Chapter 465: Five-Star Root Bone Pill
"Are you sure you want to compete against her? There's still time to regret it!"
Duan Qiong approached Zhao Dong, still trying to discourage him.
He had indeed witnessed Zhao Dong's Alchemy skills, but deep in his heart, he still didn't think Zhao Dong could be a match for Shen Xiao.
"Master, rest assured. Your disciple will not disgrace your name."
Zhao Dong nodded vigorously, his eyes resolute.
Seeing this, Duan Qiong sighed and handed Zhao Dong an ancient tome.
"This contains detailed descriptions of some pills. You don't understand the pill ranking system; this book should be useful to you."
"Thank you, Master!"
Zhao Dong accepted the ancient tome and opened it, treasuring it like a priceless gem.
The tome was more like an encyclopedia. Although it lacked specific instructions for pill refinement, it clearly marked the rank of each pill. The book was titled "The Encyclopedia of Pills."
The onlookers, seeing that Zhao Dong didn't even understand pill rankings right before the competition, began to jeer even louder.
Zhao Dong, however, remained unconcerned. He put away the encyclopedia and sat cross-legged beside his Pill Furnace to meditate.
"Can we start now?" Shen Xiao urged, somewhat impatiently.
Zhao Dong waved a hand. "Of course. We can start anytime."
"Hah, such big talk!"
Irritated by Zhao Dong's dismissive attitude, Shen Xiao lit her Pill Furnace and began tossing ingredients into it.
Once the ingredients were inside, she immediately formed a hand seal and slapped the Pill Furnace. Threads of Spiritual Energy, fine as silk, precisely manipulated the furnace. Shortly after, whiffs of medicinal fragrance began to spread. The searing heat from the furnace fire was so intense that even the onlookers several meters away could feel waves of heat washing over their faces.
"Using Spiritual Energy to forcefully increase the furnace's temperature speeds up the pill refinement process. While this method is fast, it can make the medicinal power more volatile and easily cause the furnace to explode!"
"As expected of someone from the Heavenly Pill Pavilion. Such Alchemy techniques aren't something ordinary people would dare attempt!"
"We are truly fortunate to witness a Core Disciple of the Heavenly Pill Pavilion perform Alchemy!"
Watching Shen Xiao's skilled techniques and bold maneuvers, the surrounding crowd exclaimed in amazement. All eyes were focused on her, completely ignoring Zhao Dong's presence.
Shen Xiao's movements were casual and unhurried. As time passed, a rich pill fragrance spread through the air. Seeing that the pill was about to take form, she glanced proudly toward Zhao Dong. But when she saw that he was still sitting there meditating, her mind shuddered.
Why is he still sitting there?
She looked again, only to see an expression so calm it was unsettling.
This won't do! This guy is too strange. A four-star pill isn't a safe bet anymore. It looks like I'll have to go all out!
Shen Xiao's eyebrows furrowed. She grabbed a bright red, dried centipede from beside her and tossed it into the Pill Furnace.
As the centipede entered, a muffled THUD erupted from within.
The temperature of the Pill Furnace rapidly increased. Not daring to delay, Shen Xiao formed seals with both hands and quickly slapped the furnace. Unlike before, when she raised the temperature to concoct the four-star pill, this time the seals she slapped onto the Pill Furnace were meant to cool down both the furnace and its fire!
A five-star pill might only be one star higher than a four-star pill, but the difficulty of refining each rank was more than ten times that of the previous one.
Although Shen Xiao was a five-star Alchemist with the ability to create five-star pills, this did not mean she could do so with ease. A person could be considered a five-star Alchemist even if they only ever succeeded in creating a single five-star pill in their lifetime. And since becoming one, Shen Xiao had only succeeded three times.
Seeing this, the onlookers burst into exclamations!
"Did Miss Shen just put in a Seven-Tailed Centipede?"
"The Seven-Tailed Centipede is highly toxic and an essential ingredient for the five-star Root Bone Pill. Is Miss Shen actually attempting to refine a five-star pill!?"
"I've long heard that everyone from the Heavenly Pill Pavilion is a master of the Alchemy Dao, but for such a young woman to be a five-star Alchemist? A prodigy! A true prodigy!"
"Hahahaha... Thrilling, absolutely thrilling! To see a five-star Alchemist at work with my own eyes—I can die happy!"
The crowd was swept up in euphoria, completely forgetting Zhao Dong's existence. Shen Xiao, for her part, had no mind to spare him another glance.
Her hands frantically formed seals and struck the Pill Furnace, their speed so great that they left a trail of afterimages. Sweat poured from her forehead, soaking through the back of her robes. But even as Shen Xiao's face flushed red and she clenched her teeth so hard they nearly shattered, the Pill Furnace's temperature continued to rise. The glowing red Pill Furnace visibly swelled. Under Shen Xiao's forceful compression, it began to heave up and down like a baby's belly!
"Not good! The furnace might explode—everyone, back off!" Duan Qiong shouted, startled.
At the mention of an explosion, the crowd's legs went weak with fear. Without a second thought, they turned and fled. They only breathed a sigh of relief after running more than ten meters away.
The blast from an exploding five-star pill was comparable to a high-explosive grenade. Forget ordinary people; even cultivators standing within three meters of the Pill Furnace would undoubtedly be killed!
"Miss! Stop!" Shen Xiao's attendant cried out anxiously, his head drenched in sweat.
THUMP!
Drained of Spiritual Energy, Shen Xiao collapsed to her knees, her beautiful eyes filled with indignation. Enduring the intense pain wracking her body, she turned her head to look at Zhao Dong.
Why is he still sitting there!?
Seeing that Zhao Dong hadn't moved, a wave of immense humiliation rose in her heart.
"You dare look down on me? You dare!?"
Shen Xiao gritted her teeth and let out a fierce cry. The ring on her finger flashed, and a black pill appeared in her hand. She tossed the pill into her mouth, and her Spiritual Energy began to surge!
She then shot to her feet, her hands once again forming seals with blinding speed as she roared and struck the sides of the Pill Furnace!
"Suppress! Suppress! Suppress!"
"Be suppressed!"
As Shen Xiao leaped high into the air and brought her palm down on top of the Pill Furnace, the raging vessel instantly returned to calm. The furnace fire was extinguished, leaving only the lingering red glow on its walls as a testament to the recent peril.
HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...
Shen Xiao clutched her chest, gasping for breath as sweat dripped from her forehead onto the ground. Her hairband had burst, and her long hair tumbled down around her, leaving her completely disheveled.
A dead silence fell over the entire area.
The crowd stared intently at the Pill Furnace in front of Shen Xiao, their eyes burning bright.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
Shen Xiao, her head hanging low, suddenly burst into laughter. She fiercely raised her head to glare at Zhao Dong and said defiantly, "Zhao Dong! You... have lost!"
As she spoke, Shen Xiao slapped the Pill Furnace, and the lid shot skyward.
At the same time!
A rich fragrance spread in all directions as rampant Spiritual Energy burst forth. Just smelling this rich aroma sent an invigorating jolt through the body, refreshing the spirit!
"Success! The five-star Root Bone Pill is complete!!!"