Chapter 595 - 75: Enhanced Power Pill

In the Alchemy Room north of the Mountain Peak Dojo.

Wang Ping sat cross-legged on the edge of an Array used to lock in Spiritual Qi. At the core of the Array was the Balance Array for the ’Five Elements Condensation Art’, and its Array Runes were fused as one with the Alchemy Furnace.

Before cultivating the ’Wood Spirit Form’, Wang Ping refined Power Pills by relying on his own perception of the Five Elements Energy, using the Balance Array to stabilize the condensed Five Elements Spirit Medicine.

Now that Wang Ping had mastered the ’Wood Spirit Form’, he could directly ’see’ the most fundamental Five Elements Energy. He took out five Spiritual Objects of different attributes and immediately entered the ’Wood Spirit Form’. He could now clearly see the very traces of the Five Elements Energy, allowing for a more intuitive grasp of the balance.

He eagerly began his first attempt at refinement. Soon, he sensed the attraction, repulsion, and unique properties generated by the generation and restriction cycle of the Five Elements. But just as he was on the verge of success, an ear-grating, metallic grinding sound reached him. The next moment, with a sharp BANG, the intertwining Spiritual Objects shattered into dregs.

The energy from the explosion cut Wang Ping’s left cheek. As the wound healed on its own, Yu Lian said, "You just blew up fifty thousand taels of silver!"

"Haha!"

Wang Ping smiled in embarrassment. During this refinement, he had bypassed the Balance Array, attempting to balance the Five Elements using the energy he ’saw’ himself.

’It seems this Array really is exquisite. It’s irreplaceable.’

"If it weren’t, did you think you could monopolize the production of Power Pills forever?"

"Good point!"

Wang Ping formed the hand seal for a Cleansing Spell, sweeping away the dregs of the exploded Spiritual Objects. He then took out another set of Five Elements Spiritual Object materials. Looking at them, his heart still ached a little. Fifty thousand taels wasn’t a huge amount, but if he failed a few more times, he’d take a loss even selling the final product for two hundred thousand taels.

"Keep trying! Don’t stop!" Yu Lian urged.

Hearing this, Wang Ping reached out to pat Yu Lian’s head, but she dodged him. He then formed a hand seal, opening the lid of the Alchemy Furnace that was connected to the Balance Array. After tossing the materials into the Alchemy Furnace, he activated the Balance Array.

This time, Wang Ping did not activate his ’Wood Spirit Form’. Instead, he used his usual method for refining Power Pills to observe the energy fluctuations of the Balance Array. After just a moment, he could feel the Five Elements Spiritual Qi pulsing and combining rhythmically.

"Open!"

The lid of the Pill Furnace flipped open. The Balance Array flashed with a bright light, and a burst of flame erupted from the furnace’s built-in quenching function. When the flames vanished, a reddish-purple Elixir lay quietly in the middle of the overturned lid.

Wang Ping then used his ’Wood Spirit Form’ to observe it. There was nothing particularly special, just five intermingled fundamental energies. They appeared stable and simple, maintaining a specific balance among themselves that temporarily suppressed the generation and restriction properties of the Five Elements Energy.

However, once this balance was broken, the Five Elements Energy would immediately react with one another. The cycle of generation and restriction would play out continuously as the Elixir devoured the surrounding Spiritual Qi to strengthen itself, continuing until its own inherent energy was completely consumed.

"Don’t move!"

Seeing Yu Lian about to step forward, Wang Ping stopped her and said, "Look, it seems to be actively absorbing the subtle spiritual essence from the world."

"It really is!"

As Yu Lian’s astonished voice rang out, Wang Ping immediately encased the Power Pill in a shell made from the Yin Yang Vine, cutting off its contact with the outside world’s Spiritual Qi and spiritual essence.

Yu Lian came closer, her vertical pupils sizing up the pill as she asked, "Aren’t you going to test its power first?"

Instead, Wang Ping formed a Spell and felt for the energy he had just used to refine the Power Pill. He then said, "The previous puppets were too inefficient, and the Spiritual Qi they used wasn’t enough to properly refine the Spiritual Objects. Based on the energy consumption, even a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage could only refine five of these Power Pills a day at most."

With that, he tossed the Power Pill to Yu Lian, telling her to find a place to test its power while he continued with the second batch. This time, he planned to refine two sets of materials at once.

The very instant the elixirs were formed, Wang Ping sensed an energy fluctuation coming from the direction of the Water Institute. The next moment, his Primordial Spirit pinpointed the exact situation. ’It must be Yu Lian testing the Power Pill’s might,’ he thought.

The explosion had a radius of about ten zhang, and the resulting energy fluctuation was indeed equivalent to half the True Essence of an Entry-level Fire Cultivator. If thrown at an Entering Cultivator whose qi was already weakened, a single Power Pill might just be enough to take them out, with a bit of luck.

Looking at the two Power Pills lying on the overturned furnace lid, Wang Ping couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction. His fortune was truly exceptional. He had found this path to wealth before he had even reached the Entry stage, and as a result, he had never once had to worry about money throughout his cultivation journey.

For the next half a month, outside of his regular studies, Wang Ping spent most of his time in the wood workshop refining puppets. After busying himself for over half a month, he only managed to successfully create one. The efficiency was far slower than making Corpse Soldier Puppets, and these new puppets could only cultivate up to the Foundation Establishment Stage at most. Their advantage, however, was that they could live for a very long time.

「The fifteenth of the sixth month, late summer.」

The weather near Qianmu Temple was still scorching. These days, Zhonghui County Town had become livelier than ever. Inner Sect Disciples from the various Daoist Temples along Nanlin Road had all gathered in Zhonghui County Town for the Grand Competition hosted by Qianmu Temple. Mortals from all over who had heard the news followed them, hoping to inquire about the path to immortality and seek a chance to become a Cultivator.

Just as the sky brightened in the morning, Zi Luan contacted Wang Ping using a Communication Token and then arrived silently at the Mountain Peak Dojo. Wu Quan and Gan Qi followed shortly after. Then came handwritten letters from Zhi Gong and Hu Yin. In their letters, they congratulated Qianmu Temple on a smooth Grand Competition and tactfully expressed their regret at not being able to attend.

The Grand Competition was in three days. Before that, there would be a three-day cultivation conference where disciples from the various sects could exchange insights. Any disagreements that arose would be settled during the Grand Competition three days later.

During these three days, Wang Ping invited Yuan Zheng, Ruan Chunzi, and Dongcan to join him, Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Qi at the Mountain Peak Dojo for tea, board games, and idle chat.

On the day before the Grand Competition, Xia Wen Yi and Shen Xiaozhu arrived to pay their respects, bringing with them a group of newly accepted junior disciples. They had all returned to participate in the Inner Sect Disciples’ Grand Competition.

Wang Ping didn’t speak with them at length, merely offering a few words of encouragement before returning to his idle chat and tea with Zi Luan and the others.

「In the blink of an eye, it was 7:15 AM the next day.」

At this moment, in Qianmu Temple’s Front Hall Square, disciples from every sect were gathered. They sat according to a pre-arranged seating plan, encircling the martial stage in the center of the square.

On the steps leading from the square to the Front Hall, the Sect Leaders of the various sects were gathered in their own circles. They periodically glanced up at the four Grandmaster’s Chairs arranged in a row at the very top of the steps. These four chairs were prepared for Wang Ping, Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Qi. As for Yuan Zheng, Ruan Chunzi, and Dongcan, they would not be appearing at the Grand Competition.

Amid the clamor, four streaks of light flashed across the sky. In an instant, the figures of Wang Ping, Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Qi appeared in front of the four Grandmaster’s Chairs.

"Greetings, Changqing Zhenren and Zi Luan Zhenren!"

The thousand-plus disciples and the Sect Leaders of every sect had all been watching the steps intently. The moment the four appeared, they immediately cupped their fists in salute, first bowing to Wang Ping and Zi Luan before shouting, "We greet Senior Wu Quan and Senior Gan Qi!"