57: Medicine Man (5)

Si Yun followed the Danxia Sect's team to the Shengyuan Blessed Land.

Genius Alchemists from all over the Southern Frontier gathered here, as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

Everyone wore the Alchemist robes representing their respective Sects or Families, their faces filled with arrogance and pride.

The Alchemy Competition was divided into three rounds.

The first round: Pill Formula identification.

Above the square, curtains of light descended, flashing through hundreds of incomplete Pill Formulas at an extremely fast speed.

Participants needed to identify and complete as many of these Pill Formulas as possible within the limited time.

This tested an Alchemist's most basic knowledge reserve.

Si Yun stood in the crowd, his expression calm.

His Divine Sense swept over, and those Pill Formulas that seemed obscure and difficult to understand to others were crystal clear in his eyes.

Six hours later, the first round ended.

Si Yun's name was ranked at the very top.

Countless gazes focused on him instantly, filled with shock.

"Danxia Sect, Si Yun? Never heard of this person!"

"It seems the Danxia Sect is the Sect where Pill King Qianyuan resides; it's normal for such a Genius to emerge."

On the high platform, several Elders of the Shengyuan Blessed Land also cast admiring glances.

Pill King Qianyuan stroked his beard and laughed, his face full of complacency.

The second round of testing began.

Refining a Sixth-Grade Medicinal Pill.

The refining process of a Sixth-Grade Medicinal Pill is complex, requiring extremely high control over heat and Divine Soul, enough to eliminate over ninety percent of the people present.

Si Yun collected the Spirit Medicine and walked to a Pill Furnace.

He did not rush to start, but instead closed his eyes to contemplate.

"I will refine the Seven Orifices Soul-Nurturing Pill."

This pill can nourish the Divine Soul, and the control required for Divine Soul power reaches a harsh level; the slightest carelessness or conflict in medicinal power would cause the furnace to explode directly.

It is considered a boutique among Sixth-Grade Medicinal Pills.

He opened his eyes and flipped his palm; a deep cyan flame rose in his palm, which was the Earth Fire passed down to him by Qian Yuan.

The flame was cast into the Pill Furnace, and the furnace temperature instantly stabilized in a perfect range.

He began to put in the Spirit Medicine, purify, and perform Fusion in an orderly manner.

Time passed.

On the square, the sounds of exploding furnaces followed one after another, and many people had already announced their failure with pale faces.

"Hahaha, I succeeded!"

Someone was extremely excited.

Although they only refined a Low Grade Sixth-Grade Medicinal Pill, it still caused quite a stir. Most of the people present were Fifth-Grade Alchemists, and very few could reach the Sixth Grade.

As more and more people finished refining, Si Yun's calmness became an anomaly.

"Why hasn't he condensed the pill yet? Is the medicinal power about to go out of control?"

"Too arrogant, who does he think he is?"

"I thought a remarkable figure was going to emerge from the Thousand Mountains Region, but it seems he is only proficient in pharmacology!"

Just amidst the discussions, Si Yun's eyes focused.

Now is the time!

His hands suddenly formed seals, and his massive Divine Soul power permeated out of his body, precisely wrapping the violent medicinal liquid inside the Pill Furnace.

"Condense!"

With a low shout, the Pill Furnace let out a hum, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly spread, overpowering all other medicinal fragrances in the venue.

The furnace lid flew up, and a cyan Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon's eye, covered in seven strange patterns, floated up, spinning.

"It is a High Grade Seven Orifices Soul-Nurturing Pill, comparable to an ordinary Peak Grade Sixth-Grade Medicinal Pill!"

An Elder on the high platform could not help but speak out.

The whole venue was in an uproar.

Si Yun became the focus of the whole venue again.

If the first round only made people surprised, then this second round was a complete shock.

However, just at this moment, a strange movement came from the Pill Furnace on the other side.

I saw a young man in a black robe, with a cold expression, forming seals with one hand.

Two Medicinal Pills flew out of his Pill Furnace!

Two pills from one furnace! And both were Peak Grade!

At this, even the Elders on the high platform could not sit still.

"Who is that person?"

"Lu Li! It's that orphan from the Lu Family!"

Si Yun's gaze was also attracted by the young man in the black robe.

His name is Lu Li.

The young man's temperament was very special, as if he stood independent of this world, his eyes empty, indifferent to everything around him.

From the discussions of others, Si Yun heard some rumors about him sporadically. The last Bloodline of an ancient Alchemy Family, with strange visions when born, possessing a unique Bloodline Power.

It sounded like a child of destiny.

The third round, impromptu Alchemy.

The competition provided limited Spirit Medicine, and participants had to combine them themselves to refine the most creative Medicinal Pill.

Si Yun looked at the Spirit Medicine in front of him, and a bold idea flashed in his mind. He wanted to refine an ancient Medicinal Pill recorded in Cang Yu's Pill Formula notes that had long been lost.

This pill is called "Anti-Dust Pill," which can allow a Cultivator to forcibly reverse their cultivation base in a short time, erupting with power far exceeding their own Realm, but the side effects are also huge.

This kind of Medicinal Pill has an extremely tricky refining method, and one carelessness will cause the furnace to explode.

But Si Yun insisted on challenging it.

He wanted to use this competition to completely make a name for himself.

If he happened to get the favor of some big shot, he would take off.

On the other side, Lu Li's choice was equally unexpected. He actually put several Spirit Medicines with completely conflicting attributes into the Pill Furnace.

Everyone thought he was crazy.

However, under the control of Lu Li's strange technique, that violent medicinal power miraculously merged together.

In the end, Si Yun and Lu Li opened their furnaces almost at the same time.

Si Yun's "Anti-Dust Pill" was completed, triggering heaven and earth phenomena, with Peak Grade quality.

And from Lu Li's Pill Furnace flew out a black and white strange pill with the flow of life and death Qi.

The final judgment was a tie for first place.

The two stars of the competition became famous in the Southern Frontier.

After the Alchemy Competition ended, the Shengyuan Blessed Land announced that an ancient Secret Realm called "Meteor Valley" was about to open, inviting the young Alchemists who performed well in this competition to explore it together.

Si Yun and Lu Li were naturally among the invited.

One month later.

Inside Meteor Valley, ancient trees towered, and crises were everywhere.

Si Yun acted alone, relying on his keen Divine Sense to avoid dangerous places one after another, picking many rare Spirit Medicines.

Under a cliff, he discovered a "Nine-Orifice Exquisite Grass" about to ripen.

Just as he was about to pick it, a heaven-shaking beast roar came.

A huge three-eyed demon wolf rushed out of the forest, blocking his way. This demon wolf had powerful strength, comparable to a Cultivator in the Early Stage of the Earth Spirit Realm.

Si Yun's face sank, his cultivation of the Spirit King Realm Ninth Level erupted with full force, and he fought with the demon wolf.

However, the demon wolf's Physical Body was extremely tough, and Si Yun's attacks landed on it, leaving only shallow white marks.

Just as he was caught in a bitter battle, a black figure appeared silently beside the battlefield.

It was Lu Li.

Lu Li looked at the demon wolf, then at Si Yun, and finally his gaze fell on the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Grass.

"You and I join forces, kill it, and split the Spiritual Plant." Lu Li's voice was as cold as the person himself.

"Good." Si Yun did not hesitate and agreed immediately.

Lu Li joined the battle. He did not use Qi, but took out small porcelain bottles from his arms, constantly sprinkling the powder and liquid inside onto the demon wolf.

Those things looked ordinary, but after the demon wolf was stained with them, its movements visibly slowed down, and its fur, originally as hard as iron, began to show signs of corrosion.

It's poison!

Si Yun's eyes lit up, and he immediately cooperated with Lu Li to attack the demon wolf's weak points.

The two of them, one using poison and the other using strong attacks, cooperated seamlessly.

Half an hour later, the huge demon wolf fell down unwillingly.

Si Yun and Lu Li were both panting, but their eyes held a hint of appreciation for each other.

"Your poison technique is very powerful." Si Yun sincerely praised.

"Your cultivation is also very solid." Lu Li replied rarely.

The two shared the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Grass, and their relationship eased a lot. For the subsequent exploration, they chose to travel together.

While resting in a cave, the two talked about Alchemy.

"Some Pill Formulas simply shouldn't exist in the world." Lu Li looked at the jumping bonfire and suddenly spoke.

Si Yun's heart moved, and he asked: "For example?"

"For example, using living beings as medicine guides." Lu Li's tone was full of disgust.

He said slowly: "I once learned from a Senior that many years ago, a special Secret Realm emerged, and a lost evil Pill Formula spread from it. That kind of Pill Formula requires using a living being with a special Physique and a cultivation of the Earth Spirit Realm or above as a Pill Furnace, and then using their soul as a medicine guide. The Medicinal Pill refined this way can forcibly improve the Alchemist's Divine Soul and Aptitude, and even increase the chance of breaking through a major Realm."

Si Yun's breathing stopped for a moment.

Improving Divine Soul and Aptitude... and can also assist in breaking through.

"And then?" Si Yun asked, pretending to be calm.

"Later," Lu Li sneered, "It is said that the Pill Formula fell into the hands of a Pill King in the Thousand Mountains Region. It caused quite a stir at the time, but the Pill King denied it, and the matter eventually faded away."

Thousand Mountains Region!

Pill King!

Qian Yuan, isn't he the Pill King of the Thousand Mountains Region?