It was precisely at this moment that Zuo De finally displayed a hint of true mastery. Combined with his fluid, seamless movements, his precise control over the fire and timing, and his profound understanding of medicinal properties, he instantly won over every Alchemist present. They watched in mesmerized awe, wishing the scene could go on forever—that it would never come to an end.
Though the crowd's chatter was loud, not a single word reached Zuo De's ears.
He had already entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness. From this alone, one could tell that his title of Void King-grade Alchemist was no fluke—he truly possessed the skill to back it up.
Even Yang Kai, watching from nearby, couldn't help but be quietly impressed.
The Martial Dao and the Alchemic Dao were the same: only by devoting one's full attention could one achieve anything. Those who tried to do too much at once, who reached too far beyond their grasp, would never travel far.
He wasted no time. Once he saw that Zuo De had begun the refinement, he took a deep breath and settled his own mind. In an instant, his expression turned solemn, the light in his eyes sharpening to a focused gleam.
As though nothing in the world existed for him now but the pill furnace and the ingredients before him.
Yang Kai too entered that state of self-forgetfulness in a heartbeat.
His opponent was a veteran Void King-grade Alchemist. There was no way he could afford to be careless.
Beside them, Ai'Ou's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. She leaned toward Zong Ao and asked in a low voice, "Grandmaster Zong, from the way Brother Yang carries himself... he doesn't look any worse than Zuo De. Is it possible he really can refine pills?"
Zong Ao smiled faintly and replied just as quietly, "Yang Kai can refine pills—that much I can guarantee. Mm, I've personally seen him refine Spirit Pills, more than once. He's even produced pills that gave rise to Pill Clouds!"
"What?" Ai'Ou was stunned. "He has such skill? Grandmaster Zong, you're not joking with me?"
"How could I possibly joke about such a thing?" A look of reminiscence appeared in Zong Ao's eyes. "Back when that Spirit Pill came into being, I was watching from the sidelines. I gained a great deal from the experience. It's just that..."
"Just what?"
"The grade of that particular Spirit Pill wasn't very high, and the Pill Cloud was more a matter of fortunate circumstance than anything else," Zong Ao said fairly. "What he'll be refining today is the Primordial Soul-Transferring Pill. That's a Void King-grade Spirit Pill—whether he can actually produce it, I truly can't say. But his Alchemic technique and his talent in the Dao of Alchemy are absolutely second to none. Just keep watching, President, and you'll s—ah..."
Even as Zong Ao spoke, Yang Kai had begun tossing materials—the very ones Ai'Ou had given him earlier—into the Purple Void Cauldron one after another.
Unlike the elegant, fluid motions of Grandmaster Zuo De, Yang Kai's speed in adding ingredients was fast, but he was essentially dumping them all in at once before slamming the lid of the Purple Void Cauldron shut, with zero showmanship to speak of.
Even someone who knew nothing about Alchemy could see that something was wrong.
Xueyue's heart sank.
Ai'Ou's jaw dropped, her face going blank with disbelief, though she still clutched at a sliver of hope and asked Zong Ao, "Grandmaster Zong... is there some principle behind what Yang Kai is doing?"
"I have no idea," Zong Ao replied, his composure cracking.
What Alchemist in their right mind would dump all the ingredients into the furnace at once? Every type of pill refinement required careful attention to the sequence in which ingredients were added and the precise moment of each addition. Each time a new ingredient entered the furnace, the Alchemist had to devote mental energy and effort to controlling the fire inside, coordinating with the appropriate hand seals to fuse the medicinal liquids.
It was a gradual process—one that demanded patience and meticulous craftsmanship.
Only in this way could an Alchemist produce quality pills.
"He's going to ruin the ingredients!" Zong Ao exclaimed in alarm. "Each material reacts differently to temperature. Once he draws on the Earth Fire, things are going to go very badly."
While the intensity of the Earth Fire could be controlled, it was far less flexible than the Sacred Yuan a cultivator could wield with his own hands. Hadn't they all seen Grandmaster Zuo De constantly adjusting the formation to modulate the fire? That was precisely why ingredients had to be added one by one. This wasn't some kind of stew where you could just throw everything in together!
"Could it be... that he knows he can't beat Zuo De, and he's just given up?" Ai'Ou ventured.
Yang Kai had proposed the refinement contest of the Primordial Soul-Transferring Pill for one reason alone—to save Gu Bihu. As long as Zuo De agreed to the match, Gu Bihu would have a chance to wake. Yang Kai winning or losing was a separate matter entirely.
"He's not that reckless. Just keep watching!" Xueyue bit her lower lip, her palms slick with sweat, her beautiful eyes fixed unwaveringly on the scene.
After having tossed in nearly all of the ingredients, Yang Kai did something even more baffling—he made no move to activate the formation and draw on the Earth Fire. Instead, he closed his eyes, sat cross-legged without stirring, and formed a set of intricate hand seals.
This spectacle was spotted by Zhan Yuan, who had been watching Yang Kai's every move. In an instant, he couldn't hold back a laugh: "I thought the guy had some trick up his sleeve. Turns out he doesn't even understand the most basic fundamentals of Alchemy—look, he dumped every last ingredient into the furnace! Hahaha!"
The Alchemists beside him glanced over at Yang Kai upon hearing this. The next moment, they were all shaking their heads. One of them muttered, "What a criminal waste of materials. All those fine ingredients, squandered like that—it's absolutely disgraceful."
In the eyes of any Alchemist, every decent ingredient should be put to its proper use.
Yang Kai's wastefulness naturally drew no small amount of displeasure.
Those Alchemists who had previously felt some sympathy for Yang Kai now gazed over at him with nothing but resentment in their eyes.