Chapter 84

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*Clang* The copper gong resounded, the hourglass was inverted, and the alchemy competition began.

The countless bustling noises around suddenly fell silent.

Huo Yingfan, who had been well-prepared, moved first. He threw a medicinal herb into the cauldron, clapped his hands on the alchemy cauldron, and infused a thick mystic energy into the inscriptions on the cauldron. The intricate and profound inscriptions glowed with a faint, hazy purple light, like a galaxy in the night sky, gradually becoming brighter and clearer. At the convergence point of the inscriptions, a small vortex of light formed, rapidly gathering the surrounding spiritual energy.

"Wow..."

Suddenly, a red flame spurted out from the star-like vortex into the cauldron. The heat rushed towards him.

He held his breath, focused his mind, and extended his divine sense to capture a thread of the flame. Under his control, the flame moved nimbly, like a tongue of fire, gently brushing over the herb as if a thin veil of smoke were passing over it. After several passes, the herb underwent a subtle change, its surface turning a faint golden color, and a fragrant aroma spread.

When the flame was exhausted, the herb fell from the air.

Suddenly, another thread of flame shot through.

*Fzzt.*

With a light sound, a wisp of blue smoke rose, and the essence of the herb was fully extracted, floating in the center of the cauldron. A pile of black and white residue fell to the bottom.

The process continued methodically, without a single pause or flaw.

"Wow! Senior Brother Huo's technique is so proficient. If I could be half as good, I'd be happy."

"Exactly, exa~ctly! Senior Brother Huo is one of the few young geniuses in our Changchun Valley!"

"The starting gesture Xiao Yingzi just used is called the 'One Come, Two Return' method. It's his signature technique, which can better extract the essence of the herbs. It takes you two to three years just to master this technique, and if you want to use it skillfully, it takes at least ten years. It's not something a bumpkin like Chen Mo can compare to."

Ye Lianxiang stood in the crowd, arms crossed, with a look of arrogance. To her, the outcome was already decided. All that was left was to watch the country bumpkin Chen Mo be exposed and expelled from Changchun Valley in disgrace.

Gu Yue Xiao Guo also highly praised Huo Yingfan's "One Come, Two Return" refining technique. Among the younger generation, this level of skill was indeed outstanding.

After watching Huo Yingfan, he turned his gaze to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo was just opening the cauldron lid, about to grip the handles, when the large cauldron wobbled. He stopped his actions, picked up a stone, and placed it under the cauldron to stabilize it.

Huo Yingfan, with his sharp eyes, noticed that one of the cauldron's three legs was missing, and soon others did too. Laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Junior Brother Chen, if you lack the money to buy a cauldron, just say so. I can give you... a few, no problem. Why would you agree to a competition you're bound to lose?"

After Huo Yingfan spoke, others chimed in.

"Is this poor boy so desperate for money? No wonder he dared to challenge Senior Brother Huo for the 200,000 gold."

"Exactly, exa~ctly! To bring such a broken cauldron and dare to compete in alchemy with Senior Brother Huo? Do you know that his is a high-grade ordinary cauldron? It's just asking for humiliation."

"Such a reckless boy! If this broken cauldron is used to refine a first-grade spirit pill, there's a high chance it will explode."

...

A series of mocking comments fell on Chen Mo's ears. His eyes were as calm as an ancient well. With his current state of mind, how could a few small taunts anger him?

A good cauldron can indeed increase the success rate of alchemy, but it also loses the most primitive refinement of alchemy techniques.

"Junior Brother Chen truly inherits his master's true teachings. His alchemy skills are extraordinary. To refine a first-grade medicine with such a trashy cauldron, it truly shows great courage and skill. I admire you greatly."

After Huo Yingfan spoke, seeing Chen Mo calmly organizing the herbs, he felt a bit bored and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, you little brat, keep up the act. Wait until the competition is over, and see if you can still remain calm.

Seeing Chen Mo bend down to examine the herbs, picking and choosing before throwing one in, Huo Yingfan sneered, showing his disdain.

A grayish-blue flame rose in the cauldron, and the herbs tumbled. Chen Mo used his divine sense to capture a thread of the grayish-blue flame, wrapping it around the herb. The surface impurities of the herb were burned away, revealing the white essence, and a faint blue smoke rose from the herb.

Generally, the purer the refinement of the spirit herbs, the less blue smoke.

When all the impurities were removed, the pure white essence of the herb was fully revealed to everyone. It had been several breaths, but the audience seemed unaware.

Huo Yingfan's mouth gradually opened wide, his heart shaken. Such pure essence was truly rare, at least not something he, Huo Yingfan, could refine. He wondered, could he lose?

"No, impossible. To think he can win me with a broken cauldron? He's only proficient in refining essence. Alchemy is a highly comprehensive skill. How can this boy, who has only been practicing for a month, truly defy the heavens?"

Huo Yingfan muttered to himself, as if to confirm his suspicions.

Chen Mo had just finished refining a herb and subconsciously wiped his sweat. As soon as he relaxed, all the herb's essence was destroyed, turning into a blackened mass, with blue smoke rising.

*Pfft, sigh.* The crowd clicked their tongues in regret.

"Junior Brother Chen, when refining pills, you must never be distracted. Even if a knife is at your neck, you must remain focused. Didn't your master...?"

Huo Yingfan glanced at Chen Mo, deliberately giving a serious lecture. But before he finished, his hand slipped, and the herb he threw in turned into a thick blue smoke, with a burnt smell rising. The half-smile on his lips instantly froze.

Everyone was stunned. Such a dramatic turn of events left the field in dead silence. The crowd seemed to be petrified.

*Pfft, pfft.* The crowd burst into laughter, the karmic retribution coming so quickly that even the usually strict judge, Gu Yue Xiao Guo, had a smile on his lips.

With a stumble, Huo Yingfan's face turned red, and he tried to remain calm.

But this way, both the first attempts ended in failure. Chen Mo had lost one chance, and if Huo Yingfan hadn't been so focused on Chen Mo, causing his state of mind to waver, he might have already succeeded.

Gu Yue Xiao Guo's gaze drifted to a hidden place in the distance, where he saw Mu Lingwei smiling. She was as beautiful as a lotus, with no worry about the competition. Her green eyes were deep, as if she had already seen through everything.

Huo Yingfan learned from his mistake, focused his mind, and his expression turned serious. He picked up a herb, threw it in, and gripped the cauldron handles, infusing mystic energy into his palms. The flame immediately roared, and he began his second attempt.

His movements were steady, and his operations were proficient. One by one, the auxiliary herbs were refined and fell to the bottom of the cauldron.

As Huo Yingfan became more steady and serious, the noise in the crowd subsided, and the entire venue was so quiet that a pin could be heard. At this moment, Chen Mo also began his second attempt.

Huo Yingfan glanced at Chen Mo, seeing him throw herbs into the cauldron one by one, his technique becoming more proficient and completely different from before. He was quite surprised.

But then he smiled. Even if Chen Mo had some skills, so what? As a second-grade alchemist, he was confident he could easily defeat Chen Mo, who was still in a gray robe.

Thinking of this, the veins around Huo Yingfan's eyes bulged, the bones on his hands stood out, the inscriptions on his palms glowed brightly, and the flame suddenly surged.

"Condense!"

The entire audience's attention was immediately drawn to Huo Yingfan.

Huo Yingfan easily reined in his power, wiped his sweat, and casually opened the lid. With a wave of his hand, a pill that was rolling at the bottom of the cauldron was drawn into his hand.

Huo Yingfan, the pill was complete!

Now that he was done, what about Chen Mo?

Huo Yingfan looked up and saw Chen Mo struggling to control the flame.

*Puff.* The cauldron lid suddenly jumped, and a wisp of blue smoke rose.

Chen Mo, another failed attempt.

Seeing Chen Mo like this, no one was happier than Huo Yingfan. But his face remained calm, with a false look of kindness: "Junior Brother Chen, winning and losing are common in battles. Don't take it to heart."

Chen Mo said nothing, his face calm, and with a wave of his sleeve, the residue at the bottom of the cauldron was swept out.

Huo Yingfan handed the pill to Gu Yue Xiao Guo.

Gu Yue Xiao Guo looked at it. The pill was round, with a rough, brownish surface, and a faint, poor fragrance. Though it looked like a baked mud ball, it was indeed a first-grade spirit pill, but barely qualified as ordinary.

Huo Yingfan, a second-grade alchemist, performing at this level was normal.

However, he was more optimistic about Chen Mo. First, Chen Mo was Lu Huazhen's grand-disciple. Second, he was not arrogant or impatient, with an extraordinary and resilient character, which he greatly admired.

Admiration aside, he was the judge of this competition. He nodded slightly to the woman in the distance and said, "This pill is a first-grade spirit pill, of medium quality."

Huo Yingfan lifted his chin towards Chen Mo, full of arrogance, unmasked.

"How about it, Junior Brother Chen?"

Among the people Huo Yingfan brought, many cheered.

Hearing the judge's words and the noise from the crowd, Chen Mo's face remained calm. He said slowly, "We both still have one set of materials left, and half the time remains. The outcome is still uncertain."

After Chen Mo spoke, the venue fell silent, and the audience began to murmur, but the noise quickly grew louder.

"Who does this Chen Mo think he is, to compare himself to Huo Yingfan?"

"Exactly, exa~ctly! The outcome is already decided, yet he still won't give up. Truly, he's just living in misery for the sake of face."

"Perhaps he's just hoping to win a big bet... he must be desperate for money..."

"Silence! This is a sacred place of the Pill Hall. How dare you make such a racket? The competition continues." Gu Yue Xiao Guo shouted sternly, and the venue fell silent.

Huo Yingfan stood with his hands behind his back, nodding thoughtfully, pacing in the venue, looking very troubled. "Junior Brother Chen, don't take it personally, but have you won in the two rounds so far? It's good for young people to be ambitious, but don't overestimate yourselves."

"Ha, Senior Brother Huo, you talk too much. Focus on your alchemy." Chen Mo replied calmly.

They were at odds, neither giving in.

...

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