Meanwhile,
In the mountains,
Bai Lung looked slightly confused seeing how Saint-level alchemist or other grandmaster-level alchemists haven't made their move yet.
What does this mean? Is Gu Changgee actually not eliminated from the game yet?
How interesting.
Bai Lung closed his eyes and sat at a relaxed manned on chair not wanting to think further into this matter.
It's simply a headache.
However, Gu Changgee on the other hand seems extremely happy.
His system had already told about the situation outside and it seems people are in favour of him crippling the Wang.
"Hehe! It seems young Master was one step ahead and two steps backwards..." Gu Changgee spoke lightly while patting his shoulders as if he were cleaning dust.
Meanwhile Wang on the other hand was helpless and dying.
But Bai Lung was a merciful soul, he got up from his chair and used his Qi essence, and healed Wang's injury.
"Woah! What a down to earth, humble, and merciful person... He actually used his Qi essence to heal that servant who had disrespected him, if it was me, I would have never helped..."
"Indeed such a divine buddha heart willing to help even an enemy... Well not really an enemy but a person who had disrespected you,"
"Such a divine soul... I can feel his majestic aura coming deep inside me,"
Bai Lung got a good amount of praises from the crowd.
[Ding! You fake act of kindness have attracted good amount of praises from people, you have obtained 25,000 EXP ]
[Ding! You have obtained special attention of Saint-tier alchemist, you have obtained an additional 25,000 EXP ]
---
Soon, multiple people came by including those geniuses and crown prince Qin.
"Hoho! What happened inside the mountain remains inside the mountain... Now 100 people have successfully climbed the mountain, we can move to second half..."
It was clear the grandmaster host was actually saying it to the situation of Wang.
"Anyway, let's move to second phase of contest, it's about knowledge and wisdom..." the old man donned in fairy white clothes said.
Tick!
With a snap of his hands, the old man man summoned a pagoda style building.
It was a alchemy house with three floor.
In each floor there is one alchemy pill, the job of contestants is to find the highest numbers of herbs used and their name.
It was same pill for everyone.
---
Meanwhile,
Bai Lung's eyes lit up with understanding as he gazed at the three-story pagoda-style building before him.
The Alchemy pill house, a place where one's knowledge and wisdom would be put to the test.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement, for he knew that this was his domain.
He was master at this however so was Gu Changgee because both of them has system that would provide all the answer necessary.
He began his ascent, his footsteps echoing off the stone floors as he climbed the stairs to the first floor.
As he entered the room, he saw a large, ornate box in the center of the floor.
His eyes widened as he opened the box, revealing a magnificent alchemy pill that shone with a soft, ethereal light.
He reached out a hand, his fingers brushing against the surface of the pill as he began to examine it.
His eyes narrowed as he studied the intricate patterns and markings that danced across its surface.
Ah, yes, this was indeed a rare and precious alchemy pill.
As he delved deeper into the pill's secrets, he began to identify the individual herbs and ingredients that had been used to create it.
He didn't bother using system as his goal was not to be sucessor of Saint alchemist.
His mind worked swiftly, piecing together the fragments of knowledge that he had acquired over the years.
"Ah, yes...the Golden Lotus...the Dragon's Breath...the Starlight Dew...each of these ingredients was a crucial component in the creation of this alchemy pill. And...and...the rare Morning Dew...this was the key to unlocking its true potential..." Bai Lung speaks out.
With a soft smile, he began to write down the ingredients that he had identified, his hand moving swiftly across the parchment as he listed each of the 17 herbs and ingredients that had been used to create this magnificent alchemy pill.
He took a deep breath, feeling a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment wash over him.
Without using system he managed to find all the herbs but It can still be counted as cheating since system did verified he was correct .
But it doesn't matter much anyway.
This was just the first floor, and already he had begun to demonstrate his mastery of the alchemy arts.
He descended to the second floor, his eyes went cold while he didn't even bother looking at second pills.
He just went ahead and wrote down the ingridents used for making pills.
For others; His keen senses and deep knowledge of alchemical arts allowed him to simply take a deep breath and identify the key ingredients just from the fragrance wafting through the air.
"Hmm, I detect the subtle essence of the Celestial Ginseng, the pungent aroma of the Demon's Breath, and the faint floral notes of the Moon Orchid. Along with the other twenty two ingredients, this appears to be a high-grade Revitalization Pill - a potent tonic that can restore one's energy and vitality..."
Bai Lung swiftly jotted down the names of all twenty six herbs and minerals used in the second pill, his brush moving with practiced precision across the parchment.
He didn't need to physically handle the pill - his alchemical mastery allowed him to discern its composition through mere observation and sensory analysis.
This time also he didn't used system's help.
With a small nod of satisfaction, Bai Lung turned and headed towards the stairs leading to the final floor of the Alchemy House.
And soon enough, he managed to clear the final floor too while finding 207 herbs and minerals however Bai Lung didn't concluded with that.
He even added four additional ingridents saying the previous pill made on the furnace had left some effect on the furnace which was passed onto this pill.
With that he came out.
Gu Changgee was same, however, he did used his system so he came an entire minute ahead of Bai Lung.
Nevertheless, Saint alchemist and grandmaster weren't much happy with Gu Changgee because unlike Bai Lung, he didn't figure out the pills made on the firnanace, previously.
Their attention was on Bai Lung.
As for others, most of the so called geniuses were still on first floor and could only figure out 8 to 9 ingridents.
---
Prince Qin
Prince Qin's brows furrowed in intense concentration as he gazed at the magnificent alchemy pill before him.
His fingers trembled slightly as he brushed against the intricate surface, the soft glow of the pill illuminating his face.
"The Golden Lotus...the Dragon's Breath..." he murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he tried to recall the other key ingredients.
A bead of sweat trickled down his temple - this was far more challenging than he had anticipated.
He chewed on his bottom lip, wracking his brain for any more clues.
"The Starlight Dew...yes, that must be another one..." His hand gripped the edge of the ornate box tightly, knuckles turning white from the strain.
Frustration began to well up within him as he struggled to identify the remaining components.
"Damn it, why can't I remember the rest?" he hissed, shooting an annoyed glance around the room, as if the walls held the answers he sought.
With a heavy sigh, he jotted down the handful of ingredients he had managed to discern, his strokes on the parchment uneven and hurried.
A small frown etched onto his face, he knew he had been bested by his peers, and the humiliation stung.
Squaring his shoulders, Prince Qin turned and made his way towards the stairs leading to the second floor without writing the full complete ingridents.
He would not be deterred... he would prove his worth as an alchemist, no matter how daunting the challenge ahead.
As he climbed the stairs, his long legs carrying him up with a sense of purpose, Prince Qin couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt as if someone has already completed the third floor.
He shook his head, pushing the thought aside because he himself was moving to second floor, as such there is no way someone has already completed all three floors.
Meanwhile,
Gu Changgee smiled menacingly while he looked at Bai Lung.
Something magical had just happened.
[Ding! Heroine Zhao Ling thinks highly of you, you have plundered 1000 luck and obtained 20,000 points ]
[DING! 30% points has been plundered by Bai Lung from you ]
[ Ding! System upgrade is possible... Would you like to upgrade the system using 200k points?]
"Yes!"
[Ding! Upgrading...]
[Ding! It will take UpTo 30 minutes for system upgrade ]
Gu Changgee now had won the game. As soon as his system is upgraded, he is invincible.
And his eternal dispear tree was also in maturing phase.
Bai Lung was in danger, a grave danger.