Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit

Lu Ping was surprised. The other alchemists in the main palace were also caught off guard by Wei Xu-Ren’s shameless words.

Dao-Yan could only stare at the enraged Tian-Hu with anxiety; he feared that he would be unable to stop Tian-Hu in time if he suddenly attacked Wei Xu-Ren. Although he knew it was unlikely for Tian-Hu to actually kill Wei Xu-Ren, he was still worried. If a grandmaster alchemist of the Xuan Ling Sect died in the hands of a cultivator from the Zhen Ling Sect, there would be an all-out warfare.

Dao-Yan was also holding a grudge against Wei Xu-Ren. “I understand that you want to vent your frustration after advancing to the grandmaster level. I also don’t mind if you want to get revenge by teaching the juniors of the Zhen Ling Sect a lesson at the cost of your pride and image. However, you’ve crossed the line! How can you still persistently pester the young man when it is clear that he’s overcome all the odds single-handedly? If you want to be a laughingstock, then be my guest. But you shouldn’t drag the sect down with you!”

“Enough!” Dao-Yan finally interfered.

Unfortunately, Wei Xu-Ren’s emotions had already gotten the better of him. He completely dismissed Dao-Yan’s words, and continued, “According to the rules of the conference, every participant is required to enter the palace using the means of an alchemist. Yet, here you are, fending off our attacks with wonder water? This is nonsense! Do you think that wonder water is capable of concocting pellets?”

Silence descended in the palace. The alchemists who had approved of Lu Ping’s capabilities were left curious, so they examined the water circling Lu Ping. “So that’s how it is! It’s the Earth-Class Magnificent Wave Water. When paired with the Eastern Violet Fire, it’s no wonder that he managed to hold off the Flame of Blazing Comet.”

The alchemists ignored the fact that Lu Ping had broken the rules slightly. From their point of view, Wei Xu-Ren was the one at fault. Despite only using an alchemists’ methods, Wei Xu-Ren broke the rules by moving against Lu Ping multiple times. They thought that it was inappropriate, “You can’t expect a weaker cultivator to redeem himself by committing suicide after being defeated by a stronger cultivator that intentionally attacks him multiple times. That’s absolute nonsense!”

Lu Ping was at a loss for words with regard to Wei Xu-Ren’s shameless performance. Entirely oblivious to the situation, Wei Xu-Ren continued, “No alchemist can concoct pellets with water. I suggest you leave this place as quickly as possible because you have broken the rules. There’s no place for you here.”

His words fell on deaf ears; Lu Ping ignored him and continued into the palace.

Wei Xu-Ren suddenly realized that the other alchemists had not acknowledged his words. However, that didn’t mean that they disagreed with his words. After all, the rules in the alchemist's world were incredibly strict. If it weren’t for the fact that Wei Xu-Ren had incurred their dissatisfaction, they wouldn’t have allowed Lu Ping to enter. Lu Ping had broken the rules, and if they allowed him to enter, they, too, would be breaking them. The master alchemists all shifted their gazes to the grandmaster alchemists sitting on the head seats.

The grandmaster alchemists then looked toward Tian-Hu. It was clear that no one was willing to risk offending Tian-Hu. They were waiting for him to say something, but kept his eyes closed, refused to say a word, and showed no intentions of doing anything. The grandmaster alchemists were clueless about what to do next.

Lu Ping turned toward Wei Xu-Ren, and mocked, “Who told you that?”

He then retrieved a couple of average-looking spirit herbs from his interspatial ring, and with a flick of his hand, the Magnificent Wave Water turned into a cauldron. A wave emerged from the cauldron and dragged the spirit herbs into the cauldron, concocting a Blood Condensation Realm pellet on the spot.

Many alchemists were surprised. They said, “What is this? How did he do it?”

“This is a technique that exists only in the legends! So it’s real?”

“Wei Xu-Ren is just a clown, even if he is a grandmaster alchemist!”

“Hehe, the Xuan Ling Sect really is….”

Wei Xu-Ren was stunned. As a grandmaster alchemist, he had heard of such a technique, but he had considered it a myth this whole time. After witnessing the technique being displayed by Lu Ping, he was in awe, and murmured, “H-How is this possible?”

Wei Xu-Ren did not want to give up, but Dao-Yan shook his head, and said, “So that’s the Wonder Water Concoction Technique? The result is clear. Master Lu, please have a seat.”

After Dao-Yan personally acknowledged Lu Ping’s qualifications, it appeared as if the Xuan Ling Sect had given in to the Zhen Ling Sect.

In fact, Dao-Yan was left with no choice after Wei Xu-Ren crossed the line. Tian-Hu’s anger also harbored some killing intent toward Wei Xu-Ren. Even if the Xuan Ling Sect wasn’t afraid of the Zhen Ling Sect, they couldn’t say much if Tian-Hu killed Wei Xu-Ren because Wei Xu-Ren was at fault.

Dao-Yan frowned after catching sight of a distraught Wei Xu-Ren. Just as he wanted to say something, Lu Ping walked up to Tian-Hu, and said, “Since this is a competition between alchemists, and I’m abiding by the rules, it’s now my move.”

Then, Lu Ping sent a couple of pellets of different colors to the alchemists that had attacked him just now.

“What’s that?”

The alchemists looked at the incoming pellets in confusion.

A handful of cultivators recognized the pellets and became wary of what was about to happen, while the clueless cultivators also felt nervous. However, there were some alchemists that did not take the pellets seriously.

As the pellets got closer, an enormous wave of spiritual energy gushed out before erupting, unleashing various attacks that swarmed the challengers.

“Belligerent Pellets! Those are Belligerent Pellets!”

“This man knows the legendary Wonder Water Concoction Technique and how to concoct Belligerent Pellets!”

“Outstanding!”

“What is he doing? How dare he challenge so many master alchemists at the same time?”

The pellets Lu Ping hurled out produced different results. Some turned into a black flame and venomous fog, which was the Black Prison Poison Fire. Others turned into tiny icicles that shot toward the alchemists.

During his free time, Lu Ping had concocted the pellets as part of his training. The reason he had used them was to relieve the worries that the challengers felt. Previously, Tian-Hu had threatened them out of anger, and given the power of the Zhen Ling Sect, he feared that the challengers would take it seriously. When that happened, they would inevitably become enemies of the sect, and in the long run, the sect would become isolated.

Lu Ping was aware that such low-class Belligerent Pellets couldn’t pose a threat to the challengers. However, like most alchemists, these challengers were not excellent fighters. With the element of surprise, Lu Ping managed to throw them off balance.

While the pellets barely posed a threat, Wei Xu-Ren faced the most dangerous situation.

Wei Xu-Ren had attacked Lu Ping three times, so Lu Ping hurled three Belligerent Pellets at him. These Belligerent Pellets had all been concocted recently after Lu Ping had advanced into the middle stage of the Core Forging Realm. They were the strongest Belligerent Pellets in his possession.

A purple pellet exploded first, launching a spiritual sword toward Wei Xu-Ren that came slashing down at him.

It was the True Origin One Essence Sword Art!

Wei Xu-Ren wasn’t focused at first, distracted by his disappointing failure. However, as a late Core Forging Realm cultivator, he was no stranger to combat. When Lu Ping’s attack arrived, Wei Xu-Ren returned to his senses. In a split second, Wei Xu-Ren revealed his cauldron, positioning it between him and the attack.

Bang!

The attack struck the cauldron. The impact was so powerful that Wei Xu-Ren flinched.

Lu Ping narrowed his eyes after noticing the top-tiered cauldron. “Using a cauldron to defend himself from an attack? Now that’s lavish. Not everyone can afford a top-tiered cauldron. The Xuan Ling Sect really is rich!”

Lu Ping’s attack did not stop there. After the sword attack, another pellet exploded, unleashing a barrage of summoned swords. As the swords rained down on the cauldron, a series of ear-deafening sounds could be heard. Dao Yan’s mouth twitched rapidly, while Tian-Hu burst out laughing.

However, a top-tiered cauldron was a spirit-emerging mythic item, and the pellets’ power was nowhere near as strong as the attacks Lu Ping could unleash using the Golden Scale Sword. As a result, the cauldron was still intact, but it wasn’t left unscathed. Dents had been created all over the cauldron; Wei Xu-Ren felt his heart ache after noticing this.

Lu Ping couldn’t help but feel disappointed after seeing his attacks fail to break through the cauldron’s defense, despite knowing that these pellets didn’t represent his actual strength.

But all hope wasn’t lost; there was still a third pellet!