Chapter 223: The arrival of teng patriarch

"Grade 4" The Keeper spoke up in an excited voice. He turned around to face Long Tao and spoke up:

"I congratulate the young lord for becoming a grade-4 alchemist. The first concoction was successful and you can now start practicing with level 4 recipes." The Keeper's voice was filled with elation. It hadn't even been three years since Long Tao got his hands on the artifact and he was already a level 4 alchemist.

"You have the highest potential out of all the previous crimson lords in terms of alchemy." The Keeper spoke with a flattering tone.

"What was the highest level a crimson lord reached in his life?" Long Tao didn't expect the Crimson lord to have stopped at level 4.

"I said you have the highest potential, not the highest level reached. The Crimson Lord who had the highest achievement in alchemy is way beyond your current level. You shouldn't think too much about that."

"In contrast, I believe it is better if you talked about the benefits you could reap after stepping into level 4 alchemist." The Keeper's sentence was followed by the appearance of the alchemy hall master.

"I congratulate my lord for this achievement. Stepping into level four of alchemy results in the opening of multiple functions within the artifact. You now have access to the soul refining tower, which can be utilized for training your soul power. After stepping into the level 4 alchemist, you need to train your soul constantly."

"The second prize is the opening of the pill library. The pill library was created by the previous lords to store all the pill recipes they had obtained during their cultivation. Each floor corresponds to a level of alchemists."

"How many floors are present?"

"The information regarding that is not yet accessible to you. You need to grow stronger in the future to know about that."

"The third gift is a set of cauldrons which are manufactured by the previous lords. The cauldron presented to you shouldn't be able to accompany you until level 6."

"It also opens the functionality of the throne room to provide comprehension regarding pill refining. You can now comprehend the various techniques related to alchemy from the throne room."

"The road from now on is quite difficult to walk on. The efforts required to continue on the path of cultivation would increase with every step you take. You need to be prepared for the future."

Long Tao nodded his head in agreement. The rewards gained were quite alluring, but given the throne allowed him to have these rewards indicated how difficult the path was going to be.

................

The appearance of the pill was accompanied by a sweet fragrance spreading throughout the hall. The elders who were watching the scene couldn't help but rise from their chairs.

"Level 4 pill. The boy is officially a level 4 alchemist. What a monster." Huge commotion spread throughout the stadium resulting in a huge wave of uproar.

"I knew he was going to win the round. I've always had faith in Lu Ming."

"So says the guy who was berating him just a moment ago. Have you no shame?"

"Shut up you all. We need to focus on Lu Ming. The participants have completed refining their pills. The elder is here."

The elder stepping up calmed the stadium down. Although he was thrown into a trance for a moment there, he was able to recover and came forwards to announce the result.

"I request the participants to come out with their pills."

Although the audience gets to watch the scene within the rooms, the participants were unaware of each other's performance.

..............

When Teng Huan completed the formation of his pill and successfully refined it, the cauldron popped up and gave out a singular blue pill. The aroma was quite calming and so were the attributes. The pill was called the soul calming pill and was the highest level-3 recipe present within the Teng family.

He was the only person within the younger generation who had managed to successfully refine a pill like that. He was elated by the view of the lustrous spherical ball.

"Let's see how you win this time, Lu Ming." He stored the pill in the jade box provided and proceeded out of his room. 

.............

"participants are to come forward and showcase the pill with a brief description of its properties."

One after one the participants stepped up and started to show their refined pills. All the pills refined were medium-grade level 3 or above.

"Green hue Pill, properties are boosting up recovery power by fluxing a huge amount of wood energy into the consumer's body. There are no side effects and could help an advance, in general, to recover his wounds within half the time." The 3rd ranked person spoke.

Teng Huan couldn't help but smirk at this display. Although the green hue pill was good, it failed to compare with his soul calming pill. He looked towards Lu Ming, just to find him recovering his expended strength with his eyes closed.

'Didn't even flinch at this view. Let's see how long this arrogance of yours lasts.' Teng Huan said to himself. He once again moved towards Lu Ming.

"Does brother Ming want to display his pill first?"

"It is the second time you have provoked me and the turn of events are exactly like the last time. If I decided to show my pill first, you wouldn't even have the courage to showcase yours. So, just go ahead."

Teng Huan couldn't help but clench his teeth. He moved up the stage and took out his pill.

"Soul calming pill. Advanced level 3 pill with the properties to help a cultivator recover his soul power. It could help improve the recovery rate to double its speed, and there are no side effects."

The audience did show some interest, but Teng Huan found something to be amiss. The expression of the audience didn't match his expectations. It was as if they had seen something better than this. He stepped down, paving the way for Lu Ming.

When Lu Ming went up the stage and took out the pill, a blast of sweet smell spread throughout the stadium. The Pill which surfaced was not only extremely lustrous but the aura it was radiating overwhelmed the whole stadium.

"Vitality Pill, initial grade-4. Can help a Qi King recover his blood essence, soul force, and even Qi. Help temper the body and remove impurities. No side effects." It was not until Lu Ming spoke that Teng Huan realized how pathetic his earlier words were.

.........…

Sometime later-

The elder in charge stepped up and began to announce the results.

"The third position goes to Peng Xiaoxia of the Peng Family. You are to visit the treasure hall to claim your prize."

"The second position is held by Teng Huan. Sul calming pill, advance level-3. You will be rewarded with an additional set of treasures." He gave out a small ring which contained the treasures which he was talking about.

The moment had finally arrived.

Lu Ming stepped up and waited for his name to be called out.

"Lu Ming, level-4 alchemist. Vitality pill, initial grade-4. You are hereby crowned as the champion of the competition. You are hereby allowed to get both the treasures mentioned earlier, along with a special skill for Pill refining of your choice and the permission to enter the Land of fire."

Lu Ming couldn't help but be elated about the fact that he achieved the objective he had set for himself. It was time to reap the rewards. He was just about to go up and receive his reward when an invisible pressure spread throughout the stadium. It was the pressure extruded by an emperor level cultivator.

"Lu Ming is hereby arrested for the killing of Teng Family members." It was none other than Teng Luo, the Teng family patriarch