Chapter 1053
Chapter 1053: Going Against a Dao Fusion Pill Sage
Ning Cheng’s words and actions attracted immediate attention because even if this was something to be said, it should have been said by Sichen Qiutian. For Ning Cheng to speak in such a manner, to put it more seriously, was a violation of the established laws. Put in favourable terms, it would be akin to a junior showing utter disrespect towards their seniors.
Sichen Qiutian smiled and nodded to Ning Cheng before calmly saying to the purple-robed man, “My Grand Essence Realm will continue with the debate.”
Sichen Qiutian understood Ning Cheng’s intent. His Dao of Alchemy had cracks, which Ning Cheng should have already sensed. Ning Cheng said it out loud to help him gain more confidence in his Dao of Alchemy.
However, although Ning Cheng did it out of good intentions, Sichen Qiutian knew it would be almost impossible. Once he eventually failed, the cracks in his Dao of Alchemy would grow wider. It might even end up affecting Ning Cheng. If he withdrew now, people could at least assume that he didn’t exert his full strength.
Unlike Ning Cheng, Sichen Qiutian knew what level of people were present here. If this ‘debate’ continued, he knew he would eventually lose. It wouldn’t be much of an issue if there were only Dao Essence Pill Sages here, as Ning Cheng was also a Dao Essence Pill Sage, but there were also a few Dao Fusion Pill Sages.
Fortunately, Sichen Qiutian also understood that although Ning Cheng did this to partly help himself, Ning Cheng also helped him. Even if Ning Cheng failed, Sichen Qiutian wouldn’t blame him.
“Union Master Sichen, is he one of the alchemists from your Grand Essence Realm participating in the Alchemy Competition?” The purple-robed man asked as his gaze fell on Ning Cheng.
“Not yet; he lacked a spot. I came here this time to get a place for him in the competition. Please forgive me if I have offended Brother Kong.” Sichen Qiutian cupped his fists but spoke indifferently.
“This debate for a spot is supposed to be an easy and casual affair. There are no rules; you get the spot as long as you win.” The purple-robed man nodded his head and spoke calmly.
The purple-robed man spoke the truth. If there were rules to restrict this debate, then this method would not have been used for this Alchemy Debate’s first round of naming divine grasses. However, because of this, people in the same group could also help each other by sharing their information through voice transmissions.
“Brother Kong, please wait a moment.” Just as the purple-robed man was about to speak, a man with dark, almost pitch-black skin stood up and spoke with cupped fists.
“Oh, I wonder what Union Master Six has to say?” The purple-robed man asked.
The dark-skinned man replied gruffly, “I would like to ask this Grand Essence Realm’s alchemist a few questions. Nothing else.”
The purple-robed man smiled faintly, “Naturally, I just mentioned that this Alchemy Debate is just a casual affair. Let’s all get together and enjoy a friendly discussion about the Dao of Alchemy.”
Ning Cheng wondered what questions this dark-skinned man would ask him when Sichen Qiutian’s voice transmission rang in his ears. “This person is the Grand Origination Realm’s 6th Union Master Lu Dongze. I heard he is a Dao Fusion Pill Sage, but I have never seen him refine pills, so I can’t say if the rumours are true. I’m afraid he will be asking questions with ill intentions. Be careful with how you answer them.”
“Grand Origination’s Lu Dongze would like to ask how to address this Alchemist?” Lu Dongze spoke politely, no longer using the earlier gruff and aggressive posture.
Ning Cheng clasped his fist, “Grand Essence’s Ning Cheng. What questions does Dao Friend Lu Dongze have for me?”
Lu Dongze felt angry hearing that tone and those words, but he didn’t show it. Ning Cheng, merely a Dao Raising Holy Emperor, dared to address him, a genuine Dao Fusion Holy Emperor, as ‘Dao Friend’ instead of ‘senior’. Combined with Ning Cheng’s earlier actions, it made him even more certain that Ning Cheng was a madman.
“Just earlier, Alchemist Ning spoke about why other people recognised more divine grasses. It was because they had help from other people, right?” Lu Dongze’s tone no longer remained as polite as before.
Only then did Ning Cheng understand why the other party turned hostile; it was because of this. It looks like the divine grasses Lu Dongze had named were from his efforts, not because others helped him.
In truth, Ning Cheng had truly thought wrongly. The Union Masters who came here were all people of amazing talents. These Union Masters wouldn’t bother asking or considering receiving others’ help in such a debate. After all, it was a matter of their pride and reputation. Don’t look at the fact that they brought some of their participating alchemists here; recognising the divine grasses wasn’t just a matter of skill but also the most fundamental quality of being an alchemist. No alchemist in their position would resort to using such methods, especially when surrounded by other equally accomplished alchemists.
It’s just that other Union Masters didn’t take Ning Cheng’s words to heart at all. After all, what others thought was what others thought, while the truth would always remain true. Only Lu Dongze, who had a direct personality, felt offended and angered by Ning Cheng’s words, which felt like salt being rubbed into his eyes. As far as the Dao of Alchemy was concerned, he would never consider himself inferior to others, so when someone doubted his accomplishments in alchemy, he couldn’t help himself.
Because he knew this, Sichen Qiutian sighed helplessly when he heard Ning Cheng’s comforting words. After all, Sichen Qiutian was inferior to the others here and considered the worst among the fellow Union Masters.
Ning Cheng spread his hands a little, “Fellow Daoist Dong, I only said there were many people here. I didn’t say that they were helping others cheat.”
When the purple-robed man heard Ning Cheng’s words, he said at once, “Fellow Daoist Ning, the issue of cheating does not exist here. Even if someone received help, as long as they want to use this help, it would all be allowed.”
“Oh, then I don’t have any problems. Dao Friend Dong, it seems your concerns are also unwarranted. After all, Senior Kong just said that receiving help is also allowed.” Ning Cheng gave a simple reply.
However, this one reply from Ning Cheng irked Lu Dongze and even the other alchemists in the hall, as it was a slap to everyone’s reputation. A middle-aged woman beside Lu Dongze suddenly spoke coldly, “So, does Alchemist Ning think he is even stronger than Union Master Sichen? If Alchemist Ning had been here just now, would your Grand Essence Realm have recognised more than just the twelve?”
Ning Cheng started to grow angrier with each passing moment. He spoke like that not because he deliberately wanted to provoke others but to help Sichen Qiutian restore his alchemic dao heart. A few moments ago, when Sichen Qiutian had failed by a large margin, no one had bothered to step forward to comfort him. He didn’t believe no one noticed Sichen Qiutian’s messy dao rhythm.
Even if they ridiculed Sichen Qiutian a few times, it would be a much better choice than this ignorant small talk.
Just now, Lu Dongze’s words might have been genuine indignation, but this middle-aged woman wanted to fish in troubled waters, wanting to rub salt into Sichen Qiutian’s wounds.
Back when Ning Cheng was about to fail in refining the Six Yin Soul Pill, Sichen Qiutian worried that it might affect his dao heart and took the initiative to help out, a kindness that he, Ning Cheng, always remembered. Now that Sichen Qiutian’s alchemic dao heart had cracks, how could he let this middle-aged woman pour salt on it?
“And who are you?” If it was said that when he was speaking with Lu Dongze, Ning Cheng’s tone was still speaking from the perspective of an equal. Then now, Ning Cheng spoke in a condescending tone.
The middle-aged woman’s face sank, “You dare to speak to me like this even though you are a mere Dao Raising Holy Emperor.”
“This is Dao Essence Pill Sage Che Beiji of the Grand Pinnacle Realm, and also the Union Master of Grand Pinnacle Realm’s Pill Union.” Fearing that Ning Cheng might escalate the issue, Sichen Qiutian hurriedly explained from the side.
Contrary to what Sichen Qiutian expected, Ning Cheng slowed his tone and calmly said, “If we talk about cultivation, I believe that the Union Master of this Pill Union is the strongest in the entire Five Grand Realms Void Market. So, you don’t need to mention that I only have a Dao Raising cultivation. Moreover, this place is for discussing alchemy, not cultivation.”
The expression on Che Beiji’s face turned ugly in anger. She was only at the early-stage Dao Essence Realm. Regarding cultivation, she would rank dead last among her peers in this chamber; for Ning Cheng to speak like this was more than just a slap to her face.
Not waiting for Che Beiji to retort, Ning Cheng continued, “Let me answer your question. When I was refining the Celestial Origin Heavenly Pill, I had to consult with Union Master Sichen. It was only after receiving guidance from Union Master Sichen that I came to a clear understanding. Not only that, when I was about to fail in refining the Six Yin Soul Pills, I also received guidance from Union Master Sichen. In the end, it was only because of his guidance that I succeeded in refining it.”
“Therefore, I may be barely better than you in the Dao of Alchemy, but I’m far inferior to Union Master Sichen. So, I wouldn’t be worse than others when naming divine grasses.”
A trace of warmth surged in Sichen Qiutian’s heart. What Ning Cheng said was all true. Whether it was the Six Yin Soul Pill or the Celestial Origin Heavenly Pill, he had given Ning Cheng his opinion. Because Ning Cheng spoke the truth, he accepted Ning Cheng’s words wholeheartedly without any half-hearted divide.
Some of the gazes in the hall that disdained Ning Cheng changed when they heard that Ning Cheng had refined the Six Yin Soul Pill. No, rather than saying some, almost all the gazes changed. A Pill Sage who could refine the Six Yin Soul Pill would at least be a Dao Essence Pill Sage. Moreover, they would be the best of the best among the Dao Essence Pill Sages. Ning Cheng didn’t look very old, yet he was a Dao Essence Pill Sage. How far would he go in the future?
When had the Grand Essence Realm’s Dao of Alchemy become so powerful? Ning Cheng was able to refine the Six Yin Soul Pill, but he wasn’t even given a spot in the competition. Did this not mean the remaining five entrants were all Dao Essence Pill Sages? The crowd couldn’t process their thoughts for a while.
Hearing Ning Cheng say he was no worse than herself when naming diving grasses, Chen Beiji calmed down. She had come out to curry favour with Lu Dongze, and if Lu Dongze still didn’t step up to help her now, then there was no need for her to continue. Besides, if Ning Cheng did refine the Six Yin Soul Pill, his alchemical skills shouldn’t be inferior to hers.
Sure enough, Lu Dongze sneered and said, “Since that’s the case, let me step up and humble myself by letting Alchemist Ning identify some divine grasses.”
After saying that, Lu Dongze cupped his fist towards the purple-robed man and said, “I request Brother Kong to come up with suitable questions.”
Seeing this, Sichen Qiutian hurriedly sent a voice transmission to Ning Cheng, “You must not compete with Lu Dongze in naming spirit grasses. Previously, Lu Dongze was the only one who named all twenty.”
Ning Cheng felt secretly shocked in his heart. Was this Lu Dongze really that great?
The purple-robed man looked at Ning Cheng and asked, “Alchemist Ning, Union Master Dong wants to compete with you in naming divine grasses. Do you want to continue?”
Ning Cheng smiled plainly, “Naturally, since this is a competition, there will also be a reward. I wonder if it would be an entry quota or something else?”
The purple-robed man chuckled, “This is a personal match between you two; it has nothing to do with entry quotas.”
Lu Dongze took out an ancient book with a simple and weathered appearance before placing it on the table. “This is the most precious alchemy tome I obtained since I started refining pills. It is called “The Herbs and Plants of the Universe”. It’s thanks to this text that I have been able to reach this level of alchemy and identify all the divine grasses. If you can defeat me, this will be yours.
Seeing Lu Dongze take out that ancient book, everyone in the hall sat up straight. Everyone here was an alchemical powerhouse; who wouldn’t want this book titled ‘Herbs and Plants of the Universe’?
Ning Cheng also felt eager to look through that ancient book’s pages. He had seen through many alchemical jade strips till now, but none could be considered precious. After all, one could purchase almost all the jade strips through various merchant houses. However, Lu Dongze’s book, the Herbs and Plants of the Universe, was a treasure among the various alchemic texts. If he could obtain this book, he felt that his Dao of Alchemy could go further.
Thinking of this, Ning Cheng didn’t hesitate to take out a jade bottle and place it on the table, “This is a trace of fire-attributed Primal Chaos Aura that I purchased at an auction…….”
As soon as they heard the words ‘Primal Chaos Aura’, everyone’s gaze immediately swept over. Who here didn’t know the effect of Primal Chaos Aura on a cultivator? Although the trace of fire-attributed Primal Chaos Aura couldn’t be considered on the same level as pure Primal Chaos Aura, it was still something that every pill sage would covet.
“The value of this bottle of fire-attributed Primal Chaos Aura is still not as valuable as the Herbs and Plants of the Universe.” The purple-robed man’s gaze swept over the jade bottle held out by Ning Cheng and said in a light tone.
Lu Dongze smiled slightly, “It wouldn’t have been easy for him to take out a trace of five-elements Primal Chaos Aura. But I am short of some of this, so let’s do it.”
Since Lu Dongze agreed, the purple-robed man naturally would say anything else. Raising his hand, he took out a divine grass. “This is the first divine grass. Please name it and write down the answer on the jade slip.”
Ning Cheng secretly sighed; it was just as he had thought. He couldn’t recognise even the first divine grass.