Chapter 43: The Breaking Formula

Alchemy Peak.

“As alchemists, it’s crucial for us to learn to break free from conventional thinking. Pills don't always have to enhance a user's power. Take, for example, the 'Ten Oxen Strength Pill' I’ve refined,” Wu Ming explained fluently and simply, detailing the principles of alchemy at the Alchemy Hall.

The disciples in the audience quickly took notes, as these invaluable alchemical principles were rarely taught outside.

Alchemists outside prioritized lineage and tradition, following the saying, 'Teach a disciple everything, and you starve the master.' Consequently, learning alchemical principles outside was fraught with difficulty.

Alchemy Peak, however, was different. They eagerly imparted all their knowledge, sharing their ideas unreservedly with their new junior disciples.

External alchemists adhered strictly to tradition, believing 'the methods of ancestors must not be changed.' Therefore, getting them to understand Alchemy Peak's unconventional alchemical principles was extremely difficult.

Seeing his junior disciples listening attentively, Wu Ming felt quite pleased.

The Dao Seeking Sect didn't only recruit five disciples—Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, Mang Gu, Tao Yaoye, and Li Haoran—this year. It was simply because these five, with their exceptional talents, had garnered so much attention within the sect, causing others to subconsciously overlook the other new disciples.

Besides these five, there were many other disciples with dual spiritual roots, triple spiritual roots, or unique skills, who would form the backbone of the Dao Seeking Sect in the future.

Those attending the lecture were the new disciples who had chosen to study at Alchemy Peak.

They had been studying at Alchemy Peak for over a year, and were still exploring the intricacies of alchemy.

“Many cultivators have a habit of taking pills during combat, unleashing several times their own strength, and using that sudden burst of power to catch opponents off guard and secure victory.”

“While victory is good, this practice causes multiple times their normal power to surge through their meridians. Meridians are only so wide, and recklessly forcing power through them can cause significant damage, even harming their foundational cultivation and hindering their progress.”

“It is our duty as alchemists to heal the sick and save lives, so we must do our best to prevent such situations.”

“To this end, I dedicated myself to research and visited a friend next door who specialized in summoning arrays. Together, we finally developed this 'Ten Oxen Strength Pill.'”

“The pill contains a miniature summoning array. Upon consumption, it uses the user’s body as a medium to summon ten water buffalo to assist in defeating enemies.”

“Senior Brother Wu, where are these ten water buffalo summoned from?” a charming junior sister, listening intently, asked.

Wu Ming smiled and replied, “They are called from the spirit fields.”

Most of the food served in the mess hall and taverns was cultivated in the Dao Seeking Sect’s own spirit fields.

To produce such high-quality grains and other foods, there were stringent requirements for soil, fertilizer, farming methods, and more.

Among those diligently toiling in the spirit fields were the Azure-Eyed Water Buffalo clan. The Azure-Eyed Water Buffalo clan possessed immense strength and power, with members ranging from Qi Refinement to Nascent Soul stage. There was even an old bull king at the Soul Transformation stage, which was truly terrifying.

When Third Elder was young and hot-blooded, he once went to the spirit fields, pushed the buffalo aside, and tilled the land himself all night. The buffalo mentioned here refer to the Azure-Eyed Water Buffalo clan.

The Azure-Eyed Water Buffalo clan particularly enjoyed butting heads with their horns. So Wu Ming contacted them to see if they could be summoned during combat, and the Azure-Eyed Water Buffalo clan readily agreed.

“As alchemists, you must, like me, put yourselves in others’ shoes, from the perspective of the pill-taker, consider why they would consume a pill, whether it has side effects, and if there's a better solution.”

Wu Ming wrote a paper on his success in refining the Ten Oxen Strength Pill and submitted it to *Elixir Flame*, an authoritative publication in the alchemy world. The editor of *Elixir Flame* was stunned by Wu Ming’s outlandish idea and forwarded it to an authoritative publication in the summoning world instead.

It has now been successfully published.

Wu Ming knew his idea was too avant-garde and that cultivators would need time to adjust. Therefore, he set the price of the Foundation Establishment-grade Ten Oxen Strength Pill very low, at only one hundred contribution points.

To put it in perspective, even the fried dough sticks sold in the mess hall cost one hundred and fifty contribution points.

Wu Ming even meticulously noted its effect on the exchange list: 'Consumption grants the strength of ten oxen.'

...

Lu Yang fell into deep thought.

If one were to say the pill was fake, it did indeed grant the user the strength of ten oxen. Its description and effect matched perfectly, with no exaggeration.

But if one were to say the pill was genuine, something still felt off.

What exactly was the problem?

He couldn't quite figure it out.

Ten Foundation Establishment stage water buffalo, stout and sturdy, charged towards the tiger demon with imposing momentum.

Facing these feral buffalo, let alone being a Half-step Golden Core stage tiger demon, even a Golden Core stage demon wouldn't dare to be trampled by such a herd.

No matter how much the tiger demon excelled in strength, it couldn't compare to the power of a bull demon.

As the saying went, while Alchemy Peak was unreliable in some ways, its elixirs never failed in their effects. The ten summoned feral buffalo were absolutely capable of defeating the tiger demon.

Seeing this, Mang Gu and Meng Jingzhou unconsciously relaxed their guard.

The battle was decided. The tiger demon had no way to reverse the situation.

The tiger demon's eyes widened, and its fur bristled, as if it also knew it couldn't defeat these ten water buffalo.

Since that was the case, it would drag someone down with it!

Just then, with a loud crash, the Mountain God Temple collapsed.

The Mountain God Temple was already on the verge of crumbling, and a casual bump from the ten water buffalo was enough to bring it down.

For a moment, dust and heavy rain mixed together, obscuring visibility.

The tiger demon seized the opportunity, propelling itself with all four limbs to leap high, dodging the buffalo's attack. It lunged fiercely towards Lu Yang, moving as swiftly as a bolt of lightning!

Only this human must die!

The water buffalo, being large and not adept at jumping, didn't react to this sudden change.

Mang Gu and Meng Jingzhou cried out in alarm. They had relaxed their guard, and it was too late to save Lu Yang.

Everyone present was in a state of panic, but only Lu Yang remained calm.

He had long anticipated that the tiger demon would make a desperate, all-out attack, intending to perish with him.

One must know that a cornered beast fights most viciously!

Lu Yang did not dodge or evade. He activated the spell 'Inch Formation', shrinking both himself and his sword.

The tiger demon's pounce missed its mark. Lu Yang reappeared directly beneath the tiger demon, and azure spiritual energy flowed along his sword, all gathering at its tip.

“Break!”

Lu Yang unleashed the 'Break Character Art'. His Azure Edge Sword was unstoppable. It pierced through the tiger demon's thick fur, and with a squelch, it punctured the tiger demon's abdomen, the blood-stained tip emerging from its back.

This sword technique, which he had learned at Heaven Gate Peak, was the most powerful among all his sword techniques. A single use could deplete most of his spiritual energy, so it couldn't be used lightly.

During the recent engagement, Lu Yang had already pinpointed the tiger demon's weakness. Of its entire body, only the very center of its abdomen had the weakest defenses.

Lu Yang released sword qi. Hair-thin, azure sword qi burst forth from within the tiger demon, as if countless long needles had pierced it.

Crackling sounds, like firecrackers, erupted from within the tiger demon, traveling up its spine and reaching its skull.

Blood flowed from the tiger demon's seven orifices, and it collapsed to the ground.

Lu Yang, panting, leaned against a wall, and gestured for Mang Gu and Meng Jingzhou to help Lan Ting subdue the demon.

Seeing her husband dead, the female tiger demon's ferocity intensified, prompting a desperate struggle. Lan Ting almost couldn't suppress the cornered beast.

Before Mang Gu and Meng Jingzhou could rejoin the fight, the buffalo demons turned and charged at the female tiger demon.

The female tiger demon was too slow to dodge, and was trampled and gored into a bloody mess by the buffalo.

The battle ended.

Lan Ting opened her mouth, speechless. Recalling the strange rumors about the Dao Seeking Sect that her senior sisters had told her, she, who had initially been skeptical, now believed them by seventy percent.