Chapter 108: The Ancient Alchemical Art

Xu Zhe’s gaze swept over the pile of glassware before him.

Everything appeared perfectly normal, yet the alcohol lamp had already been replaced by the young man. The youth had pretended to bump into the alchemy furnace but had made no alterations to it; instead, he took the opportunity to secretly swap out the alcohol lamp. This puzzled Xu Zhe.

Could it be that the man was kind-hearted, worried that the fire from his original alcohol lamp wasn’t strong enough, and therefore deliberately replaced it with a fuel lamp that would explode upon ignition?

But I don’t even need an alcohol lamp for alchemy.

So why did he replace it?

“Ridiculous!” Xu Zhe glanced once at the youth’s retreating figure but chose not to question him further. Ignoring the alcohol lamp, he settled down to wait.

“Success!” After moving to the rear, the young man observed that Xu Zhe remained still and rejoiced inwardly. He immediately pulled out a jade talisman to send a message.

…

Soon, one hundred people had gathered in the alchemy hall.

Just then, a woman appeared at the entrance, clad in a loose Daoist robe, her face clean and fresh as she stepped onto the stage.

Outside, a murmur arose, the crowd stirring.

“Dong Fang?”

Xu Zhe was momentarily taken aback but recognized her this time.

Her aura was identical to that of the shabby woman he had encountered before.

Yet her demeanor seemed different—now Dong Fang appeared aloof and distant, nothing like the brash woman who had previously extorted money by selling books.

Xu Zhe scanned the area with his spiritual awareness but failed to detect Li Chungang’s presence.

“Welcome, Alchemist Dong!”

“It is my fortune to compete alongside the prodigy Dong!”

At this, many alchemists in the hall began to flatter Dong Fang.

She remained expressionless, nodding faintly in response.

Soon after, a man arrived.

The crowd outside grew more restless; voices rose in speculation.

“Lin Bei?”

Xu Zhe was stunned, immediately recognizing him as one of the hundred survivors from the plane crash.

Lin Bei was the boyfriend of a woman in their class and shared the same major with Dong Fang—both were from the pharmaceutical department.

“Alchemist Lin! Long time no see!”

“Lin Bei has won first place in the Divine Pill Competition two years running; surely, he will defend his title this year!”

A group moved forward to compliment Lin Bei.

He smiled politely, bowing in return.

“The hour has come. The alchemy competition is about to begin. Please return to your stations.”

At this moment, an elder stepped out from the mansion at the front of the hall and bellowed.

The alchemists hastily returned to their places, like schoolchildren summoned back to their seats by a stern teacher.

“This year’s alchemy competition features a total of one hundred and two alchemists. After passing four assessments, one hundred remain. Of these one hundred top prodigies, only two are contestants…” The elder recited the opening remarks by rote.

Xu Zhe’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

So out of these two hundred alchemy stations, one hundred were reserved for prodigies?

This meant the prodigies didn’t have to pass the four assessments to compete?

Then… why did I bother disguising myself?

Oh right, to avoid accusations of bullying the weak…

But now it seemed that worry was unnecessary!

At least fifty of these alchemists surpassed me in the four assessments. If I didn’t give my all in this competition, I might not even rank in the top fifty. So maintaining my disguise was wise—to avoid losing face later.

With this realization, Xu Zhe straightened his chest, took a deep breath, and began to prepare seriously.

Soon, the elder finished the opening speech and announced the competition’s theme—the “Heaven and Earth Rebirth Pill”!

“Wow!”

At the name, the hall erupted in astonishment.

“The Heaven and Earth Rebirth Pill? That’s the legendary supreme healing pill!”

“The old saying goes that a single Heaven and Earth Rebirth Pill can bring one back from the brink of death!”

“Not quite that exaggerated, but its healing power is indeed formidable. It is said that even those at the Spirit Separation stage, hanging by a thread, can be fully restored by one pill.”

“But the pill is notoriously difficult to refine. The herbs aren’t rare, but the pill’s strong pharmacological antagonism makes the success rate extremely low.”

“I’ve heard that even Alchemists Dong and Lin have only a fifty percent success rate, and the quality is not high. So far, the highest grade ever produced has only been second grade.”

“That’s right. Only the Holy Lord Gu has ever produced a first-grade Heaven and Earth Rebirth Pill.”

“This year’s competition is insanely difficult!”

Many marveled.

On the stage, over a hundred female disciples from Putuo Temple appeared, each carrying the various herbs needed for the pill, placing them on each alchemist’s table.

The alchemists furrowed their brows, their expressions grim.

They had prepared extensively but never expected such a challenging pill for this competition.

Even Dong Fang and Lin Bei wore serious expressions.

“Dong, looks like we’ll have to rely a bit on luck this time,” Lin Bei said helplessly.

“I never rely on luck in alchemy,” Dong Fang replied coldly, expressionless.

She then snatched a green herb, waved her slender hand, and a stream of water energy purified the herb’s surface, instantly removing all dust.

The entire herb became crystal clear, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

With a snap, Dong Fang activated a strangely shaped device on the table, threw the green herb inside, and pressed a button. A low humming noise filled the air.

Xu Zhe watched the scene intently, his expression shifting from disbelief to astonishment, then to bewilderment.

“A blender?”

He stared incredulously at Dong Fang’s method of herb processing.

Good heavens, she immediately resorted to a blender—is she making juice?

Xu Zhe blinked hard and glanced toward Lin Bei.

That man did not use a blender; instead, he meticulously arranged the glassware—connecting beakers to test tubes, sterilizing them, and enveloping them with spiritual awareness to maintain a perfect vacuum inside, leaving only the alcohol lamp burning outside.

Next, he placed an herb into the sealed beaker, heated it to extract its juices, and then…

“Distillation?”

Xu Zhe was dumbfounded.

Looking at the other alchemists, most employed either Dong Fang’s or Lin Bei’s approach, using glass apparatus or blenders to process the herbs.

This scene, these methods, this operation… it felt like a return to high school chemistry lab.

“…”

Xu Zhe’s mind reeled.

Times had changed!

Alchemy had become so scientific.

I, Xu Zhe, should never underestimate the heroes of this world.

Alas, my skills are inadequate—I only excel in traditional alchemy and a bit of personal insight.

I must grit my teeth and give it my all. As for my ranking… well, that is up to fate.

He shook his head silently, sighing deeply as he adjusted his mindset.

He closed his eyes slowly, inhaled deeply, and reopened them with a look of solemn focus.

“Begin!”

He commanded in a low voice. Flames instantly leapt from his palm, the intense heat distorting the air.

With a shift in his spirit, his awareness surged forth, locking onto the herb on his table and lifting it into his palm. The fiery blaze enveloped the herb completely.

Outside the hall, a dozen judges had emerged from the mansion to observe the competition.

Among more than a hundred participants, Xu Zhe’s archaic technique immediately caught their attention.

“Refining by hand?”

An elder was momentarily stunned, then shook his head. “This ancient alchemy method was long ago abandoned. Why is anyone still using it?”

Then, wisps of black smoke began to rise from the flames in Xu Zhe’s palm.

The herb instantly transformed into a droplet of crystal-clear medicinal liquid, radiating faint light. The brilliance shimmered within the flames as it spun rapidly.

As the liquid turned, the flames remained unaffected but faintly scattered invisible black particles.

“Wait… wait a moment, this is…”

Suddenly, an old woman trembled, eyes widening.

“Ancient alchemy technique—the Two Principles Purification Method!”

The other elders’ faces changed drastically, exclaiming in shock.

“How is this possible?”

“This technique was long lost, recorded only in ancient texts. No one has ever mastered it!”

“The Two Principles Purification Method uses the dual forces of Yin and Yang, endlessly generating and eliminating impurities within the herbs, ultimately achieving absolute purity. How could this person possibly know this technique?”

For a moment, the elders were utterly unsettled.

…

[Written through the night, please forgive any clumsiness. Now you can rest easy. Finally, I humbly ask for a monthly ticket.]