Ch193 - Spiritual Plants were Swapped

Edited by Zaki

When Liu Mufeng was standing on the ring, the challenge area was once again overcrowded. There were more than a thousand fourth-level alchemists waiting in the challenge area.

Liu Mufeng calmly took out a list from his storage ring. The names of ten people were read out. Those who were selected remained in the challenge area, while the others could only leave the challenge area in disappointment and return to their seats to watch the challenge.

Song Mo was very happy to hear his name being read out. Initially, he thought that there were so many challengers that he would not be selected, but he did not expect Liu Mufeng to actually choose him, making him ecstatic. Looking at Liu Mufeng in the ring, Song Mo narrowed his eyes and thought to himself:Liu Mufeng, your myth will soon be shattered by me.

Standing up, the Third Elder announced the topic. “This time, the topic of the competition is the level-four Red Cloud Pill. The sect will provide you with eight spiritual plants, and you can add three or two spiritual plants of your own. However, no plagiarism is allowed. That is to say, if one person takes out the added spiritual plants, then the second person is not allowed to take the same spiritual plants again.”

Hearing this topic, the ten people in the challenge area, including Song Mo, were dumbfounded. To make the Red Cloud Pill, fifteen spiritual plants were needed, eight of which would be provided by the sect, and three could be prepared by themselves, that would total to only eleven spiritual plants. A pill that needed 15 spiritual plants to refine it, how could it be refined just using 11 spiritual plants?

“Distribute the spiritual plants.” After glancing at the disciples beside him, Elder Ma called out. The disciples of the Spiritual Plants Garden immediately took out the tray and placed the eight spiritual plants needed to refine the Red Cloud Pill on the tray. One by one, they were handed out to Liu Mufeng and the 10 people.

Narrowing his eyes while looking at Liu Mufeng on the stage, Ma Ming raised the corner of his mouth smugly. He inwardly thought:Liu Mufeng you will definitely lose this time. I’d like to see how you can run wild without the protection of the Third Elder, your Master.

After receiving the tray, and looking at the eight spiritual plants on the tray, the people in the challenge area were in a dumbfounded state. They couldn’t help thinking,‘These spiritual plants were not enough, how could we refine the pill? Wasn’t this topic too difficult?’

With a wave of his hand, Liu Mufeng took out a table and put the tray in his hand on the table. He began to check the eight spiritual plants on the tray one by one. Seeing that Liu Mufeng had already started to check the spiritual plants, the other cultivators also lowered their heads and checked the spiritual plants in their trays.

After sweeping his eyes over the eight spiritual plants, Liu Mufeng sniffed them carefully one by one. Turning around, Liu Mufeng gave a deep salute to the Third Elder. “Master, I have one thing I am not very sure about?”

“What’s the matter?” Looking at his beloved disciple, the Third Elder asked in a puzzled manner.

“Master, I didn’t know that the Sunward plant was replaced by the Wormwood plant. Is this an additional problem the Master has given us 11 people?” Liu Mufeng asked seriously after picking up a spiritual plant in the tray.

Hearing this, the Third Elder was shocked. “How did the Sunward plant turn into the Wormwood plant?” Saying that, the Third Elder raised his hand, and the spiritual plant in Liu Mufeng’s hand fell into the Third Elder’s hand. Lowering his head and smelling it, the Third Elder immediately determined that this was indeed Wormwood, and not a Sunward plant. Although Wormwood and Sunward plants looked exactly similar in physical aspects, their scents were slightly different. Experts could identify them just by smelling as they had different scents.

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“Ah, this, this might be a mistake made by a disciple’s momentary negligence.” Looking at the Third Elder, Elder Ma said embarrassedly. He thought to himself, ‘This Liu Mufeng was really not easy to mess with.’He had thought that if he replaced Liu Mufeng’s spiritual plants, he would definitely lose this time, but Elder Ma didn’t expect it would be discovered by him.

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“Yes, the Sect Challenge is held once every five years, and it has always been a fine tradition in the sect. To make a mistake in this kind of competition is indeed not something that can be explained by the word negligence!” Nodding his head, another arch rival also threw in his support.

“If my disciple blows up the furnace because the spiritual plant is not right, who will take the responsibility?” Looking at Elder Ma, the Third Elder said bluntly.

“This this……”

“En, the Third Elder has a point. What’s the point of a disciple who can’t differentiate spiritual plants staying in the Spiritual Plants Garden? What’s the use of having them if they don’t even know the spiritual plants. Someone, send all the eleven disciples who just delivered the spiritual plants to the mines!”

“Yes, Sect Master.” In response, the law enforcement Elder immediately led his disciples to capture those disciples of the Spiritual Plants Garden.

“Sect Master, please have mercy. Please have mercy!” Hearing that they were about to be distributed to the Mining Area, the eleven people turned pale in fright and hurriedly begged for mercy.

“Sect Master, I think that Elder Ma, as the Chief Elder of the Spiritual Plants Garden, is to blame, right?” Looking at his friend, the Third Elder said relentlessly.

“En, you’re right. Elder Ma, as the Chief Elder of the Spiritual Plants Garden, you are not strict in ruling your subordinates, and you neglected your duties in the sect’s challenge, making such a big mistake and committing such an unforgivable error, do you know your crime?”

Hearing this, Elder Ma and the two Steward Elders hurriedly stood up, lowered their heads and bowed deeply. “Sect Master, it was this subordinate who was lax in governing my subordinates, I know my sin.”

“Good, since you know it’s your fault, and I remember that this is your first offense, so I will give you a lighter sentence. You will be punished with 100,000 spirit stones to compensate for the loss of the disciple Liu Mufeng. In addition, the other two Steward Elders in charge of the Spiritual Plants Garden are also to be blamed, each person will be punished with 50,000 spirit stones. Within three days, the three of you will deliver the spirit stones to Pill Peak. There must be no mistakes!”

“Yes, Sect Master.” The three people in question did not dare to delay their response.

At that, the Third Elder nodded with satisfaction. It was considered an acceptance of the Sect Master’s punishment.

Walking to the ring, a Steward Elder immediately took out a Sunward plant and sent it to Liu Mufeng. “It is our Spiritual Plants Garden that has been negligent, please bear with me, Nephew Liu.”

“The Elder is over-serious. There have been many alchemy competitions in the past two days and I understand that for each competition, a large amount of spiritual plants must be prepared. It is quite possible to easily make mistakes.” Smiling, Liu Mufeng responded lightly. The reason why he used some time to inspect the spiritual plants today was because he was sure that the Elder and Grandson of the Ma family would cause trouble for him. As expected, this Elder Ma really did something to his spiritual plants.

“Thank you for your understanding, Nephew Liu.” With a smile, the Steward Elder stepped aside. Inwardly he couldn’t help cursing,‘Elder Ma is going too far. It was obviously his Grandson who wanted to foul the competition, but he actually asked me to help them wipe their butts and apologize to Liu Mufeng in public. It’s really abominable.’

After such a small episode, several of the ten fourth-level alchemists in the challenge area took out tables and put their spiritual plants on the table to check one by one, and some even pulled off the leaves of the spiritual plants to try the taste and smell one by one, just in case there was also something wrong with their own spiritual plants.

Looking at the group of fourth-level alchemists who were desperately checking the spiritual plants, the Elders smiled wryly and inwardly thought:How could there be so many mistakes? One mistake was already considered to be a big one. These disciples think too much!

Glancing at the challengers, Liu Mufeng took out two spiritual plants from his storage necklace.

“Liu Mufeng has readied his spiritual plants: Xiaoxiang grass, Jiji flower.” After receiving a voice transmission from the Third Elder, the Officiating Elder reported the spiritual plants that Liu Mufeng had prepared. The meaning was to tell the other ten people that they no longer had the right to use these two plants.

Hearing this, the ten challengers were dumbfounded. That means they couldn’t use Jiji Flower anymore. This, what could they do? The Jiji Flower was the main ingredient for the Red Cloud Pill, how could they refine the pill without using Jiji Flower?

“Third Elder, this disciple doesn’t think it’s necessary to limit others from using the same spiritual plants that are used by others, right?”

“Yes, Third Elder, if the main ingredient cannot be used, how can it become a pill?”

“Third Elder!” Looking at the Third Elder, several challengers were very unconvinced.

Hearing this, the Third Elder snorted coldly. “What I want as a disciple is not an alchemist who depends on a pill recipe to refine pills, what I want is a supreme genius who can change a pill recipe and create his own. If all of you only know how to stick to the original recipes, what qualifications do you have to be my disciples?”

“This……”

“This……”

Faced by such a question, the ten people didn’t know how to answer.

“Master, since all the Junior Brothers and Sisters feel that I took out the Jiji Flower first, it is unfair to them. Then I don’t need to use the Jiji Flower, I’ll exchange it for the use of another three ingredients.” Liu Mu looked at his Master and spoke calmly. He and his Master had studied this Red Cloud Pill for a period of time, and they had come up with more than a dozen ways to change the pill recipe. It was not difficult for Liu Mufeng to change the method.

“Is there any other refining method for this Red Cloud Pill?” The Ninth Elder was very puzzled about this.

“Yes, it’s already incredible to use only ten spiritual plants to refine the Red Cloud Pill. Is it actually possible to not use the main ingredient, Jiji Flower? This will be an eye-opening experience.” Looking at Liu Mufeng, the Eighteenth Elder said with a smile

The Third Elder nodded. “Good, since Mufeng said so, then this Seat will give you ten people a chance and allow you ten people to use the Jiji Flower. But you can’t use the Xiaoxiang plant. Because this recipe was thought up by Mufeng, not by you guys. What I want to see is something you guys came up with yourselves, not copying from others.”

“Thank you Third Elder, and Senior Brother Liu.” Bowing their heads to thank the Master and disciple, everyone immediately took out the Jiji Flowers from their storage rings. But after taking it out, everyone was still dumbfounded, because they didn’t know what to use for the remaining two spiritual plants.

Glancing at the group of people, Liu Mufeng put away the Xiaoxiang plant and Jiji Flowers in his hands. It was replaced with another kind of spiritual plant, a kind of spiritual fruit and a porcelain bottle.

“Liu Mufeng prepared his own spiritual plants: Tree Ring plant, Red Cloud Fruit, and Wisteria Vine juice.” Opening his mouth, the Officiating Elder announced.

“Ah? Red Cloud Fruit? Third Senior Brother, this is a poisonous fruit, right?” Looking at the Third Elder beside him, the Ninth Elder asked in a confused manner.

“Mufeng, he won’t let me down.” Looking at the apprentice on the stage, the Third Elder said confidently.

“The Red Cloud Fruit and the Wisteria Vine are mutually repellant, won’t there be any problem using both together?”

“Yes, Third Senior Brother, this, is this possible?”

Looking at the Ninth Elder and the Eighteenth Elder, the Third Elder smiled and did not reply. He waved his hand, building a transparent protective film above the ring, protecting Liu Mufeng in it. Fearing that others might damage Mufeng’s alchemy.