In the sect, Min Mung entered the hall in the morning after receiving news about the upcoming pill certification competition in a nearby town. He promptly informed Li Tian, ensuring that all his students would accompany him next week to participate in the event. The goal was to obtain at least a level nine pill certificate, which would grant official recognition to the pills they produced and allow them to be sold in the market.
After a period of time in the pill branch, the first group of eleven disciples gathered in the hall. Min Mung briefed them about the upcoming Pill certification competition, providing detailed information about various herbs and their properties. Subsequently, they dedicated themselves to practicing pill making for the following days.
A week later, Min Mung and his disciples embarked on their journey to Danduo town, where the pill certification competition was scheduled to take place.
Upon their arrival in Danduo town, they encountered numerous pill makers. An elderly individual approached Min Mung and inquired if he was there to obtain a level three certificate. Min Mung clarified that their purpose was different; they had come to ensure that his sect disciples achieved a level nine certificate, enabling them to embark on their pill making journey.
In the town of Danduo, there is a designated location where the pill certification competition will take place. In order to participate, all eleven disciples must register beforehand. The competition is scheduled to commence the following day. Consequently, they have chosen an inn as their accommodation for the night.
The following morning, at the designated location for level nine certification, a number of new disciples from various pill refiners were present for the competition. Several experienced elders arrived to oversee the event. One elder in the center of the group explained the rules and format of the competition. The first round required participants to describe the uses and rankings of different herbs within a given time frame.
Several herbs were placed on the center table. During the time when three candles were burning, the participants had to write about the herbs. The more herbs they could explain, the higher their chances of receiving points. After the examination of their answers, all eleven sect disciples along with nineteen others successfully passed.
In the second phase of the competition, the participants are required to purchase herbs for their pill production. However, there is a twist - all the herb-selling shops have been covertly replaced by pill manufacturers who aim to inflate the herb prices. This poses a challenge for the participants in terms of acquiring the necessary herbs and evaluating this round effectively.
All the disciples and others have successfully completed this round. The elders have informed everyone that the pill refining session will be held tomorrow, and they will provide the cauldron for it. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to bring their herbs at the designated time.
The following day, the designated area was equipped with thirty tables, each adorned with identical cauldrons. The disciples were tasked with creating pills, so they claimed a table and commenced their meditative practice with the cauldrons ablaze.
When the fire is accumulated in the cauldron, they referred to it as earth fire, just like several other disciples of the pill maker who also possessed earth fire. However, when all eleven disciples of Min Mung displayed their earth fire, both the dan elder and other pill refiners were astonished. One of them inquired about it from Min Mung, who explained that they obtained it from their sect. In their sect, the previous disciples had gathered fire to conceal the fact that they had purchased it from the mall using their accumulated value points.