Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The First Match, Defeat!
Translator: 549690339
The Bone Renewal Pill is a mid-level pill among the first-class pills. It’s not particularly tricky to refine, but the process is somewhat complicated, putting a Pill Refiner’s basic skills to the test.
This pill is also in high demand among martial artists. After all, given their frequent combat engagements, injuries such as broken arms or legs are inevitable. The Bone Renewal Pill is often used to heal such wounds.
As a Pill Refiner, especially a true One Cauldron Pill Refiner, it would be outrageous not to know how to refine Bone Renewal Pills.
Gu Liuli was just an ordinary disciple yet a registered One Cauldron Pill Refiner within the Pill Alliance. Naturally, the Bone Renewal Pill was no problem for her.
At this moment, she adeptly handled various medicinal ingredients. From the amount needed for each type to those that needed extra care, she did everything without a hitch.
Just when she thought everything was progressing smoothly, Gu Liuli glanced at her opponent.
This glance caused Gu Liuli’s actions to falter slightly.
Across her, the skinny young man was even faster; he had almost finished sorting all his medicinal ingredients.
Gu Liuli bit her lip, no longer looking at the skinny young man. She forced herself to calm down and continued with her task.
“Don’t panic! He’s just a bit faster. I won’t lose!” Gu Liuli mentally encouraged herself as she continued her work.
Even though she reassured herself, Gu Liuli made repeated mistakes. By the time she finished preparing all the ingredients, flames had already been burning in her opponent’s Pill Furnace for some time.
The people from the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect reveled in their satisfaction, while the disciples from the Pill Sect showed worry and anxiety.
“Gu is lagging behind. It seems that the skinny kid will refine his Bone Renewal
Pill first.’
“Sigh, that skinny kid seems unsteady, but it’s astonishing how quickly he works.”
“It’s not necessarily a loss, Gu might catch up.”
The disciples of Pill Sect comforted themselves. After all, this was a crucial battle. A loss not only put an enormous pressure on them for the following two rounds but also hits the morale.
After all, the first battle could significantly boost the winner’s morale.
However, at this point, it seemed unlikely for Gu Liuli to win.
Fang Lin and Meng Chaoyang stood together, closely observing the competitors’ situation on the Pill Array platform.
Seeing Gu Liuli falling behind, the usually calm Meng Chaoyang showed some concern.
On the other hand, Fang Lin was quite relaxed. He was almost finished with his bowl of chicken stew, except for the small amount of soup left, which he naturally didn’t want to waste.
“Want some?” Fang Lin generously offered the chicken soup to Meng
Chaoyang.
Meng Chaoyang’s mouth twitched as he shook his head.
Fang Lin responded casually before drinking the rest of the soup, satisfyingly wiping his mouth afterward.
“Delicious,” he savored the taste while speaking.
People nearby looked at him strangely, especially those from the Pill Sect who were about to curse out loud.
In this tense situation, with Gu Liuli already lagging behind her opponent, how could this man still eat and drink leisurely? Did he lack both conscience and nerve?
On the side of Ten-thousand Medicine Sect, a young girl didn’t seem too concerned about the contest. After all, she had complete faith in her fellow disciple.
However, she always had her eyes on Fang Lin, the more she observed, the more she found him unappealing.
“Big Brother, if you get picked later, you should try to beat Meng Chaoyang cleanly and quickly. I don’t want to waste my time competing against someone unworthy like him,” the girl said to a sturdily built young man beside her.
The sturdily built young man chuckled, “Meng Chaoyang isn’t an opponent to be taken lightly. I’m not so confident that I can beat him easily.” The young girl huffed in dissatisfaction at the young man’s reply.
“If I go up, you’ll see how formidable I am!” she stared intently at Fang Lin across the platform and secretly determined.
On the stone platform, Gu Daofeng and the old man with the surname Gong were chatting casually. However, both had their attention focused on the Pill Array platform.
In a moment, a look of gloom crossed Gu Daofeng’s face as he observed that Gu Liuli was likely to lose.
The other elders present were worried as well. Gu Liuli was proceeding methodically, but her opponent was moving faster. In terms of time, her opponent had already won.
Gu Liuli herself realized that she was lagging behind. Trying to catch up was not impossible, but pill refining required a steady hand.
If she rushed, the chances of making a mistake would increase, leading to more complications.
Thus, Gu Liuli had decided not to compete with the skinny young man in terms of speed. She would focus on the quality of the pill instead.
Time trickled by, and unknowingly, more than an hour had passed.
“This is bad! The skinny guy has finished! ” A gasp of surprise echoed amongst the disciples of Pill Sect.
Smoke could be seen rising from the skinny young man’s Pill Furnace, signaling the end of his refining process.
The scent of the pill gradually permeated the Pill Array platform. The first to smell it were the elders of the Pill Sect and the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect.
The elder of Pill Sect frowned, while the elder of Ten -thousand Medicine Sect showed a delighted smile.
Then, Fang Lin and Meng Chaoyang inhaled the scent.
“It seems to be of superior quality,” Fang Lin mumbled to himself.
Meng Chaoyang glanced at Fang Lin, his expression becoming more solemn. Seeing that the skinny young man had completed his task, Gu Liuli was more anxious than ever.
Half an incense stick’s time later, Gu Liuli also finished her task. But in terms of speed, she had fallen short.
The fragrance of the pills wafted around, but it was hard to tell whose pill was of better quality just from the scent.
Gu Liuli glanced at the skinny young man, who was sporting a derisive, contempt-filled smirk.
Gu Liuli’s fists clenched tight, her heart fluttering with anxiety.
The elder from the Pill Sect took both pills and, together with the elder from Ten-thousand Medicine Sect, presented them to Gu Daofeng and the elder Gong on the stone platform.
As expected, elder Gong and Gu Daofeng would personally gauge the quality of the pills. Only their judgment was highly persuasive.
The moment Gu Daofeng saw the two Bone Renewal pills, he gave a slight sigh, whereas elder Gong beamed with delight.
“Dear Brother Gu, I concede the first round to you,” elder Gong said without even bothering to touch the two pills.
Gu Daofeng hummed nonchalantly. He then stood up, looked at everyone beneath the stone platform, and announced loudly, “Round one, Ten-thousand Medicine Sect wins.”
Upon hearing this, the Ten-thousand Medicine Sect side erupted in cheers, while the atmosphere on the Pill Sect’s side was heavy with disappointment..