Chapter 278

The Alchemy Grand Assembly’s finals had narrowed down to three competitors.

Two more contestants had been eliminated from the initial five, and by this stage of the competition, most of Medicine King City’s population had gathered to witness the winner of the Alchemy Grand Assembly, as well as to observe the city’s high-tier alchemists.

Song Jing stood on the high platform, basking in the glory of reaching the finals.

This is just the beginning. One day…

Song Jing’s gaze shifted to the City Lord of Medicine King City standing on the platform, his ambition burning fiercely within him.

As a prodigy with a high-grade dual fire-wood spiritual root, Song Jing had been exposed to alchemy from a young age. Ten years ago, he had unearthed a jade ring from an ancient tomb containing a fragment of a third-rank Demon King’s soul. Guided by this spectral entity, his alchemy art advanced by leaps and bounds. Within a few short years, he surpassed his contemporaries to become the youngest First-Tier Alchemist.

I will take his place!

A humble smile graced Song Jing’s face, but his inner desires burned fiercely. The two alchemists beside him shared similar ambitions. As prodigies, none of them believed they would ever be outdone by those standing on the platform.

“You three are exceptional. I’ve prepared generous rewards for this competition.” The City Lord of Medicine King City looked down at the three alchemists with evident satisfaction. His rare return to the city had yielded more promising talents than he’d anticipated.

As they spoke, two figures flew up from the side.

It was Chen Luo and Elder Wei Kong, who had just passed the assessment. Elder Wei Kong was well-known to all the alchemists in Medicine King City, but Chen Luo was different—he was a complete newcomer to the city.

“Wei Kong.”

Someone immediately stood up, wanting to stop Chen Luo.

The Alchemy Grand Assembly was Medicine King City’s honor, and those seated on the high platform were at least Second-Tier Pill Refiners.

“Fellow Daoist Chen is a Third-Tier Pill Refiner. I witnessed it myself,” Wei Kong said, interrupting before anyone else could speak.

A Third-Tier Pill Refiner?

At these words, all eyes on the high platform turned toward Chen Luo.

Though the crowd below couldn’t hear clearly, they saw the movement on the platform and followed the gazes upward.

“Senior Brother Chen! It’s Senior Brother Chen!” Yu Xiao exclaimed, his face full of shock as he stared at the ‘Senior Brother’ on the platform. He had a very deep impression of this fellow sect member.

“That’s not a Senior Brother, but a Martial Uncle,” Wan He said softly.

He was more rational than Yu Xiao. If nothing else, everyone on the platform was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the City Lord was even a Core Formation expert. If they were all still in the Qi Refining realm, they probably wouldn’t have been able to get onto the platform at all.

“Huh?”

Yu Xiao’s face turned blank.

“You really know the Starlight Fire Pill Refining Technique?”

After hearing Wei Kong’s description, all the alchemists in Medicine King City turned their attention toward Chen Luo, including the City Lord of Medicine King City.

As a Core Formation cultivator, the City Lord had never encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator he couldn’t assess before.

“I do possess a unique pill-refining method,” Chen Luo replied evasively. He had indeed acquired True Person Gu Yue’s External Brain, but such matters were difficult to explain clearly, leaving him no choice but to speak ambiguously.

This situation also made Chen Luo realize a problem he hadn’t considered before.

As his cultivation level advanced, the External Brains he acquired would become increasingly powerful. These individuals would no longer be obscure like his previous acquisitions; they were likely experts in their fields, whose identities and abilities would be recognized by those familiar with them.

“Very well.”

The City Lord of Medicine King City gave a simple evaluation before turning away and having a seat prepared for Chen Luo - right next to him.

This was a position reserved for Third-Tier Pill Refiners, representing Core Formation experts.

“The competition continues.”

The City Lord of Medicine King City didn’t press Chen Luo further, instead allowing the remaining three alchemists to proceed with the final step of the competition. This was Medicine King City’s important festival, and it couldn’t be delayed because of one person.

“Who is that man? What right does he have to sit up there?”

Chen Luo’s appearance also drew the attention of the three alchemists below. Song Jing, in particular, glared with open defiance. He knew every high-level alchemist in Medicine King City, and Chen Luo was not among them.

How dare an untrained outsider sit on the dais?

Chen Luo took a seat beside the City Lord of Medicine King City.

He still needed Medicine King City’s supply channels for resources. Given the current situation, True Person Gu Yue’s reputation might allow him to bypass years of accumulation and enter the city’s upper echelons directly. This could halve his time to Core Formation, giving him a chance to achieve Tribulation Transcendence within fifty years.

Medicine King City had hosted countless Alchemy Grand Assemblies, and the process was familiar to all. Three sets of materials, a prescribed Pill Formula, and the final judgment would be based on pill quality.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the three competitors selected their ingredients and lit their furnaces. Their steady hands revealed expertise in both medicinal combinations and temperature control. Among First-Tier Alchemists, these three were considered exceptional.

Chen Luo observed briefly before losing interest.

First-Tier Pills held no value for him now; he could easily concoct them without even using his External Brain. While the three competitors’ pill-refining techniques were commendable, the gap between their cultivation realms proved insurmountable.

Without the aid of Divine Sense, their precision in pill refinement fell short of second-rank Pill Refiners by an unbridgeable margin. Pills produced through this method would inevitably retain residual Pill Toxins.

Time flowed like the melting medicinal liquid, carrying with it the gradual emergence of Pill Fragrance from the alchemical crucibles.

The three competitors adjusted their fire control and temperature regulation, then opened their furnaces to reveal the finished Pills.

“Song Jing, High-Grade Pill achieved with 70% efficacy.”

“Wang Yu, High-Grade Pill achieved with…”

The Pill Refiners overseeing the competition swiftly delivered their assessments.

The top three positions in the Alchemy Grand Assembly had been determined. The City Lord of Medicine King City presented the prepared awards to the three victors and extended invitations for them to join Medicine King City.

“Pill Master Chen, do you believe these three possess the aptitude to learn the Starlight Fire Pill Refining Technique?” the City Lord suddenly asked, turning to Chen Luo after distributing the awards.

“No,” Chen Luo replied, his face impassive. Though uncertain of the City Lord’s intentions, Chen Luo had no desire to remain here as an instructor.

“What about me?”

When the City Lord of Medicine King City spoke, everyone fell silent. Song Jing, who had just won first place, looked like he’d been doused with cold water. He stared at Chen Luo with disbelief written all over his face.

The City Lord was a Core Formation cultivator and Third-Tier Pill Refiner!

For someone of his caliber to want to learn alchemy from this person—could he possibly be Medicine King City’s most mysterious Fourth-Rank Alchemist?

“City Lord jests,” Chen Luo replied, his expression unchanged. Though the City Lord was a Core Formation cultivator, he gave off a similar aura to the Valley Master of Nine Poisons Valley. While Chen Luo couldn’t defeat such a powerhouse, he was confident in his ability to escape unscathed.

Seeing this, the City Lord didn’t press further.

Their conversation had been conducted in full view, leaving the onlookers completely in the loop.

In the crowd below, Yu Xiao and Wan He stood dumbfounded. They’d already been doing their best to overestimate this ‘Senior Brother,’ but he proved even more formidable than they’d imagined. Even the City Lord himself wanted to learn alchemy from him!

“I’d like to witness the legendary Starlight Fire Pill Refining Technique,” declared a Pill Refiner standing beside the City Lord. His eyes burned with the single-minded devotion typical of alchemy-obsessed practitioners—a breed particularly common in Medicine King City.