The ingredients were condensed into five bluish-green pills with golden star markings on them, while clouds covered the ceiling of the Alchemy Hall once again.
"Is that another Heavenly Tribulation? How can this be?" an Alchemist still stirring his ingredients called out in shock.
A few Alchemists with more unstable recipes lost their ingredients immediately, their cauldrons filled with black smoke and released a nasty smell into the air.
The Elders weren't surprised to see another Tribulation. The difficulty of the Soul Refinement Pills were almost at the level of a Tier 4 pill, so for William to perfectly refine them was already proof of his immense talent.
They were only slightly worried, since a Tier 3 Pill Tribulation would be much stronger than the previous one. Was William fit to undergo back to back Tribulations?
Elder Tianshen was tempted to help William out by giving him a treasure to resist the Tribulation, but that might be seen as cheating. He was forced to remain idle and hope for William's wellbeing.
The clouds charged with Heavenly Lightning once again, launching its first strike with strength already in the mid-stages of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
William took the strike head on, dissipating all of the energy with his Hard Skin. He looked up to the sky with a soft smile. Is that all you've got?
The Tribulation seemed to hear William's thoughts and crackled with energy. A powerful lightning strike at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm was quickly launched, blasting into William and forcing him to bend his knees under the pressure.
His skin cracked, and Heavenly Lightning invaded his body like a disease. He used Lightning Mana to fend it off but was still left with some injuries.
My defense isn't nearly as strong as my offense... William realized. Thankfully he had the E Rank Regeneration Talent, which was more than enough to heal the small wounds on his body.
Elder Tianshen watched in awe. Where did this disciple come from? A talented Alchemist, a Manamatus, a body Cultivator, and an iron will.
He laughed, "Haha! Kid you remind me of me when I was your age! Show that Tribulation who's boss!"
Elder Fuxi looked at Elder Tianshen. "Shut up you geezer, you could barely deal with your Core Formation Realm Tribulation that time!"
"Oh you want to fight?" Elder Tianshen looked at Elder Fuxi with teasing eyes. Elder Fuxi was only a Golden Core Cultivator, while he was in the Nascent Soul Realm. It wouldn't even be a fight.
"Hmph! Let's just watch the kid."
William watched the clouds as a third lightning strike came down, covering his entire body with wounds instantly. The Hard Skin Talent could only stop half of the Heavenly Lightning, and his Lightning Mana couldn't deal with all of the remainder.
He fought back using Mana of the Fire and Water Elements, but they only helped a small bit. By the time he fought off all the Heavenly Lightning, William was bleeding all over and covered in burn marks. His Heat Resistance Talent helped to limit the damage, but he would still need time to fully recover.
-Survived a Heavenly Tribulation: +10 PP
William groaned in pain. He regretted not using his Potential Points to upgrade the Hard Skin Talent again, but at the same time he would only have 80 PP remaining if he did.
At least I survived. It seems like Heavenly Lightning at the Core Formation Realm is my limit for now.
With the end of the Tribulation, the Elders heaved a sigh of relief for William's safety and the other Alchemists could continue or restart their refinement process.
The judges inspected Williams pills, awarding 104 points. 100 for perfection and an extra point for each extra pill refined.
-Refined a pill: +1 PP
-Perfectly refined a pill: +2 PP
-Refined your first Tier 3 pill: +10 PP
-Perfectly refined your first Tier 3 pill: +50 PP
Wow, these first-time bonuses are really profitable. William exclaimed in his mind. He no longer regretted his decision to join the Alchemy Competition.
Like before, the judges allowed William to keep some of the pills, so he accepted two and set them with the Soul Refinement Pills. The other Inner Core Disciples were still conducting Alchemy, so William scrolled through the System panel while waiting.
Half an hour later, all of the Alchemists were done and the top ten were named. As expected, William was in first place, while nine other female Alchemists were in the remaining positions.
Elder Arthur stood up to give directions for the last phase. Like before, each disciple would be provided a list of ingredients. They would guess the pill refined, then refine it if correct. There were no instructions given on the sheet that told the Alchemist how to refine it. That would depend on their knowledge.
William looked at his sheet. There were only four ingredients: a Blood Frog's Tongue, two pieces of Mana Grass, an Iron Root, and a jar of salt.
He frowned and raised his hand. Elder Tianshen came over quickly. "Disciple William, have you already guessed the pill?"
William nodded, but then shook his head. "There are two different pills that these ingredients can make: a Tier 3 Blood Replenishing Pill, and a Tier 4 Iron Stomach Pill. Which do you want me to refine?"
Elder Tianshen was surprised at Williams response. "There is only a Tier 3 Blood Replenishing Pill, how can you expect a Tier 4 pill from these ingredients?"
William pointed to the salt written on the sheet. "You can dissolve salt into the Iron Root while using Water Mana to rust away its exterior. If the root is high enough quality, it can be upgraded to Tier 4."
Elder Tianshen was surprised. How could a young man think ? He decided to give William a chance. "Well you had the answer right before, but let me speak with the others." he walked over to the judges table.
Elder Fuxi found Elder Tianshen's expression odd. "What did that boy come up with this time?"
"He says he can make a Tier 4 pill with these materials. He's done well so far, I'd like to give him a chance." Elder Tianshen relayed the process William had told him before.
Elder Arthur's brow raised. "That's insane! Is he going to play a game of chance with the Iron Root? This is first place we are talking about!" Thɪs chapter is updated by novel(ꜰ)ire.net
He was mostly upset since William already proved he could place first in today's competition. Why risk that?
What they didn't know is that William just wanted to earn as many Potential Points as possible, and the first time bonus for a Tier 4 pill had to be good.
The judges argued for a few minutes over this, making William impatient.
They finally made a decision after much difficulty. Elder Tianshen walked up to William's seat. "You may refine the Tier 4 Iron Stomach Pill, but you must still do so within the time limit. Are you sure you don't want to refine the other pill?"
William shook his head, "I'm sure, Elder."
"Alright then. Please wait while I have Yuming fetch the materials for you."