The Supreme Pill Is Formed

　　Chen Xia was almost nodding off when the Jiamu Mountain Ancestor's words snapped him back to attention.

　　Zhen Hu frowned slightly, uncertain of how to proceed.

　　From below, the Jiamu Mountain Ancestor called out again, "Why aren't you coming down? Are you shy or something? Whether it's a donkey or a horse, it has to be brought out for a show. Are you going to hide behind us?"

　　"Give me the ingredients," Chen Xia said in a calm tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

　　Zhen Hu dared not refuse and pulled out a storage ring from his robe, handing it over to Chen Xia respectfully. "All the ingredients are inside. Some were obtained with great effort, even purchased from the upper realms through various channels."

　　"I'll pay for the ingredients," Chen Xia nodded, taking the storage ring. His green robe fluttered gently in the breeze as he stepped forward.

　　The breeze trembled.

　　His figure appeared at the center of the alchemy area, hair barely moving, held together by a gust of wind he summoned. He smiled lightly at the crowd and spoke softly to the Jiamu Mountain Ancestor.

　　"I'm neither a donkey nor a horse. Can you guess what I am?"

　　The Jiamu Mountain Ancestor shook his head with a laugh. "How would I know what you are? A pig or a dog, I wouldn't be able to guess."

　　"I'm your father," Chen Xia said, tilting his head slightly with a light smile.

　　The chatter among the spectators came to an abrupt halt. The tension had been palpable since the Jiamu Mountain Ancestor first called out to the Starry Sky Pill Sect.

　　No one expected the tension to escalate so quickly.

　　The audience feared that the two might skip directly to combat, bypassing the alchemy competition entirely.

　　"Bravado is easy, but let's see if your alchemy skills match your mouth," the Jiamu Mountain Ancestor sneered.

　　"I hope you can continue to speak like this afterward," Chen Xia replied calmly before starting to retrieve the alchemy materials from the storage item.

　　First, he took out a cauldron. Since Chen Xia didn't have a dedicated cauldron, Zhen Hu had specially prepared one for him, which looked new and was of good quality.

　　The Jiamu Mountain Ancestor laughed disdainfully. "How can you bring out such a brand-new cauldron for alchemy? Don't tell me you don't have one yourself?"

　　Chen Xia glanced at him, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes before he quickly suppressed it. He exhaled, reminding himself not to rush and not to let his anger take control.

　　He rapidly took out the ingredients without much sorting, tossing them all into the cauldron. Reaching under the cauldron, he snapped his fingers, and flames erupted instantly.

　　It wasn't a powerful pill fire, but it was sufficient.

　　The spectators furrowed their brows, puzzled.

　　"How can someone use such alchemy methods? Never seen this before. This pill fire isn't even top-tier; it doesn't even qualify as excellent."

　　"The ingredients, did anyone notice what he used?"

　　"Couldn't see clearly. He threw everything in without any preparation steps. How does he plan to refine pills like this? Will he end up with just a high-grade spirit medicine, making a fool of himself?"

　　"Probably not. After all, he's the newly appointed Grand Elder of the Starry Sky Pill Sect, and they're protecting him. He shouldn't just refine a high-grade spirit medicine."

　　"Strange, hard to understand. Can someone really refine pills like this without processing the ingredients, using only pill fire to start burning?"

　　The spectators continued to murmur.

　　Chen Xia remained unhurried. He lit the fire, added water, then closed the lid with a light smile.

　　"Wait two hours," he said.

　　This was his method of refining pills—boiling the ingredients to release their medicinal properties and blend them together. It was a form of ingredient processing, albeit an unconventional one. Only Chen Xia could use this method, as it lacked traditional basis but saved time and effort.

　　Other alchemists watched with furrowed brows, unsure how to react, waiting to see what Chen Xia would do after two hours.

　　Two hours passed swiftly.

　　A strange fragrance began to waft from the cauldron, unlike the usual aroma of refined medicines. It smelled more like...

　　Cooked.

　　All eyes were on Chen Xia, curious to see what would happen next.

　　Chen Xia opened the lid, and a slender flying sword appeared in his hand, stirring inside the pot.

　　"Almost done," he nodded, suddenly bursting into intense flames, slapping them onto the cauldron. The flames surged, melting the entire cauldron.

　　This wasn't random. It was a legitimate alchemy technique called Burst Flame, using extremely hot flames to increase temperature, accelerating the release and fusion of medicinal properties.

　　While not difficult, it was unprecedentedly peculiar.

　　Especially Chen Xia's Burst Flame technique, which resembled... stir-frying.

　　The Jiamu Mountain Ancestor couldn't help but laugh, his face full of mockery.

　　"I thought the Starry Sky Pill Sect sent a real alchemist, but it turns out you're a chef, ha!"

　　Other cultivators couldn't hold back their laughter either. Chen Xia's method indeed resembled cooking, especially the Burst Flame technique. Why was he flipping the pot?

　　This wasn't normal.

　　The fragrance from the cauldron gradually faded, and Chen Xia kept flipping the pot.

　　The Jiamu Mountain Ancestor's mocking smile grew more pronounced. "Already exploded. Still calling it alchemy? No idea what level of pill it is. If it's a low-grade spirit medicine that exploded, that's rare."

　　"I overestimated you. Thought you'd challenge my nearly complete high-grade Dao Medicine. Disappointing."

　　Chen Xia suddenly looked up, his expression serious. "With your ten-thousand-year lifespan as sacrifice, success!"

　　The Jiamu Mountain Ancestor froze, then resumed his mocking smile, about to retort.

　　Boom!

　　A loud thunderclap echoed.

　　The sky was filled with dense lightning, with large and small heavenly thunder dragons swirling around. In the center, a tiny emerald-green dragon poked its head out, emitting a terrifying aura.

　　"What is this? Such a vast celestial tribulation?!"

　　"This is a Pill Dragon, a Pill Dragon! Haven't seen one in ten thousand years!"

　　"What kind of pill can cause such a vast tribulation? The Starry Sky Pill Sect's alchemist really succeeded, but…how is that possible?!"

　　"Unbelievable, utterly absurd!"

　　The Jiamu Mountain Ancestor stared at the Pill Dragon in the sky, his expression bewildered. After a moment, he slowly looked back at Chen Xia on the ground.

　　Chen Xia smiled lightly at him, nodding slowly.

　　"Thank you."