The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 148 A Cultivator Arrives in the Alchemy World

The Western Regions, Firemelting City Alchemist Tournament.

The second competition has begun, with over two hundred contestants in good spirits and all present, waiting for the competition to start.

The host was still Apollo Linda, and the audience was still noisy, but unlike the previous match, there were now six seeded players in the center of the arena.

Tucaano scrutinized the strangely dressed Eastern boy warily, while the blonde woman beside him leaned in and whispered:

"Brother Arno, could this person be a spy sent from Zhongzhou? You must be careful..."

Tucaano chuckled lightly, "Heh, if he really is some kind of undercover agent, I'd be even more interested to see what kind of abilities he can actually display..."

"The second competition tests the contestants' knowledge of various alchemical materials and recipes. Next, each contestant will be given random materials to use for alchemy. The time limit is three hours. The competition begins!"

As soon as Linda finished speaking, all the contestants immediately began to examine the various materials and herbs laid out on their tables.

These materials are all used to make alchemical potions, and they are all of low grade, so there are hundreds of potion recipes.

The ultimate goal of this competition is clearly to use these low-grade medicinal herbs to refine higher-grade potions.

Unlike last time, this time Zhang Yunling did not hesitate and quickly began selecting medicinal herbs.

The other contestants around him glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally. Since witnessing Zhang Yunling's performance in the previous round, they no longer dared to mock him and regarded him as a formidable opponent, just like the five seeded players.

He set up the furnace, lit the alchemical fire, and threw several medicinal herbs into the furnace to burn and extract their essence. Zhang Yunling had already mastered the classic alchemy process.

Making alchemical potions also requires alchemical gems and cursed stones, but since Zhang Yunling intends to show off his skills, he will do the opposite.

The alchemical gems from the previous match were already considered as participation rewards and were all given away to the participating players for free.

Many players also chose to use the alchemical gems they refined in the previous round in this round.

Instead of using alchemical gems, Zhang Yunling placed the alchemy furnace directly on the magic circle formed by the powder of the cursed stone, demonstrating a Western alchemy technique.

The attention of several elders in the audience was also drawn to this strange operation.

Without alchemical gems, the resulting potion will become poison, lacking any of the magical effects of an alchemical potion. Instead, it will produce a strong toxicity because the potency cannot be neutralized.

Moreover, a normal bottle of alchemical potion only requires two or three medicinal materials to make, but Zhang Yunling used a full sixteen materials, almost using all the materials on the table, and put them into the furnace one by one to refine them.

This requires alchemists to have precise control over the heat and the timing of the refining process. His strange behavior left the surrounding contestants stunned, and the elders' attention was also focused on Zhang Yunling.

“There’s no mistake, this method is not only alchemy, but also related to the alchemy of the Central Plains! But even so, he is only provided with low-grade medicinal materials, so how much trouble can he cause…” Elder Leander of the Alchemy Association said in a low voice.

Time passed, and only the hushed discussions of the audience remained. The more than two hundred contestants present were all silent, concentrating on the process of refining the potion.

The more focused you are on doing something, the faster time seems to pass. In the blink of an eye, two hours have gone by, and Linda on the host's platform is giving a long and detailed commentary on the outstanding performances of some of the contestants.

Soon, the first alchemist to complete the alchemy appeared.

"A Tier 2 Intermediate Strength-type Alchemy Potion! Contestant number 164 can actually refine a Tier 2 potion using Tier 1 herbs, and it's even of medium quality!"

Like elixirs, alchemical potions are divided into nine classes, each further subdivided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

Generally speaking, first-tier medicinal herbs can only be used to refine first-tier potions. To refine a potion of a higher tier, the alchemist needs to extract the essence of all the first-tier medicinal herbs without reservation and perfectly blend them together, which is a great test of the alchemist's skills.

This contestant, number 164, looks quite young, but his skills are truly remarkable. Being able to refine potions across different levels shows that the competition in this tournament is quite fierce.

Following closely behind, many other contestants completed their alchemy, but most could only produce high-grade or mid-grade Tier 1 potions. Alchemists with some skill, like contestant number 164, were a minority.

Another half hour passed, and the blonde among the seeded players finished refining. She had actually refined a high-grade second-tier healing potion, which was now the highest quality alchemical potion in the entire arena.

This level of potion can activate its medicinal effects the moment it touches the lips, dispelling negative effects within the body and healing external wounds.

Following closely behind, the other three seeded players also completed their refining. Except for the short boy who was slightly less skilled and only managed to refine a mid-level second-tier potion, the others successfully refined high-level second-tier potions, just like the blonde girl.

Time passed slowly, and only half an hour remained. All the contestants had finished their refining, and now everyone's attention was focused on the two people in the center of the arena.

Tuca Arno and Zhang Yunling stood on either side. Arno's movements were elegant and his actions were magnificent as he controlled his fire magic to refine the herbs in the furnace, while also placing alchemical gems into it, preparing to condense the medicinal liquid.

Zhang Yunling kept his hands still at his sides, relying entirely on his mental power to manipulate the flames. The purple flames split into more than a dozen fire snakes, refining the dozen or so medicinal herbs separately.

Both of them were covered in sweat, and everyone around them was watching this war without gunpowder with bated breath. Some were amazed, some were learning, and some were disdainful, but everyone remained silent, with only the crackling of their stove remaining.

"It's done." Tucaano smiled slightly and put the condensed medicine into a glass bottle. At this moment, all the cursed stone powder under the furnace disappeared, having been absorbed into the potion during the refining process.

Linda on the stage exclaimed, "This...this is...Tier 3! Contestant Tucaano actually managed to refine a Tier 3 potion using Tier 1 herbs! What incredible talent!"

"As expected of the eldest son of the Tuka family, truly a young hero..."

"Tch, it's just because of their powerful family background. Let me stay in the Tuka family for two or three years, and I can still achieve this level..."

There were voices of doubt and praise from the crowd, and the elders also sighed with admiration, but only one person remained expressionless.

Leander stared intently in Zhang Yunling's direction, occasionally taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, as if he were also on the competition stage, an invisible sense of tension enveloping him.

The next moment, Zhang Yunling clasped his hands together and shouted, "Condense!"

In an instant, the sixteen different colored essences extracted from the sixteen medicinal herbs were all extracted. Instead of using alchemical gems as the main body, a medicinal herb called jade fruit was used as a binder to forcibly fuse the sixteen herbs together.

"You don't even need alchemical gems? Are you just making soup?" the blonde girl mocked coldly.

As the medicinal liquid slowly solidified, Zhang Yunling once again summoned the alchemical fire, manipulating the flames to surround the liquid and continue to gently roast it. This operation was extremely strange to other alchemists and completely incomprehensible.

Instead of using mental power and magical energy for delicate control during such a crucial process as the fusion of the medicinal liquid, they are still using fire to burn it. This is truly going against the natural order and is utterly incomprehensible.

Linda, who was on the stage, also began to awkwardly explain Zhang Yunling's behavior until Zhang Yunling extinguished the pill fire and slowly poured the liquid into the bottle, thus completing the refining process.

"I can tell they're concocting poison here," the blonde continued to mock.

Linda used her detection magic on the alchemical potion in Zhang Yunling's bottle and discovered that it was a mid-level second-tier potion. She prepared to announce the result.

Just then, Leander, who was on the elders' seat, suddenly took to the air and flew towards Zhang Yunling, interrupting him at the same time, "Wait! Let me take a closer look."

Zhang Yunling smiled and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Elder."

Leander waved his hand anxiously and said, "Quickly, bring me your potion!"

Zhang Yunling handed over the medicine bottle, which hadn't yet been capped. Leander took it, examined it carefully, sniffed it, and finally took a big gulp.

"Uh...you dare to drink this directly? Aren't you afraid of getting poisoned?" the blonde girl whispered.

After smacking his lips a few times and sensing the changes in his body, Leander's face lit up with joy, and he exclaimed, "This potion actually has three effects at the same time: enhancing mental strength, increasing power, and healing!"

"To be able to concoct a potion without relying on alchemical gems, and to have three different effects at the same time! Zhang Yunling, the dark horse of this competition, number 280, has certainly not disappointed everyone!"

Apollo Linda seemed to be seeing this for the first time as well, and she excitedly praised it.

"What..." Upon hearing this, Tucaano froze on the spot, completely overwhelmed by the clamor of the crowd. At this moment, all he could see was the mysterious young man in the Taoist robe.

"When did such a person appear in Firemelting City? Has a cultivator from the alchemy world arrived...? Interesting..."