Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 159 The Great Alchemy Competition

Du Fan rolled his eyes, his nostrils flared, and deliberately trembled as he slowly walked towards the magic array light screen under the watchful eyes of more than two thousand cultivators.

"Has he developed epilepsy?" Pang Yuan's eyes widened.

Xiao Yan glanced at Du Fan, who was acting like a fighting cock. Although he appeared calm on the surface, he was secretly laughing. Cao Xuanyi, who was standing next to him, had a flash in his eyes and a twitch at the corner of his mouth. However, the other vice alliance leaders, the supreme elders and others were dumbfounded.

Upon seeing this, the hundred or so alchemists were first slightly taken aback, then their faces turned furious. Master Lu's eyes were particularly gloomy, and his expression was unfriendly.

"What an arrogant brat! So you're the Du Gongshen who disrespected us?" One of the Grandmasters shouted angrily, a fierce glint in his eyes.

Faced with the Grandmaster's raging fury, Du Fan didn't even glance at him. He let out a cold snort, his expression arrogant, his eyes revealing a hint of disdain, as if the man was not qualified to speak to him.

Du Fan wasn't unwilling to say something in response, but he was currently outside the magic array, and he didn't dare...

"You...you! You actually..." The old man stretched out his trembling arm, pointing at Du Fan, so angry that he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

"He can't even speak properly, yet he dares to come out and refine pills. It's laughable!" Du Fan strode into the light barrier of the magic array. Only then did he feel relieved and confident. He raised his eyelids and glanced at the old man before speaking arrogantly without any more scruples.

"You...you..."

The old man was furious, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Since he achieved mastery of alchemy, who hasn't treated him with utmost respect? Even those whose cultivation far surpasses his speak to him with utmost courtesy. They have never suffered such humiliation, especially in front of so many people.

"May I ask, sir, do you stutter?"

"puff……"

Du Fan's casual remark immediately caused the old man's face to flush red. Overcome with anger, he spat out a mouthful of blood, swayed, and became unsteady on his feet.

Looking at the old man's pale and wrinkled face, Du Fan sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of pity. But then, thinking of the ten thousand spirit stones he would receive, his eyes lit up, and he thought to himself:

"These old guys have such a temper, Vice Alliance Leader Xiao, you've really lost big this time..."

"Master Du, Master Ge is a grandmaster of alchemy, renowned and revered by thousands. Your rudeness is utterly ungrateful." Master Lu suppressed his anger, his sharp eyes sweeping across the room as he spoke coldly.

"Oh, so it's Master Ge. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Please forgive me." Du Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes slightly closed, not even glancing around. He spoke casually as if talking to himself.

"Hmph! I hope that when Master Du is refining pills, he can be as sharp-tongued as he is with words!" Master Lu waved his sleeve, snorted coldly, and ignored him.

"Elder Du is acting strangely..." The Maple Leaf Sect Master's eyes flickered.

"Chen Ru is actually in love with someone like this?" The burly man in his early twenties from the Song family frowned.

"Alright, the Alchemy Competition is about to begin. First, I would like to ask all the masters to refine one Foundation Establishment Realm pill each: Spring Brocade Pill and Spirit Ascension Pill."

"I believe that refining mere Foundation Establishment stage pills into graded pills is a trivial matter for all of you masters. This round will determine your scores based on the grade of your pills. Let's begin."

Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the entire room, her expression calm, and she spoke in a clear voice.

Upon hearing this, the more than two thousand cultivators present were immediately invigorated. They put aside their attention to Du Fan and held their breath, preparing to witness the spectacle.

The alchemists temporarily suppressed their anger towards Du Fan. With a wave of their sleeves, one after another spiritual herb appeared. The furnace lid floated, and spiritual flowers and herbs disappeared into it in a specific order, igniting the earth fire.

Once these old fellows started refining pills, each of them exuded a restrained yet radiant aura, their every move displaying a calm and collected demeanor. The elegant and graceful movements of these hundred-odd people drew admiration from all around.

Speaking of alchemy alone, Xiao Yan had to admit she admired these old guys. It was no exaggeration for her to call them the pillars of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance.

The pills that cultivators at the Golden Core stage and above in the alliance take daily are basically made by them. Even the pills she needs when she cultivates are made by these ten grandmasters themselves, and they are free of charge.

Xiao Yan was very grateful for this.

In addition, the pills refined by these people are everywhere in the various shops of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance and at auctions. The benefits they bring to the Merchant Alliance are immeasurable.

Most importantly, the importance of pills to cultivators is extremely obvious, and they can even affect a cultivator's cultivation level and advancement. Therefore, these alchemists have also brought many dependent forces to the Seven Star Merchant Alliance.

Because of the existence of these grandmasters, even the number one sect in the Nine Provinces, the Wentian Sect, which has always been at odds with the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, dares not offend the alliance too much, and on the surface, they are at peace with each other.

The contributions of these alchemy masters were so great that they could be said to have supported half of the Seven Star Business Alliance.

The real reason Xiao Yan brought Du Fan to put on this show wasn't because these old guys were arrogant or disdainful, but because their attitude made Xiao Yan feel a sense of crisis.

These alchemists have lived a life of luxury for many years, receiving too much praise and flattery, and it's no wonder they feel smug.

Moreover, under the protection of the Seven Star Merchant Alliance, their cultivation path was exceptionally smooth, without any hardship or danger. Some of them even kept several beautiful concubines and lived extremely comfortable lives.

In the eyes of these old guys, Lao Tzu's life was unimpeded, his path of cultivation was smooth, and he had reached the pinnacle of alchemy, earning him the admiration of thousands. This inadvertently led to a lack of ambition and stagnation in his alchemy practice; in short, he became arrogant and complacent.

I'm afraid even Master Lu, the great alchemist of the Nine Provinces, thinks so.

If we talk about realms above the Nascent Soul stage, they are affected by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the laws of the realm, making it impossible to advance further. However, the Dao of Alchemy has no such restrictions and is only related to oneself. Who says that a Pill King cannot appear in a first-level realm since ancient times?

In fact, there have been very few old monsters in the Nascent Soul stage in the Nine Provinces Continent for many years. On the one hand, this is because it is indeed difficult to break through to this realm. However, it must be said that this is also closely related to the lack of top-level alchemists and top-grade pills.

Xiao Yan has always had a dream: that one day, the Seven Star Merchant Alliance will give birth to a legendary Pill King.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan sighed softly, her gaze unconsciously falling on Du Fan. But when she saw Du Fan, she was slightly taken aback.

Du Fan exuded an aura of dominance, his expression arrogant. His ten fingers moved in rapid succession, like wheels, his movements graceful and unrestrained, even giving the impression of a beautiful dance.

To the uninformed, at first glance, one might think he was actually refining pills, and at an extremely high level at that...

"Looks like this brat has put in a lot of effort." Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile.

"Fairy Xiao, I favor Consort Du." At this moment, Cao Xuanyi's voice transmission rang in Xiao Yan's mind.

Du Fan's situation was naturally noticed by the more than two thousand spectators, who all looked shocked. Even the mature and composed Maple Leaf Sect Master couldn't help but wonder:

"Elder Du can actually refine pills! And judging from his appearance, his skill level is quite high..."

After a short while, the ten grandmasters stopped, the lids of the alchemy furnaces were opened wide, and the aroma of elixirs instantly wafted out, spreading and swirling throughout the square, making everyone who smelled the aroma feel refreshed.

A moment later, the hundred grandmasters also stopped one after another, and the fragrance of pills wafted out one after another, making the fragrance in the air even stronger. After another quarter of an hour, all the hundred grandmasters had finished refining pills.

"Huh? That Elder Du hasn't finished refining yet?"

"Could it be that he failed in his alchemy process, thus delaying his time?"

"It doesn't seem like it. I've been keeping an eye on this person. Apart from opening the furnace and putting in the medicinal herbs at the beginning, I haven't seen him open the furnace lid again. He shouldn't have failed."

"Although this Master Du's alchemy movements were smooth, his technique skillful, and his posture elegant, I still feel like something is off..."

At this moment, everyone in the room turned their attention to Du Fan, their pupils contracting in shock and astonishment, and a murmur of discussion arose.

Looking at Du Fan again, his body continued to sway, his sleeves fluttering, his arms suddenly dancing, his ten fingers lightly flicking. Both his movements and his figure were extremely elegant, attracting the attention of the other alchemists. In their astonishment, their faces showed a mixture of emotions.

Because the magic array's light barrier isolated all divine thoughts and magical power, no one knew what Du Fan was doing inside. If you said he was pretending to be crazy, then no one expected it; his realistic movements, solemn expression, and lightning-fast eyes seemed to suggest that he was truly refining pills...

However, Du Fan was secretly suffering at this moment. His hands and feet were cramping and his forehead was sweating, but he was still gritting his teeth and persevering, completing each graceful movement with utmost seriousness...

But in his heart, he kept growling, "Vice Alliance Leader Xiao, I can't hold on much longer..."

"I almost forgot..." Xiao Yan paused slightly, then coughed lightly. Her fair hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, moved very gently, forming a strange hand seal.

The moment the hand seals were formed in the woman's hands, the alchemy furnace in front of Du Fan suddenly began to tremble violently, accompanied by a low humming sound.

A moment later.

"boom……"

A deafening roar suddenly rang out, and then, to the astonishment of more than two thousand cultivators, the alchemy furnace collapsed...

At the same time, a large amount of white smoke surged out, instantly enveloping everything within the light screen. To the naked eye, the scene inside was completely blurred and unclear.