NINE STAR HEGEMON BODY ARTS

Seeing Long Chen's expression change so suddenly, Chu Yao's heart sunk. s.h.i.+ Feng, Fatty Yu and the others also were scared.

The cost of him losing was far too great. It was something hard to take even in death. But Xia Changfeng coldly smiled inside when he saw Long Chen's face.

"Haha, Long Chen, what are you waiting for? Why aren't you coming over to kowtow yet?" Xia Baichi sneered at Long Chen, seeming extremely pleased with herself.

Being able to humiliate Long Chen was practically better than being promoted to Pill Adept for her! Her body couldn't help starting to s.h.i.+ver in antic.i.p.ation.

Long Chen's face was extremely grave as he slowly took out a medicinal pill from the pill furnace. He regretfully said, "I wanted to be low-key, but the heavens wouldn't let me."

Only now did everyone see that Long Chen actually did have a round medicinal pill in his hand. They cursed at him for acting so dejected.

"That scoundrel." Chu Yao was both surprised and delighted. She really had been scared witless for a moment back then.

"Heavens, I think I really might die. If I continue like this then my heart won't be able to take it." Fatty Yu collapsed to the ground helplessly.

Only at this time did people realize Long Chen had put on an act. This was especially true for Xia Baichi who felt as if she had been given a slap on the face.

"Long Chen, you dare play me?" raged Xia Baichi.

"It's whatever; it's just taking people for a little spin, so why are you so serious?" Long Chen said randomly.

"Hmph, Long Chen, even if you did for the Blood Condensing Pill, you'll still lose. That pill you refined is just low grade, while mine is middle grade."

Xia Baichi raised her hand, showing the pill line. All the nearby people could see it extremely clearly.

"Sister Baichi, you really are talented. You can already refine a middle grade second tier medicinal pill at such a young age. It really does make people admire you," exclaimed the crown prince Chu Yang.

A Pill Adept this young truly was rarely seen, maybe seen only once every few decades. Such a talent could definitely go far on the pill path.

Seeing her ridiculing face, Long Chen indifferently said, "Who won and who lost isn't something decided by you."

"Are you trying to quibble? My medicinal pill has a pill line, and yours doesn't. Are you unable to see such an obvious difference?" sneered Xia Baichi.

"You're absolutely right that yours is a middle grade medicinal pill. But the pill in my hand is also middle grade." Long Chen raised the pill in his hand.

For Long Chen to put it like this shocked everyone. But after carefully examining it, it seemed as if the pill in his hand was absolutely ordinary. Although it was plump and round, there were no pill lines.

"I really do sympathize with you. So young but your eyes are so blind. Who said that middle grade medicinal pills had to have pill lines?" sighed Long Chen.

Wei Cang's expression changed slightly at that. Shock appeared in his eyes, and he stared fixedly at the medicinal pill in Long Chen's hand.

Just now he had felt that that pill was a bit strange. From what Long Chen said, he then thought of what Long Chen had done before forming the pill and immediately became a bit bewildered.

"Bring out the pill appraisal device!"

Following grandmaster Yun Qi's instructions, a Pill Apprentice respectfully brought over a large apparatus.

It looked like a table, and had a notch at the center for placing the medicinal pill. It had the best accuracy for appraising a medicinal pill's grade.

"Sixty percent essence; miss Baichi's medicinal pill meets the demands for a middle grade medicinal pill." The Pill Apprentice read out the device's reading.

If the essence const.i.tuted fifty percent of the pill then it would count as low grade. Sixty percent would make it middle grade. Xia Baichi's Blood Condensing Pill had just barely made the grade.

"Long Chen, I truly want to know just what's so special about your 'middle grade' medicinal pill." Xia Baichi took back her pill and sneered at Long Chen.

She didn't believe that Long Chen's medicinal pill had truly reached the middle grade. Since there weren't any pill lines, who was he even trying to trick? This was just a final struggle.

"Then have a good look."

Long Chen laughed and handed his medicinal pill to the Pill Apprentice. Any medicinal pills that were just refined would have a thin pill membrane covering it for six hours that could not be faked.

"Sixty-three percent essence; mister Long Chen's medicinal pill meets the demands for a middle grade medicinal pill." The Pill Apprentice read out the new reading.

"What?!"

Xia Baichi was stupefied to the point that even the pill in her hand dropped to the ground, her head completely blank; she had lost?

Not only her, but everyone else was shocked, especially Wei Cang. Reading the number on the device, his face turned completely ashen.

Everything that had happened during the refining had been observed by him so it was definitely no fake. Long Chen had actually refined a middle grade pill without any pill lines.

Usually the medicinal grade of the pill was determined during the refining process. That was why Wei Cang had given Xia Baichi those three hundred year old Blood Spirit Fruits. It could be said that she had been set into an invincible position.

Otherwise he wouldn't have acted so grandly and used the Flame Leopard's beast flame as a prize. But now Xia Baichi had lost.

"No way, you despicable b.a.s.t.a.r.d Long Chen, you definitely gave us a fake. You bought off the appraisal! I'll kill you!"

Xia Baichi suddenly shouted accusations and charged at him like a madwoman. Long Chen was loathe to deal with her; as long as she came over, he would send her flying in a single kick.

"Baichi, stop. Don't make a scene." Wei Cang grabbed her and sternly warned her. He understood that today had ended in complete unexpected failure.

If he reneged on his words in front of this many people, he really would have no more face. So he had no choice but to stop her.

Bai Xiachi struggled wildly in Wei Cang's grasp. She shouted, "You old lecher, what did you say yesterday when you played with me on the bed? Didn't you say the Flame Leopard's beast flame would definitely be left to me? Give it to me!"

She mournfully shouted, her voice echoing throughout the plaza such that every single person heard it. Quite a few people shook their heads.

This Wei Cang truly was trash despite his grandmaster status. Before it was just a rumor about his lecherousness. But now with Xia Baichi's words, there were none who didn't look down on him.

Wei Cang turned purple with rage and slapped Xia Baichi dizzy. "Baichi has become too upset and has started to babble nonsense. Take her down."

After Xia Baichi was brought down, the entire plaza was silent. Long Chen glanced at Wei Cang and reached out his hand. "Hand it over."

Wei Cang's face was extremely unsightly, and his heart was bleeding. This Flame Leopard beast flame was extremely precious, and he really had prepared it to leave for Xia Baichi.

But he hadn't expected that his attempt to get an advantage over Yun Qi would end up making him suffer a huge loss. Instead of making Yun Qi lose face, he ended up losing his own precious treasure. But in front of this many people, he truly didn't have the face to renege.

"Take it."

Long Chen took the bottle. Inside he saw a pulsing ball of flame and couldn't restrain from exclaiming in joy.

"Haha, thanks." This was the first time Long Chen felt this old man was not bad.

"Can you tell me how you did this?" Wei Cang was unwilling inside; this time he had truly suffered a loss.

Long Chen hesitated for a moment, but seeing grandmaster Yun Qi also send him an encouraging gaze, he smiled, "Due to my respect for your age, I'll tell you: this is a secret art for refining pills. I saw it in Ke Gu's recording's which had this technique. When the pill is about to form, make a small hole and use Spiritual Strength to lock in the medicinal nature and use another portion to expel the impurities. This allows you to purify it twice. Now you understand?"

"Ke Gu's recordings? Could you mean Pill King Ke Gu?" Wei Cang was startled.

"I don't know. In any case I saw it in a book. Find it for yourself." Long Chen shook his head. He wasn't telling the whole truth.

In order to not draw suspicion, he had gone through many of the techniques recorded within the guild. Within them truly was the technique he had described, but Long Chen's technique wasn't exactly the same.

That technique said to make just one hole, but Long Chen had made two holes. One hole was used to expel impurities, while the other was used to absorb heaven and earth's spiritual energy. Otherwise the spiritual qi within the cauldron would be insufficient for the pill to condense.

If only one hole was used, then qi would only go out and not in. No matter how powerful your Spiritual Strength was, you would never be able to form the pill in the end and would end up with a furnace of medicinal ashes.

Long Chen walked towards grandmaster Yun Qi and bowed. Yun Qi nodded; Long Chen's display today was completely out of his expectations.

At the same time, he admired Long Chen's courage that allowed him to actually dare to gamble despite such risks. Now that Long Chen had a beast flame, his Pill Flame would become at least ten times stronger once he refined it.

With a powerful Pill Flame as a support and supplemented with his powerful Spiritual Strength, Long Chen's alchemy path would be completely without obstacle.

Long Chen walked to Chu Yao. Looking at her charming face, he almost couldn't help sinking into her bosom.

Their display today had broken through any previous barriers between them and their two hearts were now much closer.

"I will definitely accomplish what I promised you. Believe me," quietly said Long Chen.

Chu Yao cutely nodded. Seeing his determination, she was filled with warmth and felt as if she was no longer alone.

Long Chen bowed slightly to the Empress Dowager before walking down the martial arena and returned to his own spot. He attracted everyone's gaze as he walked.

The women especially had s.h.i.+ning eyes. Long Chen's display was coa.r.s.e and wild. He actually cursed right in front of grandmaster Wei Cang. This was both fresh and stimulating to them.

Then atop the refining stage he had displayed that easy and calm refining technique of his. He had been completely unconstrained and had managed to counterattack beautifully at the last moment.

Such a person was someone they had never met before. He was completely novel. When Long Chen walked past them, many of the daring ones even tried to entice him.

Once he sat down, Fatty Yu and the others all burst with excitement.

"Brother Long, you really are too strong!"

"Haha, now that I've obtained a beast flame, I guarantee that I will let you guys ascend to the Blood Condensation realm." Seeing their concern for him, Long Chen's heart was moved.

Although he had been atop the stage, he had seen everything occurring below the stage. So all their emotion for him was something he knew about.

Fatty Yu and the others didn't have high cultivation bases. The stronger Long Chen became, the more a.s.sistance he would be able to offer them.

When Long Chen had been down, these people had always stayed with him. This feeling was very precious to Long Chen.

Just as they were talking, a burst of cheers suddenly rang out and Long Chen and the others were roused. s.h.i.+ Feng laughed: