The two alchemy furnaces opened simultaneously. Yao Tianhua's furnace revealed five green pills, while Shen Xiang's furnace showed three black pills.
"Yao Tianhua has refined five Spirit Source Pills, while Shen Xiang has… three Washing Marrow Pills," an elder from the Shen family exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement. The Shen family had produced a pill-refining genius, and any member of the Shen family felt immensely proud.
Yao Tianhua and the elders from the Yao family stared at the three black pills, inhaling the pill's fragrance; indeed, they were Washing Marrow Pills. The Master of the Spirit Pill Pavilion picked one up for a closer look.
"This is indeed a Washing Marrow Pill, and its quality is excellent! It's truly hard to accept that such a young lad could refine this kind of pill," the Master of the Spirit Pill Pavilion marveled, his face reflecting a complex mix of emotions. He suddenly felt that his life over the past seventy or eighty years had been in vain.
A wave of astonished gasps spread through the square. After the confirmation, everyone was left utterly shocked. They had witnessed the entire alchemy process, and Shen Xiang had not employed any tricks; he had genuinely refined a mid-grade Washing Marrow Pill!
The fact that Shen Xiang lacked spiritual veins was forgotten by everyone. At this moment, he had become a potential master alchemist in the minds of the onlookers!
Yao Tianhua's face turned ashen. Anger, jealousy, and malice filled his handsome features. If he could, he would have killed Shen Xiang, as he felt defeated by him was a humiliation.
"Agreed to the bet, now fulfill your end!" Shen Xiang smiled faintly, but to Yao Tianhua, it felt like a sneer, provoking deep-seated rage within him.
The elder from the Yao family trembled with anger; they were not only defeated but had also lost their reputation. Their genius was outdone by someone from the Shen family who lacked spiritual veins.
Reluctantly, the elder from the Yao family handed the stakes over to Shen Xiang.
The thousand-year Beast Dan was as large as an egg and looked like a green gemstone, with the essence of a thousand-year-old beast flowing within. The Thousand Fruit was as big as an apple, heavy in the hand, radiating potent energy.
Receiving these two precious alchemy materials, Shen Xiang felt a surge of excitement. If he could refine them into pills, his strength would rise swiftly.
"Shen Xiang, I want to duel with you!" Yao Tianhua declared, drawing his gleaming sword, his murderous intent palpable.
Shen Xiang had already defeated someone at the seventh level of the Martial Realm, so Yao Tianhua posed no threat, leaving the Shen family members at ease.
Shen Tianhu sighed, "Young man, never be overconfident; otherwise, you'll suffer." At that moment, he felt extremely excited; not only could his son refine a Washing Marrow Pill, but he also gained two valuable alchemy materials.
"Let's compete then! If I injure you, don't blame me; after all, fists and feet have no eyes," Shen Xiang said slowly, as the elders from the Shen family had already retreated to the side.
The elders from the Yao family felt worried. Having lived for several decades, they could discern Shen Xiang's remarkable qualities. He was definitely not the spineless person that rumors suggested.
"Tianhua, are you confident in winning against him?" an elder from the Yao family asked gravely.
"Absolutely! I'm at the fifth level of the Martial Realm, and my martial arts are exceptional," Yao Tianhua replied, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at Shen Xiang, wishing he could kill him.
"Alright, just a simple spar. Don't take his life; after all, we are in the Shen family," the elder from the Yao family said, leaving the platform afterward.
Shen Xiang found it amusing. Previously, others thought he couldn't refine a Washing Marrow Pill, yet Yao Tianhua seemed to believe he was still weak.
"Since it's a competition, why not raise the stakes a bit?" Shen Xiang suggested with a grin.
Seeing that Yao Tianhua didn't respond, Shen Xiang realized the Yao family could no longer afford to gamble.
Shen Xiang smiled, "If you win, the thousand-year Beast Dan and Thousand Fruit will be returned to you! If you lose, then the Master of the Spirit Pill Pavilion will join our Shen family as our alchemist, and I want half of the Spirit Pill Pavilion's herbs. What do you say?"
The Spirit Pill Pavilion becoming part of the Yao family meant that the Pavilion Master had been aligned with them. Since the Pavilion Master had some proficiency in alchemy, Shen Xiang wanted to recruit this talent into the Shen family.
"No problem! But the Spirit Pill Pavilion still belongs to us!" the elder from the Yao family agreed readily. To him, it was just an alchemist and some herbs; the Yao family was not lacking in these resources. Besides, Yao Tianhua was confident he would win.
The Master of the Spirit Pill Pavilion sighed lightly, feeling displeased to be used as a wager. However, he thought that joining the Shen family might be acceptable, as he might still have the opportunity to exchange for some Hell Ganoderma.
"Draw your weapon!" Yao Tianhua said, shaking the cold, shining sword in his hand.
Shen Xiang shook his head, "I don't need a weapon."
"Then don't blame me for being merciless!" Yao Tianhua replied, his sword striking upward, shaking the platform with heavy steps. It was evident his attacks would be filled with explosive power.
It was already late at night, yet the crowd was wide awake, energized, as the duel between the two young alchemy geniuses was about to begin.
Alchemy masters often did not seem very strong, but that was a gross misconception. To become a qualified alchemist, one must have complete control over their true energy, and their divine consciousness must be sufficiently powerful to manipulate fire effortlessly and handle unexpected dangers during alchemy.
Sometimes, alchemists had to gather medicinal herbs themselves, which was also a very perilous task. Moreover, alchemists often consumed many pills, so their strength would never be weak. However, since alchemists usually had protection, they often did not need to take action themselves.
As Yao Tianhua's sharp sword lunged forward, Shen Xiang suddenly stepped forward and threw a punch. His azure true energy enveloped his arm, instantly condensing into a tiger head.
"The Tianhu Violent Killing Fist! This kid has actually reached the sixth level of the Martial Realm!" Shen Tianhu exclaimed. The Tianhu Violent Killing Fist was his unique, superior-level martial skill, akin to a fierce tiger pouncing forward, generating explosive true energy.
Anyone with functioning eyes could see that Shen Xiang had entered the divine consciousness realm, as he could use his divine consciousness to shape his overflowing true energy into form, creating a tiger head. Only those above the divine consciousness realm could achieve this.
At sixteen, not only could he refine the Washing Marrow Pill, but he also possessed the strength of the sixth level of the Martial Realm. Such talent was exceedingly rare, comparable only to Xue Xianxian from the Xue family. It was rumored that Xue Xianxian could stand toe-to-toe with the elders of her family, although it was merely a rumor. Many chose to believe it.
Those elders all possessed strength above the sixth level of the Martial Realm and had been through countless battles. To have a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl match them was a talent rarely seen, perhaps only matched by Shen Xiang.
Shen Xiang's fist was like an enraged tiger, his violent true energy shattered the air, creating a series of explosive sounds as he faced the oncoming sword strike.