Chapter 2734, Won Translator: Silavin & Raikov Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys [Impossible!] A storm suddenly exploded in Ji Ying’s heart. How could there be such a Heaven defying existence in this world? To think Yang Kai had comprehended the essence of the Alchemic Dao just like his Honoured Master! [No. Even Honoured Master wouldn’t have possibly achieved such a feat at such a young age.] Ji Ying was completely dumbfounded, and he had the indescribable feeling that the one competing with him in an Alchemy match right now was not a youth called Yang Kai, but rather the embodiment of the Grand Dao that he had been searching for his whole life but had never caught hold of. How could he win? His mind was instantly thrown into a slight disarray, causing his tripod furnace to suddenly hiss and tremble. “Grandmaster Ji, you…” Li Jiao and Mi Qi both exclaimed in unison. Even though they did not know anything about Alchemy, nor could they glean anything from what they were seeing, Ji Ying was clearly a little out of it at the moment. How could they not realize the problem with his state of mind from the change in his complexion? [How could this happen?] If Ji Ying were to lose here, then he wouldn’t have much to lose, but the both of them would have to turn over fifty years of their respective Sect’s revenue! If they lost here, then the disciples of their two Sects would have to tighten their belts and live a frugal life for the next half a century. Ji Ying had a start and suddenly came back to his senses, remembering that he was still in the middle of a match. Instantly, he felt both upset and ashamed of himself. This was already his second lapse in concentration, and this was bound to affect the results of his Alchemy as a whole. However, he was an experienced veteran so he quickly suppressed the instability inside his furnace and rescued his work. He forced himself to calm down and tossed away all distracting thoughts. All of a sudden, Ji Ying’s movements became much more fluid under an immense amount of concentration and pressure. He seemed to have gained some vague insight at this moment. As Ji Ying’s First Disciple continued staring wide-eyed at Yang Kai’s movements, his eyes became more and more bloodshot, and his body shivered and shook. It looked like he was being tormented greatly, but his expression was one of immense joy. As time passed, wisps of pill fragrance began to emerge. This was not only the aroma of spirit herbs, but also the fragrance of the Spirit Pill itself. The release of this fragrance meant that the refinement had reached the final stage. As long as no mistakes were made, the Spirit Pills would be finished soon. The closer it came to the end, the more uneasy Mi Qi and Li Jiao began to feel. They had no idea if Ji Ying could beat Yang Kai or not, despite the fact that they were fully confident in Ji Ying’s abilities before. But Ji Ying’s unstable state of mind earlier made them a little apprehensive. They had no idea if that momentary distraction would affect the quality of the Spirit Pills refined in the end. Another hour passed, and now the medicinal fragrance in the hall was so dense that it was almost material. Yang Kai’s ever-moving hands finally came to a stop, and he had a solemn look on his face. Patting the Black Jade Furnace, he let out a great shout. “Pill Condensing!” The faces of the crowd froze as they knew that Yang Kai’s refinement had truly reached the final stage now. This process was an extremely important step in Alchemy as a good Pill Condensing Technique could allow an Alchemist to refine a higher amount of Spirit Pills, and in greater quality. On the other side, Ji Ying also tapped on his own Alchemy Furnace, and the lid of the furnace flew off. He too had entered the Pill Condensing stage. Watching this scene, Mi Qi and Li Jiao could not help but sigh with relief. They knew that Yang Kai definitely won’t be able to win against Ji Ying at this stage. The reason for that was because the Pill Condensing Technique that Ji Ying mastered was taught to him by the Great Emperor himself. Even if Yang Kai managed to become an Emperor Alchemist, he couldn’t have a better Pill Condensing Technique than Ji Ying. The two of them didn’t dare to pretend they understood anything either and quickly looked towards the First Disciple, trying to get some clues from his expression. But as soon as they looked, both their hearts sank. The reason for that was because the First Disciple was actually still staring at Yang Kai’s movements with a look of amazement in his bloodshot eyes, completely ignoring his own Honoured Master. [No way, this Yang Kai couldn’t have a superior Pill Condensing Technique, could he? But if not, why would Ji Ying’s Disciple not take this chance to learn from his Honoured Master and instead study Yang Kai?] [It must be because this Disciple lacks in skills and vision!] Mi Qi and Li Jiao tried to reassure themselves. Even if Ji Ying was distracted twice during their match, they still had high hopes that Ji Ying would win. With the Nine Heavens Profound Pill Art, seal after seal was struck into the Black Jade Furnace, perfecting the very last step of this pill refinement. This was the Pill Condensing Technique that Yang Kai learned from the Grand Alchemic Dao Tone, which was slightly better even against the technique created by the Wondrous Pill Great Emperor himself. Ding ling ling… A pleasant noise suddenly sounded in the pill furnace. The pills were complete! Yang Kai quickly moved over and tapped the Black Jade Furnace, causing a series of round Spirit Pills to fly out. Mi Qi and Li Jiao were all watching with their eyes wide. They wanted to see how many pills Yang Kai had refined and what quality they were, but before they could get a good look, Yang Kai had popped them into a jade bottle he had prepared beforehand. This inevitably caused the two to grit their teeth in anger. On the other side, Ji Ying also finished his Pill Condensing. After laying down the last seal, several Emperor Yuan Pills flew out from his Alchemy Furnace which he swiftly grabbed and stored into a jade bottle in his left hand. “Refinement complete!” Yang Kai pressed down both hands and relaxed his breathing. Ji Ying stood there motionless with a frown pressed between his brows, seemingly thinking about something. Meanwhile, the moment Yang Kai finished refining, the First Disciple closed his eyes and kneeled there like a statue, mind seemingly wandering elsewhere. Both Mi Qi and Li Jiao were extremely anxious. They couldn’t wait to know the result of this competition. Even though they felt that the chances of Ji Ying losing were quite low, they still felt a little nervous when it came time to announce a verdict. After all, this concerned fifty years of revenue from each of their Sects, five billion High-Rank Source Crystals were on the line. Ji Ying did not move, and Yang Kai couldn’t just disturb him either. He knew that he was currently pondering on the success or failure of this Alchemy session, which was an extremely important moment for an Alchemist. Looking around, he caught Zhu Qing who was looking towards him and winked at her. Zhu Qing’s face was as cold as ice, so how could she pay him any attention? Leaving him to make a fool out of himself. Only after a long time did Ji Ying exhale lightly and turn around, cupping his fists at Yang Kai, “This Ji admires Brother Yang for his great skill.” After competing with Yang Kai, Ji Ying immediately realized that he had truly underestimated him before. Not only was he an Emperor Alchemist, but his skills were also no less than his own. He had only caught a glimpse of the amazing Alchemy techniques Yang Kai employed, but that was still enough to amaze him. If it weren’t for how important this match was, Ji Ying would have even halted his own Alchemy so he could properly observe and emulate him. “Whether this Ji wins or loses this time, this Ji wishes to thank Brother Yang,” Ji Ying said to him with a sincere expression before glancing at his First Disciple. After knowing that Yang Kai was an Emperor Alchemist no less than himself, even Ji Ying’s way of referring to him had changed, and from a glance, he could tell that his First Disciple had gained great benefits during this match, so he had no qualms about thanking Yang Kai. Ji Ying had been calling him Palace Master Yang before, but now the way he referred to him was far more collegial. “Brother Ji is too polite, this Yang is happy to oblige,” Yang Kai smiled. Li Jiao and Mi Qi were both dumbfounded. They thought to themselves, [that’s not right… isn’t Ji Ying supposed to be making things hard for Yang Kai right now? Why are they suddenly calling each other brothers?] Even if the two of them had known Ji Ying for many years, they still didn’t dare, nor did they have the qualifications to address him so informally. They couldn’t help but feel a little chagrined. If they had known things would turn out like this, they never would have followed along this time. “Grandmaster Ji, let’s see the results of the match first.” Mi Qi changed the subject to stop Yang Kai and Ji Ying from deepening their friendship. As long as Ji Ying won the match, then it would definitely be worth their trip here. Fifty years of a Sect’s earnings. Just thinking about it made them excited. The two of them were still quite curious about the contents of Yang Kai’s ring. They wanted to know what on earth was stored in it that made Ji Ying so covetous. Ji Ying looked inquiringly at Yang Kai, and the latter smiled, stretching out his hand, “As the guest, Brother Ji should go first!” Ji Ying nodded, “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” As he said that, he uncapped the bottle in his hand and poured out the Emperor Yuan Pills. Everyone in the hall instantly craned their necks, looking into the centre of his palm. “Nine pills!” Mi Qi looked over and immediately shouted in excitement. Ji Ying was able to refine nine pills during this session, which was the ultimate limit for one furnace worth of ingredients. With this, he was basically halfway to victory! Now the rest would depend on the quality of the Spirit Pills, but if it was Ji Ying, then the grade of the Spirit Pills he refined would certainly not be bad. That fact could be proven just by how round and full each Spirit Pill looked, with the colour so vivid and radiant. “Look, look…” Li Jiao called in excitement as if he had suddenly discovered a new world, pointing at one of the Emperor Yuan Pills as he shouted, his breath growing ragged, “Pill Veins! Pill Veins!” One of the Spirit Pills was covered with vein-like patterns on its surface, which looked at first glance just like the meridians of a person’s body. It was the legendary Pill Veins! If Pill Veins were produced during the refining process, then the medicinal efficacies of the pill would be doubled, naturally raising its value as well. But Pill Veins were not things that the average Alchemist could produce during a refinement. It was a faraway dream even for the most skilled of Alchemists, but now, Pill Veins actually appeared on one of the Spirit Pills Ji Ying refined! And it was an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill! That made it even more rare and astounding. “Hahaha!” Mi Qi also broke out in laughter, his worries finally settling back down. If Ji Ying’s nine pills could be described as winning half the battle, then that one Spirit Pill that formed Pill Veins would be the nail in the coffin for Ji Ying’s victory. There was no chance for Yang Kai to turn the tables. There wasn’t even the need to look at the quality of Spirit Pills that he refined. Mi Qi did not believe that Yang Kai could also refine an Emperor Grade Spirit Pill that formed Pill Veins. If Pill Veins were really that easy to produce, then they wouldn’t be called legendary! Exchanging glances with Li Jiao, both of them were overflowing with joy. Five billion High-Rank Source Crystals, fifty years of a Sect’s earnings were going to be theirs soon, how could they not be happy? They secretly decided to buy the Emperor Yuan Pill that formed Pill Veins from Ji Ying after Yang Kai fulfilled his bet. This was their key to victory and was well worth keeping. With this Spirit Pill, neither High Heaven Palace nor Yang Kai should even think of raising his head in front of them in the future. They could also curry favour with Ji Ying in the process. Should they humiliate Yang Kai as well? But looking at the three Monster Kings that were watching them, they thought better of it in case they become angry out of shame. The two of them really weren’t these three’s opponents.