Heavenly Dao Child

"Yes stop such unladylike behaviour Zywia."

Su-Min watched with a smirk on her face as Zywia's finger came close to her throat to strangle her only to be stopped by the timely intervention of True-Spear who held her back.

Frost Flames shook her head with a sigh, "You are so easy to tease sister but do not worry I will have words with that clown of mine, and please sit down from the looks of it he is about to start."

As the group finally once again took their seats they saw Ryuu suddenly take out his cauldron, it was larger than others by quite a margin, with patterns of various creatures engraved on it, unlike the others which in some cases looked bit plain, or gaudy and even vain, he was the one that inspired awe.

Ryuu gently caressed his cauldron while Zywia sucked a deep breath upon seeing it, as such True-Spear could not help but ask her, "Is there something wrong Zywia?"

Zywia looked at her boyfriend as she spoke with a look of excitement in her voice, "Wrong? No there is nothing wrong, the cauldron is said to be the mark of an alchemist, what do you think when you look at the cauldrons of the cultivators participating in this duel."

True-Spear looked at the cauldron with his eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Some of them look a bit gaudy, some vain, and that one looks plain, and as for Ryuu his looks like, like.."

"Majestic", Frost Flames helped her Martial Brother to find the correct word as Zywia spoke with a nod as she continued, "Yes it simply looks majestic."

"But, it is not because of its looks but function as well, the cauldron he is using and if I am not wrong is called the 'Thousand Pill Cauldron', a cauldron that can be used to create a thousand different pills at the same time, those engraved drawings are not drawings but a means to control the ingredients, mix them and mould them into desired pills, it is simply marvellous."

Amnon frowned as he spoke, "I understand that the cauldron is amazing, but I failed to understand the significance of the matter, from what we know that he had a very high understanding of the Dao related to Alchemy so why are you so excited."

Zywia shook her head as she spoke, "Having a very high level of understanding in the Grand Dao of Alchemy has nothing to do with using of a cauldron, in fact, the understanding of the Grand Dao only deals with the identification, reactions, and how to use, but cauldron is different, if you do not know how to use one, no matter how much enlightenment you have on the Dao, you would fail especially when a cauldron as advanced and complex as the one Ryuu is using."

Daniella gave a sheepish grin as she spoke, "Can you please explain it in a much mundane fashion."

With a huff, Zywia continued, "Think of it as a horse race, a race where you are competing against several professional horse rider, now you know the route by heart, you know which part of it is difficult and then on the day of the race for the first time in your life you are riding a horse that you are seeing for the first time so what are your chances of winning the race."

Daniella nodded at her words as she spoke, "I see I understand what you mean, and that cauldron is more complex."

Zywia nodded at her words as she spoke, "Yes it is, the engravings are like controlling mechanism on the cauldron a single misstep and it would blow up or worse, now watch closely how Ryuu works his magic."

A flame roared into existence under his cauldron, he then quickly took one ingredient after another as he began to put the ingredients in an orderly manner in various portions inside the cauldron.

Some of the ingredients like Spirit Grass, he only to the essence whereas some like the 'Frozen Moonflower Nectar', he only took the nectar before tossing the rapidly rotting flower awake which then burst into flame before it even hit the ground.

He systematically began to add them before putting the lid on top of the cauldron, he placed his hands on various parts of the engraved pictures which to onlookers looked as if it had started to move, more like dancing in a circle, every figure of man or animals were moving fast and as did Ryuu's hands.

The flames surrounding the cauldron morphed mysteriously as it began to assume different colours around the cauldron, some places it was red, whereas others yellow and then in someplace it was blue, but that was also not the only change as it slowly began to take a transparent look, with only letting out a hue of different colours before flaring high enough to engulf even Ryuu.

Ryuu did not pay any attention to the surrounding, his hand was a blur trying to control every aspect of the cauldron, micromanaging every reaction, every mixing, along with the temperature of every part of the cauldron, in some, it was high and in another place extremely low.

'I have started all the reactions and they are progressing smoothly now I have to use 'Sunny Dandelion' seeds into the mixture and it would be golden.'

While he was getting ready for the next stage of the operations one of the cultivators' cauldron shook and before he could react it exploded drenching not only him but a couple around him as well with the hot contents not to mention the red hot cauldron shrapnel that accompanied along with it.

"Argghh", a scream of pain was heard as the cultivator got injured, as another shouted out in pain, "You damn bastard."

Severing Saber along with a few quickly went to the person's side as they helped him, he consumed a couple of pills quickly before producing another cauldron only to be stopped by a smirking Severing Saber who held his hand tightly.

"What are you doing?"

"What else stopping you?"

The cultivator turned purple as he spoke, "How dare you try to prevent me from competing, I knew you were conspiring…arghhhh."

He let out a scream of pain as Severing Saber's smile turned feral, "Never thought Deva Realm cultivators are such a scoundrel, in the beginning, you all agreed that you will only have enough to make a set of ten pills not an iota more, you used an entire set for a particular pill and destroyed your cauldron along with the ingredients for not only the one you were cooking but others as well so should be allowed another chance, you violated the terms of the competition what a thick-skinned fellow are you."

The cultivator turned red with embarrassment for a moment before he left with a huff, while Severing Saber snorted in amus.e.m.e.nt, 'What an egoistic fellow, even after being caught breaking the rules yet he left like he is the King of the World, it really is astounding.'

Frost Flames placed her hand over her bosom as she let out a sigh of relief as she spoke, "For a moment I was afraid he is working with such concentration and when the cauldron exploded he was very close to it, I was afraid he would have been injured."

Zywia simply smiled at her as she spoke, "Fear not brother Ryuu is cautious but I think I know why the cauldron exploded just try to feel the KI carefully and you would understand."

At her words everyone closed their eyes as they tried to feel the KI around the place as Amnon spoke with a smirk as he opened his eyes, "Damn that crafty fox, that was why he had a late start but being at the centre is helping him greatly, damn the lost the battle even before it began."

Ryuu meanwhile was having the time of his life, 'The pills are in perfect balance, the 'Yin Body Replenishing Pill' during its creation would release a large amount of Yang KI, which I will make the 'Stone Heat Pill' absorb, while I will do the opposite in case of the 'Yin Body Replenishing Pill', the 'Realm Ascension Pill' will just have the spillover, and if siphon off the amount of KI from the ingredients that others are using, I will be able to create even better one.'

What he was using was one of the classical methods of fighting during a 'Pill Duel', after all, how could it be a proper duel without engaging the opponent at every step, how can it be a duel if the participants did not try to outdo each other while trying to lead the other into compromising situation by springing a trap.

As such Ryuu planned it from the beginning since the moment he had known the pills that he will have to make the planned it all step by step as such he started late, allowing others to begin before slowly springing the trap, and it also helped him because he had made those pills many times as such he could plan such tricks, though he was not the only one as others tried to as well it was nothing compared to the sheer gargantuan size that he was engaging.

The heat surrounding him was so immense that even a tiny droplet of sweat was vaporized as soon as it appeared, a small smile blossomed on his face as he removed the lid, the fire surrounding him and the cauldron disappeared, and then a small rumble was heard and in front of everyone's eyes a small pitch-black cloud suddenly began to form completely covering the top of the cauldron

Zywia closed her eyes as she spoke with a nod and a satisfied smile on her face, "As expected of Ryuu he performed well, really well to trigger a pill tribulation."

"Zywia I have a question for you."

"What is it Su-Min?"

"It was Ryuu who created the pill using the knowledge that he had gained throughout his life, the knowledge that he had gained from his teacher right?", as Zywia nodded in agreement with a confused look on her face, Su-Min spoke with a mixture of innocence and curiosity, "So why are you being so smug about?"

Zywia's face turned black but before anyone could say anything Frozen Ocean stopped her with a stern glare of her own as she spoke with anxiety and irritation bleeding in her voice, "Will you two keep quiet, even with my almost nonexistent knowledge on pill creation I know it is the most vital part even if the pill is created the best possible way the tribulation can destroy it and he would lose the challenge."

Her words sobered everyone as they paid undivided attention towards Ryuu and his cauldron and then the felt their heart stop as the first flash of thunder.