BTTH: DISCIPLE CASHBACK SYSTEM

Chapter 374: The First to Refine a Pill!

Chapter 374: The First to Refine a Pill!

"Liu Ling, that kid, his pill fire is quite powerful! His refining speed is something even you few might struggle to match!" Fa Ma, observing Liu Ling's progress from the stage, remarked softly to the vice president standing beside him.

"Master Fa Ma, indeed, our speed in refining medicinal ingredients is not as fast as Liu Ling’s. It seems Alchemy King Gu He’s skills in teaching his disciples are truly impressive!" Upon hearing Fa Ma’s comment, the two vice presidents standing nearby spoke with a hint of embarrassment.

Initially, Fa Ma was somewhat impressed by Liu Ling's speed, but when the two began praising Alchemy King Gu He, his expression subtly changed.

"There's no need to belittle yourselves. Speed in refining ingredients is important, but it’s not the most crucial factor. The true skill lies in perfectly fusing the refined materials—that’s the real test!" Fa Ma said sternly.

"Yes, Master, we were too shallow in our understanding!" The two vice presidents, feeling even more ashamed, bowed to Fa Ma once again.

"Alright, let’s continue watching."

After saying this, Fa Ma turned his attention back to Liu Ling.

At that moment, not far from Liu Ling’s platform, the cauldron on another contestant's stone platform, unable to withstand the increasing heat, suddenly exploded. With the explosion, the pill being refined inside was ruined, and a harsh red light flashed—signaling failure.

The alchemist whose hair was scorched black and face disfigured from the blast stood dumbfounded, staring at the flashing red light. After a moment, he cursed under his breath, stomped off the platform, and walked out of the square, biting his lip as countless eyes followed him.

"Poor guy!"

Watching this scene, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a hint of schadenfreude.

But after a brief smile, his curiosity got the better of him, and he looked toward Liu Ling’s platform once again.

To his surprise, he saw that Liu Ling had already begun fusing the refined ingredients. Even more shockingly, Liu Ling was attempting to fuse all six ingredients simultaneously—a method far more difficult than the usual approach.

"There's still so much time left; why is he taking such a risky approach? If he fails, all his efforts will be for nothing!" Xiao Yan muttered to himself. The next moment, he quickly shook his head, refocused his thoughts, and stopped paying attention to Liu Ling. Instead, he cautiously added one ingredient after another to his cauldron, patiently experimenting to refine each to its optimal purity. After seeing the earlier contestant fail, Xiao Yan became even more careful.

As time slowly passed, the vast square was intermittently illuminated by flashes of red light. One by one, alchemists, their faces pale or flushed with anger, left the platform, dejected. Under the pitiful gazes of the audience, they reluctantly exited the arena, their hearts heavy with disappointment and frustration.

Despite the difficulty of the test, it was clear that many talented alchemists had gathered for this competition. Aside from those who failed due to various reasons, at least half of the contestants, like Xiao Yan, were still steadily testing the purity of the ingredients.

When the giant hourglass on the wall had emptied nearly halfway, Xiao Yan finally completed his experiments with the ingredients’ purity. Aside from accidentally burning two herbs during the process, his results were quite satisfactory.

The next step was to begin fusing the refined ingredients and form the Bone-Growth Pill.

This stage was even more delicate and complex than the refining process. A moment of distraction could lead to the complete destruction of the ingredients. If the ingredients were exhausted, it would mean failure for Xiao Yan as well.

Clang!

At that moment, a crisp sound echoed across the square.

Over at Liu Ling’s platform, the lid of his cauldron was abruptly lifted, and a perfectly round pill shot out, caught swiftly in his hand.

The first pill of the competition had been successfully refined by Liu Ling.

Upon witnessing this, the crowd in the stands could no longer contain themselves. Despite attempts to maintain order, many broke into applause.

"As expected of Alchemy King Gu He's disciple, amazing!"

"Everyone else is still refining their ingredients, and he’s already completed the pill. He’s truly far ahead of the others!"

After Liu Ling successfully refined the pill, Fa Ma's expression became somewhat serious. Not long before, he had used Liu Ling as an example to "teach" the people around him, but reality had quickly contradicted him.

In the VIP section, several people who had initially been very optimistic about Xiao Yan had already shifted their full attention to Liu Ling.

"To think that this disciple of Alchemy King Gu He has such a profound understanding and terrifying speed in pill refining!" Princess Yao Ye thought to herself in surprise.

"As expected of my senior brother, his skills in alchemy have truly been passed down from our master!"

In the corner, Xiao Yi Xian, who had just finished fusing two medicinal ingredients, glanced toward Liu Ling’s platform, a bright smile forming at the corner of her lips.

"What? He actually managed to successfully fuse six ingredients at once!"

Boom!

Upon realizing that Liu Ling had already succeeded in refining the pill, Xiao Yan’s expression drastically changed. The next moment, a low, muffled sound came from his cauldron.

Inside the cauldron, the pill fire surged violently, and a dull sound resonated from within. The two ingredients that Xiao Yan had been fusing for the better part of the process instantly turned into black ash. With the materials reduced to ashes, the pill fire inside the cauldron also quietly extinguished.

This unexpected event caused the expressions of Nalan Jie, Princess Yao Ye, and Jia Xingtian in the VIP section to darken. They had high hopes for Xiao Yan, but none of them had anticipated such a mishap.

"No, I can’t let him affect me!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yan, feeling frustrated, slapped his forehead in annoyance.

Afterward, Xiao Yan began to recall the refining process in his mind.

"Although the fusion failed, I’ve already grasped most of the details. This time, I can’t make any more mistakes!"

Xiao Yan quickly picked up the final batch of medicinal ingredients and began refining again.

Meanwhile, the sands in the giant hourglass on the stage were rapidly flowing down.

Clang!

Following Liu Ling’s success, another crisp sound rang out. From a corner, Xiao Yi Xian waved her hand, and a pill shot out from her cauldron.

As Xiao Yi Xian became the second person to successfully refine the pill, many eyes immediately turned toward her.

"Who is that? How could they refine the exam pill so quickly?"

"Why is she participating in the Alchemist Conference while wearing a black robe, making herself so mysterious?"

Many people began to speculate about the identity of the mysterious black-robed figure.

At that moment, Fa Ma furrowed his brows deeply. Even with his powerful soul perception, he couldn’t detect the slightest trace of aura from beneath that black robe.

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