The spirit array inside Yang Kai's cauldron seemed to have been completely replaced in the blink of an eye.
And not a single person had seen him make a move.
When inscribing spirit arrays inside a cauldron, one had to channel True Yuan into it and carefully control it — using True Yuan as ink and the cauldron as paper — before the array could be inscribed.
But just now, Yang Kai's True Yuan clearly hadn't flowed into the cauldron at all.
So where had the spirit array come from?
"He's using Divine Sense!" Du Wan's eyes gleamed brightly as he spoke in a low voice.
"You've got to be joking…" He Feng scoffed, shaking his head repeatedly. "Divine Sense can indeed inscribe spirit arrays once it reaches a certain threshold of power, but it absolutely cannot be used in alchemy. If you really tried it, you'd only end up destroying those hard-to-come-by materials."
"Just watch!" Du Wan said, his face beaming with excitement, offering no further explanation.
Among everyone present, only he knew that Yang Kai's Divine Sense was special — it possessed the power of the Divine Sense Fire.
That was the same asset the Old Heavenly Burial had possessed.
Ordinary Divine Sense could construct spirit arrays, but those arrays truly couldn't be used for refining pills. However, arrays built by Divine Sense Fire were a different matter entirely — not only could they be used for alchemy, but when wielded properly, they were even more effective than True Yuan.
Everyone held their breath, watching with nervous tension.
They watched as Yang Kai, without the slightest hesitation, poured the refined medicinal liquids one by one into the cauldron. Every last person's heart leapt into their throat.
They were terrified he would waste those precious materials.
But to everyone's surprise, once the liquids entered the cauldron, there was not the slightest sign of failure. The various different medicinal liquids mixed and melted together inside, producing marvelous reactions, and wisps of fragrance gradually drifted from the cauldron.
Several grandmasters exchanged uncertain glances, unable to fathom what hidden principle lay behind it all.
Yang Kai's expression, however, was one of absolute focus. As his hands moved through the air, his True Yuan surged continuously — sometimes more, sometimes less — and his control over the heat was perfection itself. He never over- or under-delivered, which would have compromised the efficacy of the materials.
The onlookers' eyes lit up once more.
Moments later, with a soft crack, something burst inside the cauldron.
The spirit array Yang Kai had been using was destroyed again. The grandmasters, who had only just relaxed, found their nerves on edge once more.
Light flickered inside the cauldron. A third spirit array took shape.
"This…" He Feng's eyes went wide, and he no longer knew what to say.
When they refined pills, they would change spirit arrays to aid in the formation of the pill, but none of them would do so as recklessly as Yang Kai — and his rate of switching was far too fast.
A vague suspicion began to dawn on them: during his alchemy, Yang Kai wasn't just using True Yuan. He was also wielding his Divine Sense.
A dual approach.
And there seemed to be something peculiar about the boy's Divine Sense!
Yang Kai's cultivation and realm at the third level of the Transcendent Stage were both somewhat higher than those of the grandmasters, so even though they sensed something was off, they couldn't perceive the secret of the Divine Sense Fire. Naturally, their hearts were filled with suspicion and confusion.
Pa-pa-pa…
Nearly every half-stick of incense, the spirit array inside the cauldron was changed again. The grandmasters simply couldn't figure out how Yang Kai managed it. Swapping arrays so frequently during pill refinement was an incredibly risky move.
As time passed, a rich, heady fragrance of pills began to fill the alchemy hall, far more potent and refined than what the grandmasters had produced earlier.
"It's only been two hours…" Chang Bao said, his body of fat jiggling with shock.
The wafting pill fragrance meant the pill was nearly complete. From start to finish, Yang Kai had spent only two hours.
Compared to the four hours they had spent refining a single Saint-grade pill, he had cut the time roughly in half!
"Is this kid really refining a Saint-grade pill?" Hong Fang frowned deeply. "Could he be using Saint-grade materials to refine a Spirit-grade pill?"
Hearing this, several grandmasters agreed it was quite possible.
Using high-grade materials to produce lower-grade pills was a common occurrence in the alchemy world and nothing unusual. Some alchemists with less refined techniques would even deliberately select higher-grade materials to guarantee a successful pill.
And right now, everyone felt that this was probably what Yang Kai was doing.
After all, two hours was simply too short. Refining a Spirit-grade pill — at Yang Kai's age, that would be within reach.
"You nearly scared this old man to death," He Feng exhaled with exaggerated relief. "I really thought I was about to be surpassed by a junior. My confidence almost shattered."
Chang Bao chuckled as well. "Though even so, his performance is already more than impressive… Hey, Du Wan, let this kid come to my Flashing City. I guarantee he won't be treated poorly."
Du Wan remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on Yang Kai without a moment's break.
He had a feeling that, given Yang Kai's personality, he would never do something that violated the great way of alchemy. Besides, a few years ago Yang Kai had already been a high-grade Spirit-grade alchemist. If he truly intended to refine Spirit-grade pills, there would be no need to select Saint-grade materials.
What exactly was he refining? They would find out soon, and even the perpetually calm Du Wan couldn't help feeling a touch of nervous anticipation.
The pill fragrance grew stronger and stronger. The pill was about to emerge from the cauldron.