Wen Mochen walked at the front with his hands clasped behind his back. Xu Huaishan and several assisting disciples guided the group of competitors following closely behind. They soon arrived at a side hall located to the right of the main hall.
Though called a side hall, its size was by no means small. The spacious central area was lined with numerous small chambers along its periphery – these would be the individual rooms where each competing disciple would later refine their pills.
Wen Mochen stopped and turned to face the assembled disciples. His expression remained placid as he announced: "The task for this competition is to refine Grade 2 Spirit Nurturing Pellets. Each of you will receive three sets of spirit herb materials. The time limit is three hours. Once you receive your herbs, select a room immediately. The timer starts the moment you enter!"
His abrupt announcement caught everyone off guard. Wen Mochen offered no preamble, no instructions beyond the essentials. After a moment of stunned silence, the disciples surged towards Xu Huaishan and the other recording disciples to collect their materials. They then hurriedly chose rooms and disappeared inside to begin their refinement.
Hearing the task was to refine Grade 2 Spirit Nurturing Pellets, Lin Feng was slightly surprised. The materials for these pellets were incredibly precious; it was remarkable that the Lingyue Sect was willing to use them so freely for a disciple competition. However, the Spirit Nurturing Pellet was indeed an excellent test of alchemical skill. His initial worry had been that the challenge might involve a pill he didn't know how to make. Now, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the refinement method for Grade 2 Spirit Nurturing Pellets and had practiced it numerous times.
After most others had collected their materials and entered their rooms, Lin Feng finally collected his own set. He chose an inconspicuous chamber near the edge and stepped inside.
Closing the door behind him, Lin Feng surveyed the room. It was roughly five meters square and sparsely furnished, but the soundproofing seemed excellent. With the door shut, the outside world felt completely cut off – an ideal environment for focused pill refinement.
Moreover, upon entering, Lin Feng immediately noticed the temperature rise significantly. The concentration of fire-attributed spiritual energy within the room was noticeably denser than outside. Closer inspection revealed the reason: the walls appeared to be constructed with fire-attributed ore blended into the material. This enhanced the activity of the fire spiritual energy within, making pill refinement considerably easier.
In the center of the room was a shallow depression specifically designed to hold a cauldron. The base of this depression was made of a fiery red stone slab, clearly a higher-grade fire ore. Placing a cauldron here would allow for better concentration and control of the refining flames.
In short, every feature of the room was meticulously designed for pill refinement, promising twice the result for half the effort.
After finishing his assessment, Lin Feng walked over to a meditation cushion placed against the inner wall and sat down. He retrieved his pill cauldron and then inspected the herb pouch he had been given.
True to Wen MoChen's word, the pouch contained three complete sets of materials for refining Grade 2 Spirit Nurturing Pellets. With a three-hour limit, refining three cauldrons full was essentially the maximum possible. So, even if someone had brought extra materials, it would be largely useless. Of course, if a disciple ruined all three sets quickly due to poor initial performance, using their own backup materials to continue wouldn't be against the rules.
"Whew... Alright, let's begin!"
Lin Feng settled his mind and focused his concentration. Raising his right hand, he channeled true essence, summoning a plume of spiritual fire. He directed it into the cauldron. As the refining flames ignited, he tossed in the first set of herbs.
Why use spiritual fire instead of Magma Flame? The reason was obvious: caution. With a sect elder like Wen Mochen present outside, unleashing an Unorthodox Flame would undoubtedly be detected, inviting unnecessary trouble. So, spiritual fire it had to be.
Refining with spiritual fire was naturally more challenging than using an Unorthodox Flame. However, Lin Feng had practiced diligently over the past ten days and encountered no major issues. Under his precise control, the herbs within the cauldron were gradually purified and fused.
Time flowed steadily. Over forty minutes later, Lin Feng felt his true essence reserves dip below half. He retrieved a top-grade Essence Replenishing Pellet and swallowed it, swiftly restoring his energy.
A short while later, just as the refinement of this first cauldron was nearing completion, the flames within the cauldron suddenly flickered violently, becoming unstable. Before Lin Feng could correct it, a muffled 'Bang!' sounded. The entire cauldron shuddered, and the distinct, acrid smell of burnt herbs wafted out.
Lin Feng frowned, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. I'm still lacking skill, he sighed inwardly. Despite having ample materials for practice over the past six months, the time ultimately felt too short. Refining Grade 2 Spirit Nurturing Pellets, one of the more challenging pills in its tier, still didn't guarantee success.
He didn't let it discourage him, though. Wasting one set of materials and roughly an hour wasn't a catastrophe. In his plan, successfully refining just one cauldron should still give him a fighting chance to qualify.
After clearing the charred residue from the cauldron, Lin Feng took another Essence Replenishing Pellet. Only then did he commence the refinement of the second batch.
Another hour elapsed. Lin Feng, who had remained intensely focused and solemn throughout, suddenly flashed a spark of joy in his eyes. He raised his right hand and placed it firmly on the cauldron lid, closing his eyes as if pouring his entire being into controlling the flames within.
The refining fire inside the cauldron visibly surged brighter. Moments later, a faint medicinal fragrance began to emanate from the vessel. However, this scent carried a subtle undertone of charring. This indicated that while the pills had formed, their quality was mediocre at best – likely mid-grade, with some potentially only low-grade.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the moment to open the cauldron and collect the finished pellets. Yet, Lin Feng didn't immediately do so. Instead, he remained utterly focused, his senses locked onto the cauldron's interior. His true essence surged within him as he mentally commanded: "Renew!"
Boom!!
Instantly, the flames inside the cauldron flared intensely once more. A peculiar energy seemed to permeate the interior. In the blink of an eye, an intoxicatingly rich medicinal aroma, many times more potent than before, billowed forth from the cauldron.
Lin Feng opened his eyes, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips. Only then did he wave his right hand, lifting the cauldron lid. A surge of true essence gently wrapped around the contents, lifting out the finished pellets.
Seven pellets landed in Lin Feng's waiting palm. He examined them closely and nodded with satisfaction, murmuring to himself: "Three perfect quality... four high-quality with 10% damage. That should be sufficient..."
The transformation from what should have been mid or even low-grade pills into high-grade ones was, of course, the work of his Renewal Technique. Crucially, this time was different: Lin Feng had repaired the pills through the cauldron walls, without physically touching them.
This was the 'new application' of the Renewal Technique he had experimented with and discovered the very night he decided to participate in the competition ten days prior. Previously, he had always needed to physically hold the item he wished to repair. Through experimentation, he realized physical contact wasn't strictly necessary. As long as he could envelop the target with his refining flames, he could activate the Renewal Technique.
For this second refinement, Lin Feng hadn't used all the herbs in the set for the initial pill formation. He had set aside a small portion as 'backup material'. Once the pills were formed but still flawed, this backup material was consumed by the Renewal Technique to repair the freshly made pellets. This explained why a set of materials typically yielding ten pellets only produced seven this time.
Lin Feng had gone through the trouble of developing this method of repairing pills within the cauldron out of caution. Retrieving the flawed pills and then visibly holding them while repairing them risked exposure. Even though he was alone in the room, someone using their spiritual sense to probe could potentially detect his actions. By repairing them inside the cauldron before opening it, he believed that even if someone scanned his room, they were unlikely to scrutinize the inside of his sealed cauldron in minute detail.
In truth, Lin Feng was probably being overly cautious. With nearly forty competitors, Elder Wen Mochen outside couldn't possibly monitor everyone closely. His attention would likely focus only on the most outstanding disciples. An unfamiliar outer disciple like Lin Feng wouldn't warrant a second glance. However, the Renewal Technique was Lin Feng's most profound and perilous secret – absolutely non-negotiable when it came to exposure. Better safe than sorry. Even if this caution proved unnecessary for this specific instance, the new application of the Renewal Technique he'd uncovered would undoubtedly prove immensely valuable in the future.
...
Lin Feng carefully stored the seven pellets. Then, without delay, he began the refinement of the third and final set of Spirit Nurturing Pellet materials.
Another stretch of time passed. The third batch of pills was completed, but the outcome wasn't as favorable as the second. Upon formation, most were only low-grade, with even two completely useless dreg pills. Naturally, this presented no obstacle for Lin Feng. After another application of the Renewal Technique, the pills that emerged from the cauldron were uniformly high-grade quality. The reason they were only high-grade and not higher was a lack of sufficient backup repair material – similar to how only three pellets could be perfected in the second batch. There simply wasn't enough residual energy from the consumed backup herbs to push them to perfect quality.
This limitation was fully within Lin Feng's calculations. He wasn't foolish enough to transform all his pills into perfect quality. That level of perfection would be far too conspicuous and could easily arouse suspicion.
After inspecting the seven high-grade Spirit Nurturing Pellets in his hand, Lin Feng glanced at the timer beside him. The timing was perfect; the three-hour limit was just about to expire.
He stowed his cauldron away, swallowed another Essence Replenishing Pellet, and took a few minutes to regulate his breathing and recover his energy. Only then, precisely as the allotted time ended, did he step out of the room…