Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Final Contest and the Ancient Elixir Formula

On the plaza of the Xia Kingdom, as the first round of the competition drew to a close, Xuanji retreated from the alchemy stage with a hollow, shattered expression, her complexion as pale as parchment.

She could never have imagined that the top-tier Grade Nine medicinal pill she had poured her heart into, requiring an entire night of painstaking effort, would be surpassed in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea by Jiang Cheng, who practiced "alchemy with empty hands." The bizarre, lightning-fast nature of his technique left her questioning if she had fallen into some sort of hallucination.

"No... this is impossible!"

Though a turbulent storm raged within her, she could not afford a public outburst. Forcing a veneer of composure, she declared only that the second round would proceed. She could not concede on the spot—to yield now would be to succumb to that utterly preposterous "betrothal pact." She gritted her teeth, announcing that she would prepare with all her might for the second round.

Most of the audience had dispersed, as the mortals could no longer endure the wait, though some cultivators remained to watch the spectacle. Many more began to whisper about Jiang Cheng’s supernatural abilities; the name "Void Alchemy" had already begun to spread across the Xia Kingdom, with some hailing it as "the return of an alchemy myth to our land."

As night once again cloaked Lingxiao City, Xuanji’s obsession—her only hope—remained fixed: "I must win the second round! Only by taking one match can I find a path to turn this around."

Returning to the temporary quarters arranged by the Xia Kingdom, she immediately entered seclusion to recuperate, obsessively reviewing her failure. "Void Alchemy... is he a reincarnated Alchemy Emperor? Or perhaps he possesses the legacy of an Alchemy Saint but has hidden his cultivation, already reaching the Void Refining stage? Why would someone with such talent for alchemy never have made a name for himself? Could he truly be a reclusive master? And why would such a master be so obsessed with women? Could it be... could he be trying to impart the Dao of Alchemy to me? Perhaps he chose this method because of the constraints of the Danxia Sacred Land?"

The next day, Xuanji returned to the stage. She had donned her Saintess regalia once more, though a trace of fatigue lingered in her features. Around the plaza, the people of the Xia Kingdom had gathered again, drawn by either admiration for Jiang Cheng or curiosity about the duel. The crowd was even larger than the day before.

"For this second round, I shall refine a 'Saint Pill'—a medicine prepared for the upcoming Chenguang Realm Alchemy Grand Assembly!"

Her high-profile announcement caused a sensation. A Saint Pill? That was a realm of alchemy beyond the ninth grade; in the Chenguang Realm, the only one capable of such a feat was said to be the Sovereign of the Danxia Sacred Land.

Beyond a few ancient, near-mythical figures, the pinnacle of alchemy in this realm was the Alchemy Saint stage. Even the faculty of the Xia Kingdom’s Imperial Academy gasped in collective shock: "Is she mad? How is this possible? Unless... she possesses an even more heaven-defying alchemical technique?"

Xuanji swept a cold gaze over the spectators. "Since Master Jiang claims to have no fear, let me test your limits. If my refinement fails, the betrothal pact shall stand; if I succeed, I will force you, the dignified Emperor of the Xia Kingdom, to suffer a total defeat!"

If she could refine a Saint Pill, and Jiang Cheng could not, the third round would be rendered unnecessary. If she succeeded, it would prove she had attained the rank of Alchemy Saint, unless Jiang Cheng could match her. Her words were sharp and resonant, carrying the pride of a Danxia Saintess. It seemed the previous day's defeat had driven her to risk everything.

Jiang Cheng did not retreat. A faint, inscrutable smile played on his lips. "Very well. I shall play along with you, Emperor. But if you lose again, don't complain that I'm bullying you."

Jiang Cheng was in high spirits; every time he referred to himself as "the Emperor," it seemed intended to provoke her. He was pleased that this woman had brought out her ultimate alchemical state; the more powerful the pill, the greater the harvest for him.

The contest officially began.

Xuanji no longer held back, returning to her calm and composed demeanor. She had prepared a trump card for this match that she believed Jiang Cheng could never possess. She was certain that in all the Chenguang Realm, no one else could refine this pill—not even another Alchemy Saint.

She slowly unfastened the crimson talisman seal from her waist and cast it beneath the furnace. Instantly, the "Sacred Flame of Extreme Heat" erupted, its color not a pure crimson, but streaked with blinding gold, like the fusion of a blazing sun and a sunset.

The cultivators nearby gasped: "This woman possesses an even higher grade of flame?" Even from a distance, observers could feel the oppressive heat, making it difficult to breathe.

Xuanji fed extremely rare spiritual materials into the furnace while chanting an obscure incantation, forcibly dividing the sacred flame into dozens of fine threads, each wrapping around a different ingredient. These materials would have been impossible to gather in such a short time had the Xia Kingdom not possessed their spirit-ship trade routes, allowing her to procure them from major cities and extort them from various sacred lands.

Beads of sweat rolled down her face, soaking her robes. Refining such a multitude of heaven-defying treasures under the extreme flame was a task many times more intense than the first round. It was her first time attempting to refine a Saint Pill of this caliber.

*Beyond the nine turns of the Danxia Sacred Flame lies this technique of the Extreme Heat... As long as I endure the purification and condensation stages, I have a catalyst Jiang Cheng could not possibly possess—a catalyst that is not part of the standard materials.*

*This catalyst is the true core of the formula. I must win! Once the 'embryo of the Saint Pill' is formed, adding this unique catalyst will leave Jiang Cheng with no room to refute me.*

Panting, Xuanji persisted. She could feel her spiritual energy draining away like a breached dam, yet she could not retreat. She knew that after this battle, the rules of the Alchemy Grand Assembly would surely be adjusted to account for this unique method of Saint Pill refinement. In a sense, she had already lost her chance to win the championship, all because of this tiny factor—this mysterious, unfathomable Jiang Cheng.

Across the stage, Jiang Cheng maintained his leisurely, unhurried posture. He showed no sign of producing a furnace, sitting idly as he waited for Xuanji to finish.

If Xuanji lost again, she would be bound by the betrothal pact. No one knew the secret she held: her bloodline was naturally attuned to the properties of all things. By adding a single drop of her essential blood as a catalyst, this ancient medicinal formula—which belonged only to the "Saint Pill" category—would be sublimated, achieving power far exceeding that of a standard Saint Pill.

*No one would ever guess that my 'essential blood' is my true trump card,* she vowed silently. This ancient formula was a precious, guarded legacy of the Danxia Sacred Land. It was rumored to be of the Quasi-Saint Pill level; unfortunately, it required a drop of essential blood that resonated with the elemental properties of all the ingredients, and it was only because no one had possessed such a unique bloodline that this ancient formula had never before appeared in the world.

Su Ruoxi and the many instructors of the Xia Kingdom’s Alchemy Institute watched intently. They vaguely sensed that the formula Xuanji had chosen was extraordinary. Even with the Xia Kingdom’s spirit-ship routes, it had taken the threat and persuasion of the Eight Sacred Lands to gather these two sets of ingredients. They were certain that with such a complex formula, she must still have a final move up her sleeve.

"Master Jiang, you are destined to lose! When I achieve the status of Alchemy Saint, you will have already been defeated! I have a special catalyst that is not among the standard spiritual materials!"