When Nie Kong and Tai Yan followed Luan Yexin to the mountainside, they discovered that the appearance of the Alchemy Immortal Hall had drastically changed; the small hall from that morning was now over ten times wider.

Seeing the brother and sister staring at each other, their eyes wide with astonishment, Luan Yexin was long accustomed to such reactions, merely smiling warmly as she gestured for them to enter.

"Perhaps the Alchemy Immortal Hall itself is some kind of illusion array!"

Nie Kong mused to himself, stepping inside. The interior had indeed undergone a massive transformation. The floor was perfectly level, and the low, circular platform from the morning was completely gone. The hall was now furnished with dozens of sets of alchemy apparatus and hundreds of medicine boxes. Most of the Medicine Kings had already arrived.

Without needing any signal from Luan Yexin, some Medicine Kings had already selected their apparatus and ingredients, preparing to concoct based on the formulas from the morning.

All the medicine boxes were clearly labeled, easy to discern. Nie Kong also selected the twenty-two necessary ingredients for a specific formula, casually choosing a spot for himself.

These ingredients were intended for refining the "Nine-Bend Spirit-Warding Pill."

Its precise formula had not been finalized that morning. A perfected formula required verification through actual alchemy, and an unconfirmed formula likewise demanded empirical testing through the same process.

After changing his initial plan, Nie Kong had decided to make a grand show of his abilities that afternoon, intending to force the Alchemy Immortal Sect to recognize his importance.

Nie Kong knew the exact composition of the "Nine-Bend Spirit-Warding Pill" by heart, but he deliberately chose a recipe belonging to an external sect’s Medicine King—one that contained two incorrect ingredients and an excessive dosage of another.

"Clang!"

Activating his medicine cauldron, Nie Kong skillfully grasped four ingredients and tossed them in.

"Brother Tai Shuang, which pill are you attempting to refine?" Hearing the movement, a benevolent, green-robed old man with a kindly face leaned over and asked with a smile. Before Nie Kong could reply, the old man continued on his own, "Oh, it's the 'Nine-Bend Spirit-Warding Pill.' Isn't that the formula Du Jian supplemented?"

"Precisely."

Nie Kong nodded with a faint smile. Du Jian, whom he referred to, was a Ninth-Rank Medicine King from the "Primordial Chaos Heaven Mansion."

The green-robed elder immediately grew interested. "Brother Tai Shuang, let me tell you, that formula is absolutely flawed. If you follow his recipe, you are guaranteed to fail. You must replace that 'Tiger Whisker Spring Grass' with 'Golden Chicken Fish Eye,' and use no more than five qian of it; too much will also cause failure."

"Fatty Tong, what utter nonsense!" An austere-looking elder with a small, bluish birthmark on his left cheek strode over, cursing vehemently. "If you believe your formula is the correct one, why don't you try it yourself? There are plenty of cauldrons waiting for you here."

"Of course I will try it; I don't need your reminder," the green-robed elder huffed.

"..."

Seeing the two instantly start bickering, Nie Kong couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

This green-robed elder was named Tong Jiang, hailing from the "Supreme Pole Dao." He and Du Jian had never seen eye-to-eye, never missing an opportunity to undermine the other. They had been among the most fiercely arguing Ninth-Rank Medicine Kings that morning. However, Tong Jiang’s suggestion was also incorrect.

Clearing his throat twice, Nie Kong said with a smile, "Brother Du, Brother Tong, stop arguing about whether this formula is useful. Why not just try it? We have more than enough ingredients here; failure won't matter."

"Yes, Brother Tai Shuang speaks the most sense," Du Jian agreed, nodding, but immediately followed up with a cold remark, "Unlike this one, who only uses those two slippery tongues. Simply incomprehensible."

Tong Jiang sneered, "Everything you say is crap and makes no sense whatsoever. To you, Elder, I am naturally 'incomprehensible.'"

"..."

Seeing the two resume their quarrel, Nie Kong couldn't be bothered to pay attention any longer and continued adding ingredients to his cauldron.

The ingredients he placed in were those confirmed to be correct for the "Nine-Bend Spirit-Warding Pill." As for those still in doubt, they would naturally be added later.

By the time Nie Kong sealed the lid of the cauldron, eighteen ingredients were inside.

"Hoo!"

A sheet of dark-red flame suddenly erupted from Nie Kong's right palm, rippling gently like a languid water wave, causing the medicine cauldron floating above it to heave slightly, like a small boat.

A few seconds later, the flame suddenly gathered toward the center, condensing into a narrow, single streak. Immediately, the flame appeared to split in half; the white flash in the fissure lasted only an instant before another sheet of dark-red flame surged out, spreading outward on both sides like a tide.

The wave pattern of the flame was slightly more vigorous than before, and the cauldron's undulation increased marginally.

"Thousand-Fold Wave!"

Du Jian's peripheral vision caught an accidental glimpse, and he blurted out the name involuntarily, immediately ceasing his argument with Tong Jiang, staring at the flame in Nie Kong's palm with considerable astonishment.

Tong Jiang paused for a moment, his expression shifting to one of surprise.

All the Ninth-Rank Medicine Kings nearby who heard the words "Thousand-Fold Wave" turned their heads to look, and even Luan Yexin, who was preparing her own alchemy, abruptly set down her cauldron and instantly appeared beside Nie Kong. Watching the ceaseless, undulating flame in his palm, Luan Yexin's beautiful eyes sparkled with intense light.

Since the Illusionary Spirit Continent, three alchemy techniques have been regarded as the most wondrous.

They were the Hundred-Layer Bloom! The Thousand-Fold Wave! And the Ten-Thousand-Mile Wind-Fire!

In the current Divine Void Realm, very few people could skillfully employ the "Hundred-Layer Bloom"—one could count them on one hand.

The Medicine Kings capable of executing the "Thousand-Fold Wave" were even scarcer, numbering only two, both originating from the Alchemy Immortal Sect. One was the Sect Master, Tai Shu Yan; the other was the Grand Elder Wu Hou, who had only recently ascended to the Spirit God realm, and who was also Tai Shu Yan’s senior martial uncle.

As for the "Ten-Thousand-Mile Wind-Fire," the highest-tier alchemy technique, it had always existed purely in legend. It was rumored that only a Spirit God could successfully employ it...

Of course, this was merely rumor.

No one had ever witnessed whether a Spirit God could truly refine alchemy using the "Ten-Thousand-Mile Wind-Fire."

This "Tai Shuang" before them had already demonstrated mastery of the "Hundred-Layer Bloom," a fact everyone knew, but no one had ever expected him to be able to deploy the "Thousand-Fold Wave" as well.

In terms of difficulty, the "Thousand-Fold Wave" was more than ten times harder than the "Hundred-Layer Bloom."

The "Hundred-Layer Bloom" alone could challenge the limits of a Ninth-Rank Medicine King; how much more so the "Thousand-Fold Wave," which was ten times more difficult? If "Tai Shuang" could perform it completely, his skill in alchemy far surpassed the vast majority present.

However, this was only the beginning; a final judgment could not yet be rendered.

Perhaps the "Thousand-Fold Wave" would fail after only a few dozen layers! This happened often to the Ninth-Rank Medicine Kings present.

Among the two dozen people in the hall, Tai Yan trusted Nie Kong implicitly. Besides her, perhaps only Luan Yexin held the highest degree of confidence in him.

"This man has a rough appearance, yet his actions are not rash. If he lacked confidence, he would never have used the 'Thousand-Fold Wave.' Otherwise, failing now would only invite ridicule," Luan Yexin pondered silently, the look of shock on her face already replaced by a subtle smile. Her beautiful eyes shimmered, unwavering.