Battle Through the Heavens: Live Q&a Session - Only I Know the Answers

176: Chapter 175 Alchemy CompetitionAs the hands of time slowly turned, people from the Pill World began to appear one after another.

Some looked disheveled and wretched, their clothes tattered and stained with blood, with expressions of lingering terror on their faces, clearly having encountered great crises in the Pill World.

To save their lives, they had no choice but to crush their jade tokens, thereby automatically eliminating themselves and dejectedly withdrawing from this intense competition.

Others appeared relaxed and at ease, with only a light dusting of dirt on their hems, their faces brimming with irrepressible joy.

Looking at those who had failed, a trace of contempt unconsciously appeared in their eyes, as if they were mocking these opponents who could not even pass the first round in their hearts.

Were the alchemy skills of these Alchemists who failed the first round truly inferior?

Actually, that was not the case; it was simply that when facing the complex and dangerous environment of the Pill World, they were not strong enough themselves to successfully collect the required medicinal herbs.

”Chen Yang, the time has come; it is time for you to go down.”

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. Most of those who should have emerged had already left the Pill World. Those who had not yet appeared had clearly failed, unable to even pass the first round of the Pill Gathering.

Xuan Kongzi looked at the people ready below, then turned his head, a kind smile on his face as he spoke to Chen Yang.

This meant that the Pill Gathering was about to officially begin, and next, the competition would be the true core skill of an Alchemist—alchemy.

Here, the manifestation of strength was no longer purely about martial prowess, but the level of one’s alchemy.

The stronger the alchemy, the higher the grade of the medicinal pill refined.

The champion of this Pill Gathering must refine a high-tier medicinal pill capable of crushing everyone else. However, the title of Pill Gathering champion—just those two words—already made all Alchemists desperate to participate.

Adding the word ”champion” made it clear that this was the supreme honor of the entire alchemy world, and the goal that all Alchemists dreamed of.

”Haha, Senior Xuan Kongzi, just watch!”

The corners of Chen Yang’s mouth curled up, revealing a confident smile. He slowly stood up, his tone filled with an aura of certain victory.

Xuan Kongzi nodded slightly, thinking to himself that with Chen Yang participating in this Pill Gathering, the others would likely only be able to see his back.

In his view, Chen Yang was undoubtedly the predetermined champion of the Pill Gathering.

Over the past month, Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Leizi had often discussed alchemy with Chen Yang.

Every time they exchanged ideas, Chen Yang’s unique insights left them filled with admiration.

At the very least, Xuan Kongzi admitted to himself that his own attainments in alchemy were far inferior to Chen Yang’s.

Chen Yang’s figure vanished from the high platform like a ghost, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared not far from Cao Ying, sitting cross-legged.

His gaze was steady as he quietly waited for the official start of the Pill Gathering, an aura of reassurance radiating from him.

Seeing that Chen Yang was in position, Xuan Kongzi stood up and slowly took a step forward.

His eyes were like torches, scanning the crowd below. Then, his loud and majestic voice echoed over the plaza: ”The one-month time limit has arrived. Everyone currently sitting below is eligible to participate in the next round of the Pill Gathering’s final championship battle.”

At this point, Xuan Kongzi waved his hand, and a powerful wave of energy surged into the sky, causing the entrance to the Pill World to slowly close.

He paused, then continued: ”The criteria for judging the champion of this Pill Gathering remain unchanged: whoever can refine the highest-grade medicinal pill will be the champion.

The runner-up and the second runner-up will be selected in order based on the quality of their medicinal pills, and other grades of pills will also be ranked in order.”

Everyone below held their breath and listened with full concentration to every word Xuan Kongzi said.

After all, these rules concerned the success or failure of their Pill Gathering, and there was no room for even the slightest carelessness.

”The champion of this Pill Gathering will receive a scroll of an ancient soul cultivation technique. This technique is mysterious and powerful, and can help the practitioner take a great step forward on the path of soul cultivation.

In addition, the champion can also choose one high-tier medicinal formula from a collection.

The runner-up and second runner-up, although they will not receive a high-tier medicinal formula, will still receive a soul cultivation technique.”

Xuan Kongzi’s words were like a bombshell, stirring up waves in the crowd.

Everyone’s eyes flashed with fervent light, filled with desire for these precious rewards, as it was well known that soul cultivation techniques were incredibly rare.

And the scroll that the Pill Gathering was offering as a reward was clearly the one they had the best chance of obtaining, so naturally, these people wanted it immensely.

”Furthermore, the top ten contestants of the Pill Gathering will each have a precious opportunity to subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flame, ranked ninth on the strange fire ranking list.”

This piece of information from Xuan Kongzi made the entire venue boil over.

The Three Thousand Burning Flame was an extremely powerful strange fire, and possessing it would undoubtedly allow an Alchemist’s strength to reach a higher level.

Everyone’s heartbeats suddenly quickened, and they secretly swore in their hearts that they must achieve excellent results in the Pill Gathering.

”These are the rewards for this Pill Gathering. Next, I will announce the rules for this Pill Gathering.”

Xuan Kongzi’s voice rang out again, and the plaza instantly fell silent. Everyone pricked up their ears, afraid of missing a single word.

”First, the time limit for refining the medicinal pill is one month. Those who exceed the time limit will be directly eliminated.”

Xuan Kongzi’s gaze revealed an unquestionable tone. During this month, the Alchemists needed to race against time, fully utilizing their strength and wisdom to strive to refine the most perfect medicinal pill.

”Second, each contestant only has three opportunities to refine a medicinal pill. If they have not succeeded after three attempts, they will be eliminated.”

This rule undoubtedly brought tremendous pressure to the contestants; every refinement had to be done with their full effort, allowing for not the slightest mistake.

”Third, in this Pill Gathering, the Pill Tower will not intervene to block the lightning tribulation. If any contestant triggers a lightning tribulation during the process of refining a medicinal pill but cannot successfully survive it, they will also be eliminated.”

Once this rule was announced, everyone felt a shiver in their hearts. The power of a lightning tribulation was immense, and surviving it was by no means easy; this was a huge test of the Alchemists’ strength and mental fortitude.

After finishing these rules, Xuan Kongzi scanned the crowd below once more. Seeing that everyone had understood, he nodded with satisfaction and then announced loudly: ”Then, the Pill Gathering officially begins!”

At this command, it was as if a fuse had been lit, and the plaza instantly became lively.

Almost all the Alchemists acted quickly, bringing out their most specialized and precious medicinal herbs, preparing to refine their signature high-tier medicinal pills.

They knew deeply that this was a contest that would determine honor and destiny, and they had to give it their all.

However, refining medicinal pills was inherently full of risks; even if one could successfully refine it last time, it might not go as wished this time.

After all, time was tight, with only a short month. Once they failed, they had to immediately adjust their state and strive for the next opportunity.

For them, every minute and every second was incredibly precious. Being able to seize a little time meant one more point of hope for success.