Chapter 594: Staircase Trial

Just upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Yan Buji saw many cultivators walking on the steps.

What does it mean?

Some of them kept moving forward, some stopped to contemplate; could it be that this staircase is also a test stage?

Yan Buji stepped onto it, and a pill formula appeared before his eyes:

"Please complete the pill formula within the allotted time."

"Oh, I see."

Yan Buji looked up; the mountain had at least a thousand steps, and if completing pill formulas was the condition for advancing, that would not be easy.

The incomplete First-turn pill formula wasn't hard to fill; Yan Buji glanced at the formula, which was a speed‑boosting First-turn Spiritual Pill, and after a moment he completed the missing part.

Before Yan Buji could react, he suddenly found himself at the tenth step.

"So the position rises with the completeness of the pill formula?"

That wasn't too difficult; as long as no Celestial Pill formulas appeared later, he was confident he could fill them all.

"Please fill the pill formula completely within the allotted time!"

Another incomplete pill formula appeared before Yan Buji, this time a Second-turn pill formula.

"Another speed‑boosting formula?" Yan Buji was a bit puzzled, feeling it wouldn't be that simple, so he thought carefully and completed it within the time limit.

In this way, Yan Buji kept completing pill formulas, and after completing a Fifth-turn pill formula, he finally arrived at the hundredth step.

"Please alchemize all the pills from the completed formulas within the allotted time!"

Spiritual Materials materialized out of thin air, even the ones Yan Buji had to supplement himself.

"What is this…"

Yan Buji saw that only one shi (two hours) remained; was this testing the Alchemist's pill‑making speed?

However, making a Fifth‑turn pill didn't take him much time, so Yan Buji spent only two quarter‑hours to forge four pills, and then, using his completed formula, forged a Fifth‑turn pill.

"The alchemy succeeded, why is there no reaction?"

Yan Buji was startled, found no prompt, but then suddenly felt an invisible binding!

Hmm?

How could even my Immortal Essence be sealed?!

Boom—

Before Yan Buji could react, the steps behind him suddenly collapsed, and his complexion changed.

Run!

Yan Buji hurried forward, but the steps crumbled faster than he imagined; having no choice, he looked at the five pills in his hand and swallowed a speed‑boosting one!

He reached the two‑hundredth step, and the collapse finally ceased.

"The pill's power can be activated, but no other forces may be used. The later test is easy to guess—it must involve completing formulas, alchemizing pills, and countering dangers; no wonder so many are trapped."

Yan Buji thought it over; this legacy was indeed interesting, yet not difficult for him.

The worry is that the Medicine King Legacy might eventually require him to forge a Celestial Pill; what then?

Even if materials weren't lacking, he is now only a Fifth‑turn Alchemist, having never formally attempted to forge a Six‑turn Celestial Pill; with no experience, he might not pass the test.

But having come this far, wouldn't it be a loss not to give it a try?

Yan Buji continued forward.

At that moment, a few more people entered the Medicine King Legacy.

The eight towering peaks rose, the summit pierced the clouds, its true form unseen, and the surrounding air was thick with pill fragrance; countless challengers had attempted the trial.

"So many Alchemists?" two women standing aside asked, looking at the people on the summit.

One was enchantingly seductive, the other moon‑shy and flower‑bashful; merely by appearance they were top‑tier beauties, and their backgrounds were extraordinary.

"After all, the alchemy of the Medicine King Legacy is, for ordinary Alchemists, a pinnacle technique that can only be gazed at from afar."

"Then, Sister Hu Meili, shall we wait?"

The woman in blue grew dark‑faced; the veiled one clearly showed irritation, saying, "I've already said just call me by my surname, don't call me by my given name."

"Why? A name is given by one's parents; it's not something shameful, right?"

"If I say you may not call me, then you may not! Jiu Yue Xianzi, do you want me to call you by your full name?"

The blue‑clad Jiu Yue Xianzi smiled faintly: "Alright, Sister Hu."

Hmph.

These two were the Blue Fox Tribe's Hu Meili, who caused a stir outside, and the junior sister Jiu Yue Xianzi from the Yellow Tiger Sacred Land.

Their purpose in coming here was not to vie with ordinary Alchemists for the alchemy legacy, but to obtain the Ascension Mechanism left by the last Sect Master of the Medicine King Sect!

"Sister Hu, where do you think the Ascension Mechanism is? Is it on those eight peaks?" Jiu Yue Xianzi asked.

"No. The last Sect Master of the Medicine King Sect could not be unaware that using the Ascension Mechanism would inevitably incur Heaven's Punishment, so it would be impossible to perform the Ascension Refinement of a Nine-turn Celestial Pill within the Medicine King Sect's territory," Hu Meili said gravely.

"Then where is it?"

Hu Meili glanced around, took out a Bagua plate and calculated carefully: "Water follows fire, mysterious clouds hide the moon… over there!"

Hmm?

Jiu Yue Xianzi looked at the direction Hu Meili pointed, saw nothing odd, yet couldn't help asking, "Sister Hu, what are you talking about? Isn't this Six‑Yao Bagua? Is it the Fox Tribe's feng‑shui inheritance?"

"No. If I told you directly where it is, would you not believe me? I have to say a few words just to make a show."

It really was just a show, after all.

Jiu Yue Xianzi's face twitched, and she followed Hu Meili over.

On the other side.

The few cultivators who entered with them exchanged glances and quietly followed.

At this moment.

Yan Buji has already surged to the 600th step, and looking at the stairs that were only two‑fifths left, his heart also couldn't help but blaze.

"Indeed, it's gotten a lot easier now; after adapting to this process, it's no longer that troublesome."

This time Yan Buji again began to complete the pill formula, then to forge the pill, and finally faced the trial with the pill.

For an Alchemist, Yan Buji does not understand why the Medicine King Sect set up this kind of trial mechanism, but for him it is actually simpler.

Rushing all the way to the 900th step, Yan Buji let out a sigh of relief; only a hundred steps away from the summit, he presumably could obtain the inheritance.

"It seems the Medicine King Sect's inheritance isn't that hard to obtain, which means the Ascension Mechanism might not be on these eight mountains, right?"

Yan Buji thought of this; since he himself could surge this far, throughout history countless Alchemists must have climbed the mountain, yet none found the Ascension Mechanism, which shows it is not on the mountain, so it must be elsewhere.

Unfortunately, he knows little about the Medicine King inheritance, otherwise he could plan properly.

But obtaining an Alchemy Technique is not a loss.

Yan Buji, after the trial, finally reached the summit.

However, the opportunity to receive the inheritance he expected did not appear; instead a grand hall manifested.

Yan Buji furrowed his brow; the moment he stepped into the hall, a prompt suddenly materialized:

"Based on your experience, forge a Six‑turn Celestial Pill that has never existed before!"