The remaining poor souls, unable to afford the auction for the Spirit Guide, were eliminated but managed to keep their lives.
Gu Qingfeng watched as they slinked away in defeat, feeling a surge of satisfaction. He had saved so many young and vibrant lives.
The second stage, which had always been a bloodbath in the past, had not seen a single injury today under his leadership. Truly, his merit was immeasurable.
As for the two who were sent flying... well, they didn’t count as people.
Delighted, Gu Qingfeng gleefully counted the gold he had earned. The dazzling golden light was so bright it made his eyes water, and tears streamed down his face.
As for heading to the third stage?
Gu Qingfeng wasn’t in a hurry at all. No matter what the challenge was, he could easily pass it with his strength. If worse came to worst and he couldn’t clear the stage, he could just punch his way through.
Even if someone else got to the inheritance first, it didn’t matter. Whoever took it, he’d just kill them.
A Dragon Transformation Realm expert entering a secret realm set up by a Grandmaster? It was as easy as breathing.
What was the big deal? Counting his money was more important.
......
The third stage.
It was a massive alchemy room, surrounded by solid stone walls as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out to create it.
In the room stood one hundred bronze alchemy cauldrons, each accompanied by a stone table laden with an array of medicinal ingredients. The cauldrons were arranged in ten rows and ten columns, each separated by dozens of meters and covered by a translucent barrier.
In the next moment, a blinding white light flashed within the barrier of the first row and first column. The light lingered for a moment before fading, revealing the figure of Li Xiaocui standing inside.
Li Xiaocui stood calmly within the barrier, her eyes fixed on the alchemy cauldron before her, which was roughly twice her height. There was no trace of surprise in her gaze, as if she had long known what the third stage entailed.
At that moment, the voice of the Guardian Spirit echoed within her barrier.
“The third stage tests your alchemy skills. Using the tools before you, you must refine a Seven-Colored Jade Pill within two hours. Only the top ten to succeed will be allowed to proceed to the inheritance site.”
Li Xiaocui’s expression remained impassive as she immediately picked up the ingredients from the stone table and began refining the Jade Pill. Her movements were practiced and precise, as if she had done this countless times before.
Soon after, a white light flashed in the barrier of the first row and second column. When the light faded, the figure of a prodigy from the Spirit Herb Mountain appeared.
The Guardian Spirit’s voice echoed within his barrier as well, repeating the same instructions Li Xiaocui had heard.
The Spirit Herb Mountain prodigy took a deep breath, focused his mind, and began refining the pill.
As time passed, more and more barriers lit up with white light, and figures who had obtained Spirit Guides appeared one after another. Upon hearing the Guardian Spirit’s instructions, they all began refining the pill without delay.
No one spoke, and no one looked around. Everyone was focused entirely on their task, racing against time to refine the pill.
Only the top ten would be allowed to enter the inheritance site.
The Seven-Colored Jade Pill was a highly difficult pill to refine, but for the prodigies nurtured by the major factions, it wasn’t an insurmountable challenge. Most of them could refine it.
The real difficulty lay in the requirement for it to be of seven-color quality.
The quality of a pill referred to its potency.
The formation of a pill involved the collection and storage of ingredients, the selection of the cauldron, the control of the flame, and the refinement technique. Each of these steps could lead to a loss of medicinal potency, which was almost unavoidable.
If the potency loss was one-tenth, the pill would be of nine-color quality. A two-tenth loss would result in an eight-color pill, and so on.
A seven-color pill was considered high-quality, an eight-color pill was extremely rare, and a nine-color pill was something only the most elite alchemists could produce. As for a ten-color pill, it was the stuff of legends.
For the prodigies, achieving seven-color quality was possible with effort, but it was difficult to succeed on the first try. Even if they succeeded once, doing so quickly was another matter entirely.
Thus, this alchemy challenge was a serious test for everyone. Not only did they have to refine a pill that met the requirements, but they also had to do it faster than everyone else to secure a spot in the top ten!
Everyone appeared cautious and tense, including the prodigy from the Spirit Herb Mountain, who was fully focused and giving it his all.
Only Li Xiaocui remained expressionless, her delicate face showing no trace of nervousness. She looked completely at ease, as if she were in full control.
Her hands moved swiftly but steadily, like a textbook example of perfect alchemy.
During the refinement process, she even had the mental bandwidth to glance around and check on the progress of others, much like a frontrunner in a race casually looking back at the competition.
However, when she finished scanning the room, she panicked.
Her delicate hands trembled slightly, and the flames within her bronze cauldron nearly went out of control, threatening to cause an explosion.
Fortunately, her exceptional flame control skills allowed her to stabilize it in time.
So, why had she panicked?
It was simple. She noticed that all the barriers were occupied, meaning all one hundred spots had been filled. But among them, there was no sign of Gu Qingfeng!
This realization sent her into a frenzy. Her years of practiced composure vanished in an instant.
Where was Gu Qingfeng?
Why hadn’t he entered?
All one hundred spots were taken, so why wasn’t he here?!
Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed her mind.
Could he have... auctioned off his own Spirit Guide?!
The more Li Xiaocui thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Given Gu Qingfeng’s greedy, money-grubbing nature, it was entirely possible he’d do something like that. Otherwise, there was no explanation for his absence!
No way, no way!
Could he really be so shortsighted, selling his Spirit Guide just for some gold?!
Was the Alchemy King’s inheritance really worth less than a bit of gold to him?
This was a disaster. Without Gu Qingfeng, who would help her carry out the plan? How would she obtain the Immortality Pill?
Damn it! Was this fate?
A surge of anger welled up in Li Xiaocui’s chest. She stared at the alchemy cauldron before her, overwhelmed by a destructive impulse—a desire to smash everything in sight.
......
Meanwhile, in the second stage.
Gu Qingfeng finally finished counting his money. Beaming with joy, he stored all the gold in his spatial ring and prepared to head to the third stage.
“I wonder what the third stage is about. Has it already started?”
Gu Qingfeng muttered to himself, then began using his spiritual power to mimic the frequency of the Spirit Guide. Like picking a lock, he effortlessly stepped through the light gate.