Chapter 170: and translation of chapter title

Only see where Fu Lingling pointed, there is a huge mountain peak stone platform; on the platform at this moment, a black-clad and a white-clad group stand clearly separated.

The two highest in cultivation are at the Yuan Dan Initial Realm, there are also three or five at the Qi Hai Realm, and the rest are mostly at the Condensing Qi Realm.

The few Gu Chen who had been expelled from the Fu family were not among them.

Between the two groups stood two huge golden alchemy furnaces; beside the furnaces lay piles of various medicinal ingredients, and two people stood by the furnaces, glaring at each other with hostility.

It looks like they are indeed betting on alchemy.

Fu Lingling introduced: "The white-clad group to the north are our Qingyang Sect's sect master Master Qingyang, uncles, master-uncles, and senior brothers."

The black-clad group to the south are the founder and true person of Bukong Mountain, True Person Bukong, and his disciples; this group has committed every conceivable evil, their sect rules are lax, essentially they are heretical outsiders.

Heng Xian showed no interest, nodded and asked: "Then, where is the alchemy furnace I want?"

Fu Lingling hesitated a moment: "You need it now? Our sect only has two alchemy furnaces; the big one is being prepared by Master Wang for a pill‑duel with Bukong Mountain's Dan Fengzi; you can wait until they finish and then practice."

If you're in a hurry, then you can only use the small one.

Saying this, she pointed to a corner at the edge of the mountain‑top platform: "The little furnace is over there."

In the remote corner lay a dingy little alchemy furnace; compared to the two golden ones in the middle, it was downright shabby.

Fu Lingling felt a bit embarrassed: "This little earthen furnace is what our ordinary disciples use for practice; you see…"

"This one!" Heng Xian landed on the ground, walked over to the little gray alchemy furnace, and carefully inspected the earth‑core fire beneath the furnace, the furnace material, and the internal heating level.

Fu Lingling followed closely beside him, watching for a while; perhaps feeling that her own sect's pill‑duel was more exciting, she simply greeted him and ran over to watch.

At this moment, the stare‑down between Bukong Mountain and Qingyang Sect had reached white‑hot intensity; actually, such a stare‑down is mainly a contest of aura—whoever flinches loses their aura.

Thus, neither side dared to blink.

Fu Lingling couldn't get a word in, so she simply glared back fiercely.

After hundreds of eyes stared for the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, finally, Qingyang Sect's alchemy master, Master Wang, blinked.

Bukong Mountain's alchemy master, Dan Fengzi, laughed loudly: "You lost, you blinked!"

"Master Wang" flew into a rage: "I spent last night poring over alchemy texts, reading by lamplight, my eyes are tired—what do you know?!"

Dan Fengzi gave a smug smile: "Losing is losing; all merits and faults of ages past are nullified by a single loss—seeking more excuses is futile, care for a rematch?"

"Battle!"

"Master Wang" gritted his teeth.

"Come on!"

"Come!"

Thus, the two widened their eyes and glared at each other fiercely.

Bukong Mountain's sect leader, True Person Bukong, could no longer bear it, patted Dan Fengzi on the shoulder and said: "Disciple, that's enough."

Master Qingyang also patted Master Wang on the shoulder and said: "Disciple, no need to be so serious—let's just make pills."

"Oh."

Dan Fengzi reacted, pointing to his own alchemy furnace: "The furnace is six chi three cun high and four chi four cun wide, forged from Tian Shan iron‑containing ore; inside it has a Five Elements Formation and a Water‑Fire Formation."

I, Dan Fengzi, a second‑rank alchemist, wish to refine a third‑rank Return‑to‑Spring Pill.

Master Wang narrowed his eyes, pointing to his own furnace: "The furnace is five chi nine cun high and four chi one cun wide, forged from Northern Sea cold‑iron; inside it has a Five Elements Formation and a Fire‑Wood Formation."

I was originally named Wang Dachun, later changed to Wang Shendan, a second‑rank alchemist, wishing to refine a third‑rank Return Desire Pill.

"Please!"

"Please!"

The two immediately sat cross‑legged, ignited the earth‑core fire, added the ingredients, and began working in an orderly manner.

Master Qingyang stroked his beard, looking at True Person Bukong across from him, and said: "My disciple is thirty‑eight years old, at the third level of the Qi Hai Realm; he has loved alchemy since childhood, and I, with my discerning eye, took him into the sect. As expected, he passed the first‑rank alchemist examination at thirty, and the second‑rank at thirty‑five."

True Person Bukong refused to be outdone: "My disciple's mother, when giving birth to him, dreamed of an alchemy furnace, with the Three Pure Ones seated cross‑legged atop it, speaking softly, saying this child has talent for alchemy!"

Indeed, he attained first‑rank at twenty‑eight and entered second‑rank at thirty—heh, he's a dozen or so levels stronger than your disciple; I humbly yield.

Master Qingyang's face twisted, then he coldly said: "My disciple has studied a few techniques under the Da Luo Holy Sect's alchemist Dan Kuangzi!"

True Person Bukong laughed loudly: "My disciple studied for two years under the Tianyuan Sect's senior Liu Hanchun, and Dan Kuangzi actually lost to that senior—heh heh heh…"

Master Qingyang could bear it no longer: "My disciple has even tasted human feces for the sake of alchemy!"

"Whoa…" the ordinary disciples around looked at him in astonishment.

True Person Bukong narrowed his eyes opposite him and said: "My disciple produces a lump of human feces every day!"

As his words fell, both alchemy furnaces blew their lids open simultaneously, and a scorched smell shot up into the sky.

Dan Fengzi and Master Wang simultaneously exclaimed, full of resentment: "Master has passed away!"

Master Qingyang and True Person Bukong gave a light cough, thereby recovering a trace of their immortal‑wind dao‑bone demeanor, and said: "Hmm, shall we try again?"

Dan Fengzi smiled, tapped the furnace cauldron, and produced five medicinal pills—four of them duds, but one gleamed gold: "I still have one intact pill."

Saying this, he gave a provocative look toward Master Wang.

Who would have thought Master Wang would not even glance, he slammed the furnace hard, and seven medicinal pills shot out—six duds, one golden pill—saying: "After you!"

The two were evenly matched.

True Person Bukong stroked his beard and said: "If so, then let us compare their efficacy!"

Master Qingyang said: "Let your disciple speak first."

"Master Wang" smiled calmly: "As everyone knows, the efficacy of medicinal pills, from easy to difficult, consists of nourishing and warming, gathering spirit and condensing qi, calming the spirit and nourishing the body, poisonous illusion miasma, and breaking through realms."

This poisonous illusion miasma type ranks fourth, showing its difficulty; this pill of mine that makes people's souls overturn is precisely such a Return Desire Pill.

Moreover, medicinal pills themselves are divided into nine grades, each grade further split into low, medium, high, extreme, and supreme quality.

This pill is a third‑grade, medium‑quality Return Desire Pill; for those below the Yuan Dan Realm, taking just one pill will instantly turn a chaste woman into a wanton one, and even a stone woman will long for her husband.

And it happens naturally!

All around fell silent!

This pill... seems not quite proper!

"Shameless and vulgar, low moral character, yet you speak so righteously!" "Pill Maniac" shouted, stepped forward, holding the pill and said: "This pill is the Rejuvenation Pill, likewise a middle-grade among the three-grade pills."

Its effect: even an old woman regains youth, even an iron-hearted woman becomes tender; it is truly a supreme holy pill for mutual aid and interaction among middle-aged and elderly dao partners."

The entire venue fell silent again!

"Master Wang" scolded: "After all this talk, what's the difference between your pill and the one I cultivate?"

"Pill Maniac" smiled faintly: "The old woman's clear spring flows; the iron man's dry path gets rain!"

"Ah..." "Master Wang" stepped back, "I have lost a round!"

The heads of the two major sects and the disciples exchanged glances; the victors were delighted, the losers dejected.

"Master Wang" consoled himself: "The Way of Pills is vast and profound; there is no constant losing, nor constant winning. It involves too much learning, just like our little gray furnace—even immortals couldn't refine a top-grade pill from it. I wager my head on it!"

"Pill Maniac" also said: "Exactly! The pill furnace is extremely important!"

Just then, a pungent medicinal fragrance came from the direction of the little gray furnace not far away.

(End of Chapter)