further digest the techniques I taught you today to ensure everything is foolproof. Although that kid Chen Jiancang looks young, since he dared to accept the bet, he must have his confidence. You must not take it lightly." Lin Yu's expression became serious, and he solemnly instructed.

"Disciple understands, Disciple will definitely not disappoint Master's expectations." Chen Jianhong nodded forcefully, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes. He carefully examined the Qi Gathering Pills in his hand, secretly thinking: These two pills are proof of my strength. I will definitely win tomorrow's competition.

At this time, the night was already deep, and the outside of the Spiritual Vein cave dwelling was silent. Chen Jianhong carefully put the Qi Gathering Pills into a jade box, sat cross-legged, and digested the experience of refining pills just now.

On the other side, Chen Jiancang was also making the final preparations for tomorrow's competition. He reviewed the Qi Gathering Pill experience he had gained again.

His expression was calm and confident, without the slightest tension about the upcoming competition.

The next day, the sky was slightly bright, and the Dan Hall was still as usual. Servants were already coming and going early, busy without stopping.

After tending to the spiritual plants as usual, Chen Jiancang came to the Dan Hall.

Walking to the Seven-Layered Gilded Fire-Patterned Tower, he saw that the Materials needed for refining Qi Gathering Pills were neatly arranged on the stone table. The petals of the Gathering Spirit Flower were full, the Ningmai Grass was emerald green and dripping, and the other spiritual herbs were also complete.

Deacon Chen Youyun was already waiting here early, and Qing He's Face next to him showed an inquiring expression.

"Jiancang, you are so calm and composed, are you confident?"

Chen Youyun looked at Chen Jiancang, who was calm and showed no signs of tension, and said with a smile.

"Haha, Deacon is joking. This competition is just a friendly exchange. I'll do my best." Chen Jiancang replied humbly.

Before long, Chen Jianhong also arrived.

He was wearing a blue Daoist robe. Although his Face showed confidence, his slightly clenched fists still revealed a hint of inner tension.

"Chen Jiancang, Qi Gathering Pills are not like Qinghe Bigu Pills. No matter how well you refine Qinghe Bigu Pills, you can't refine Qi Gathering Pills." As soon as Chen Jianhong saw Chen Jiancang, he provoked him.

Chen Jiancang sat cross-legged, too lazy to waste words with him.

Lin Yu, who was following behind Chen Jianhong, his gaze lingered on Chen Jiancang for a moment, then he walked to Chen Youyun's side and said: "Since both are here, let's begin."

Chen Youyun nodded, cleared his throat, and said in a loud voice: "The rules of this competition are simple and clear. Limited to three sets of Materials, the winner will be determined by the quality and quantity of the Qi Gathering Pills refined. Now, the time starts!"

As Chen Youyun announced the start of the competition, the Disciples of the Dan Hall who had already gathered around instantly erupted in discussion.

"This Chen Jianhong usually refines pills well. This time, with his Master's personal guidance, he will definitely win." A round-faced Disciple said with certainty.

A slightly older Disciple next to him shook his head: "You can't say that. This Chen Jiancang dared to accept the bet, so he must have some real ability. And looking at his calm appearance, maybe he is really hiding some trump card."

"I think so too," a female Disciple with a ponytail echoed, "Last time I saw Chen Jiancang sorting spiritual herbs, he was so skilled. Maybe he also has outstanding abilities in refining pills."

Qing He stood to the side, looking at Chen Jiancang with a concerned expression, silently cheering for him in her heart. She whispered to the Disciple next to her: "Junior Brother Jiancang is steady in his work, I believe he can do it."

Several other Disciples gathered together, watching the two on the stage while whispering: "What do you think, if Jiancang wins, won't Alchemist Lin lose a lot of Face? After all, he thinks so highly of his Disciple."

"Shush, keep your voice down, don't let Alchemist Lin hear that. But if that really happens, Alchemist Lin will definitely be embarrassed."

Amidst the discussions of the crowd, Chen Jianhong quickly formed hand seals, and a trace of spiritual energy was struck into the flame below the Alchemy furnace. The flame instantly ignited, and the temperature gradually rose.

He carefully picked up the Gathering Spirit Flower and slowly put it into the Alchemy furnace, his eyes tightly fixed on the changes within the Alchemy furnace. Fine sweat beads began to appear on his forehead again.

On Chen Jiancang's side, he unhurriedly stimulated the spiritual fire. The flame was stable and vigorous, just right.

He picked up the Gathering Spirit Flower, Ningmai Grass, Scarlet Fruit, Tongqiao Vine, Runling Moss, Guqi Ganoderma, and Lingye Silk, and elegantly put them all into the Alchemy furnace, as if all of this was a matter of course.

"What, he actually dares to extract the essence of all spiritual herbs at the same time? Is he not afraid of the medicinal properties conflicting and the Alchemy furnace exploding?"

Looking at Chen Jiancang's actions, not only were the Disciples of the Dan Hall present shocked, but even Chen Youyun and Lin Yu were taken aback.

One must know that with their many years of experience in refining pills, they did not dare to extract the essence of all spiritual herbs at the same time.

But Chen Jiancang had put all the spiritual herbs into the Alchemy furnace.

"Could it be that he knows he will lose the competition, so he is putting on a show here to attract attention?"

Just as he thought this, in Chen Jiancang's furnace, the Gathering Spirit Flower, under the scorching of the spiritual fire, quickly bloomed with light, its petals trembled slightly, and a rich spiritual energy permeated like smoke.

Next were the Scarlet Fruit, Tongqiao Vine, Runling Moss, Guqi Ganoderma, and Lingye Silk.

Chen Jiancang's timing for stimulating the spiritual energy of each spiritual herb was extremely precise, and his control of the spiritual fire's temperature and rhythm was perfect.

Experts see the subtle points, while laymen watch the spectacle.

Lin Yu watched Chen Jiancang's operation from the side, his brows furrowing slightly.

He could feel that this young man had an extraordinary talent in Alchemy, especially in controlling the heat, which had reached such a exquisite level.

"This kid is indeed not simple!" He muttered to himself.

Time passed minute by minute. On the other side, Chen Jianhong was still following the method Lin Yu had taught him before, putting the spiritual herbs into the Alchemy furnace one by one, trying to guide the spiritual energy to extract the medicinal properties and then merge them.

But for some reason, the spiritual energy conflict during this refining process was more intense than before. The spiritual fire within the Alchemy furnace began to flicker erratically again, and the spiritual energy fluctuations also became chaotic.

His Face turned pale, and his hands constantly changed hand seals, trying to stabilize the situation. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Master..." Chen Jianhong looked at Lin Yu anxiously, his eyes filled with a plea for help.

Lin Yu's expression was stern. He wanted to help, but suddenly he saw that Chen Jiancang had already successfully put the Ningmai Grass into the Alchemy furnace. The spiritual energies of all the Materials were like old friends reunited after a long separation, quickly and harmoniously merging together, emitting an even richer medicinal fragrance.

"Jianhong, steady yourself!" Lin Yu suppressed the urge to intervene and shouted in a low voice.

Chen Jianhong gritted his teeth, concentrated his mind, and used all his strength to control the spiritual energy to guide the Fusion.

And Chen Jiancang, on the other hand, was proceeding with the subsequent steps in an orderly manner.

With his rich experience, he accurately grasped the rhythm of the medicinal properties of each spiritual herb merging.

Light shone brightly within the Alchemy furnace, and the medicinal fragrance was intoxicating. The entire area was filled with a mysterious and alluring aura.

On the other side, as time went by, Chen Jianhong actually managed to stabilize the situation within the Alchemy furnace with his own efforts, and the Materials slowly began to merge.

But at this time, he was clearly feeling overwhelmed, and the sweat beads on his forehead had soaked his Daoist robe.

Chen Jianhong's trembling hands formed hand seals, and a spiritual energy was struck into the Alchemy furnace. The furnace lid slowly flew up, and only one Qi Gathering Pill was suspended in the furnace.

But the surface of this pill was uneven and its color was dull, clearly of lower quality than the one refined before.

His Face instantly became extremely unsightly, but fortunately, the first furnace was successfully refined, and the disappointment and unwillingness in his eyes also disappeared.

"Hmph, at least I successfully refined one. It's more than enough to overwhelm Chen Jiancang." Chen Jianhong thought to himself, and his eyes finally had time to look at Chen Jiancang.

Chen Jiancang's side was also nearing the end. He saw him gently wave his hands, and a spiritual energy accurately opened the furnace lid.

Five round, full Qi Gathering Pills emitting a brilliant glow quietly floated in the furnace. A faint halo shimmered on the surface of the pills, seeming to contain infinite spiritual energy.

A rich and mellow medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the entire area, causing everyone present to involuntarily look sideways.

Chen Jianhong's eyes widened, and his Face showed an expression of disbelief.

He didn't expect that Chen Jiancang not only successfully refined five Qi Gathering Pills, but also that the quality of the pills was all high-grade. Such Alchemy skills were even stronger than his Master's.