Chapter 191: Vying For the Dragon Tiger Pill
Translator: AstralGhost Editor: Kurisu
Bei Feng did not seem to mind the tardy reception. It was apparent that Danxia Zi was in the middle of something and could not leave. In that case, he could just wait a while for him.
"But, by the looks of it, the pills that Mount Longhu is refining this time should not be ordinary!"
Bei Feng murmured to himself. He could feel the gathering mass of blood and Qi rising into the sky above Mount Longhu rather distinctly.
That was a phenomenon that would usually only appear when large numbers of martial practitioners were gathered in one place. Normal people would not be able to see the cloud of Qi, but if it were to snow in the area, the snow flakes would not even have the chance to touch the ground before getting melted by the cloud of Qi, turning into rain!
Bei Feng felt his interest rising. There were actually people who knew how to refine pills even in the present-day society!
That wait lasted all the way until 4 pm. Mystic Four and the rest were getting increasingly restless, but they did not dare to show it.
"Dang! Dang! Dang!"
Suddenly, the tolling sound of bells resounded through the mountain. It sounded archaic and ancient, giving one a feeling of tranquility, as if nectar was pouring into their hearts.
Bei Feng opened his eyes and spat out a breath of turbid air. "Has it begun?"
"Esteemed guests, the ceremony is about to begin. Please make your way to the rear court hall."
A Daoist disciple knocked on the door and announced before hurrying away.
Bei Feng smoothed his robes and got up before leading Mystic Four and the rest away.
They didn't have to waste any effort finding their way upon exiting the room. The group simply followed the crowd and went along with them. All kinds of people were moving towards the rear court together. There were those who were old, those who were young, elders dressed in coarse cloth shirts, and trendy-looking youngsters. There was only one similarity between them—everyone had some level of martial cultivation!
The number of Light Jing cultivators was too many to count, and with just a bit of effort, Bei Feng could detect tens of Evolved Jing masters!
"Today is really a rare spectacular event for us. Mount Longhu which had hidden away for three sixty-year cycles is finally going to refine pills again! I wonder who will obtain the pills this time."
An aged man said excitedly as his eyes lit up. In this life, he'd already obtained both fame and riches. However, his lifespan had also come to its end. If he still couldn't take another step forward in his cultivation, he would have to resign himself to his fate.
The older one was, the more afraid of death they became. It was precisely because they had already enjoyed all the joys of life that they were so unwilling to return to the earth!
This was also the case for the ancient emperors. Which of the mighty founding emperors had not been exceedingly intelligent and outstandingly brave? Despite that, why were they so obsessed with seeking immortality?
Even Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor, was thoroughly deceived by a bunch of fake alchemists and court doctors into consuming a number of potions, many of them containing mercury. Was the powerful emperor really so ignorant that he would be deceived so easily? The more probable possibility was that he'd simply refused to accept that he had not found the elixir of life!
"Xiao Wu, I'll be depending on you this time round. If we miss this opportunity, your grandfather will not have many days left to live."
"Don't worry, Father, I will definitely help grandfather to obtain a Dragon Tiger Pill!"
Similar conversations could be heard throughout the way.
‘Hm? What's this Dragon Tiger Pill?’
Since the crowd did not bother to hide their conversations, and Bei Feng was naturally able to hear everything clearly.
The group soon arrived at Demon Subduing Hall. An ancient Devil Expelling Well which seemed to have been there for an unknown number of years stood there, not crumbling apart despite the passage of time.
According to the rumors, this was the place where the founding Daoist master of Mount Longhu had subdued a devil once. But, with so much time passing, it was impossible to prove the validity of this story.
"Ang! Hou!"
A sharp cry like the roar of a dragon and the growl of a tiger rose into the sky, causing everyone to go wild with agitation.
"There's no mistake! That's the sound! The Dragon Tiger Pill had been refined successfully!"
An old man exclaimed excitedly. Apparently, this mountain was not called Mount Longhu at the beginning. It was only termed as such when people saw apparitions of a dragon and tiger atop the mountain peak when the founder refined a batch of Dragon Tiger Pills.
"Whew! It's finally completed!"
The white-haired old man breathed aloud in the quiet chambers. With a slap to the side of the cauldron, twelve golden pills were sent flying into the sky.
An intoxicating pill fragrance spread throughout the chamber, causing one's mouth to fill with saliva instantly.
"What a pity, these are only Low Grade Dragon Tiger Pills."
The old man kept the pills into a fine white jade bottle. It was a pity that the glorious period of the old Mount Longhu had already passed and would never return.
According to the ancient records, the Dragon Tiger Pill could be classified under three grades.
Low Grade Dragon Tiger Pills—on formation will release the sounds of dragons roaring and tigers growling. It can assist a martial practitioner to break through to the Xiantian realm. After that, the martial practitioner's path would be cut off. Till the day of their death, they would not be able to improve any further. However, the person would gain 200 years of lifespan!
Middle Grade Dragon Tiger Pills—on formation will produce apparitions of dragons and tigers above the pill cauldron. It can assist a martial practitioner to break through to the Xiantian realm and allow the martial practitioner to continue improving. However, they would never break past the Xiantian realm in their lives!
As for Top Grade Dragon Tiger Pills, the phenomenon created by the formation of the pills would be extremely shocking, enough to be seen from a hundred li away! Consuming it would not affect a person's cultivation potential, having no adverse effects on the future cultivation!
But, the problem was that the available amount of natural spirit herbs was really too scarce. The fact that enough ingredients could be found to support the refining of a batch of Dragon Tiger Pill was already a very admirable result. He didn't dare to be too greedy.
The old man looked well advanced in years, but his face was still filled with vibrancy, unlike the white hair on his head. As he walked out of the refining chamber, Danxia Zi and the other nine peak Evolved Jing masters hurriedly stood up and bowed to greet him.
"Have all the visitors arrived?"
The old man asked lightly.
"Teacher, the representatives of seventy-five clans and sects are already waiting outside."
Danxia Zi answered respectfully.
"En. Let's take out two Dragon Tiger Pills this time and allow the young people below 30 years of age to vye for it. The first and second placed contestants will each obtain one Dragon Tiger Pill. As for the rest, we can't let them go back empty-handed. Give them a set of Qi Refining Pellets each."
The old man sounded a little exhausted. Even so, his eyes still gleamed with excitement. This time, he'd successfully refined twelve pills. Even if he gave two away, there was still ten remaining!
These ten pills were sufficient to ensure that Mount Longhu would remain for another 1,000 years! In addition to the solid foundations set by the predecessors, Mount Longhu could be said to have truly sturdy roots which could brave all kinds of trouble!
"Teacher, is giving out two pills a little too much?"
Danxia Zi felt a bit of heartache. One had to know that each Dragon Tiger Pill was equivalent to a Xiantian powerhouse!
"You have to set your sights further. With the strength of our Mount Longhu alone, I fear that we might not be able to gather the materials to refine another batch of Dragon Tiger Pills even if we spent another 60-year cycle trying. By giving out a bit of benefits, we can let those sects and clans assist us in searching for more ingredients, saving us a great deal of time and trouble.
The old man instructed Danxia Zi seriously.
"I understand now, Teacher."
Danxia Zi nodded. He was extremely respectful towards the old man.
"Good. I'll leave the rest of the stuff to you."
The old man dragged his exhausted body away. After spending three days and three nights refining pills, the expenditure on his mental power was pretty hefty. Even though the old man was a Xiantian master, it was still difficult to endure the fatigue.
"I wonder how many pills Mount Longhu is going to take out this time?"
The crowd within the hall was feeling somewhat worried. The last time, only a single pill was offered. Hopefully, Mount Longhu would be willing to part with one more this time.
"If there's only one Dragon Tiger Pill, the chances of getting one would be too low."
"That's right, Mount Longhu's rules had never changed. Every time a new batch of Dragon Tiger Pills was refined, it could only be contested by people below the age of 30. From what I've heard, a genius had appeared in the Gao clan this time. He's not even 30, but he'd already broken through to Evolved Jing!"
Someone said with a dark expression. An Evolved Jing master below the age of 30. That was pretty much a guaranteed slot taken.
If there was only a single Dragon Tiger Pill up for grabs this time, everyone else would have made a trip in vain.
At this time, Danxia Zi came out with two pill bottles in his hands, which he set on the stage.
"Everyone, please quiet down! This time, my Mount Longhu will be giving out two Dragon Tiger Pills! As usual, it will be contested by the younger generation from 30 years old and younger. The top two ranked contestants will each receive one Dragon Tiger Pill!"