Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

”Using fire as a furnace to refine the medicinal properties... Th-this is real?”

”Pinch me. I’m not dreaming, am I?”

”A divine technique! That’s the work of a god! Huh? What’s he doing now? Oh heavens, with just a light tap, he completely removed all the impurities. Incredible!”

The few Fourth-level Great Pharmacists present all cried out in astonishment.

Yang Xiao’s methods had left them utterly stunned.

And when the Pharmacists below Level 4 saw their own seniors and masters reacting with such shock, they too suddenly realized that Yang Xiao must be something else entirely.

Even an ordinary person watching Yang Xiao at this moment would find his movements magnificent.

Yes, magnificent.

A hundred balls of red flame had coalesced into a bright yellow Pill Furnace—a sight far more wondrous than the Pill Cauldron Wang Qianhe had used earlier.

To be sure, experts at the Innate Realm could all condense their internal True Qi into various objects.

Blades, swords, palms, claws, and the like.

The most powerful among them could even form mountains or stone seals.

But condensing a Pill Furnace? The difficulty was on another level.

And to use such a furnace to refine the properties of Spirit Medicine was even more unthinkable.

It was, quite simply, incredible.

This was a divine skill thought to exist only in Ancient Times.

’Hmph, all flash and no substance!’

Of all the Great Pharmacists present, only Wang Qianhe scoffed inwardly.

But inside, his desire burned even hotter.

’Such a Fire Control technique is definitely an extraordinary Secret Skill. If I could obtain it, I wouldn’t just reach the level of a Sixth-level Great Pharmacist—I might even have a chance to reach the level of the Medicine Sect, or even become a Medicine King!’

The greed in his heart flared even more intensely.

Just then, as if sensing something, Yang Xiao looked over. His gaze was so sharp that even Wang Qianhe found himself unable to meet it, averting his eyes slightly.

Just as he caught himself, unwilling to show any weakness,

Yang Xiao spoke up. ”Celestial Essence Grass, Hundred Spirits Root, Bright Moon Fruit, Thousand Silver Flower, and this Nine Profound Grass... the optimal recipe for this combination of medicinal properties is the Nine Profound Pill. However, since you used them to craft a Kunling Pill, I’ll do the same. That way, you can’t try to weasel your way out of it later.”

”The Nine Profound Pill? What’s that? What nonsense are you spouting?”

Wang Qianhe snorted.

”The Nine Profound Pill is a type of Level 4 Pill. Its effects are similar to the Kunling Pill, purifying the True Qi within the body, but it’s much more potent. Furthermore, a Nine Profound Pill of forty-percent purity can also condense True Qi, giving it an effect similar to a Gang Transformation Pill. However, its properties are far gentler, so even a Martial Artist can take it safely.”

”Junior Brother Qianhe, I can’t believe you’ve never even heard of the Nine Profound Pill.”

Cheng Boxuan chimed in.

His tone dripped with sarcasm.

Wang Qianhe’s expression turned foul.

A moment ago, having refined a Third-Level Upper Grade Kunling Pill, he had been certain of his victory. Now, however, he wasn’t so sure.

’This brat was probably brought here by Cheng Boxuan specifically to oppose me,’ Wang Qianhe fumed internally. ’Hmph. Your talent is inferior to mine, Cheng Boxuan. Do you really think you can beat me just by trotting out some junior? Impossible!’

Wang Qianhe fell silent.

He shut his mouth.

But the crowd now regarded him with strange expressions.

This infuriated Wang Qianhe even more.

He knew they were beginning to doubt him.

After all, he didn’t even know what a Nine Profound Pill was, while both Yang Xiao and Cheng Boxuan did. The contrast made it seem as if his knowledge of Pills was severely lacking.

”Could Yang Xiao really refine an even stronger Pill?”

”That’s impossible. Refining a Third-Level Upper Grade Kunling Pill from Third-level Peak Spirit Medicine is already the absolute limit. To go any higher, I’m afraid that’s a feat only the Medicine Sect can achieve... no, only a Medicine King Level expert would have that kind of ability.”

”Just watch. This Yang Xiao... no, Young Friend Yang... is truly full of surprises.”

Qin Chuan was very pleased and stroked his beard.

The appearance of such a genius was an absolute blessing for the Purple Sun Sect.

Soon enough, Yang Xiao reached the final step: collecting the pills.

With a light wave of his hand, the Pill Furnace made of fire dissipated.

From within, three plump, round Pills dropped out.

In terms of quality, size, and appearance, they were surprisingly similar to Wang Qianhe’s. However, their medicinal fragrance seemed even richer.

”Elder Yao, please inspect them!”

Placing them on a special medicinal dish, Yang Xiao presented them to Elder Yao.

”Excellent! Excellent! A ten-tenths purity Kunling Pill! A Perfect Level Pill! Truly extraordinary! And in terms of quantity, you have two more than Qianhe. This round, Young Friend Yang, is your victory once again!”

”The young are to be held in awe! Truly, the young are to be held in awe!”

As Elder Yao spoke, his expression was one of extreme excitement.

Even for a Sixth-level Great Pharmacist like him, he lost some of his composure. His voice trembled slightly as he repeated, ”The young are to be held in awe!”

This showed the extent of his inner shock.

With Elder Yao’s judgment, the crowd below erupted in cheers.

The very people who, moments ago, refused to believe Yang Xiao could defeat Wang Qianhe were now gazing at him with fervent admiration.

They roared his name.

The sound was like a tsunami, utterly staggering.

It was enough to make Yang Xiao feel a little embarrassed.

Wang Qianhe’s face, however, was dark.

He strode forward, about to speak.

”A young man like Young Friend Yang, capable of refining such a perfect Pill with such skill... This old man believes he wouldn’t lie, nor would he have any reason to. Qianhe, tell me the truth of what happened. If this is truly your fault, then you must accept the punishment you deserve!”

Elder Yao rose to his feet.

This time, he gave Wang Qianhe no opportunity for another round.

The two rounds had already proven that Yang Xiao was superior.

Whether in Fire Control, understanding of medicinal properties, breadth of knowledge about Pills, or practical refining techniques...

...in all these areas, Wang Qianhe could not hope to compare.

In many respects, even he himself had to admit his own inferiority.

To continue would only be to invite more humiliation.

Elder Yao would not allow Wang Qianhe to further disgrace himself on the stage.

”Master, you...!”

But Wang Qianhe was defiant.

His face was a mask of resentment and unwillingness.

”Speak!”

Elder Yao’s expression grew stern.

’I wish you would just drop dead!’ Wang Qianhe seethed internally. But in front of everyone, he didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect toward Elder Yao.

He spoke, ”I did indeed refine a wasted pill, but I wasn’t trying to deceive them. I was just trying to save face...”

The moment he said this, a wave of boos and hisses swept through the crowd.

It was perfectly normal to produce a wasted pill during Alchemy. But to produce a wasted pill, claim it was a good one, and then demand an Alchemy Fee on top of that—that was going too far.

”I can’t believe he’s that kind of person.”

”Exactly. If Young Master Yang hadn’t stood his ground, none of us would have ever known what his character is truly like.”

”With a character like that, who cares how skilled he is at Alchemy? He’s not fit to be the head of Medicine Peak! Besides, he’s not even as good as Young Master Yang!”

A torrent of condemnations rained down on him.

Rage blazed in Wang Qianhe’s heart, but not a hint of it showed on his face.

’Just let me get through this,’ he thought. ’I have plenty of vicious methods to deal with Yang Xiao and his father, not to mention Elder Yao and Qin Tiansheng!’

”So it truly was your fault. Hmph! Get on your knees! Apologize to Young Master Yang and his father!”

Elder Yao snorted.

Wang Qianhe’s heart seethed with even greater fury, but he still fell to his knees with a THUD.

”I was momentarily possessed and lost my sense of judgment. Please, Brother Yang, Nephew Yang, forgive me.”

At the sight of him kneeling, the hearts of all the Purple Sun Sect’s upper echelons jolted.

Even Ye Zongling, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, raised his eyelids at this moment.

Even Yang Zhentian himself was somewhat surprised.

But he said nothing, his gaze shifting to his son instead.

Yang Xiao stepped forward. Without even glancing at Wang Qianhe, he gave a cold snort and handed a bottle to Elder Yao.

”This is the Heaven Repairing Pill that Wang Qianhe spoke of. Elder Yao, please take a look.”

At these words, the color drained from Wang Qianhe’s face once more.

’This brat! I’ve already knelt, and he still won’t let me go!’

Murderous intent blazed in Wang Qianhe’s heart.