Free Web NovelChapter 334: Debate [3]
On the third day, the atmosphere at the Debate platform was practically explosive.
With sixty advancing to thirty, pairing off for head-to-head combat, this wasn’t like the ’everyone plays their own game’ of the first two rounds; this was a real, raw confrontation. The losers were out immediately, and only the winners were qualified to compete for the final top three.
The viewing stands were packed, with people filling even the aisles; there were more spectators than the previous two days combined.
Many gambling dens even opened betting pools. Willow Follow Wind, without any suspense, had the lowest odds, while Fang Hao, this ’dark horse,’ had odds of one to ten. Clearly, everyone still favored the Disciples of the famous sects.
As soon as Fang Hao arrived, he felt countless gazes hit him like searchlights.
He remained calm and walked straight to the advancement area.
Willow Follow Wind had arrived long ago and was currently surrounded by a group of Medicine King Valley Disciples, chatting and laughing. Seeing Fang Hao, he merely cast a cold glance, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking arc.
The drawing of lots begins! Pill Star Child didn’t waste words, directly conjuring a bamboo slip container. Sixty streaks of light flew out and landed in everyone’s hands.
Fang Hao caught the jade slip that flew toward him. Sweeping it with his Divine Sense, his brows raised slightly—Number Nine, Grade Bing.
His opponent was... Number Nine, Grade Ding, a Loose Cultivator at the Early Nascent Soul Stage named ’Old Man Withered Wood’.
The name itself sounded sinister, and his cultivation base was a cut above his own.
Number Nine, Grade Bing, Fang Hao, against Number Nine, Grade Ding, Old Man Withered Wood. Pill Formula: Fourth-Rank Medium Grade ’Bone-Eroding Soul-Dissolving Pill’! Pill Star Child’s resonant voice spread across the entire venue.
Bone-Eroding Soul-Dissolving Pill?! A sudden uproar broke out below the stage.
My god, that’s a notoriously evil Medicinal Pill! Although it can briefly stimulate potential, the side effects are enormous, and the user often suffers excruciating pain!
This Pill Formula is extremely obscure, and the refining process requires infusing a trace of ’Evil Qi of Resentment.’ If one is even slightly careless, it will backfire on the alchemist. Why would Senior Pill Star Child choose this?
Fang Hao’s heart sank as well.
He had only seen a rough record of this Pill Formula in the ’Obscure Pill Formulas’ section of the hundred solutions of heavenly craftsmanship and had never refined it before.
Moreover, this pill was insidious; refining it required several rare poisonous herbs, and one had to draw Evil Qi into the pill. It was definitely not something benign.
To say that this drawing of lots and the choice of Pill Formula had nothing to do with Willow Follow Wind was something he wouldn’t believe even if he were beaten to death.
He looked up at Old Man Withered Wood opposite him. The man was an elder who looked like withered wood, with deep-set eye sockets, dressed in a gray robe, and exuding a cold, sinister aura. Right now, he was staring at Fang Hao with the eyes of a predator, his withered lips curling to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth, smiling silently.
Willow Follow Wind... A cold light flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes. This tactic was truly underhanded.
What? Scared? Willow Follow Wind’s voice sounded in Fang Hao’s ear via telepathic transmission, carrying undisguised smugness. It’s not too late to concede now. Otherwise, if you get backlashed by the Evil Qi later and ruin your Dao foundation, the loss will outweigh the gain.
Fang Hao took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and ignored Willow Follow Wind’s provocation.
He walked to the Number Nine Pill Furnace and checked the earthly fire and medicinal herbs.
The herbs were provided by the organizers, and the quality... could only be described as barely usable. Especially those main poisonous herbs, their medicinal power was impure, clearly intended to increase the difficulty.
Hmph, kid, concede now, and I can still leave you some dignity. Old Man Withered Wood spoke sinisterly, his voice like sandpaper rubbing together. I have refined this Bone-Eroding Soul-Dissolving Pill more than once. You, a mere Golden Core junior, what can you use to fight me?
Fang Hao glanced at him and suddenly laughed: Senior is so confident? What if you capsize in the gutter?
Old Man Withered Wood’s expression darkened: Sharp-tongued! You’ll have time to cry later!
Both sides take your positions. Time limit is four hours. Begin! At Pill Star Child’s command, thirty groups of alchemists started their furnaces simultaneously.
Fang Hao did not rush to act. He closed his eyes, rapidly recalling the records in the hundred solutions of heavenly craftsmanship regarding the Bone-Eroding Soul-Dissolving Pill—every step, the processing method for every herb, and the most critical ’drawing of Evil Qi’ phase.
The most difficult part of this pill was how to control that trace of Evil Qi of Resentment; it could not be too much, nor too little. Too much, and the Medicinal Pill would rage and backlash; too little, and the medicinal effect would be completely absent.
Since you want to play dirty, I’ll play with you to the end! A ruthless look flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes.
He decided not to use conventional methods, but rather a more dangerous, yet more exquisite technique recorded in the hundred solutions of heavenly craftsmanship: ’using poison to attack poison, using Evil Qi to refine Evil Qi’!
He opened his eyes abruptly, his hands moving like lightning, tossing the poisonous herbs into the furnace one by one.
He did not cautiously process the herbs separately like Old Man Withered Wood. Instead, he did the opposite, tossing in several poisonous herbs with conflicting properties simultaneously, using his powerful Divine Sense to forcibly control the earthly fire, making them devour and neutralize each other within the furnace!
He’s crazy! This kid is crazy! An experienced old alchemist below the stage exclaimed, Tossing ’Gut-Breaking Grass’ and ’Heart-Rotting Flower’ in at the same time—their medicinal properties are mutually exclusive. One careless move and the furnace will explode!
Indeed, the medicinal liquid inside Fang Hao’s furnace churned, its color shifting unpredictably—sometimes ink green, sometimes purple-black—emitting a pungent, fishy stench. There were even faint flashes of lightning, a sign that the conflict of medicinal properties had reached its extreme.
Seeing this, Old Man Withered Wood sneered and stopped paying attention to Fang Hao, focusing on processing his own herbs. In his view, Fang Hao was already courting his own death.
However, although Fang Hao’s forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, his eyes were exceptionally clear. He was fully focused, his Divine Sense divided into several strands, like the most precise instrument, regulating the changes in every trace of medicinal property within the furnace.
He was not operating recklessly, but utilizing the principle of ’Yin and Yang mutual aid’ recorded in the hundred solutions of heavenly craftsmanship, forcibly making these highly poisonous herbs reach a subtle balance amidst their conflict.
Two hours later, an astonishing scene occurred. The originally raging medicinal liquid in Fang Hao’s furnace gradually calmed down, turning into a mass of thick, deep purple liquid with strange patterns flowing on its surface. The scent it emitted was no longer a fishy stench, but a... strange fragrance that made one’s heart sway!
This... what technique is this? The crowd below the stage was dumbfounded.
Even Pill Star Child, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slightly opened his eyes. There was a hint of surprise in the gaze he directed at Fang Hao.
Old Man Withered Wood’s expression changed slightly; he hadn’t expected Fang Hao to actually stabilize the situation. But he quickly calmed down and sneered: Hmph, just opportunism! The real difficulty is still to come!
He was right; the next step was the most critical ’drawing of Evil Qi’ phase. Old Man Withered Wood took out a bead as black as ink and wreathed in resentment; it was the ’Resentment Evil Bead’ he had prepared beforehand.
He carefully drew a trace of Evil Qi into the furnace and merged it into the medicinal liquid. The furnace fire instantly turned a ghostly green, and the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling faintly emerged.
It was Fang Hao’s turn. Everyone was holding their breath, wanting to see how he would handle it. He didn’t have a Resentment Evil Bead; was he going to collect Evil Qi on the spot?
Fang Hao took a deep breath and made a move that dropped everyone’s jaws. He joined his fingers like a sword and slashed his left wrist; a stream of crimson blood, carrying his pure aura of the Perfected Golden Core, dripped into the furnace!
Using blood as a guide, using one’s own essence, Qi, and spirit as Evil Qi?! Pill Star Child stood up abruptly, his face full of shock. This child... what great courage!
That’s right, what Fang Hao used was the forbidden technique recorded in the hundred solutions of heavenly craftsmanship! Using his own essence blood and will to replace that filthy Evil Qi of Resentment!
This method was extremely dangerous; if one’s will was not firm, the Evil Qi would backlash. In the best case, one’s cultivation would be completely ruined, and in the worst case, Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!
But if one could succeed, the refined Medicinal Pill would be of higher quality and have fewer side effects than one refined using the Resentment Evil Bead!
As the blood entered the furnace, Fang Hao’s face turned pale, but his eyes were incredibly firm. He circulated the Chaos Derivation Art, infusing his own unyielding Battle Intent into the Medicinal Pill along with his essence blood.
Inside the furnace, the mass of purple medicinal liquid seemed to come alive, frantically devouring his essence blood and will. Its color gradually turned into an eerie dark red, and a wave of overbearing, tragic, yet slightly sacred aura spread out from the furnace!
This... what kind of Evil Qi is this? Old Man Withered Wood’s face turned ghastly pale. The Evil Qi of Resentment he was so proud of was trembling in the face of Fang Hao’s tragic Battle Intent, like an ant seeing a true Dragon!
Condense! Fang Hao gave a low shout, his hands forming seals, and the furnace lid opened with a boom.
Three Medicinal Pills, the size of dragon eyes, dark red throughout, with blood-thread-like patterns on the surface, flew out and were steadily caught by him in a jade bottle. As the pills touched his hand, a sensation of scorching heat came, as if he were holding three burning flames.
Almost simultaneously, Old Man Withered Wood also finished condensing the pills, producing four, but the quality... was only Medium Grade.
Time’s up! Pill Star Child announced.
The inspection began. Old Man Withered Wood’s Medicinal Pills had decent efficacy, but the Evil Qi was impure, so they were rated as ’Medium Grade.’
It was Fang Hao’s turn. The inspection deacon took the jade bottle and poured out the Medicinal Pills, his expression changing instantly. Those pills were not only brimming with Spiritual Qi but also contained a heart-palpitating power of will.
Fang Hao, three pills formed, quality... High Grade, no, close to Top Grade! The deacon’s voice was even trembling. This pill contains a special will, the efficacy is overbearing, and the side effects... are unknown, but it is definitely not comparable to ordinary Bone-Eroding Soul-Dissolving Pills!
The entire venue was dead silent. The next moment, a heaven-shaking uproar erupted.
Close to Top Grade? Pills refined using his own essence blood and will? Who exactly is this Fang Hao?
Old Man Withered Wood lost! A dignified Nascent Soul lost to a Golden Core!
Old Man Withered Wood’s face was ashen. He pointed at Fang Hao, his lips trembling, but he couldn’t say a word.
In this round, Fang Hao wins! Pill Star Child gave Fang Hao a deep look and announced the result.
Fang Hao let out a sigh of relief, feeling a wave of weakness in his body. That move just now had almost exhausted thirty percent of his essence blood and a large amount of Divine Sense, but... it was worth it!
He looked at Willow Follow Wind and saw that this Medicine King Valley Genius’s face was so gloomy that water could almost be wrung out of it, with murderous intent exposed in his eyes.
Fang Hao met his gaze, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.
Fellow Daoist Willow, I accept your concession.
Willow Follow Wind clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost embedding into his flesh. He never expected that the trap he had meticulously designed not only failed to stump Fang Hao but instead made him famous in one battle!
Fang Hao... Willow Follow Wind squeezed two words out from between his teeth. You are very good! In the final round, I will let you know what despair is!
Fang Hao put away the Medicinal Pill and turned to walk down the Debate platform. Every step he took was steady and powerful.
He knew that in this third round, he had not only won the competition but also won back his dignity and earned the attention of Su Xuan.
There were only fifteen people left for the final round. He was only one step away from that nascent soul pill formula.
And for this last step, even if it were a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, he would cross it!
