"I admit defeat!"
After which, Apothecary Bai Ming bowed deeply.
From the start of the Pill Debate, including the time taken to concoct the pills, it had only been slightly more than two hours and there were already four Pill Masters who had admitted defeat.
This result was beyond everyone's expectations. Even Ouyang Cheng, who was at the side, was trembling in disbelief.
Previously, he had never been optimistic about Zhang Xuan. Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected such an outcome!
It was simply a crushing defeat!
It was no wonder that he was able to score full marks in the apprentice apothecary examination and was even able to identify a medicinal herb that even he was mistaken about. This ability was simply too formidable!
Wen Xue, who was at the side, was also filled with terror, and her delicate body was trembling non-stop.
She had actually ridiculed this person who could render an Alchemist speechless … Was there something wrong with her brain or was her guts too fat?
It was fortunate that the other party didn't pursue the matter. Otherwise, he might not even be able to stay in the Apothecary Guild any longer!
"Let me do it!"
Seeing that Bai Ming had admitted defeat, Du Man, who had said that he would stand up for Bai Ming, walked out from the crowd.
"I hope you'll show mercy!"
With a bitter smile on his face, Du Man walked to the front of the cauldron.
The pill he refined was a first-grade Qi Increasing Pill, which was slightly inferior to the Acupoint Soothing Pill and the Tranquil Pill.
His technique was very skillful, and his speed was very fast. It didn't take long for him to complete the refinement, and all of them were at the peak level.
Zhang Xuan's attitude was friendly, and they had known each other since yesterday, so Zhang Xuan did not say much. He only pointed out a few of the most obvious weaknesses, and Zhang Xuan admitted defeat.
Up until now, five out of the ten alchemists had already admitted defeat.
The Pill Debate was also halfway through.
"Let's continue. Who's next?"
Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and looked around indifferently. Everyone was silent.
In other people's Pill Debate, the examinee would feel terrified, afraid that the examinee would ask a difficult question. However, this guy was different. The remaining apothecaries all shrunk their necks, afraid that they would be asked a difficult question. If they didn't see it with their own eyes, no one would believe it.
"Allow me!"
After a moment of silence, an old man stood up.
Alchemist Lin Mu!
Alchemist Cheng Jiang had once used the excuse of discussing techniques to secretly learn his unique alchemy technique, Frost Silk Hands.
"Alchemist Lin, wait! I want to be with you this time! "
Just as Lin Mu stood up, a middle-aged man stood up as well.
Apothecary Jin Chen!
"Together?" Lin Mu frowned.
If the other party were to point out his flaws while he was concocting pills, how could the two of them work together?
"For him to be able to point out the flaws, it means that his eyesight is indeed very good, and he has received very good education. It's very likely that he has a great teacher guiding him. However, I don't believe that he's so young and has so much knowledge! So … the two of us won't concoct pills, but directly ask questions. Don't let him fool us! "
Apothecary Jin Chen snorted.
"This …"
Lin Mu was stunned.
"Yeah, why didn't I think of that?"
"He's not even twenty yet. Even if he could read since birth, how many books could he have read? How much can they remember? "
"A true Pill Debate is actually just raising questions on pill forging for him to answer. He definitely knows that his knowledge is insufficient, so he intentionally raised the difficulty to see through our flaws. However, if he really had the guidance of a master teacher and was exposed to better education from a young age, seeing through our flaws wouldn't be a problem!"
"Indeed. Master teachers are knowledgeable while we are only grade-1 apothecaries. As the disciples of such a person, his eye of discernment is surely not bad. It is understandable that he would be able to see through our mistakes!"
…
Apothecary Jin Chen's words ignited the flames of excitement in the remaining four, and they found their confidence once more.
The fact that the other party was able to see through their flaws with just a glance only meant that his eye of discernment was good, but it didn't mean that he was knowledgeable.
Since that was the case, asking him a simple question might just be his weakness. All along, everyone had been fooled by this fellow.
"That's right!"
Apothecary Lin Mu nodded in agreement.
It was no wonder that everyone thought so. Learning knowledge required time and effort. This Zhang Xuan wasn't even twenty yet. Even if he were to read books every day, how many books could he possibly read?
More importantly, he had to memorize the contents of the books!
"You want to ask me a question?"
Not expecting them to come up with such a conclusion after such a long time, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "Alright, let's begin!"
After reading through the basic tier book collection vault and the Teacher Compendium Pavilion, the knowledge in his head was far greater than these apothecaries. Even if he were to ask a question, there was nothing for him to fear.
"Are you still so confident if you can't answer the questions later on?"
Seeing that the other party wasn't afraid at all, a glint flashed across Apothecary Jin Chen's eyes. "According to the normal procedure of Pill Debate, I can ask you three questions. If you are able to answer all of them, I will admit defeat! If you are unable to answer even one of them … you will have failed, and everything you have done before will be for naught! "
Pill Debate had a complete set of rules. The questions asked by the ten apothecaries couldn't be endless. Otherwise, wouldn't those participating in the Pill Debate die of exhaustion?
Each apothecary could only ask three questions. If the other party were to answer all of them correctly, they could only admit defeat obediently. If they were unable to answer even one question, it would be useless no matter how many questions they answered!
"Un!" Zhang Xuan knew the rules and nodded his head.
"Alright. My first question is, when forging a grade-1 Body Tempering Pill, when the pills are of the same Fullness level, why are some of them extremely effective and some of them extremely ineffective? What is the reason?"
Apothecary Jin Chen asked.
Hearing these words, the other apothecaries were invigorated.
Body Tempering Pill was the most common pill consumed by Fighter 4-dan cultivators. It could temper one's physical body, allowing one to advance swiftly in the Pigu realm.
This was precisely the reason why they often forged this pill. However, just like what Apothecary Jin Chen said, the effects of the same pill would often be uneven.
Some of the same pill would be extremely effective after consuming it, allowing one to achieve a breakthrough in the Pigu realm, allowing one to advance far in the Pigu realm. There were also some who were completely ineffective after consuming it.
"Apothecary Jin Chen's question is really sharp!" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head. "No one in the entire Tianxuan Kingdom has an accurate answer to this question. Yet, you are asking me this question. How do you expect me to answer it?"
"However … if it was anyone else, they might not know what to say. However, I have an idea!"
Chuckling lightly, Zhang Xuan said, "The question you are talking about was raised by an apothecary named Cheng Ye thirty-seven years ago. Back then, he gathered twenty-three apothecaries and studied it for three days and three nights before coming to a conclusion! Then, he recorded it in a book titled 《Cheng Ye's Body Tempering Theory》. If you have read it, you should know what his conclusion is! "
"He believes that this difference has something to do with the constitution of a cultivator. Some people are naturally suited to consuming Body Tempering Pills while others are naturally resistant to it. It is just like how some people are able to drink alcohol while others are unable to!"
"Back then, this theory was acknowledged by the majority of people. However, eighteen years ago, a 3-star apothecary, Zhang Jian, raised an objection. If it is due to the constitution of a cultivator, why is it that when some people consume a Body Tempering Pill, they are ineffective while consuming another one is effective?"
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