Chapter 105: Dao Foundation Cultivator? The Formula for the Rejuvenation Pill!

An invisible pressure suddenly descended upon the hearts of the two men. It was an ineffable sensation, not the crushing weight of a high cultivation realm, but the profound sense of insignificance a mortal feels when standing before the vastness of heaven and earth.

"A Dao Foundation! It is absolutely a Dao Foundation!"

The moment Lingxu laid eyes on Lin You, he cursed the ancestors of the Insect Master to the eighteenth generation. No wonder they had been sent to stir up trouble with this pill-refining contest—they had been cast as nothing more than cannon fodder! Lingxu opened his mouth to explain himself to the master before him, but he knew that they were already riding a tiger; there was no choice but to see it through to the bitter end.

Daoist Hu Sheng was equally terrified, dreading that he might be crushed to death by a single palm strike from this master of the Dao Foundation for his previous actions. As for the personal disciple he had brought along—the very Senior Brother Li who had once looked down upon Zhao Fan—he was in an even more pathetic state. Under the gaze of the various heterodox cultivators, he trembled and collapsed to his knees. When his eyes met those of Zhao Fan, who sat among the guests, a sense of indescribable humiliation flooded his heart.

*Why him?* he wondered. *He is nothing but a base-born commoner! By what right does he sit above me?* This farm boy, whom he had once bullied at will, had suddenly transformed into an honored guest at an immortal banquet, a position far beyond his own reach. Yet he, a disciple of a sect, was forced to kneel on the ground, enduring the cold contempt of the crowd. *It’s unfair!* he screamed inwardly.

A stinging slap soon shocked him back to reality. He looked up, stunned, to see his master’s face, dark as a storm cloud, with cold, merciless eyes fixed upon him. "Get up and tend the furnace!" Hu Sheng hissed through gritted teeth, infuriated by his disciple’s disgraceful display.

Hu Sheng forced himself to remain calm, recovering some of his dignity as an alchemist. He bowed to Lin You, who sat at the head of the table. "I am Daoist Hu Sheng. Having heard that Senior Yuchen’s mastery of the pill path is peerless, I have come to seek your guidance."

At these words, the crowd could not help but chuckle. The tone he used now was a far cry from the arrogance they had heard earlier. Hu Sheng remained expressionless, showing not the slightest hint of embarrassment. A true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall; bowing to a master of the Dao Foundation was no shame. He began to calculate how he might lose the match without leaving a trace, preserving the senior's face while securing a path of survival for himself and Lingxu. As for the Insect Master, he would have to survive on his own.

Lin You sat upon the cloud dais, observing the farce below with neither joy nor sorrow. He had never truly taken this matter to heart; the so-called "pill contest" was merely a delusion of these people. However, this was a perfect opportunity to temper Zhao Fan, so that he might have something to show for his efforts when the time came to awaken Daoist Golden Toad.

***

Reflecting on this, Lin You nodded with a faint smile and called out to Zhao Fan, "Zhao Fan!"

"Disciple is here!" Zhao Fan straightened his posture, rose from his seat, and replied respectfully.

"You shall represent me in this pill contest. It will serve as a test for what you have learned over these past two days."

A stir ran through the crowd. Even Daoist Hu Sheng’s eyes flashed with anger, believing that Lin You was insulting them by sending a mere furnace-tending apprentice from the Pill Cauldron Sect to challenge him. But just as he was about to refuse, his eyes suddenly narrowed in shock, and he wisely clamped his mouth shut.

Lin You flicked his sleeve, and twenty emerald-like pills flew out, hovering in the void. Two of them were the size of pellets, pulsing with a life-like rhythm as they breathed in the surrounding spiritual energy. A single glance was enough to perceive the immense medicinal power contained within.

Hu Sheng’s eyes widened in disbelief as he recalled the descriptions of "Supreme Spirit Pills" from the ancient traditions he had inherited: *The pill sprouts apertures, manifests a spirit, breathes and stores energy, and births the wonders of creation!* The two pills before him were the perfect realization of those words. Had the alchemical attainments of this Daoist Yuchen truly reached such a height? How laughable that he had been so arrogant as to challenge such a person!

It was not just Hu Sheng; everyone present focused their gaze on those two supreme pills. They had never seen pills of such quality; even in their own traditions, there was no mention of medicine possessing such spiritual vitality. The twenty pills danced in the air like dragons before coming to rest between Zhao Fan and Hu Sheng.

Lin You spoke slowly: "Since this is a contest, there must be a wager. These twenty spirit pills shall be the prize for the winner."

"What?" Hu Sheng looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief. He had assumed the challenge was merely to humiliate him, but he never expected the master to be serious, even offering such precious pills as a stake. This left him baffled. Was the man simply handing him a gift?

Lingxu’s eyes lit up. Without waiting for Hu Sheng to speak, he immediately accepted. "Agreed! Our Alliance of Heterodox Cultivators accepts!" He shoved Hu Sheng, signaling him to agree at once. Hu Sheng did not hesitate further; why pass up such an easy gain? With these pills, his own cultivation could reach a new level.

The furnace was now warm. Hu Sheng took his place opposite Zhao Fan. Seeing that Zhao Fan held nothing in his hands, he frowned and asked, "Since you are the one challenging me, where is your furnace?"

***

Zhao Fan shook his head. "I have no need for a furnace!"

He bowed to Lin You and requested, "Senior, please grant me a copper basin and a basin of water. With these, I shall refine the pill."

A murmur of astonishment rippled through the crowd. How could one refine pills without a furnace? Even common apothecaries required a furnace to extract the medicinal essence. Using a water basin was nothing more than a child’s game.

Hu Sheng sneered, "Very well! I shall see what clever tricks a servant who sweeps the floors of my Pill Cauldron Sect can possibly possess!"

Soon, the paper-man attendant brought the requested items. Lin You flicked a pill recipe toward them. "Today’s contest is to refine the Beauty-Preserving Pill. The winner will be judged by the quality of the medicine. Do you have any objections?"

After reading it, they both shook their heads. "No objections!"

Though not a "spirit pill" in the highest sense, the Beauty-Preserving Pill was categorized among them. Unlike other pills, its color changed according to the quality of its essence. It was often used to test the skill of alchemists. There were five grades: gray-white was the lowest, blue-gray fourth, indigo was standard, rose-red was superior, and a deep, ruby-red was the supreme grade. Because the medicinal properties were volatile, the color shifted, making it a true test of an alchemist’s control over heat and essence. A common alchemist might reach the indigo grade, but to achieve a superior grade required years of immersion.

Hu Sheng inspected the medicinal herbs brought by the paper attendant and found them all to be of high quality. Relieved that there was no trickery in the materials, his confidence returned. He had practiced this pill for over a decade; how could a mere servant boy compete with his deep experience? Even if the boy had started refining in his mother’s womb, he could not possibly match him.

Hu Sheng smiled, nodding to Lingxu to set his mind at ease. Nearby, Senior Brother Li, who was fanning the flames, saw his master’s look of certain victory and felt a wave of malicious joy. He looked at Zhao Fan, who sat quietly before the copper basin, and secretly anticipated the pathetic, wandering look the boy would have once he lost.