The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

As soon as he finished speaking, the square was instantly enveloped by a rich aroma of medicine and the fluctuations of alchemical fire.

Hundreds of flames of various colors ignited beneath the alchemy furnace, and most of the cultivators were skillfully warming the furnace and adding medicine, their expressions focused, striving for the slightest error.

Cui Yi scratched the back of his head and followed suit, deciding whether to use alchemical fire or preheat the alchemical furnace.

The flames lit up instantly upon touching the rough fire-gathering array patterns.

However, the light emitted by this alchemy furnace appeared somewhat dim, and the furnace walls heated up much slower than those of others.

Cui Yi remained calm and composed in the face of this situation.

The core of alchemy lies not in the alchemy furnace, but in the alchemical fire; the furnace is merely a cover for him.

Since he was going to refine a first-grade pill, he decided to refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill, which he was most familiar with!

Following the order of the Peiyuan Pill formula, Cui Yi put the remaining basic spiritual herbs from his storage ring into the furnace one by one.

He used his divine sense to perceive the changes in the medicinal liquid inside the furnace.

This inferior alchemy furnace has uneven conduction of fire element and poor isolation from changes in the medicinal properties inside.

But precisely because of this, Cui Yi was able to penetrate the furnace wall with stronger telekinesis and see more directly every minute process of the medicinal materials fusing together.

The quality of the pill depends on the stability of the temperature during the refining process, so Cui Yi could only carefully adjust the flame, trying to make up for the defects of the furnace and allow the medicinal properties to be more evenly integrated.

Time passed second by second.

A faint medicinal fragrance was already wafting from many of the stone platforms, a sign that the elixir was about to take shape.

Cui Yi's progress in refining the pills was a little slower because he was not very skilled at using the alchemy furnace.

The Flame Control Technique splits the flames into three balls within the alchemy furnace, firmly enveloping the three medicinal herbs.

Cui Yi had already gone through the alchemy process many times.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the three herbs in the alchemy furnace had already melted into medicinal liquid.

The medicinal liquids were also melted together under Cui Yi's urging, and now it was the crucial moment to collect and condense the pill.

Click!

A slight cracking sound came from inside the alchemy furnace.

Cui Yi frowned, a sudden bad feeling creeping into his heart, before he could react—

boom!!!

The already barely holding on alchemy furnace suddenly expanded and then exploded in Cui Yi's somewhat astonished gaze!

Fragments mixed with incompletely solidified remnants of the pills scattered and flew everywhere, hitting the protective light shield of the stone platform and making crackling sounds.

A pungent, burnt smell instantly filled the air, and the loud noise drew the attention of many contestants nearby!

When everyone realized that it was Cui Yi's broken furnace that had exploded, they were all stunned at first, and then burst into a burst of unrestrained laughter.

"Hahaha! It exploded as expected!"

"I knew that piece of junk wouldn't hold up! Some ancient relic that I don't know where it came from, and it actually dares to bring it to the alchemy competition?"

"If he wins the award, wouldn't all the effort we put into preparing this alchemy furnace be wasted?"

"What a waste of herbs and time! Let's hurry up and pack up and get down!"

Behind Cui Yi, Su Wan had just finished refining her first batch of pills.

She produced two pills in this batch, both of medium to high quality.

Having completed two-thirds of the required three pills, and just as he breathed a slight sigh of relief, he suddenly heard an explosion ahead.

The sound was so close that her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

When she saw the horrific state of Cui Yi's stone platform and the shattered alchemy furnace, her pretty face turned pale instantly.

For an alchemist, the explosion of their furnace is the most despairing thing!

"senior!"

Su Wan gasped, her eyes filled with anxiety. She gritted her teeth and quickly took out another alchemy furnace from her storage bag.

This is a spare alchemy furnace left to her by her master, and it is one of her most precious possessions besides the main furnace.

In the alchemist profession, the alchemy furnace is not just a tool, but also a legacy, and is even regarded by many alchemists as half of their life.

Needless to say, even the main furnace is rarely lent out by alchemists, let alone the spare furnace.

Unless, of course, they are life-and-death friends or close mentors and students.

Su Wan held the small incense burner, her lips slightly moving as she gestured towards Cui Yi across the stone platform, making a handing motion.

Her meaning couldn't be clearer—

Senior, use mine!

Noticing Su Wan's movements and gaze, Cui Yi was slightly taken aback, and a hint of surprise indeed crossed his mind.

Would she really lend out her spare alchemy furnace just for a low-grade spirit stone from yesterday?

But before Cui Yi could respond, and before Su Wan could even take a step—

"quiet!"

"Contestant number 274, stop immediately!"

A stern shout rang out, and a figure flashed on the high platform, appearing in mid-air near Su Wan's stone platform, looking down at her!

"The competition has strict rules: all participants must complete the tasks independently during the competition!"

"Any form of communication or assistance is strictly prohibited, including lending out items!"

"Anyone who violates this rule will be immediately disqualified from the competition, and will be held accountable according to the severity of the offense!"

"Considering this is your first offense and no substantial exchange occurred, this is a warning!"

"You, immediately retrieve any irrelevant items and focus on your own match!"

"If you overstep your bounds again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Su Wan's hand trembled, and the spare alchemy furnace clattered onto the stone platform.

"It's alright, just focus on the game."

Cui Yi's telekinetic power easily penetrated the soundproof shield, and the sound reached Su Wan's ears.

Upon hearing Cui Yi's calm voice, Su Wan felt a sense of relief.

For some reason, she always felt that the man in front of her could solve all problems.

Cui Yi gently weighed the three ugly, broken pills in his hand, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

The rule prohibits the exchange of goods.

However, there's no rule that the person who caused the explosion can't continue the competition.

There was no rule that the pills submitted had to be refined in a pill furnace.

Since we're already here, let's give these guys a little shock.

With a swift movement of his hand, Cui Yi retrieved the three damaged pills that had rolled onto the ground.

At the same time, he snapped his fingers with his right hand, and a cluster of elixir fire burst into flames from his palm.

All eyes were already on him.

Seeing that he not only didn't pack up and leave, but instead picked up a charred pill and lit it as if he were doing it right, they burst into laughter again.

"Ha! Still not giving up?"

"What are you planning to do with those damaged pills? Reforge them? Do you think you're some kind of immortal?"

"Give me a break. The alchemy furnace is gone; do you expect us to conjure pills by hand?"

"Maybe it got stupid from the oven explosion..."

Residual pills are generally considered waste, as the components of the herbs have already begun to blend.

Moreover, once removed from the alchemy furnace, the temperature of both the surface and the interior of the pill will drop rapidly.

The numerous materials were mixed together, making it impossible to refine them again.

Or rather, the difficulty of remaking it is so high that it is almost impossible!