Chapter 419: 418: Is it not easy to let someone sleep?
There was no place for automatic alchemy machines in the top three of the Foundation Establishment Stage and Golden Core Stage.
When it came to the Nascent Soul Stage and Divinity Transformation Stage, this was truly about pitting one’s actual alchemy skills.
Alchemists and pill furnaces competed fiercely, cataclysms of alchemy emerged, flares shot towards the sky, and the fragrance of medicine was thick in the air.
Jian Jun would frequently nod as he watched this. He learned quite a few things.
In the end, the pill furnace won by a narrow margin and the alchemists lost the wind.
However, the alchemists were not discouraged, because what ultimately determined whether the alchemists or the pill furnaces were stronger was the competition at the Body Integration Realm.
This was the crucial point!
“Now please welcome Su Wei, the chief of Dao Sect’s Alchemy Peak, and the Red Crow Furnace.” Su Wei, as a participant, couldn’t be the host, so the Great Yong Dynasty sent the sixth prince to assist in the alchemy competition.
“Next, is the Sect Master of the Lingyao Sect and his pill furnace.”
“As well as two elixir refining hermits: Jin Li, Chen Jian who have secluded themselves for a thousand years and just emerged from the mountains today!”
Jiang Li and Jian Jun walked onto the stage acting calm, pretending to be at the Body Integration Realm without blushing.
Ordinarily, Jian Jun, being a gentlemanly sort, would have felt embarrassed by this, but having Jiang Li set the precedent, he was resigned to masquerade as a cultivator at the Body Integration Realm
“Since the Body Integration Realm can refine too many elixirs, it’s not quite fair to determine the victory based on a single match. As per tradition, there will be three rounds of competition to decide the winner.”
“Let the competition begin.”
“In the first round, alchemists, who are also apothecaries, have the ability to increase cultivation and heal people with their refined elixirs.”
The Great Yong Dynasty brought forth a female cultivator. Unlike most female cultivators that Jiang Li had encountered, this one had deep dark circles under her eyes and looked listless, yawning and drowsy, appearing as though she would fall asleep at any moment.
“This female cultivator’s cultivation level has increased quickly due to her dry sun physique. The side effect is difficulty in entering a state of meditation. Achieving peaceful sleep and entering concentration, which most cultivators find easy, is a struggle for her.”
“This cultivator has reached three hundred years. According to her, she has seldom had the opportunity to rest peacefully. Although she is always yawning, she can never fall asleep.”
“We ask all the alchemy masters to help this female cultivator fall asleep and rest.”
“Just a reminder, this female cultivator has more than just one issue. Please pay attention while treating her.”
Su Wei was surprised, “A raw sun physique, this is a rare physique. Typically it only appears in male practitioners, and even if they’re unable to fall asleep, it’s not this serious. As you level up your cultivation, you can slowly control it.”
“But she is a female cultivator, her yin spirit is incompatible with her yang physique, and as her cultivation level rises, this conflict will only intensify and she will find it even harder to sleep.”
Even Su Wei had not seen such a case before, and could only speculate based on theoretical analysis.
“Though the situation is rare, it cannot escape the medical principles of the Five Elements. As long as the Five Elements return to balance, all problems can be solved.” Su Wei subscribed to the Five Elements World Creation Theory, believing that the human body, much like the world, embodies the Five Elements. As long as the Five Elements within the body are balanced, disease will not arise.
All present bear the pride of an alchemist and believe that they will not be stumped by this alchemy competition, each of them wearing a confident smile.
The patient is just one, whoever cures her first, wins! They need to be fast!
Body Integration Realm alchemists show their magic. Incredibly brilliant alchemy methods emerge one after another, even legendary alchemy techniques such as “One Heart Multitask”, “Hand-Refining Medicine”, “Formation in the Air”, “Nine Dragons Gathering Fire” make their appearances. The spectators cheer continuously.
Jiang Li and Jian Jun exchange a glance, feeling a bit lost. They are not familiar with alchemy and have no idea how superb these demonstrated alchemical techniques are.
“Should I also perform something?” Jian Jun said. When everyone else was demonstrating their divine skills, he felt a bit embarrassed to keep his abilities a secret.
“Perform what?”
“Like using a sword to split a pill furnace.”
“…”
Half an hour later, the sect master of Lingyao Sect was the first to refine an elixir.
“Sect Master Huang, can you introduce your elixir?” The sixth prince of the Great Sui Dynasty stokes the excitement.
“This pill was created on the spur of the moment. I call it the ‘Deep Sleep Pill’. Take one and you can sleep for ten days, without the chance of waking due to any circumstances.”
The sixth prince of the Great Sui Dynasty thought to himself, doesn’t this sound like something harmful?
Then it dawned on him that the Lingyao sect started by refining poison, and only later did they respond to the call to go legit.
“Let us look forward to Master Huang’s performance.”
The sect master of Lingyao sect handed the pill to the female cultivator: “Take it, and you’ll be able to sleep.”
She took it and frowned. She then retched and threw it up, continuing to do so.
The female cultivator apologized saying, “I have a narrow throat, I can’t swallow such a large pill.”
The Red Crow Furnace at the side mocked, “Master Huang, you didn’t observe closely. No wonder you have always lost to my Alchemy child; this cultivator can’t take a pill as big as this, it’s evident at first glance!”
“Let’s see how you intend to resolve this!” the sect master of Lingyao sect clenched his teeth in anger.
“Very simple, I will just turn the pill into a liquid.” Next to the Red Crow Furnace floated a mass of medicinal liquid.
The female cultivator drained the medicine in one gulp but still looked like she wanted to sleep without being able to.
The female cultivator explained: “My body has a mix of yin and yang energies, any pill or potion that enters my body will be broken apart, making it impossible for me absorb the medicinal properties.”
“Red Crow, it looks like your abilities only go so far. You didn’t even sense the physical state of the patient.” Now it was Su Wei’s turn to mock the Red Crow Furnace.
As Su Wei lifted his furnace lid, a refreshing scent quickly permeated the arena, making people want to fall asleep.
“Since she can’t consume elixirs, let’s use the scent of the elixir to help her sleep. My elixir scent has the effect of calming the heart and solidifying the spirit. It can put crying babies to sleep and when a cultivator smells it, they will be hard to wake for three days.”
Su Wei placed the elixir beside the female cultivator. The strong elixir scent made her drowsy, but she just couldn’t fall asleep.
She was so close, so close to falling asleep.
As she yawned, she explained: “The scent of the elixir is also considered a drug. The scent penetrates into my body and is broken down by the yin and yang energies. I can only absorb a small portion of the medicinal properties.”
“I suggest using a medicinal bath; baths can absorb the most properties from the medicine.” the sect master of Lingyao Sect proposed, normal elixirs can’t solve the female cultivator’s problem, the form of the elixir needs to be changed.
“What’s the use of a medicinal bath? How likely is it to work? Let me handle this, didn’t you hear her say that my elixir scent was a little effective? If I make increase the dosage, I can definitely make her sleep.”
“Stop talking nonsense, Su Wei. You are surreptitiously yawning, don’t think I didn’t notice that you have also been affected by your elixir. If you increase the dosage any further, as soon as the furnace is opened and the elixir is done you will be the first to fall asleep.”
“So what’s your solution?”
“I am a pill furnace, I don’t sleep. Let me refine this elixir which releases the sweet scent.”
“Its clearly my idea, Red Crow furnace, how dare you confidently claim it as your own. Don’t I have the ability to shut off my sense of smell when the den opens?”
Whilst the two of them were squabbling, Jiang Li came up behind the female cultivator and with one chop of his hand, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Why not just do that?”