A little over an hour and a half.
Ning Fa refined the second batch of Three Yuan Pills, and it even took him less time than the first.
The result was surprisingly three successful pills and one failed pill.
Everyone was shocked again.
At this moment, no one thought Ning Fa's previous success was due to luck; it was definitely genuine skill.
Ning Jideng stared in a daze, no longer harboring any thought of competing with Ning Fa.
Instead, he wondered how he could get closer to Ning Fa in the future.
Ning Shumou, with his youthful appearance despite his white hair, had a flash of light in his slightly cloudy eyes, and his expression was even very excited.
Ning Shaohong's smile widened.
Ning Fa could now be said to be in an invincible position.
Even if Ning Ruiming could still defeat him, it would be difficult to hide Ning Fa's brilliance.
To achieve this in just three months was probably something only a genius like the Ning Family ancestor, Ning Chuyun, could have done.
Ning Jiannan's eyes widened. Even with his practiced composure, his expression was incredibly unsightly at this moment.
While Ning Fa was resting with his eyes closed, a little over fifteen minutes later, Ning Ruiming also refined his second batch of Three Yuan Pills.
The result was also three successful pills.
Ning Ruiming breathed slightly heavily. Under immense pressure, he had unleashed his full potential, even performing beyond his usual capabilities.
But even so, his expression remained unsightly, tinged with a hint of despair.
He had performed so well, so why was Ning Fa still his equal?
Moreover, Ning Fa's refining time was much shorter than his. In reality, he had been completely outmatched.
He felt like a green leaf setting off the beauty of a flower.
He figured that in the eyes of the many high-ranking family members, he had already lost.
The fierce determination in Ning Ruiming's heart intensified, and he forced himself to calm down.
He still had one chance. He still had hope of winning; he couldn't give up now!
At this moment, Ning Fa had finished resting. He glanced at the pale Ning Ruiming, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
Next, he intended to completely shatter this person's confidence in refining pills.
Ning Fa began his third refining session.
And his subsequent actions shocked everyone.
A full double the amount of Three Yuan Pill Spiritual Material as before floated into the air, divided into two portions.
Ning Fa took a deep breath.
Then, his hands moved in a blur, forming Hand Seals that became two afterimages.
Hand Seals of various colors were emitted from each hand, shooting into the two portions of Spiritual Material respectively.
Seeing Ning Fa's actions.
Wei Chengzong was dumbfounded.
A bold idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Is Ning Fa trying to refine two batches of Three Yuan Pills simultaneously!?"
As Ning Fa even found time to cast Hand Seals to ignite the fire source under the second Alchemy Furnace and preheat it, the crowd truly became convinced that Ning Fa genuinely intended to multitask and refine two batches of Three Yuan Pills at the same time.
At this point, only three Phantom Flame Spirit Flowers remained suspended in the air, indicating that there were still three hours left.
Under normal circumstances, only one more batch of Three Yuan Pills could be refined, but with Ning Fa refining simultaneously, he could refine two batches.
Everyone understood the principle, but the difficulty was unimaginable.
Normally, refining one batch of pills required complete focus, without the slightest lapse.
Ning Fa dared to split his attention and refine two batches of pills simultaneously; it was truly audacious.
The crowd couldn't help but be utterly shocked by Ning Fa's unbelievable maneuver.
A few exclamations of disbelief escaped the mouths of several younger alchemy apprentices.
Liu Qinghui, who had been quiet all along, widened her beautiful eyes, disbelief flashing in them. Her hands, like exquisite jade, clutched the hem of her clothes tightly.
Ning Xiuying's rosy cherry lips parted wide, and her ample chest heaved with excitement.
Ning Shaohong, on the high platform, was first shocked, then a look of worry flashed in her eyes.
She felt that Ning Fa's move was a bit too reckless.
Ning Zhongjiu, whose expression had been calm as still water, narrowed his eyes, his expression shifting, before revealing a smile of unknown meaning, and said lightly, "Such courage."
The Second Elder, Ning Weidong, with his silver hair, had a flash of divine light in his eyes. He shifted his silver whisk to his other hand and nodded in agreement.
Ning Jiannan's expression turned tense again.
Although it seemed highly probable that Ning Fa would fail.
But if he actually succeeded.
Ning Jiannan couldn't even imagine the severe consequences, which would be far more serious than if he had won a normal pill duel against Ning Ruiming.
Thinking of this, Ning Jiannan couldn't help but grip the armrests of his chair, secretly praying for Ning Fa to fail.
Ning Ruiming, who had been regulating his breathing, had been deliberately avoiding looking at Ning Fa's side, not wanting to disrupt his rhythm.
However, the commotion in the hall made him unable to resist looking towards Ning Fa.
The moment he looked, his pupils contracted sharply.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
He instantly understood what Ning Fa was trying to do.
And what his fate would be if Ning Fa won in such a manner.
He would become a laughingstock of the entire family, and he would no longer have the face to serve as the family's chief pill master seed.
From then on, every time Ning Fa's great achievement was praised, he would also be dragged out and whipped.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
He kept cheering himself on, because Ning Fa would most likely fail with both furnaces of pills.
As long as he remained steady with his own furnace of pills and successfully refined the Three Yuan Pills, he would be victorious.
With this thought, Ning Ruiming steadied his mind.
Time gradually passed.
On Ning Fa's side, both sets of spiritual materials had been successfully extracted and placed into the alchemy furnaces, beginning the pill nurturing stage.
Ning Fa's hands moved like a blur, a dazzling display.
Hand seals were emitted from his hands one after another, then submerged into the two alchemy furnaces before him.
It looked precarious, as any slight oversight would lead to complete failure, with both batches of pills ruined.
At that point, if Ning Ruiming could refine even one Three Yuan Pill, Ning Fa would lose.
But Ning Fa endured the pressure, maintaining his operations on both sides.
After more than an hour.
By this time, Ning Fa's face was already slightly pale, and fine beads of sweat were clearly visible on his face, indicating a tremendous burden.
But his eyes were astonishingly bright. He sent a purple hand seal from each hand towards the two alchemy furnaces and shouted, "Open!"
The two alchemy furnaces were enveloped in a halo of light, and as steam billowed, their lids opened.
Two masses of pale blue light flew out from within.
One mass contained three perfectly round and full Three Yuan Pills.
And the other mass of light contained a staggering four Three Yuan Pills!
An uncontrollable murmur erupted from the hall.
Everyone stared at the scene in disbelief, unable to believe their own eyes.
Ning Fa had actually done it!?
Many alchemy apprentices who were still struggling to refine low-grade first-tier pills widened their eyes.
They couldn't help but wonder if they would ever have the chance to reach such a level in this life, or the next.
Liu Qinghui's previously tense body relaxed, but her hands still clutched her skirt hem tightly, so much so that she had torn it without realizing it.
Her expression returned to calm, and she gazed at Ning Fa with deep, serene eyes.
Just then, a loud bang echoed.
Ning Ruiming's alchemy furnace, after a burst of intense spiritual light, let out a booming sound, and the entire furnace flew upwards.
Fortunately, the furnace's grade was already high-grade first-tier; otherwise, it might have exploded.
Ning Ruiming stood there like a statue, his eyes unfocused, looking utterly dejected.
He didn't even notice the furnace about to hit him, just staring blankly at Ning Fa's side.