Chapter 801: Is There a Problem with This Pill Formula?

There are two great Futu cities in this world.

Unlike the chaotic situation in Si Futu City, which is associated with death, Sheng Futu City serves as the gathering place for the headquarters of various subsidiary professions related to spirit refining.

There, you'll find the mainland headquarters of well-known associations such as Lian Dan Shi, Ling Zhen Shi, Zhu Qi Shi, and others.

The mainland headquarters of the Lian Dan Shi Association is located beside the Ping Hu in Sheng Futu City.

Ping Hu is home to a heavenly fire born from the Cang Qiong Zhi Shu, which blooms once every 90,000 years and bears fruit once every 90,000 years. When the fruit falls and splits, it gives rise to this fire, known as Ping Hu Qing Hua, which contains boundless vital energy for living beings.

Legend has it that using this fire for alchemy, any Lian Dan Shi with a solid grasp of the techniques can essentially succeed in creating pills.

For instance, elixirs around the level of Shen Zhi Bi You, a holy pill, require the power of Ping Hu Qing Hua to assist in their refinement.

Otherwise, if the refinement fails, the loss of spiritual herbs would be incalculable.

And Ping Hu Xiao Qing Hua is derived from Ping Hu Qing Hua, earning the title of "Little Heavenly Fire." In terms of rank, it can almost match the president's Duo Yuan Zi Huo.

Xu Xiaoshou listened with a look of surprise on his face.

He had seen Duo Yuan Zi Huo before.

It was incredibly powerful—only slightly inferior to Jin Zhao Bai Yan.

Yu Chuchu continued speaking while glancing at Xiao Wanfeng's somewhat puzzled expression, then looked back at Xu Xiaoshou with suspicion.

She thought it was impossible for a successor of a semi-saint family not to know about Sheng Futu City and the story of Ping Hu Qing Hua.

But clearly, this guy was too lazy and didn't bother explaining such historical legends to his subordinates.

This made Yu Chuchu's impression of Xu Xiaoshou even worse.

"You’re called Xiao Wanfeng?" She turned back, her beautiful eyes scanning Xu Xiaoshou's subordinate from head to toe, finally fixing on the wooden sword behind the young man.

"Would you like to come to my side? I can offer you a more tempting deal than what Xu Xiaoshou gives."

She had looked into Xu Xiaoshou and knew this ordinary young man had won the championship in the Tian Luo Zhan, displaying innate sword intent in a stunning performance.

He was a promising talent, and it was a waste for him to stay with Xu Xiaoshou.

Xiao Wanfeng was stunned for a moment.

He hadn't expected that after the story, the young lady Yu would take an interest in him, leaving him a bit flattered.

"Hey, hey!"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't hold back: "I'm just asking a question on his behalf, and here you are poaching him right in front of me. Are you some kind of shovel?"

Yu Chuchu rolled her eyes and shot back sarcastically: "You, Xu Xiaoshou, the great young master who doesn't even cherish talent... Oh, maybe in your semi-saint family, geniuses are a dime a dozen? So what's the harm in letting him come to me? I won't hold back his future!"

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow, amused as he looked over this self-assured woman, then turned to Xiao Wanfeng: "She seems to have misunderstood something. Tell her—have I held back your future?"

Of course not!

Following Xu Xiaoshou, Xiao Wanfeng had even met someone like Mei Si Ren and turned down the opportunity once.

Was that something a mere Wang Cheng Yu family could offer?

Who knows, maybe later he could even take Xiao Wanfeng to meet his idol, Ba Zun An!

Xiao Wanfeng hesitated, caught in a dilemma, before refusing: "Thank you for your favor, Miss Yu, but I'm Xu Xiaoshou's person, and I'm paid by Tian Shang First Tower. I won't betray that."

Yu Chuchu said bluntly: "I can give you more than he does!"

Xiao Wanfeng looked troubled: "It's not about more or less. Xu Xiaoshou treats people well; you just don't know him..."

Yu Chuchu sneered and glanced at the playboy Xu Xiaoshou, knowing this was probably forced out of him. She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Xiao Wanfeng: "That's because you haven't seen how others treat people even better!"

No more words.

Like most people, Yu Chuchu didn't like Xu Xiaoshou's style.

But poaching someone in public—any normal person would refuse.

She understood that well. Really, she was just trying to annoy Xu Xiaoshou, and that was it.

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't annoyed at all. He proudly lifted his head, puffed out his chest, and patted Xiao Wanfeng on the shoulder: "I manage my people well."

Yu Chuchu: "..."

She hadn't managed to annoy him; instead, she ended up annoyed herself!

Passive value gained from being disliked: 1.

On the judges' platform.

After a moment of silence, Dong Ling, the president, spoke again: "Everyone here is a Lian Dan Shi, so you all understand the importance of Ping Hu Xiao Qing Hua to us. I won't go into more detail. I hope in this Lian Dan Da Hui, everyone brings their highest level of skill to claim the glory they deserve."

After that, she introduced the other presidents on the judges' platform one by one, from Shi Ti to Lu Cheng Hui and the rest.

Each of them sitting there was a highly respected elder in the Dong Tian Lian Dan world.

The young Lian Dan Shi naturally knew them all and understood even more the significance of this Lian Dan Da Hui.

The people on the viewing platform didn't need introductions.

But everyone was well aware.

These big figures might be their future paths to success.

Once noticed and invited...

It would be a smooth rise to prominence, a broad highway, no longer just a dream.

Xu Xiaoshou recognized few of the judges—only Dong Ling and Shi Ti—but he had crossed paths with most on the viewing platform.

They were all big shots he'd met after the Ling Que trade fair.

Their faces were familiar, but he couldn't recall their names.

Clearly, the highest powers in Wang Cheng, even the dominant forces, were eager for Lian Dan geniuses, with many leaders attending in person.

From the discussions around him, he could even match up figures like Da Xian Tian Zong and Gui Yin Ge, whom he'd only heard of before.

Imagine the prestige they held in Wang Cheng.

Dong Ling seemed tired of lengthy explanations and, after introducing the key figures, dove straight into the main topic.

Now, the first round of the Lian Dan Da Hui elimination matches officially begins!

Participants with numbers one through five hundred, please take your positions in sequence. Due to limited space, all other participants should step back and wait for the next group.

Assessing five hundred people at once.

The scene was truly spectacular—something you wouldn't see on a normal day.

After all, Lian Dan Shi usually refined pills in exclusive Dan Towers or their own private spaces.

Ordinary spirit refiners rarely even witnessed the full Lian Dan process.

The audience outside the field was excited, pushing forward desperately to catch a glimpse of these precious Lian Dan Shi.

"It's starting! It's starting!"

"I wonder what the first round's test will be. It has to be at least an innate-level pill to start, right? Then sift through the waves and weed out those trying to fish in troubled waters!"

"Ha, I suspect you're implying something."

"Heh, no need to suspect—I mean those ten-pin Lian Dan Shi."

"Those?"

"Exactly!"

The crowd outside was bustling and shoving, but the Lian Dan Shi inside maintained excellent composure.

At Dong Ling's command, they entered their arrays or waited orderly.

"They're truly high-caliber talents..."

Xu Xiaoshou knew his number was later, so he stepped back, impressed by the young Lian Dan Shi's professionalism.

If it were martial artists competing, like in the Tian Luo field brawl, it would probably turn into a bloody mess with people stripping down and fighting wildly.

"By the way, what's the elimination round testing?"

He nudged Yu Chuchu with his elbow.

As Dong Ling's disciple, she was basically an insider and a chatty girl.

Xu Xiaoshou seized on their prior acquaintance to ask his questions.

Yu Chuchu looked annoyed and subtly brushed off her sleeve where he'd touched it, quietly shifting half a step away before snapping: "How should I know?"

"Aren't you like half a staff member? You don't know?" Xu Xiaoshou asked curiously.

Yu Chuchu rolled her eyes: "If I knew in advance, that'd be cheating. I only know what most people do—that this elimination round probably involves refining a new pill."

"A new pill?"

"Yep."

Yu Chuchu nodded: "If it were a widely known innate pill, everyone would be proficient, and the results would be too similar, making it hard to differentiate."

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood and agreed: "So your master is going to provide a new pill formula this time?"

"Maybe!"

Yu Chuchu wasn't sure.

Xu Xiaoshou turned to Xiao Wanfeng and declared: "If I were hosting a competition and you entered, I'd leak the questions to you in advance. Fairness and justice? Who cares—our own people come first!"

Xiao Wanfeng: "..."

He was speechless for a while, inwardly complaining, but on the surface, he just smiled softly: "Xu Xiaoshou treats me so well."

Yu Chuchu's lips twitched, a black line forming on her forehead as her opinion of Xu Xiaoshou dropped another notch.

Was he that petty?

Still hung up on the earlier trivial matter?

Passive value gained from being cursed: 1.

"There, for you."

She suddenly extended her hand and handed a communication bead to Xiao Wanfeng. "Take it."

Xiao Wanfeng: ???

The young man hesitated and glanced at his master.

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked!

Was she that petty?

Still not giving up?

Still poaching?

He looked at the girl beside him.

Yu Chuchu stared straight ahead, but her eyes sparkled with mischief and triumph.

Others might fear him as a semi-saint successor, but Yu Chuchu couldn't stand his behavior and was determined to set him straight.

Xiao Wanfeng was stuck in a dilemma again.

But Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand generously: "Go ahead and take it. A contact method from Miss Yu Chuchu—how many people dream of that? On a sleepless night, you could dial it up for some romantic chat. If you don't want it, maybe you could even sell it for a high price."

Yu Chuchu turned back, eyes wide in disbelief.

How could he think like that...

She glared at Xu Xiaoshou hatefully, shoved the communication bead into Xiao Wanfeng's hand, and whispered: "Don't let anyone else use it, especially not your Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Oh, okay..."

Xiao Wanfeng felt like his luck had turned lately.

Not only had Xuan Cang Jian Ling taken an interest in him, but now Miss Yu seemed inexplicably fond of him too?

In no time.

The Lian Dan Shi were in position, each pulling out their prized Dan Dings and spiritual flames, ready to go.

The scene lively in an instant.

Dan Dings of all shapes and sizes, flames in a rainbow of colors.

The air filled with billowing vapors, drawing roars from the outside audience.

Yet, inside the field, the young Lian Dan Shi warming their Dings were all craning their necks, eagerly and nervously awaiting the test details.

Dong Ling surveyed the crowd, a mysterious smile on her face.

The pill to be refined in this elimination round is a brand-new, never-before-seen seven-pin pill—Ke Xuan Dan!

The formula for Ke Xuan Dan was just finalized this morning, developed under mutual supervision by the eighteen judges in the Tai Xu world, so there's no chance of leaks.

Since it's an elimination round, participants get only one chance to refine. You have two quarters of an hour—manage your time wisely.

Those who fail are eliminated. Those who succeed will be ranked by pill quality, with 100 points as the maximum, and the top 100 advance to the next round.

Now, the staff will distribute the jade slips.

The staff entered the field.

The Lian Dan Shi who had entered the arrays listened to the explanation, completely baffled, like they were seeing flowers in the fog.

Once they received the jade slips with the formula and scanned it with their spiritual senses, they were all stunned.

The audience outside and the Lian Dan Shi waiting in the wings saw this and burst into discussions.

"Whoa, looks like the difficulty is terrifying..."

"Ke Xuan Dan? Never heard of it!"

"I've only heard of eight-pin Ke Ling Dan—that's one of the best spirit recovery pills at eight pin. Based on the name, Ke Xuan Dan must be an advanced version?"

"That's not the point!"

"The point is, it's a seven-pin pill... Just look at those old folks on the judges' platform smirking—the refinement difficulty has to be 'hell' level for seven pin."

"Seven pin is already at the innate peak. With this formula, I bet out of over a thousand participants, the success rate won't even hit 10 percent."

"That's not that exaggerated, right? This isn't just Dong Tian talents—people from the five domains are here. 10 percent would mean thousands failing, with only a few hundred succeeding?"

"Maybe even fewer than a few hundred..."

"Yeah, I think so. Those old Lian Dan Shi are full of tricks when it comes to testing the younger generation."

The outsiders' discussions were mostly for excitement.

The waiting Lian Dan Shi talked about different things.

"Ke Xuan Dan? Seven pin?"

"We're doomed. Ke Ling Dan is already super hard at eight pin, and I struggle with that. Starting with seven pin? What's the point!"

"Well, it is an elimination round." Others were confident.

The thousands registered in the field nearly gathered all of Dong Tian's top Lian Dan geniuses, plus talents rushing in from other domains these past days.

Eight pin might be genius level outside, but here, it was just average.

Not the bottom, but plenty of them—basically the starting point.

Seven pin was the real standard.

And among seven pin, the barely proficient ones differed from the masters.

These were the true main forces of the competition.

As for master-level six pin or five pin, they were as rare as phoenix feathers.

Just like young sword sects...

Yu Chuchu's six-pin level put her among the elite here.

After all, Lian Dan wasn't like spirit refining—you couldn't achieve it through sudden enlightenment, like three breaths to innate or three years to sword immortal.

It required massive time accumulation, technical buildup, and steady, step-by-step progress.

"Ke Xuan Dan..."

Yu Chuchu frowned as she watched the hundreds in the field.

She noticed something odd.

The first group entering had solid levels—the lowest was eight pin.

The highest even included a genius from outside Dong Tian, about Xiao Wanfeng's age, but with a six-pin badge!

Yet, without exception.

After getting the formula, no one started refining. They all fell into deep thought.

Including that six-pin participant!

Yu Chuchu watched as the contestants glanced at the jade slip, checked the herbs, glanced again, checked again.

Her brows furrowed even more.

Even for difficult innate pills, innate Lian Dan Shi wouldn't all be stumped like this.

So...

"There's something wrong with this formula?"