Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Go for Broke

Only an hour was left, and Ye Qingchen had just entered the elixir formation stage of his alchemy. Although the elixir formation stage was less time-consuming compared to refining medicinal herbs and purifying medicinal liquid, that was only in relative terms. Moreover, this was Ye Qingchen’s first attempt at crafting a Fourth-grade Spirit Pill, so he could not afford the slightest negligence. His spiritual power had to be completely focused, which further reduced his efficiency and made the process extremely slow.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, only twenty minutes remained. By then, Cheng Zhibin had already successfully crafted the Bone Tempering Pill for the third time. After submitting it to the judges for appraisal, its quality was confirmed to be high-grade. This nearly guaranteed his victory. For a Fourth-grade Alchemist, achieving a high-grade rating was considered the peak of their skill in the Alchemy Dao.

In other words, not only was Cheng Zhibin’s Bone Tempering Pill of the highest grade, but it was also the highest quality Spirit Pill produced!

After submitting his Spirit Pill, Cheng Zhibin once again walked over to Ye Qingchen. He saw that Ye Qingchen’s Bone Tempering Pill had only just entered the elixir formation stage; its prototype had not even taken form yet. At this rate, it was far from being ready to come out of the furnace.

Cheng Zhibin sneered at Ye Qingchen, saying, ”This is the result of overestimating yourself. Time is almost up. Even if you get lucky and manage to craft the Bone Tempering Pill, your efforts will be invalidated if you don’t finish within the allotted time. The Third-grade Breakthrough Pill you submitted earlier is no match for my Bone Tempering Pill! Ye Qingchen, you’ve already lost. Just give up!”

Cheng Zhibin’s laughter grew wilder, its sound carrying over to the Qingyun Sect’s rest area. Li Zongrui was so infuriated that he looked ready to rush up and fight Cheng Zhibin to the death. It was only under the angry glare of an Elder that Li Zongrui finally relented, though he still sat there muttering and cursing under his breath.

Qin Yue also frowned deeply and said severely to Qin Zhantian, ”Grandfather, that disciple from the Heavenly Profound Sect has repeatedly provoked Ye Qingchen. I can barely watch this anymore.”

Qin Zhantian waved his hand and replied, ”He’s merely trying to disturb Ye Qingchen’s state of mind. A true powerhouse doesn’t fear any external factors. We must have faith in Ye Qingchen.”

Of course, Qin Zhantian was only comforting Qin Yue. In his heart, he was also worried about Ye Qingchen. Just from Vice Pavilion Master Liu’s extremely anxious expression, Qin Zhantian could guess that Ye Qingchen’s chances of successfully forming the elixir were slim to none. However, he also understood the subtext of Qin Yue’s words. The Heavenly Profound Sect, huh? I’ll remember this incident!

In truth, Qin Yue was only angered by Cheng Zhibin’s underhanded actions. She still held full confidence in Ye Qingchen. Having created miracles time and again, Ye Qingchen had long ago established an omnipotent image in her mind.

Princess Cai Yunji also fixed her gaze on Ye Qingchen, feeling a mix of anger and regret. She was angry that Ye Qingchen was so arrogant, attempting to forcibly craft a Fourth-grade Bone Tempering Pill with the abilities of only a Third-grade Alchemist. This would inevitably lead to his failure. She regretted it because, based on his current performance, if he had chosen an easier Fourth-grade Elixir to craft, he might have actually succeeded. That would have greatly improved his ranking, instead of him having only submitted a single Third-grade Breakthrough Pill.

Time passed quickly, leaving only five minutes until the end of the competition. The strongmen responsible for striking the gong had quietly stepped onto the stage, ready to signal the end of the match on time. All the other contestants, except for Ye Qingchen, had already submitted their elixirs. Every eye in the venue was now fixed on him.

By now, Ye Qingchen’s Bone Tempering Pill had begun to show its prototype. If nothing unexpected happened, he would undoubtedly succeed in crafting it.

But there simply wasn’t enough time, and sighs of regret periodically rippled through the crowd. If Ye Qingchen had been given enough time, he would have definitely succeeded in refining the Bone Tempering Pill. It would have been a miracle in the Alchemy World: a Third-grade Alchemist managing to refine the Bone Tempering Pill—the most difficult of all Fourth-grade Spirit Pills—on his very first try! But this was a competition. As soon as time was up, all actions had to cease, at which point the Bone Tempering Pill would be reduced to a pile of ash.

Should I pause the competition and let Ye Qingchen complete this magnificent feat? Even Princess Cai Yunji found herself hesitating. Of course, even if Ye Qingchen were to complete it after time was called, the result would not count toward his score.

Just as everyone was losing hope for Ye Qingchen, Qin Yue’s voice reached his ears. She now stood at the edge of the arena, shouting, ”Ye Qingchen! I believe you can do it! You’ll always be the champion!”

Ye Qingchen had been debating whether to use his Fen Tian Earth Fire, but upon hearing Qin Yue’s words, he instantly made his decision.

Yes, I must be the champion! It’s not because I’m vying for some title. If I don’t win the championship, I will be letting down my Dual Pupil Martial Soul, my Fen Tian Earth Fire, and even more so, the legacy of the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and Old Man Fen Tian!

I also understand that while this Grand Alchemy Competition is the greatest event in the Northern Desolate Country, it’s nothing on the scale of the entire continent. If I can’t even win the championship here, then how will I ever travel to the Nine Star Sects to find Xiao Xiao?

In that instant, Ye Qingchen’s resolve hardened, and the seed of his invincible conviction began to take root!

Suddenly, a red halo erupted around Ye Qingchen, and the temperature inside the Alchemy Furnace soared! The refinement progress of the Bone Tempering Pill accelerated many times over! The pill, which had only been a mere prototype, began to take shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The sudden change made the sneering Cheng Zhibin nearly stumble. He stared in disbelief at Ye Qingchen’s Pill Furnace and stammered in horror, ”Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!”

Ye Qingchen paid him no mind, remaining completely focused as he manipulated the Fen Tian Earth Fire to complete the final steps of the refinement.

”Fen Tian Earth Fire?”

The two elders from the Heavenly Profound Sect, Xiong Bin and Xiong Hai, shot up from their seats in astonishment. With the keen eyes of Sixth-grade Pill Kings, they had recognized the flames Ye Qingchen was using at a single glance—it was indeed the legendary Fen Tian Earth Fire.

The news swept through the venue like a tidal wave.

”What is Fen Tian Earth Fire?”

”Idiot, you’ve never even heard of Fen Tian Earth Fire? Why did you even come to watch the Grand Alchemy Competition?”

”Fen Tian Earth Fire is said to be a powerful flame nurtured by heaven and earth itself! Its power can shatter the heavens and obliterate the earth—it’s a divine treasure that all alchemists dream of possessing!”

Murmurs of awe echoed endlessly. Everyone stared at Ye Qingchen with burning eyes—some with envy, some with amazement, and of course, some with jealousy.