401: Too fast is not good

“That must be Saintess Peng Yu! She is the Saintess of Medicine King Valley, and she holds the title of one of the eight prodigies, hailed as the strongest Prodigy Medicine King Valley has seen in a hundred years!”

“I also think Saintess Peng Yu has the biggest chance of winning. After all, the title of one of the eight prodigies is the highest honor for the younger generation across the Human Race's Nine Provinces.”

“I, however, have a different opinion. I think Lu Dazhuang also has a chance to win the championship. A friend of mine who entered the finals told me that in the Spirit Herb Space, Lu Dazhuang fought one against three, defeating three Yao Beasts of the "eighth rank, eighth star". That kind of combat power is simply terrifying! He is someone who might create a miracle!”

“One person fighting three Yao Beasts? Is that true or false? That's too exaggerated, isn't it?”

“I don't believe it. Unless I see Lu Dazhuang take action personally, I won't believe such an outrageous thing!”

“Why is no one mentioning Zi Chen? This young man is also a powerhouse in the Qingyang Kingdom, becoming an Eighth-Grade Alchemist at only 25 years old. He is not much weaker than Peng Yu.”

The crowd discussed excitedly while watching the competition.

On the stone platform, Lu Xingchen also took out his Medicine Cauldron and began refining.

Peng Yue did not give a time limit; quality was the sole criterion.

Naturally, he had to take his time to produce high quality work, striving to achieve the best possible result.

The Medicinal Pill he chose was not the soul refining pill, but the phoenix nirvana pill.

Because, purely in terms of preciousness, the soul refining pill could not compare to the phoenix nirvana pill.

Since the great System provided it, how could it not be powerful?

It cost him five hundred million exchange points, which pained him greatly!

Having previous refining experience, Lu Xingchen proceeded cautiously, step by step, ensuring that the medicinal potency of every Spirit Medicine was fully extracted, striving for perfection.

An hour passed. Everyone was engrossed in refining their Medicinal Pills; none of the participants spoke.

The spectators below the stage were still in high spirits, arguing endlessly over who would win the championship, or cheering for their friends.

There were even a few who argued until their eyes were red and started fighting, only to be thrown out by men sent by Peng Yue.

Two hours passed. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on Lu Xingchen's forehead.

But he had no time to wipe them away; his attention was entirely focused on the Medicine Cauldron.

After another quarter of an hour, the originally clear and sunny sky suddenly began to cloud over, with thunderclouds churning.

Seeing this sight, the spectators below the stage were stunned.

“This is the precursor to the formation of pill thunder! It's only been two hours and fifteen minutes, and someone has successfully refined an eighth-grade pill? That's truly incredible!”

“Damn, that speed is too fast! It takes me half a day just to refine a seventh-grade pill. This guy succeeded so quickly?”

“Indeed, the Nine Provinces are vast, and there is no lack of wonders! Being able to witness such an outstanding Alchemist means my trip to Medicine King Valley was not wasted!”

“It's not good for a man to be too fast. This competition is judged on quality, not speed. No matter how fast you are, it's useless if you don't win the championship.”

“Maybe that person wasn't aiming for the championship to begin with. Being the first to finish refining is quite a feat in itself. Those who know, know: Medicine King Valley hosts the Alchemist Convention to attract and recruit young Alchemists. Ranking high doesn't decide everything; gaining the favor of Valley Master Peng Yue is the most important thing.”

“This guy's speed is quite fast, but I wonder about the quality of the Medicinal Pill? It will be revealed soon, though, because the quality of the Medicinal Pill is directly linked to the intensity of the pill thunder.”

After brewing for a moment in the sky, the pill thunder immediately struck down fiercely towards a stone platform in the middle of the stone pillars.

Peng Yue raised an eyebrow slightly, extended his right hand, and slapped upwards.

A golden Dou Qi Hand Seal appeared above that stone platform, blocking the pill thunder.

At the same time, a golden protective shield also appeared around the other stone platforms, blocking the residual effects of the pill thunder.

When Peng Yue set up the stone pillars, he ensured that all participants were separated by dozens of meters. With his might as a Martial Saint, he would not allow the pill thunder to affect the refining of other Alchemists.

As for him taking the pill thunder head-on, it was to fully sense the power of the pill thunder and fulfill his duty as a judge.

That's right, he intended to intercept all the pill thunder for these 103 Alchemists.

This was the confidence of a Martial Saint!

The first streak of pill thunder struck the golden Hand Seal, and the enormous spiritual energy aftershock spread out, immediately being blocked by the golden protective shields on the other stone platforms.

Although they were separated by a thousand meters, the spectators below the stage still felt the terrifying power of the pill thunder.

“Holy cow, that fierce? The power of that pill thunder is enough to severely injure a low-star Martial Venerable. If it were me, I definitely couldn't withstand it!”

“This guy is truly incredible. Not only is he fast, but the quality of his Medicinal Pill is also very high. He completely stole the spotlight from Saintess Peng Yu.”

“If his goal was to use extremely fast refining speed to attract the attention of the Medicine King Valley's higher-ups, then he has certainly achieved his goal.”

“What was this guy's name again? I really want to meet him! If I could latch onto his coattails, I'd be willing to eat eighth-grade pills every day!”

“Wait, I mean, brother, why are you taking and eating?”

The golden protective shield blocked the residual effects of the pill thunder, but it did not block the participants' perceptions. Participants could still divert a trace of Soul Power to sense the strength of the pill thunder.

To be able to control his own power so precisely, it can only be said that Peng Yue is truly formidable.

This is because he is not only a One-Star Martial Saint, but also a Ninth-Grade Alchemist, whose Soul Power has reached the Heaven Realm Mid-stage.

Whereas the Soul Power of an ordinary Martial Saint is only at the Early Heaven Realm.

Powerful Soul Power allows him to control his strength more accurately.

The reason he did not block the participants' perceptions was to allow them to judge the outcome themselves, eliminating the possibility of them disputing the rankings.

Although Lu Xingchen was fully focused on refining his Medicinal Pill, he still diverted some Soul Power to sense the surrounding situation.

Since it was a competition, he needed to understand his opponents.

The other participants were also doing the same.

What surprised him the most was not the power of the pill thunder, but Peng Yue's formidable strength.

To be able to withstand the eighth-grade pill thunder using only a small portion of his strength—a Martial Saint is indeed terrifying!

He also wondered who was stronger between his own master and Peng Yue.

If his master couldn't beat him, he might not be able to safely take out the Spirit Medicine obtained in the Spirit Herb Space.

At the same time, he looked forward to the day he would become a Martial Saint.

When would he also possess such formidable power?

As for the fellow who stole the initial glory, Lu Xingchen didn't pay him much attention.

His speed was indeed fast, but unfortunately, the quality was lacking.

This level of pill thunder could only be considered average. The Medicinal Pill this person refined was only mediocre among eighth-grade pills and posed no threat to him.

The first streak of pill thunder fell, followed immediately by the second and the third.

The power of the pill thunder grew stronger with each strike, causing the spectators below the stage to gasp in continuous amazement.

In contrast, Peng Yue remained sitting leisurely atop the stone pillar, his expression unchanged and without a single superfluous movement of his hands.