Chapter 28 Bamboo Leaf Pill

  The sound of the hourglass stopped abruptly.

  No need for Mo Xingtu to shout, those spiritual medicine practitioners would naturally put down their brushes and hand in their answer sheets. After all, this third pass was not as easy as the first pass of refining medicine. In the first pass, grinding a few times might be able to make the spiritual medicine that was about to be successfully refined come out of the oven. But for this pass of identifying medicine, if they couldn't answer, grinding would be useless.

  Cheng Feiliu and Muruosi shifted their gaze away from Nie Kong.

  For this guy who has already eaten at least two catties of medicinal herbs, they have all become somewhat numb and it's hard for them to believe that he can hide so many medicinal herbs on his body.

  "Your Highness, the fourth prince, the five herbs you've written down, yes, 'Spiral Sword Leaf Grass' and 'Split Petal Purple Fluff', very good, very good."

  Looking at Cheng Zixuan's answer sheet, Que Yu nodded in approval and flipped to the next one.

  The fourth prince smiled slightly and said in a casual tone, "Master Que Yu, how many kinds of spiritual medicine did the first disciple who answered correctly make?"

  "He got three right, less than you in terms of cracked calyx and more in terms of inverted welcome flower and fallen su grass." said Que Yu.

  "What's the third one?"

  The fourth prince stared, looking at Nie Kong who was sitting on the steps eating his herbs. His eyes narrowed slightly and a hint of gloom flashed across his face, unexpectedly identifying three types. He had thought that Nie Kong was just an insignificant person, but it turned out that he was even more formidable than Mu Xiao Ling and the others. It seemed that he had underestimated him. However, the first three levels were easy to pass, but for the last two levels, he wanted to see how Nie Kong would react.

  One by one, the completely misjudged spiritual masters left with a sigh, and in less than two minutes, only over ten people were left on the third level of the high platform.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, the results of the third round are out. The successful alchemists include Number 1: Fourth Prince Gong, Number 32: Mu Xiaoling, Number 33: Nie Kong... Number 108: Gu Qi... Number 152: Qu Xinyi... Number 300: Yu Qingguan... Number 640..."

  Mo Xingtu loudly announced the final result of the third round.

  Almost every time he called out a name, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause. For them, who won or lost was not important, what mattered was that the process was exciting enough. Moreover, at this moment, there were many beautiful young girls among the spiritual masters remaining on the high platform.

  "This time's 'Thousand Spirit Medicine Meeting' competition is really a case of yin flourishing and yang declining, with eight out of the final thirteen people being women."

  "My goodness, so many beautiful women, if only I could marry one of them."

  "Hmph, with your looks, you still want to marry them? Aren't you afraid of scaring the beauties off? Go take a good look in the mirror!"

  "Look down on me? How dare you?"

  “……”

  It has to be said that the girls on the high platform are indeed very pleasing to the eye, and even Nie Kong, who was chewing on his medicinal herbs, carefully sized up his opponents for the first time.

  Let's not mention Mu Xiaoling and the Fourth Prince, one of whom was quite familiar with him, and the other had met him several times. Among the remaining eleven people, three men were relatively older, estimated to be around 24 or 25 years old, while the women were just the opposite, all looking like they were 17 or 18 years old, and there was even one who looked like she was only 13 or 14 years old.

  "So small, yet it can actually withstand the third level."

  Looking at the tender and young little loli, Nie Kong felt a sense of emotion. It was said that the Patriarch Nie Qing Song's youngest daughter, Nie Feng Hua, had successfully refined a third-grade spiritual medicine when she reached the Spiritual Realm at the age of 14, which was indeed against the heavens. I wonder if this little loli has the same level as Nie Feng Hua back then.

  If Nie Kong hadn't misremembered the number Mo Xingtu reported, this little loli should be Gu Qi, number 108. This number is very auspicious, the sum of Tian Gang and Di Jue.

  Apart from the little loli, there are two other very eye-catching ones.

  One of them wore a green dress that trailed on the ground, with delicate and beautiful facial features, her bright black eyes shining with a hint of youthfulness. However, what caught the eye was her tender face with a hint of baby fat, rosy red, making one want to pinch her cheeks gently.

  This girl is Qu Xinyi from the Kuifeng Pavilion.

  Another was Yu Qingguan from the Luoxia Sect. The name was quite distinctive, and Nie Kong initially thought it was the same as the "Yuqing Temple" he had visited in his previous life when he first heard it, but only realized his mistake when he inadvertently glanced at her test paper earlier.

  She wore a jade-green crown and a green dress, with a dignified and elegant appearance. Her raven-black long hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, giving off an otherworldly aura.

  Apart from Mu Xiaoling, Qu Xinyi, Yu Qingguan and Gu Qi, the other four women, although not as outstanding as them, were also top-notch in terms of appearance.

  Eight girls formed a breathtaking view on the high platform, like a warm current flowing into this cold weather, making those onlookers in the villa enthusiastically discuss their figures, faces and families, occasionally daydreaming about being intimate with them.

  Nie Kong was observing his opponent, and they were also observing Nie Kong. They were all amazed by this opponent who could eat even medicinal herbs with such relish.

  Even Mu Xiaoling, who was most familiar with Nie Kong, had an incredulous expression on her doll-like face at this moment. As a spiritual medicine master, it was inevitable that she would often taste the flavor of medicinal herbs, but the vast majority of medicinal herbs were not so delicious, some could make people vomit bile after eating, and some could make their mouths smell for several days after eating.

  In just two or three minutes, Nie Kong had eaten three types of herbs, one of which was called "Feather Leaf Ghost Cloud Flower". Mu Xiao Xian had tried it before, and just a small petal in her mouth for a moment made her vomit for three days and three nights. But Nie Kong was fine, having swallowed an entire flower, without any issues at all.

  "What a monster!"

  Mù Xiǎo Líng pī pī zuǐ, bí zhōng qīng qīng yī hēng.

  Translation:

  Mu Xiao Ling pouted and hummed softly in her nose.

  "Big brother, is this 'Rou Xian Bao' really that delicious?" A sweet voice sounded in his ear, Nie Kong turned around to take a look, only to find that the delicate and lovely little loli had somehow appeared by his side, her eyes shining brightly as she stared at the white and tender Rou Xian Bao in his hand.

  "Delicious, of course delicious."

  Nie Kong picked up a piece and threw it into his mouth, chewing with a crunching sound. A large amount of milky white juice gushed out. After swallowing, Nie Kong had a comfortable expression on his face, smiling as he said, "Little sister, you try some too. Eating one of these is equivalent to eating a bowl of rice. Even if the trial ends, you won't feel hungry."

  "Really?"

  The little loli looked somewhat skeptical, "Rou Xian Bao" herself had tried it when she was young, and it seemed to be very bitter? But seeing Nie Kong's look of relish, the little loli blinked a few times, and began to doubt herself again, could it be that she remembered wrongly? Swallowing her saliva, the little loli was clearly somewhat tempted.

  "Come on, come on." Nie Kong eagerly handed over a piece of "Meat Immortal Bun", with an expression like a weird uncle tempting his little sister to watch goldfish.

  "Then I'll give it a try?"

  The little loli hesitated for a moment, and finally took the meat bun and put it in her mouth, biting down carefully. Then, that sweet face full of expectation scrunched up into a ball, and the little loli looked like she was about to cry, spitting out the fragments of the "meat bun" and shouting: "Ah ah ah, pei pei, pei pei... it's so bitter! You're cheating me, you rascal! Big rascal! Big rascal!"

  "Haha......"

  At the sight, a burst of laughter erupted from the high platform, and even Yu Qingguan, who had a face as calm as a cloud and a gentle breeze, couldn't help but slightly curl up the corners of his lips.

  "It's really not bitter, you see!"

  Nie Kong chewed a piece of meat with great effort, demonstrating it.

  "Cheater! Spit... Cheater..." The little loli was furious, her face bright red, her two eyes staring fiercely at Nie Kong, repeatedly putting hats on him.

  "Quiet!"

  With a loud shout, Mo Xingtu walked over with a serious expression, "Everyone go to the upper level of the stairs, the fourth trial is about to begin."

  Mu Xiao Ling and others held back their laughter and walked upwards. After Nie Kong and Gu Qi's commotion earlier, they felt much more relaxed in their hearts.

  Feeling two resentful gazes staring at his back, Nie Kong turned around to see the little loli still huffing and puffing with anger, as if she wanted to bite him into pieces like a "meat pie". If he didn't let her vent this bad temper, it was likely that she would be distracted throughout the next trial.

  The weird uncle felt a bit guilty, so he slowed down his pace on purpose. When the little loli walked up to him, he took out a green and glossy medicinal herb from his pocket, tore off a leaf, and whispered: "Eat this and it won't be bitter at all. Really, I'm not cheating you this time."

  The little loli's small mouth was fierce and waved her small fist, like a mother lioness who had been provoked. She said angrily: "Big liar, do you think I will still believe you?" After finishing, the little loli raised her small fist again, gritted her teeth and emphasized: "No! I absolutely won't believe this liar anymore!"

  Nie Kong shook his head and sighed, saying, "Little sister, are you afraid that you won't be able to pass the fourth trial and don't dare eat because it's hard to explain to your family elders?"

  The little loli puffed and said: "What does this have to do with whether I can pass the fourth level?"

  "You were tricked by me into taking the Flesh Immortal Pellet before the trial, which made it difficult for you to focus during the trial and failed to pass the fourth level. What a great excuse. And I'm in trouble, if they think you lost this trial because of me, can they easily let me off?" Nie Kong said with a mournful face.

  "Serves you right!"

  The little loli wrinkled her nose in satisfaction, and then felt a bit sympathetic. "You're right, if that's the case, my brother will definitely beat you up... He doesn't hold back when he hits people, what if he hurts you? Hmph, consider yourself lucky this time, take it, but if you dare to cheat me again..."

  She is quite a kind little girl!

  Nie Kong smiled secretly and directly stuffed the medicinal herb leaf into Little Loli's mouth. A refreshing and sweet flavor instantly spread, and Little Loli's face, which had been scrunched up due to the bitterness, suddenly relaxed, and the threatening words behind her immediately turned into an exclamation of surprise:

  "So sweet!"

  A strong sweetness spread from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, and the little loli only felt that her heart was transparent, and her eyes also narrowed. It wasn't until a while later that the little loli suddenly came back to herself, looking at Nie Kong who had just sat down in front of a low table, muttering a few notes with his mouth, and that angry feeling had dissipated a lot.

  "The fourth pass, still refining medicine!"

  Upon hearing these words, Mu Xiao Ling and others secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  What they feared most was that the judges would come up with some tricky and bizarre topics. If it were just alchemy, it would be much easier. Even if they were required to refine a third-grade spiritual medicine, the success rate would still be very high. But if they encountered topics similar to the first two rounds, it would be extremely frustrating.

  Mo Xingtu's words had barely fallen when a faint smile appeared on many people's faces.

  The fourth prince, Cheng Zixuan, also had a gentle smile on his face. He glanced at Nie Kong, who was only separated from him by Mu Xiaoqing, and there was a hint of confidence in the corners of his eyebrows. Among the thirteen spiritual medicine masters present, if one were to discuss the refining of third-grade spiritual medicines, who else could boast the highest success rate besides himself?

  "Are you refining three spiritual medicines?"

  Nie Kong smiled slightly, the things to note when refining the three spiritual medicines had been told to him by Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin many times before, but he had never actually tried it. If he used that ordinary small medicine cauldron, he didn't dare guarantee whether he would succeed or not, but if he displayed "Medicine Cauldron Phantom", the success rate should be higher.

  No!

  He looked up at Mo Xingtu, but saw him smiling very slyly. Nie Kong suddenly came to a realization that this fourth trial was probably not just about refining third-grade spiritual medicine.

  "Indeed, Mo Xingtu added with a sly smile: "This level is indeed about refining medicine, but what's being refined isn't medicinal herbs, but rather spiritual medicine. To be precise, this level can also be called 'combining medicines'! On the table in front of you, there's a jade bottle containing two second-grade spiritual medicines, 'Bamboo Leaf Pills'. What you need to do is refine these two 'Bamboo Leaf Pills'. Those who successfully combine them will be able to enter the fifth level. If more than ten people succeed, the winner will be determined by the degree of fusion. Alright, young lady and gentleman, you can begin now."

  Combine two sacred pills into one!

  After listening to Mo Xingtu's words, several spiritual medicine masters' faces began to change, and they did not expect that the fourth pass would be such a topic.

  Mu Xiaoling, Qu Xinyi and several other girls furrowed their brows, while the Fourth Prince, Cheng Zixuan, had also collected his smile for the first time, apparently finding this pass somewhat tricky.

  Can finished spiritual medicine still be merged with each other? Nie Kong was quite surprised in his heart, this kind of thing about merging medicine he had heard for the first time. After Mo Xingtu's words fell, he couldn't help but glance at the expressions of Mu Xiao Ling and others around him, secretly thinking that this merging seemed to be more difficult than refining third-grade spiritual medicine?

  It's not "a bit difficult", it's very difficult!

  If those spiritual medicine masters around heard Nie Kong's thoughts, even the usually calm and composed Yu Qing would not be able to help but roll her eyes. As for Miao Ling and Gu Qi, they might as well use their medicine cauldrons to hit Nie Kong in the face.

  The medicine is more than four gates, the first gate of refining medicine, although it says to pick out the wrong herbs, but also counts as a orthodox, but the later matching and distinguishing medicines are one gate more cunning than one gate, until this fourth gate, even more cunning to the extreme. The fourth gate is like this, can the fifth gate let everyone refine four spiritual medicines?

  "Everyone, a lot of sand has leaked out of the hourglass." Mo Xingtu smiled kindly and reminded them.

  "Ah!"

  A few mournful cries echoed from the high platform, and the Ling medicine masters who were still in a daze suddenly woke up like a dream, hastily grabbing the jade bottles and pulling out the corks...

  ……

  "Old rascal, old rascal... No, it was Qu Tingyun who came up with this fourth question. You're a dead old lady, you're a dead old lady! Why did you come up with such a topic? Isn't it obvious that you're trying to take advantage of my disciple's granddaughter and suppress my proud student? This method of combining medicines, I haven't even had a chance to teach him yet!"

  "Oh no! Oh no! And you, Lian Tianxin, you old red hair, didn't even remind me, so I could have explained it to my disciple before the trial. Now look what's happened, my poor disciple who has never even touched a medicinal herb is going to try and refine that 'Bamboo Leaf Pill', this is terrible!"

  "If I had known this, I should have represented the Nie family as the judge on that day. Alas, it's all because I didn't like to show my face and gave the position to Red Hair, what a mistake, what a mistake!"

  “……”

  In front of the judge's table, Nie Xingyun cursed and scolded, turning around in distress. The guys in the VIP seats behind were secretly delighted, thinking that since you didn't have time to teach your disciple about Nie Kong's medicine, it was unfair for the question setter to suppress him? What kind of ridiculous logic is this? Your disciple deserved to be unlucky and fail the fourth round! One can't be too arrogant, arrogance will also be punished, haha...

  ……