Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Contest for the Secret Transmission

After all, in the Cultivation Realm, the concept of a born Immortal Seed was a real thing!

Some people were born with Celestial and Earth Spirit Roots, favored children of the Celestial Dao, destined from birth to be prodigies.

Others, from the moment they were born, were fated to be mortals, their connection to immortality severed.

After all, without a Spirit Root, one truly could not practice Cultivation!

"The Celestial Dao rewards the diligent"—a saying that might be true, or it might just be the ramblings of a fool, something to be scoffed at.

But when these words came from Lin Changheng, they carried a certain weight. After all, he truly had been an apprentice for eleven years, watching the furnace and tending the fire, and now he had actually succeeded in becoming a Pill Master!

"I won’t beat around the bush any longer. I am here to convey the clan’s decision."

"I am all ears."

"In recognition of our Pill Masters’ tireless efforts—working day and night to advance their Alchemy Dao, continuously refining pills for the clan—the clan has decided to grant eligibility for the Middle Grade Alchemy Secret Transmission to Lower Grade Alchemists capable of refining Masterpiece Pills..."

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Lin Changheng felt a surge of joy.

It was all high-sounding, official-speak, and it made no mention of the fact that the clan had lost a Middle Grade Alchemist and needed a replacement.

The Xu Family wanted to conceal the true situation and their underlying motive, framing it as a pure act of grace, not a decision forced by external circumstances.

After all, there was a huge difference between being forced to open up access and bestowing a favor of their own volition.

Lin Changheng understood this perfectly but didn’t expose the pretense.

But the second half of her sentence made him pause.

Especially that last word: "eligibility."

Sure enough, Xu Hanji continued, "However, as a means of encouragement, the clan has decided to select only the best one to receive the transmission."

As she said this, she shook her head with a slight, almost imperceptible motion, clearly not understanding the decision herself.

"How many people are eligible?"

Lin Changheng had no interest in guessing at the calculations of Xu Hanji or the Xu Family’s upper echelon. He cut straight to the point.

"Two. You, Mr. Lin, and Alchemist Lü."

Xu Hanji was quite direct.

"Alchemist Lü..."

Lin Changheng instantly understood why the Xu Family was opening up their secret transmission to outsiders.

’Lü and Lin... neither of them are from the Xu family!’

If there had been just one Lower Grade Alchemist with the surname Xu who could refine a Masterpiece Pill, they probably wouldn’t have even brought out the secret transmission; they would have just given it directly to them.

It was precisely because the clan’s own ranks were lacking a successor that they had to choose from outside.

’A secret transmission is meant to be kept secret and not passed to outsiders, after all.’

The intentions of the Xu Family’s leadership were practically written on their faces.

"Will there be a competition? An alchemy contest?"

Lin Changheng asked.

"That is indeed the clan’s intention."

Xu Hanji nodded. ’I didn’t expect this Alchemist Lin to be so perceptive,’ she thought.

Then, Xu Hanji offered a few words of encouragement and reassurance on behalf of the Xu Family.

The general message was to wait for news of the competition, and that the Chief Alchemist would serve as judge to ensure there would be no bias, so he could rest assured.

...

「Half a month later.」

An Alchemy Competition was held quietly in the Gui Feng Dojo.

There was no grand ceremony.

The only witnesses were a few high-ranking members of the Xu Family, some of their own alchemists, and the two competing "Named Honored Guest" Pill Masters.

It was kept to a small circle. However, no explicit measures were taken to prevent leaks, as the news was bound to get out eventually.

Two Pill Furnaces were set up in the center of the main hall. Lin Changheng and Alchemist Lü were to refine their pills directly, under everyone’s watchful eyes.

This was to prevent any cheating, such as "refining the pills in advance" or "secretly swapping them out."

The competing alchemist, Alchemist Lü, was named Lü Bailian. Lin Changheng had met him before.

He was only in his thirties, but his beard and hair were white, and his features were stern and proper.

He’d heard from Ink Master that Lü Bailian’s Alchemy Skill was quite good; he had been able to refine Masterpiece Pills for some time now.

He had achieved this earlier than Lin Changheng and had been practicing it for longer, earning him a considerable reputation within the Xu Family.

Because of this, most of the Xu Clan’s leadership did not favor Lin Changheng.

But that was of no concern to Lin Changheng.

He had no desire to show off or perform some eye-catching feat just to prove a point.

The best outcome would be to just barely edge out Alchemist Lü in the competition, win the Middle Grade Alchemy Secret Transmission, and avoid being too conspicuous.

And with his current Fire Control Skill and Alchemy Techniques, he was capable of precisely controlling the outcome to keep his score down.

The rules were simple: ten pills per batch, three batches each. Whoever refined more Masterpiece Pills would be the winner.

If the number of Masterpiece Pills was the same, the quality of the remaining pills would be evaluated to determine an overall winner.

And so, with the announcement from the Xu Family’s Chief Alchemist, the Upper Grade Alchemist Xu Qianyan, the two began their alchemy.

In contrast to Lin Changheng’s minimalist approach, where he was as efficient as possible and stood as still as a stone statue during idle moments...

...Lü Bailian was the exact opposite. His technique was flashy, his movements large, and when performing a dense series of actions, it had the aesthetic of a classical dance.

The stark contrast was not lost on the onlookers, and various expressions appeared on their faces.

Xu Hanji’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two, a thoughtful look on her face.

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, more than half a day had gone by.

Everyone present was a Cultivator, so they had the necessary patience. The audience had not thinned.

"CLANG!"

Suddenly, Lü Bailian slapped his Pill Furnace. He sent a Pill Formula into the furnace, and a string of pills shot out. He caught them on a tray and handed it to the Chief Alchemist.

"One Masterpiece Pill, six high-middle grade, and three mid-middle grade."

As expected of an Upper Grade Alchemist, he just twitched his nose, and with a single glance, he had his verdict.

Lü Bailian’s face immediately beamed with pride.

The gazes of the crowd turned to him, some flashing with admiration, others filled with respect.

With this level of skill, there was a high probability he could become a Middle Grade Alchemist.

Lü Bailian clearly enjoyed the attention. He clasped his hands in a spirited salute to the crowd, then sat on the floor to meditate and rest.

The focus in the hall then shifted to the black-robed figure in front of the other Pill Furnace.

He was still standing motionless.

"He’s..."

Given the obvious contrast, someone whispered a doubt.

Instantly, Xu Hanji’s cold gaze swept over. Their eyes met, and the person realized their gaffe—they shouldn’t have spoken and caused a disturbance. They gave an awkward smile and shut their mouth, not daring to speak again.

Lin Changheng also began to move, unhurriedly. He didn’t slap the Pill Furnace, but instead sent the Pill Formula into it from a distance, completing the Pill Extraction with the same minimalist technique.

The pills were brought before the Chief Alchemist. At that moment, Lü Bailian, who was meditating, seemed to sense something and looked up.

"Hm. One Masterpiece Pill. Seven high-middle grade, and two mid-middle grade."

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall looked at each other in dismay.

If they hadn’t misheard, it seemed Lin Changheng had just barely, by a single high-middle grade pill over a mid-middle grade one, pulled slightly ahead?

Lü Bailian also found it incredible. ’How can it be such a coincidence?’

But he didn’t dare to question the result or act out. Gritting his teeth, he immediately stood up and started refining his next batch.

Lin Changheng, on the other hand, gave a slight salute to the crowd and then began to rest as if nothing had happened.

Now, there was a time lag between the two alchemists’ refining processes.

Time flowed on. Lü Bailian extracted his pills again, receiving the verdict: "One Masterpiece Pill, seven high-middle grade, and two mid-middle grade."

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Changheng maintained his standard, and the pills he refined were identical in quality.

In this batch, the two were tied.

For the third batch, Lü Bailian rallied his spirits. He was meticulous, his expression grave, no longer showing off his techniques.

"Not bad. For this batch, Alchemist Lü has refined one Masterpiece Pill, and the remaining nine are all high-middle grade."

The Chief Alchemist Xu Qianyan’s old eyes, glowing like furnace fire, swept over the pills as he gave his verdict in a deep voice, even adding a rare subjective comment.

To reach such a level was truly a remarkable feat.