Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Chapter 374: Chapter 373: Clash of the Two Champions

THUMP!

A crisp sound rang out.

The four of them opened their Pill Furnaces at almost the same time.

An Elixir was then taken out by each of them.

”Wan Qianxiang’s Pill Pattern has formed. It’s actually a Spirit Pill! No, wait... The Pill Pattern is still lacking; the lines aren’t clear enough. It can be called a Substandard Spirit Pill.”

”Jiang Chen’s Pill Pattern formed, but it’s too blurry. It lost a lot of the Elixir’s Essence Qi. It can’t be considered a Spirit Pill, just a semi-finished product.”

As soon as the two had taken out their Elixirs, the elders from the various Sects used their Heart Spirits to discern the pills’ strengths and weaknesses.

”Ling Fei’s Pill Pattern is clear and orderly, and the Medicinal Qi is gathered without dispersing... This is a perfect Spirit Pill!” Gasps of astonishment erupted after they saw Ling Fei’s Elixir.

”Xu Zitao’s Elixir is the same! It’s actually no worse than Ling Fei’s! What’s going on? Since when did the Beiming Sword Sect produce such an incredible alchemy genius?” Then, all eyes turned. As soon as the crowd saw Xu Zitao’s Elixir, an uproar immediately followed. Everyone was utterly shocked.

Ling Fei’s name was known to all.

He had obtained the Yuan Feng Pill King’s legacy, had successfully refined a Flawless Pill before, and even controlled a Profound Spirit Treasure. It was understandable that he could refine a Spirit Pill.

But this Xu Zitao was different.

Someone who had been completely unknown before had actually succeeded in refining a Spirit Pill.

One must understand that anyone who succeeded in refining a Spirit Pill before the age of twenty would have a limitless future. At the very least, they could become a Great Pill Master.

One more step, and they could reach the Pill King Realm.

”Could he have also obtained some kind of Alchemy Dao inheritance?” many people murmured.

”No wonder he dared to provoke Pill Master Ling Fei like that.” At this point, everyone understood why Xu Zitao had been so arrogant before.

Being able to refine a perfect Spirit Pill certainly gave him the right to be.

”Ling Fei has a real opponent now.” For a moment, the uproar intensified.

’Hahaha, this Xu Zitao is really something else! He actually refined a Spirit Pill! Now, let’s see if the people from the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple and the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers will be angry enough to spit blood.’ The Sect Leader of Thousand Lakes Mountain couldn’t help but laugh maniacally in his heart. ’If this Xu Zitao really does beat Ling Fei, will they regret their choice?’

He grew incredibly excited at the thought.

’If that happens, would those two sects abandon the Lingyun Sect to cozy up to the Beiming Sword Sect?’

’When that time comes, how will the Lingyun Sect maintain its footing in the Southern Wilderness?’

Thinking of this, he felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.

”The Beiming Sword Sect really knows how to hide its strength!” an elder from the Dongze Sect and Wind Watching Cliff said with a hearty laugh.

If Xu Zitao won and the Lingyun Sect’s influence waned, then the time to settle their grudge with the Lingyun Sect would finally arrive.

At this moment, Master Xuan Ji of the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple’s eyelid twitched. His expression had indeed turned a little sour.

This move by the Beiming Sword Sect was a clear slap in the face!

The Valley Master of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, Wan Liuxiang, also furrowed her elegant brows.

The way things were developing had exceeded her expectations.

Yuan Huaitian’s brow furrowed slightly, and he glanced at Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun out of the corner of his eye.

At this moment, however, Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun appeared very calm.

”Sect Leader, rest assured. This Xu Zitao does indeed have some talent for Alchemy, but Ling Fei hasn’t necessarily lost,” said Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun.

He was also surprised that Xu Zitao could refine a complete Spirit Pill, but the final outcome would still depend on the upcoming rounds.

”Everyone, please don’t be hasty.” Upon hearing this, Yuan Huaitian sent a voice transmission to the leaders of the Great Sun Thunder Sound Temple and the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.

The two Divine Mansion Realm powerhouses nodded slightly, but their expressions didn’t improve.

After all, they had opposed the Beiming Sword Sect for Ling Fei’s sake. If Ling Fei lost, wouldn’t they be ridiculed for their shortsightedness?

At the same time, if Xu Zitao’s alchemy talent surpassed Ling Fei’s and he became a Pill King in the future, the power of the Beiming Sword Sect would multiply.

At that point, the situation for their own sects wouldn’t be very good either.

It could be said that the appearance of Xu Zitao’s Spirit Pill had made the atmosphere in the arena increasingly tense.

”How could this be? How did that arrogant guy manage to refine a Spirit Pill too!” Among the crowd of Lingyun Sect disciples, Fang Yuan’s face was filled with astonishment.

The people beside her were all stunned by the scene before them.

The gasps of the elders still echoed in their minds.

”Hehe, Senior Brother Xu is truly worthy of being the number one of our Beiming Sword Sect’s current generation!”

”He’ll crush that Ling Fei! What Lingyun Sect? They’re just undeservedly famous. And they think they can compete with our Beiming Sword Sect?” the disciples of the Beiming Sword Sect cheered.

On the Alchemy Platform.

The contestants took out their Elixirs and sized up each other’s pills.

But after hearing the elders’ exclamations, they were all stunned.

”A Spirit Pill? What? Ling Fei and that Xu Zitao refined Spirit Pills?”

One by one, they turned to look at the two of them with astonished eyes.

”A Spirit Pill! Junior Brother Ling, you actually succeeded in refining a Spirit Pill!” Yuan Chong was ecstatic, but he quickly heard the news about Xu Zitao also succeeding. ”That guy actually managed to refine a Spirit Pill too? Who the hell is he? Why haven’t I ever heard of him before?”

’So he refined a Spirit Pill?’ Ling Fei’s gaze sharpened, and he couldn’t help but glance over at Xu Zitao, but he didn’t show much shock.

After all, for Xu Zitao to be so provocative, he naturally had to have some skill.

As if sensing Ling Fei’s gaze, Xu Zitao turned his head, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked back at Ling Fei.

The provocation in Xu Zitao’s eyes was self-evident.

Seeing this, Ling Fei remained indifferent and paid Xu Zitao no mind, treating him as nothing more than a dancing clown.

’No matter where you came from, it won’t be that easy to beat me.’ Ling Fei withdrew his gaze and ignored Xu Zitao.

This round of Alchemy was just a probe to test his opponent’s strength.

”The pills are complete! Will the Sects please send forth your Pill Masters to inspect the Elixirs?” Vice Sect Leader Jiang announced loudly after all one thousand geniuses had completed their Alchemy.

Right now, he was also feeling rather frustrated.

Xu Zitao refining a Spirit Pill was not a result he had wished to see!

’Fortunately, Ling Fei also refined a Spirit Pill,’ Vice Sect Leader Jiang mused to himself.

In the past, refining a Spirit Pill at such a young age would have been enough to win the championship.

Unfortunately for Ling Fei, he had run into Xu Zitao.

Below the stage, Pill Masters rose one by one and flew to the high platform to inspect the Elixirs.

This was an inspection by multiple groups, each leaving their own evaluation.

However, a Pill Master could not evaluate a contestant from their own sect.

「An hour later, the results were in.」

”In this round of the competition, two Spirit Pills have emerged, refined by Ling Fei of the Lingyun Sect and Xu Zitao of the Beiming Sword Sect.”

”The quality of both pills is perfect. Therefore, both Ling Fei and Xu Zitao are champions of this round.”

”Second place goes to Wan Qianxiang of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers. The Pill Pattern on her Elixir has just begun to form. Although it has its shortcomings, it is still a Substandard Spirit Pill. With a bit more improvement, she will reach the level of a First Grade Alchemist. Third place goes to Jiang Chen of the North Sea Sect, for his semi-finished Spirit Pill...”

While announcing the results, Vice Sect Leader Jiang also displayed the Elixirs so that the disciples from every sect could see them clearly.

Soon, the names of the top one hundred contestants were announced.

”These people may all advance to the next round. The rest are all eliminated,” said Vice Sect Leader Jiang.

”Sigh!” Many people sighed and left the stage.

Yuan Chong was still on the stage, but he had only placed sixteenth.

With such a result, it would be extremely difficult to compete for the top ten.

On the other hand, another young man from the Lingyun Sect named Mo Fan had actually reached sixth place.

Soon, the top one hundred began to prepare for the next round of Alchemy.

”This time, you will be refining a Bone Healing Pill. The winner will also be decided by the grade of the pill,” Vice Sect Leader Jiang said. ”For this round, we will take the top twenty to advance to the final. Therefore, everyone must do their best in this round of Alchemy. If you fail to make it into the top twenty, you will have no chance for a comeback.”

Afterward, Ling Fei and the others prepared their medicinal ingredients and began to get ready for Alchemy.

Ling Fei had refined the Bone Healing Pill many times and was already completely at ease with the process.

’This time, I should refine a Second Grade Spirit Pill.’ Ling Fei’s gaze narrowed.

Since both he and Xu Zitao had refined Spirit Pills, victory would depend on who could refine a Second Grade Spirit Pill.

Second Grade Spirit Pills also varied in quality.

’A First Grade Spirit Pill uses Qi Condensation Pattern to maximize the Elixir’s effects. A Second Grade Spirit Pill imprints the Mystical of Martial Arts within it, allowing a Cultivator to gain insights from it. However, Mystical Technique Patterns also vary in quality. Only the gentlest Mystical Technique Pattern, suitable for Cultivators of all levels to comprehend, is the best.’ As the medicinal ingredients entered the furnace, Ling Fei’s thoughts raced.

Having already succeeded in refining a Second Grade Spirit Pill long ago, he was extremely clear about the differences in pill quality.

At the same time, he was already adept at refining Second Grade Spirit Pills.

’This Ling Fei is merely at the Celestial Pill Realm. I’ve already reached Celestial Pill Perfection and have now even reached the Half-step Nascent Soul Realm. My control over the Mystical is far beyond what he can compare to. Hmph, just wait until I refine a Second Grade Spirit Pill. I’ll let you know what a real genius is.’

On the other side, Xu Zitao grinned.

After shooting Ling Fei a cold glance, Xu Zitao withdrew his gaze and began refining his Elixir.

And so, on the Alchemy Platform, the hundred Pill Masters once again began to diligently refine their pills.

Some of them appeared very nervous.

Like Yuan Chong. He desperately wanted to break into the top ten, but unfortunately, he was only sixteenth. To reach the top ten, he would need to refine an even better Elixir.

’Qi Gathering Pattern, Qi Gathering Pattern.’ Yuan Chong completely immersed his Heart Spirit, trying to form a Qi Gathering Pattern and refine a Spirit Pill.

Let alone a Spirit Pill, even a semi-finished product would be great!

Unfortunately, as time went on, not only did he fail to gather the qi, but it also became chaotic, causing the Pill Furnace to tremble.

BANG!

The Elixir shattered.

And just like that, this round of Alchemy was a failure for him.

”Yuan Chong was too hasty.” In the distance, Master Yuan Lang sighed softly upon seeing this.

”If the heart is not focused, how can one refine a good Pill?” Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun lamented.

But under these circumstances, it was too difficult to maintain a good state of mind.

BANG!

Nearby, another young alchemist’s Elixir shattered.

One by one, contestants failed their Alchemy.

These were people who had, ironically, placed in the top fifty in the previous round.

”Alchemy tests not only a person’s Control Power and comprehension, but more importantly, their mentality,” many of the elders in the audience murmured.

If one could not overcome their own mental barriers, they would never achieve greatness.

The crowd didn’t care much for these failures; almost everyone was focused on Ling Fei and Xu Zitao.

”This time, what kind of Elixirs will they produce?”

Whether it was the Sect Leaders of the various sects or their disciples, everyone was waiting for the moment the answer would be revealed.

And as the crowd waited, the eyelids of Ling Fei and Xu Zitao twitched. Their Heart Spirits finally withdrew from their Pill Furnaces.

It was clear they had succeeded in their Alchemy. Next was the moment to take out their Elixirs and reveal the results.

’He’s finished refining too?’ Ling Fei’s eyes flickered as he glanced at Xu Zitao beside him.