btth: receive your own sucide note

  Watching the young man slowly rise, the alchemists' gazes grew slightly solemn.

  Old Monster Hou's elixir had already triggered the Nine-Colored Pill Thunder. The young man's words meant...

  Thinking of that outcome, everyone's heartbeat quickened. This was undoubtedly a miracle in the alchemy world!

  "Youngster, showing off your verbal skills here won't do you any good."

  Old Monster Hou looked at Chen Guan, his gaze fixed on the fire cauldron in front of Chen Guan as he spoke. He could only sense a powerful energy fluctuation, not any trace of the elixir. A faint sneer flickered across his eyes.

  Facing Old Monster Hou's sneer, Chen Guan didn't argue. He simply raised his arm and formed a hand seal.

  "Om!"

  As his hand seal formed, a subtle humming sound suddenly emanated from the cauldron in front of him.

  "Huh, what is this..."

  Seeing this, many people were surprised.

  "There are elixir fluctuations within the cauldron."

  The elder dressed in linen on the stone platform suddenly announced their discovery in a hoarse voice.

  "Mystifying!"

  Also sensing the fluctuations, Old Monster Hou's expression changed slightly, his smile becoming increasingly forced.

  Chen Guan ignored his words, shifting his hand seals and slamming his palm down on the cauldron's lid.

  "Boom!"

  Instantly, a pillar of azure energy, imbued with unparalleled violence, shot up into the sky. Enveloped in this dense energy, even the mental powers of those present were unable to detect the true nature of the elixir within. They could only witness the overwhelming surge of blazing fire. Almost instantly, the temperature of the surrounding heaven and earth soared. Nearby alchemists retreated with a change of expression.

  The azure pillar soared into the sky, seemingly possessing an unparalleled suction force, absorbing the energy of the surrounding heaven and earth like a dragon sucking up water. Instead of quickly dissipating, the enveloping pillar of light expanded several times.

  Simultaneously, a terrifying aura spread, so powerful that even the nine-colored elixir thunder in the distant sky began to shrink.

  "Junior, how dare you!"

  Seeing the nine-colored thunderclouds actually showing signs of shrinking, and his own elixir being affected, Old Monster Hou's heart suddenly sank, and he shouted sharply.

  "Calm down!"

  Before Chen Guan could retort, the Great Elder on the high platform shouted softly, echoing throughout the hall.

  This was a struggle within the Danta, unlike the outside world where no means were used. It was normal for inferior elixirs to be affected by higher-grade elixirs. In special circumstances, the dilemma of 'protecting the greater and the lesser' was forced, and the more valuable one would undoubtedly be chosen.

  This was reality!

  Upon hearing the shout, Old Monster Hou's irritation faded, but his clenched fists still betrayed his resentment.

  Chen Guan glanced at him, clearly unaware of his opponent's intentions. He quickly formed hand seals with his hands, and with his powerful mental force, he manipulated the massive green beam of light to slightly deflect it, causing the affected area of the nine-colored elixir thunder to gradually stabilize.

  Seeing this, Old Monster Hou's face froze, and he looked back in confusion.

  "I'll make you admit defeat!"

  Chen Guan grinned, his face radiating the unbridled confidence of a young man.

  Watching this scene, Hou Laoguai fell silent, feeling a head shorter than he actually was.

  A flush crept across his gaunt, old face, and Hou Laoguai forced his gaze away, remaining silent.

  Chen Guan paid no further attention to Hou Laoguai, his mind intensely focused, always ready to handle any unforeseen situation.

  Fortunately, that didn't happen. The cyan beam of light, fervently absorbing the energy of heaven and earth for over ten minutes, finally began to fade.

  "Cry!"

  At that moment, a resounding roar echoed from the sky, and everyone felt as if the world had suddenly darkened. Inky black calamity clouds rapidly gathered from all directions.

  Everyone shared a common thought: these calamity clouds were far darker than those previously attracted by Hou Laoguai's elixir!

  Dark clouds filled the sky, though no thunder could be heard. However, as one gazed into the darkness, so deep it seemed to absorb even the very sight, even one's soul seemed to tremble slightly.

  Amidst the gathering darkness, the nine-colored thunderclouds above Old Monster Hou's head rapidly shrank, like a delicate fire fox encountering its prey.

  "Is this the thundercloud drawn by the legendary Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill? How could it possibly frighten the Nine-Colored Thundercloud so?"

  Even though they had never eaten pork, they had at least seen pigs run. Gazing at the aura of divine might permeating the sky, many people's eyes narrowed slightly, a sense of horror welling up in their hearts.

  A Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill? That was a goal countless alchemists toiled their entire lives to achieve.

  And now, it had been refined by a young man in his early twenties. How terrifying would this child be in ten years, a hundred years?

  It was unpredictable, unimaginable!

  "Unbelievable! Didn't he just refine an eighth-grade elixir with eight-colored elixir thunder at the Alchemy Conference? How could he have made such rapid progress?"

  Even these experienced alchemy masters' expressions lit up at this moment.

  They were filled with shock and astonishment, bewilderment, and even shame.

  Looking at their present, then reflecting on themselves, a deep sense of powerlessness washed over them.

  "Black demonic thunder! Even I haven't seen it in years."

  The linen-clad elder raised his head, gazing at the eerie black clouds in the sky, and sighed.

  In the square, Chen Guan also gazed solemnly at the ever-squirming black clouds. From them, he sensed an extremely powerful destructive force.

  Even now, he felt no confidence in how to handle it.

  In the distant sky, the black clouds wriggled continuously, and the entire world was silent, without a single rumble of thunder. Yet, it was precisely this deathly silence that made it so terrifying.

  The black cloud continued to wriggle. After about ten minutes, a circular hole finally opened up in its center. Within the hole, darkness remained as deep as the depths of a black hole.

  However, as this circular hole appeared, Chen Guan's hair stood on end. The powerful aura of a Dou Zun powerhouse surged forth unreservedly, barely allowing him to maintain his composure.

  "Swish!"

  When Chen Guan's aura surged, a strange sound suddenly appeared in the cavity, and then a black lightning bolt about as thick as an arm shot out from it, and then silently rushed towards the pill below whose light was about to dissipate.   

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  Gazing at the small black lightning, the surrounding alchemy masters were horrified and retreated quickly.

  Like Chen Guan, they felt an unparalleled sense of oppression. Only by moving ever closer to the Great Elder could they find some comfort.

  In the center of the square, Chen Guan fixed his gaze on the black lightning. With a flick of his finger, two dark shadows darted out from his storage ring. They were the two eighth-level puppets he carried with him. As

  soon as the puppets appeared, controlled by Chen Guan's mind, one suddenly soared into the sky, fearlessly facing the black magic lightning with the courage of a moth to a flame. The other stood coldly beside him, ready for any further consequences.

  Chen Guan knew that the strength of the black magic lightning could easily tear apart a celestial demon puppet forged from the body of a powerful human. Although his own puppets were more authentic, crafted from rare materials even harder than those of a demon beast, he had never tried it before and was unsure if they could withstand it.

  Therefore, he needed to prepare for both scenarios!

  If one was destroyed, the other would immediately take its place.

  If both were destroyed...

  he would have to resort to his ultimate strategy: divert the blame to Hou Laoguai's elixir. This would undoubtedly result in the destruction of both elixirs, but he had already demonstrated his alchemy skills, and victory remained his.

  This method was undoubtedly despicable, but today, he must not lose!

  "Bang!"

  Under the gaze of the crowd, black lightning flashed down, appearing above the demon puppet in almost the blink of an eye, then struck the latter's body with a fierce blow, sending it plummeting into the mountains with a thunderous roar like a meteorite falling from the sky.

  Chen Guan's heart tightened, each second feeling long and agonizing. In such a tense moment, he even forgot the connection between himself and the puppet.

  Second after second.

  The second black lightning bolt emerged from the hollow. At that moment, a muffled rumble echoed from the mountain, and a black figure soared into the sky. Still with that fearless demeanor, ready to destroy everything, Chen Guan was overjoyed, his tense nerves relaxing.

  Looking closely, he saw a noticeable dent in the puppet's chest, but no other damage. Instead, it was nourished by the energy of the black demonic thunder, and its body was constantly flashing with lightning. Its aura was even more powerful than before!

  "Hahaha, Teacher, you're not lying!"

  At that moment, Chen Guan truly understood what Teacher Shu Tianhe had said. A puppet crafted with proper methods was of a far superior quality to a celestial demon puppet!

  Hearing Chen Guan's hearty laughter, Xuan Kongzi, standing at the edge of the square, straightened his back and stroked his beard, feeling deeply relieved.

  Although he didn't know why Chen Guan had suddenly mentioned him, it didn't dampen his pride.

  Today was a huge honor!

  In the sky, the puppet, as expected, was struck down by the black magic lightning once again. However, this time, Chen Guan was incredibly relaxed. Calm, he could clearly sense the puppet's presence.

  A few breaths later, the puppet reappeared before everyone's astonished gaze.

  Time and again, it made the surrounding alchemists feel a mixture of laughter and tears.

  This method of dealing with the pill thunder was a shady one!

  But it was also effective!

  A few minutes later, the thunderclouds in the sky vanished, leaving no trace, as if everything before had been an illusion.

  "Cry!"

  A clear cry echoed, and everyone finally saw the elixir they had longed for. Now, it took the form of a blue phoenix, which, with a single flap of its wings, appeared hundreds of feet away.

  Even an eighth-grade elixir could transform into a beast, possessing full intelligence, let alone a ninth-grade elixir. This 'blue phoenix' possessed intelligence comparable to that of some humans.

  However, their instinct remained to flee at the first opportunity.

  Chen Guan had been prepared for this. The moment the thunderclouds dissipated, he soared into the elixir's only possible escape path, unleashing a vast spiritual force that formed a net stretching a hundred feet across.

  Therefore, the fleeing Qingluan, in the eyes of the crowd, felt like a trap.

  "With so many powerful men around, how can you escape? Behave, and I'll ensure you leave safely."

  Hearing Chen Guan's assurance, the struggling Qingluan finally quieted down. With innocent eyes, Chen Guan grasped her and held her in his arms, like a pet.

  Landing back in the square, many alchemists immediately gathered around, many of them seeing a ninth-grade precious elixir for the first time, and their curiosity was unavoidable.

  Chen Guan, unfazed, carried Qingluan forward, allowing them to examine him. He stopped only when Old Monster Hou appeared.

  Old Monster Hou glanced at Qingluan, huddled in Chen Guan's arms, with a complicated expression, and sighed deeply.

  "You win! You're the most... unique alchemist I've ever met. This is our first competition, and possibly our last. As you said, I'm... convinced."

  The Flame Demon Purifying Pill that Old Monster Hou had refined had already reached the eighth-grade limit, his highest level to date. Normally, he'd be full of pride, but in front of a ninth-grade precious pill, he couldn't even compare.

  Seeing that Old Monster Hou could afford to lose, Chen Guan smiled slightly.

  "Some luck played a role."

  It wasn't modesty; it was the truth.

  Before refining, while Chen Guan was confident, he wasn't completely certain.

  He'd originally planned to use the Spirit Ascension Technique he'd exchanged from Yao Lao to condense the pill, but unexpectedly, with his focused energy, the result went so smoothly that even he was surprised.

  Furthermore, the Black Demon Thunder was truly terrifying.

  Fortunately, there was no danger.

  Old Monster Hou shook his head slightly and turned away. For alchemists, no matter what their rank, luck is an inescapable factor.

  Chen Guan's success was partly due to luck, and so was his success. A loss was a loss; inferior skills were the enemy's, nothing to complain about.

  Watching Hou Laoguai leave, Chen Guan's impression of the old man changed somewhat.

  "Well, now that the outcome is decided, there's no need for me to make any further announcements. Chen Guan, tell me about your ninth-grade precious pill."

  The linen-clad elder spoke from the high platform, causing the surrounding alchemists to prick up their ears.

  Chen Guan smiled faintly, gently stroking the Qingluan in his arms.

  "This is the Sacred Heart Pill!"

  (End of Chapter)