Mage And Wolf -
Chapter 183
Chapter 183: Chapter 183
Now that they can communicate, Betty and Sandra as we’ve learned our guides name is, have become instant best friends, talking at the same time, at high speeds and somehow following each other’s conversation.
Elder Ye gives me a long suffering look, that’s her disciple after all, and if she can talk like that the Alchemist is in for a very lively existence once they get back to the Sect. Sandra seems to have no intention of letting me go, so the three of us short people walk hand in hand to the alchemy trial grounds with Elder Ye following behind, doing her very best not to laugh at our enthusiasm.
"If you’re competing madam, you will need to get your children seated before you proceed to your designated spot." The guard at the competitor’s entrance greets Elder Ye and finally she can’t hold in her laughter anymore. She’s not exactly quiet about it and the group in front of us turns around, joining in her mirth once they realize the mistake that the guard has made.
He’s starting to look anxious, unsure what he’s done wrong, but knowing he’s likely to be in very big trouble any second the way people are laughing at him.
"Madam? Have I said anything wrong?" he asks tentatively and a man from the edge of the seated crowd leans over to fill him in.
"That’s Elder Ye of the Shadowed Blade. She’s not with three children, she’s accompanying Young Miss, who is competing today, holding the hands of the two young disciples." The man looks very, very pale now.
"My apologies Young Miss, I have no excuse for my mistake. Please, sit anywhere you would like." The man bows deeply, not daring to look us in the eye.
In all honesty, it’s not that bad of a mistake. Elder Ye is over 180cm tall and athletic, but not quite what you would call slender. With the large size difference, plus her middle aged appearance, the rest of us really do look like children in her care. Especially when we’re all holding hands like she’s afraid one of us will wander off if we’re not in a group.
"You’re forgiven. But I should get going now, that’s the ten minute warning. Could you help my companions find their seats with the rest of the Sect?"
"Yes Miss, and my apologies again. Right this way Elder." The man stumbled over his words in his rush to get away from the laughing crowd.
I found my seat in the competition area and took out my cushions and my lucky Drake Skull pill cauldron. I check my storage rings, making sure that all of the ingredients for the Celestial Insight Pill that I intend to make are present and in good condition.
The competition this time will actually be two rounds. The first to create the best pill we can, and then a second round the same as the previous life skills competition, in that we will have a selection of ingredients to use to make the best pill we can. I’ve prepared for this though.
Among the obscure alchemy techniques Elder Song taught me is one that uses seemingly random ingredients with properties contained in the ingredient in the recipe, needing two or more to get all the required properties, and blends their energy to emulate the missing ingredient. It’s a bit more advanced and flexible than simply using compatible alternate ingredients, but quite similar to the energy control needed to accomplish mystic cooking.
"Now that we’re all assembled. Welcome to the first day of Inner Sect Alchemy. You all know what the format will be this year, so I won’t bore you. Without any further delay, contestants you may light your fires and begin." The announcer calls out and I bring out my ingredients.
The sense of tension is palpable as everyone starts their purification of ingredients while their cauldrons heat. From my left comes a sad sigh and a swear of frustration. A woman from the Herbal Essence Sect has had an ingredient come up with a hidden flaw during purification and she douses her alchemy flame in defeat. She’s making a Rank 5 pill, no threat to me even if she does get it right, so I dig through my storage quickly and find a spare for her.
"Hey, take this." I whisper, tossing her the fresh ingredient and she gives me a huge smile.
"Thank you very much, I won’t forget." She answers, going back to her purification and lighting the flame back under her cauldron.
Everything I’ve prepared looks good, and my cauldron is at perfect temperature, so I get started, setting the phone Karl has charged for me on the ground with a timer running to get the rhythm right on a sensitive part of the concoction where I’ve sometimes gotten distracted during my practice.
An hour later, everything has been successfully added, and the difficult task of blending and condensing the pill energy has begun. During a smooth section, where everything is simply held steady to settle I risk a look around. A few failures have happened, but most of the competitors are doing well.
Up in the stands, Karl laughs with Elder Song. "What was that? That spectacular failure with the intense smell. It’s a good thing the competitors are protected, because I haven’t smelled anything like that outside of a discount brothel in Tijuana."
"While I don’t know where Tijuana is, that smell of Agave liquor and rotten fish is the sign that a Rank 7 Naga Venom Pill has failed during refinement. If he had been successful, that would have been the winning pill by default, everyone else is making Rank 6 or lower pills." Elder Song explained to him, looking down at where Kat was still working. Her pill felt like it was coming along well, no sense of disturbance during the resting phase when it should be still.
The Pill concoction is fully rested, so I move from purification to Condensation, eliminating excess and compressing my concoction into solid pills. I feel the opportunity to split the pills into multiples, but move past it, not wanting quantity today, but the highest possible quality. When my phone shows eighteen minutes left in the competition the pills are ready, so I use one last bit of energy to polish them, removing any remaining hints of impurity before opening my cauldron.
"Judge, the pill is ready." I call to the person in striped robes watching for cauldrons to open.
The judge picks the six pills up with a reverent look and selects the one with the brightest golden veins.
"Selection made." The judge calls and places the pill in a glass vial for judging.
I look over and the competitor from the Herbal Essence Sect is just finishing up, then opens her cauldron with a smile. Her result is quite impressive, the recipe is a fairly complex to make Rank 5 lightning collection pill, that aids lightning cultivation, and the result has clear and defined pill veins, meaning it’s solidly over 90 percent purity, likely closer to 92 percent.
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