Chapter 814: Final Circle Small Body Restoration Pill

In the finals, each participant has one shichen to refine their most skilled dan, under standard assessment criteria.

From the judges' seats, Dong Ling announced the final rules.

The competitors on the field breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, things are back to normal!

The competition had finally returned to the essence of what tested alchemists the most.

With standard criteria, it basically came down to whose dan had the higher grade and quality—that would determine the champion.

Time was not a factor.

"It's over, no more tricks now..."

Among the ten participants, only Xu Xiaoshou felt disappointed.

He had probably been hoping for a format that would let him make a last-minute surge, but the finals' rules dashed that hope.

A straightforward dan refining meant he could only win straightforwardly.

"What are you refining?"

Before entering the array, Xu Xiaoshou asked Yu Chuchu.

If Yu Chuchu had any competitive spirit left at the start of the competition, she had none now.

"Six-pin, Zongshi Dan," she replied listlessly, not caring if Xu Xiaoshou learned her choice in advance and planned countermeasures.

"Zongshi Dan is great, but it might not get you a good score..."

Xu Xiaoshou said, glancing at the others.

Of the remaining ten on the field, over sixty percent were refining six-pin Zongshi Dans!

It was clear just how many geniuses from the five domains had come to this dan refining convention.

Yu Chuchu shrugged indifferently. "I'm not that skilled anyway. Switching dans at the last minute is too risky. If I can produce a top-quality Zongshi Dan, it would still outshine the superior-quality dans from others."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood.

It turned out Yu Chuchu specialized in this particular dan.

"What about the others?" he asked again. "Do you know their backgrounds?"

Yu Chuchu looked at the other six-pin Zongshi refiners, knowing what Xu Xiaoshou was worried about. "Relax, with their abilities, they might have thought about going for it earlier, but now, hardly anyone is aiming for five-pin."

"Why?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, not embarrassed that his thoughts had been seen through, and he chuckled.

Yu Chuchu rolled her eyes. "Why else? In the final round, if you refine another top-quality Little Thunder Dan on top of your previous scores, no one can beat you!"

"Oh."

Now Xu Xiaoshou got it.

His Little Thunder Dan was a six-pin, and a top-quality one at that.

There might be some on the field who could attempt five-pin dans, but they couldn't produce top-quality ones.

With the scores from the first two rounds being close, people might have tried before.

But now, pushing for five-pin was pointless—it could even risk losing second place. Why not play it safe?

"Good luck!"

Xu Xiaoshou ended the conversation, cheerfully watching Yu Chuchu head to the Ling Array platform, then called out, "You've got the vibe of my personal dan refining attendant now—answering every question. Ha ha... Go refine that dan! Let's both beat them all!" He even pumped his fist.

Yu Chuchu stumbled slightly, her face darkening as she silently entered the Ling Array.

"Cursed, passive value: 1."

The dan refining convention finals officially began amid thunderous cheers, with Dong Ling's command.

"Xu Shao, what dan are you refining?"

Xiao Wanfeng looked up and asked, holding a small slip of paper as he handled his extra duties—writing down the dan names and preparing the herbs for Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou was still thinking.

At that moment, a staff member approached and handed each of the ten finalists a blank jade slip.

The jade slips were for requesting herbs.

Clearly, in the finals, the veteran presidents didn't want the participants submitting requests by writing anymore.

Distributing ten blank jade slips wasn't a waste.

Xiao Wanfeng took the jade slip and smirked slightly.

One of his few tasks was gone now?

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, took the jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, and a message from Dong Ling flashed in his mind:

"Refine 'Yin Chao Blood Dan', using the herbs you requested last round. If you succeed, even with a lower quality, the championship is yours."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized.

The Dan Masters Association wanted to verify the authenticity of his "Yin Chao Blood Dan" formula!

In the previous round, he had submitted many formulas, but "Yin Chao Blood Dan" was entirely new. Since Xu Xiaoshou didn't know the full formula, he had perfected one himself to submit.

The judges were clearly thinking that if this formula worked, it meant Xu Xiaoshou had improved a five-pin dan formula, making his win perfectly justified.

"Good one, trying to get something for nothing?"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

He didn't want to refine "Yin Chao Blood Dan" because, although it was a five-pin, it wasn't useful to him.

A five-pin Zongshi Dan was impressive in its own right, as it applied to Wangzuo-level people.

But Xu Xiaoshou remembered another dan that was extremely practical—far superior to the improved "Yin Chao Blood Dan."

"Xiao Futu Dan."

It was a weakened version of the three-pin Futu Dan. While it couldn't fully regenerate lost limbs and flesh, it was still highly practical and could handle simple limb regrowth.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't need such effects himself, but that didn't mean the people around him didn't.

He hadn't been able to refine "Xiao Futu Dan" before because his skills weren't up to it.

Now, with his "Cooking Mastery" upgraded to Wangzuo level, and with the formula left by Sang Lao, how could he not give it a try?

He looked up.

The judges' seats were filled with expectant gazes.

Clearly, the message in the jade slip was what all the old foxes were hoping for.

But Xu Xiaoshou gave them an apologetic look and used his spiritual sense to inscribe "Xiao Futu Dan" and its herbs in the jade slip, requesting three sets.

Once all the jade slips were collected, the staff handed them to the judges' seats.

The veteran presidents eagerly opened the others and ordered the herbs dispensed, but they held onto the one from Number One Ling Array.

Dong Ling picked up the Number One jade slip, pressed it to her forehead, and her eyes showed surprise and a hint of helplessness. She put it down and said, "He won't do it."

"What!" Lu Cheng Hui was furious. "Even if he refines a lower-quality one, we'd give him the championship for this round. It's his chance, and he doesn't want it? Some might still push for a five-pin dan this round!"

Shi Ti said calmly, "Does he need the chance? Even if others go for five-pin, their total scores from all three rounds won't match his if he just refines a mid-quality six-pin dan now."

Lu Cheng Hui: "...Shut up!"

The other veteran presidents were deflated. "So, what dan is he refining?"

"Xiao Futu Dan," Dong Ling replied, her expression odd.

"Xiao Futu Dan?!" Lu Cheng Hui's voice sharpened again. "Has he lost his mind? He could just play it safe this round, but he's going for this ridiculously difficult five-pin dan? If it fails and the furnace explodes with no score, I'll see how he explains it!"

Shi Ti: "Weren't you just telling him to go for five-pin? Now that he wants to, you're saying he should play it safe?"

Lu Cheng Hui: "...Shut up!"

Shi Ti: "Stay calm, you know, tolerance is a virtue, magnanimity... uh!"

Lu Cheng Hui covered Shi Ti's mouth and dragged him away, his eyebrows twitching wildly. "You weren't like this before! Who taught you to say such annoying things? Tell me, and I promise not to destroy them!"

The other veteran presidents ignored the commotion between these two oddballs and exchanged shocked looks.

"Xiao Futu Dan—he's not leaving any room for the other competitors, is he?"

"If this dan succeeds, his score will be maxed out. I thought he was really going to play it safe, but Xu Shao would never choose that."

"In my view, it's risky. The difficulty of refining Xiao Futu Dan is already on par with a four-pin Wangzuo Dan."

"Yes, but given Xu Xiaoshou's dan refining skills, I think he might actually pull it off..."

At this point, none of the presidents underestimated Xu Xiaoshou's abilities.

Even in a field full of five-domain geniuses, he stood out like a crane among chickens.

Choosing the most difficult dan among all Zongshi Dans—Xiao Futu Dan—seemed to fit his personality perfectly.

"Just wait and see!"

Dong Ling waved the group away.

If Xu Xiaoshou was refining Xiao Futu Dan, there was nothing more to say. If it succeeded, it would even surpass the improved "Yin Chao Blood Dan."

And Xu Xiaoshou had already submitted the "Yin Chao Blood Dan" formula.

The Dan Masters Association would have plenty of time afterward to practice and verify it.

"Approve it!"

With a wave of her hand, three sets of herbs for Xiao Futu Dan were dispensed.

Inside Number One Ling Array, Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath and began refining with his black chicken brush.

"A Zongshi Dan..."

He was a bit excited.

At his innate cultivation level, this was something he never could have imagined.

Back then, his "Cooking Mastery" didn't even touch Zongshi-level dans, and his refining techniques were lacking—he struggled with innate-level dans.

But now, after the Wangzuo-level "Cooking Mastery" infused him with vast experience, he was like a seasoned expert.

Refining a Zongshi Dan shouldn't be a problem, barring any major accidents.

Whether it reached mid-quality would depend on the actual process.

"Xu Shao has started refining!"

Outside the field, the audience buzzed with discussion.

As soon as the herbs arrived, all ten participants fired up their furnaces, but the most attention was on Xu Xiaoshou, who had scored perfect marks in the first two rounds.

The competition was underway.

A flicker appeared above the Ling Arrays.

The competitors inside couldn't see it, but the audience outside could instantly spot the dan names hovering over each array.

"Xing Li Dan! Those three at innate level all chose seven-pin top healing dans—impressive!"

"Zongshi Dan! Three refining masters picked Zongshi Dans! Yu Daxiaojie is one of them—that's her specialty. For a six-pin Zongshi Dan, she has to aim for top quality to beat the others."

"Taiyuan Dan, Ku Ling Dan... Those are six-pin dans from the Central Domain; I don't see them often."

"Yes, those two competitors are refining masters from the Central Domain."

"Tianxing Dan! Zhu Yan is going for five-pin—if he succeeds, he'll be a five-pin master. He's really challenging Xu Shao head-on!"

"Xu Shao... hiss, Xiao Futu Dan! That's intense! While everyone else is sticking to standard cultivation or breakthrough dans, he's straight into a healing holy dan?"

"Xiao Futu Dan—priceless and rare. This is going to be something to watch."

The audience chattered on.

The other nine Ling Arrays proceeded with normal refining processes at the same time.

Number One Ling Array followed Xu Xiaoshou's unique unconventional black chicken refining technique.

This time, though, Xu Xiaoshou stood up.

"Looks like Xiao Futu Dan is really tough—it's even making Xu Shao get off his seat." Someone joked.

"Of course! That's Xiao Futu Dan!"

Most people quieted down once the refining began, as if speaking too loudly might affect the competitors inside the arrays.

Time passed, second by second.

This round had no surprises, including from Xu Xiaoshou—no tricks.

Or rather, this was the proper rhythm of a dan refining convention.

After a while, almost exactly at the one-quarter mark,

Boom! Boom!

A few furnaces exploded.

It wasn't from the final stages; the competitors had gotten nervous and messed up their rhythm, so to avoid wasting time, they started over.

Failed refinements didn't count against scores—that was normal.

The finals only judged the quality of the successful dans.

Two quarters of an hour later,

"Success!"

The five-domain geniuses lived up to their reputation.

Even for the innate-level top healing dan Xing Li Dan, they produced two furnaces in that time.

But the quality wasn't ideal, so those competitors dove back into refining.

Half a shichen passed.

"Xu Shao!"

A cry of surprise rang out, and everyone turned to Number One Ling Array.

Despite tackling the hardest "Xiao Futu Dan" with flawless rhythm, Xu Xiaoshou had shortened the refining time to less than that of other five-pin or six-pin dans.

"He's condensing the dan!"

The audience exclaimed.

The judges' seats were fixed on him without blinking.

On the viewing platform, Hua Song leaned forward slightly, feeling a bit on edge.

Though she didn't understand "Xiao Futu Dan" refining, she was familiar with Xu Xiaoshou's personal rhythm at the end.

"Three, two, one..."

She counted down.

Then, her red lips parted, her beautiful eyes widened, and she murmured, "Explode!"

Boom!

Number One Ling Array erupted like a furnace explosion, with a precise, massive blast.

The shock even made the array shake violently, and vaguely, a disheveled figure—clearly the attendant—was flung against the array wall with a thud.

"As expected..."

Hua Song kept saying "oh," shaking her head as if trying to shake out the thoughts inside. She understood.

"Ninety-nine percent, Xu Shibo!"

"This precise explosion is just like my refining rhythm—exactly the same... well, almost. I can't actually succeed."

"How frustrating..."

On the judges' seats,

Shi Ti furrowed his brow, Dong Ling's eyes narrowed—they seemed to think of something at the same time.

The first time with Little Thunder Dan, it exploded, and now this too?

Lu Cheng Hui jumped up excitedly: "The furnace exploded!"

"But he exploded last time and still made Little Thunder Dan," someone countered.

Lu Cheng Hui paused, then looked back at the smoky Number One Ling Array, his expression turning uneasy.

There seemed to be a faint trace of dao rhyme lingering there?

Inside the Ling Array,

Xu Xiaoshou quickly went over and pulled the ordinary mortal Xiao Wanfeng off the array wall.

If he hadn't reacted at the last moment and drawn a big chicken to absorb the blast from "Jin Zhao Condensing Technique," Xiao Wanfeng would have been done for.

"Cough, cough, Xu Shao..."

Xiao Wanfeng gave Xu Xiaoshou a resentful look but didn't say much, glancing back at the dan furnace. "Did it work?"

Even as a bystander who had been blown up twice, Xiao Wanfeng was eagerly awaiting a miracle.

Xu Xiaoshou shrugged and smiled confidently.

Then, he took out a jade bottle, and from the furnace, a pitch-black dan flew out.

"Xiao Futu Dan, superior quality!"