Chapter 320: Rising Once Again
“Hei, so what if you’ve recovered. You want to refine a medicinal pill that surpasses the one in my cauldron during the remaining time which is half of the allocated time? Ha ha, you should do things within your means. Otherwise, you will only be a joke to others. Ha ha.” Yan Li laughed coldly as he eyed Xiao Yan and mocked him.
Xiao Yan smiled, but ignored his mocking words. With a gentle wave of his hand, a breeze blew away the dark black soot on the rock table. He flicked his finger gently and a huge amount of medicinal ingredients once again completely filled the rock table.
Xiao Yan’s body was as straight as a pen as he stood in front of the rock table. His hands were slowly extended. After a short silence, a green colored flame seedling rose from his body and adhered to the surface of his clothes. Not long after the first wisp of green colored flame seedling appeared, clusters of flames began to continuously surge from within Xiao Yan’s body. Finally, the green colored flame had actually completely wrapped Xiao Yan within. The raging green colored flame rendered him into a green colored flame person.
“Are those all ‘Heavenly Flame’? Just how much spiritual strength is needed to control so many of these ‘Heavenly Flames’?” All of the alchemists on the open ground involuntarily inhaled a breath of cold air as they eyed Xiao Yan, who had almost become a flame person, with stunned gazes.
During the time that the green flame was rising on Xiao Yan’s body, Little Princess and Liu Ling, who were preparing to extract their pills, were also shaken until they were stunned. Yan Li, who was on another side may have controlled his expression well, but his eyelids also began twitching at this moment. He could not understand why this young person was able to display an ability that shocked and surprised everyone after experiencing such a blow.
“This little fellows Spiritual Strength seems to be much stronger than before.” On the high platform, Fa Ma’s comforted voice carried some envy as he watched Xiao Yan whose entire body was wrapped in flame, feeling surprised. “He chose the correct path earlier and obtained a breakthrough under pressure. This kind of powerful Spiritual Strength is something that even some of the elders in the association have difficulty comparing with. He gained quite a lot this time around!”
It was common knowledge that the Spiritual Strength of an alchemist could not be actively trained with a purpose. It can only slowly become more powerful over time. Of course, there is nothing absolute in this world and there are always exception for everything. In this large Dou Qi continent, there are those lucky people who were able to enter various strange conditions due to their luck. Under these kinds of extremely mysterious conditions, those lucky people obtain the reward of having their Spiritual Strength increase greatly. Currently, the one that Xiao Yan had displayed was extremely similar to that kind of condition. Thus, even a alchemist grandmaster like Fa Ma could not help but be a little envious.
“Does he still have any chance of victory?” Hai Bodong fondled his beard and smiled as he asked.
“I don’t know.” Fa Ma shook his head slightly and let out a soft sigh, “I will still stick to that line of mine. Everything would have to rely on Yan Xiao’s performance. Although Yan Xiao’s current condition is spectacular, but the other party is not a simple person. I’m afraid that there will be another very close and fierce competition.”
“He is about to begin the refinement.” Hai Bodong nodded slightly as his eyes that was watching the open ground abruptly brightened.
On the open ground, Xiao Yan, whose entire body was wrapped within the flame, slowly raised his hand. A surging green colored flame violently rushed out from his finger. Immediately, it was poured into the medicinal cauldron. In just the blink of an eye, the turbulent flame had already began writhing and burning within the cauldron.
As he watched the flame within the cauldron, Xiao Yan flicked his finger gently. A few medicinal ingredients on the stone table were skillfully thrown into the medicinal cauldron at the same time. Immediately, the green flame pounced on them, wrapping them up and began to wildly burn and refine them.
This time around, Xiao Yan’s refinement was clearly much faster than what it was a moment ago. Moreover, he no longer had any cautious feelings nor any fearful movements of his limbs as he performed his task. When he controlled the ‘Heavenly Flame’, he no longer had the slightest hesitation. A leisured and unforced imposing presence faintly appeared whenever he gestured and moved. This kind of presence would usually only appear on those extremely experienced alchemist grandmasters like Fa Ma.
One by one, the medicinal ingredients were thrown in by Xiao Yan. After which, his other hand would control the refined essence of the ingredients within the cauldron and stored them into jade bottles. Under the condition where he used both his hands together and released his Spiritual Strength to its peak, the medicinal ingredients that were placed on the rock table were swiftly being turned into the essence ingredients needed to refine the ‘Three-Line Green Spirit Pill’ at a gratifying pace.
Xiao Yan, who had once again cheered up and began refining, had undoubtedly raised the atmosphere of the open ground to the climax. The Little Princess and Liu Ling, whom many had placed their hopes on after Xiao Yan’s earlier failure, had performed poorer than Yan Li due to their weaker abilities. In this kind of situation where everyone was about to see the other party become the champion of their country in front of their eyes, the recovery of Xiao Yan, whom everyone had placed the greatest hopes in before, had undoubtedly caused the countless people in the audience to sigh in relief. Therefore, the countless gazes from the seating areas at both sides of the open ground were currently focused on the human figure on the open ground who was wrapped in the green colored flame. A deafening cheer resounded throughout the place.
“Hmph.” Hearing the noisy cheer, Yan Li’s dark and cold pupils drifted toward the direction Xiao Yan was at. He eyed the graceful and smooth refining manner and a surprise and solemness finally flashed across Yan Li’s eyes. From the other party’s Spiritual Strength which had suddenly become much stronger as well as his graceful presence, Yan Li clearly understood that this young person had not only recovered from the blow he received from his failure, and also obtained a breakthrough of his mind from such a hopeless situation. This kind of mental strength was really terrifying.
“This fellow does indeed have some foundation. It is just that I don’t know just which old fellow is able to teach such a student. Looking at his performance, it was clear that he is much more outstanding than Gu He’s disciple. Hei, the reputation of Pill-King Gu He is not entirely true. At the very least when it came to teaching, he is far inferior to another.” Yan Li coldly laughed in his heart. He turned his gaze toward the flame raging in his medicinal cauldron. From the transparent mirror of the medicinal cauldron, he could clearly see that an initially formed medicinal pill was rotating within the flame.
“Soon, I am about to succeed.” As he eyed the initial formed of the medicinal pill which was about to be completed, Yan Li braced up his spirit. Pride faintly surfaced on his tender face. He definitely had absolute confidence in the medicinal pill which he had refined!
Xiao Yan’s hands, which were wrapped within the flame, were repeatedly shifting toward the rock table. Following their swift movement, the medicinal ingredients on the table were quickly reduced. On the other side, the number of jade bottles that contained the essence of the ingredients were increasing.
Currently, the medicinal pills that Little Princess and Liu Ling had refined were already formed. They beckoned with their palms and the medicinal pills shot out from the medicinal cauldrons and were stored into jade bottles. They eyed the colored pill fragrance which was repeatedly seeping out from Yan Li’s medicinal cauldron and the both of them let out a soft depressed sigh. Immediately, they lifted their heads and turned their gazes toward the position Xiao Yan was at. Currently, he had become the only one who had some chance of surpassing Yan Li.
The question of which party would obtain the champion spot of the Jia Ma Empire’s Alchemist Grand Meeting this time around, was up to the ability Xiao Yan displayed.
However, if any person were able to see under the green colored flame where no one could discover what was happening, they would definitely become stunned. This was because, Xiao Yan, who appeared to be in his peak condition to those of the outside world, was currently closing his eyes and frowning slightly. At one glance, it was as though he had descended into a: half-asleep, half-awake, mysterious condition.
Although Xiao Yan’s eyes were indeed closed, his senses was able to clearly see every single occurrence in the outside world even more clearly than what his eyes could. His surge in Spiritual Strength within the medicinal cauldron had even caused him to be able to clearly see how the medicinal ingredients were gradually fragmented and broken after being burned by the flame, leaving behind the necessary kinds of ingredient essence under the high temperature.
Xiao Yan slowly smoothed out his breath in his heart. He could clearly sense that the refining of pills this time around was the first time that he had not relied on Yao Lao and yet displayed his peak and perfection. Under this kind of condition, Xiao Yan even had the confidence to challenge a tier five alchemist.
None of the medicinal ingredients which were covered by the green colored flame were even slightly damaged as the temperature of the ‘Heavenly Flame’ changed with Xiao Yan’s desire. At this moment, he had even managed to control its temperature to exactly match the one recorded in the medicinal formula.
“The purification is complete.” At one instance, the medicinal ingredient on the stone table were finally completely refined. Only then did Xiao Yan slowly open his tightly shut eyes. His body stilled for an instant before he abruptly waved his sleeves. A force shook and broke all the twenty over jade bottle in front of him. Following which, a shapeless force sucked the ingredient essences within them and threw them all into the medicinal cauldron. The flame once again became turbulent at this moment.
This time around, the time needed for Xiao Yan to refine the ingredients had been reduced by nearly half compared to the last time.
A green flame writhed within the medicinal cauldron. The twenty plus ingredient essences were completely wrapped within Xiao Yan’s Spiritual Strength and were slowly being merged.
Like flowing water, time quietly passed by. At this moment, there was merely less than an hour left until the time when the examination would end. On the other side, the colored pill fragrance that was emitted from Yan Li’s medicinal cauldron was growing increasingly rich. The medicinal pill that he had refined was clearly about to be formed!
“The Three-Line Green Spirit Pill is about to succeed.”
Fa Ma was staring intently at the open ground when he suddenly softly said at a certain instance. However, his face did not reveal any appearance of being relax. He knew that it was impossible to defeat Yan Li by just relying on an ordinary Three-Line Green Spirit Pill!
The medicinal cauldron in the open ground where the green flame was rolling suddenly became quiet. A faint pill fragrance was scattered and a green colored round medicinal pill that was like an emerald was repeatedly rotating within the cauldron.
As the medicinal pill rotated, the green colored flame that was covering the surface of Xiao Yan’s body suddenly began to shrink swiftly. In the blink of an eye, the green colored flame began withdrawing into Xiao Yan’s body like the tide. At the moment when the green flame within the cauldron was about to be completely withdrawn, Xiao Yan’s chewing mouth was abruptly opened. A purple colored flame was once again violently spurt out before it was poured into the medicinal cauldron.
Fa Ma’s heart was suddenly raised as he saw Xiao Yan once again spurt out the Purple Flame. His eyes stared intently in the direction where Xiao Yan was at.
If Xiao Yan were to once again fail this time around, the champion position would completely miss him. At the same time, the reputation of the Alchemist Association would be damaged because of this.