Could their guesses get any more ridiculous?
It was unbelievable.
"Seriously though, when Mu Xiānjūn ascended, Song Wanníng wasn't even born yet, so how did those two end up enemies?"
"Right? It's driving me crazy, I can't figure it out at all!"
Everyone was dying of curiosity. By normal logic, the two shouldn't have had any connection.
Of course, nobody dared imagine that back in the lower world, Song Wanníng had already dared to go against Mu Zixu's divine sense. The more people speculated, the wilder their theories became, and before long they'd already turned Song Wanníng into someone shrouded in mystery.
Mu Zixu stared at Song Wanníng from start to finish. He disliked her, but as he watched her smooth, fluid movements, even he had to admit that Song Wanníng's talent for alchemy was exceptional. It hadn't even been that long, and she'd refined the Soul Stabilizing Pill without breaking a sweat. Even he had needed plenty of time back then.
The thought soured his mood even more.
Time passed quickly, and the first trial gradually came to an end.
The first round's purpose was to build confidence for the disciples practicing alchemy, so the requirements weren't strict. Anyone who produced a pill, even barely, could enter the second round.
Even so, more than a dozen people failed and couldn't refine a pill at all.
Wu Wang watched Song Wanníng succeed and felt his heart sink a little. This woman really did have some ability. No wonder Master had warned them so many times to be careful. If they slipped up and lost in some humiliating way, they'd never live it down.
Thinking of that, he quietly reminded Feng San and Ouyang Lin, "Be careful around Song Wanníng. I'm looking at her face and it's flushed with healthy color. She doesn't even look tired."
Honestly, her condition looked better than theirs.
Feng San glanced at Song Wanníng, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.
"It's just the Soul Stabilizing Pill. Anyone with hands can refine it. But the next round won't be that easy."
He snorted, speechless at how jumpy Wu Wang was acting. It was just Song Wanníng, yet Wu Wang was behaving like he'd seen a ghost. That was about the limit of his courage. And besides, if there was anything they excelled at, it was alchemy. There was no way Song Wanníng could catch up to them.
Wu Wang's face darkened. He turned his head with a scowl. This idiot even dared look down on him now. Just wait until he lost. He'd be the one crying.
Not far away, Situ Yue smiled with satisfaction as she looked at her finished pill. She finally felt a bit of confidence. She didn't have much foundation at the beginning, but her talent carried her, and she'd refined it easily. What did Song Wanníng have to compare?
But before her pride even settled, the supervising elder spoke.
"Song Wanníng, two perfect-grade Soul Stabilizing Pills."
The moment his voice fell, the entire hall erupted.
Situ Yue's smile froze on her face, her expression filled with disbelief.
Mu Zixu and his disciples visibly stiffened, shock spreading across their faces as they stared at Song Wanníng.
"How's that possible? She refined perfect-grade?"
Feng San rushed over the moment he heard it, refusing to believe it. He peered into her furnace.
Two flawless, perfectly round pills sat inside, not a speck of residue anywhere. There wasn't even a hint of fragrance leaking out, everything sealed perfectly within the pills.
His expression went blank. He remembered how he'd needed decades just to barely refine a single perfect-grade low-tier Immortal Pill.
Song Wanníng had succeeded the moment she tried. How was he supposed to accept that?
Gasps spread among the watching disciples, their eyes growing brighter the longer they stared at Song Wanníng.
They'd all assumed she'd entered through connections, but Song Wanníng kept smashing their assumptions again and again, showing them what real skill looked like.
With this level of talent, every sect would fight to recruit her.
Wuji Sect had lucked out.
"Hahaha, excellent, excellent! Wanníng's talent is unbelievable!"
"Looks like our Wuji Sect's going to have another alchemy grandmaster soon!"
The sect master was overjoyed, looking at Song Wanníng like she was a treasure.
The surrounding elders all began praising and congratulating Dao Qing.
Dao Qing didn't deny it, but he couldn't help feeling smug. And this was nothing yet. There was still plenty that would shock them later. Ever since he'd started refining pills with Song Wanníng, he'd been stunned more times than he could count.
Dao Qing cast a sideways glance at Mu Zixu, who was so furious cold air was practically spilling off him. Dao Qing smirked. It was time for Mu Zixu to understand what a real genius looked like. And time for him to taste what it felt like to doubt his own life choices.
Feeling mischievous, Dao Qing kept watching the competition.
In the end, the first round eliminated more than a dozen failures, plus several whose pill quality was too poor. Twenty people were removed altogether.
They walked off the platform looking miserable.
…
"The second round, refine the Burst Break Pill!"
Once again, the supervising elder announced the start, and the disciples immediately began working.
The Burst Break Pill was a pill used to break through at critical moments. Its side effects were severe, but it was extremely popular.
After all, in critical situations, a pill like this could save your life.
Its refining steps were far more complicated, with very strict requirements for removing impurities. The better the quality, the fewer the side effects. If someone managed a perfect-grade Burst Break Pill, the side effects would be minimal. Such a pill would be snatched up the moment it appeared.
Song Wanníng looked over the ingredients on her table. Instead of starting immediately, she organized the pill recipe in her mind.
Because the Burst Break Pill demanded precision, she planned to simulate the refinement within her sea of consciousness first before doing it for real. So while everyone else bustled about on the platform, she sat cross-legged, looking almost out of place.
The disciples around her sighed.
"Knew it. Song Wanníng hasn't been ascended long. Refining the Soul Stabilizing Pill was already her limit."
"Yeah, it's a pity. I wanted to see her refine a perfect Burst Break Pill again. I'd pay a fortune for that!"
"No way. The Burst Break Pill is insanely complicated. The rank isn't high, but tons of alchemists refuse to make it. You want perfect-grade? You should be grateful for an upper-grade one."
"Yeah, but the direct disciples of both Xiānjūn should be able to refine upper-grade Burst Break Pills."
Even though Song Wanníng looked like she had reached her limit, nobody denied her strength. They were just a little disappointed.
Onstage, the cold air around Mu Zixu finally dispersed. A bit of joy even crept into his eyes. He knew it. No matter how talented Song Wanníng was, she couldn't possibly learn the Burst Break Pill this quickly.
One slip and the furnace would explode.
Still, this girl really knew how to act. She and Dao Qing were cut from the same mold.
"Senior Brother Dao Qing, why isn't Song Wanníng moving? Isn't she supposed to be a genius? Don't tell me she can't refine the Burst Break Pill?"
Mu Zixu deliberately put on a shocked look, mockery dripping from his voice.
Dao Qing gave him a sideways glance. "What're you rushing for?"
Mu Zixu really couldn't stand to let anyone have peace.
"Heh, even if she can't, we'd understand."
Mu Zixu let out a laugh, but it never reached his eyes.
===
I just finished migrating my Xianxia Handbook to AO3. If you haven't read the Webnovel version yet, or if you read it before this announcement, I highly suggest checking it out. I've made some changes and added extra information.
If the Webnovel version felt a bit dense or "full" of narration, this AO3 version might be easier to follow since I included bullet points for clarity.
I don't plan on adding any major new content to the handbook since I think it already covers the core and most important aspects of the Xianxia genre. Future updates will probably just focus on cultivation stages and formal titles.