Chapter 655 - 649: Madman

The domineering aura that suddenly erupted from Shen Haoran stunned all the Martial Artists in Central Square. They had just been discussing whether he could escape from his Heart Demon’s grasp when, in the very next instant, Shen Haoran awoke.

The powerful presence shattered all the surrounding stone platforms. Fortunately, the Alchemists on those platforms had already finished refining their elixirs. Otherwise, they all would have been affected by this sudden, domineering aura.

Everyone was surprised to see Shen Haoran awaken. Compared to before, there seemed to be something different about him. Looking at his back, they felt that he had changed, yet they couldn’t say exactly how. It was a strange feeling.

The expressions of Feng Miaoke and the Saint Child from Holy Light City flickered. They had both hoped Shen Haoran would be trapped by his Heart Demon, never to emerge again.

’Hmph, so what if he’s out? There’s only one day left in the battle for Pill Emperor. It’s impossible to refine a Seventh Grade Elixir in a single day. You’re guaranteed to lose!’ At this thought, a smile returned to Feng Miaoke’s face as she casually gazed down at Shen Haoran.

The aura around Shen Haoran faded as quickly as it had appeared. Once the unparalleled, domineering presence dissipated, his tightly shut eyes snapped open. Two tangible beams of light flashed from them, seeming sharp enough to pierce the void before they vanished.

’Phew, that was close. I almost didn’t make it out.’ A trace of lingering fear surfaced in Shen Haoran’s heart. ’Everyone has a Heart Demon, but most people have strong enough control to avoid being trapped by it. However, when you become too fixated on something, the Heart Demon will silently devour your Spiritual Wisdom, causing you to sink into an endless abyss. That’s what happened to me. I was too obsessed with winning this competition, too terrified of failure. Lady Ya’s life depended on the outcome. After failing twice, a sliver of doubt appeared in my heart, and the Heart Demon seized upon that hesitation to invade my Spiritual Wisdom.’

’Fortunately, I managed to suppress the Heart Demon in the end. Otherwise, I would have been truly lost. I finally understand now. I was too fixated on winning or losing, completely forgetting the true purpose of alchemy. The more you fear failure, the more likely you are to fail. The more cautious you are, the more mistakes you’ll make!’

"Am I out of time?" Shen Haoran glanced up at the timer in the sky. In the hourglass, only a fist-sized pile of sand remained.

’Looks like it’s time to do something crazy.’ A wild, arrogant smile touched Shen Haoran’s lips. ’Refining a Seventh Grade Elixir in a single day... No one would believe it’s possible. Forget a Seventh Grade Alchemist—even an Eighth Grade Alchemist couldn’t possibly do it. But if I don’t even try, how will I know if it can be done!’

With a wave of his hand, Shen Haoran stored away the pitch-black Pill Furnace before him. Its surface was covered in a dense web of cracks. The energy surge from two Seventh Grade Elixirs had been too much for even this furnace to handle.

"What’s going on? That kid put away his Pill Furnace. Has he given up?"

"What else can he do but give up? Refining a Seventh Grade Elixir in one day? That’s a joke! You can’t even refine a Third or Fourth Grade Elixir in a day, let alone a Seventh Grade one!"

"That’s true. What a shame. He finally managed to wake up, only to run out of time!"

A murmur of discussion rose from the audience stands. In the sky above, the Medicine Hall Elders all shook their heads. Ji Wuqing let out a cold laugh and remarked, "That Shen Haoran knows his place after all, giving up on his own."

No one responded to Ji Wuqing. Yao Wuchen, however, stared at Shen Haoran with glittering eyes. He could feel it—Shen Haoran’s battle intent had not dissipated. He was definitely about to make a big move.

And just as he expected, after stowing his Pill Furnace, Shen Haoran’s mind stirred. The fifty-three Spirit Medicines needed to refine the Great Heaven Creation Pill flew out from his Storage Ring. He used his Spiritual Thought to suspend them in the air, where they orbited around his body.

Next, Shen Haoran’s immense Spiritual Thought slowly condensed, forming a massive Pill Furnace before him. He threw all fifty-three Spirit Medicines into it. In the next instant, the pitch-black Fire Spirit Black Obsidian surged forth once more, transforming into a Fire Dragon that swallowed all fifty-three Spirit Medicines and began to refine them with frenzied intensity.

This time, Shen Haoran didn’t separate the fifty-three Spirit Medicines. Instead, he tossed them all in together for simultaneous Refinement! The crowd went wild at the sight. It was common knowledge that to ensure a high success rate in alchemy, Spirit Medicines were refined one by one. This facilitated their proper fusion and drastically reduced the chance of failure. A method like Shen Haoran’s—like throwing everything into one big pot—was pure suicide. The slightest misstep would destroy all of the Spirit Medicines!

From the stands, the entire audience cursed Shen Haoran, calling him a fucking idiot. He already had no chance left, and now he was being this wasteful. Wave after wave of insults rolled over the square, but they didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.

In the sky above, Yao Wuchen and the others stared, transfixed, at Shen Haoran’s actions. They were so shocked their jaws hung open. After a long moment, one of the Vice Hall Masters murmured, "This guy is absolutely insane. Refining and fusing at the same time... He’s literally racing against time!"

After he finished speaking, the others around him nodded in agreement. As Vice Hall Masters of the Medicine Hall, their insight was naturally far superior to that of the spectators.

"No, he isn’t just refining and fusing simultaneously," Yao Wuchen said, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "He’s also infusing it with Spiritual Qi during the fusion. In other words, the three distinct steps of alchemy... he’s trying to complete them all at once. *That* is what’s truly insane!"

"What? He’s performing Spirit Infusion as well?" Hearing Yao Wuchen’s words, the surrounding Medicine Hall Elders focused their senses once more. It was true. Within Shen Haoran’s Pill Furnace, a massive amount of Spiritual Qi was pouring into the chaotic mass of Spirit Medicines.

"This technique... I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before," a Vice Hall Master murmured.

"It’s a technique from the Ancient Times, created by a peerless alchemy genius from the Human Race. People called him a madman, but he had another title: Pill Saint Yan Yang! The technique Shen Haoran is using is the very one Pill Saint Yan Yang created!" Yao Wuchen’s voice trembled with excitement. He had grown up listening to the elders’ stories about the legendary Pill Saint Yan Yang, but he never imagined he would actually witness this technique in person.

Hearing Yao Wuchen’s words, all the Medicine Hall Elders drew in a sharp, cold breath. They never expected Shen Haoran to know a technique created by Pill Saint Yan Yang. Could it be? Could he actually refine a Seventh Grade Elixir in a single day? At this thought, their gazes locked onto Shen Haoran, their eyes now filled with fervent anticipation...