Chapter 811: Xu Shao Has Gone Mad with Killing

Inside the *ling zhen*, Xu Shao paused, turning to speak with his alchemy apprentice before completely ignoring the outer arena's events.

The staff member stepped forward to collect the completed dan and handed it to the anxious judging panel for evaluation.

"Yin Huo Dan!"

"It's really Yin Huo Dan!"

Lu Chenghui, who had first taken hold of the dan, was shaking so much he could barely speak, muttering in disbelief, "How is this possible? This can't be happening?"

Dong Ling took the dan and glanced at it once, instantly knowing the answer in her heart.

The quality was perfect.

The grade was top-tier.

Not a single flaw!

It was as if a seasoned alchemy grandmaster had spent over a month meticulously refining this seemingly useless dan, which had an extremely complex refining process.

The submission from Xu Shao could only be scored as a perfect ten; there was no other option.

"I admit defeat!"

One of the guild masters sincerely praised.

In the alchemy world, arrogance was frowned upon, but someone with genuine skill could act boldly as long as they backed it up with real ability, winning over everyone.

"This might not be due to Xu Shao's own insight—perhaps his teacher forced him to practice it before," another guild master offered his view.

The elders nodded in agreement one after another.

Indeed, Yin Huo Dan had no market value, and while its spiritual ingredients were cheap, the refining procedure was incredibly intricate, truly testing an alchemist's technique.

So, some people still used it to teach their disciples.

The chances that Xu Shao had learned Yin Huo Dan in the past were quite high!

"Don't lose heart, everyone—this is just a ten-grade dan. Even if Xu Shao succeeded, if someone comes up with a seven-grade dan later, he won't take the crown," Lu Chenghui suddenly interjected.

But as soon as he spoke, not only was he startled by his own words, but the other elder guild masters were shocked too.

"Guild Master Lu, what do you mean by that? Are you treating Xu Shao as your rival?" Shi Ti teased.

"Ha ha ha, Guild Master Lu, you're getting too invested. Isn't it great for the alchemy world to have a genius? Why are you so fixated on him being your opponent? Is it because of... *Chi Jin Ye*?"

The group of guild masters burst into laughter, and Dong Ling shook her head with a smile.

Lu Chenghui's face turned red, realizing he had lost his composure and couldn't back down gracefully. "Nonsense! *Chi Jin Ye* is just another ten-grade dan, nothing significant. I'm only annoyed by Xu Shao's attitude—that's all."

"Yes, yes..." Someone offered him a way out. "Xu Shao is indeed arrogant, and I don't like it either, but it seems he has the talent to back it up."

"Hmph, what talent?" Lu Chenghui sneered, flicking his sleeve. "He's just relying on having learned Yin Huo Dan before. It's all coincidence!"

"Ha ha, you're right..." The elders smiled and agreed.

Meanwhile, after the staff member delivered the dan, she didn't leave. Seeing that the elder guild masters had finished their appraisal, she pulled another slip of paper from her pocket and handed it over.

"Guild masters, this is the spiritual ingredients list for the second dan from the number one *ling zhen*. Please approve it."

Lu Chenghui's expression froze instantly.

Everyone staggered slightly, their laughter halting as they struggled to process what was happening.

"A second variation?"

Dong Ling quickly regained her composure, reaching out to take the slip of paper.

"Are you kidding?" Shi Ti was stunned beside her. "He didn't even think about it? He just finished refining Yin Huo Dan and already has a plan for a second one?"

Shi Ti turned to the staff member for confirmation: "This slip—was it submitted at the same time as the dan?"

"Yes," the staff member nodded.

The judging panel fell silent.

Lu Chenghui suddenly felt his face burning with embarrassment.

He had just criticized Xu Shao's success as a coincidence, and now he was being proven wrong.

There's still a chance... Lu Chenghui quickly looked at Dong Ling: "Guild Master, about this new slip?"

Dong Ling took a deep breath: "Take a look for yourselves!"

She handed over the paper, and Lu Chenghui snatched it up, scanning it quickly before slumping back into his chair with a thud.

"Nine-grade, Da Ri Fei Xue Dan."

After the other elder guild masters passed the slip around, they exchanged glances, at a loss for words.

"He's hit it again!"

"One of the thirteen variations—he got it right again."

"Another coincidence?"

The elders were speechless.

Only Lu Chenghui remained slumped in his chair: "This shouldn't be... It doesn't make sense..."

Shi Ti looked at Dong Ling and said, "One time could be a coincidence, but now that Da Ri Fei Xue Dan has come up, it can't be. Xu Shao has real skill."

The other elder guild masters nodded in agreement.

Among low-grade spiritual ingredients, dans like Da Ri Fei Xue Dan, which stimulated bloodline power for a temporary combat boost, were considered forbidden because they could damage a spirit refiner's foundation.

The Alchemy Guild didn't promote or supply such recipes.

But Da Ri Fei Xue Dan was an exception.

It was a dan from the Sheng Gong Jin Zhao lineage, proven to be effective and harmless, even as a nine-grade dan.

As one of the rarest among the thirteen variations, if Dong Ling hadn't suggested it as a possibility, the elder guild masters might have only prepared twelve variations.

"How does he know about Da Ri Fei Xue Dan?" someone asked.

Because it was a Sheng Gong dan, rarely circulated outside.

Even major forces in various domains might not have access to such a premium dan.

Dong Ling pondered and said, "Don't forget—he's a Ban Sheng successor."

Everyone suddenly understood.

They had been so shocked by Xu Shao's alchemy skills that they forgot about his status as a Ban Sheng successor.

Dans from Sheng Gong might be unavailable to other major forces, but not to a Ban Sheng faction.

Or to put it another way, such premium dans weren't circulated externally, but for a Ban Sheng force, they were standard.

"It's a matter of level..." the elder guild masters sighed, not thinking any further.

They were certain that among the contestants, even if someone could deduce a seven-grade dan, no one could possibly figure out a nine-grade like Da Ri Fei Xue Dan.

Because they simply didn't have the access.

But Xu Shao was different.

He wasn't just a genius—his background was on the level of a Ban Sheng force.

"Comparisons are odious—let's stay open-minded!"

Finally, someone gave up resisting, sighing as he patted Lu Chenghui on the shoulder and sat back in his seat.

Lu Chenghui was still in a daze: "This shouldn't be... It's not right... It's too absurd..."

The alchemy competition continued intensely.

An hour later, the audience erupted in cheers again—they had witnessed history.

"Fourth one! Xu Shao is attempting the fourth variation!"

"Oh my god, while everyone else is still racking their brains, he's already completed three dans and is starting the fourth!"

"Hold on, how is he refining so fast? Who can produce three dans in half an hour? Has he practiced these three dans countless times before?"

"Coincidence?"

Two hours later.

"Yu Chu Chu has started—she's submitted for spiritual ingredients and begun refining."

"Zhu Yan has too, and so has Qiu Jiang Zhi... It seems all the six-grade masters have found a direction and are trying to refine."

"Zhao Tian Yin exploded his furnace—he's third on the rankings with 95 points!"

"Xu Shao—he's already on his sixth one... Oh heavens..."

"I've figured it out—Xu Shao must be refining low-grade dans, that's why he's so quick. But it's still incredible—he must have practiced these six low-grade dans over and over."

"Coincidence? Is it a coincidence?"

Three hours later.

"Yu Chu Chu exploded her furnace—she seems to have gone down the wrong path."

"Zhu Yan did too—they both failed at the final condensation step. Did they come up with the same wrong answer?"

"This is too exciting!"

"Look—Xu Shao has stopped. Is he stuck too... He didn't complete it and got caught at the final step."

"Impressive! Xu Shao, you're insane—you're too abnormal!"

At the judging panel.

"Ha ha ha, they're all refining Xiao Lei Ting Dan!"

The elder guild masters perked up again.

Xu Shao's shocks had numbed them, so as long as they viewed him as some kind of monster, they could stay composed.

What made them happy was that most of the six-grade masters who had started refining had fallen into the trap they had set.

"We're still the best."

"Yes, that Xiao Lei Ting Dan move was crucial—otherwise, we'd have lost all face."

"Look at Xu Shao... Ha ha ha ha, he exploded his furnace too—he's stuck on Xiao Lei Ting Dan!"

Lu Chenghui was excited.

Ever since the number one *ling zhen* requested ingredients for Xiao Lei Ting Dan, he felt he had regained his dignity.

Because that trap for Xiao Lei Ting Dan was his idea, refined by all eighteen judges.

Seeing even the extraordinary Xu Shao fail because of it made him feel satisfied.

"But don't forget, Xu Shao has already succeeded with seven dans..." Shi Ti suddenly pointed out.

"Shut up!" Lu Chenghui snapped.

"You shut up too!" The other elder guild masters echoed.

Now, on the judging panel, Xu Shao was a taboo subject.

He was too monstrous.

Seven successful dans had slapped all the guild masters in the face.

If they couldn't find some dignity in the other contestants and realize it wasn't that their questions were too easy but that Xu Shao was too abnormal, the panel would have eighteen people hiding in cracks in the ground, and no one would be around to approve ingredients!

Shi Ti wasn't upset after being scolded—he had the fourteen-character wisdom from Sang Lao to protect him, so why get angry?

"What's he doing?"

After the number one *ling zhen* exploded his furnace, Xu Shao didn't look discouraged like the others. Instead, he started giving detailed instructions to his alchemy apprentice Xiao Wan Feng.

The latter quickly wrote out a stack of slips.

Seeing this, the elder guild masters felt a twinge of unease.

The viewing platform and outer audience noticed too.

"What are they up to now?"

Yu Chu Chu, nearby, could vaguely sense what was happening in the number one *ling zhen*.

After her own furnace exploded and she realized Xiao Lei Ting Dan was a trap, she started thinking of other directions.

But Xu Shao seemed intent on pursuing this one further?

With a wave from the number one *ling zhen*, the staff member hurried over, took the several slips from Xiao Wan Feng in surprise, and rushed them to the judging panel.

"What in the world is this?!"

The elder guild masters received the nine slips and went mad—they truly lost it!

"Seven-grade, Huan Yang Dan; seven-grade, Jiu Xin Dan; seven-grade, Da Lie Lei Dan; six-grade, Zong Long Di Dan..."

"Heavens! How did he deduce even the six-grade Zong Long Di Dan?"

"Is he a freak?"

"In one go, he's listed all the possible variations? Is he a walking dan encyclopedia? What on earth is in his head?"

Dong Ling ignored the other guild masters' frenzy. She stared blankly at the three slips in her hand, which even she found hard to understand.

"What kind of dans are these?"

The others realized something was off.

Nine slips, plus the earlier eight, meant Xu Shao had proposed seventeen possibilities.

Excluding the trap "Xiao Lei Ting Dan," he had listed all sixteen they had mentioned!

That meant the ones Dong Ling held were the three variations even the eighteen judges hadn't anticipated.

Lu Chenghui trembled as he took the slips from Dong Ling's hand, deducing the dan names based on the ingredients and reading them aloud:

"Six-grade, Da Xuan Zhi Dan; six-grade, Meng Rong Huo Dan..."

"And five-grade! Yin Chao Xue Dan... Has he gone mad?!"

Guild Master Lu shouted without restraint: "Five-grade Yin Chao Xue Dan—I remember it's a yin-attribute dan, part of the major ice system. How on earth could it come from thirty-three fire-attribute ingredients?"

Shi Ti was equally shocked, snatching the slip and scanning the writing, his pupils shrinking.

"Genius!"

"Using '*Jue Ming Yang Cao*' to push the fire attribute to its extreme, '*Lei Ming Zhi Xin*' to transform it into a general yang system, and the main ingredient '*Fan Shen Hua*' to reverse the properties... This is a work of genius!"

"It's masterful! This is a new recipe for Yin Chao Xue Dan!"

After snapping out of his daze, Lu Chenghui slammed the table in anger: "Impossible! Yin Chao Xue Dan has been market-verified. Theoretically, the ingredients might work, but the refining process must have flaws. Conflicting properties and extreme reversals only exist in legends—how could a young upstart pull it off?"

"What if he can?" Shi Ti replied without looking back.

"No way!" Lu Chenghui roared like a furious lion.

Dong Ling listened to the argument, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

As an alchemist, she couldn't stay composed seeing such innovative ingredient use.

Once she had settled down, she pressed her hand on the table to quiet the two elders: "Let's wait and see. Approve the ingredients for all of them. We'll find out if he can succeed based on the results—arguing won't help."

The other guild masters, hearing Lu Chenghui and Shi Ti debate, realized the situation was serious.

Five-grade dans were at the peak of master level.

If a contestant could improve a five-grade dan in this competition, "genius" wouldn't even begin to describe him.

This was a monstrous talent that Sheng Gong would definitely recruit.

"Approve it!"

"Give him the ingredients!"

"That's right—I really want to see how big a hole this Xu Shao can poke in the sky!"

Inside the number one *ling zhen*, Xu Xiao Shou took the spiritual ingredients from Xiao Wan Feng, now fully immersed in his own alchemy world.

He had even forgotten his initial goal of causing a stir to gain passive points.

"Time is running out..."

Only now did he realize human limits.

He couldn't produce several seven-grade or six-grade dans in the next hour—the challenge was too great—so he had to make choices.

"The five-grade Yin Chao Xue Dan could be a bold experiment..."

Xu Xiao Shou tapped his fingers on the wooden table.

He had only glimpsed the Yin Chao Xue Dan recipe once and remembered it vaguely, not even the full dan, so the subsequent ingredients were based on his own knowledge.

"But the time left is too short. Refining a five-grade dan might make me exceed the limit—it's not worth it..."

Xu Xiao Shou hesitated.

He didn't think he could refine a five-grade Yin Chao Xue Dan flawlessly on his first try.

After all, he hadn't even attempted a six-grade master-level dan a few times.

"So, there's another option."

Finally, his gaze settled on the ruined dan from his earlier explosion.

"Xiao Lei Ting Dan seems to be a trap—based on standard alchemy experience, it shouldn't work."

"But if I use '*Fan Shen Hua*' to elevate its quality to six-grade, it might break the trap."

"And that would be something those old foxes never expected—it could score even higher..."

Xu Xiao Shou pondered, then looked up at the judging panel.

The elder guild masters were staring back at him intently, tense with anticipation.

Without hesitation, Xu Xiao Shou beckoned to Xiao Wan Feng.

"Wan Feng, write down a few more ingredients for me. Remember: *Fan Shen Hua*, *Da Tian Xin Cao*, *Xiang Yang Kui* Seed—just these three main ones. Use the ingredients we just got for the rest; that should be enough!"