Zhu Zizhen’s alchemy was personally tutored by Ye Bufan. Although Zhu Zizhen had previous alchemy experience, almost all his theories were re-established from scratch.
However, it had to be said that Zhu Zizhen had a very high talent for alchemy. Judging from his operations just now, Ye Bufan could see that Zhu Zizhen had made great progress.
Zhu Zizhen’s entire set of operations was smooth and flowing. Ye Bufan watched Zhu Zizhen’s every step, very decisively, without any hesitation, and nodded in his heart.
On the other side, Liu Zhongsheng, the Grand Elder of the Ruyi Sect, also noticed that every step Zhu Zizhen took was very decisive, as if he had been refining Foundation Establishment Pills for a long time, giving people a feeling of practiced skill.
Liu Zhongsheng noticed Zhu Zizhen’s speed and immediately broke out in a sweat.
The Foundation Establishment Pill was something their Ruyi Sect had currently developed, and he had contributed to it. Yet, a small old man in the Qi Refining stage was performing such skillful operations in front of him, which made Liu Zhongsheng’s heart unable to remain calm.
"Pfft!" The fire was slightly out of control, and a medicinal herb in Liu Zhongsheng’s hand instantly turned to ash.
"How is this possible!" Liu Zhongsheng couldn’t help but frown. "How can I not even compare to a small old man in the Qi Refining stage!"
Liu Zhongsheng took a deep breath and still devoted himself wholeheartedly to the alchemy process. Zhu Zizhen used his senses to feel the changes in the alchemy furnace.
Currently, the Foundation Establishment Pill was in the process of condensation. The dosage of each medicinal ingredient was different, so extreme caution was needed.
On the other side, when Liu Zhongsheng became serious, his speed also increased significantly, and his efficiency improved a lot. After all, in terms of cultivation, Liu Zhongsheng was far superior to Zhu Zizhen.
In just over an hour, Liu Zhongsheng’s progress had caught up to Zhu Zizhen.
However, at this moment, Zhu Zizhen was completely immersed in his own world. For Zhu Zizhen, alchemy was his everything. Even cultivation was for the sake of alchemy.
Zhu Zizhen entered a state of selflessness. Condensing, refining, the powder of the medicinal ingredients became purer and purer under Zhu Zizhen’s extraction.
On the other side, Liu Zhongsheng was not falling behind. Two hours later, Liu Zhongsheng had entered the condensation stage, while Zhu Zizhen was still unhurriedly continuing his extraction.
"Hmph! Too slow. With such low cultivation, you are destined to not refine good pills." Liu Zhongsheng snorted coldly, waved his hand, and the lid of the alchemy furnace flew up. Three Foundation Establishment Pills floated out of the furnace.
A light medicinal fragrance permeated the surroundings, instantly giving people a refreshing feeling.
Half an hour later, Zhu Zizhen also began to enter the condensation stage. However, Zhu Zizhen’s condensation was very fast. In a short while, a fragrance wafted out of the alchemy furnace. The fragrance was much richer than Liu Zhongsheng’s just now, and smelling it made one feel even more refreshed.
Liu Zhongsheng’s heart tightened, and he secretly thought that it was not good. Ye Bufan waved his hand, the alchemy furnace soared into the air, and five Foundation Establishment Pills appeared before everyone.
"Five! There are actually five Foundation Establishment Pills!" Fu Song, the Sect Master of the Ruyi Sect, exclaimed in shock. Currently, the Grand Elder Liu Zhongsheng could be said to represent the highest alchemy skill of the Ruyi Sect. At most, three Foundation Establishment Pills could be refined in one furnace, but Zhu Zizhen had actually refined five.
Liu Zhongsheng reluctantly took the Foundation Establishment Pills by hand and examined their quality. His body trembled.
"No! This is impossible! This quality is actually several times better than what I refined." Liu Zhongsheng looked at Zhu Zizhen in disbelief, unable to believe that Zhu Zizhen, with his low cultivation, could refine such a pill.
Fu Song stepped forward, taking a sharp breath. Such quality was already considered top-grade.
Pills, after being refined, were divided by their appearance into crude, slightly flawed, minimally flawed, and flawless. Among the five pills refined by Zhu Zizhen, three were flawless and two were minimally flawed. In contrast, among Liu Zhongsheng’s three pills, only one was minimally flawed, and the other two were slightly flawed.
"I lost!"
Liu Zhongsheng cupped his fists in a salute to Zhu Zizhen and said, "I am truly convinced."
Although unwilling, Liu Zhongsheng was also a person who could accept defeat in alchemy. He secretly vowed that after returning to the sect, he would continue to cultivate. If someone like Zhu Zizhen could refine better than him, then if he didn’t improve, he would truly become a laughingstock.
Zhu Zizhen immediately straightened his chest and said, "I told you, last time in the competition, if you hadn't played dirty behind my back, how could I have lost to you."
Zhu Zizhen said this on purpose, to slap the Ruyi Sect in the face.
Everyone from the Ruyi Sect present blushed upon hearing Zhu Zizhen’s words. They all understood that they had set a trap for Zhu Zizhen back then, wanting to get their hands on Zhu Zizhen’s Zhu You Thirteen Needles.
However, with Ye Bufan’s appearance, the Ruyi Sect’s plan was foiled.
"Elder Zhu." Fu Song’s eyes rolled, and he said to Zhu Zizhen, "The Ruyi Sect welcomes Elder Zhu. If you have any problems or need any medicinal ingredients, just contact me directly. We welcome you to our Ruyi Sect for exchanges."
Ye Bufan smiled slightly from the side. Ye Bufan naturally understood what Fu Song’s words meant.
"I don’t think much of your Ruyi Sect’s alchemy techniques. Just send me more medicinal ingredients to refine pills." Zhu Zizhen waved his hand, directly stating that he had no interest in the Ruyi Sect.
"Zhu Zizhen, that's right, you wait for me. I'll challenge you again." Liu Zhongsheng turned and left unwillingly, disappearing from the spot.
"Senior Song, why are you back in Jinhe?" After seeing off the people from the Ruyi Sect, Ye Bufan turned to Song Mingqin.
"I received news about your matter with the Ruyi Sect from the underground city. I was afraid that those shameless people from the Ruyi Sect would cause trouble for you, so I came to support you," Song Mingqin said. "Originally, Yan City is closer to Jinhe, so it wouldn't take much time to travel back and forth."
"What about Senior Qu Fei?" Ye Bufan asked again.
"Alas! Don't mention it!" Song Mingqin sighed. Ever since he got your Beast Tome, that guy has been thinking about catching his own spirit beast every day.
"Doesn't Senior want to have his own spirit beast?" Ye Bufan chuckled.
"This kind of thing cannot be rushed. It will come when it comes," Song Mingqin said. "Qu Fei and I have already contacted people from various sects. We will then make rubbings of your Beast Tome. According to your suggestion, we will cordon off the mountain range in Yan City as a training ground for the disciples of various sects. Disciples can also choose their desired spirit beasts from the demonic beasts in the mountain range."