Chapter 2226: Dan King

During the recent alchemy session, Fu Jiangchen had developed a deep admiration for the impossibly young Zhang Xuan. Someone who could research medicinal ingredients and alchemy to such an extent would surely not harm him!

Therefore, even though he knew there would be danger if he didn't resist, he gritted his teeth and accepted it.

Thud! Thud! Thud! As the silver needles entered his acupuncture points, streams of true energy surged into his body through them. His meridians, previously blocked by pill toxins, instantly burst open under the impact of the energy.

The true energy confined within his body surged upwards violently, like a torrent breaking through a dam.

Crack! Crack! His life force and the purity of his true energy underwent earth-shattering changes in the blink of an eye. His entire aura also elevated to a higher level, as he took the final, ultimate step.

“Just like that… I broke through?” Fu Jiangchen was stunned.

The cultivation bottleneck that had troubled him for years was just broken? Something even Fairy Linglong couldn't resolve, this person in front of him had accomplished with such ease?

“Twenty breaths have passed! Don’t hesitate, quickly heat the cauldron!” Zhang Xuan reprimanded him, seeing him in a daze.

The true energy in Fu Jiangchen’s body, when fully output, could only last for thirty breaths. The needling and breakthrough had already taken twenty breaths. If they didn't hurry, once his true energy was exhausted and the temperature hadn't reached the requirement, this alchemy session would also completely fail.

Since the God King Grass hadn't been added, even if it failed, it would only be a waste of a batch of ordinary medicinal ingredients. But… Zhang Xuan didn't have that much time!

Refining 107 types of medicinal ingredients had already taken nearly two hours. To find the ingredients again, wait for Fu Jiangchen to recover his strength, and refine it again…

By the time he went back to compete for a spot in the Spirit God Palace, it would be far too late!

Therefore, it had to succeed; failure was not an option!

“Alright!” Fu Jiangchen gritted his teeth.

Although he had broken through to God King pinnacle, he hadn't had time to cultivate, so his true energy reserves hadn't increased. Thus, he could only hold on for about ten more breaths at this moment.

Although he didn't know the purpose of Zhang Xuan asking him to increase the heat, he could only obey the command for now.

Roar! As his true energy became purer and surged in frantically, the flames beneath the cauldron indeed became fiercer and more dazzling. The temperature, which had been stagnant, rose once again.

After another five breaths, sweat once again broke out on his forehead. Fu Jiangchen turned his head: “I’m at my limit again, I can’t raise the flame temperature any further…”

Even though his cultivation had broken through, he hadn't properly consolidated it, so the temperature increase was limited. If it couldn't reach the required level now, there would truly be no way.

“The temperature is enough… keep it steady!” Zhang Xuan’s eyes were also a little red.

As expected of someone who broke through by consuming pills, their foundation truly wasn't very solid.

He had thought that once Fu Jiangchen broke through to God King pinnacle, the flame temperature could easily reach, or even surpass, the required level. To his surprise, the temperature had only just barely crossed the critical point!

This critical point was merely the minimum temperature required to melt the God King Grass. The pill, which he had originally believed to have a hundred percent chance of success, now seemed uncertain to him!

“No matter…” Knowing he couldn't hesitate, he gritted his teeth and took out the God King Grass. With a flick of his palm, Zhang Xuan imbued the four medicinal herbs with his Heaven's True Affection energy and simultaneously tossed them into the cauldron.

As the true energy and the scorching medicinal liquid in the cauldron came into contact, they immediately flared up inside the alchemy furnace. The temperature, which had just reached the critical point, rose a bit further.

Swish! The incredibly sturdy God King Grass immediately melted and perfectly blended with the previous medicinal liquid.

Three breaths!Two breaths…“Faster…” Zhang Xuan clenched his fist.

Even though the God King Grass had melted, it still needed time to perfectly blend with the previous medicinal liquid. But… Fu Jiangchen, not far away, clearly couldn't hold on!

One breath!“I’m sorry, I really can’t go on…” His face turned pale, and Fu Jiangchen’s body went limp, collapsing to the ground.

The true energy in his body had been completely exhausted, not a single drop left. Without the power of this peak God King bolstering it, the flames in the alchemy furnace immediately extinguished, and the temperature inside the cauldron began to drop.

Boom! The fusion of the God King Grass and the medicinal liquid reached its final step. The moment the power vanished, the fusion was completely finished. A world-shaking rumble echoed, and four pills shot straight out of the cauldron, rocketing towards the sky.

The God King Barrier-Breaking Pills were complete!

“I no longer have the strength to control the alchemy furnace or pursue the pills…” Looking at the pills that had shot out of the cauldron, Fu Jiangchen felt both joy and distress.

He was glad that at the last moment, he hadn’t messed up and had successfully refined the medicine. What distressed him was that pills of this caliber already possessed their own sentience. If they weren’t quickly caught and their sentience dispelled, it was highly probable that this refinement would yield nothing, making all their efforts futile!

Zhang Xuan, in front of him, only had a cultivation of High-tier Celestial God. While these pills hadn't reached the God King level, they weren't far off!

With four pills acting in concert, even before his breakthrough, it wouldn’t have been easy to catch them. And now, he had not a single drop of strength left in his body!

This meant… although the pill refinement was successful, he could only watch helplessly as the pills flew away, ultimately gaining nothing!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Just as he imagined, after breaking free from the cauldron, the pills immediately broke through the room's seal and flew towards the sky.

“Why are there so few?” Zhang Xuan frowned slightly.

According to his calculations, four God King Grass herbs, combined with such precise alchemy techniques, should have yielded at least ten pills. To his surprise, only four had appeared.

However, this was not the time to ponder that. With a raised eyebrow, he leaped, appearing in mid-air. A long sword appeared in his palm, and he pointed it into the air.

Swish! Countless sword qi surged forth, forming a gigantic fishing net in the air.

His mind like a double silk net, woven with a thousand intricate knots!

Knowing the formidable nature of these pills, Zhang Xuan immediately unleashed his most powerful sword art.

The sword art that transcended the Heavenly Dao, which he had comprehended in the Higher Heavens, had been further modified in the God Realm. Paired with a God King-level longsword, it densely enveloped the entire surroundings.

Although the gaps in the fishing net were large, they would automatically contract upon contact with force.

Heaven's net is wide, but nothing slips through!

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! As soon as the pills touched the sword-qi net, they could no longer struggle free. Their sentience was instantly erased, and they were collected into a jade box.

“Done!” Having captured the escaping pills, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say something, his vision blurred. Another pill suddenly shot out from inside the cauldron, vanishing into the clouds in the blink of an eye, becoming a black dot that was about to disappear.

“Damn it, there’s actually a Pill King!” Zhang Xuan’s pupils contracted.

Normally, when refining pills, the potency of the pills from the same batch wouldn't differ significantly. However, there were exceptions.

Just like this time: the flame had too little time to reach the proper temperature, too much God King Grass had been added, and Fu Jiangchen's strength had been completely exhausted. The most essential medicinal essence hadn't had time to be evenly distributed, leading to the formation of one, incredibly potent Pill King!

The medicinal properties of this pill were several times stronger than the others. In terms of power, it was already comparable to a God King!