Chapter 1331: The Will of Alchemy

"It's over. Master Ye is taking this seriously!"

"There is no chance at all. That Ling Feng is far too foolish. He actually dared to provoke Master Ye."

"That devil is unbeatable!"

Lu Yu and the other outer sect disciples clenched their fists tightly. They were even more nervous than Ling Feng himself, who was engaged in the "duel" with Ye Xiong.

It had to be said that although Ye Xiong looked rough and crude, his movements during alchemy were extraordinarily meticulous. When handling two hundred portions of Divine Formation Pill materials, he surpassed Ling Feng in both speed and purification rate.

Naturally, he was not using the simplified method passed down to the disciples. Every step he performed required the mastery of an alchemy grandmaster of at least the sixth-grade. Each action was an operation of extremely high difficulty.

By comparison, Ling Feng relied only on simplified techniques. From a purely technical perspective, the gap between the two was already apparent.

"

Hmph

. Boy, your skills are nowhere near as sharp as your tongue."

Ye Xiong sneered. He had already finished processing all two hundred portions of ingredients. The herbs melted into a single furnace and instantly transformed into a crystal clear spirit liquid.

Temperature control. Fire control. Pill condensation...

Every step Ye Xiong took flowed naturally with no wasted movement. This was experience and technique forged through countless repetitions. In terms of refining Divine Formation Pills alone, even some inner sect alchemists could not rival him.

Ling Feng, from beginning to end, appeared entirely ordinary. There were no special techniques and no unusual fire control. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, yet compared to Ye Xiong, he seemed to lag behind at every turn.

It was easy to imagine that Ling Feng might manage to refine a furnace of Divine Formation Pills, but compared with Ye Xiong's results, the difference would be enormous.

"It's over. It's really over..."

Lu Yu wiped sweat from his forehead in panic. "At this rate, Junior Brother Ling will definitely be sent to the Black Abyss. Staying in that place for half a year will surely mean death!"

"There is nothing that can be done. He overestimated himself and dared to provoke Master Ye. No one can save him now!"

"

Sigh,

that is why one must endure and know one's limits!"

Time passed little by little.

Finally, the moment of pill collection arrived.

A sharp glint flashed in Ye Xiong's eyes. He struck the alchemy furnace with his palm. The lid flew high into the air, and a wave of fragrant aroma surged upward from within.

"Two hundred Divine Formation Pills with a one hundred percent success rate!"

Inside the furnace lay rows of plump pills, perfectly round. Judging by their appearance, the entire furnace was filled with top grade Divine Formation Pills.

Two hundred Divine Formation Pills, each and every one of them top grade!

"You have lost!"

Ye Xiong laughed coldly and looked at Ling Feng with disdain. He said with a cruel grin, "Boy, if you kneel on the ground right now and beg me like a dog, I might show a little mercy and let you spend fewer days beneath the Black Abyss."

"Has the outcome truly been decided?"

Ling Feng showed not the slightest hint of panic. "Why do you not look at my Divine Formation Pills first?"

"

Hahahaha.

You really refuse to shed tears until you see the coffin!"

Ye Xiong laughed wildly. "All two hundred of my Divine Formation Pills are top grade. What do you have to compete with me?"

"With this!"

Ling Feng struck his alchemy furnace. The lid flew open, and in the next instant, a blinding light burst forth from within.

"

Ah!

My eyes!"

Lu Yu and the others were forced to squint as the dazzling light stabbed into their vision. The brilliance was overwhelming, piercing through the roof, tearing through clouds, and illuminating the surrounding world.

"This pill fragrance is intoxicating beyond belief!"

The outer sect disciples who had looked half-dead suddenly smelled the pill fragrance from Ling Feng's furnace and immediately came alive again.

"What kind of Divine Formation Pill is this? I have never seen anything like it!"

"Heavens, this is better than a top grade Divine Formation Pill!"

"How can this be possible!"

Ye Xiong rushed to Ling Feng's furnace and peered inside. He froze on the spot.

Pill inscription!

Pill inscription!

Pill inscription!

Every single Divine Formation Pill was covered with pill inscription!

Ye Xiong grabbed one at random. It had pill inscription!

He grabbed another. It also had pill inscription!

An entire furnace of Divine Formation Pills, all two hundred of them, each bearing pill inscription!

These pills surpassed even top grade Divine Formation Pills. A Divine Formation Pill with pill inscription possessed medicinal effects at least three times stronger than the top grade pills he had refined.

"No. Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"

Ye Xiong trembled as he clutched the pills, his face filled with disbelief.

"These are clearly just Divine Formation Pills. They are only Divine Formation Pills. How can they have pill inscription? Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"

Ye Xiong looked as if he had gone mad. Holding the pills, he was on the verge of breaking down in tears.

"Even if they are only Divine Formation Pills, why can they not possess pill inscription?"

Ling Feng picked up one of the pills and spoke slowly. "It is because I stand on a higher level and look down upon all of this. Even an ordinary Divine Formation Pill can gain pill inscription when refined with the proper technique. Master Ye, eat one and you will understand where the difference between us truly lies."

Ye Xiong raised his eyes and looked deeply at Ling Feng. Unwilling yet compelled, he took the pill and swallowed it.

In the next instant, a surging energy coursed through his body. Beyond the pure elemental force, there was also another presence, something that belonged to an alchemist.

"Your will?"

Ye Xiong was stunned. Within the pill, there was actually the will of the alchemist.

"To me, the path of alchemy is no different from the path of martial arts. To reach the pinnacle of martial arts, one must possess an unyielding martial heart. In the same way, to reach the pinnacle of alchemy, one must possess an alchemy heart!"

Ling Feng looked at Ye Xiong and continued calmly. "Your alchemy has achieved a certain level, yet it has stagnated and cannot advance further. That is because you constantly tell yourself that no matter how strong your alchemy becomes, you can only refine Divine Formation Pills. You repeatedly refine Divine Formation Pills while resenting the very pills you create. How can someone like that break free from their own cage and reach a broader world?"

"I..."

Ye Xiong fell completely silent. Holding Ling Feng's pill, he stood motionless.

Yes. For so many years, he had believed that as long as he strictly followed every step, worked carefully without making mistakes, and relied on accumulated experience, he would naturally improve his alchemy realm.

Yet he had forgotten the most important thing. His alchemy heart had long been buried, covered in dust, sealed away in the depths of his heart without ever seeing the light of day.

He was not a good alchemist!

After a long while, Ye Xiong raised his head again. Much of the violence had faded from his eyes. He took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Ling Feng.

"Master Ling. I have lost."

"M-Master Ling?"

Lu Yu and the other outer sect disciples were completely stunned. Ye Xiong had actually admitted defeat and had even addressed Ling Feng as Master!

Heavens. Was this a dream?

"It seems your alchemy heart has not completely died."

Ling Feng smiled faintly and said slowly, "It may not be long before you achieve a breakthrough."

"Please, Master, accept me as your disciple!"

Ye Xiong knelt on one knee. That massive body, like a towering mountain, had transformed from a violent "wild bear" into something obedient and subdued.