Chapter 17: The Alchemy Refining Failed?

Inside the side hall, flames were raging.

A black Medicine Cauldron stood upright; it looked extraordinary at a glance, with dark patterns flowing across its surface, emitting a scorching aura.

Xiao Ming held his breath and focused, adjusting his state to the Peak, then formed hand seals and cast out streaks of Alchemy patterns.

"Hum!" The Medicine Cauldron trembled slightly, and the lid opened.

His gaze was like lightning as he followed the rich, hundred-thousand-year-old Alchemy experience in his mind, tossing rare medicinal Materials into the cauldron one by one. His movements were smooth and fluid, completed in one go.

"Go!" "Fuse!" "Refine!"

Several hours later, fine beads of sweat seeped from Xiao Ming's forehead and slowly slid down his cheeks, yet he seemed completely unaware.

His entire mind was completely immersed in the Medicine Cauldron.

Refining this top-tier Earth Rank realm breaking pill required an amount of Devilish Qi consumption and Mental Energy load that far exceeded imagination. His current Golden Core cultivation could only barely support the refining process; the slightest carelessness would surely lead to a backlash. Even though he possessed Heaven-Defying Alchemy experience, his cultivation was still a fatal flaw. He had to repeatedly consume Medicinal Pills to quickly recover his strength just to barely hold on.

The difficulty of Alchemy is harder than ascending to the heavens. It is by no means something that can be accomplished just by having a Pill Formula and Materials; it has harsh requirements for Alchemy experience, endurance, Mental Energy, and even techniques. An ordinary alchemist might not be able to touch the threshold of Earth Rank Medicinal Pills even after exhausting their entire life.

Outside the side hall, in the sleeping quarters, Luo Li had already risen. She was wearing a moon-white, gossamer-thin gauze dress. Beneath the gauze, her exquisite body, nourished by rain and dew, was becoming increasingly voluptuous and alluring. Her Peaks were towering, the valley hidden and visible, looking fuller and more dazzling than before, and her skin had become even more crystal clear, rosy, and lustrous.

She slowly paced to the window, but her pair of peach-blossom eyes always drifted involuntarily toward the still-closed door of the side hall.

Although there was a Formation isolating it, relying on her keen perception as a Nascent Soul powerhouse, she could still faintly feel the scorching energy coming from behind the hall door, as well as a trace of strange, elusive medicinal fragrance. The fragrance became increasingly alluring and rich as time passed.

The faint light from outside the window sprinkled onto Luo Li's originally cold, jade-like face, making it incomparably beautiful. As her eyes turned, they naturally carried three parts laziness and seven parts allure. Even though her willow brows were slightly furrowed at this moment, and she was staring at the hall door with complex eyes, she still had a unique charm.

She was like an Epiphyllum soaked in the spring rain and night dew, thoroughly stimulated, wantonly stretching every petal stained with dew in a corner where no one could see, exuding an extreme charm that was mature, full, and tempting to pick. Even she herself did not realize what earth-shaking changes had occurred in her in just a few short days. After a long while, she slowly spoke:

"This Wicked Disciple… actually understands the Dao of Alchemy? … Why didn't I notice before?" Luo Li's brows furrowed slightly, and doubt and confusion flashed in her beautiful eyes.

The Dao of Alchemy is vast and profound, and it is by no means something that can be achieved overnight. It requires years of practice, the accumulation of countless failures, and a near-paranoid insight into medicinal properties. In her eyes, Xiao Ming was previously just average in terms of appearance, Cultivation Aptitude, and everything else. How could he suddenly…? This truly defied common sense.

'Could it be that there is another expert behind him? Or did he obtain the Legacy of some powerhouse?' Her thoughts shifted, but she immediately denied it. If there were an expert, why borrow the hand of a Disciple? If it were a Legacy, the progress could not be this fast; one must know that even with Fusion and absorption, a Legacy requires a large amount of time. 'Perhaps…'

Just as her thoughts were flying, that medicinal fragrance had become incomparably rich, quietly permeating the air.

Luo Li's exquisite nose twitched slightly, feeling that the fragrance was initially extremely faint, like an orchid in an empty valley, ethereal and hard to find. Immediately after, the fragrance turned warm and moist, like the scent of fine jade, refreshing the heart and spleen. Inhaling one breath actually caused her indestructible Peak Nascent Soul Stage barrier to produce a trace of loosening, and a yearning throb came from her heart!

"This fragrance…?!"

Luo Li's beautiful eyes widened instantly, her alluring posture straightened involuntarily, and her eyes were filled with unbelievable shock!

She was not someone who hadn't seen the world. As a Nascent Soul Peak Revered Master, she had also consumed many high-grade Medicinal Pills. But she had never smelled a medicinal fragrance that could be so miraculous! This fragrance had distinct layers; upon first smelling it, it refreshed the mind, and smelling it again warmed the Meridians. Tasting it carefully, it actually seemed to contain a trace of elusive… Pill Rhythm!

This was by no means something that ordinary Medicinal Pills could possess! It was at least a top-grade Spirit Pill.

"Medicinal fragrance penetrating the Formation… Pill Rhythm spontaneously manifesting!" Luo Li's red lips parted slightly, and she exclaimed in a low voice, her heart beating uncontrollably faster. All her previous doubts vanished at this moment.

This Wicked Disciple… actually knew how to practice Alchemy, and his attainments in the Dao of Alchemy had probably reached a height she could not imagine! Being able to refine top-tier Earth Rank Medicinal Pills, even if placed outside, many Sects and aristocratic families would desperately fight to compete for him, begging him to refine pills.

A huge wave of pleasant surprise mixed with complex emotions surged into her heart. She subconsciously took a small step forward, her jade hand gently pressing on the window lattice, her eyes burning as she stared at the direction of the side hall, as if she could pierce through the hall door and clearly see everything the Wicked Disciple was doing inside at this moment.

The medicinal fragrance in the air became increasingly rich, and Luo Li could even feel that the Spiritual Qi in the surrounding heaven and earth was beginning to faintly gather toward the direction of the side hall.

"Is it about to form the pill…" She murmured to herself, her voice carrying a tension and expectation she herself had not noticed.

Meanwhile, inside the hall, Xiao Ming had reached the most critical moment. He was completely unaware of his Revered Master, who was already surging with emotion outside, and all his mind was focused on the essence of the medicinal liquid inside the Medicine Cauldron that was gradually solidifying and emitting seven-colored rays of light…

Just at this moment, the Medicine Cauldron buzzed, the lid trembled violently, and a pillar of seven-colored light shot up from within the cauldron, piercing through the hall roof, rushing into the heavens, and causing the heaven and earth outside to change color! Dark clouds gathered, thunder snakes roamed, and the terrifying pressure of the pill tribulation instantly enveloped the entire Heartless Peak!

The Disciples on the Peak looked up in horror, and inside and outside the Sect, countless perceptions instantly focused here! Shock, greed, confusion… various emotions intertwined.

"Seven-colored pill clouds! It's a top-grade Spirit Pill!"

"Since when did Heartless Peak have such a powerful Alchemy expert?"

"This pill… must be obtained!"

In the sleeping quarters, Luo Li's face was unsightly. When the heaven and earth phenomenon appeared, she had already fully exerted the concealment Formation. Now, the Formation's light curtain was fluctuating violently, and it was on the verge of collapsing! She understood that once the pill tribulation descended and the Medicinal Pill was born, Heartless Peak would surely become the target of public criticism! At that time, she would have no choice but to reveal her cultivation to serve as a deterrent.

Just when Luo Li could no longer hold on and the pill tribulation thunder was about to strike, Xiao Ming in the side hall raised his eyebrows slightly, gazing up at the sky. Looking at the overwhelming heaven and earth phenomenon and the pill tribulation that was ready to go, he sighed: "This… this commotion is too big!"

He had originally thought that the phenomenon of the Medicinal Pill's birth would be like a flash in the pan and would pass in an instant. At worst, wasn't his Revered Master baby there? If a powerhouse made a move, surely shielding such a small phenomenon would be a matter of a wave of the hand, right? But looking at the pill tribulation that was terrifying in its might and had been gathering power for a long time, about to fall, and the heaven and earth phenomenon that was still expanding outward at this moment, he was numb. He hurriedly opened the System store and started searching.

Not long after, an ancient and profound Talisman instantly appeared in Xiao Ming's palm. He flicked his finger, and the Talisman floated silently toward the sky above the side hall.

"Hum—!" A strange buzzing sound seemed to ring out from the depths of the Void Realm. The sound was not loud, but the seven-colored pill clouds that were about to form were as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, twisting and shrinking violently, and then… vanished into thin air!

That pill tribulation thunder, which had already poked out of the clouds and carried a destructive aura, just as it was about to fall after gathering power for a long time, seemed to have lost its target. It suddenly stalled, the thunder light dimmed rapidly, and finally, with an unwilling dull thud, it actually… disintegrated on its own, turning into specks of faint light and dissipating into the air.

The sky, which had been covered with dark clouds and raging thunder just a moment before, was suddenly clear of clouds and mist the next moment, as if the terrifying phenomenon just now had never appeared!

All the gazes watching this place were stunned, filled with astonishment and disbelief.

"What is going on? The pill tribulation… dissipated?"

"The phenomenon disappeared? The aura of the Medicinal Pill can no longer be sensed either!"

"Could it be… the Alchemy failed? Damn… failing at the very last moment… falling short of success?"

"What a pity! What a pity! Such an astonishing phenomenon must be a high-grade Earth Rank Medicinal Pill, maybe even Heaven Rank, and it actually failed!"

"Hmph, as expected, how could such Medicinal Pills be so easily refined? This person is still lacking some skill!"

Countless perceptions, carrying emotions of pity, schadenfreude, or unwillingness, retreated like a tide. Since the Alchemy failed and the Medicinal Pill was destroyed, there was no need for them to continue investigating and watching.

Meanwhile, in the sleeping quarters, Luo Li's jade hand trembled slightly, and a sense of relief and… a trace of imperceptible disappointment flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"Did it fail…" She murmured to herself, feeling inexplicably empty in her heart. Although her reason told her that this was the most reasonable result and could also avoid countless troubles, she felt relieved. That was right; that Wicked Disciple's cultivation was so low and he was so young, how could he be proficient in the Dao of Alchemy? Moreover, how could Medicinal Pills be so easily refined! She slowly shook her head, but then she thought of the way the Wicked Disciple had been working tirelessly to refine pills for her, and an indescribable complex emotion surged into her heart.