Chapter 1132, Spiritual Energy Approaching Tangibility

Translator: Silavin

 

*Hum…*

 

With Yao Jie’s movement, the black patterns carved across the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron seemed to come alive, flowing slowly and radiantly like a ring of rising black flame. At the same time, a deep and restrained fluctuation rippled outward from within.

 

“Yao Jie has actually fully activated the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron!”

 

“Word has it that Cauldron was once used by that esteemed Master. With ten thousand years of tempering, the amplification it grants to Spiritual Energy must have reached a truly frightening degree.”

 

“What Yao Jie is doing is overkill.”

 

Countless gazes turned scorching at the sight of the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron. The reputation of its original owner was simply too great. Even Supreme Experts treated that great Master with courtesy.

 

Yet there, only a few metres away, Qin Yichen appeared entirely oblivious to the stir on the other side. His palms continued to strike the small Pill Furnace, no larger than a pair of cupped hands, in a series of graceful, flowing arcs.

 

Those fluid and natural movements drew more than a few gazes, who found themselves quietly mesmerised. Nobody had imagined that the act of refining a Pill could command a person’s attention so completely.

 

Even so, it changed nothing about the outcome of the Alchemy Duel.

 

Yao Jie was already a Heaven Grade Alchemist. Add the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron to the equation, and even a peak Heaven Grade Alchemist would not dare face him in an Alchemy Duel.

 

Because the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron placed him in a position that was, for all practical purposes, undefeatable. With amplification that terrifying, nobody in their right mind would volunteer to test it.

 

Within Yao Jie’s eyes, a glacial light was now gleaming steadily. Ripple after ripple spread through the space directly in front of him.

 

In moments, a strand of formidable Spiritual Energy had condensed, and this Spiritual Energy was no longer shapeless and intangible. It had taken on a faint, silvery hue.

 

This was a materialisation of Spiritual Energy.

 

It was not yet true materialisation, there was still a gap to cross, but even peak Martial Ancestors felt a cold creeping across their skin at the sight of it.

 

As the greatest prodigy among the Medicine Race’s younger generation, Yao Jie was supremely confident. Yet his earlier assault had failed to produce the desired effect. He had even sensed that the other party’s Spiritual Energy had not sustained the slightest damage. That was precisely why he had now fully activated the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron.

 

*Hmph…* With a cold grunt from Yao Jie, that silver strand of Spiritual Energy shot forward like a sword thrust directly at Qin Yichen’s head.

 

The speed was terrifying. In less than half a breath, it had already arrived at Qin Yichen’s skull.

 

And just as that Spiritual Energy, amplified by the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron, was about to pierce into Qin Yichen’s Knowledge Sea, a ripple of Spiritual Energy finally swept outward from his own Knowledge Sea. What was peculiar was that it showed not the slightest intention of retreating. It flew directly at that silver Spiritual Energy and collided with it head-on.

 

“*Hmph!* Fool!” Yao Jie had detected Qin Yichen’s attempt of resistance. But with the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron, he was confident he could overwhelm not just Qin Yichen but even the Heaven Grade Spiritual Energy of certain Senior members of his own Race.

 

And now, to salvage his reputation, he intended to crush this fellow in a single overpowering display, in front of the entire crowd.

 

He wanted everyone present to understand the consequences of daring to provoke the Medicine Race.

 

*Tch…*

 

In a flash of lightning and a spark of flint, the two strands of Spiritual Energy collided.

 

What surprised Yao Jie somewhat, though, was that the strand of Spiritual Energy he had expected to shatter with trivial effort appeared to be abnormally dense. It was not destroyed in the first instant. Instead, it resisted, even if only momentarily.

 

[He actually does have a few tricks!] Sensing this, Yao Jie’s expression tightened slightly. It seemed this person’s ability to emerge unscathed from his earlier assault was not entirely without basis.

 

That said, Yao Jie was not especially concerned. If anything, the corner of his mouth curved into something altogether uglier than a smile.

 

“Still trying to resist? Get crushed!” With a sharp cry, Yao Jie slammed both palms into the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron.

 

In that instant, the patterns across the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron spun faster than ever. Seen from a distance, they resembled nothing so much as a black flame capable of burning everything to nothing.

 

*Whoosh!*

 

Simultaneously, a surge of tremendous Spiritual Energy erupted outward in what was nearly an instant, several times more powerful than the faint-silver strand from before.

 

That terrifying Spiritual Energy, carrying a crushing, suffocating pressure, came hurtling at the stubbornly resisting strand.

 

This was something capable of grinding down all opposition.

 

This time, Yao Jie had held absolutely nothing back. At full power, he could almost picture the contemptible face of Qin Yichen, twisted with terror.

 

Thinking of it, the viciousness at the corner of Yao Jie’s mouth deepened perceptibly.

 

“That thing really is impressive, I’ll give it that.” Sensing the Spiritual Energy that, after amplification, had become terrifying enough to crush a Heaven Grade Alchemist, a brief flicker of genuine admiration crossed Qin Yichen’s expression.

 

In truth, Qin Yichen had not taken this Alchemy Duel especially seriously.

 

An Alchemy Duel comes down to three things: the raw power of one’s Spiritual Energy, the amplification provided by one’s Pill Furnace, and the degree of control over one’s Spiritual Energy.

 

When it came to Spiritual Energy, Qin Yichen possessed the Divine Indestructible Soul Art of the Demon Subduing Great Saint. The density of his Spiritual Energy had reached a level ordinary people could not conceive of. Even the Medicine Race, who were celebrated for their Spiritual Energy, could not match him on that point.

 

And as for the Pill Furnace, Qin Yichen genuinely could not think of any furnace in existence that was more formidable than the one in his own hands.

 

In terms of Grade, even his not-yet-fully-restored small Pill Furnace could leave the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron several streets behind. In his previous life, he had been the Alchemy Saint, and he had used this small Pill Furnace throughout. Though it had not recovered to that former state, it was still in a different class entirely from the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron.

 

When all was said and done, the Three-Legged Black Flame Cauldron was an item that a great Master had considered beneath them and discarded, which was how it ended up with Yao Jie.

 

And as for the degree of control over Spiritual Energy…

 

In this world, one would struggle greatly to find any Alchemist capable of matching Qin Yichen in that regard.

 

In every single dimension, the Medicine Race, so radiant in the eyes of the crowd, fell short of him. With a contest like this, was there really any need to wonder about the result?

 

“Finally finished.” At last, Qin Yichen’s palms came to a stop, because, resting inside his Pill Furnace, there were now several smooth and perfectly rounded Pills.

 

Looking at Yao Jie’s viciously triumphant expression, Qin Yichen could not help rubbing his nose. It was time to end this farce. He found himself genuinely curious whether this youth, once confronted with the gap between them, would still be able to produce that smile.