Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 250, 259: A monumental achievement, a decisive blow.

"Junior Brother Li, if you only know alchemy..."

The competition platform was some distance from where the sect leaders were, but this obviously wouldn't cause any trouble for the grandmasters.

Hearing Ye Shuyi's words, Taiyi Zhenren was not angry at all. He even said happily to Yan Daotong beside him:

"This child is like me! Pure-hearted and loyal to what she loves. If she were to marry, she would be a perfect match."

Changsun Chi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, while Yan Daotong shook his head helplessly.

"Junior brother, you should worry about Li Cunxiao."

"Half an hour has passed, and Ye Shuyi and Li Siqi have already finished refining the materials, but he is still not moving."

"Worry?"

Upon hearing this, Taiyi Zhenren's lips curled into a smirk. At that moment, a gasp of surprise came from the high platform.

Everyone turned their heads and saw the Azure Dragon carrying medicinal herbs and throwing them into the furnace.

Changsun Chi's brows furrowed instantly. Although he was only mediocre in alchemy and not as skilled as Taiyi Zhenren, he was still an expert.

He knew perfectly well that Li Cunxiao's method was extremely difficult; if he wasn't careful, all the materials would turn to ashes.

Honestly, ever since the other party broke through the Heavenly Ladder, their behavior has been quite different from before, as if they have become arrogant.

It would be unwise to accept the challenge against Li Siqi; when the actual competition arrived, they were even gambling.

"This is too frivolous. Does he think he can act recklessly just because he's young? Based on my previous understanding, he doesn't seem to be that kind of person."

Changsun Chi was puzzled, and the other two sect leaders were no different.

But aside from youthful arrogance and overconfidence in their talents, they couldn't really think of any reason why the other party would do this.

But it's okay to lose.

In life, who can have a smooth journey?
Don't be fooled by their current status as sect leaders and grandmasters; back then, they could only watch Yan Daotong's retreating figure, filled with sorrow and regret.
Recognizing limitations allows us to see ourselves clearly, which is not a bad thing for spiritual practice.

As a talented successor of Louguandao, his greater composure is something everyone is happy to see.

But things took a turn for the better very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the light of the Crimson Emperor's Flowing Mercury rose from the alchemy furnace, engulfing more than twenty kinds of medicinal herbs.

But what followed was not the burnt smell of failure or a handful of dust, but a ball of spiritual liquid that had already faintly condensed into the shape of a pill, chasing and spinning like two swimming fish.

"what?!"

"this!"

Ye Shuyi and Li Siqi were shocked and their emotions fluctuated so much that they almost couldn't maintain the flame in the alchemy furnace.

However, neither of them were complete novices; every step of alchemy was already ingrained in their very being.

Noticing the changes in the medicine in the alchemy furnace, the two immediately pulled their attention back and tried their best to control the true essence fire. Only when the sudden agitation in the alchemy furnace subsided did they breathe a sigh of relief.

Nevertheless, some of the medicinal materials that the two had previously refined were inevitably lost, which would certainly affect the quality of this batch of pills.

However, compared to the pills in the alchemy furnace, Ye Shuyi and Li Siqi were already somewhat distracted, their eyes fixed on Li Cunxiao's alchemy furnace in the distance.

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners used charcoal fire to refine elixirs, so they only left a small window in the furnace to observe the process.

They were all martial artists at the Heavenly Ladder Realm, whose true essence could be manifested as easily as their own arms and fingers, allowing them to easily lock in the medicinal power in the alchemy furnace and prevent it from being lost.

To better observe the changes in the properties of the elixir in the alchemy furnace, each of their furnaces has an opening on its four walls. After true qi is input, a transparent membrane will automatically form.

At this moment, even through the thin membrane, both of them could clearly see that the original twenty-odd different raw materials had been transformed into a crystalline liquid.

Even without Li Cunxiao taking any initiative, the liquid showed a subtle tendency to automatically form a pill.

"It's absolutely outrageous!"

Li Siqi's fingers clenched unconsciously; the scene before him made him almost unable to believe his eyes.

Apart from the alchemy master Taiyi Zhenren on Qinglong Peak, no one else has ever been known to be able to do such a thing.

To be able to refine dozens of medicinal herbs at once requires an astonishing level of control over true essence; it's hard to believe that a Heavenly Ladder martial artist could actually do something like this.

Taiyi Zhenren was able to do this because he was a master of the unity of the three elements. The three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit were no longer separate from each other. True essence had become a part of his body and an extension of his spirit.

As long as he is enveloped in true essence, nothing within the alchemy furnace can escape his notice.

But Li Cunxiao is just a ladder to heaven!

"Is it the 'Nine Revolutions Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture'? Is a divine-level alchemy and martial arts secret technique really that terrifying?"

"No, how could such an exquisite secret technique be learned in just one month? And he even had the leisure to ponder the Mind-Stabilizing Pill?!"

Li Siqi's mind was almost blank, but the tension in his mind hadn't snapped; it was still reminding him of the occasion and the day.

"No matter what, we must refine the pills in my furnace before we talk about the outcome."

Taking a deep breath, Li Siqi forced himself to stop watching Li Cunxiao's alchemy process and focus on the work in front of him.

On the other side, Ye Shuyi was also stunned by Li Cunxiao's move, but what came to her mind was not embarrassment or anger, but the twenty-odd medicinal herbs that had just been thrown into the furnace.

After refining it, Li Cunxiao left the remaining medicinal materials untouched and began directly mixing them with the elixir, condensing and refining them.

"No. The prescription is wrong!"

A sudden thought flashed through Ye Shuyi's mind, but it was followed by even greater doubts and confusion.

It would be almost impossible to refine the Tranquilizing Pill using only these twenty-odd medicinal herbs.

The difficulty in producing this fifth-grade pill lies in its complex combination of medicinal properties. It requires the coordination of various ingredients and the subtle reactions and interactions between different drugs to ultimately simplify the complex process.

If we compare the medicinal properties to several different armies, then alchemy is about trapping these armies in a city, having them fight one by one in a specific order, and finally leaving only the army that the alchemist needs.

The number of troops must be completely controlled so that the final result will be just right.

Li Cunxiao's actions undoubtedly reduced the number of opposing forces; if the battles had continued in the original order, the outcome would have been incorrect.

However, if the same result is desired, the order of the battles must be changed, and the number of troops must be adjusted.
Ye Shuyi was startled by this thought, and a bold idea popped into her mind, but she couldn't believe it.

Curiosity gnawed at her heart like ants, but Li Siqi, who was back at work in the distance, reminded her.

He forced himself not to look over there again, and forced his attention back to the alchemy furnace.

In an instant, the three returned to their previous states. The disciples and dignitaries watching vaguely sensed that something important had happened, but they couldn't figure it out. With anxious expressions, they couldn't help but crane their necks.

He glanced at the three people on the stage for a while, then at the slowly burning incense sticks.

"Junior Brother Taiyi, Li Cunxiao, did you change the elixir formula?"

Yan Daotong's tone was somewhat low, and his eyes were even more intriguing.

Not only was he like this, but Changsun Chi and the others standing to the side also had extremely interesting expressions.

Laymen might see it as a spectacle, but these people, if not all of them have refined pills, have at least consumed more pills than the vast majority of people.

Li Cunxiao's refining technique was indeed amazing, but what was truly breathtaking was his subsequent action of directly condensing the pill.

Having acquired that ability to refine things in an instant, the opponent's actions could no longer be judged by youthful impetuosity. If Li Cunxiao was still the same Li Cunxiao who planned carefully before acting, then it could only mean one thing—

This young man, barely twenty years old, improved the formula for the calming pill!
"Junior Brother Taiyi, say something!"

Qin Li couldn't stand seeing the old Taoist's lips practically curling up to the sky, yet he remained completely silent.

“The senior brothers have all come up step by step from the true lineage, and they have consumed more pills than these juniors have eaten salt. They should have their own judgment.”

Seeing the usually high-ranking and powerful sect leaders scratching their heads in frustration, Taiyi Zhenren couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

When the Li family of Longxi first brought Li Qingtong to Louguan Temple, he didn't care at first, but his thoughts gradually changed, and he valued this disciple and son more and more each day.

However, Li Qingtong had a flaw in his character and failed at the test of revealing his true form, which became a lifelong regret for him.

After that, the other branches all produced two or three true disciples, but on his Azure Dragon Peak, Li Siqi was left to fend for himself alone.

These old fogies wouldn't do it openly, but they've certainly been rubbing salt into his wounds behind his back. After all, in his youth, he relied on his alchemy skills to give the disciples of his sect a hard time.

Today, Li Cunxiao's move truly boosted the old Taoist's reputation, making him feel even more pleased than if he had refined the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

"They used to come to me one by one to show off, and they even had the nerve to call themselves 'prodigies' and 'sons of dragons'! Bah! Apart from Xue Tianyun, which one of them can compare to my disciple!"

Taiyi Zhenren looked at his composed disciples in the distance, a stark contrast to the serious expressions of Li Siqi and Ye Shuyi beside him.

He was very satisfied with Li Cunxiao's actions just now.

It's not about showing off in front of others, but the improved formula for the calming pill is of great value, so how could it be exposed to the public like this?

The composition of a pill formula consists of two parts: the proportion of medicinal ingredients and the refining method.

Li Cunxiao instantly refined the medicine. Everything happened inside the alchemy furnace, and outsiders, separated by his true essence, had no idea what was going on.

Even if Taiyi Zhenren didn't know the pill formula in advance, he wouldn't be able to deduce which of the twenty-odd medicinal herbs were actually refined into spiritual liquid and which were burned to ashes.

Taiyi Zhenren remained silent, secretly pleased. Yan Daotong and the others, though anxious, could only suppress their emotions and wait for the incense sticks to burn out little by little.

Li Cunxiao did not keep them waiting for long.

The azure dragon of true essence roamed freely in the alchemy furnace, spewing out pale red, transparent flames resembling agate, which refined the pill that was gradually taking shape in the center.

Although this process had been repeated several times in the past month, Li Cunxiao still felt a silent shock when he saw the pills being refined and their pure medicinal properties restored.

Like gold being sifted from sand by great waves, or a divine weapon being forged through countless hammer blows, several originally unrelated things eventually merge and become perfectly smooth.

Such wondrous creations, once experienced, can never be forgotten.

"The Nine-Turn Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture is a secret art of alchemy and martial arts, its core being the method of nine turns."

"The so-called first-stage elixir, second-stage elixir, third-stage elixir, fourth-stage elixir, fifth-stage elixir, sixth-stage elixir, seventh-stage elixir, eighth-stage elixir, and ninth-stage elixir."

"I have now achieved minor mastery of the Nine-Turn Flowing Pearl Sutra, corresponding to the third stage."

"The first stage involves refining the medicine, removing its impurities, reducing its ordinary qualities, and extracting its essence."

The second step involves subduing its fiery nature and regulating its yin and yang to make the medicinal properties mild.

The third step is to nourish the medicinal properties, warm the spirit, and purify the medicinal essence.

"By mastering the three-stage refining process, I can easily refine fifth-grade pills, and the quality of these pills far surpasses that of ordinary alchemists like Li Siqi and Ye Shuyi."

"I wonder what level of cultivation Master possesses?"

His thoughts wandered, but the flames within the alchemy furnace remained perfectly still. The shifts in the intensity of the fire were smooth and precise.

After three cycles, the jade-bead-like calming pill had taken shape, and the soaring azure dragons coiled and sank down, locking it in the center.

This is the final step: stop the fire and seal the elixir, allowing the remaining changes within the elixir to complete naturally.

Looking up at the incense sticks, only an hour and a half had passed. The fire in the alchemy furnace in front of Ye Shuyi and Li Siqi in the distance was still raging, indicating that it would take a while longer.

However, the two were so focused that they didn't notice that their opponent had already finished.

But then again, if they actually saw it, they would probably both explode on the spot, with no chance of survival.

Li Cunxiao

A familiar voice suddenly rang in his mind. Li Cunxiao was startled at first, then looked at the highest point of the crowd. Yan Daotong, holding an iron ruyi, was staring at him. He immediately understood.

"Sect Leader, the competition isn't over yet."

“Just as cunning as your master,” Yan Daotong chuckled, glancing at his junior brother beside him.

Taiyi Zhenren vaguely sensed the other party's actions, but said nothing.

He swept the dust off his whisk, then looked away, appearing quite indifferent.

"Alright, stop pretending in front of me. Li Cunxiao, tell me honestly, did you improve the formula for the Tranquilizing Pill?"

Although they were far apart, as the words fell, a gaze that seemed almost tangible landed on his shoulder, making Li Cunxiao's heart sink.

It felt as if saying the wrong word would immediately send one plummeting into the abyss, creating an indescribable sense of terror.

"Yes. I improved the pill formula, reducing the required materials by half and lowering the difficulty of refining. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to pull off that trick just now."

"As for the effects, you and the sect leaders will know once the pills are ready."

"Anyway, I don't plan to refine a second batch."

What an arrogant kid.

Yan Daotong raised an eyebrow, but felt no disdain, only joy.

It was this confidence that made him even more certain that the other party had indeed improved the formula for the Tranquilizing Pill, rather than using a fake person.

For a moment just now, he even wondered if the Immortal Taiyi had improved the elixir formula, allowing Li Cunxiao to reap the benefits.

But the idea only flashed through his mind for a moment before he rejected it himself.

The more talented a person is, the more arrogant they become, and the more they believe that their own hands can provide them with everything they need.

Moreover, Taiyi was his junior brother of many years, and his sincerity towards alchemy would not yield in the slightest, even when facing his beloved disciple or relatives.

Such a person disdains lying. And Li Cunxiao, as an even more dazzling figure than Taiyi Zhenren of yesteryear, is naturally even less likely to lie.

And that's the truth; the outcome of this competition is practically decided.

The most important thing right now is how to reward Li Cunxiao for his contributions.

After all, what's being improved isn't some Qi and Blood Pill or Qi Accumulation Pill. These low-level pills were already simplified to the extreme because they were designed for mass production and have been improved countless times by generations of outstanding individuals.

The Mind-Stabilizing Pill directly affects the number of martial artists above the True Form realm in a faction, indirectly determining the rise and fall of a sect.

Li Cunxiao's contributions can be described as monumental, and it is no exaggeration to say that they were immense.

In a chaotic world, heroes vie for supremacy. The significance of this elixir formula, and the astonishing talent of Li Cunxiao behind it, are all revealed.
Yan Daotong made a decision instantly upon realizing this:

"Li Cunxiao, after this competition, you are promoted to a true disciple, and you will be granted another Four Divine Pill and allowed to choose a divine weapon."

"Also, I will support you in becoming the master of the Azure Dragon Pavilion. How about that?"

(End of this chapter)