After years of campaigning, Cheng Wanjing never expected to face defeat in this small valley.

He prided himself on his keen eye for judging people, but he had never imagined that a young man like Long Fei could possess such strength.

Even when Princess Taihua teased him, he accepted it gracefully.

A group of people watched as Long Fei and Wuu Xianyun performed alchemy, each of them kindling flames beneath their cauldrons.

Wuu Xianyun, like a seasoned painter, manipulated the flames beneath the cauldron with the skill of sweeping brush strokes.

The flames did not merely lie flat below but layered continuously with the movements of his fingers.

As his fingers turned, the flames added another layer.

Eventually, they formed twelve petals of flame, resembling a red fiery lotus.

An Elder stroked his beard and praised, "Brother Wuu’s Twelfth-Grade Lotus Flame is becoming increasingly refined."

"Indeed, who could deny it? This is a masterful fire control technique. Under such flames, the cauldron’s inner walls receive even heat, which results in the best-quality pills."

The connoisseurs nodded in agreement.

They turned their attention to Long Fei, seeing only a single, ordinary flame beneath his cauldron, nothing special at all.

The Elders whispered to one another, thinking this young man must be green and inexperienced.

Possessing a heaven-defying magical treasure, but lacking in true knowledge and skill.

The Holy Cauldron in his possession is indeed a waste of a heavenly gift.

Soon, a simultaneous dragon’s roar erupted from the two cauldrons.

A white vapor emitted from the vents, instantly filling the area with the scent of pills.

This is what happens when pills are successfully refined; otherwise, it would release black smoke.

However, the True Immortal Dragon-Patterned Cauldron emitted more white vapor and sounded more resonant.

In contrast, Long Fei’s cauldron gave only a faint hum with a wisp of white vapor, nothing remarkable.

Everyone observed the cauldrons and discussed among themselves, convinced that the True Immortal Dragon-Patterned Cauldron was indeed extraordinary.

The pill it produced emitted abundant white vapor and a rich sound, surely a fine medicine was made.

Long Fei’s low sound indicated that the pill’s effectiveness must be lacking.

Wuu Xianyun was pleased with this batch of pills, waiting for the dragon’s roar to cease before opening the cauldron’s lid with a wave of his hand.

He waved his hand again, retrieving the pills inside.

Twelve pills in total, matching his Twelfth-Grade Lotus Flame.

Everyone was taken aback, "Brother Wuu is amazing! One Eighth Grade Qi-Supplementing Pill, one Seventh-Grade, two Sixth-Grade Pills, three Fifth-Grade Pills, and five Fourth-Grade Pills."

"None of the medicinal potential was wasted!"

"A whole batch of pills, and all of them above Fourth-Grade, truly commendable!"

"..."

These pills surrounded the Eighth-Grade Pill like stars around the moon.

Wuu Xianyun chuckled while stroking his beard, "Just a small trick, not worth everyone’s attention. Alas, perfection is still out of reach."

Everyone knew he was being modest; just this batch alone was unmatched in the Great Tang Empire.

They hurriedly urged Long Fei, "Great Mage, it’s your turn to open the cauldron."

"Great Mage, how many pills did you make?"

Someone asked deliberately.

Long Fei smiled lightly, "Not many pills, only one."

Everyone burst into laughter, "One? You’re wasting resources!"

"With such fine ingredients, how come only one pill was made?"

"Your alchemy skills are truly lacking!"

"..."

Everyone looked at each other and laughed, certain that Long Fei was bound to lose.

Wuu Xianyun kept his eyes on Long Fei’s Flame Emperor Cauldron, thinking he must use it to refine a perfect pill.

Under their gaze, Long Fei extracted the pill inside.

It was entirely black, yet it appeared as smooth as glass, with not a trace of impurity.

The pill’s surface was transparent and smooth, as if it were not formed from herbs but refined from glass.

On its surface, there were nine distinct lines intertwined.

Everyone was dumbfounded, thinking they were seeing things.

Princess Taihua didn’t understand, but counted the lines curiously, asking, "Master, why didn’t you refine more pills?"

Wang Xiaoya chuckled, "Silly, your master has already won. This is a Tier-Nine Pill, the epitome of pills."

"What?"

Princess Taihua’s eyes lit up as she excitedly exclaimed to Long Fei, "Oh my! I’ve never seen a Tier-Nine Pill before, let me see!"

She took it from Long Fei’s hand and examined it in the sunlight.

This pill was so transparent that sunlight could pass through it, clearly an exquisite item.

The Elders clamored in amazement, "Let us have a look too!"

They couldn’t wait, taking the pill from Princess Taihua’s hand to verify it carefully.

Even Academy Head Li Chunfeng couldn’t contain his reaction.

"Brother Wuu, quickly check the authenticity of this pill!"

The Elders dared not verify it themselves and handed it to Wuu Xianyun.

Wuu Xianyun took it with astonishment, scrutinized it, and couldn’t help but tremble, "A Tier-Nine Pill, so this is the perfect pill! I never imagined I, Wuu Xianyun, would see a perfect pill in my lifetime!"

"It’s over, lost again!"

The Elders slapped their thighs in frustration.

But Princess Taihua was overjoyed, cheering, "Now you see how brilliant my master is? He excels in all fields. Anyone still unconvinced, feel free to step up and compete!"

Though many in the audience were unconvinced, none dared to challenge him any further.

If they won, there was no gain.

If they lost, they’d be thoroughly embarrassed.

Someone quickly adjusted the array, isolating the interior from outside sounds again.

However, the disciples outside already knew that Wuu Xianyun had lost this round to Long Fei.

They spread the word, utterly shocked that even Wuu Xianyun would lose to Long Fei.

Wuu Xianyun stood up, reluctantly taking out his Dragon-Patterned Immortal Cauldron, and handed it to Long Fei, saying, "A gambler must accept defeat, I, Wuu Xianyun, have lost, this Immortal Cauldron is yours."

He handed it over with a pained heart.

A True Immortal item, something rare in the world, even money couldn’t buy it.

Long Fei smiled as he placed the Tier-Nine Qi Replenishing Pill into a bottle and handed it to Wuu Xianyun, saying, "It’s impolite not to reciprocate. I gift this pill to Elder Wuu. In truth, the perfection of pills relates to the instrument, but it doesn’t depend solely on the instrument. Your Pill Flame seems formidable, but it’s superficial and lacks the ’Heart Fire.’ If Elder Wuu invests time to study the Buddhist Sect’s Method of Heart Fire, you too may refine a perfect item."

"Heart Fire?"

Wuu Xianyun was suddenly enlightened, his eyes sparkled, he excitedly asked, "Are you referring to the Samadhi True Fire, my friend?"

Long Fei shook his head, continuing to guide, "Only two elements are required for perfection. These two elements can be either Divine Fire and Heart Fire, or Essential Fire and Heart Fire. The Samadhi True Fire, only Heart Fire is the most rare."

"Thank you for your guidance, my friend!"

Wuu Xianyun disregarded his status, clasped his hands and bent low, giving Long Fei a deep bow.

The puzzle that had plagued him for long suddenly became clear, truly listening to him was worth ten years of study.

Those mundane True Immortal Cauldrons seemed insignificant to him now.

There are three types of flames in the world. One is Divine Fire, summoned by spiritual power.

Another is Essential Fire, the flame that burns the essence of all things.

Only Heart Fire is the most precious, it originates from the soul.

Elusive and mystical, hard to refine.

Wuu Xianyun always focused on Divine Fire, never having thought to add another flame.

If he succeeded, it would be true fortune for him.