Chapter 44: Chapter 42: Sir, Are You Here to Toy With Me?
Before long, the fragrance of herbs began to drift out from the Pill Furnace Hall.
Of course, it was common for the Pill Furnace Hall to be filled with such scents, so no one knew if Du Youqian had already started his alchemy.
The onlookers were abuzz with discussion. "Has that Qiu Yuanqing lost his mind? A Tier Two Top Grade Elixir? Does he think he’s the Hall Master of the Pill Furnace Hall? As far as I know, besides the Hall Master and Vice Hall Master Ma, no one else in the Pill Furnace Hall is confident they can refine a Tier Two Top Grade Elixir."
"Yeah, a Tier Two Top Grade Elixir corresponds to the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage. Refining one usually requires aged herbs with potent medicinal energy. I heard that Qiu Yuanqing is only at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, right? It’s questionable whether his Magical Power is even sufficient to fully break down those high-aged herbs."
"You can’t say that. Geniuses always have their unique methods. It’s true his Magical Power is insufficient to fully break down the high-aged herbs and extract their properties, but he must have a way. It’s just an alchemy approach that we mediocre types can’t possibly grasp."
"I think Qiu Yuanqing has a high chance of winning today."
"Even if he wins today, someone will surpass him in the next three years."
"But he gets to choose the challenge format! He doesn’t need to be better than everyone at everything, he just needs one strong suit."
Inside the Pill Furnace Hall, Du Youqian was completely focused, working in front of the Pill Furnace.
Although Ma Chongyu, the Vice Hall Master of the Pill Furnace Hall, didn’t say a word, he was constantly stroking his beard and smiling, clearly very satisfied.
Yang Zaisi’s face, however, was ashen. After a moment, his eyes began to flicker as if he were contemplating something.
However, he certainly wasn’t thinking about how to win, because he already knew that was impossible.
Perhaps he should be considering how to concede gracefully, or how to seize an opportunity for Foundation Establishment through other means in the future.
Tier Two Top Grade Elixirs sometimes take several days and nights to refine, and Tier Three Elixirs can even take months.
However, the Regeneration Pill was one of the simplest Tier Two Top Grade Elixirs, requiring only a day and a night to refine.
When a dazed Yang Zaisi walked out of the Pill Furnace Hall, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd.
"Martial Uncle, did you win?"
"Senior Brother, what’s the situation?"
"Did that Qiu Yuanqing really refine a Tier Two Top Grade Elixir?"
"That’s impossible! How did he do it?!"
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother..."
Yang Zaisi waved his hand. "I lost."
As the two heavy words left his mouth, he felt the great weight in his chest vanish.
’Right, a loss is a loss. What’s the big deal?’
’This opportunity was never meant for me in the first place.’
’Those perceptive seniors... if they weren’t at least somewhat confident in Junior Qiu, why would they have enacted such a rule?’
’But me? I was so worried about winning and losing. How laughable. I’ve wasted all these years.’
’Back in the Alchemy Room, I even had a few improper thoughts, wanting to secretly sabotage Qiu Yuanqing’s alchemy.’
’Even with a shred of sense, I should have known that was impossible.’
’How could the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Pill Furnace Hall possibly tolerate someone pulling tricks right under their noses?’
’In the end, it was my obsession with personal gain that was too strong.’
’If it weren’t for that, had I gone down a different path earlier, I might have obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill by now.’
’At worst, even without taking a Foundation Establishment Pill, I could have gambled on Celestial Dao Foundation Establishment. It wasn’t a dead end.’
’I’m only sixty-three now. Though I’m past the optimal age, if I could get a Foundation Establishment Pill, it’s not like I wouldn’t have a shot at risking it all.’
At this thought, Yang Zaisi’s mind cleared.
He laughed aloud, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
Du Youqian only had to accept one challenge every seven days.
Thus, for the next few days, he finally had some peace and quiet.
He spent several days in a row in the Collection Room.
As for socializing, he had mostly avoided making friends or going out ever since joining the Sect, partly to avoid being ambushed and partly because he didn’t want to waste time on pointless social interactions.
His one and only friend, Little Fatty Guo Mingsheng, was someone he had met by complete chance.
For the past seven years, aside from his daily cultivation and studying Cultivation Techniques, Du Youqian had spent all his time immersed in the Collection Room.
Using his status as a True Successor Candidate, he borrowed all sorts of precious books and Jade Scrolls in large quantities.
Whether it was the other twelve Cultivation Techniques, the cultivation insights of his predecessors, travelogues, theoretical conjectures on Magic, Secret Techniques, and Cultivation Techniques, or interesting anecdotes from the Cultivation Realm... Du Youqian devoured it all with insatiable hunger.
Many people would consider this a waste of time.
But for Du Youqian, this was how he deepened his foundation.
Unfortunately, the Zhongxuan Sect had once suffered a great calamity and lost a large number of precious texts.
Most of the collection from its time as a Second-class Sect had been lost or stolen.
Seeing the many empty shelves, which listed titles but held no books, Du Youqian often sighed in regret.
One thing, however, deeply worried Du Youqian: in all the countless notes and records spanning several thousand years, there was not a single recorded deed of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
’Could it be... that a Nascent Soul cannot be formed in Momenan?’
He didn’t dare to think too deeply about it.
Meanwhile, outside the Collection Room, the entire Zhongxuan Sect was discussing how Du Youqian had defeated Yang Zaisi.
When they learned that Du Youqian had used a clever trick—using several types of Low Tier herbs to activate the properties of a High Tier herb, and then separating the mixed ingredients almost perfectly—no one accused him of being deceitful. Instead, they were utterly amazed by his approach.
Immortal cultivating is a world where only results matter.
Whether you achieve Core Formation through trickery and force or by cultivating good karma, in the end, you become a Core Formation Ancestor, attaining Longevity and Vision.
You are respected all the same.
The righteous and demonic paths are irreconcilable because their philosophies differ.
But when a disciple of a righteous sect encounters a demonic Core Formation Ancestor, they must still respectfully pay their respects as a junior.
Because every Core Formation Ancestor must be respected.
Similarly, when a disciple of a demonic sect encounters a righteous Core Formation Ancestor, they must also be on their best behavior.
Why?
If you don’t behave, the Core Formation Ancestor will help you behave.
Therefore, regardless of what clever trick Du Youqian used to defeat Yang Zaisi, as long as that approach could be used again, it was considered his own skill.
So, how exactly could one defeat Du Youqian?
His Cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer was nothing special; there were plenty of people in the Sect who could crush him.
The key, however, was that the challenge format was decided by Du Youqian himself.
To defeat him, you had to face him at his strongest!
In the entire Zhongxuan Sect, how many people dared to claim they were confident in refining a Tier Two Top Grade Elixir? You could probably count them on one hand.
Those who could refine it either weren’t eligible to challenge Du Youqian or had long since looked down on the status of a mere True Disciple.
Those who wanted to challenge him didn’t have the ability.
Another seven days passed, and still, no one stepped forward to challenge Du Youqian.
Yang Zaisi had unknowingly become a benchmark, a unit of measurement.
You dare claim you’re skilled? Are you more skilled than Yang Zaisi?
What? You’re not as skilled as Yang Zaisi.
Then what the hell are you talking about?
Even though they were all Cultivators, did that mean they didn’t care about face?
Being stomped on the ground and slapped left and right by that junior still hurt.
Didn’t you see? Meng Yushan, who was always talking about challenging Du Youqian for the True Disciple qualification, had already applied to leave the Sect for a long-term training journey. She wouldn’t be back for at least three to five years.
Du Youqian enjoyed over two months of peace before the second challenger finally appeared.
After hearing the challenger’s name from Guo Mingsheng, even with Du Youqian’s usual state of mind, he couldn’t help but curse, ’What the fuck?’
He felt like his composure was starting to crack.
’Gramps, are you sure you’re not here just to mess with me?’
This man really was an old timer.
He was a third-generation disciple, from Du Youqian’s grandmaster’s generation.
Specifically, he was the Martial Uncle of Xia Shouzheng, the Vice Hall Master of the Treasure Hall. A proper one, too—he had joined the Sect at the same time as Xia Shouzheng’s master and studied under the same master.
This elder only had a Middle Grade Spirit Root and had kept a low profile ever since joining the Sect.
He never topped the charts in any of the Sect’s major or minor competitions.
He had been at Qi Cultivation Perfection for decades and had long since lost any hope of reaching Foundation Establishment.
He basically didn’t participate in any sect affairs.
Many newbies in the Sect had never even heard his name.
And because his path of cultivation was hopeless, he had begun to place his interest in the Immortal Cultivation Techniques.
It was said that he had considerable skill in Talisman Making, Artifact Refining, Alchemy, and the Array Dao.
As for his specific level of skill?
It was said he was on par with the Vice Hall Masters of the various halls and often sat with them to discuss the Dao.
It was only because his Cultivation had not reached Foundation Establishment that he couldn’t serve as a Vice Hall Master, according to sect rules.
So, he simply lived a carefree and detached life.
’I can’t believe this old fo— no, this old senior is making a move. Wealth truly moves the heart.’
