Everyone sized up Ning Fa with various expressions.
Even though he was still short one core pill, by this point, no one doubted that Ning Fa would pass this assessment.
After all, alchemy rarely involved luck, especially since Ning Fa had consecutively refined twice, achieving a pill formation rate of over forty percent. This was enough to demonstrate Ning Fa's alchemy skill, and he should be very confident in refining at least one core pill on his final attempt.
Ning Ruiming's expression was as gloomy as if water could drip from it; his look was already very displeased.
Ning Fa's eyes, however, were shining with a peculiar light.
He felt as though he had entered a strange state. His feeling for alchemy was exceptionally good, so much so that he almost forgot he was still in the midst of the Pill Master assessment, feeling completely immersed.
He once again released streaks of hand seals with both hands, and the various spiritual materials before him flew about once more.
Less than an hour later, the furnace was opened again.
This time, the swirling auspicious light from the alchemy furnace was even more apparent than in the previous two attempts.
Wei Chengzong's face showed a hint of shock. With a wave of his hand, several pills enveloped in auspicious light flew out. Wei Chengzong faced the crowd and announced loudly, "Five core pills, one failed pill."
"Ning Fa's three alchemy attempts have yielded a total of ten Essence Replenishing Pill core pills, with a pill formation rate of fifty-five percent. I declare Ning Fa has passed this alchemy assessment."
As soon as this was said, the large alchemy room fell silent. Everyone had different expressions.
Ning Shaohong wore a faint smile. She hadn't held much hope for Ning Fa initially, but Ning Fa's performance today had clearly exceeded her expectations. This made her, who had spoken up for Ning Fa, feel a sense of shared honor.
Ning Xiuying, clad in fiery red armor and possessing a striking figure, also looked at Ning Fa with a strange expression, not expecting this family's renowned good-for-nothing to actually pass the Pill Master assessment.
Liu Qinghui's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining her gentle and delicate, pitiable appearance. However, there was a hint of complexity in her beautiful eyes.
Ning Ruiming's face was already extremely ugly. He let out a cold snort and was about to get up and leave.
Just then, Ning Shaohong, who was about to stand up, suddenly focused her beautiful eyes, staring intently in Ning Fa's direction.
At this moment, Ning Fa had actually taken out more Essence Replenishing Pill spiritual materials and, completely engrossed, began refining again.
And a faint, peculiar radiance seemed to flicker around him.
Ning Shaohong's beautiful face showed a hint of disbelief. Then, as if she had thought of something, a look of shock appeared on her face. She murmured in her heart, "Could this be the legendary state of entering the Dao...?"
Wei Chengzong looked on with some confusion. Just as he was about to remind Ning Fa that the assessment was over, a fiery red spiritual light suddenly flew towards him, startling him.
He turned to look and saw Ning Shaohong looking at him sternly, saying in a low voice, "Everyone be quiet!"
Ning Ruiming frowned. Although he didn't know what was happening, he had a strong intuition that nothing good would come of it.
Meanwhile, Liu Qinghui's beautiful eyes widened slightly as she stared intently at Ning Fa, her delicate hands clenched tightly. She even began to feel nervous.
At this moment, Ning Fa's gaze was incredibly focused, and the fighting spirit in his eyes grew increasingly fervent.
All his alchemy operations gave people a feeling of flowing naturally and being flawless.
He had even forgotten that he was refining pills, as if he were acting purely on instinct.
At this point, Wei Chengzong finally sensed something, his face filled with shock and envy in his eyes.
As the alchemy furnace flashed with a strong auspicious light, the furnace lid opened, and a total of six pills flew into the air amidst the light.
Each pill was perfectly round and full. In terms of appearance, color, and aroma, they even surpassed what Ning Fa had refined before.
Especially the pill in the center, which was emitting an unusual white light, making it look distinctly different from the other five pills.
What was particularly special was that its surface had a faint, shallow imprint, upon which mysterious runes seemed to be faintly flashing.
Wei Chengzong seemed to have thought of something, his expression one of disbelief.
He quickly rushed over and carefully examined the pill.
After a long while, he finally said in a shocked tone, "Dao Mark?... This is a Pill Dao Mark!?"
As soon as he said this, even Ning Shaohong and Ning Xiuying, who didn't understand alchemy, were greatly shaken.
Not to mention Wei Chengzong, Ning Ruiming, and Liu Qinghui, who were alchemists; their expressions were as if they had seen a ghost.
This was because each of them understood what a pill with a Dao Mark signified.
Alchemy had a very famous characteristic: if an alchemist refined a pill that was exceptionally perfect, they could touch upon the legendary Pill Dao Laws, and a natural Dao Mark would appear on the pill.
The more Dao Marks, the more perfect the pill was, and the more Pill Dao Laws it had touched upon.
Legend had it that even a pill with one Dao Mark had a much greater medicinal effect than other pills, with a difference of several times.
And it wasn't just about enhanced medicinal effects; it also came with some special medicinal properties.
Furthermore, above one Dao Mark, there were two Dao Marks, three Dao Marks...
Pills with multiple Dao Marks were no longer simple pills; they possessed unimaginable magical abilities.
Unfortunately, in the current cultivation world, pills with at most one Dao Mark appeared, and pills with two Dao Marks could occasionally be heard of. Anything exceeding two Dao Marks only existed in ancient texts.
Alchemists who could refine pills with Dao Marks were all renowned Alchemy Grandmasters, holding extremely revered positions.
Moreover, even these Alchemy Grandmasters found it difficult to refine pills with Dao Marks every time, as favorable timing, location, and human harmony were all indispensable.
For example, everyone knew that thirty years ago, at an auction in Tianshui Market, the final item was a Foundation Establishment Pill with one Dao Mark.
It had caused many cultivators to bid frantically, ultimately fetching an astonishing price of over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, more than three times the price of a normal Foundation Establishment Pill.
This was because a Foundation Establishment Pill with one Dao Mark not only increased the chance of breakthrough by twenty to thirty percent compared to an ordinary Foundation Establishment Pill but also allowed the user to broaden their Dantian, laying a solid foundation.
Even though he had just reached Foundation Establishment, his formidable spiritual power was no weaker than that of seasoned cultivators of the same level, and breaking through the minor realms of the Foundation Establishment stage in the future would also be easier.
This was why everyone was so sensitive and shocked by the Dao Mark pills.
Ning Ruiming wore a bewildered expression, almost suspecting he was dreaming.
Liu Qinghui, who had always appeared composed, also widened her eyes, her mouth slightly agape, an expression of disbelief on her face.
The shock in Ning Shaohong's eyes slowly receded. She took a deep look at Ning Fa, and a smile couldn't help but curve her lips.
This descendant of an old friend had truly given her a great surprise.
Various thoughts began to spread in her mind.
Currently, the Pill Hall was controlled by the Third Elder's faction. Her own faction, led by the Second Elder, faced severe restrictions in alchemy. The alchemical potential Ning Fa had just displayed made her begin to take him seriously.
She had already decided to find the Second Elder, her brother Ning Weidong, to discuss this matter, to support Ning Fa's alchemy, and to cultivate Ning Fa into a high-level alchemist for their faction.
With this thought, Ning Shaohong suddenly stood up and walked to Ning Fa's side.
She took the rare One Dao Mark Essence Replenishing Pill from Wei Chengzong with her delicate hand, examined it carefully, and then smiled at Ning Fa:
"Ning Fa, would you be willing to give me this One Dao Mark pill you refined?"
Ning Fa had also recovered from his recent peculiar state. He immediately smiled and said, "It is my honor that the pill refined by this junior has caught the Ninth Elder's eye."
Ning Shaohong's cherry lips curved, and then she turned and left.
Ning Xiuying also gave Ning Fa a deep look before following her away.
On the other side, Liu Qinghui's beautiful eyes were wide, still showing an expression of disbelief.
With a "snap," Ning Ruiming, whose face was ashen, accidentally crushed the armrest of his wooden chair.