Zhang Ergou was naturally unaware of the thoughts of the crowd.
The medicinal formula was already imprinted in his sea of consciousness, and his continuous movements had not paused in the slightest once he began.
It was as if this was not his first time refining a fifth-grade Stealth Pill, but rather he had done so hundreds or even thousands of times.
Qu Yao's beautiful eyes were fixed on the young man, who appeared even younger than herself, and a hint of nervousness flickered across her expression.
Like Dan Feng before her, she seemed to both yearn for Zhang Ergou to succeed and wish for him to fail.
Two voices warred within her heart, but the one that craved Zhang Ergou's success was stronger.
Hailing from a family of alchemists, she felt a natural kinship with all alchemists.
Moreover, Zhang Ergou was so young yet capable of refining fifth-grade pills. If he succeeded, he would be a true fifth-grade alchemist.
It was important to note that a sixth-grade alchemist was already considered a master alchemist.
If Zhang Ergou could break through to the fifth-grade alchemist realm at such a young age, becoming an alchemy grandmaster would be within reach.
Qu Yao naturally hoped that more powerful alchemists would appear on the continent.
This was also the fervent wish of her, as a descendant of an alchemy family.
The Yin Zhou Continent had not seen a ninth-grade alchemist, a grandmaster alchemist, for many years.
Even Dan Feng was only an eighth-grade alchemist, having attempted to reach the grandmaster realm multiple times without success. Yet, Qu Yao saw a glimmer of that hope in the young man in black robes on the high platform.
Her bright eyes fixed on Zhang Ergou, Qu Yao had already made up her mind that she must cultivate a good relationship with him.
If she could latch onto the coattails of a future alchemy grandmaster, how could her own future development be weak?
Zhang Ergou continued his operations without any pause, his skilled movements making everyone even more suspicious if he had refined fifth-grade pills before.
Refining fifth-grade pills not only required powerful spiritual sense.
It also demanded an extremely high level of understanding of alchemy. The Stealth Pill Zhang Ergou was refining required a staggering eighty-one types of medicinal ingredients.
This was more than double the ingredients needed for the Breakthrough Pill they had refined in the assessment that had just concluded.
White flames enveloped the entire outer wall of the cauldron, obscuring the situation inside from everyone except Zhang Ergou.
Even the powerful alliance leaders, with their formidable spiritual sense, dared not probe rashly.
Alchemy was an extremely dangerous undertaking, and the slightest disturbance could cause irreversible damage.
They naturally would not presume to investigate using their powerful spiritual senses.
Firstly, the alliance leader was present, and any use of spiritual sense would not escape his notice.
Secondly, they possessed a basic understanding and did not wish to be the reason for the failure of such an outstanding young man.
Although they had previously suspected Zhang Ergou might have been possessed, the truth had not yet been fully uncovered.
Therefore, the alliance leaders suppressed their curiosity and waited patiently.
A strange silence fell upon the square, and everyone's gaze was fixed on Zhang Ergou, their eyes following his every move.
Zhang Ergou added one medicinal ingredient to the cauldron. After it was fully purified and merged with the previous ingredients to form a medicinal liquid, he added another.
This was his forty-third ingredient. So far, everything had proceeded smoothly and steadily.
Unconsciously, five full hours had passed. The sky was gradually darkening, but the vast square was illuminated by nine luminous night-blooming pearls arranged on an unknown formation.
The entire square was lit as brightly as day.
Immersed in alchemy, Zhang Ergou was completely oblivious to the passage of time.
However, his complexion grew increasingly pale, and sweat dripped more and more from his cheeks.
Without bothering to wipe the sweat from his face, Zhang Ergou casually tossed another herb into the cauldron. With only a dozen or so ingredients remaining, the purification and fusion stages of his refining process would be complete.
But his paler complexion signaled his dwindling strength.
He reached out, casually fumbled for a jade bottle, removed the stopper, and poured an entire bottle of pills directly into his mouth.
His complexion then began to improve, his pallor gradually returning to a healthy hue.
The young cultivators whose eyes were aching from staring at the spectacle on the square felt a surge of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
This was the life of an alchemist; even their consumption of pills was different from ordinary people.
They toiled hard, sometimes even risking half their lives, to obtain some rare heavenly treasures or earn some spirit stones.
In the end, they could only exchange them for one or two pills.
The acquired pills were carefully treasured and only consumed at the most critical moments. Su Dan Novel Network.
Unlike Zhang Ergou, who, with a single gulp, consumed an entire bottle.
If their guess was correct, the bottle of pills Zhang Ergou had just eaten was at least a third-grade Soul Revival Pill.
Otherwise, his spiritual sense would not have recovered so quickly.
This further amplified the sense of extravagance among the young cultivators and deepened their understanding of the power of alchemists.
It also made them realize the harsh reality: they were too poor.
"Esteemed senior sister, do alchemists usually consume pills like this?"
Li Zhan, seeing Qu Yao staring at Zhang Ergou since she had stepped down from the stage, seized the opportunity to approach her.
"Pfft."
Qu Yao covered her mouth with her hand, glanced back at Li Zhan beside her, and then turned her gaze back to Zhang Ergou, who was still purifying herbs.
"Not quite. Consuming too many pills isn't good either. We alchemists understand the effects of pills on the body better. While pills greatly aid in a cultivator's progress,"
"their cultivation, if solely based on pills, has a very limited ceiling. I assume you understand this."
"Therefore, alchemists are more cautious when consuming pills."
Qu Yao explained patiently, without any hint of annoyance.
"But Brother Ergou seems to be different from what you're saying. Look at him, he eats pills like candy, showing no sign of regret."
Li Zhan's tone was filled with deep regret.
That was an entire bottle of third-grade pills. If sold, who knew how many spirit stones it would fetch.
And it was just wasted by that fellow Zhang Ergou.
"I don't quite understand either." Qu Yao frowned.
"What did you say his name was, Brother Ergou? Ergou? Does anyone really have such a name?"
Qu Yao's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
"Sigh, I thought he was fooling me at first, but he also told Senior Hua his name was Zhang Ergou. I doubt he would lie to Senior Hua."
Li Zhan shook his head, indicating that he had only met Zhang Ergou halfway and didn't know much about the origin of his name.
"Are you from the same place?"
"Yes, we are from the northwestern part of the continent."
"The northwestern part of the continent, interesting," Qu Yao murmured, her gaze returning to Zhang Ergou on the high platform.
At this moment, Zhang Ergou's face had turned deathly pale again, even more frightening than before.
And he had no time to take out more pills to restore his soul power, as he had now reached the most crucial step of pill condensation.
However, his pale complexion and slightly trembling hands were not a good omen...