Chapter 217: Phoenix Nirvana Elixir!
Baiyun Ancient City.
The venue of the alchemy master assessment.
The alchemists were gathered there.
There was still an hour to go before the assessment would begin.
Many alchemists had already taken out their pill furnaces and those who did not have their own pill furnaces went to the ones that were provided by the government.
There were no official requirements for the pill furnaces. After all, for assessment candidates like them, the pill furnaces that they could own were generally inferior.
Hence, there would be no corresponding restrictions. After all, the officials did not expect the candidates to have any impressive pill furnaces.
If one had a slightly better pill furnace than the others, he would be considered to be at an advantage.
The pill furnaces in the assessment venue that were prepared by the officials were all inferior-grade furnaces. They were also Dharma artifacts.
The best pill furnace there was at the venue was a lazurite pill furnace brought by a student. It was a superior-grade Dharma artifact.
However, at this moment...
Xu Luochen waved his hand and a pill furnace that was several feet in height appeared.
The pill furnace was crimson in color and the handles on both sides of the furnace resembled the wings of a phoenix.
The appearance of the pill furnace heated up the air, and a blazing ray of light was shot up into the sky.
Roar!
The loud sound resembled the sound of a phoenix and it was extremely astonishing.
Countless gazes were cast on Xu Luochen. They were dumbfounded.
‘Ah... Who can stand this?’
‘You brought such a brilliant pill furnace to an alchemy assessment?’
‘Damn it, have you got any shame?’
For example, during a martial arts competition, the participants might bring along normal weapons, and it would be no big deal to use weapons that were of better quality.
There would be no point in the competition if one were to use an immortal artifact.
Dumbfounded, everyone looked at Xu Luochen.
In particular, Xu Luochen’s friends froze right on the spot.
It was no wonder Xu Luochen was so confident.
With such a pill furnace, who wouldn’t be able to pass?
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Who wouldn’t be able to pass the assessment?
Sensing the envious gaze of the crowd, Xu Luochen remained calm and even arranged the medicinal materials in an orderly manner.
The requirement for passing the alchemy assessment was to refine a cauldron of Qi Condensation pills. Each candidate was given three chances, and as long as they could keep the failure rate of the pills within 50%, they would be considered to have succeeded.
With the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace, Xu Luochen was naturally confident that he would definitely be able to pass the test with three chances.
The appearance of the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace made the alchemists present green with envy.
“Brother Xu, is this your pill furnace?”
Someone looked at Xu Luochen and couldn’t help but ask that question.
“Yes, it’s pretty good, huh?”
Xu Luochen nodded conceitedly.
“Brother Xu, quit joking. This pill furnace should be at least an inferior-grade spirit artifact, right?”
“Inferior-grade spirit artifact? Are you joking? This is at least a middle-grade spirit artifact.”
“What? You’re just a bunch of toads, I was lucky enough to have attended the alchemy summit and seen a superior-grade pill furnace. Compared to your pill furnace, mine is far inferior. I think this pill furnace should at least be a supreme-grade pill furnace.”
Everyone discussed and made guesses about the quality of the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace.
However, at this moment, the sound of the bell rang.
It was time for the assessment.
A row of people appeared on the main platform.
Ye Ping was the first to appear, followed by the elders of Baiyun Ancient City.
Their appearance meant that the alchemy assessment was about to begin.
However, after they appeared, everyone except Ye Ping looked at the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace in front of Xu Luochen.
In particular, Chen Ning immediately saw Xu Luochen’s Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace.
Others could not figure out what it was but he could.
Those items were supreme Dao artifacts and such a pill furnace did not exist even in the Jin Nation Academy. Such a treasure might be found in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Chen Ning was baffled as to why he used such a pill furnace for an ordinary alchemy assessment.
‘What pills are you trying to refine?’
‘Supreme immortal pill?’
‘No wonder he’s Ye Ping’s senior brother.’
The other elders were also dumbfounded when they saw the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace.
Others might think that it was a supreme alchemist assessment.
Fortunately, everyone knew that Xu Luochen was Ye Ping’s Senior Brother, and hence, although they were shocked, they could still accept it.
At this moment, Ye Ping looked over.
After seeing the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace, Ye Ping did not seem surprised because he had heard Da Xu saying before that Xu Luochen’s creation was a pill furnace.
In fact, Ye Ping was slightly envious after he saw the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace.
However, what Ye Ping was more curious about was what kind of pill Xu Luochen would refine.
Clang!
The bell rang again, which meant that the examination was about to begin. Hence, everyone began to make preparations.
As the bell rang, an elder looked at everyone and slowly spoke up.
“The alchemy assessment is about to begin soon. All candidates, prepare your medicinal herbs.”
“Don’t make any loud noises or clamor during the assessment. If there’s anything you need, just raise your hand.”
“Five minutes later, the bell would ring again and the assessment would begin.”
The elder spoke again.
At this moment, all the students returned to their positions, and they took out the medicinal herbs seriously.
In particular, Xu Luochen took out a pouch and retrieved all the medicinal herbs contained in it.
On the main stage, Chen Ning couldn’t help but look at Ye Ping and asked, “Senior Brother Ye, what kind of pills is your Senior Brother going to refine? He brought such a precious pill furnace.”
Chen Ning looked at Ye Ping curiously and asked that question.
“I’m not sure either, but since it’s being refined by Senior Brother, it definitely isn’t going to be ordinary.”
Ye Ping also did not know what kind of pills Xu Luochen was going to refine. The only thing he knew was that pills refined by Xu Luochen would definitely be extraordinary and unparalleled.
After hearing his words, the other elders apart from Chen Ning were dumbfounded.
They didn’t know what kind of pills Xu Luochen wanted to refine.
After all, he had brought a supreme Dao artifact, and if he didn’t create anything extraordinary, it definitely wouldn’t work.
Just like that, Xu Luochen took out the medicinal herbs while Chen Ning and the rest looked at him.
Chen Ning muttered, “Qi-Beneficial Herb, Blood-Revitalizing Root, Hundred Brain Vine...”
He could tell at a glance what the herbs Xu Luochen took out were.
They were extremely ordinary medicinal herbs.
“Aren’t these the medicinal herbs for refining the Qi Condensation Pill?”
“Yes, these are the herbs needed for the Qi Condensation pill.”
“Is he trying to refine the Qi Condensation Pill?”
The elders were somewhat curious.
To be honest, they all thought that Xu Luochen was going to refine some unique pills but they didn’t expect Xu Luochen to refine those pills.
The Qi Condensation Pill was a little too ordinary.
However, Chen Ning shook his head and explained slowly.
“No, these may be the medicinal herbs needed for the Qi Condensation pills, but my master said that every type of pill in this world will have extreme effects when refined to the extreme.”
“Even the most ordinary Qi Condensation Pill may possess more than ten efficacies and functions. I guess Senior Brother Xu is trying to show his extraordinary pill refinement skills.”
Chen Ning said confidently.
Everyone nodded in agreement with Chen Ning’s words as they felt that he made a lot of sense.
However, Ye Ping shook his head and said, “No, my Senior Brother will never refine the supreme-grade Qi Condensation Pill. I think there’s something else you mean.”
Ye Ping didn’t think Xu Luochen would refine such an ordinary pill.
After hearing his words, everyone was curious.
If he wasn’t refining the supreme-grade Qi Condensation Pill, what was he refining?
Clang!
At this moment, five minutes passed very slowly.
As the bell rang, all the candidates began to refine their pills.
Everyone put their medicinal herbs into their pill furnaces and then began to light the fire and refine pills.
In the assessment venue, Xu Luochen seemed extremely calm as he looked at the herbs quietly while doing something.
However, the more Xu Luochen did that, the more mysterious he seemed to them.
Time passed bit by bit.
Due to the orders from the Jin Nation, there was no time limit for the alchemy assessment, and thus all the students seemed to be unhurried. They thought that they would try their best to do better and not make any mistakes.
Two full hours passed.
Xu Luochen did not do anything yet and that made everyone feel somewhat anxious.
Other alchemists were halfway done with refining after an hour, but Xu Luochen hadn’t started yet.
‘What is going on?’
Even Ye Ping was curious at this moment, but Ye Ping was very clear that Xu Luochen definitely had his own thoughts about the pill refinement.
Under the stage.
Xu Luochen encountered a very troublesome thing.
He forgot the order of the herbs for the Qi Condensation Pill.
Yes, he forgot the order.
The order of pills to be added was important in every pill formula.
There must not be any mistakes in every step. Once there were errors, the pill would be ruined.
If the wrong medicinal herbs were added, it was even more troublesome.
At the thought of this, Xu Luochen felt a little troubled.
However, thinking of his own pill furnace, which was a supreme Dharma artifact, Xu Luochen gritted his teeth and grabbed a type of medicinal herbs. He then placed them into the pill furnace.
It was a blood vine.
After he put it into the pill furnace, the blood vine melted and Xu Luochen panicked.
In the past, he would have to wait at least 15 minutes for the medicinal herbs to melt in the furnace and turn into a medicinal paste.
However, the pill furnace was too good. As soon as it was added, the medicinal herbs melted right on the spot.
Although it would save time, it would also disrupt Xu Luochen’s thoughts.
He didn’t have time to think about which medicinal herbs to put in next.
‘What do I do?’
‘What do I do?’
Xu Luochen was a little anxious.
In a moment of panic, Xu Luochen took out another bunch of medicinal herbs and added them into the pill furnace.
*sizzles*
The second bunch of medicinal herbs immediately melted.
At this moment, on the main stage.
Be it Chen Ning or the other elders, they were all shocked.
“Um... The order of medicinal herbs seems to be wrong.”
Some elders felt somewhat awkward and they couldn’t help but speak up.
As for the other elders, they were also awkward and embarrassed.
They were naturally familiar with the order of the medicinal herbs that were to be added for the refinement of the Qi Condensation Pill. The first bunch of medicinal herbs that Xu Luochen put in was called the Blood Vine, which should have been the fourth bunch to be placed in the pill furnace.
“Maybe, the pill that Senior Brother Xu wants to refine is not the Qi Condensation pill.”
Chen Ning gritted his teeth and spoke up. He also felt that what Xu Luochen did was awkward.
After all, the sequence of the herbs of the Qi Condensation pills that Xu Luochen put it in was wrong. However, how could an alchemist whose tutelage could produce a genius like Ye Ping commit such a low-level mistake?
Ye Ping couldn’t help but be curious too.
Although he was not very good at alchemy, he was aware of the correct sequence of medicinal herbs to be added to the furnace because he had learned it in books before.
Xu Luochen had not only gotten the sequence wrong, he had even added several different types of medicinal herbs. Besides, the function of those medicinal herbs had completely nothing to do with the Qi Condensation pills. In fact, it was even conflicting.
‘What’s going on?’
Ye Ping was rather curious but he did not suspect Xu Luochen.
He believed that Xu Luochen had his own reasons.
Below the stage, Xu Luochen had already given up on himself.
He didn’t expect that he would one day fail the assessment because he couldn’t remember the order of the herbs.
It was mainly because he had been thinking about other things yesterday, coupled with the fact that he was too confident. Hence, he was a little nervous.
“Oh dear.”
“Oh dear.”
“Oh dear.”
He watched the medicinal herbs fuse and melt into a paste while being mixed together.
Xu Luochen was dumbfounded.
He had been putting medicinal herbs indiscriminately, and even somehow put some random herbs into the furnace.
The herb paste in the pill furnace had already turned black like poison.
The medicinal herb paste that others condensed seemed to be rosy while the paste of his Qi Condensation Pill seemed arsenic. He could tell at a glance that it was poisonous.
On the stage.
Chen Ning and the other elders had completely given up hope.
They trusted that Xu Luochen had his own ideas.
However, the issue was that there was no cure for adding medicinal herbs indiscriminately.
Adding herbs indiscriminately was not exactly irreparable.
However, the issue was that Xu Luochen had just put three conflicting herbs in a row, one of which was toxic.
The Qi Condensation Pill was all about neutralization and stability.
However, Xu Luochen did exactly the opposite. How could he refine a good pill out of it?
If he could, they would eat the pill furnaces.
Thinking of this, they couldn’t help but look at Ye Ping with curiosity, wondering why Xu Luochen could become Ye Ping’s Senior Brother.
‘Just with this?’
Time passed bit by bit.
Towards the end, Xu Luochen had already placed all the medicinal herbs into the pill furnace.
There were no medicinal herbs left.
Xu Luochen covered the pill furnace and immediately added some spiritual energy.
In an instant, the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace vibrated and flames rushed into the sky.
With a calm expression, Xu Luochen took a few steps back before taking a deep breath. He decided that he could no longer rely on the pill furnace.
Instead, he thought about how to deceive Ye Ping later.
However, at this point...
Roar!
The sound of the phoenix filled the air.
The Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace flew towards the air, as if it had turned into a flame phoenix, before landing hard on the ground.
The blazing rays of light made the temperature of the Baiyun Ancient City surge.
Immediately afterwards, the flame phoenix that landed on the ground turned into a pile of scorched soil.
Everyone couldn’t help but look at Xu Luochen.
Their eyes were full of curiosity.
Even Xu Luochen was dumbfounded.
He was worried that he had caused the pill furnace to explode.
Otherwise, how could such a phenomenon have appeared?
Everyone watched everything curiously, and in fact, they all thought that Xu Luochen had failed and even destroyed the furnace.
There were many elders who felt that it was a huge pity.
However, before they spoke, there seemed to be something trembling in the scorched soil.
“Quick, look, it’s a phoenix egg.”
“It is a phoenix egg.”
“Why would there be a phoenix egg?”
Everyone pointed at the soil in astonishment with shock in their gazes.
Everyone on the main stage was shocked too.
Ye Ping, in particular, looked extremely agitated because he was certain that Xu Luochen would never make a mistake.
Below the stage, there was a sanguine phoenix egg in the scorched soil.
There were golden patterns on it and it was emitting strange rays of light.
Crack-crack.
Crack-crack.
In the next moment, the phoenix egg shattered, and a golden pill that was as large as a longan appeared.
Immediately afterwards, the broken egg shell evolved into a Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace.
The golden pill was hovering in front of Xu Luochen and emitting a peculiar fragrance that spread throughout the entire Baiyun Ancient City.
The golden pill was extremely brilliant and dazzling, as if it was a small phoenix egg.
“Perfect pill. This is a perfect pill.”
“This is a supreme pill. I never thought that I would be able to see the legendary perfect pill with my very own eyes in this life.”
“It’s the Phoenix Nirvana Pill that transcends all else. This is the Phoenix Nirvana Pill.”
“What kind of alchemy technique is this? He actually managed to refine the supreme pill. I take my hat off to him.”
All the elders on the main stage were astonished.
They were screaming in incredible shock.
Xu Luochen’s Phoenix Nirvana Pill had indeed taken all of them aback.
Even Xu Luochen himself was completely dumbstruck.
‘Just with this?’
‘I managed to refine a pill?’
Xu Luochen was truly a bit astonished.
He had put in a bunch of medicinal herbs randomly, and to his surprise, he had really refined the supreme pills.
‘What is this?’
‘This is called the extreme Phoenix Nirvana pill refinement method.”
‘I’m truly a peerless alchemy master.’
Xu Luochen was filled with elation.
In fact, the Phoenix Wing Immortal Furnace had an unparalleled ability.
It was turning decay into a miracle.
However, not all medicinal herbs could turn into pills.
One had to add a variety of different medicinal herbs, and if an ordinary furnace was used, only inferior pills could be refined.
Only then could the power of the pill furnace be activated.
Once the power was activated, it would result in a strange phenomenon of the Phoenix Nirvana and the pills refined would turn decay into mystical substances.
In other words, even if Ye Ping refined it according to the rules, there would be no way to activate the power of the pill furnace.
One had to refine the most inferior pills to activate it.
Even if one added medicinal herbs at random, it would not work because the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace was a Dao artifact that could adjust on its own and the pills refined would not be inferior.
To put it bluntly, as long as one could refine pills that even the Phoenix Wing Pill Furnace could not stand, they would be able to be reborn.
Xu Luochen activated the pill furnace by mistake.
That was the reason for the phenomena.
The golden pill was hovering in midair.
The city was full of the fragrance of the pill.
It was a Qi Condensation Pill but taking a single sniff of it would allow one’s Dharmic powers to be enriched and the pill contained the power of Nirvana.
If cultivators consumed the pills, their constitution would be changed and metamorphosed like the Phoenix Nirvana.
All of a sudden, many alchemists couldn’t help but stare at the pill with their eyes full of envy and greed.
However, at this moment, Xu Luochen spoke up.
“Ye Ping, have you learned something?”
A voice sounded.
Ye Ping, who was on the main stage, slowly came back to his senses.
He looked at Xu Luochen and frantically said,
“Yes, Senior Brother, I understand what it is but I haven’t learned how to do it.”
“But I’ll definitely try to learn it seriously.”
He had completely understood what was going on.
However, he didn’t know how to learn it.
“Okay, this pill is for you. Study it well.”
“Okay, since the pill has been formed, go back and get some rest.”
After being done with pretending to be impressive, Xu Luochen put away the pill furnace and turned around to leave.
He didn’t want to continue pretending.
Most importantly, he had to figure out how he should answer when asked about how he had refined it.
Xu Luochen’s friends were all rather upset.
‘Great, you often ask us out for tea and tell us to relax but you secretly went for enrichment lessons?’
Despite feeling upset, they seized the time and began refining pills.