The medicinal herbs provided by Mo Wuyou, though common Spirit Medicines, were all at least a thousand years old, making them rare treasures in the market.
Even an ordinary spiritual herb, after living for a thousand years, would have its Spiritual Qi greatly increased.
"For this round, the requirement is to refine a Golden Essence Pill for Core Formation cultivators. Only one pill is allowed, and the one with the highest quality wins!" Mo Wuyou announced.
The Golden Essence Pill is similar in effect to the Foundation Essence Pill, commonly consumed by cultivators; the former is for the Core Formation Stage, while the latter is for the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Any Core Formation cultivator can refine such pills, but the quality is not guaranteed.
Tianji Shangren moved swiftly, selecting five medicinal herbs and starting the refining process.
Liu Chengfeng, confident, chose six herbs, took out his pill furnace, and threw in one of the herbs, injecting a cluster of golden flames.
In an instant, the flames shone as brightly as the sun.
The moment the golden light appeared, the crowd's eyes focused, followed by exclamations.
"Indeed, it's the legendary Great Sun Golden Flame, said to be born from absorbing the essence of the sun!"
"Using this flame to refine pills allows them to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, enhancing their quality by a tier!"
Many sharp-eyed individuals recognized the origin of the flame, gasping in astonishment. Such a legendary flame appeared with Liu Chengfeng.
Liu Chengfeng merely smirked coldly.
This flame was the great fortune of the place of inheritance for the metal element, the Great Sun Golden Flame. However, it was not the complete form, just a wisp of the flame, which he had borrowed from Bai Luo.
He had anticipated the pill refining segment in this assessment and had prepared in advance for this moment!
With the half-tier enhancement from the Great Sun Golden Flame, the Golden Essence Pill he refined could be called the Great Golden Essence Pill, enough to outshine all others. Unless it was a fourth-grade pill, nothing could surpass it.
"The great fortune of the metal element's inheritance, comparable to the Ice Soul Demon Eyes, these people are not simple!" Tianji Shangren thought with a calm expression, secretly amused.
He could see that Bai Luo also possessed great fortune, but still slightly less than Zhou Wendie.
At this moment, Xu Bai had also selected her medicinal herbs, only three, and they were extremely rare, ones many had never seen before.
Xu Qingfeng, observing the scene, couldn't help but frown.
The herbs for refining the Golden Essence Pill were well-established, based on the experience of predecessors.
It's not that other herbs couldn't work, but this was the optimal solution.
Using other combinations would result in either low-quality pills or failed ones, with almost no exceptions.
Xu Bai took out a small emerald green cauldron, placed the three herbs inside, and a wisp of green flame enveloped the herbs.
It seemed ordinary, just for show, and the crowd quickly lost interest after a glance.
Xu Hei, on the other hand, watched with great interest, as he had never seen Xu Bai refine pills before; this was his first time.
In the blink of an eye, two days went by. The refining of third-grade pills always took a long time, especially when pursuing quality and perfection.
However, with the aid of the Great Sun Golden Flame, Liu Chengfeng's pill had already taken shape, entering the final Condensing Elixir stage.
With the support of the exotic flame, even the speed was remarkably fast.
Liu Chengfeng remained vigilant, having learned from previous lessons, constantly guarding against Tianji Shangren's "pill-stealing" tactics. However, Tianji Shangren hadn't used such tricks since the first round.
"The outcome is set, just wait for the good news," Liu Chengfeng thought to himself.
Tianji Shangren felt a sudden unease, taking out a row of Talismans.
At that moment, the weather changed dramatically!
Above everyone's heads, dense clouds suddenly gathered, layering the sky.
They grew denser and larger.
Within them, a rumbling sound emerged, like the roar of a thunder god, with purple lightning coalescing inside, brewing a terrifying thunderous might.
Tianji Shangren's pupils contracted in shock, "Is this... Pill Thunder?"
Liu Chengfeng's face changed drastically.
Most of the people present were confused.
Only a few elder cultivators had heard of Pill Thunder, their expressions turning to shock, their hearts stirring with immense waves.
Cultivators have thunder tribulations, Demonic Beasts have thunder tribulations, and pills also have thunder tribulations!
However, Pill Thunder is extremely rare, requiring two conditions to be met.
The first condition is that the pill exceeds third grade, meaning above the Core Formation Stage.
The second condition is that such a pill has never been created before.
This is the first time this pill has appeared, triggering Pill Thunder.
In ancient times, Pill Thunder was common, with great cultivators often creating new pills, forming their own schools, and triggering countless Pill Thunders, causing a sensation.
But as time passed, such conditions no longer existed, and it was rare to see brilliant alchemists creating entirely new pills.
Nowadays, people mostly follow the paths of their predecessors, using their pills, never attempting to innovate.
"What kind of pill is this to trigger Pill Thunder?"
Tianji Shangren was genuinely shocked, not pretending.
You can't just create any third-grade pill and expect to trigger Pill Thunder; the pill must have certain value, recognized by the heavens and earth!
It's akin to a cultivator forming a core, defying the heavens, triggering a thunder tribulation.
"Not good, retreat quickly!"
Liu Chengfeng's face changed dramatically as a thunderbolt as thick as a barrel suddenly descended from the clouds above, striking Xu Bai's pill.
Lightning scattered, exploding with a deafening roar, shaking the heavens and earth, even causing the Void to tremble. Liu Chengfeng, next to it, was caught in the blast, sent flying.
Liu Chengfeng spat blood and staggered back, his pill furnace also thrown aside, barely avoiding being overturned with his desperate control.
Tianji Shangren, more composed, retreated in time, protecting his pill from the lightning.
When a cultivator crosses a tribulation, having other cultivators nearby will also attract the heavenly tribulation.
The same principle applies to pill tribulations; if there are other pills nearby, they will also attract lightning.
Tianji Shangren watched Xu Bai, bathed in Pill Thunder, with a flicker in his eyes. A female puppet appeared in his sleeve, but after a moment of hesitation, he shook his head and put it away.
Liu Chengfeng, protecting his pill, retreated to the farthest point.
At this moment, his Great Golden Essence Pill was full of cracks, nearly destroyed by the earlier blast.
"It's over, it's all over!" Liu Chengfeng's face was as grim as if he had eaten something foul.
Not only him, but everyone from the Heavenly Puppet Sect was stunned, their faces ashen.
"How could this happen?" Bai Luo couldn't believe it.
This was the final round, the one they were sure they could turn the tables with.
They had prepared long in advance, even bringing out the great fortune of the metal element's inheritance, the Great Sun Golden Flame, to overturn the situation in the pill refining segment.
In fact, according to their plan, overtaking the score and seizing first place was a sure thing!
But then, a heaven-defying pill triggered Pill Thunder.
Is there any comparison left?
"Everyone, don't panic. Triggering Pill Thunder only indicates that the pill is innovative; it doesn't mean its quality surpasses the Great Golden Essence Pill," Li Si said calmly.
Creating a never-before-seen pill and triggering Pill Thunder is indeed a rare feat.
But can that pill, in terms of quality, surpass the Great Golden Essence Pill? That's a quasi-fourth-grade pill; unless it's a true fourth-grade pill, there's no chance.
Hearing Li Si's words, the crowd came to their senses, finding his reasoning sound.