Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 63 - Four Formulas

Shangguan Cai felt flattered by Li An’s words and stroked his beard. Serene Tomb City had indeed obtained first place for three consecutive years, which had elevated its position.

“Pavilion Master Li, you’re being too humble. Your Zen City also has a high chance of obtaining first place!” They exchanged pleasantries and compliments, a practice that everyone had grown accustomed to. On the surface, they maintained a harmonious facade, even as they competed fiercely behind the scenes.

Four hours passed, and it was now noon. A refreshing autumn breeze blew, signaling the arrival of the harvest season.

“The alchemists from the top five cities were able to identify all forty-five herbs without missing a single one. However, the alchemists from the lower-ranking cities struggled and had to skip several herbs. The competition this year is expected to be fierce, as all of the top five alchemists have the potential to take first place.”

The one who spoke was the pavilion master of the branch, ranked tenth in the previous year’s competition. They didn’t expect to win first place, as it would be difficult, but they hoped to maintain their ranking.

“You missed out on someone who didn’t skip any of the herbs.” The pavilion master of the ninth-ranking city was a woman in her forties. Her attention was on Liu Wuxie. She noticed that Liu Wuxie’s speed was slow, and he had only identified thirty herbs using more than half of the time while everyone else was nearing completion.

“There’s also a possibility that he’s just scribbling on the paper. The herbs used in this year’s competition are difficult to identify. Even Ji Yang, who ranked first last year, spent an hour on two herbs. From that alone, we can deduce the difficulty of this test,” Mo Shidao sneered as he interrupted.

Ji Yang was a highly talented alchemist from Balance City. In his twenties, he had already achieved the rank of a pinnacle three-star alchemist and was qualified to attempt becoming a four-star alchemist. He had won first place in last year’s competition and had become famous throughout the Great Yan Dynasty as a result. This was because he had a high chance of becoming a four-star alchemist before the age of twenty-five, surpassing countless geniuses.

“How did Pavilion Master Mo conclude that he’s randomly scribbling? I believe Pavilion Master Mo didn’t know the answers to the two questions he asked earlier, right?” Che Jiajun interrupted Mo Shidao. From his attitude, it seemed that there was some tension between them. This was natural, as their branches were close in ranking, with Che Jiajun placing fourth and Mo Shidao placing sixth, making them competitors.

“Hmph, it’s just a coincidence. Real skills are required in the competition and not luck.” Mo Shidao firmly insisted the two questions Liu Wuxie asked were by luck, especially when the answer to the first question came from the book he came across on the previous day. As for the second question, he believed it to be even more of a coincidence because they had used their ways of refining the Energy Condensing Pill since ancient times.

“Why are you two fighting over it? There is only an hour before the test ends, and the truth will be soon revealed,” Ke Wen of Wu City interrupted Che Jiajun and Mo Shidao. He was in a difficult position to be caught in the middle of their argument, and he could only try and persuade them not to fight.

“Hmph!” Mo Shidao snorted. Du Mingze, who could be considered half of his disciple, usually addressed him as master, and he had been embarrassed by Liu Wuxie the previous day, which insulted Mo Shidao.

Some people had already ended their competition. After identifying the herbs, they wrote their names on the paper and handed the answers to Deacon Hua, who took it over to the three judges.

Xiao Mingyi heaved a sigh of relief after writing down the last herb, with a stern light flashing through his eyes. Of the forty-five herbs, there was one that he had never seen before and another that he managed to identify but wasn’t sure about its age. He estimated that he could obtain about forty-three points for this section, but coming up with a formula was too difficult for someone of his ability.

“Brother Xiao, how do you feel about it? Can you beat him?” Wen Song came over and asked in a low voice. He felt a faint ache on his left cheek, still sore from the slap Liu Wuxie had given him the previous day.

“Don’t worry about it. He’s as good as dead!” Xiao Mingyi replied, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Wan Yichun and Xue Chou had also finished identifying the herbs and joined the others, glaring at Liu Wuxie with hatred. They gritted their teeth as they remembered the events of the previous day at the Thousand Seal Chamber of Commerce. All of them held high status and were worried that their reputations would be tarnished if word of what had happened got out.

The alchemists, who were ranked at the top, placed their papers down and gathered together in groups. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Those ranked in the top five looked down on the mediocre alchemists from the lower ranks and refused to associate with them.

“Zuo Hong, you know him?” Qin Letian held onto his chin. He was a handsome young man, around the same age as Ji Yang, and had placed second in last year’s competition after losing to Ji Yang.

Only two people could earn Zuo Hong’s respect: Ji Yang and Qin Letian. If Qin Letian could be considered an alchemy genius, then Ji Yang and Qin Letian were monsters.

Zuo Hong recounted the events of the previous day, causing Qin Letian to look surprised. After all, it was hard to believe that anyone could send Wen Song flying with just a slap.

“Big Brother Zuo Hong, are you saying he sent Wen Song flying with a slap? Even if Wen Song is weak, his cultivation is in the fourth level of the Xiantian Realm. There’s no way ordinary people can send him flying with a slap,” Gu Yongshuang interjected. She had placed fourth in last year’s competition, representing Camp City. Since her ranking was lower than Zuo Hong’s, she addressed him as ‘big brother.’

Everyone was curious because Liu Wuxie only seemed to be only seventeen or eighteen years old. Everyone had already investigated his background and knew he was the son-in-law of Xu Clan in Azure Billow City, known as garbage since he was young.

“Will you believe me if I say he already showed Wen Song mercy?” Zuo Hong rubbed his nose. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he felt compelled to speak the truth.

His words made Qin Letian narrow his eyes because this meant Liu Wuxie wasn’t a pushover to have such a high talent at his age.

Du Mingze forced his way into the conversation, saying, “Hmph, he achieved it by launching a sneak attack. This competition isn’t martial. It’s a test of knowledge and talent as an alchemist. He could only be considered a brute even if he had high martial talent.” Zuo Hong and Gu Yongshuang frowned at his words, and everyone fell silent, leaving Du Mingze in an awkward position.

Everyone began to discuss their experience in the test as they rested.

“The identification round this year is too tough!”

“Yeah. I gave up identifying three herbs.”

“...” The venue was filled with all kinds of discussions.

Thirty-nine alchemists had completed the first round, with Liu Wuxie the only one left. But he was calm and composed as he took out the last herb and took a whiff. He even executed Ghost Eye and penetrated the herb, taking a clearer look at every rhizome.

“Carry on pretending. Let me see how long you can keep up with your act,” Xiao Mingyi said viciously. He couldn’t wait to see Liu Wuxie kneeling before him.

Wen Song sneered and said, “He’s just buying time.” He remembered his own experience participating in the competition for the first time, where he only scored 20 points in the identification round. It was difficult for anyone to obtain a good score on their first try, mainly due to anxiety and discomfort, which are natural human reactions.

When Liu Wuxie finished identifying the last herb and placed it into the box, he moved on to the next step: coming up with a formula. Now that he was familiar with each herb, he closed his eyes to process his thoughts.

“Is that brat insane? Is he going to try coming up with a formula?” The other alchemists were shocked by Liu Wuxie’s actions. Configuring a formula was no joke; if a mistake was made, the cauldron could explode. The loss of the herbs would be minor compared to the potential damage to the cauldron, which could result in significant losses. Seeing this, all of the resting alchemists jumped out of their seats in surprise.

“He must be insane! Only those ranked in the top five dare to configure a formula. Even so, the odds might not be high.” Xue Chou looked like someone had stepped on his tail, and his voice reached every corner of the venue.

Liu Wuxie turned a deaf ear to the surrounding ridicule and carried on with his task. He swiftly deduced a possible formula in his golden soul sea as the forty-five herbs shuttled back and forth, forming a strange scene.

“Brother Ji, what do you think?” Qin Letian asked, unable to understand what Liu Wuxie was trying to do. Last year, Ji Yang had obtained first place with half a formula, putting a distance between himself and the other competitors.

He completed the formula one month later, solidifying his reputation in the alchemy field. As such, Ji Yang was the most qualified to speak on the matter. Qin Letian had also attempted to develop formulas, but most of his attempts had failed, and only a few had succeeded.

Developing a formula was a difficult and time-consuming process that represented the hard work of countless alchemists throughout history. It often involved spending a lot of resources and experiencing repeated failures. As such, it was nearly impossible to develop a formula within six hours.

“It won’t be easy!” Ji Yang replied, being a man of few words. However, he didn’t completely rule out the possibility that Liu Wuxie could succeed. For this to happen, Liu Wuxie would need both an opportunity and a rich knowledge of herbs. It’s similar to how a doctor must prescribe the right medicine in order to treat an illness effectively.

“If he can come up with a formula, I’ll kneel and kowtow to him,” Du Mingze chuckled, declaring that he would kneel if Liu Wuxie could come up with a formula, even if it were for a first-grade pill.

His words were met with agreement from those around him. Du Mingze had placed sixth in last year’s competition, and even someone like him couldn’t develop a formula within six hours. How could a newcomer possibly achieve such a feat? It seemed like something out of a fairytale.

As the identification round drew to a close, with only a few minutes remaining, Liu Wuxie abruptly opened his eyes and began writing on the paper. When he finished writing on one paper, he took out another and continued writing.

“What is he trying to do? It’s already impressive to configure one formula, and he plans to configure several?” A commotion came from the observation area as everyone watched in disbelief. After all, it was heaven-defying enough if someone could configure a formula.

Liu Wuxie had indeed configured multiple formulas. When he reached the end of the second paper, he asked, “Deacon Hua, there aren’t enough papers. Can I apply for two more?”

Each participant was entitled to two papers for configuring formulas, but Liu Wuxie had already used both of his and still needed more.

Deacon Hua wrinkled his forehead and took out two more papers from his desk, placing them before Liu Wuxie. Most participants didn’t even use the papers meant for configuring formulas.

Liu Wuxie continued to write before everyone’s eyes, completing two more formulas. This shocked everyone present as they watched Liu Wuxie write down four formulas in total. No one had ever accomplished something like this in the history of the competition.

Even Ji Yang and Qin Letian were stunned, their mouths hanging open as they looked at Liu Wuxie in disbelief.

After Liu Wuxie wrote down four formulas, he placed the brush down and stretched his waist before turning to look at Xiao Mingyi with a mocking gaze.

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