Chapter 417: Chapter 416: The Temporarily Held Alchemy Conference

[Task issued: The Jiuzhou Alchemy Conference will be held as planned. You stand as an inheritor of the Heavenly Fire Immortal Mansion, mastering the way of fire manipulation to a miraculous degree. You also possess a growing pill furnace, the “Hundred Families Cauldron”. In the field of alchemy, you are unparalleled among your equals. What you need now is an opportunity to establish your reputation. Make a name for yourself at the Jiuzhou Alchemy Conference.]

[This task cannot be abandoned]

[Task Reward: An Immortal Elixir Recipe, a ball of Devouring Sky Flame, and a thread of Xuan Huang Qi]

Jiang Li looked at this task, his face was a picture of surprise.

He felt that he had skipped too many optional tasks, so that he now found the task descriptions unfamiliar.

When did he become an inheritor of the Heavenly Fire Immortal Mansion, and when did he acquire the “Hundred Families Cauldron”?

Most importantly, when did he learn alchemy?

Jiang Li suddenly remembered that the Heavenly Fire Immortal Mansion was a place where heavenly fire fell, often debated by Alchemy Daoists and Spirit Chefs about its true purpose.

Should it be used for alchemy or for cooking?

Spirit Chefs focus on releasing the potential effects of spiritual materials to their maximum degree. The food they produce could affect even Body Integration Realm cultivators. They constituted a powerful group and, overall, were no less important than alchemists.

“Surely, I once had a task to visit the Heavenly Fire Immortal Mansion, but I thought it was boring at the time, and since I could abandon it, I didn’t actually go.”

The Hundred Families Cauldron was similar, it was a reward for another task.

“As for alchemy, it should be a function of the system that forced me to learn.”

“Skipping so many side tasks, I finally ran into one I can’t skip.” Jiang Li felt helpless.

He didn’t particularly need to practice Alchemy. Whenever he needed something, he could ask Su Wei, the Chief of Dan Refining Peak.

“However, the Jiuzhou Alchemy Conference is held once every thirty years, since it was held five hundred years ago, it should not be held for a while now.”

Jiang Li initially thought this task should be postponed. Unexpectedly, when he inquired further, he found that the Alchemy Conference was to be held ahead of schedule, and it would be located in the Lingyao Sect of the Great Sui Dynasty.

When Jiang Li came to the Lingyao Sect, he found that alchemists from all over Jiuzhou had already gathered here.

“I heard the Alchemy Conference is held once every thirty years, why is it ahead of schedule this time?” Jiang Li asked an alchemist.

“The good brother obviously does not belong to our field, hence does not have the necessary insights.”

“Please explain.”

“After the Yin Yang Heaven Seal activated and awakened the Spiritual Treasures, most Spiritual Treasures obediently contracted and maintained friendly relationships with their masters. The Luban Sect even married a Spiritual Treasure.”

“However, we alchemists are different. We are proud. Pill Furnaces too are proud. We often argue with Pill Furnaces about whose command should be followed.”

“What was the result?”

“What could have been the result? When the Pill Furnaces are emotional, their flames fluctuate and the temperature changes unpredictably. In the end, discarded pills are made. It is unknown whether these discarded pills can be considered a product of the Pill Furnace or us.”

“The most serious arguments occurred in the Alchemy Peak of the Dao Sect. Sect Master Su Wei retired to the second line, and Red Crow Furnace became the new Peak Master.”

Jiang Li thought that the Red Crow Furnace, which had been refining pills for nearly eleven hours a day, could hardly be called a Peak Master; it was more like an automatic pill refining machine.

That alchemist didn’t know this and continued, “The Red Crow Furnace’s success boosted the morale of all Pill Furnaces, who one by one showed the intention to follow in the Red Crow Furnace’s footsteps. They wanted to rise against their masters, boasting that we, the Alchemists, are merely the bellows operators.”

“The situation gradually escalated, transforming into what we see today, hosting the Jiuzhou Alchemy Conference ahead of schedule. We alchemists and Pill Furnaces will face off to see whose Alchemy skills are truly superior!”

At this point, the alchemist sighed, “It would be great if the Human Emperor could step in.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Who doesn’t know of the Human Emperor’s unparalleled alchemy skills? He can use the world as a furnace, faith as firewood, Ying Yang Qi as the fire, and refine a pill that manifests the eight scenes of ascension. It is not like immortal pill, but better than immortal pill.”

“In the eyes of the Human Emperor, alchemy is not just a skill anymore. It has risen to the level of concept, is something that people like us, in our ignorance, cannot compete with.”

“I also heard that the Human Emperor refined a peerless elixir, which took the form of a female who accompanied the Human Emperor.”

“It’s true, I have a book as proof.”

Seeing Jiang Li’s strange look, this alchemist pulled out a book. It was titled, ‘Reincarnated as a Pill; Protected in the Palm of Pill Saint Jiang Li.’

“…”

This book unabashedly changed his identity, apparently he was not even the Human Emperor anymore.

Jiang Li felt that he was likely to have found the source of the rumors about him.

“By the way, what brings you to this place, Daoist?”

“My name is Jin Li. I’ve come to participate in the Alchemy Conference. I will be joining the Body Integration Realm competition.”

“So, you are a senior in the Body Integration Realm. I apologize for the oversight.” The alchemist showed great respect, assuming that since Jiang Li had been secluded in deep mountains for a long time and rarely goes out, it was natural for him not to be aware of the current state of alchemy.

“I’ve spotted an acquaintance, excuse me.”

Jiang Li said goodbye to the alchemist and went over to a person who had nothing to do with Alchemy.

“Sword Lord, what are you doing here?”

“Who?” The Sword Lord didn’t recognize Jiang Li who had changed his appearance.

“It’s me, Jiang Li, though I’m currently using the alias Jin Li.”

“Human Emperor, what brings you here?” the Sword Lord was surprised.

“I was the one who asked this question first.”

“I’m here to participate in the Alchemy Conference.”

“You know alchemy too?” Jiang Li remembered that the Sword Lord only knew the Sword Dao.

“I know a little, but I am better at refining the Sword Pill. Recently, I have been trying to compress infinite Sword Qi into a Sword Pill, but I have been failing consistently. I feel that there might be similarities between refining alchemical pills and Sword Pills. The competition happened to be taking place in the Great Sui, where my Sword Sect is located, so I planned to participate in the competition and learn from it.”

“What about the Human Emperor?”

“I am also here for the competition.”

Sword Lord breathed a sigh of relief: “Originally, I was worried that participating in the competition by suppressing my cultivation to the Body Integration Realm would be considered bullying, and thus felt uneasy. Unexpectedly, the Human Emperor would accompany me.”

“But given the Human Emperor’s Alchemy standards, you’re truly invincible here.”

“You also know that I’m good at Alchemy?” Jiang Li was surprised, feeling like he was the only one in the world who didn’t know that he was good at Alchemy.

“I’ve heard a little.” The Sword Lord was modest.

“Well, it’s time to start the competition now. Everyone seems to have arrived.”

The speaker was none other than the brimming-with-confidence Red Crow Furnace.

“Next, let my bellows operator, Su Wei, speak.”

Su Wei was furious upon hearing this. He laid into Red Crow Furnace until it rang loudly. Even the Furnace’s lid was knocked off. The Red Crow Furnace was not willing to show weakness and fought back, only to be hit harder and cried out in pain.

Huang Chengdan, the Sect Master of the Lingyao Sect, looked sadly at Su Wei and the Red Crow Furnace. It was his Lingyao Sect’s stage, why were these two fools stealing the limelight?

However, seeing Su Wei showing off his power and soundly beating Red Crow Furnace, Huang Chengdan didn’t dare to interfere.

Damn, how is Su Wei, who maintains such a low profile, so powerful?

As an alchemist, instead of practicing alchemy, you are cultivating your body? Is that reasonable?

Su Wei then announced, “I now declare the First Temporary Jiuzhou Alchemy Conference officially open.”

Below the stage, the alchemists and Pill Furnaces were clearly divided into two opposing sides, staring at each other, building a tense atmosphere, preparing to decisively determine the winner in this competition.