Reborn Medicine King

"What do you mean by that, sir?"    

Zhu Yan, standing nearby, was still clueless about what was happening, but Chen Ning didn't respond to him. Instead, he communicated directly with Jiang Fann.    

"Kid, these materials aren't up to the standard for making medicine. I'll get you a better batch."    

Jiang Fann declined the offer outright.    

"You're overthinking it, sir. I'm determined to win the final prize, and the quality of the materials won't change that outcome. Since someone in the guild wants to see what I can do, why disappoint them?"    

Chen Ning was surprised. It was clear from Jiang Fann's words that he already knew about the difference in material quality.    

Jiang Fann remained calm and confident, unaffected by the materials, which piqued Chen Ning's interest in this unfamiliar young man.    

Chen Ning wasn't one to complicate matters. Since Jiang Fann didn't mind, he decided not to press the issue further. He was curious to see if Jiang Fann truly had the skills to turn something ordinary into something extraordinary.    

He nodded at Jiang Fann and moved on to inspect the other participants' materials.    

Zhu Yan quickly asked Jiang Fann, "What were you two talking about? That's Chen Ning, the pharmacist. You really shouldn't upset him. If you can get on his good side, even Chen Ye would have to think twice before crossing me."    

Jiang Fann chuckled, "It's nothing, just some talk about the rules."    

Zhu Yan curled his lip, clearly not buying Jiang Fann's explanation. To him, there was no way Chen Ning was here without a reason.    

He glanced over at Chen Ning and saw him in front of Cheng Shufan, swapping out one material for another of the same kind. Something clicked in Zhu Yan's mind, and he immediately looked at the materials in Jiang Fann's hand. After a careful inspection, his expression changed.    

"You think I'm easy to fool..."    

Zhu Yan had a fiery temper and was quick to react. With his skills in alchemy, he could easily spot the issue with the materials, and there was no way he could let this slide.    

Jiang Fann quickly used his spiritual strength to seal Zhu Yan's mouth, preventing him from speaking further.    

"Better not say too much, my friend. Don't you want to build ties with the Alchemy Guild? Exposing this won't do you any good, and besides, Chen Ning was already planning to help me switch the materials, but I turned him down."    

Unable to speak, Zhu Yan communicated with Jiang Fann telepathically.    

"Turned him down? Why? If they're playing tricks even with this, how can we compete with the guild's disciples? If I find out who's behind this, I won't let them off!"    

Jiang Fann glanced in the direction of Ye Wusheng and another person, and Zhu Yan followed his gaze.    

Seeing the two of them, Zhu Yan froze on the spot, then quickly turned away, clearly recognizing who they were.    

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Fann couldn't help but chuckle. He teased, "It's your turn to step up!" Zhu Yan's eyes suddenly cleared. He said seriously, "I think we should take our time with this. Maybe those two are testing your skills, so you better show them what you've got..."    

Jiang Fann sealed his mouth with spiritual strength, smiling silently. Zhu Yan was quite amusing.    

In the stands, Ye Wusheng and Qian Qing had seen everything unfold. Qian Qing frowned, "He actually turned down Chen Ning's offer. What's he thinking?" Ye Wusheng replied, "Is he really that confident? We should look into this guy's background. How could the Zhu family suddenly have a genius in alchemy? Did you notice how quickly he grabbed the materials?"    

Qian Qing nodded. "Chen Ning didn't even notice, but this guy's skills might be way stronger than they seem. It's odd..."    

Chen Ning replaced everyone else's materials with better quality ones, except for Jiang Fann, who declined the offer. This gesture made Jiang Fann think a bit differently about the Alchemy Sect.    

Looking around, Jiang Fann noticed the other contestants had already summoned their pill furnaces, each of varying quality, and their control over the flames was completely different.    

The two mysterious alchemists in the group both used pill furnaces of the highest quality. Besides them, the poison alchemist's furnace was equally impressive, perhaps even more so, with a unique aura. Occasionally, poisonous insects crawled over it, emitting an eerie glow.    

While the other competitors' furnaces weren't quite as remarkable as these three, they were still capable of crafting high-level elixirs. Each participant infused their controlled flames into their furnaces, warming them up in anticipation of the third stage of the competition.    

Jiang Fann hadn't summoned his furnace yet. He was observing the poison alchemist, intrigued by her use of a special flame that exuded a chilling sensation. It was a flame he knew well, the Northern Nether Flame, which he had acquired years ago.    

As the flames entered the furnaces, the insects on the poison alchemist's furnace didn't flee. Instead, they crawled inside, with some even entering the flames directly. They were instantly ignited by the Northern Nether Flame, releasing wisps of energy that floated within the furnace.    

The woman used the unique spiritual strength of the insects as a catalyst in her alchemy, a method that piqued Jiang Fann's interest.    

The two mysterious alchemists from the Pill Sect also possessed unique flames, each of impressive quality. Although they both hailed from the same sect, their understanding of alchemy was entirely different.    

Over on Cheng Shufan's side, he was fanning the flames within his pill furnace with intense focus, using his spiritual strength to control the fire's intensity. He was fully absorbed in his task.    

As everyone else was getting into their groove, Zhu Yan noticed Jiang Fann standing by, seemingly just watching the spectacle without any intention of preparing.    

"Hey, hey, hey! Why aren't you getting ready? What are you waiting for? The quality is the same, so it's all about speed. Only one person can win in the end. You're not planning to let someone else take the victory, are you?"    

"I'm not in a hurry, so why are you? If people want to see what I can do, I won't disappoint them."    

With that, Jiang Fann flipped his hand, and a small pill furnace appeared. This furnace had been with him for years. Its quality wasn't top-tier, not even reaching King Rank, but it was decent enough, having served him well in the past.    

Zhu Yan, standing nearby, was clearly puzzled by the small furnace.    

"You're not seriously planning to use this, are you? You've got to be kidding!"    

As he spoke, he took the furnace from Jiang Fann's hand to examine it closely, worried he might have overlooked a hidden treasure.    

No matter how it was perceived, this pill furnace seemed to emit the aura of an Earth Rank treasure, and it didn't even have any inscriptions on it.    

"If you don't have a pill furnace to use, I can lend you mine. Why use something like this? Besides, this furnace is too small; it might not even hold all the materials."    

Jiang Fann wrapped his spiritual strength around the pill furnace and took it back into his hand.    

"I'm not just using this furnace!"    

Hearing Jiang Fann say this, Zhu Yan finally relaxed.    

"That's good... that's good... So it's just for assisting in the pill-making process..."    

But just as he finished speaking, a dozen more pill furnaces of the same size appeared, floating in front of them.    

Compared to these smaller furnaces, the first one Jiang Fann took out was still the highest quality.    

Zhu Yan almost spat out a mouthful of blood, stepping back several paces. He clutched his chest, clearly unable to accept it.    

"What... what are these things! This is the final stage; you can't mess around!"    

Just as he finished speaking, Chen Ning suddenly chimed in from the other side.    

"The auspicious time has arrived; the third phase begins. I hope you all can complete the crafting of the Xuan Tian Seven Star Pill!"    

After saying this, he glanced over at Jiang Fann, clearly curious about why Jiang Fann had refused his offer.    

At this moment, many eyes were on Jiang Fann. After all, during the second phase, Chen Ning had given Jiang Fann's pill an extremely high evaluation. People wanted to know what kind of gifted pharmacist Jiang Fann was and what other techniques he had up his sleeve.    

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a flicker of flame appeared in Jiang Fann's hand. The flame then split into several parts, each entering one of the small pill furnaces in front of him. However, the audience was more intrigued by the flame he had conjured than by the mediocre-quality furnaces.    

"Ordinary flame!" Zhu Yan couldn't help but speak up, despite not wanting to disturb Jiang Fann. "What on earth are you up to?"    

Unfortunately, Jiang Fann didn't respond, remaining intensely focused. Around him, a dozen pill furnaces hovered in the air, and soon, thirty-some materials paired off and began to fall into different furnaces.    

On stage, pharmacists in each area started their tasks. Some assisted contestants in nurturing materials, while others helped categorize them, each displaying a unique understanding of the art. Yet, Jiang Fann stood out as an anomaly.    

Zhu Yan, closest to Jiang Fann, realized what he was doing. Jiang Fann was nurturing all the materials simultaneously, a feat that left Zhu Yan utterly astonished. What kind of control was this?    

He quickly regained his composure and hurriedly warned Jiang Fann, "Are you seriously planning to use an ordinary flame to nurture those high-quality ingredients? Do you know how much time that will waste? And you're handling so many materials at once!"    

But Jiang Fann didn't acknowledge his words, fully immersed in his task. He was determined to claim the ultimate prize, and his current approach was all about accepting the challenge from the Pill Sect!    

Fang Xiang turned to Zhu Yan and said, "Didn't he mention that you should focus your energy on others? He has his reasons, so there's no need to worry."    

Even though Fang Xiang wasn't well-versed in the art of alchemy, his understanding of Jiang Fann allowed him to grasp Jiang's approach completely.    

However, Jiang Fann's methods made it difficult for Zhu Yan to muster any interest in making potions for others. He was more curious about what changes might occur with Jiang Fann's current endeavors. Could this strategy successfully produce the King Rank's top-tier Xuantian Seven Star Pill?    

From this distance, he could sense the conditions inside the pill furnace with his spiritual sense, observing the transformation of the materials.