Every Spirit Medicine has unique properties.

Some Spirit Medicines are cold in nature, while others are warm... If they were all mixed together for extraction, those with conflicting properties could easily react violently, which would interfere with the extraction of the Essence of Spiritual Medicine.

And so...

Even seasoned Alchemy Masters dared not mix too many Spirit Medicines at once!

Xiong Yingjie, with one foot in the door of becoming a First-Grade Advanced Alchemist, only dared to extract the essence from three Spirit Medicines at a time—and even then, they had to be carefully selected for their compatible properties.

That was his absolute limit!

Yet Jiang Chen had just tossed thirty-six Spirit Medicines into his Medicine Cauldron all at once to extract their essences simultaneously. To any Alchemy Master, this was an act of pure madness!

Smirks of derision and assured victory spread across the faces of Xiong Yingjie and his two companions.

As far as they were concerned, the outcome of this Pill Fighting match was already decided!

Jiang Chen was bound to lose!

However, reality dealt them a ruthless, resounding slap in the face.

After the thirty-six Spirit Medicines were tossed into the Medicine Cauldron, Jiang Chen employed the exquisite Fire Control Skill from his Demon Flame Technique. Using his True Flame as a conduit, he directed the Earth Vein Fire within the cauldron to individually envelop each of the thirty-six herbs.

Only then did he use the Earth Vein Fire to extract their essences!

Simultaneously controlling thirty-six streams of True Flame to extract the Essence of Spiritual Medicine... such a feat of control was exquisite beyond compare, a sight rarely seen in the world!

Only Jiang Chen, armed with the legacy of the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable, could master such a technique.

HSSSS—

Streams of the Essence of Spiritual Medicine were extracted, each one more translucent and pure than what Xiong Yingjie had so painstakingly refined.

’Xiong Yingjie only has nine Spirit Medicines left to refine. Jiang Chen’s batch must have been ruined by now, right?’ Cui Zheng sighed inwardly. Although Xiong Yingjie had a more prominent background, Cui Zheng’s heart leaned toward the modest and courteous Jiang Chen.

But the thought of Jiang Chen tossing in all thirty-six Spirit Medicines at once made Cui Zheng feel a sense of resignation.

Heaving a long sigh, he cast a casual glance in Jiang Chen’s direction.

However...

But that one glance was all it took. Cui Zheng found he couldn’t tear his eyes away!

He saw that from the dregs-removal port on Jiang Chen’s Medicine Cauldron, dark clumps of residue were being steadily ejected.

Each clump of residue was completely devoid of medicinal properties, reduced to black ash, with no spiritual aura remaining!

This was the unmistakable sign of a perfect extraction!

"H-How is this possible?" Cui Zheng’s expression changed drastically.

As a First-Grade Advanced Alchemist, he could tell instantly that not a single trace of medicinal property had been wasted among the thirty-six clumps of residue. There was only one explanation for this: Jiang Chen had extracted the essence of all thirty-six Spirit Medicines completely, without wasting a single drop.

It was simply unbelievable, a work of supernatural skill!

"Extracting the Essence of Spiritual Medicine from thirty-six herbs at once... h-how is that possible?" Cui Zheng clenched his fists, his heart pounding with excitement.

In contrast, Xiong Yingjie had only just begun extracting the thirtieth Spirit Medicine.

The residue in his Medicine Cauldron still contained an extremely faint trace of medicinal properties.

The amount of residual property was minuscule, a testament to considerable skill, even for a First-Grade Advanced Alchemist. However, when compared to Jiang Chen’s flawless, zero-waste extraction, Xiong Yingjie’s efforts paled in comparison!

Xiong Yingjie finally began extracting the thirty-sixth Spirit Medicine. A victorious smile spread across his face as he looked over at Jiang Chen. "Kid, I’m already on my last herb. How come your cauldron hasn’t exploded yet?"

"My apologies!"

Jiang Chen shot him a look and said flatly, "I’m just about done solidifying the pill."

"What? Solidifying the pill? Are you kidding me?" Xiong Yingjie shrieked in disbelief, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

However...

When he looked at Jiang Chen’s Medicine Cauldron, he was utterly stunned.

Inside the Medicine Cauldron, thirty-six streams of True Flame wrapped around globules of pure Essence of Spiritual Medicine, which were swirling together into an ever-tightening vortex.

The individual essences were fusing with one another!

At the center of the kaleidoscopic vortex, a walnut-sized Spirit Pill was slowly taking form!

"How are you so fast? You extracted thirty-six Spirit Medicines at once and the cauldron didn’t even explode? And you’re already solidifying the pill?"

Xiong Yingjie’s eyes widened, his mind reeling. But he quickly composed himself. ’I see now. To beat me, he must have only extracted a tiny fraction of the Essence of Spiritual Medicine, discarding the rest. Hmph! This competition isn’t just about speed, it’s about quality. Once my Cyan Spirit Pill is finished, I’ll make you concede defeat wholeheartedly!’

Xiong Yingjie put all his focus into refining the final Spirit Medicine, employing his Pill Condensation Technique to solidify the pill.

Jiang Chen glanced at Xiong Yingjie out of the corner of his eye and murmured, "His technique is actually quite polished. He really is a genius just one step away from becoming a First-Grade Advanced Alchemist. The quality of his Cyan Spirit Pill should be quite good. Looks like I’ll have to step it up a notch!"

A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

Jiang Chen clapped his hands in the air. His Divine Thought Power surged forth, merging with his True Flame as his expression turned solemn. "Demon Flame Technique... Dragon Phoenix Nine Revolutions Condensation Technique!"

BOOM—

The entire Medicine Cauldron shook violently.

As Cui Zheng and the others stared in horror, two terrifying masses of flame erupted within the Medicine Cauldron. One took the form of a dragon, the other a phoenix. The dragon and phoenix cried out in unison as they swept up the coalescing medicinal essence, spinning it again and again. Each revolution was yet another round of purification.

After nine full revolutions, the Cyan Spirit Pill, originally the size of a walnut, had shrunk to the size of a longan fruit.

"What... what kind of Pill Condensation Technique is that? It’s simply heaven-defying!" Cui Zheng’s eyes widened in utter shock.

Xiong Yingjie snorted. "Just a cheap, mystical act! I’ll show you my Two Dragons Pearl Condensation Technique!" With that, he ignored all external distractions and focused entirely on solidifying his Spirit Pill.

An hour after Jiang Chen had retrieved his pill...

Xiong Yingjie suddenly shuddered as a Spirit Pill shot out of his Medicine Cauldron. He quickly caught it in a Jade Box.

"It’s finally done! I performed exceptionally well with my Two Dragons Pearl Condensation Technique this time. The pill’s quality is bound to be superb. This Pill Fighting... I’ve definitely won!" Xiong Yingjie cradled the Jade Box, a confident smile on his face.

Jiang Chen glanced over at him and remarked flatly, "You’re a little slow."

"Hmph. I’ll admit you were a step faster in your Alchemy, but you only won by taking shortcuts. Based on my experience, I’d guess you wasted at least sixty percent of the essence from those thirty-six Spirit Medicines..." Xiong Yingjie declared with absolute certainty.

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes. "We’ll see whether anything was wasted or not once Chairman Cui inspects our residue."

Meanwhile...

Cui Zheng had already returned.

Xiong Yingjie said with a proud look, "Chairman Cui, go ahead and announce the results!"

Cui Zheng gave Xiong Yingjie a strange look. "Xiong Yingjie’s residue contains five percent of the original medicinal properties!"

"Five percent? Not bad. My personal best is around three percent residual, so this is a normal performance for me!" Xiong Yingjie nodded, then looked at Cui Zheng. "So, what about the kid? Was there as much as sixty percent of the medicinal properties left in his residue?"

Xiong He chimed in, "Our Young Master said sixty percent, but I think that’s overestimating him. I’d guess at least seventy percent was left behind!"

"That’s right! Our Young Master is known for his Eyes of Golden Flame; his judgment is never wrong!" Xiong Li added.

Cui Zheng gave a wry smile. "The medicinal properties remaining in the residue from Jiang Chen’s extraction... are zero. It was a perfect extraction!" As he finished speaking, Cui Zheng stared at Jiang Chen as if he were looking at some kind of monster.

Zero residual medicinal properties. A perfect extraction!

That was a feat that only a handful of Second Grade Alchemists could hope to achieve!

And yet...

A teenager had managed to do it. How could Cui Zheng not be shocked?

"Zero? Hm, that’s... acceptable... Wait, what did you just say? Zero residual properties? A perfect extraction? Are you kidding me?" Xiong Yingjie’s expression changed in a flash as he cried out in disbelief.

Cui Zheng said, "You can go and inspect the residue yourself!"

Xiong Yingjie scrambled over to check. After seeing for himself, he looked utterly devastated, muttering, "Impossible... This is impossible..." His eyes turned bloodshot as he roared, "I don’t believe you managed a perfect extraction! We’re competing on pill quality! I’m the disciple of Master Yu Dan, a Third Grade Alchemist! I’m an alchemy prodigy! How could I possibly lose to you?"

SHWAAA—

He flipped open the Jade Box. Inside lay a perfectly round, translucent, emerald-green pill.

It was the Cyan Spirit Pill!

Cui Zheng nodded repeatedly. "As expected of Master Yu Dan’s finest disciple. The quality of this pill is superb; it has reached the Upper Grade level among First-Grade Advanced pills."

"Hahaha! Did you hear that, Jiang Chen? Upper Grade, among the First-Grade Advanced rank! Let’s see what you have to say for yourself now!" Xiong Yingjie said with brimming confidence. "Don’t tell me you’re too embarrassed to even show us your shoddy pill?"

"I just didn’t have the heart to crush you this badly!"

Jiang Chen shrugged and opened his Jade Box.

VMMMM—

A wave of emerald-green medicinal energy and a precious glow surged from the Jade Box. Inside was a pill as perfectly round and smooth as a pearl, exquisitely translucent—it was also a Cyan Spirit Pill. However, on the surface of this one was an insignia that looked like a soaring dragon and a flying phoenix. Cui Zheng’s eyes flew wide open at the sight, and he couldn’t help but gasp, "A Dragon and Phoenix Patterned Green Spirit Pill? My heavens! You actually managed to refine a Cyan Spirit Pill with a Pill Pattern?"

A Pill Pattern!

They only appeared on pills whose quality surpassed Upper Grade to reach the legendary Top Grade.

Compared to this Cyan Spirit Pill with a Pill Pattern, the one Xiong Yingjie had refined was no better than garbage that nobody would bother to pick up off the street!

At that moment...

Everyone stared at Jiang Chen as if he were some kind of monster.

Xiong Yingjie and his two servants were utterly crestfallen. They stood frozen in place as if they had been slapped across the face dozens of times, all of their earlier arrogance completely gone.

The moment the Cyan Spirit Pill with its Pill Pattern appeared, they knew. They had lost this Pill Fighting match.

It was a crushing defeat...

An utter rout!