Immortality begins with Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster

Chapter 823: Chapter 339: Am I Really Not as Good as Dan Chenzi?

Upon the high platform of the Pill Refinement Competition.

A tense atmosphere spread unquestionably as Luo Chen successfully processed the Guiyuan Cicada Shell.

The heart of every Pill Refiner grew heavy.

Someone had already taken the lead!

The most anxious ones in the arena were the three Pill Refiners who had initially chosen to go from easy to difficult, processing the First Order medicinal ingredients ahead of time.

They had already processed the Zhan Star Grass, Sky Blue Aloe, and Red Flame Ganoderma.

But then, when it came to the two Second Order medicinal ingredients, they struggled.

The Blue Smoke Jade was still manageable.

However, how to process the Guiyuan Cicada Shell was a huge challenge right in front of them.

Not everyone could multitask.

Naturally, they couldn’t process the ingredients in their hands while monitoring the entire refining process of Luo Chen and others like Dan Yangzi.

Even Xuan Yunzi only realized he had taken the wrong path by observing just the tip of the iceberg revealed during Luo Chen’s processing.

Then, he re-analyzed the pharmacology and followed the path taken by Luo Chen.

The advantage of this method is the correct direction, though slower in speed.

But for the others,

They weren’t so lucky.

They had already missed the opportunity to process the Guiyuan Cicada Shell as Luo Chen did.

They had nowhere to turn to for learning.

For a time, these three trailblazers found themselves at an impasse.

Among the remaining competitors,

The Pill Refiner from the Fu Family, looking at the failed Guiyuan Cicada Shell in the Glass Sky Mini Tripod, fell into deep thought.

He first looked at Luo Chen, then at the composed Dan Yangzi, and finally at Xuan Yunzi.

After a long time, he made a decision.

With three sets of ingredients and one failure, the margin for error was extremely low.

First, he decided to process the other four ingredients into corresponding finished products.

Then, he would try to process the Guiyuan Cicada Shell with the last portion.

As for the method, he had already gleaned some understanding from Xuan Yunzi.

In this sense, he was learning from Luo Chen.

In contrast to his composed decision, another was not so calm.

Watching Luo Chen, who was enjoying the reverence of the crowd, Huang Hezi took another look at the Guiyuan Cicada Shell he had processed.

The Yuan Qi was mostly preserved.

But the cicada shell was far from “crystal clear to the sky.”

In other words, it was full of impurities!

Without a doubt, this was a failed product.

Unfit for use in medicines!

“How can this be?”

“From a pharmacological perspective, my processing method is correct!”

“Where did I go wrong?”

“Why can Dan Chenzi succeed? Why does he get to succeed!”

“In terms of age, seniority, background, none should have led to him being the first to succeed!”

The overwhelmed Huang Hezi stood there, his aged body trembling slightly.

So much so that he couldn’t even bring himself to make the decision to secure the four earlier sets of ingredients first.

The reason for his loss of composure was that on the path of alchemy he was most proud of, he was struck a heavy blow by the Rogue Cultivator Luo Chen, whom he had completely dismissed.

Such a blow was truly unbearable for Huang Hezi, who had dedicated his life to the Dao of Alchemy.

Especially when Dan Yangzi finished processing the Guiyuan Cicada Shell and handed it to the Elder as the second qualified item.

His mentality began to falter.

“This first round, I considered myself second to none, aiming for the top spot.”

“Why am I falling behind like this?”

No one gave him an answer.

In this world, some people have talent, some have “opportunities,” and some possess the resolve to make firm and prompt decisions.

If one lacks all three, their Achievements can be seen at a glance.

The Elder of Tai Dan Court glanced at the distraught Huang Hezi and imperceptibly shook his head.

Although a Second Order Pill Refiner, it was not until after the age of two hundred that he had obtained the title of one of the Qingdan Seven Sons.

A truly excellent Pill Refiner would have already been invited to join the Tai Dan Court at that age.

Alas, Huang Hezi!

In the end, he was lacking some crucial elements!

“On the other hand, this Dan Chenzi, his foundations in the Dao of Alchemy are too terrifying!”

In his eyes and in the eyes of tens of thousands of Cultivators watching in Qingdan Valley, Luo Chen’s hands moved seemingly slow yet swiftly as he processed the remaining three ingredients.

At times, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, elegantly dancing about.

At times, like a skilled maiden rinsing sand, gently cleansing silk garments.

His Pill Technique appeared to be without the smoky taste of life, yet when it fell upon the Red Flame Ganoderma, it was warm and tender, as if between the casting of Spiritual Secrets, he was preparing a delicious feast with clouds of steam rising.

Luo Chen had spent a full half hour processing the Guiyuan Cicada Shell.

Meanwhile, he had effortlessly processed the Zhan Star Grass with the Simplicity Hand.

Now, as he worked on the remaining three ingredients, his speed surged.

When all the processed materials were handed over to the Elder of Tai Dan Court,

Only another incense stick’s worth of time had passed.

“Zhan Star Grass, Perfection!”

“Sky Blue Aloe, Perfection!”

“Red Flame Ganoderma, Perfection!”

“Blue Smoke Jade, Perfection!”

“Guiyuan Cicada Shell, Perfection!”

Seeing the unruffled Luo Chen, the Elder of Tai Dan Court took a deep breath.

“Five types of ingredients, finished products all perfect, total time the fastest!”

“Tao Family’s Pill Master Dan Chenzi, ranked first in the Pill Technique competition!”

As he gave this immediate evaluation,

Countless people were waiting with bated breath.

When the words “first place” were spoken, the breath that had been held back surged forth.

Luo Chen stood on the platform, his excellent eyesight allowing him to fully see the moving lips of countless disciples outside.

Although a Sound-isolating array method stopped the sound, reading lip movement was a minor skill that most Cultivators knew.