Chapter 343: Rewarding Merit
Xiao Ze's soul power surged like the ocean, enveloping the entire platform and allowing him to perceive everything on it with great clarity. A ginseng-like herb floated up, caressed by golden flames that instantly turned its impurities into dust, leaving behind only a drop of milky white liquid. This liquid, enriched with energy and medicinal properties, was perfectly preserved by the golden flames, without any of it escaping.
The milky liquid merged into the previously prepared medicinal mixture, and Xiao Ze's soul power pressed down fiercely. His vast soul power filled the Spirit Gathering Cauldron, and as the medicinal liquid reduced, the embryo of a pill began to form.
Soon after, Xiao Ze lightly tapped the cauldron, and the golden flames burst forth, releasing a perfectly round and lustrous pill, which broke free from the searing flames. The long-suppressed energy and fragrance of the pill exploded at that moment, filling the central square with its scent and forming faint ripples of energy around the pill.
The crowd, unable to resist, deeply inhaled the refreshing fragrance, feeling invigorated even from just a whiff. Xiao Ze placed the Dou Ling Pill into a small bottle and looked down from the platform at a burly man below, "Gao Ping."
The man named by Xiao Ze trembled and stepped forward, loudly responding, "Present!"
"In the previous battle, you were the first to charge, fighting bravely and shedding blood, killing two Dou Wangs and protecting our people multiple times. You are awarded one Dou Ling Pill and a set of techniques," Xiao Ze announced as he magically floated the small bottle to Gao Ping. "The rest of your rewards can be collected from the storeroom with the proper command."
"Thank you, Alliance Leader, for this reward!" Gao Ping, excited, took the bottle. Though not an alchemist, the brief glimpse he caught of the pill's creation allowed him to ascertain its exceptional quality. With this Dou Ling Pill, he could definitely advance further in the Dou Wang stage. His desperate efforts in the previous battles were all for this moment!
Below the platform, others looked on with envy, eagerly anticipating their own rewards, believing their contributions were no less significant than Gao Ping's. The crowd, filled with longing and envy, knew that even if many of them couldn't use a Dou Ling Pill directly, it could be exchanged for other valuable resources to aid their cultivation.
The visiting alchemists watched Xiao Ze with admiration, truly deserving of his title as a master alchemist. Although many aspects of his technique were beyond their understanding, the session was not only about crafting a Dou Ling Pill; there was still time for them to learn. These alchemists were determined to observe till the end, no matter what it took, to glean some knowledge.
As Xiao Ze began another round of alchemy without pause, the onlookers refocused their attention. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, watching from a distance, furrowed his brow, "Teacher, the speed at which my younger brother makes Dou Ling Pills is much faster than mine, several times faster!"
"And I don't understand how he manages to prevent any energy from escaping during the process, only allowing it to burst forth when the pill is freed from the flames."
Yao Lao's solemn voice resonated in Xiao Yan's mind, "I thought about it, and the key to his rapid production of Dou Ling Pills lies in his ability to control both the medicinal properties and the energy throughout the process."
"To achieve this, one needs terrifyingly powerful soul control and exceptionally strong flames!"
"I see, but mastering such a technique requires stringent conditions!" Xiao Yan realized, feeling that even with his current level of exotic fire, he couldn't completely seal energy and medicinal properties. "Teacher, what exactly is that golden flame? It even makes my exotic fire feel intimidated!"
"Xiao Yan, you felt it too, huh? My Bone Spirit Cold Fire feels the same," Yao Lao said, staring intently at the golden flames, murmuring to himself. "A flame that can intimidate the Bone Spirit Cold Fire should rank high on the exotic fire list, but this golden flame doesn't match any at the top of the list."
"Its core is golden, but on closer inspection, it's filled with myriad dazzling colors, quite strange indeed. Even the exotic fire list doesn't describe such a flame."
Hearing even the knowledgeable Yao Lao at a loss about the golden flame Xiao Ze wielded, Xiao Yan couldn't help commenting, "The Dou Qi continent is truly boundless; even the exotic fire list can't catalog all the terrifying flames in the world!"
Yao Lao snapped back to reality, a wry smile on his face. "I didn't expect I'd be so stubborn, assuming the exotic fire list included all the exotic flames."
"It seems Xiao Ze possesses a type of unknown exotic flame, just like your blended fire, a completely new type of flame!"
Above the platform, Xiao Ze, unaware that Yao Lao had classified the Primordial Emperor Flame as an unknown flame, continued his work. The Primordial Emperor Flame wasn't mentioned in ancient texts, not even when Zhu Kun spoke of it. Only very ancient beings like the Old Dragon Emperor truly knew of it.
With Xiao Ze's current alchemy skills, aided by the Emperor Flame, crafting pills below the seventh grade was incredibly fast. In less than a day, the central square was repeatedly enveloped in tantalizing fragrances and visible ripples and beams of energy.
As the sun set, Xiao Ze produced a Breaking Sect Pill and tossed it to the last person waiting below the platform. "Thank you, Alliance Leader, for this reward!" The man, a peak Dou Huang, beamed with joy. With this Breaking Sect Pill, he was sure to advance to Dou Zong.
"Please enhance your strengths as soon as possible. There is a tough battle ahead. The remnants of the Yunlan Sect spreading across other empires must be eradicated," Xiao Ze smiled, addressing the crowd.
"We understand!" The crowd responded, their fighting spirit high. The clear rewards they had just received told them that the Sky Alliance was just and rewarded contributions fairly.
The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers, many of whom were refugees from other empires who had suffered at the hands of the Yunlan Sect's remnants. "I can't wait to cut off the heads of the Yunlan Sect's remnants!"
"Indeed, those who practice evil techniques are no longer considered human!"
Listening to the fervent crowd, Xiao Ze smiled and said, "My friends, when you return victorious, I will reward your merits again!"
"Thank you, Alliance Leader!!!" The thunderous response echoed across half of Sky Alliance City, inspiring countless others present to consider joining the Sky Alliance.
Dear readers, I urge you to keep up with the latest chapters! Your current reading is very important! Thank you very much!
(End of chapter)