Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 71 - Golden Spirit Pill

The dense aroma intoxicated everyone, and they couldn’t extricate themselves. Master Mao widened his eyes in shock.

As the fire got smaller, Liu Wuxie slapped the cauldron with both hands at the last moment and injected his true essence into it. The pills in the cauldron began to dance around like playful kids as they shuttled inside the vessel.

Sang Yan, who had been watching Liu Wuxie intently from the start, remarked, “That didn’t look like the refining method of my Great Yan Dynasty.” Every dynasty had its unique refining method, and the Great Yan Dynasty mainly focused on the Myriad Flows Unite.

Zhou Xinsheng added, “I don’t think any of the other dynasties use this technique either.” They regularly interacted with neighboring dynasties, particularly in the field of alchemy. Every few years, they would exchange ideas and techniques to improve their own methods. But they had never seen Liu Wuxie’s technique used by any of their neighbors or within their own dynasty. This led them to one conclusion: Liu Wuxie had invented this technique himself.

“Why even discuss this before examining the pills?” They had already evaluated the pills refined by the other participants. Based on their current rankings, Ji Yang was in first place, followed by Qin Letian in second and Zuo Hong in third. These rankings were similar to those from the previous year.

The sight of such a commotion during the pill refining process was unprecedented. As the cauldron lid was lifted, a thick golden mist rose into the sky, obscuring everyone’s vision. A fragrant aroma wafted through the air, and as they inhaled, they felt a warmth spreading throughout their bodies, bringing comfort.

The crowd gathered around, eager to catch a glimpse of the pills. Shangguan Cai held back, while Yun Lan, Nangong Qi, and others could only watch from a distance as they were not qualified to come closer.

The three judges stood beside the cauldron, exchanging puzzled glances. Master Mao asked, “Have you seen this pill before?”

Sang Yan and Zhou Xinsheng shook their heads because they’d never seen this pill.

“What about you guys?” Master Mao turned to ask the other alchemists present. He received the same answer that none of them had seen such pills before. The pills were golden in color, which was highly unusual as most pills were either white or green. Golden pills were a rarity.

The fifteen golden pills continued spinning in the cauldron for a minute before settling down.

“Look! There are runes on the pills!” exclaimed Ke Wen, losing his composure as he grabbed his hair in excitement. Despite being a three-star alchemist, he was overcome with emotion and waved his arms around like a child.

Upon hearing about runes, some people from the observation area couldn’t contain their curiosity and rushed over to see for themselves.

Yun Lan stumbled at the news and nearly fell to the ground. Runes were the stuff of legends, yet here they were, right before their very eyes.

The three judges were dumbfounded, while Bi Gongyu began to tremble.

......

Everyone wore different expressions—shock, disbelief, and horror.

“Are these really pill runes?” The pills seemed sacred to the crowd, and they were afraid to touch them for fear of committing blasphemy.

Liu Wuxie rolled his eyes at them because refining pills with runes was the foundation. There were still higher levels to achieve, such as halo, heart, and spirit. If they knew about those, they would surely go insane.

“This must be it! They’re really runes, and I’ve seen them in ancient records!” Sang Yan was a little excited as he said with certainty.

“But what kind of pills are these? We’ve never seen them before and don’t know their grade,” they wondered aloud. While they were thrilled at the appearance of pill runes, they were also troubled by their unfamiliarity with this particular pill. All eyes turned to Liu Wuxie, waiting for his explanation.

“They’re the Golden Spirit Pills, grade three pills. The main effect is to restore true essence. Not only can it consolidate the foundation, but it can also expand the meridians,” Liu Wuxie explained. The Golden Spirit Pill combined the effects of the Energy Condensing Pill, Heart Nourishing Pill, and Energy Consolidating Pill.

The Energy Condensing Pill could restore true essence, Heart Nourishing Pill could aid cultivation, and the Energy Consolidating Pill could consolidate one’s foundation.

The fact that Liu Wuxie’s Golden Spirit Pill combined the effects of three different pills was beyond everyone’s understanding. They had never imagined that such a miraculous pill could exist.

A collective gasp went up from the audience. The fifteen pills, refined from a hundred herbs, had the combined effects of three different pills. It was like getting three pills for the price of one, and even a fool could see the value in that.

Ji Yang had used seventy herbs to refine ten pills, while Liu Wuxie had used a hundred herbs to refine fifteen pills. In terms of both pill quality and cost efficiency, Liu Wuxie’s pills had a clear advantage.

“Does the Golden Spirit Pill really have such a powerful effect?” Sang Yan asked with uncertainty. This was the first time they had heard of such a miraculous pill as alchemists. So aside from Bi Gongyu, everyone else was skeptical.

“Why don’t we just have someone try it and see for ourselves?” suggested Ke Wen pragmatically. The effectiveness of the pill could easily be determined by having someone test it. However, strangely enough, no one was willing to volunteer—perhaps out of fear that the pill might be poisonous.

“Is anyone willing to try the pill?” Sang Yan looked around hopefully, searching for a volunteer from the observation area to test the pill's effect.

But there was only silence in response. It wouldn’t be convincing for Liu Wuxie to test the pill himself, so they needed an outsider to do it. Under normal circumstances, there would have been plenty of volunteers, but these pills were different—they had runes on them, something that no one had ever seen before. The three judges wouldn’t be satisfied until they had verified their effects.

“I’ll do it,” volunteered a young man in white, pushing his way through the crowd to stand before the cauldron. Upon arriving, he nodded respectfully at Liu Wuxie.

“Young Master Kuang He, you can’t take the risk. What if the pill is poisonous?” protested Wen Song. After all, there was a high likelihood that this could be a poisonous pill, as no one had ever seen a golden-colored pill before.

“I agree. This pill is completely unknown. It would be safer to test it on demonic beasts first,” added Xiao Mingyi, supporting Wen Song’s suggestion. It was common practice to use demonic beasts to test new pills before administering them to humans, and everyone nodded in agreement.

“I appreciate your concern, but I have made up my mind,” replied Kuang He firmly, cupping his fists in gratitude towards Xiao Mingyi and Wen Song. “If anything happens to me, it will be my own responsibility and will have nothing to do with Young Master Liu.” He had volunteered of his own accord and was willing to accept any consequences that might arise.

Since Kuang He had made his position clear, no one else felt it appropriate to object further.

“Patriarch, isn’t this too risky?” Kuang Zhan asked nervously.

“Don’t worry. He’er knows what he’s doing.” Kuang Qiu was satisfied with his son.

“Wait!” Liu Wuxie interrupted just as Kuang He was about to reach for a pill from the cauldron. People were puzzled, wondering why Liu Wuxie would stop someone from testing his pill.

“Liu Wuxie, are you afraid you’ll kill someone with your pill?” Wen Song burst into laughter. After all, why would Liu Wuxie stop Kuang He if it was a normal pill?

Liu Wuxie merely looked at Wen Song as if he were an idiot, which nearly drove Wen Song mad.

“Young Master Liu, do you have any advice for me?” Kuang He asked. He wasn’t a fool like Wen Song.

“The Golden Spirit Pill is different from other pills,” explained Liu Wuxie. “Brother Kuang, I suggest that you exhaust all of your true essence before consuming the pill to verify its apparent effects.”

Everyone nodded after listening to Liu Wuxie’s explanation.

“Alright,” agreed Kuang He, moving to an open space and performing Kuang Clan’s fist technique. Each punch was vigorous and ferocious, which lasted for fifteen minutes before he exhausted all his true essence.

“Bravo! Excellent fist technique!” Kuang He’s performance was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience. The Kuang Clan’s fist technique incorporated elements of their painting style, creating a perfect fusion of artistry and strength.

“Can I take the pill now?” Kuang He asked, walking over to the cauldron.

Liu Wuxie nodded in assent, indicating that Kuang He could proceed.

Without hesitation, Kuang He took a pill from the cauldron and swallowed it. This made everyone nervous, especially Xiao Mingyi, Wen Song, and Du Mingze, who had made a bet with Liu Wuxie. If they lost, they would have to kneel and kowtow in submission.

Xiao Mingyi had already been forced to kneel once before, and the thought of having to do so again was unbearable. If he lost face again, he might as well take his own life.

Not far away, Yun Lan clenched his fists tightly with the murderous intent brewing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ji Yang stood silently beside Shangguan Cai, glancing at the ten Energy Consolidating Pills he had refined. Neither of them spoke a word. The praise they had received earlier had faded away after Liu Wuxie finished refining his pills. In hindsight, it seemed almost ironic.

Those from the Kuang Clan were nervous because Kuang He was the most outstanding younger generation in the clan, with high hopes of inheriting Kuang Clan’s painting techniques.

As Kuang He swallowed the pill, a surge of pure energy dissolved in his mouth, releasing a fragrant aroma. Overwhelmed by the sensation, he closed his eyes to better focus on the experience.

“What dense essence, and the taste is also unique with the pill melting in the mouth!” Kuang He shared his thoughts. Since he was testing the pill, he naturally had to share every detail of the Golden Spirit Pill.

“The pill is really fragrant, like a stream of sweetness coursing through my meridians. I can’t describe it exactly, but it feels comfortable with a warmth in my dantian.” As soon as Kuang He said that, he suddenly sat on the ground with the surrounding spiritual energy pouring over to him, entering his body through his pores.

This scene naturally shocked everyone as the true essence of Kuang He’s dantian began to recover at an astounding rate.