sjar Chapter 24 Sect Grand Competition 3
Chapter 24 Sect Grand Competition 3
After a long while, Elder Wang finally reappeared in the air above the arena. With a flick of his sleeve, hundreds of storage bags flew out from his sleeve and were distributed to each disciple.
"The second round is the real test of alchemy. I have given each of you slightly different kinds of herbs, but you should all be able to refine at least a peak-grade third-rank pill. As for the results, that depends entirely on your individual abilities. The time limit is three days and three nights. The competition begins!"
As soon as the words were spoken, all the participating disciples quickly opened their storage bags and placed the herbs inside on the ground. Each of them looked around and compared their herbs with those of the others.
Zhang Yunling was different from the others. Although he wouldn't say he was completely confident about alchemy, he was quite certain of his abilities. Since he could refine at least a third-grade pill, the quality of the herbs must be quite good.
Slowly opening the storage bag, Zhang Yunling poured out the herbs inside. His originally confident and calm gaze froze the moment he saw the herbs.
"No, this..." Looking at the old and withered clump of herbs on the ground, Zhang Yunling couldn't help but look at the other disciples. He was even more puzzled. Why were the herbs distributed by the others full of vitality and spiritual energy, while the herbs on his side were old and weak with little spiritual energy?
With just a few wilted, broken grasses, what kind of good pills could be refined? Zhang Yunling's face clearly showed some anger, but he was mature enough to suppress it and calm down. He stopped caring about anything else and began to think of a solution.
Because personal storage bags are checked when registering for the competition, and bringing herbs is not allowed, these broken herbs are the only options for now to refine pills.
Desperate measures, Zhang Yunling devised a formula based on the medicinal properties of the herbs to refine a third-grade pill, and began working on it with focused concentration.
With a pat of his left hand on his storage bag, the crimson cauldron shot out and landed in front of him. Zhang Yunling raised his left hand and used it to absorb the herbs on the ground one by one. At the same time, his right hand activated his fire spirit root, and the pill fire inside the cauldron ignited.
The female disciple opposite turned to look at Zhang Yunling and saw the old herbs in his hand that had lost most of their spiritual power. She couldn't help but secretly mock Lin Yue:
"Damn it, I could have won with my own strength, why did he have to cheat me? He's a despicable and shameless piece of trash from beginning to end!" The female disciple ignored Zhang Yunling and turned around to refine her own pills.
Sweat began to bead on Zhang Yunling's forehead as he continuously switched between various hand seals, manipulating the intensity of the fire to refine different herbs. Time slowly passed, and two days and two nights went by in the blink of an eye, bringing them to the third day.
Just then, the female disciple finished making her pill. The fourth-grade pill, the Tiger-Taming Pill, flew out of her pill furnace and landed in her hand.
Looking at her work, which she was fairly satisfied with, the female disciple turned to glance at Zhang Yunling, who was still struggling among those inferior herbs.
"Almost done..." Zhang Yunling was already drenched in sweat, his muscles tense, and with his cultivation rapidly circulating, the pills in his cauldron were about to be completed.
At this moment, an unexpected result occurred, which neither he nor his female disciple had anticipated. The yellowish-brown flames inside Zhang Yunling's alchemy furnace suddenly turned dark green, and the faint fragrance of the pills that had been present became extremely pungent with the appearance of this green color.
What happened? Zhang Yunling, who had been trying his best to remain calm, finally revealed his shock at this moment. His two days and two nights of tireless efforts were about to succeed, but a change of events had occurred.
Seeing this, the female disciple raised her left hand and waved it towards Zhang Yunling's alchemy furnace. A pill with yellow and green patterns was taken out of the air by her, and at the same time, the pungent smell spread out.
"It's not that you made a mistake in your operation, but rather that one of the herbs used here is extremely inferior. Because it has grown for a very long time, the beneficial medicinal properties it contained have now turned into toxicity, which is why your pill has become a poison pill."
The female disciple spoke to Zhang Yunling in a deep voice, while putting the poison pill into her storage bag. "Hmph, Xu Tianli, I have to admit that I have some admiration for your knowledge of herbs and plants, your understanding of alchemy, and your calm and composed personality when refining pills. Moreover, I have no grudge against you, and I am not the one who persecuted you today."
Zhang Yunling manipulated the alchemical fire to burn away all the poisonous gas around him. He looked up at the female disciple, but didn't say a word. He just shook his head silently, then closed his eyes and stopped speaking.
Looking at Zhang Yunling's appearance, the female disciple began to doubt the ugly image Lin Yue had described of him: an arrogant and conceited man who used his third-grade cultivation to swindle money from outer disciples.
Is this the reaction of an arrogant and conceited person? He doesn't get angry and retaliate even when he is constantly mocked and ridiculed. He can remain calm even when he is secretly harmed by Lin Yue and loses his qualification for the competition. As the saying goes, those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. In this vast Qiankun Dao Sect, who can guarantee that their path of cultivation will be smooth and without any difficulties and obstacles?
The female disciple looked down at the pill in her hand, and the little bit of pride in her heart completely disappeared. Yes, if he had a normal quality set of herbs, couldn't he refine a better pill than her?
Soon, the third night arrived. Zhang Yunling remained seated with his eyes closed, sitting cross-legged in meditation. He ignored the noise of the disciples around him and paid no attention to the female disciple opposite him. He simply waited quietly for the result of his elimination.
Elder Wang kept staring at Zhang Yunling from mid-air. In fact, he was also very uneasy. Such obvious and clumsy targeting would make anyone shout out to argue, but this kid chose to remain silent. He did not ask for an explanation, nor did he try to refine pills again. Instead, he waited to be eliminated.
Seeing this, Elder Wang couldn't help but feel ashamed and secretly pondered what to do next.
The female disciple kept staring at Zhang Yunling's closed eyes. At this moment, she was also very conflicted. Originally, she was not a very evil person, but she was arrogant because she thought she was very talented.
Her real name is Dong Wan. She has no family power to back her up in this Qiankun Dao. Everything she has now is the result of her own hard work.
She embarked on her cultivation journey at a young age, overcoming numerous obstacles along the way. Although she was a woman, she possessed an unwavering spirit and never became tainted by worldly romantic feelings. Her sole focus was on improving her cultivation and proving everything with her strength.
Lin Yue was an inner disciple just like her, but how could she compare to him? His father was an elder of the sect, and he had far more power, status, and cultivation resources than she did.
She only agreed to participate in the sect competition because Lin Yue promised to give her a rare and precious herb that she desperately needed after the matter was settled.
The third night had passed, and the sunrise of the fourth day had arrived. Elder Wang slowly opened his slightly lowered eyes, stood up from the high platform, took a step forward, and stood in mid-air. He spoke in a deep voice: "The time has come. All disciples, present the pills you have refined, immediately..."
Before he could finish speaking, a delicate voice interrupted Elder Wang: "Wait a minute, I want to forfeit and withdraw from this sect competition!"
All the disciples looked toward the source of the voice. Zhang Yunling opened his eyes at this moment, only to see that the person who announced the forfeit was none other than the female disciple who had repeatedly mocked him before... Dong Wan!