Chapter 25: Distinguishing Medicinal Substances

  The third step of the high platform was also lined with low tables, each equipped with a full set of brush, ink, paper and inkstone. The crowd sat cross-legged behind the low tables, their faces solemn. Of the 279 spiritual medicine practitioners who participated in the second round, less than 100 were left now.

  Those who can hold on to the third level of spiritual medicine are not bad, and most of those who rely on luck to pass the first level are eliminated in the second level. It's extremely difficult to stand out among nearly a hundred people now. Moreover, there are outstanding women like Mu Xiaoling and Qu Xinyi, three-product spiritual medicine masters like Crown Prince Cheng Zixuan, and monsters like Nie Kong that make all the judges praise them.

  It's already nerve-wracking to compete with someone like that. Moreover, at this moment, the six fifth-grade spiritual medicine masters, including Cheng Feiliu, Mu Zisi, and Que Yu, suddenly stood up and left the judging table, walking towards the high platform, apparently intending to watch their competition up close.

  Everyone suddenly felt the pressure doubled.

  Unlike them, the guys watching the Medicine Competition in the Zhuangyuan were even more excited when they saw the actions of several judges, and they were full of expectations for the next three rounds. It's worth knowing that this stage has almost gathered all the young spirit medicine masters with good potential in the Dacheng Empire. Who knows, there may be hidden future fifth-grade, sixth-grade or even seventh-grade spirit medicine masters among them. Watching their competition can also provide more capital for boasting and bragging in the future.

  "The third pass, distinguishing medicine!"

  After Cheng Fei Liu and Mu Zi Si stood up, Mo Xing Tu shouted loudly, "In front of each of you, there is a grain of first-class spiritual medicine. Before the sand runs out, take it and identify the medicinal materials used to refine them. As long as you can accurately write down one of them, you can pass this level."

  Identify medication?

  Except for a few people, almost all the alchemists' faces changed greatly. The medicine comparison is more difficult than the previous one, and it's already known that each pass is harder than the last, but no one expected that the third pass would be identifying the medicinal ingredients in the spiritual medicine? The difficulty of this level compared to the previous ones is indeed not on the same level.

  Nie Kong was also slightly surprised.

  The various spiritual medicines refined on the Tianling Continent hardly emit any medicinal aura after they are refined, and the higher the grade of the spiritual medicine, the more so it is. For example, for spiritual medicines above fifth-grade, even a Medicine King would find it difficult to identify all the medicines, and being able to judge four or five kinds would be quite good already.

  So, even if a precious elixir is obtained, it's difficult to replicate. That's why the formulas for high-quality elixirs are extremely confidential and rarely leaked.

  "It's fortunate that it's a first-grade spiritual medicine, the possibility of successfully identifying the medicine is much higher. If it were a second or third grade spiritual medicine, I'm afraid that before the sand in the hourglass runs out, not a single spiritual medicine master here would be able to pass the third test, including that fourth prince."

  Nie Kong pondered silently for a moment, and soon his heart was calm and unruffled.

  "Ready!"

  Mo Xing's eyes gleamed like lightning, his gaze swiftly sweeping across the spiritual medicine master. His voice had barely fallen when everyone simultaneously grasped the scarlet, blood-like spiritual medicine on the table.

  "Let's start!"

  The sound of the hourglass rises again.

  A grain of spiritual medicine was thrown into the open mouth, and in an instant, a loud swallowing sound burst out from the high platform. As soon as the spiritual medicine slid down the throat, everyone dispelled their distracting thoughts, closed their eyes, and carefully savored the medicinal power that spread throughout their abdomen. For them, to distinguish which medicines were contained within the spiritual medicine, they had to first determine the medicinal effect of the spiritual medicine, only then could they correspond it with the medicines.

  Otherwise, the hope of passing the third pass is extremely low.

  A moment later, the high platform was eerily quiet, with solemn and stern faces floating in the air a kind of invisible tension.

  The onlookers in the courtyard were all concentrating and holding their breath, subconsciously suppressing their voices, fearing that they would disturb the meditation of those spiritual medicine practitioners.

  "Qian brother, the 'Blood Shadow Pill' you refined has never appeared before. For these little guys, this level of difficulty is not small." Murong Zisi said with a low voice and a smile.

  "It's better if it's a bit challenging, if this level can leave ten people behind, it will meet my goal." Quan Yu said with a smile.

  Cheng Fei Liu also sighed, "Having passed the 'Blood Shadow Pill' test, there is still Master Tingyun's prepared fourth trial waiting for them, I wonder how many will make it to the fifth trial?"

  "The fourth prince is already a third-grade spiritual pharmacist, and he will definitely have no problem passing the third and fourth levels. He should be one of them." Fu Erhong said with a smile.

  "And also my disciple."

  He practiced his heavenly heart and divine spirit, and added a sentence in his mind.

  Several judges whispered to each other when some of the spiritual medicine practitioners had already opened their eyes. The best time to experience the effect of the drug is that moment after taking the spiritual medicine, and the duration varies from person to person, with longer ones lasting one or two minutes, shorter ones only ten seconds, or even just a few seconds.

  Once this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to make any gains again.

  A young man picked up a brush and wrote the name of a medicine on paper, but shook his head after just a few seconds, smudging those characters into a patch of black ink.

  "Alas!"

  The young man furrowed his brow in contemplation for a while, then rewrote a few words, only to erase them again at an even faster speed. He repeated this process several times before finally sighing and standing up with a bitter smile, as if he had reached the end of his rope.

  Someone took the lead and soon others followed. In less than a minute, more than ten alchemists left their seats and gave up on this third round.

  At this time, Mu Xiaoling also opened her eyes.

  Her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her right hand holding the brush suspended in mid-air for a while. Suddenly, Mu Xiaoling's eyes lit up, and the ink-wet brush tip fell onto the paper. With the rotation of her wrist, three characters flowed out. After completing the final stroke, Mu Xiaoling let out a sigh of relief, and glanced sideways at Nie Kong several meters away.

  At this moment, Nie Kong was immersed in a wonderful state of mind.

  After swallowing that red elixir, Nie Kong immediately circulated the "Wood Yang True Spirit Incantation", rapidly stirring his spiritual power to dissolve the elixir.

  But just as Nie Kong was about to savor the medicinal power, the little guy in the Jade Pool suddenly quivered with its roots, and a strong green aura spread through the "Ling Shen San Que" and arrived at the spiritual medicine in an instant. Immediately following that, the green aura shook, and incredibly wrapped up the medicinal power.

  What's the little guy trying to do? Nie Kong was stunned for half a second, and that green energy rolled back with medicinal power and retreated into the Jade Pool Cave, merging into the tender shoots.

  Grass!

  "This little guy, even if you want to eat it, you have to leave a bit for me, the master! Nie Kong was so angry that he almost choked. If it was because of insufficient strength and couldn't pass the third level, then so be it. But if he lost the opportunity to enter the fourth level because of this little guy's tricks, it would be too unjust."

  As soon as he had the thought, Nie Kong was ready to let Xiangxiang spit out some of the medicinal power. However, before he could even transmit his intention, he discovered something extremely strange through his spiritual connection with the little guy...

  ……