Chapter 27 Bored

Inside the Pill Cauldron, the medicinal power had reached the final stage of Fusion.

Shen Wen's expression was calm, his right hand pressed virtually against the cauldron body, and his Soul Power surged in like a tide, precisely regulating every increment of heat.

Inside the cauldron, the essences of dozens of medicinal ingredients had already fused into one, forming a faintly golden, semi-solid liquid the size of a baby's fist, slowly rotating.

"It's about to be complete."

Tian Leizi stood to the side, his gaze fixed on the mouth of the cauldron. With his eyesight, he could naturally tell that this was a critical moment for the formation of the Medicinal Pill.

Just then—

"Boom!"

Above the plaza, the clear sky suddenly turned gloomy. A mass of dark thunderclouds condensed out of thin air, churning incessantly, with faint flashes of lightning darting within.

"Pill Lightning!"

A gasp of surprise rang out among the crowd.

"Pill Lightning already? How long has Shen Wen been Alchemizing?"

"Two hours? Three hours? That's too fast!"

Cao Xiu, who was fully focused on melting medicinal ingredients on his own Alchemy platform, heard the commotion, his hand trembled, almost charring a medicinal herb.

He abruptly looked up at the thundercloud above the opposite sky, his expression becoming extremely colorful.

The thunderclouds gathered thicker and thicker, and the lightning grew brighter and brighter.

"Boom—"

A silver-white bolt of lightning tore through the sky, striking fiercely towards Shen Wen's Pill Cauldron!

Shen Wen didn't even lift his head.

He merely raised his left hand, his five fingers forming a virtual grasp.

The next moment, everyone's pupils constricted.

Above Shen Wen's palm, a small bottle as black as ink appeared out of thin air. The bottle body was ancient and simple, with profound patterns, and its mouth faced upwards, directly at the descending lightning bolt.

The lightning entered the bottle's mouth.

There was no explosion, no roar.

That Pill Lightning, powerful enough to severely injure a Dou Huang, was thus silently swallowed.

The small black bottle trembled slightly, then returned to calm.

Immediately after, a wisp of pure energy flowed back from the bottom of the bottle, entering Shen Wen's body along his arm.

Shen Wen squinted slightly, showing a hint of contentment.

"This thing is really useful."

He thought to himself, then with a casual wave, the small black bottle vanished without a trace.

The thunderclouds in the sky lost their target, churned for a moment, then gradually dispersed.

Sunshine once again streamed down.

The plaza was dead silent.

Everyone stared blankly at this scene, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.

"He... he swallowed the Pill Lightning?"

"That wasn't swallowing, that was refining!"

"Holy crap, what kind of technique is that?"

A trace of astonishment also flashed in Tian Leizi's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by deeper shock.

Because he saw something even more important.

From the mouth of the cauldron, a golden stream of light shot up into the sky!

That was a Medicinal Pill!

The newly formed Mysterious Yang Pill was full of spirituality, trying to escape through the air!

Shen Wen didn't even look, raising his hand to grab.

Space instantly solidified.

The golden stream of light seemed to hit an invisible wall, frozen in mid-air, unable to move.

Shen Wen slightly closed his five fingers, and the Medicinal Pill obediently flew back, falling into the jade bottle he had already prepared.

"Pop."

The stopper was put on.

Shen Wen casually tossed it, and the jade bottle traced an arc, landing steadily in front of Tian Leizi.

"Please, Senior, verify it."

His voice was flat, as if he had just done a trivial matter.

Tian Leizi took the jade bottle and pulled out the stopper.

A rich medicinal fragrance instantly diffused, the aroma mellow and pure, invigorating to smell, and even causing the Dou Qi within one's body to circulate slightly faster.

He poured the Medicinal Pill into his palm.

It was an eye-sized, entirely pale golden Medicinal Pill, with seven intricate pill-veins flowing on its surface.

Under the sunlight, a misty aura seemed to emanate from within the Medicinal Pill, revealing a hazy spiritual charm.

Tian Leizi stared at the Medicinal Pill for a moment, then suddenly fell silent.

Everyone in the plaza was waiting for his judgment.

But Tian Leizi did not speak immediately.

He looked up at Shen Wen, his gaze extremely complex.

After a moment, he turned to the crowd, his voice low but clear:

"This pill is of excellent quality."

He paused, then added: "In this old man's opinion, this Mysterious Yang Pill has reached the peak of a seventh-grade pill.

One could even say it's half a step into Grade 8."

"What?!"

The crowd instantly erupted.

"Half a step into Grade 8? Isn't that almost touching the edge of Grade 8?"

"But Mysterious Yang Pill is an Intermediate seventh-grade pill, isn't it? How can he refine a half-step Grade 8?"

Tian Leizi ignored the discussions and continued:

"The medicinal ingredients are Grade 6, and the Pill Formula is an Intermediate seventh-grade pill Formula.

But Grandmaster Shen, with his understanding of medicinal power, control of heat, and meticulous research into tempering, forcefully elevated the quality of the Medicinal Pill to a level far exceeding its original grade."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of emotion:

"To refine a seventh-grade pill from Grade 6 medicinal ingredients is common. But to refine a Medicinal Pill close to Grade 8 from Grade 6 medicinal ingredients—"

He looked at Shen Wen, "At least among peers. This Alchemy, this old man admits inferiority."

As his words fell, the plaza once again became dead silent.

Tian Leizi admitted inferiority?

One of the Dan Ta Three Giants, a Grade 8 Alchemist, admitting inferiority to a young man in his early twenties?

Cao Xiu stood frozen in front of his Alchemy platform, the azure flame in his hand long extinguished, yet he was completely unaware.

He just stared blankly at the Medicinal Pill quietly resting in Tian Leizi's palm on the opposite side, his mind a blank.

How was that possible?

He hadn't even fully grasped the Pill Formula, and the other party had already refined a half-step Grade 8 Medicinal Pill?

Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted loudly:

"Senior Tian Leizi!

This competition isn't about Alchemy speed, it's about the quality of the Medicinal Pill! It's too early to declare Grandmaster Shen the winner when Young Master Cao Xiu hasn't finished refining, isn't it?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice; it was a middle-aged man dressed in Cao family attire. From his appearance, he was an elder of the Cao family.

As soon as he finished speaking, several people immediately echoed:

"That's right! Alchemy isn't a race, what's the use of being fast? Quality is the key!"

"Young Master Cao Xiu hasn't refined yet, it's not too late to judge after he's done!"

As these few people spoke, the crowd immediately split into two factions, arguing noisily.

Shen Wen stood on the Alchemy platform, looking at the most agitated figures, a slight curve on his lips.

Some people from the Cao family, as expected, couldn't sit still.

Tian Leizi frowned slightly, about to speak, but saw Shen Wen nod to him, indicating it was fine.

Tian Leizi understood, turned to the people who had spoken, his voice carrying undeniable authority:

"Are you implying that this old man's eyesight is poor and cannot discern the quality of a Medicinal Pill?"

Those few people were immediately speechless.

Tian Leizi continued: "This Mysterious Yang Pill, refined with Grade 6 medicinal ingredients, achieved a quality close to Grade 8.

Do you know what this means?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone:

"It means Grandmaster Shen's tempering of medicinal ingredients has reached a near-perfect degree;

His Fusion of medicinal power was precise to the smallest detail;

His control of heat was precise to the extreme."

"Even if this old man were to refine such a Medicinal Pill, using the same medicinal ingredients, I could not achieve this quality."

He looked at the people who had spoken, his voice sinking:

"Cao Xiu hasn't finished refining yet?

Very well, this old man asks you: even if he refines a high-quality Mysterious Yang Pill now, can it compare to this one?"

Those few people opened their mouths, but couldn't speak.

Could it compare?

Half-step Grade 8 versus Intermediate seventh-grade, how could they compare?

Tian Leizi withdrew his gaze and said indifferently: "The victor has been decided, no need to wait any longer."

The plaza quieted down.

The faces of those who had spoken turned pale, and they sheepishly shut their mouths.

Shen Wen stood on the Alchemy platform, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on Cao Xiu in the distance.

Cao Xiu was still standing in front of his Alchemy platform, motionless.

He didn't know what to say, or what to do.

He had come full of confidence.

As a result, the other party had crushed him into dust in just two hours.

He hadn't even had time to start.

Shen Wen shook his head and withdrew his gaze.

"Boring."

He softly uttered two words, his voice not loud, yet clearly audible in the silent plaza.