119: The head of the five major families!

Watching the increasingly pure medicinal fragrance from Jiang Luo's Pill Furnace, Cao Dan felt his impatience growing like wild weeds.

He knew well that his Alchemy skills were inferior to Jiang Luo's, and now that his several sneak attacks had been easily neutralized, he was certain to lose this Pill Duel if he could not turn the situation around.

In his desperation, he bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of vital blood. As the blood landed on the Li Fire, the originally orange-red flames instantly surged several times over, turning into a raging inferno that scorched the surrounding air until it distorted.

"Burning vital blood? Cao Dan has gone mad!" Ye Zhong's expression changed as he exclaimed in a low voice, "Although burning vital blood can briefly increase the power of the Pill Fire, it damages the Foundation and may even affect future progress in Alchemy. To win, he is actually willing to go this far!"

Cao Dan's eyes were bloodshot, and he appeared deranged. He rapidly formed seals with his hands, pouring his Soul Power into the Pill Furnace without reservation: "Jiang Luo, even if I have to risk damaging my Foundation, I will make your Alchemy fail!"

Following his command, several small, venomous-looking flames separated from the Li Fire, bypassing Jiang Luo's flame barrier and burrowing toward the bottom of his Pill Furnace.

He wanted to directly destroy Jiang Luo's Pill Furnace, causing all his efforts to come to nothing.

Jiang Luo's eyes narrowed; he had not expected Cao Dan to be so unscrupulous.

However, he did not panic. With a thought, his pale cyan Heavenly Flame instantly divided into countless tiny threads of fire, forming a dense net that tightly entangled those venomous flames.

The temperature of the Heavenly Flame far exceeded that of the Li Fire. As soon as those venomous flames touched the fiery threads, they melted and dissipated instantly, like snow meeting a scorching sun.

At the same time, Jiang Luo's Soul Power erupted with full force. His Heavenly Realm Soul Power formed an invisible field of Qi that completely isolated the violent aura emitted by Cao Dan, leaving the Fusion of medicinal materials inside his Pill Furnace completely unaffected.

At this moment, Jiang Luo's Alchemy had entered the most critical stage: pill condensation.

He slowly raised his hands, the Heavenly Flame in his palms flickering in intensity as he precisely controlled the temperature inside the Pill Furnace.

His Soul Power acted like the finest brush, outlining complex pill patterns within the medicinal liquid, each line imbued with the charm of the Law of Heaven and Earth.

The medicinal fragrance within the Pill Furnace grew increasingly rich, even condensing into tangible white mist that permeated the great hall. A single breath was enough to clarify one's Soul, and even the Elder could not help but nod in praise: "Such Alchemy methods have reached the Transcendent Realm!"

In contrast, although Cao Dan had temporarily increased his strength after burning his vital blood, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably while manipulating the Li Fire due to the exhaustion of his Soul Power.

Inside his Pill Furnace, the properties of the medicinal materials had long been in chaos, and the smell of burning grew stronger, forming a sharp contrast with the pure medicinal fragrance emanating from Jiang Luo's Pill Furnace.

Watching Jiang Luo's calm and composed demeanor, despair surged in Cao Dan's heart like a tidal wave. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body swaying as he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Time is up!" The Elder's voice rang out right on schedule.

Jiang Luo slowly withdrew his Heavenly Flame and lightly tapped the lid of the Pill Furnace.

With a soft hum, three Heaven Burning Pills, glowing with a crimson, glass-like luster, slowly rose. The pills were covered in eighty-one dense pill patterns, and the aura they emitted was domineering and pure, far exceeding ordinary high-level seventh-grade pills.

Even more shockingly, faint vortices of Spiritual Qi swirled around the Medicinal Pills, clearly containing a trace of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, putting them only a step away from being Eighth Grade Pills!

"This... this is a semi-Eighth Grade Pill!" a Pill Tower Elder exclaimed in shock, "There are very few throughout history who can refine a seventh-grade pill to this Realm!"

The entire venue was in an uproar; everyone was so stunned by the Medicinal Pill Jiang Luo had refined that they were speechless.

Ye Zhong and Ye Xinlan were moved to tears of excitement. Ye Zhong, in particular, was streaming with tears as he choked out: "We won! We won! The Ye Family can finally hold their heads high!"

After Cao Dan's Pill Furnace was opened, only a pile of charred powder remained inside, without even a single complete Medicinal Pill.

He looked at the semi-Eighth Grade Heaven Burning Pill in Jiang Luo's hand with hollow eyes. Unable to hold on any longer, he collapsed to the ground, muttering: "Impossible... How could I lose..."

The Gray-Robed Elder's face was livid. Looking at Cao Dan's state, he felt both angry and anxious, yet helpless.

He knew that the Cao Family had not only lost the Pill Duel this time but also lost face, and their status in the Pill Domain would likely plummet in the future.

The Elder stepped forward, carefully picking up one of the Heaven Burning Pills. After examining it closely for a moment, he solemnly announced: "In the Pill Duel, Jiang Luo is the winner! The Heaven Burning Pill he refined has reached the semi-Eighth Grade Realm, and its quality far exceeds Cao Dan's. The Ye Family receives full marks for this round!"

As his voice fell, thunderous applause erupted in the great hall, and countless factions congratulated Ye Zhong one after another.

The representatives of the Bai Family and Qiu Family had complex expressions, feeling both envious and wary. They knew that with Jiang Luo around, the rise of the Ye Family was unstoppable.

Jiang Luo put the Heaven Burning Pill into a Jade Bottle and walked up to Cao Dan, his tone flat: "The Dao of Alchemy values a peaceful state of mind and gradual progress. Being eager for success and using unscrupulous means will ultimately make it difficult to achieve great things."

Cao Dan raised his head, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness: "Jiang Luo, I will not let you go! The Cao Family will not let you go either!"

Jiang Luo glanced at him indifferently and ignored him.

In the face of absolute strength, any threat appeared pale and powerless.

He turned and returned to the Ye Family's seats, where Ye Zhong and Ye Xinlan hurriedly greeted him, their faces full of excitement and admiration.

The Elder walked to the center of the great hall and announced loudly: "In this Five Great Families assessment, Jiang Luo of the Ye Family has won first place in all three rounds, with a total score far in the lead! From today on, the Ye Family officially becomes the head of the Five Great Families in the Pill Domain! The Cao Family ranks fourth and is penalized from participating in the core affairs of the Pill Tower for ten years; the Qiu Family ranks last and is removed from the Five Great Families!"

After the announcement was finished, enthusiastic applause rang out in the great hall once again.

Although the Ye Family members were not present, Ye Zhong seemed to see them cheering with joy, his heart filled with relief and gratitude.

If not for Jiang Luo, the Ye Family would have long ago become the laughingstock of the Pill Domain; how could they have today's glory?

Jiang Luo stood at the Ye Family's seats, his gaze sweeping across the venue, his eyes calm yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

He knew that this was only a part of his journey; the resentment of the Cao Family, the threat of the Hall of Souls, the changing winds and clouds of the Central Plains, and even more challenges were waiting for him.

But he was fearless. The Heavenly Flame in his hand burned with conviction, and the Dao in his heart guided his direction. His footsteps would traverse every corner of this continent, using his strength to write his own legend.

At this moment, the sunlight outside the great hall was just right, shining through the doors and windows onto Jiang Luo, outlining his tall and upright figure.

The era belonging to Jiang Luo had just begun.