Devouring Soul Emperor

However, Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang were clearly prepared for Zhou Ling’s Soul Power attack.

They both sent out a wisp of their Soul Power, effortlessly forming a barrier that intercepted Zhou Ling’s.

The impact of Soul Power, in truth, is quite weak.

Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang had only succeeded earlier because they relied on the chaos created by their two streams of Soul Power colliding, which was what had affected Zhou Ling.

A singular strike, however, is very difficult to land when the target is prepared.

’Those two bastards...’

Zhou Ling gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly, but there was nothing she could do. Pouting, she cleaned out her Pill Cauldron and quickly began the process of refining the elixir anew.

However, not ten minutes later, both Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang’s cauldrons exploded in succession.

It was basically impossible for anyone to succeed on their first try refining an unfamiliar Pill Formula. The step of fusing the Essence of Spiritual Medicine always presented significant difficulties.

After Wu Xinghai, Zhou Ling, Li Ruoguang, and Zhu Tianyun, many others also reached the stage of fusing the Essence of Spiritual Medicine.

But almost without exception, they all began to suffer from one cauldron explosion after another.

On the high platform, the muffled THUMPS of exploding cauldrons echoed almost ceaselessly, and the black smoke that billowed out was never-ending.

Faced with repeated cauldron explosions, some were able to remain composed, calmly analyzing the cause to prevent future failures.

Others, however, buckled under the pressure, impatiently cleaning their Pill Furnaces before rushing to begin their next attempt.

In the high-pressure environment of the Pill Battle Conference, the differences in their mental fortitude gradually became clear.

Yet, one person remained an exception.

And that was Chu Qingyun.

Regardless of how many cauldrons exploded around him, or how his peers reacted—whether with calm composure or frantic impatience—he remained perfectly still, unhurriedly "deciphering the Pill Formula."

In truth, of course, he was inside the Illusion Realm, his cauldron exploding over and over again, many times more frequently than anyone in the real world outside.

These explosions, however, put no pressure on him whatsoever.

He was simply learning from each failure, constantly summarizing his experiences and drawing lessons. With every attempt, he was able to get further in the next.

Just then, Zhou Ling finished refining the Essence of Spiritual Medicine once more. She began to focus, ready to fuse them.

Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang, whose cauldrons had exploded after hers, were now back at the relatively easier first step: refining the Essence of Spiritual Medicine. As if by prior agreement, they both simultaneously unleashed a Soul Power shock in Zhou Ling’s direction.

This time, however, Zhou Ling was ready.

She also sent out two wisps of Soul Power to resist their attack.

However, she was at the critical moment of fusing the Essence of Spiritual Medicine. Splitting off two streams of Soul Power, combined with the distraction and divided attention, caused chaos to erupt within her Pill Furnace yet again.

It grew increasingly uncontrollable until, once again, her cauldron exploded violently.

’Those damn bastards!’

Zhou Ling gritted her teeth, cursing them endlessly in her heart.

But there was nothing she could do. Who could have guessed that those two would be positioned right in front of and behind her, and that they would team up to target her?

「Time passed, second by second.」

By afternoon, some contestants had already begun to leave the stage, dejected.

They were the ones who had grown impatient after their first cauldron explosion. The more their cauldrons blew, the more anxious they became, and the more anxious they were, the more their cauldrons blew. Once they had used up all five sets of Spiritual Medicine, they were eliminated and had no choice but to descend from the high platform.

At this point, Wu Xinghai of the Talisman Puppet Sect had also had his cauldron explode three times. He now sat with his eyes closed, calmly contemplating his experiences.

Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang had also experienced three explosions each.

They had been slightly distracted by Zhou Ling’s own attempts at interference, but overall, they had still gained a good deal of experience from their three failures.

The one in the most miserable state was, by far, Zhou Ling.

She had also suffered three cauldron explosions. However, none of them were because she had reached a point she couldn’t overcome or a step she hadn’t thoroughly understood. They were all due to the deliberate sabotage of Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang.

By now, Zhou Ling’s heart was filled with indignation. Staring at the Pill Cauldron before her, she no longer dared to begin.

Her mind was no longer tranquil.

This was absolutely not a good state of mind for an Alchemist to be in while performing Alchemy.

On the third floor of the tower, some King-rank Alchemists would occasionally tease Master Kang about Chu Qingyun, saying his judgment had been off.

Master Kang, however, maintained a constant smile. He no longer cared about Chu Qingyun’s results in this Pill Battle Conference; he was just thinking that gaining a good disciple would be a victory in itself.

Meanwhile, on the fourth floor of the tower, the Deans of the various major sects’ Pill Institutes were also beginning to truly pay attention to the competition.

Previously, the contestants below had all been in the stages of refining the Essence of Spiritual Medicine or simply fumbling for experience, so naturally, there wasn’t much to watch.

But now that the morning had passed, the top few competitors should be showing some results.

"For these young Alchemists, facing an unfamiliar Pill Formula is proving to be quite a challenge. In my opinion, out of more than one hundred and twenty contestants, it’ll be a stretch if even ten of them can successfully refine the Youthful Appearance Pill."

"Wu Xinghai should have no problem, and Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang also stand a chance. But what’s going on with that little girl, Zhou Ling? Her hands are trembling."

"It’s their mentality. It always comes down to mentality. For these chosen ones who grew up in a greenhouse, their mindset is their greatest obstacle."

The various Pill Institute Deans offered their opinions one after another.

These men naturally had discerning eyes and could perceive many of the underlying issues.

But Zhou Qian, the Dean of the Saint Extreme Sect’s Pill Institute, kept his brow furrowed, finding the situation very strange.

’Based on Zhou Ling’s skill, even if she can’t compare to Wu Xinghai of the Talisman Puppet Sect, she shouldn’t be performing this poorly.’

’If this keeps up, forget comparing her to Wu Xinghai, she’ll probably end up worse than Zhu Tianyun, Li Ruoguang, or even that Wan Jianping from the Celestial Sword Sect...’

And just then, on the high platform, Chu Qingyun—who had been sitting there all morning—finally opened his eyes. A smile of relief spread across his face.

’Good, it’s only just past noon...’

’I was so absorbed in Alchemy inside the Illusion Realm that I completely lost track of time. Thankfully, I haven’t fallen behind in the real Pill Battle Conference.’

He stood up and stretched.

His body immediately let out a series of CRACKLE-POPs. A pleasant sensation washed over him, causing the smile on Chu Qingyun’s face to widen.

"Hmph! What’s so funny!"

A cold snort suddenly came from beside him.

It was Zhou Ling. She shot Chu Qingyun a glare, then grabbed another brocade box and tossed its contents into her Pill Cauldron, beginning her second-to-last attempt.

She thought Chu Qingyun was mocking her for having her cauldron explode three times.