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Refining pills is something that consumes an extreme amount of spirit and time. Especially when refining high-tier pills, it usually takes at least ten days or half a month.
And everyone was clear about this situation. So, countless people simply waited quietly, not showing the slightest impatience.
Those who could come all the way to Holy Pill City to watch the Pill Gathering were, for the most part, people with some strength of their own, so this little bit of necessary patience was something they naturally possessed.
Under the gaze of those countless expectant eyes, time quietly slipped away. Unknowingly, five days passed in the blink of an eye. During these five days, the refining process in the sky appeared rather calm.
Occasionally though, a muffled sound would ring out, the result of some error during refinement that led to a cauldron exploding.
In these five days, a small portion of alchemists had indeed managed to successfully refine their pills. However, the moment their pills were completed, those alchemists also understood clearly that their participation in this Pill Gathering had ended here.
Because for those like them, who took so little time and could not even summon a Pill Lightning, they could only end up at the very bottom. The gazes of the crowd likewise did not linger too long on that small group of people.
The vast majority of eyes remained fixed on Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Mu Gu, Wei Yang, Xiao Yan, Xian'er, and other renowned alchemy masters.
Everyone knew that the true competition lay between these people, and that was the most exciting part of this Pill Gathering. The champion would, with high probability, emerge from among them.
As countless eyes swept across the sky, those who were being specially watched all had solemn expressions as they carefully controlled the flames within their cauldrons. Faintly, one could sense an incomparably rich wave of energy seeping out from within.
Some people could not help but crane their necks, wanting to see more. But unfortunately, the cauldrons these contestants used were far from ordinary.
Not only did they conceal most of the fluctuations of the medicinal ingredients, they were also deliberately sealed off from external perception and probing. Anyone who had thought to guess at what pills were being refined inside quickly abandoned the idea.
In the blink of an eye, the third round had gone on for nearly half a month.
During this period, more and more contestants succeeded in refining their pills, Ah Da among them. As a result, the entire heavens and earth were filled with a dense, almost overwhelming aroma of pills.
Just one breath of it, and the fatigue and restlessness that had built up from the long wait quietly dissipated.
But although more and more participants successfully completed their pills, none of them managed to summon Pill Lightning.
Among the strongest of them, the most they achieved was to stir the sky until dark clouds gathered, but not even a flicker of lightning appeared.
At this point, all those working with Tier 6 pills had basically been eliminated. The only ones left now were those refining Tier 7 or higher.
Wei Yang, however, paid no attention to the changes outside. His gaze never once shifted from inside his cauldron.
After more than ten days of long fusion, within the leaping black flames in the cauldron, there was faintly an oval-shaped object about the size of a fist, its surface pitted and uneven.
This object was the pill embryo, the fused essence of more than two hundred types of medicinal ingredients. The embryo of a First Start Pill.
Though only the initial embryo, the most difficult step had already been overcome. From here on, Wei Yang only needed to maintain stability, and he would be able to successfully refine this First Start Pill.
At this moment, all that was left was to continue nurturing it patiently. Then, suddenly—
Boom!
In this slightly scorching heaven and earth, a low peal of thunder suddenly resounded across the sky. Under countless gazes, in the sky above, no one knew when a dark cloud had quietly appeared. From within that cloud came a deep rumble of thunder.
The first Pill Lightning of this Pill Gathering had finally arrived.
"It's Pill Lightning!"
"A Tier 7 pill has been born!"
Seeing the phenomenon in the sky, an uproar immediately broke out across the plaza. Many people were visibly excited.
In an instant, countless eyes converged on a stone platform beneath that dark cloud. There, a middle-aged man was looking up at the thundercloud with wild joy on his face. He was the first one to draw Pill Lightning.
The appearance of Pill Lightning also drew a moment of Wei Yang's attention, even as he was focused on nurturing his pill.
His half-closed eyes opened slightly, sweeping once toward the distant thundercloud before shaking his head. Such a weak Pill Lightning. At best, that pill was just at the level of a low-grade Tier 7.
His gaze shifted back, no longer giving it any more thought.
After the first Pill Lightning appeared, it took only half a day before thunderclouds once again condensed in the sky. And this time, the intensity of the thundercloud was clearly stronger than before.
It was obvious that another contestant had refined a pill of higher quality than the last. From then on, the event grew thoroughly lively. Almost every day, several Pill Lightning would descend.
The strength of these Pill Lightning varied, but judging by their scale, the best among them still only reached mid-grade Tier 7. Not a single high-grade Tier 7 pill had yet been born.
Because of the constant appearance of Pill Lightning, the atmosphere in the plaza grew increasingly heated. Each time a Tier 7 pill appeared, it drew countless fiery and covetous gazes.
At this level, only those who had stepped into Dou Zun could remain indifferent. For anyone beneath Dou Zun, such pills carried an irresistible allure.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
What was once an extremely rare sight, Pill Lightning had now become commonplace in this heaven and earth.
Many people felt as though their eyes had been opened, shouting that the trip had been more than worth it. As time went on, the number of stone platforms where refining still continued dwindled.
By now, fewer than fifty remained.
Seeing that less than fifty people were still persisting, everyone's emotions surged with excitement.
Because they all knew that these remaining contestants could undoubtedly be called the peak of the alchemy world on the Dou Qi Continent. And the champion of this Pill Gathering would definitely be born among them.
All those who came before were merely running alongside.
Another half day passed.
On the stone platforms now, counting carefully, there were still thirty-seven flames rising. These final thirty-seven included Wei Yang, Xian'er, Xiao Yan, Mu Gu, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, and others.
Without question, these were the strongest contenders for the championship of this Pill Gathering.
Wei Yang sat cross-legged on his stone platform, the rolls of thunder from the sky entirely blocked from his ears. All of his focus was poured into the cauldron before him.
Inside, black flames surged, and the scorching heat turned the originally crimson Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron a dark red.
Within the black flames, a single pill spun round and round.
This pill, refined from the essence of more than two hundred medicinal ingredients, had already shrunk from the size of a fist to the size of a pigeon egg.
Its shape, under the tempering of the flames, had grown increasingly smooth and round, as though naturally formed.
A surge of powerful energy, strong enough to even make Wei Yang's heart tremble, was beginning to take shape. The intensity of this energy had already surpassed the level of a peak Dou Zong.
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