286: Chapter 286 A New Attempt

"Although these people usually keep a low profile, their Alchemy strength is undeniably strong."

Chen Yuan summarized, "Plus, with Shen Qing receiving special guidance from two Elders of Xuanguang Peak, his Divine Soul has already reached Foundation Establishment Peak. Combined with his Water Spirit Body and Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, his Alchemy strength is more than a notch higher than when he last competed with you."

He paused, "Also, Junior Brother, do you remember Wu Chen, who joined the Sect in the same batch as you?"

Su Cheng was stunned. "Wu Chen," how could he not remember?

During the initial Sect entrance examination, this person used a precious artifact pill furnace combined with third-rank strange fire to refine a supreme grade biling pill on the spot, shocking the entire audience. He was subsequently taken in as a Personal Disciple by a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor.

Since then, this name had disappeared from the Sect's daily life; he did not participate in any inter-peak exchanges and did not appear in any public occasions.

"Is he also participating in the Alchemy Hall Competition?" Su Cheng asked.

"He just registered this morning." Chen Yuan nodded, "As soon as the news came out, the Alchemy Hall went into an uproar."

This person has been in the Sect for several years, secretly nurtured by an Old Ancestor of the Sect, and no one knows what level he has reached now. You must know that even back then, he was already at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and he possessed a precious artifact pill furnace and Glazed Pure Fire."

Su Cheng was silent. He had seen Wu Chen's talent with his own eyes.

That furnace of supreme grade biling pills—his technique was seasoned, his rhythm was calm, and his control over the heat was extremely precise.

That was on the very first day of joining the Sect, before he had undergone any systematic training from the Danding Sect.

Now that he has been cultivating under a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor for several years, to what extent would this person have grown?

Su Cheng did not continue thinking.

The veteran Disciple in the Alchemy Hall who had been cultivating for decades or even a century were already troublesome enough, and now another Wu Chen had popped up.

"What about you, Senior Brother?" Su Cheng asked.

Chen Yuan was stunned, then laughed: "Me? I'm just going to join in the fun; it would be good enough if I could scrape into the Middle Stage. However..."

He patted Su Cheng's shoulder: "Although I might not succeed, I believe in you. Junior Brother, good luck."

After chatting for a few more sentences, Chen Yuan left.

Su Cheng stood at the entrance of his Immortal Cave, watching Chen Yuan's figure turn the corner of the mountain path and disappear.

His mind was already calculating whether the items in his hands could allow him to take another step forward in the next three months.

The wanbao mirror could transform into a mid-grade precious artifact pill furnace.

The abyssal fire, a third-rank strange fire.

The Qi of Creation, which has a natural affinity with the medicinal properties of all things.

With these three items combined, his Alchemy equipment ranked among the best of all the participants.

Three and a half months.

Su Cheng turned and returned to the Immortal Cave, closing the door.

The wanbao mirror transformed into the shape of a Pill Furnace, and the Abyssal Purple Fire flickered inside the furnace chamber.

He did not rush to start the furnace; he sat cross-legged and began to sort through his cards.

Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment Stage.

But the gold content of this Early Foundation Establishment Stage was different from others.

The peculiarity of the Qiankun Creation Art lay in the fact that the absorbed spiritual energy was repeatedly tempered, compressed, and converted into the Qi of Creation.

When the creation spirit liquid stored in the dao foundation furnace within his Dantian was converted into output spiritual energy, both in total quantity and purity, it was not inferior to a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage or even the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Divine Soul: Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

In other words, in terms of cultivation and equipment, he had no obvious disadvantage compared to those veteran Disciple, and in some aspects, he even held the advantage.

But Alchemy was not just about comparing these external objects; it also required comparing experience, control, depth of understanding of the Pill Formula, on-the-spot adaptability, and various techniques that could enhance quality.

Those veteran Disciple who had been cultivating for a century far surpassed him in these aspects.

Su Cheng closed his eyes and looked inward, his Divine Sense sinking into his Dantian.

The dao foundation furnace floated quietly above it, its surface covered with flowing cyan patterns; that was the unique form shaped by the Qiankun Creation Art.

This furnace was not just a container for storing spiritual energy; it was itself a miniature version of a Pill Furnace.

And deep in the Sea of Consciousness, the Dao Rhyme of creation occasionally emitted by the qiankun creation furnace fluctuated slightly.

Su Cheng opened his eyes, and his gaze landed on the precious artifact pill furnace that the wanbao mirror had transformed into.

He now possessed three "Pill Furnaces."

The qiankun creation furnace in his Sea of Consciousness, the dao foundation furnace in his Dantian, and the wanbao mirror precious artifact pill furnace in the outside world.

The qiankun creation furnace refined pills, every single one was of supreme grade, without exception; that was the result of the Dao Rhyme of creation running through the entire refining process.

From purification to Fusion, from pill condensation to pill retrieval, in every step, the Dao Rhyme was secretly correcting, harmonizing, and guiding, pushing the compatibility of medicinal properties to the most perfect balance point.

But he could not bring out the qiankun creation furnace during the competition.

Then the question became: could he enable the wanbao mirror to also possess a portion of the qiankun creation furnace's effects during Alchemy?

Su Cheng closed his eyes, his Divine Sense sinking into his Sea of Consciousness, calling up the Qiankun Creation Art imprinted within it, and flipping to the chapter on the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"When the dao foundation furnace resonates with an external Pill Furnace, the Cultivator can use this resonance to finely control the input of spiritual energy."

He had previously only understood this sentence as a common spiritual energy control technique.

But now, re-examining it, another layer of meaning emerged.

The dao foundation furnace could resonate with an external Pill Furnace.

Could the dao foundation furnace simultaneously resonate with the qiankun creation furnace in his Sea of Consciousness?

If it could, the dao foundation furnace would become a bridge, connecting to the Dao Rhyme of the qiankun creation furnace above, and leading to the furnace chamber of the wanbao mirror below.

The Dao Rhyme of creation would be transferred through the dao foundation furnace and poured into the wanbao mirror...

Su Cheng began to trace back his experiences over these years.

Every time he used the qiankun creation furnace for Alchemy, he would actively use his Divine Sense to adhere to the Dao Rhyme emitted from the inner walls of the furnace chamber. Over time, a considerable amount of the Dao Rhyme of creation had accumulated in his Sea of Consciousness.

But these Dao Rhymes had always been in a state of existence without integration; he could perceive their presence, but he had never found a way to convert them into his own foundation, much less use them independently when separated from the qiankun creation furnace.

Then, could he use the Qi of Creation as a medium to connect the relationship between these three?

The Qi of Creation originated from the dao foundation furnace and had a natural affinity with all things.

If he let it pass through his Sea of Consciousness first, to be stained by those long-accumulated Dao Rhymes of creation, then flow back into his Dantian, and finally be output into the wanbao mirror... the Qi of Creation would become a living link, connecting the three furnaces into one.

Su Cheng looked inward again; in his Sea of Consciousness, the qiankun creation furnace floated in the depths, its Dao Rhyme inhaling and exhaling. In his Dantian, the cyan patterns on the dao foundation furnace flowed, and the creation spirit liquid circulated slowly within it.

Between the two were Meridians, separated by two different operating Systems: Divine Sense and spiritual energy.

But the Qiankun Creation Art itself was a Cultivation Technique that combined the two, using the body as a furnace.

The body was the furnace, the Sea of Consciousness was the furnace lid, the Dantian was the furnace chamber, and the Meridians were the fire path.

Then the Dao Rhyme emitted by the qiankun creation furnace could theoretically seep along the furnace lid into the fire path and finally flow into the dao foundation furnace in the furnace chamber.

After the dao foundation furnace absorbed the Dao Rhyme, it would output the Qi of Creation carrying the Dao Rhyme to the wanbao mirror in the outside world...

If this path could be cleared, when he used the wanbao mirror for Alchemy, the medicinal liquid could be infused with the Dao Rhyme of creation.

The concentration would be far less than direct refining with the qiankun creation furnace, but even if it only had 30% or 20% of the effect, it would be enough to cause a qualitative change in his supreme grade rate for Alchemy.

It might be worth a try.

Su Cheng adjusted his breathing, first sinking his Divine Sense deep into his Sea of Consciousness, close to the qiankun creation furnace.

For the next seven days, Su Cheng spent four hours every day sinking into his Sea of Consciousness, attempting to synchronize his Divine Sense with that layer of accumulated Dao Rhyme.

That layer of Dao Rhyme, accumulated over many years, became slightly active after his Divine Sense merged with it; the pulses of the two finally synchronized, merging into the same rhythm.

Su Cheng was not impatient. After stabilizing this state, he tried to extend the synchronized Divine Sense downward, passing through the boundary of the Sea of Consciousness, and exploring along the central Meridians toward the Dantian.

The moment his Divine Sense touched the dao foundation furnace, the cyan patterns on the surface of the furnace suddenly lit up.

It was very short; it dimmed back in less than half a breath.

But Su Cheng captured that moment: the rhythm of the creation spirit liquid within the dao foundation furnace had undergone an extremely subtle change the moment the Dao Rhyme made contact.

The direction was correct.

Su Cheng withdrew his Divine Sense and opened his eyes.

Don't rush; being able to get a reaction from the furnace for the first time was enough.

From having a reaction to stable output, there was still a long way to go.

Within three months, he had to gradually pave out this Dao Rhyme transmission link from the qiankun creation furnace to the dao foundation furnace, and then to the wanbao mirror.