Chapter 802: Xu Shao, Let's Make a Bet

Judges' seats.

The Alchemy Conference had officially entered the first round of competition, and the eighteen judges were fully focused on the scene before them.

With the pill recipes and medicinal ingredients distributed, the five hundred participants still hadn't made a move.

The various veteran presidents seated above exchanged sly smirks.

"This time, refining the Ke Xuan Dan—who knows how many will fail at the first step, and how many might make it to the final pill condensation stage."

"Haha, the recipe for Ke Xuan Dan has been verified multiple times, so it's accurate. But those three challenges built into it—I'm curious how many will be stumped."

"It's an elimination round, after all. With over a thousand participants, we need to weed out quite a few during the refining process to make the subsequent scoring more manageable."

"I think that six-grade youth might succeed. What's his name again... Zhu Yan? Hmm, a fine name. As for the others, it all depends on their insight!"

Dong Ling Zhou looked at the old men beside him, feeling a bit amused and helpless.

To ensure the first round went smoothly, the eighteen judges had researched together from yesterday until this morning, revising the recipe repeatedly.

This wasn't just to make the process more complicated.

For any pill, the final effect after completion is the most important.

The judges weren't conducting the assessment just for the sake of it, deliberately adding trivial elements to the recipe.

On the contrary, to enhance the value of Ke Xuan Dan, the old fellows had desperately tested various spiritual herbs while simplifying the refining procedures.

The result was a recipe that perfectly showcased the skills of an alchemist—simple yet masterful in its subtlety.

Truth be told, the refining process for Ke Xuan Dan could only be considered "moderately difficult" among seven-grade pills, not extremely so, and the spiritual herbs used were mostly common ones.

The real challenge lay in the three barriers set within this recipe.

First, testing the special and hidden properties of commonly used spiritual herbs.

Second, addressing the conflicting properties between herbs in the recipe by using other fused conflicting herbs to resolve them.

Third, during pill condensation, perfectly balancing the completely opposite characteristics of the 365 auxiliary herbs and the 18 main herbs.

Without a doubt, this recipe drew on the full wealth of experience from the veteran presidents.

After the conference, Ke Xuan Dan would be a highly sought-after pill on the market, not just something reserved for formal occasions.

And every spiritual herb used in this recipe was one that every participant on the field was likely very familiar with.

But how to use them was a true test of fundamentals.

Those with shaky foundations, upon seeing the interlocking conflicting properties, would be at a loss even if every step was detailed in the recipe.

"Hope we can get at least a hundred participants to advance to the next round..." Dong Ling Zhou said with some worry.

The stuff those old foxes had worked on all night wasn't easy to handle!

On the competition field.

Time ticked away slowly.

The atmosphere of anxiety in the arena built up bit by bit.

It wasn't until a good half a quarter of an hour had passed that the participants were still staring blankly at their jade slips and recipes.

Some even chose to give up, leaving their arrays, only to be temporarily detained in the "confinement area" by the staff.

Seeing this scene, the spectators outside realized something was off.

"Is it really this exaggerated?"

"How long has it been, and not a single one has started? Is this Ke Xuan Dan really a seven-grade innate pill?"

"Or are all these five hundred innate alchemists just novices?"

They weren't novices.

They were all genuine young talents.

But the recipe was truly difficult!

In spirit array number 38, the youth Zhu Yan had beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his spiritual sense repeatedly scanned the spiritual herbs and recipe.

He found it hard to believe.

The alchemy assessment in Dong Tian Wang Cheng was overly dramatic, wasn't it?

"The first step: Lan Li Bing Cao, Hong Yan Guo, Tai Yuan Di, Xuan Jin Ye, Li Chen Mu Gen... step by step refining the herbal liquids?"

It started with the fusion of the five elements, and it had to be done step by step, not all at once.

Zhu Yan's head was spinning!

The most complex recipe he'd encountered before was for the six-grade "Bing Huo Liu Li Dan," which began with simultaneous refining of ice and fire liquids—a clash of properties that could wear anyone down in the first step.

But even that only involved two attributes: ice and fire.

This lower-grade Ke Xuan Dan, starting with "Lan Li Bing Cao" and "Hong Yan Guo," clearly drew from the "Bing Huo Liu Li Dan" opener.

Yet this was just the beginning of the nightmare.

What followed were water, metal, and wood attributes waiting in the wings, not following the rules of the five elements' mutual generation, but in utter chaos.

And all of that was merely the first step.

The subsequent steps were equally full of seemingly far-fetched and impractical ideas.

It was hard not to suspect...

The recipe was wrong!

"Dong Ling President..."

Zhu Yan couldn't help but look up toward the judges' seats, about to speak.

Almost simultaneously, the participants breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was studying it, but they were all waiting.

Zhu Yan's doubt was the same as everyone's.

No one dared to voice the question of whether the eighteen presidents had made a mistake in the order, so they were all waiting for that one person to speak up.

Zhu Yan didn't have so many reservations. He thought this might be the first test.

—Daring to question the truth!

"Dong Ling President, and all the other presidents, this junior has some questions and needs..."

From the judges' seats, Lu Cheng Hui slammed the table and stood up, angrily interrupting:

"This is the Alchemy Conference, an assessment! If you haven't mastered your skills or solidified your foundations in daily practice, now you come to the exam wanting to question your elders and ask for answers?"

"What do you think an alchemy assessment is?"

"Is it a joke?!"

The entire venue was startled.

Including the audience outside.

No one expected President Lu to suddenly lose his temper like that—it seemed excessive!

Zhu Yan's face stiffened, leaving him unable to back down.

Sure enough, the one who sticks their neck out gets shot—President Lu was waiting for me, wasn't he?

Dong Ling sighed with a smile.

She understood what Zhu Yan wanted to ask and directly replied loudly: "The recipe is flawless. Time is limited, so everyone, please make the most of it and continue refining."

Zhu Yan let out a breath, feeling all pressure lift, and gave Dong Ling a grateful look before returning to his jade slip.

No problems?

He frowned, sensing something was off.

The content of this first challenge was starting to dawn on Zhu Yan.

"The properties?"

He didn't start right away.

Because after getting Dong Ling's confirmation, too many people on site couldn't hold back anymore.

Since the recipe was fine and they couldn't understand it, better to take a shot rather than let time slip away.

Many participants immediately threw herbs into their cauldrons and began the first step of refining the liquids.

Right on their heels.

In just three or four breaths.

"Bang!"

"Bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang..."

Explosions from failed furnaces echoed nonstop from all directions.

It was just two herbs, but the conflicting properties caused devastating blasts, like an ice-and-fire symphony slapping every failed participant in the face.

"As expected..."

Zhu Yan observed everything around him.

Within the spirit array, spiritual sense couldn't probe outside, and external explosions were minimized.

But he could see with his eyes.

Among the many who failed, one or two were incredibly lucky and somehow succeeded in refining "Lan Li Bing Cao" and "Hong Yan Guo."

The successful ones were still baffled.

But they were all geniuses.

Once someone succeeded, everyone else quickly realized the key point of the recipe after some thought.

Fundamentals!

Zhu Yan suddenly understood.

Those two successes might have been luck, but similar coincidences confirmed the recipe's accuracy.

This was a refinable recipe!

The focus was on the hidden properties.

"Li..."

Zhu Yan stared at the first herb in his hand, "Lan Li Bing Cao," and, combining it with the order those two successful participants had used, he had a eureka moment.

Using the "li" property of the ice grass could temporarily isolate the conflict with "Hong Yan Guo," thereby achieving property balance.

Correspondingly, every subsequent herb had such hidden qualities.

"What a powerful recipe!"

In an instant, Zhu Yan grasped the value of this recipe.

It was priceless!

The veteran presidents had used their lifetime of experience to integrate the hidden properties of low-grade spiritual herbs into this textbook-level recipe.

Mastering Ke Xuan Dan was equivalent to mastering the hidden uses of over three hundred common spiritual herbs.

"No wonder he scolded me..."

Zhu Yan no longer felt wronged.

He thought President Lu scolding him was justified.

Presenting such a priceless treasure so generously—what incredible selflessness!

For him to have questioned the recipe's accuracy earlier was just foolish impulsiveness.

With that thought, Zhu Yan calmed his mind and began recalling what he'd learned, skillfully applying the fundamentals to refine step by step.

"Bang!"

"Bang bang..."

As time passed, the explosions continued endlessly.

The waiting participants and the audience outside were already stunned.

After over half a quarter of an hour, not a single successful refinement on site.

But the number of explosions had reached over three hundred!

"There are only five hundred participants..."

The waiting alchemists' faces had turned pale.

Yu Chu Chu stood beside Xu Xiao Shou, nervously clenching her small fists, sweat beading on her forehead.

She didn't even need to check the success rate.

Just the explosion rate for a seven-grade recipe was enough to show how difficult Ke Xuan Dan was.

"Only one chance..."

The young girl wore a bitter expression.

She felt her chances were slim.

Because the six-grade youth Zhu Yan was already at the pill condensation stage—he'd been stuck there for a while.

Being too far away, Yu Chu Chu couldn't see what was happening inside the spirit array.

But calculating the refining process based on time to judge the participants' progress was a basic skill for any alchemist.

Zhu Yan was stuck.

He was six-grade, and so was she...

Did Ke Xuan Dan have to be this exaggerated?

"Nervous?"

Xu Xiao Shou turned and asked with a smile.

He was carefree. Even though the spirit array was shielded with Tai Xu power and had mysterious effects that blocked even perception, he had no intention of cheating.

His "Culinary Mastery" had imprinted all the properties of low-grade herbs into his mind.

In a way, he was a walking encyclopedia of spiritual herbs and ingredients.

For innate-level pills, which didn't involve Dao Rhymes and were just about fusing properties, it was like cooking to him—no challenge at all.

Heat, order, steps, seasonings...

Maybe add an optional Dao Rhyme for enhancement, but that was it.

Yu Chu Chu didn't see it that way.

But she bit her lip and didn't show it: "How could I be nervous?"

Xu Xiao Shou cheerfully exposed her: "I can see the sweat on your forehead. Want me to wipe it for you?"

As he said this, he reached out caringly.

Yu Chu Chu jumped back in alarm: "Shameless!"

"How is that shameless? Or should I have Xiao Wan Feng do it for you?" Xu Xiao Shou sighed. "You didn't even realize I was trying to ease your tension. What ingratitude."

Yu Chu Chu: "..."

"Passive value from being disliked: 1."

Xu Xiao Shou turned to Xiao Wan Feng and said earnestly: "Wan Feng, let me tell you, innate-level pills are basically just about fusing properties. If the old presidents want to make it tough, they'll focus on that."

"So, if I were setting the questions, I'd use the most common herbs and test everyone on their special hidden properties to check fundamentals."

"Those who can't refine it can blame their weak foundations. Those who can..."

"Even if they succeed, the final product probably won't be great, because hidden properties aren't something most people bother to master."

"So, from the question-setter's perspective, this is the best approach. What do you think, Wan Feng?"

Xiao Wan Feng looked blank—he had no clue about alchemy.

"Xu Shao is impressive, Xu Shao sees everything clearly, Xu Shao has keen insight." He just flattered away, then handed over a teacup: "Xu Shao, you've talked so much. Thirsty? Have some tea."

His real intention was that once Xu Shao started sipping tea, he'd focus on savoring it and stop chattering.

That way, his ears could get a break.

But he never expected that this humble moment would fall into Yu Chu Chu's eyes and make her furious: "Is that how you treat your subordinate?"

This was a innate sword intent wielder, after all!

After criticizing Xu Shao, Yu Chu Chu stepped toward Xiao Wan Feng and grabbed his hand: "Come to me. I won't make you serve tea or water." Her big eyes shone brightly.

Xiao Wan Feng's face turned red.

He'd never had such a pretty girl hold his hand before.

But... serving tea is my job! It's already super easy!

You haven't seen Xiao Xin Ge bustling around like a head steward and still complaining about no pay... Xiao Wan Feng thought to himself.

After a moment of distraction, Xiao Wan Feng came to his senses, not knowing how to refuse. As he pulled away from Yu Chu Chu, he blurted out: "Sorry, you're a good person, but I... uh!"

Yu Chu Chu's face turned green.

Xu Xiao Shou nearly burst out laughing.

Xiao Wan Feng realized his mistake and quickly stopped, glancing over with a "Xu Shao, save me" look.

Xu Xiao Shou shook his head with a chuckle: "Trying to poach my people? You're not ready for that!"

Yu Chu Chu was fuming.

Who knew what kind of spell Xu Shao had cast on Xiao Wan Feng to make him so loyal!

No, I need to think of a way... the young girl racked her brain.

Any wicked thoughts like "if I can't have him, no one can" were impossible for this kind-hearted girl.

Yu Chu Chu had a flash of inspiration and challenged: "Xu Shao, let's make a bet!"

Xu Xiao Shou tilted his head with an amused smile—what was this headstrong girl up to now? Planning to sell herself?

"What kind of bet?" he asked.

Yu Chu Chu pointed at Xiao Wan Feng: "In the Alchemy Conference, you're participating too, right? If your final ranking is lower than mine, hand him over to me!"

Xu Xiao Shou raised an eyebrow: "Quite bold—a six-grade against a ten-grade. And if you lose?"

Yu Chu Chu flushed, knowing this was bullying, but for Xiao Wan Feng, she gritted her teeth: "If I lose, you can do whatever you want with me!"

"Wait!"

Yu Chu Chu quickly interrupted, her face turning red: "That won't work—it's too much of a loss for me."

Xu Xiao Shou looked at her oddly: "I hadn't even finished. If you lose, just be my alchemy assistant, like Wan Feng. One guy and one girl—perfect for working together without getting tired."

Xiao Wan Feng's face reddened.

He wasn't an adult yet and didn't quite get what Xu Shao meant.

Yu Chu Chu clenched her fists, her ears turning pink.

But if it was just being an alchemy assistant, that wasn't so bad...

He's only ten-grade!

"Good, I agree!"

Xu Xiao Shou: "Alright then."