Chapter 27: Refining Pills in the Void—The Reincarnation of the Pill Emperor?

Xuanji formed another hand seal. Half an incense stick later, seeing the clear, nectar-like liquid inside the furnace stabilize, she felt a wave of relief.

"The first step is complete. As long as I maintain the heat during the pill-forming stage, I can refine high-quality medicinal liquid."

With the purification finished, the alchemy process approached the "pill-forming" phase. If purification was about separating the dross from the essence, then forming the pill was the most critical step of fusing all that essence into a final product—an act that consumed immense spiritual energy and was most prone to backfiring.

The sky was beginning to brighten; nearly ten hours had passed. Xuanji’s face was pale, reflecting the significant drain on her spiritual power. She gritted her teeth, refusing to concede. "I will make Jiang Cheng see that the Danxia Holy Land is not to be trifled with!"

She executed an arcane hand seal, and the swirling red flames instantly compressed into a sphere, sealing the liquid within a diameter of less than three inches. Within the fire lay ice, and within the ice lay fire, a spectacle resembling the sun and moon shining in unison flickering across the surface of the orb.

"Red Mist—Form!"

She let out a low cry, and a sharp ray of light cut across the furnace, triggering a shocking surge of energy. The onlookers felt a scorching wave and instinctively retreated several steps. Even a slight imbalance in such precise control would cause the furnace to explode. Yet, through precise heat management and masterful technique, she forcibly compressed the liquid further and further, until only a nail-sized glimmer remained inside the fireball.

Several more hours passed. Xuanji’s consciousness grew hazy; every output of spiritual energy felt like a blade carving away her vitality. Still, she bit her lip, not daring to lose focus for even a second.

"I... cannot lose. I must win this first round perfectly!" she reminded herself. "I must not be ridiculed by Jiang Cheng like those captured elites from the Holy Land! And I certainly will not become his dao companion."

"Boom!"

With a muffled thud, the fireball suddenly collapsed into the bottom of the furnace. Accompanied by a rich, overwhelming fragrance of medicine, the heavy lid slowly slid open, revealing seven or eight lustrous, perfectly round pills. They were wreathed in a faint red mist, as if condensed from the clouds of Danxia.

Top-tier Grade Nine pills, with naturally formed pill patterns!

"Success!"

*Click.*

Xuanji gathered the pills into a prepared jade bottle and turned to look at Jiang Cheng. She realized it was already the next morning; a full day had passed since the start of the competition. This was the true completion of the first round.

The plaza fell into a brief silence, followed by a thunderous roar of applause. Although many in the Xia Kingdom viewed her as an opponent, they could not help but respect such high-level alchemy and the pills forged through such a grueling battle.

"Incredible, refining non-stop for an entire night..."

"Pills of this quality must be considered top-tier even in the Eastern Continent!"

People whispered, their eyes filled with awe and speculation regarding Jiang Cheng: Would His Majesty be able to keep up with this pace?

Xuanji turned slowly, her eyes cold, and parted her lips. "Clan Master Jiang, I have kept you waiting. The first round had a two-day limit; I finished in one, while you have done nothing all day but watch. You boasted about a competition and even proposed that absurd 'dao companion' demand. I assume you are prepared to lose?"

Jiang Cheng smiled gently, his gaze calm and unhurried. "I only said that if I lost, the demand would naturally be void. As for you losing... I suppose you will have to honor that 'dao companion' agreement, or work yourself to the bone refining pills to pay off your debt, after which I shall divorce you."

His words were airy and light, yet they invisibly displayed the dominance of an emperor. The plaza erupted instantly. Some spectators who were unaware of the truth couldn't help but shout, "His Majesty is domineering!"

"Take down that lady-in-waiting!"

These words struck Xuanji’s ears like the most blatant provocation.

She sneered, "Enough talk. Please, proceed!"

The audience from the Xia Kingdom felt uneasy; after all, this lady-in-waiting had spent three days "torturing" their alchemists, and her demonstration of top-tier Grade Nine pills in just one day showcased terrifying alchemical prowess.

"Be careful, Your Majesty," many whispered, breaking into a cold sweat.

Jiang Cheng, however, was unhurried. He smiled at Su Ruoxi, signaling that all was well. The system had already notified him that the pill refinement had been successfully copied, and the Emperor’s Alchemy Furnace could now refine pills automatically.

He raised his hands lightly, and various spiritual materials flew rapidly into the air. It was as if an invisible furnace had caught them. To the outsiders, it appeared to be "alchemy with empty hands."

"Hiss... where is Emperor Jiang’s furnace? Is this the legendary 'Void Alchemy'? But without reaching the perfection of the Void Refining Realm, how is that possible..."

Many high-level alchemists were so shocked they nearly lost their voices. They understood the threshold for "Void Alchemy": one needed at least Grade Nine alchemical skills and to be at the peak of the Second-Stage Void Refining Realm to have even a glimmer of hope! Yet Jiang Cheng was only at the Seventh-Grade Cave Heaven Realm; how could he perform such an extreme feat?

"He... he is just putting on a show. It’s impossible!" Xuanji’s face was filled with suspicion, yet she dared not be careless. She felt deeply unsettled; while she couldn't fathom Jiang Cheng’s alchemical technique, he couldn't possibly be joking about a Heavenly Dao Oath!

Jiang Cheng walked as if strolling in a garden, "tossing" over a dozen spiritual herbs into the invisible furnace in the air. The onlookers were stunned. "What the hell? Several of those materials in that pile are supposed to conflict with each other!"

But strangely, there was no explosion, no loss of control, and not even the slightest hint of conflicting energy.

"I’d love to act like a master and strike a pose, but I don't know how to refine pills at all!" Jiang Cheng cursed inwardly. "This furnace doesn't even provide a fancy set of alchemy motions..."

*Ding. Alchemy in progress. Idle time reduced. Time optimized.*

Bored, Jiang Cheng couldn't just sit there, so he circulated his Nine Dragon Body and began the Thunder Penalty Sutra; since it was a system furnace, he didn't fear damaging it. From time to time, he would theatrically cast bolts of lightning to strike his void furnace.

The watching alchemists were shocked beyond words.

"This... bastard, what kind of alchemy is this? It looks like he's attacking it... this..." Xuanji was utterly stunned. The pills were clearly being refined, but what was this method of Jiang Cheng’s?

In the next second, the "void" where Jiang Cheng was working suddenly burst with a brilliant golden light, laced with traces of crimson. The purification speed skyrocketed. Because it was "Void Alchemy," the process was visible to all. The crowd realized that Jiang Cheng had caught up to Xuanji’s half-day progress in an instant.

"What?!" Xuanji’s jaw nearly dropped. She had relied on her Red Mist Nine-Turn Flame to display her unique skill, yet he accomplished the same result just by tossing out a few bolts of lightning. This was impossible; it overturned everything she knew about alchemy!

"If this Jiang Cheng doesn't have the inheritance of a Great Emperor, could he really be the reincarnation of an Alchemy Saint..." Even with her cold and arrogant heart, she couldn't help but lose her composure.

The uproar from the crowd grew louder. Many Xia Kingdom cultivators waved their arms excitedly, shouting, "His Majesty is mighty!"

"Divine skill! This Void Alchemy is truly rare in this world!"

Jiang Cheng retracted his hand, not saying a word. In the blink of an eye, all the medicinal materials in the furnace fused perfectly. In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, seven or eight pills appeared in the void, their perfection leaving the audience staring in disbelief.

"This is impossible... my husband has no furnace, no fire, and was just playing around with his hands!" Su Ruoxi, watching from the side, was herself a reincarnated Great Empress. Although she didn't understand alchemy, she had the basic common sense.

Jiang Cheng’s entire process was filled with an eeriness she couldn't comprehend. As for Xuanji, even though she was the Saintess of Danxia and prided herself as the number one alchemist of the younger generation across the five continents, she couldn't help but feel defeated, not knowing how to handle the situation.

"Please inspect the pills!"

Was there even a need? The quality was identical, the quantity was identical. But the speed! The technique! No furnace! No fire!

"You won the first round! I want a second round. I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Xuanji’s mind roared, and she hung her head, utterly dejected.

Even the onlookers fell silent for a moment before erupting into earth-shattering cheers: "His Majesty is invincible!" "Void Alchemy, the pinnacle of the world!"

The lady-in-waiting’s face was deathly pale, and she nearly coughed up blood. Her Young Mistress was a true genius of alchemy, the only direct disciple and Saintess of the Nine Holy Lands, the destined successor of the Holy Master. She was supposed to participate in the Bright Light Realm Alchemy Festival and take the title of Alchemy Saint, yet she had lost the first round of such a simple competition so easily.

Would she really have to follow the Saintess and marry Jiang Cheng, only to be toyed with? Was he a pervert? That perverted alchemy!

Across the plaza, no one questioned Jiang Cheng’s victory—after all, how lofty and unattainable was "Void Alchemy"? He had achieved it, and thus he was the king. Who would dare say he was unworthy?

Waves of congratulations and praise surged forth, throwing the lady-in-waiting’s mind into total chaos and making Xuanji’s expression look atrocious. "Could it be... that there really is someone in the Cave Heaven Realm who has mastered the ability of Void Alchemy? Or is he truly the reincarnation of a Sixth-Grade Alchemy Emperor?"

She dared not act rashly, and could only grit her teeth. "I cannot lose. I must refine a Sacred Pill! This is the Bright Light Realm’s Five Continents Alchemy Festival; I must use all of my strength!"

The crowd continued to cheer for His Majesty’s divine might, praising the Clan Master of Jiang as the true pinnacle of the alchemical path. Su Ruoxi was also deeply moved by her husband, as if witnessing a myth. "Possessing a Cave Heaven body, yet able to cross thirteen minor realms to perform Void Alchemy? This is beyond the reach of mortals!"

"Long live His Majesty!"

"The Xia Kingdom is undefeated! The Lord of the Cave Heaven is invincible!"

Amidst the sky-filling cheers, Jiang Cheng looked into the distance, as if waiting for the so-called "lady-in-waiting" to recover. Jiang Cheng thought to himself: "My precious furnace, don't scare her too much. If you scare her into a state of incompetence, who will refine pills for us in the future?"

Su Ruoxi looked at Jiang Cheng, her eyes filled with deep helplessness and relief. All these days, she had assumed her husband didn't know how to refine pills, yet he was able to crush his opponent in such an inconceivable way; there must be a massive secret behind this.

However, at this moment, the Xia Kingdom had saved face, and the rest didn't matter. No matter the method, he was a one-day alchemist, and a top-tier one at that, capable of Void Alchemy. Even to her, the former Empress, this was a myth.

Did he not know how to refine pills, or did he just not know how to perform low-level, conventional alchemy?