C2513 Surpassing Others
C2513 Surpassing Others
Chen Ning was curious about Jiang Fann's unique little furnace but couldn't find anything particularly special about it. Meanwhile, in the stands, an expert pharmacist from the Heaven Pavilion watched Jiang Fann with excitement. Next to him was a practitioner at the peak of the Mortal Separating Stage, who remarked, "He's just a prodigy in pill-making. Why are you so excited?"
"You don't understand. This kid's skills might rival mine. Using ordinary fire and materials to speed up the creation of a King Rank pill is astounding. He's a rare talent in the art of pill-making—no, a true genius!"
The practitioner chuckled, "Not many young people catch your eye."
"If we could bring him into the Heaven Pavilion, we might one day have an immortal herb master among us. With our resources, we could nurture his talent."
The practitioner replied, "That might be a long shot. He's from the Zhu family of Fire Melt Valley, and they're not known for being easy to deal with. They probably won't let such a talented pharmacist step out into the world!"
"The Master has some connections with that person, right? Maybe we can find a way to win him over. If possible, I'm even willing to step down for him. I'd be glad to support such a gifted pharmacist. It might even benefit my own understanding of the art of alchemy."
Hearing this, the practitioner replied, "That would only work if he doesn't accept the invitation from the Alchemy Guild. For a pharmacist, the Guild's allure is much greater than ours."
"Last time, there was some friction between Zhu Yan and the Guild. Maybe we have a chance."
At this moment, Jiang Fann steadied himself. Four days of intense focus had left him a bit weary. Without the aid of mystical flames or a high-quality furnace, he relied solely on his understanding of alchemy. This was also to give the Guild's master pharmacists a little shock.
Jiang Fann wanted to show those two master pharmacists that even using ordinary fire and a regular furnace, his alchemy skills were far superior to others. Their little tricks with the materials were just embarrassing themselves and had no effect on him.
Zhu Yan, now coming to his senses, looked at Jiang Fann with a changed expression. He finally understood the reason for Jiang Fann's calm demeanor all along. His skills were indeed as extraordinary as Fang Xiang had said, far surpassing those of his peers.
"Come on, be honest with me. What level of pharmacist are you?"
Jiang Fann chuckled, "If you speak any louder, my cover might be blown."
Zhu Yan quickly shut his mouth, then excitedly said, "You promised me we'd find a chance to discuss alchemy together. You can't back out now."
"Don't worry, I keep my promises."
Jiang Fann wasn't in the mood to chat with Zhu Yan any longer. He turned his attention to the other alchemists. He was equally interested in these alchemy prodigies, especially those he hadn't interacted with before.
He first looked at the poison alchemist. The woman was deeply focused, exuding a mysterious aura. Her pill furnace glowed with an eerie light, and occasionally, poisonous insects crawled in on their own, maintaining the balance within the furnace. She had already completed the nurturing of her materials, working with great diligence.
The alchemist he had encountered in the secret realm was slightly ahead of the woman in progress. He was clearly familiar with this particular potion. Jiang Fann observed for a while and noticed that the man's technique was nearly flawless, as if he had crafted this potion many times before, likely under someone's guidance.
Huang Rui, at this stage of the competition, wasn't as dominant as before. Just nurturing the materials took her much longer than Qin Feng. However, she didn't seem discouraged and remained focused.
Cheng Shufan was progressing even faster than Qin Feng, indicating he had come well-prepared.
They all had brought high-quality materials, hoping to enhance the success rate and quality of their potions.
After all, the final reward this time was incredibly valuable, so they didn't mind putting in a little extra effort. Some had even started preparing well in advance. Their assistants had already informed them about Jiang Fann's progress. When it came to speed, they knew they were outmatched, so they pinned all their hopes on the quality of their elixirs.
At this moment, Chen Ning was observing Jiang Fann's vial. Being a judge himself, and with the others still far from completing their concoctions, he decided to assess the quality of Jiang Fann's elixir first. He now understood who Bai Ye and the others were wary of. Jiang Fann had indeed worked wonders, using the poorest ingredients, the most ordinary flame, and a standard pill furnace to successfully create this elixir.
He opened the vial and poured a pill into his palm. The rich fragrance and nearly perfect appearance of the pill were striking. Sensing the spiritual strength emanating from it, he was almost certain the elixir was flawless. Even if he had crafted it himself with utmost care, he might not have achieved such quality.
Holding the Xuan Tian Seven-Star Pill, he infused it with his Medicine Arts. To his surprise, the pill emitted a strong life force, giving it an additional property. Not only was it a perfect Xuan Tian Seven-Star Pill, but it also became a potent healing medicine, capable of providing significant healing effects and potentially saving a life in critical moments.
He opened his eyes and looked over at Jiang Fann in surprise, noticing that the latter was intently observing other pharmacists at work. His focus was unwavering, and from his expression, it was clear he had a genuine passion for the art of alchemy—one of the most valuable traits a pharmacist can possess.
This piqued his interest in Jiang Fann even more, but he chose not to interrupt him and instead placed the pill back into its bottle.
Just then, Chen Ning heard a voice in his ear.
"How's the quality? Bring it over so we can take a look!"
The voice belonged to none other than Qian Qing from the viewing platform, who was equally curious about the pills Jiang Fann had crafted.
Without hesitation, Chen Ning flew over to the two of them. They had a good relationship and often exchanged ideas, both being senior members of the alchemy guild, so he had no reason to refuse.
Once he reached them, Ye Wusheng quickly set up a barrier around the three, clearly not wanting anyone else to sense the pill's aura.
Chen Ning spoke first, "There's really no need to continue the competition. Using the lowest quality materials, he managed to produce four flawless pills, each brimming with vitality and devoid of any flaws. In terms of quality, quantity, and speed, no one else can compare. This kid likely inherited the teachings of a powerful pharmacist and is a natural-born alchemy prodigy."
As he spoke, he handed the medicine bottle to Qian Qing.
Qian Qing knew Chen Ning well enough to trust his words, but he couldn't resist opening the bottle to experience it himself. Ye Wusheng did the same. Each held a pill in their hand, and as soon as they sensed the energy emanating from it, their eyes lit up.
"Truly perfect," Ye Wusheng remarked, examining the pill closely. "Even if we were to craft it ourselves, we probably couldn't achieve a higher quality. Is this guy possessed by some great figure? How could someone so young have such skills?"
"Possessed? Don't be ridiculous. Do you think the protective array in our valley is just for show? Any mismatched spirit would have been detected long ago. This guy is indeed young, but his mastery of pill-making is quite advanced. Maybe he's had some unique experiences or inherited some special knowledge. It's impressive," Chen Ning replied. "You two should think about how to explain this to the master. Those two treasures are likely out of our hands."
Qian Qing, annoyed, retorted, "Now you remember how much the master values those treasures? Why don't you step back this time, and we can swap these four pills for them? We can just deny everything later."
Chen Ning shook his head firmly, refusing the suggestion.
"I’m in charge this time, so I can't let you all mess around. You better think of another way," said Ye Wusheng.
"How about we just bring him into the Dan Sect? That way, those treasures stay within the sect and don’t end up elsewhere. With our status, inviting him to join should be an offer he can’t refuse, right?" suggested Qian Qing.
"Don’t overestimate yourself. The pharmacist backing him might be just as capable as us. But we could try to influence Zhu Yan, or maybe the sect leader could directly talk to his family's elder. That should be hard to refuse," Qian Qing replied.
"Let’s wait and see. Maybe those two kids will surprise us with something extraordinary," Ye Wusheng said, glancing at Chen Ning.
"If those kids manage to produce pills comparable to his, we’ll be counting on you for the rest. You won’t turn us down, will you?" he asked.
Although Chen Ning was a bit displeased by their words, he understood their point. He was well aware of the value of those two treasures.
"I’ll do my best to be fair!" Chen Ning replied. With that, he took the medicine bottle and flew back to the platform to continue overseeing the others’ pill-making.
A week passed in the blink of an eye. The unfamiliar pharmacist from the Dan Sect completed his pill formation, stabilizing three pills in the furnace, though it would still take some time before they were fully formed.
Among his peers, Jiang Fann had never seen anyone reach this level before. As for the pharmacist who looked like Qin Feng, he wasn’t too far behind. Jiang Fann sensed that he had also completed three pills, with a fourth mass of medicinal energy swirling around, indicating an attempt at forming a fourth pill. This was something Jiang Fann hadn’t expected.
Huang Rui and Qin Feng still needed some time to complete their alchemy, while the poison alchemist had already crafted three pills. These pills were surrounded by a faint purple aura, with a slightly different essence compared to those made by the pharmacists from the Pill Sect.
It's worth noting that each young alchemist has a unique style of crafting, often reflecting the influence of their mentors. However, apart from the poison alchemist, the others had yet to develop a distinct signature of their own.