Shen Xiang's challenge to compete in alchemy against the Pill King of the Southern Martial Kingdom shocked the ten or so alchemists around them. Even though Shen Lüzong knew that Shen Xiang had great talent in alchemy, he still felt it was too early for Shen Xiang to take on the Pill King.
However, the prize that Shen Xiang offered—a Golden Spirit Fruit—was incredibly tempting. In the mortal world, where spiritual energy is sparse, rare spiritual herbs are incredibly valuable. No alchemist in the mortal realm could resist such a treasure.
Meng Bo threw his head back and laughed. "Hahaha! Very well, I'll accept your challenge. If I lose, I will give you my Xuanyang Cauldron!"
The Xuanyang Cauldron! It was a famous alchemy cauldron, reportedly something Meng Bo had found by chance. It was made from the rare Xuanyang Stone, and it possessed various mystical properties. The cauldron was one of the reasons for Meng Bo's success in alchemy.
The other alchemists couldn't help but envy the small, fiery red cauldron that Meng Bo brought out. It was intricately crafted, looking as though it had been carved from a single red gemstone, adorned with delicate patterns. It was clearly not something that could be crafted by the hands of mortals.
"If we're comparing the grade of the pills, I'd definitely lose," Shen Xiang said. "To make this fair, let's compete using the highest-grade pill I can refine: the Gang Qi Pill!"
The Gang Qi Pill was immensely beneficial for warriors in the sixth level of the Mortal Martial Realm. The seventh level, called the True Gang Realm, allowed a warrior to transform true qi into gang qi. The Gang Qi Pill would help a sixth-level warrior familiarize themselves with gang qi. For those in the seventh level, it would strengthen their true qi and speed up the transformation into gang qi.
"No problem. Shall we start now?" Meng Bo readily agreed. In his eyes, regardless of Shen Xiang's talent, the boy was still too inexperienced to pose a real threat. If the quality of Shen Xiang's pill exceeded his own, Meng Bo would admit defeat with grace.
"Let's start now. You can provide your own ingredients. If you don't have them, we can wait until you gather the necessary materials," Shen Xiang replied. Over the past month, he had been studying how to refine various pills. He had refined several batches of the Gang Qi Pill and, after a few initial failures, had mastered the technique.
"I have the necessary ingredients, so let's begin now! With so many alchemists here as judges, the result will surely be fair," Meng Bo said confidently, feeling a bit excited. Originally, he had agreed to come here and cause trouble on behalf of the Yao Family, but Shen Xiang, being young and impulsive, had issued such a bold challenge. Naturally, Meng Bo wouldn't pass up the chance.
Shen Lüzong and the other alchemists were eager to watch, as it was a rare opportunity to see the Pill King in action.
The general process for refining pills was similar, but the handling of ingredients varied greatly. Some herbs had unique properties that required extreme caution when processed; otherwise, the pill might fail, or worse, the cauldron could explode. If the pill failed, all the materials would be lost. Failing with a low-grade pill wasn't too painful, but the failure of a high-grade pill could be devastating.
Both Shen Xiang and Meng Bo began by "warming the cauldron," using their fire qi to generate heat inside and control the temperature, followed by adding the ingredients.
The ingredients for the Gang Qi Pill were expensive but not unattainable in the market. The main materials were Yuan Ling Mud, Earth Gang Grass Roots, Xuan Ling Ginseng, and Yellow Fire Leaves, along with several supporting herbs such as fifty-year-old ginseng, lingzhi, fo-ti, and Earth Spirit Grass.
The difficulty in refining the Gang Qi Pill lay in handling the Yuan Ling Mud and Earth Gang Grass Roots. Yuan Ling Mud was a type of mud rich in spiritual energy, capable of absorbing and refining qi over time, creating a form of energy close to gang qi. It was hard to turn the mud into powder, as it required intense heat.
Earth Gang Grass grew within the Yuan Ling Mud. Its roots were extremely fragile and could easily be burned to nothing, with its gang qi evaporating in the process. Precise control of fire and spiritual sense was needed to protect the roots while refining them.
Shen Xiang had failed several times in the beginning due to these two difficulties, but after mastering the subtle techniques, he could now refine the Gang Qi Pill with ease. He calmly used his fire qi to refine the herbs into powder and spirit essence. Complete refinement was necessary to remove impurities, and Shen Xiang was particularly strict about this, which is why the quality of his pills was always superior.
Shen Lüzong and the alchemists could feel the temperature around them subtly fluctuating. Occasionally, the cauldrons emitted wisps of black smoke as the impurities in the herbs were expelled. What amazed them was that Meng Bo was sweating profusely, his brow furrowed in concentration.
In contrast, Shen Xiang appeared calm and relaxed.
It was evident that Meng Bo hadn't refined a Gang Qi Pill in some time. When out of practice, it was difficult to maintain the delicate control of fire required for such a pill, especially when handling herbs with specific heat sensitivities.
Suddenly, Meng Bo's ruby-like cauldron began to tremble, releasing a swirl of multicolored energy. He had made a mistake! A Pill King, making an error while refining a mid-grade mortal pill! The alchemists were disappointed, secretly mocking him in their hearts.
"Great Uncle, bring him another set of ingredients for the Gang Qi Pill. If he starts over, he can still finish in time," Shen Xiang said, opening his eyes and speaking calmly.
Meng Bo was stunned for a moment, his eyes showing a flicker of embarrassment. Shen Xiang smiled at him and said, "You failed because you didn't have enough ingredients, which caused an error in judgment. To make this competition fair, I'll give you another chance."
Meng Bo nodded slightly, grateful for the way Shen Xiang was giving him an out. After all, as a famous alchemist, a mistake like this could damage his reputation. Shen Xiang's gesture of goodwill made him feel indebted.
Now Meng Bo understood that Shen Xiang wasn't as arrogant as the rumors claimed. Whether in personality or in depth of character, Shen Xiang far surpassed Yao Tianhua, the man Meng Bo had once mentored.
Shen Lüzong quickly fetched another set of ingredients. This time, Meng Bo calmed down and no longer underestimated Shen Xiang. He now regarded Shen Xiang as an opponent on equal footing.
Time passed, and although the room was silent, the alchemists knew that inside the two cauldrons, a complex alchemical process was unfolding.
After an hour and a half, it was finally time to form the pills. Shen Xiang finished first. He pulled out a vial of green liquid and dropped a few drops into the cauldron's opening. The liquid was a diluted version of the Dragon Saliva, which Su Meiyao had taught him to use. Adding it during the pill formation stage would greatly enhance the quality of the pills.
Shen Xiang opened his eyes and exhaled softly. At the same time, Meng Bo wiped the sweat from his brow, indicating he had also finished.