The Cloud Heart Pill could be considered the most important medicinal pill in the Pill Hall, which is why Wei Chengzong introduced it first.
Second-tier medicinal pills were not included in the assessment due to their special nature.
Seeing that the three elders showed no change in expression and did not ask for specifics, Wei Chengzong breathed a sigh of relief.
Currently, only he and Liu Qinghui could refine the Cloud Heart Pill.
And his success rate for refining the Cloud Heart Pill over the past year was only around twenty-five percent.
The overall success rate reaching thirty percent was thanks to Liu Qinghui's rapid improvement in alchemy over the past year, pulling it up with her nearly forty percent success rate.
If the three elders had publicly inquired about individual success rates, he would have been utterly disgraced.
Wei Chengzong then opened the next pill bottle, and several more crystal-clear, spirit-energy-filled pills appeared in the air.
"First-tier high-grade healing pill, Azure Lotus Pill. Thirty-nine pills were refined last year, with an overall success rate of twenty-nine percent."
"First-tier high-grade recovery pill, Water Radiance Pill. Forty-two pills were refined last year, with an overall success rate of thirty percent."
"First-tier mid-grade cultivation-advancing pill, Three Yuan Pill. Eighty-seven pills were refined last year, with an overall success rate of thirty-one percent."
Wei Chengzong introduced these pills one by one; they were all the most commonly refined pills in the Pill Hall.
They were basically of the three types: cultivation advancement, healing, and mana recovery.
Although the three elders did not speak, their relaxed demeanor suggested they were satisfied.
This was because both the overall success rate and the quantity of refined pills this year surpassed last year's.
After Wei Chengzong finished his introduction, Ning Zhongjiu suddenly asked, "Besides these pills, how is the research on the other new pill formulas progressing?"
Wei Chengzong quickly replied, "Of the new pill formulas we acquired, the Hundred Dew Pill and the Water Luo Pill have been initially deciphered. We now have a success rate of over ten percent, and I believe we can reach a success rate close to thirty percent this year."
"The Snow Soul Pill's progress has been slow due to insufficient spiritual material supply. However, the Pill Hall directly received ten portions of spiritual material for the Snow Soul Pill this month, so I expect there will be some progress..."
Ning Zhongjiu interrupted him, "What about the Jade Dragon Pill? The family invested heavily this year and provided nearly thirty portions of spiritual material for the Jade Dragon Pill. There should be no issue with material supply. Has there been any progress with this pill?"
Upon hearing Ning Zhongjiu's question, Wei Chengzong immediately broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "Uh... the refining difficulty of the Jade Dragon Pill is extremely high. Although our Pill Hall has made efforts to comprehend and attempt it, progress has been minimal so far... no pills have been successfully refined yet..."
Ning Zhongjiu raised his thick, dark sword-like eyebrows, and a sharp aura immediately emanated from him.
The large reception hall became oppressive, and the temperature seemed to drop sharply.
Wei Chengzong shivered, cold sweat pouring down his back.
He wanted to reach up and wipe the sweat from his face, but he ultimately did not dare to move.
At this moment, Ning Weize smoothed things over, "Third Brother, the Jade Dragon Pill is an ancient formula, after all. It's not that easy to refine. Give them some more time."
Only then did Ning Zhongjiu let out a soft hum, retracting his imposing aura, but he still said coldly, "The efficacy of the Jade Dragon Pill is far superior to the Cloud Heart Pill. The family spent a great deal to obtain this formula and has placed high hopes on it. They even specifically built an spiritual herb garden to provide special spiritual materials for its refinement. I don't want to end up with nothing!"
"I will give you one more year. By this time next year, you must give me a satisfactory explanation."
Wei Chengzong quickly promised, feeling a great sense of relief, but the thought of the Jade Dragon Pill made him feel bitter.
He had no confidence that he could refine a successful pill within a year.
He could only place his hopes on Liu Qinghui now.
Ning Zhongjiu let Wei Chengzong off the hook.
He stood up and looked at everyone, saying solemnly, "All of you are pillars of the Ning Family. You have all worked hard over the past year. If you have any requests, you can tell me now, and I will fulfill them to the best of my ability."
As soon as he said this, the alchemy apprentices below looked at him with envy. Ning Zhongjiu's words clearly did not include them.
Ning Jideng's face lit up with excitement. Just as he was about to speak, Ning Fa beat him to it.
Seeing Ning Fa stand up first, Ning Zhongjiu raised his thick eyebrows, a smile appearing on his face, "Ning Fa, what is your request? Speak freely."
Ning Ruiming, looking at the calm Ning Fa, felt an ominous premonition for some reason.
Ning Shaohong, who had been silent all along, revealed a slight smile, clearly knowing what Ning Fa was about to do.
Ning Fa said solemnly, "Reporting to the Third Elder, I wish to learn the refinement of the Three Yuan Pill."
Ning Zhongjiu looked somewhat puzzled and asked, "Since you have already advanced to the Qi Condensation mid-stage, learning the Three Yuan Pill is a natural progression. Why do you need to specifically request it?"
Ning Fa smiled slightly, "Because I not only want to learn the refinement of this pill, but I also want to use it to compete in alchemy with someone, so I want the Third Elder to be a witness."
Ning Zhongjiu's eyes flashed with surprise.
He looked at Ning Fa with a half-smile and said lightly, "Tell me, who do you want to compete with, and how will you compete?"
Ning Fa immediately looked at Ning Ruiming and declared, "I want to compete with Ning Ruiming in refining the Three Yuan Pill. The deadline will be three months. After three months, we will see whose refinement of the Three Yuan Pill is superior!"
Everyone was shocked by this declaration.
The Fourth Elder, Ning Weize, his eyes flashing with a different light, said gently, "Little Fa, you haven't refined the Three Yuan Pill before, have you? I recall this pill being one of the most difficult first-tier mid-grade pills."
"And Ruiming is already a first-tier mid-grade Pill Master. Even if his success rate for the Three Yuan Pill is not thirty percent, it should be close. Are you sure you want to compete with him in refining the Three Yuan Pill? And with a deadline of only three months?"
Ning Ruiming was first incredulous, then his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Anger surged, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.
Ning Fa challenging him to an alchemy competition as soon as he advanced to the Qi Condensation mid-stage, regardless of the outcome, clearly showed he didn't take him seriously. It was practically an insult.
Liu Qinghui looked at Ning Fa with a mixture of surprise and suspicion, clearly unable to understand why he would do such a thing.
However, she didn't believe Ning Fa was acting rashly.
Ning Zhongjiu also frowned, saying, "Young people should have drive, but they shouldn't be blindly arrogant or aim too high."
Ning Fa cupped his hands towards Ning Weize and Ning Zhongjiu, calmly stating, "I am not acting impulsively. I just want to use this method to motivate myself, to unleash my potential. And who knows, maybe I'll actually succeed in the challenge?"
After Ning Fa finished speaking, both Ning Zhongjiu and Ning Weize wore smiles of amusement.
At this point, they could naturally see that Ning Fa's challenge to Ning Ruiming was not a random act.
Their relationship was likely like fire and water, which was why Ning Fa had openly challenged Ning Ruiming at this particular time.
Ning Weize chuckled, "Third Brother, don't forget what Shaohong said. Since Xiaofa can achieve that level, it's natural for him to have such confidence."
Ning Zhongjiu seemed to recall something, his expression softening slightly. He nodded, saying, "Our Ning Family has always valued martial prowess. Since it's common for disciples within the family to spar and duel, it's natural for Pill Masters to duel with pills as well. What do you think, Ruiming?"