Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 632 - Shocking Everyone

Chapter 632 - Shocking Everyone

The Alchemy Tower’s design was entirely distinct from the Spiritual Array Tower, with its transparent structure allowing everyone outside to observe the participants’ every move. Nothing was hidden; every action was laid bare for the spectators.

Liu Wuxie selected a cultivation chamber after stepping onto the first level. This place was icy snow, and there wasn't any earth flame. This trial wouldn't only test alchemy skills but also fire manipulation by alchemists as they had to generate their flame.

As a result, many alchemists could only last at the tenth level as they would run out of true essence.

Liu Wuxie had the demonic flame, and he didn't have to worry about running out of true essence from generating his flame, and he could even last till one hundred levels if there were more levels.

"Bone Transforming Pill!" Liu Wuxie instantly knew what pill he would refine judging from the ingredients. This was an eighth-grade pill, and the difficulty wasn't high. However, the actual difficulty of this pill was the fusion between the Spine Herb and the other ingredients. Even a nine-star alchemist would experience a cauldron explosion if handled poorly.

"It's unusually challenging this year when it's only the first level!"

All the disciples had entered their respective alchemy chambers, but most spectators’ attention fell on Liu Wuxie and Bai Yuan. One was an underdog, while the other was the strongest prodigy in the Southern Province.

Many people also paid attention to Meng Qi. He was a well-known prodigy in alchemy in the Province.

Spectators expected the three of them to hold the top three ranks. Stories of Liu Wuxie’s feats had already spread, from his role in revitalizing the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s alchemy market to his audacious elimination of two elders from the Azure Crimson Gate, who had arrived in Treasure City with hostile intent.

As the alchemy trial began, flames began to blaze within the tower.

"Look! Meng Qi is using the rare Heavenly Bale Flame!" a voice exclaimed from the crowd. People had long heard that Meng Qi had obtained the Heavenly Bale Flame, though few had ever seen it. Thus, it was a great opportunity that they could witness it today.

"I heard that the Heavenly Bale Flame would only be born under strict conditions, requiring centuries of lightning strikes and the flame produced to burn for thousands of years. The flame will carry a hint of the heavenly bale's power," the crowd murmured, and they envied Meng Qi.

"Meng Qi is lucky. I heard that the flame had just been born when he found it, and he managed to refine it while it was weak. After all, he couldn’t have subdued a fully matured Heavenly Bale Flame with his cultivation," remarked another. They all felt that Meng Qi had only obtained the Heavenly Bale Flame because he was lucky.

Then again, luck was also a factor in cultivation, and even someone in the True Profound Realm couldn't subdue a fully matured Heavenly Bale Flame.

"Look at Bai Yuan! He possesses the Indigo Thunderflame!" another excited voice rang out from the crowd, shifting their attention once more. The Indigo Thunderflame was a rare and naturally formed treasure, created under specific, stringent conditions and infused with a trace of the Indigo Divine Thunder’s power.

Not only could the Indigo Thunderflame be used in alchemy, but it could also be added to enhance martial techniques. Bai Yuan's signature martial technique, the Indigo Thunder Divine Fist, was unparalleled, leaving him without rivals among his peers.

The Heavenly Bale Flame and Indigo Thunderflame were pinnacle flames among heavenly flames. Only those with extraordinary talent could subdue heavenly flames because the flame wouldn't submit to those weaker than them. If forcibly refined, cultivators would suffer a backlash with their blood essence drained.

Liu Wuxie had once seen a wisp of flame spirit that had taken the human form, and no one knew how long it had been cultivating.

"What kind of flame do you think Liu Wuxie will use?" someone asked. Most participants used ordinary flames, and few wielded heavenly flames. Some even used their fire-attribute true essence to simulate flames, and they would most likely have their true essence depleted at the fifth level.

When everyone was speculating, torrential demonic flame enveloped half the Alchemy Pagoda, enveloping the alchemy chamber that Liu Wuxie was in.

"What terrifying fire!" many onlookers cried out, startled by the intensity of the demonic flame.

"Could Liu Wuxie be a disciple of the Demonic Heart Palace, practicing some forbidden demonic cultivation technique?" someone speculated, their voice tinged with suspicion. The thought quickly spread among the spectators, stirring unease.

"No, it doesn't carry any demonic aura, and it only looks like a demonic flame," another countered. Liu Wuxie's flame only looked terrifying, but there wasn't any demonic nature in it.

And so, the alchemy trial had begun.

Most alchemists in the Southern Province practiced the Myriad Flows Unite, which had become second nature to both the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and Azure Crimson Gate. Their predecessors had refined each technique over time to achieve the current standard.

When Meng Qi began refining, he drew everyone's attention. Over seventy percent of cultivators favored him to succeed at this stage.

On the contrary, Bai Yuan was a tad inferior to Meng Qi in terms of alchemy. As for Liu Wuxie, no one was optimistic about him beating Meng Qi. Everyone had heard of his accomplishments, but his cultivation level lagged behind that of Meng Qi.

"What skill!" the crowd exclaimed at the sight of Meng Qi's techniques, and they began to clap for him.

Even Mu Tianli nodded at Meng Qi's techniques, not considering the feud between sects. If Meng Qi continued to grow, he could refine tenth-grade pills.

The tenth grade marked the limit, as pills exceeding this level were no longer considered ordinary—they were classified as spiritual pills. Beyond spiritual pills lay the realm of immortal pills, treasures of unparalleled potency.

Bai Yuan also garnered cheers when he began refining, while those who paid attention to Liu Wuxie only watched silently. With a flick of his wrist, a faint pill rune appeared above Liu Wuxie's cauldron.

"That's Elder Yan Shan's cauldron!" An uproar broke out among the Azure Crimson Gate disciples, who angrily roared. They had already learned that their chief alchemist, Yan Shan, had died in Treasure City, killed by the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's Elder He.

As a result, Elder Yan Shan's treasures naturally fell into the hands of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. The cauldron was forged by the Azure Crimson Gate after spending countless resources and time, and such a cauldron was extremely rare.

Not only had the cauldron fallen into Liu Wuxie’s hands, but he was now using it openly in front of the Azure Crimson Gate’s upper echelons, intending to defeat them with their own treasure. It was a blatant act of provocation, and the humiliation for the Azure Crimson Gate would be immeasurable if Liu Wuxie emerged victorious.

"Damn it, is he doing this on purpose? He took out the cauldron to distract us!" roared the Azure Crimson Gate's three elders.

A terrifying demonic flame enveloped the entire cauldron, with pill runes merging into it, and no one could comprehend Liu Wuxie's technique.

"What technique is that? Why haven't I seen it before?" someone asked.

Liu Wuxie's technique seemed chaotic, but there was a pattern to it. However, no one could comprehend what he was doing.

"I can't comprehend what he's doing. It's absolute garbage," sneered some of the alchemists, dismissing Liu Wuxie's technique as far too crude.

However, some remained open to learning from Liu Wuxie's skills. After all, it was rumored that no one could mimic Liu Wuxie's alchemy technique.

With only two hours allotted to refine the pill, time was pressing, leaving no room for hesitation or error.

"What's Liu Wuxie doing?" Several Transcendent Plume Gate's disciples stood up, shocked by Liu Wuxie's actions. They watched as Liu Wuxie clasped his hands together and directed his flame into the cauldron, enveloping it in demonic flame. Such a method was unheard of.

"That's absolute madness! No herb can withstand the intensity of such flame," scoffed an alchemist, dismissing Liu Wuxie's actions as being reckless. After all, only a madman would refine pills in this manner.

"If he pulls this off, I'll kneel and kowtow to him!" A Grand Banner Gate's disciple challenged the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

"Who gave you the courage to issue a challenge? Remember your words!" Elder He said in an icy tone.

The voices from outside reached the Alchemy Tower, but they did little to distract the participants from their intense refinement process.

Liu Wuxie roared, and the cauldron flew into the air as it started to spin. It had only been a few minutes, and no one could comprehend what Liu Wuxie was doing when others were in the purification stage.

As Liu Wuxie's hands began to form seals, pill runes began wriggling in the air like earthworms.

"This is impossible! This is a sign of pill runes forming!" The alchemists who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier watched with their mouths agape, unable to believe what they were seeing.

When the pill runes began to merge into the cauldron, all the demonic flames vanished as three pills flew out and fell on Liu Wuxie's palm.

"This is impossible! He managed to refine the pills in just fifteen minutes?" The Azure Crimson Gate’s elders and disciples stammered as they watched his disbelief. It was unprecedented for anyone to refine three Bone Transforming Pills in fifteen minutes.

However, no one could deny it when they had witnessed Liu Wuxie refine the pills with their own eyes.

"He's a prodigy! A true monstrous prodigy!" The few Sky Rift Valley's elders could only describe Liu Wuxie as a monstrous prodigy.

Liu Wuxie's talent in alchemy had already surpassed the older generation, and he may become the best alchemist in the Southern Province once he reached the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Moreover, Liu Wuxie had proven his peerless skills in spiritual arrays; not even the older generation could rival him.

Holding onto the three pills, Liu Wuxie walked over to the crystal and placed the pills on it. A bizarre scene soon unfolded as the crystal began to glow, shifting from pale yellow to light green, and it was still rising. The moment it became red, none of the onlookers could remain seated.

"A high-grade pill! He refined a high-grade pill!" They wouldn't be so shocked if those three pills were low grades. After all, even if Liu Wuxie was faster in terms of refining, Meng Qi could turn the tables around by refining a high-grade pill.

But what happened next left the crowd speechless as they gasped in shock.