Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 51: Punch away
People looked at Bai Jingtian's red old face in disbelief, having never imagined such an ending.

A fourth-grade alchemist was refining a sixth-grade elixir, but the furnace exploded!
Bai Jingtian himself stared at the furnace in amazement, completely confused as to what was happening. This kind of uncontrolled potency, leading to a furnace explosion, probably dates back to his childhood apprenticeship days. It hadn't happened in the past few decades!

why is that!
Is it wrong to blame the herbs? I picked them myself.

Is it wrong to blame the furnace? You chose the furnace yourself.

Is he trying to shift the blame to the underground fire? But there is no underground fire on the platform. He is using his own fire magic!
Besides, he really didn't notice anything wrong with the alchemy furnace and the medicinal materials, but why couldn't he control it?
No one would have thought that whether it was Lu Xingzhou's "must produce the best" or Bai Jingtian's furnace explosion, it was all An Nuo's work. She could help Lu Xingzhou control the medicinal properties, but she could also make others lose control of the medicinal properties.

In reality, Lu Xingzhou hadn't yet broken through to the sixth rank in his cultivation. While he could refine a sixth-rank pill, it was somewhat laborious. Ultimately, his flame temperature wasn't high enough, and his control wasn't precise enough. Guaranteeing success was already a significant challenge. Even the most talented couldn't consistently produce top-grade pills. But as long as Ah Nuo was by his side, it was guaranteed to be top-grade.

This kind of bonus and destruction is silent, and so far, no one else Lu Xingzhou has met except Yuan Muyu can detect it.

Amidst the uproar, Lu Xingzhou's hateful laughter echoed from the side: "So... when will Mr. Bai cash in on the bet?"

If there was a crack in the ground, Bai Jingtian would probably crawl into it, but unfortunately there wasn't one.

It was impossible to make a bet. Even if he had to risk his reputation in front of everyone, he couldn't lose face for Fenxianglou. Bai Jingtian's lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to say, "I just felt unwell and need to start over!"

Everyone in the room looked sarcastic, secretly thinking this old man had lost all his dignity. The people from the Tianxing Sword Sect even sneered. Tang Yunzhong exclaimed, "So this is the bearing of a fourth-grade alchemist! I see!"

The guards at Fenxiang Tower all hung their heads, their faces flushed, not daring to utter a single word. Instead, Lu Xingzhou spoke with a smile, "It's okay. Since the old man is so willing, let's refine another furnace. Hmm...how many batches should we refine this time?"

Bai Jingtian really wanted to just refine one portion, playing it safe. But in this situation, if you also refined one portion, even if it was perfect, it would actually be the same as losing.

After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to say, "Two servings."

The audience couldn't hold it back and finally laughed.

Lu Xingzhou was the one who minded the least, still smiling: "Okay, An Nuo, prepare two more herbs for the old man. You can use my furnace."

This time Shen Tang knew exactly what Lu Xingzhou was doing.

The two alchemists exerted their utmost energy in releasing flames and performing delicate manipulations, effectively engaging in a fierce duel. The energy released by both sides was absorbed by the spirit gathering array and transferred to the original trading center's center. This included the pills that had exploded in the furnace. Despite the explosion, the energy of the pills had not dissipated; it was completely absorbed into the array.

Even if a fourth-grade alchemist fought in actual combat, his energy level would still be high. He might even be stronger than Ah Nuo and Little White Hair, or at least comparable. Lu Xingzhou was eager for the old man to exert more effort, the harder the better, so that he could be credited with the breakthrough of the secret realm.

Bai Jingtian really used all his strength, and people could almost see the veins on his old face popping out as he urged the flames.

Ah Nuo was playing with him, the medicinal properties of the herbs sometimes going wild, and sometimes calming and docile, forcing him to use his full strength. Bai Jingtian had never refined such a difficult sixth-grade pill before; this was even more difficult than his attempts at refining third-grade pills!
Lu Xingzhou's voice reached An Nuo's ear: "Hold him until his brain is temporarily congested and slightly confused, and then let him succeed. Can you control it so finely?"

Ah Nuo showed his eight neat white teeth again: "Yes. His endurance is too poor. He has never been beaten."

Bai Jingtian was so depressed that his brain was almost congested. He finally managed to calm the medicinal power and blend it into a pill. Looking at the slightly shaking pill furnace, his old eyes became a little blurry.

Watching the pill slowly floating up, Bai Jingtian felt as if he were refining his first successful pill decades ago. The mixture of emotions in his heart was beyond words.

Lu Xingzhou's voice rang out: "Anuo, take the two pills that Grandpa refined and let everyone test them."

"Okay!" Anuo grabbed Dan happily and ran down the platform.

Bai Jingtian never thought that something strange could happen in public, let alone what such a little kid could do.

Until a sigh was heard from the crowd: "Elder Bai is old after all. It's okay that he blew up one furnace, but he only got a good quality of two... Although it's very close to the best quality, it's still a little short of the mark. What a shame."

The sighs grew louder, and many people made similar comments after watching it. Bai Jingtian listened to the chaos, his mind confused, and suddenly he shuddered: "Impossible!"

Turning around, he saw countless people looking at him with sympathy. There seemed to be something else in their eyes besides sympathy... ridicule, contempt, and so on.

In the world of cultivation, food is the original sin. Sheng Yuanyao pinched An Nuo's face and whispered in her ear: "Although we can't tell the quality of the original goods from the high platform, but since it has passed through your hands, hehe."

Ah Nuo smiled apologetically: "I pinched it all for you..."

Sheng Yuanyao coughed dryly and said, "My Demon Suppression Division relies on evidence. This time, there is no evidence, so I will let you go."

Lu Xingzhou asked politely on the stage again, "Grandpa, do you want to try again?"

"Impossible!" Bai Jingtian stood up suddenly. "It's impossible that I have only refined two high-quality products. You must have switched them!"

A sigh came from the distance: "Brother Bai, forget it. How could a five or six-year-old child steal the dragon and switch the phoenix in front of us all? You must be in a bad mood today, so you should rest first."

Bai Jingtian turned around and saw that it was Wu Jianchen, the leader of the Cangshan Sword Sect, also a fourth-grade expert.

The alchemists in the Cangshan Sword Sect also came from their Fenxiang Tower, and they were all very close. Even Wu Jianchen said so, so it must be true. Bai Jingtian was stunned for a long time, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood, and fainted on the high platform.

Two guards hurried forward and took him to his seat, without saying a word from beginning to end.

Fenxiang Tower was truly embarrassed today. Under the spotlight, a fourth-grade alchemist couldn't beat a seventh-grade one. How dare they say a word... No, Lu Xingzhou wasn't a seventh-grade one, he was definitely a sixth-grade one. The new version of the Heroes List had just been released, so it had to be revised again... But no matter whether he was a sixth-grade or a seventh-grade one, Fenxiang Tower's reputation was likely to plummet after this battle.

Wu Jianchen looked at Lu Xingzhou, then at Shen Tang, with a hint of caution in his eyes.

No one likes to offend a powerful alchemist. More alchemists mean more ways to escape... But as the leader of a sword sect, his conflict with the Tianxing Sword Sect is more direct than that with the Fenxiang Tower. Therefore, other sects have elders or deputy gang leaders who come to check on the situation, but he came in person as the sect leader.

Seeing his look, Shen Tang smiled slightly: "Master Wu, what advice do you have?"

Wu Jianchen said solemnly, "Nothing much... I just wanted to ask if your sect has any other ideas besides relying on elixirs to gain a foothold?"

"We are all from the Sword Sect. Sect Master Wu is well aware that the Sword Sect's survival depends on only a few means. We do intend to dabble in flying sword refining." Shen Tang responded calmly, "I know your sect also has this kind of industry. Currently, most of Xiazhou's flying swords are imported from your sect. However, the flying swords your sect sells to Xiazhou are of the lower third grade. We have no intention of competing for this market. We only refine high-quality flying swords for auction in small quantities. This doesn't necessarily conflict with your sect."

Wu Jianchen was stunned: "Selling high-quality flying swords in Xiazhou?"

Xiazhou's spiritual energy is thin, and cultivation is generally average. Sixth-grade cultivators are already rare, and fifth-grade cultivators are even rarer, enough to become city lords. Of these, Taoists account for half, so how many are martial artists? And among those martial artists, how many are swordsmen? Selling high-grade flying swords here, what's the point? I'm afraid we'll be saturated after selling two or three...

Shen Tang said calmly, "We know the market is small. We're new here, so we need your help. We've racked our brains to avoid offending you too much... But right now, it seems like you're trying to make things difficult for our sect. I'm establishing the sect, and the ceremony hasn't even finished yet, but Elder Bai is bossing us around, and Sect Master Wu is following closely behind. Are you really taking advantage of the fact that our Tianxing Sword Sect has no one, or are you taking advantage of my youth?"

As she spoke, she waved her slender hand, and an ancient flying sword hung in front of her, with the sword energy gathering.

Wu Jianchen's momentum weakened after she caught him in the act. He took a half step back solemnly, "What do you mean, Sect Master Shen?"

"This is the fifth-grade flying sword that was just refined by our sect's Sword Forging Hall Master Fang. It is called Duan Yue. Why don't we ask Sect Master Wu to appreciate it for everyone?" Shen Tang pinched the sword formula, and the Duan Yue sword flew towards Wu Jianchen.

The people of Xiazhou were stunned.

On the one hand, you say that you are new here and need help from fellow practitioners, but on the other hand, you attack from both sides, hitting Fenxiang Tower on the left and Cangshan Sword Sect on the right. It was you who initiated the fight. You, the Tianxing Sword Sect, are really thinking about going to the sky!
Only a few discerning minds understood that nine out of ten attendees at the ceremony were there to embarrass the Tianxing Sword Sect. The best strategy was to strike a single blow to prevent a hundred. Thanks to the emperor's "support," the Tianxing Sword Sect could offend everyone without facing a siege or destruction. If not this moment to establish their authority, when would it be?

No wonder Lu Xingzhou had been so eager to challenge others to a duel in alchemy, fearing trouble would ensue. Shen Tang, on the other hand, had gone all out, resorting to a direct and open duel of swords... They hadn't even considered a proper ceremony from the beginning; they were just waiting for the battle to begin, not even paying for drinks.

I admire the courage and determination of these two young men. But the prerequisite is that you have to win...

Look at those uninvited Dongjiang Gang and Lingyun Sect... This battle won't be the only one. If they lose even once, all the momentum they've built up will be wasted.

Just talking about this match, Shen Tang is a fourth-grade one, and Wu Jianchen is also a fourth-grade one, but Shen Tang is only using a fifth-grade flying sword that she had just forged, and it hadn't even been nurtured... Can she win?

Recommend my wife to listen to the new book "The Messenger of Natural Disaster" ~


(End of this chapter)