Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

Alex formed the next pill.

The Bluelight Agar Tree flower was something he had worked with many times before, so he knew the shapes of its powdered form, allowing him to quickly integrate it into the recipe.

The resulting pill came out at 96%, which let Alex know that this ingredient he had just replaced was not the problem. it was likely in another ingredient.

'Will I stumble into the correct recipe naturally as I replace the ingredients, or will I have to force it?' he wondered. He glanced at the remaining time and saw he might have enough to improve it on his own.

At the very least, he could use his free time to pinpoint where the issue lay.

A little less than half an hour remained when Alex delivered the second pill for testing. While it was being evaluated, he began making the third pill.

This time, he didn't even need to test it out. With the Indigo Mullflower Fruit replaced by Rockleaf Bamboo Stalk, Alex began working. The bamboo stalk was an ingredient he had worked with many times before and knew very well the shapes its powdered forms took.

He had also made practically the same pill multiple times now, so knew in detail exact rate at which the energies needed to be mixed for the final result.

For this instance, and perhaps two more, he could skip the initial step and directly begin making the pill. So, he did just that, ensuring Memory knew this one wasn't for consumption. It took less than three minutes to make the pill, which resulted in another 97%.

The young man stared in awe, unable to fathom what he was witnessing.

Alex had taken 18 minutes to replace the first ingredient, 12 minutes for the second, and now only five minutes for the third. The assistant couldn't understand how this was even possible.

Was Alex cheating?

He dismissed the idea quickly. Alex was clearly wearing the medallion, and the barrier prevented all communication with those not registered. Moreover, thousands of people were constantly monitoring every contestant's actions. Alex had no opportunity to cheat.

So how had he replaced another ingredient in just five minutes? Was he simply that good?

The assistant didn't question it any further; it wasn't his job. He relayed the information and delivered the pill.

With about 20 minutes of free time before another five ingredients could be requested, Alex used this time to go through the original recipe. He first remade the pill, this time with the sole purpose of identifying the mistake that lay hidden within it.

He briefly considered whether the issue lay with the energy, but that wasn't the case. If each pill had an issue with the energy, it would mean they were being given faulty ingredients. Additionally, the harmony wouldn't be so consistent if that were true.

In that case, the problem was definitely with the structure of the pill.

It took Alex about 10 minutes of making the pill and analyzing its physical composition before he identified the issue.

There were, in fact, two problems.

Golden Sun Beans and Silver Cherry Vine were refined in a way where the shapes of their powdered form fit perfectly with each other, but in doing so left tiny spaces around them. that caused the entire pill to not be as snug as it needed to be.

Of the three ingredients Alex had replaced, none were these two. If he had replaced these, he might have already fixed the recipe and may have even called the pill clouds.

After some deliberation, Alex realized that instead of improving the original recipe, he could simply replace the two problematic ingredients and reshape the new ones to fit together perfectly. This would be equivalent to fixing the entire recipe.

With this conclusion, Alex began considering which ingredients to use as replacements. Two options immediately came to mind. For the third, he had to think a bit longer.

Eventually, he decided on three substitutions:

Diamond Iceflow Wood in place of Silvery Cherry Vine. Bright Yang King's Ginger in place of Golden Sun Beans.

Gloomhorn Mantis Leaves in place of Heaven Reaver Pine Leaves.

He relayed the quantities he needed: one for the first ingredient and two for the remaining ones. He needed to be absolutely sure about the last two, so he requested duplicates. ℞âꞐȏ₿Èṡ

"Please leave as soon as you're allowed," Alex instructed the assistant.

The assistant nodded and waited. Only a few minutes remained on the timer, so the wait wasn't long.

As soon as he was allowed, the assistant left the stage to fetch Alex's ingredients.

Half a minute later, he returned. The tournament staff was incredibly efficient.

"Here," the young man said, handing Alex the pouch.

Alex inspected the contents and confirmed he had received everything he requested, along with another three sets of ingredients for his current version of the pill.

Without hesitation, Alex began working with the Diamond Iceflow Wood. He was most familiar with this ingredient and wouldn't need any additional testing. He had already visualized the recipe in his mind before receiving it, so all that remained was to turn it into a pill.

He quickly placed all the ingredients into Memory and began refining them.

The assistant watched silently as Alex completed the pill in just three minutes—faster than before.

With a wide smile, Alex handed the pill to the assistant, explaining exactly what he had done. He left the assistant to his task and turned his focus to the other ingredients.

Since he had replaced 4 ingredients already, he only needed to be done with these 2 new ones to be done with the 6 ingredients. It was faster than his initial assumption, which was a cause for quite the satisfaction.

In just less than 2 hours, he would be done with the portion of the tournament that mattered.

As he was about to start, a subtle ting sound caught his attention, emanating from the sky.

Alex paused and looked up to identify the source. That was when he noticed that a list had appeared next to the timer, displaying a name and a time.

[Aethersage (6/12): 1 hour and 4 minutes]

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