The dark red waves of fire continued to roll, and the medicinal cauldron surged with increasing intensity.
The commotion here had drawn nearly all the Medicine Kings who had not yet begun their work, gathering them around. Many were silently counting under their breath, wondering whether they hoped Nie Kong would succeed in executing the "Thousand Layer Wave," or were merely waiting for him to make a fool of himself. Only they knew their true intentions.
Ten times... Twenty times... Forty times...
The speed quickened. In less than a minute, the tide-like fluctuating flames had overlapped sixty times, yet Nie Kong’s expression remained calm and composed.
The "Thousand" in "Thousand Layer Wave" was, in fact, merely a general term.
It didn't mean that when refining medicine using the "Thousand Layer Wave" technique, the flame waves must overlap exactly one thousand times—not one more, not one less.
It specifically depended on the pill being refined.
Some pills required at least two or three thousand overlaps, while others were sufficient with five or six hundred. A pill like this "Nine-Curved Spirit-Clearing Pill" was a true test of the alchemist's mastery over the "Thousand Layer Wave." This ninth-grade pill, like the "Hibiscus Falling Petal Pill," was used to boost cultivation.
Refining such a pill was quite difficult; using the "Thousand Layer Wave" technique, the flame waves needed to overlap at least a thousand times before the pill stood any chance of taking shape.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In less than ten seconds, three successive explosions rang out.
Not far away, the medicinal cauldrons controlled by three Medicine Kings exploded, their refining attempts declared failures. However, they paid no heed to cleaning up the mess or summarizing their experiences; curiosity compelled them to crowd around Nie Kong.
One hundred times... Two hundred times...
The fire waves surged like the tide, their oscillation speed breathtaking.
"The firepower truly contains the aura of the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire'."
Tai Shuyan quietly entered the hall, watching the flames in Nie Kong's hands from a distance. He murmured almost inaudibly, his eyes flickering slightly, a faint, strange smile playing on his lips.
"Huu! Huu..."
Listening to the whistling sound produced by the incoming fire waves, many ninth-grade Medicine Kings revealed looks of astonishment in their eyes.
So far, the "Thousand Layer Wave" had overlapped more than three hundred times, yet this large, imposing fellow showed no signs of strain.
If this trend continued, achieving a thousand overlaps might not be a major issue.
"It seems this Tai Shuang has truly mastered the 'Thousand Layer Wave'!"
"He is really only thirty-five? Just look at his subtle control over the fire; even I fall far short."
"Isn't it obvious? If you could match him, you could use the 'Thousand Layer Wave' too."
"..."
Soft murmurs began to rise among the ninth-grade Medicine Kings, their expressions ranging from awe to envy... At this moment, the crowd's emotions were incredibly complex, a mixture of every taste.
Four hundred times! Five hundred times...
"Six hundred times!"
Luan Yexin murmured softly, suddenly noticing that although the flames were growing more intense, the amplitude of the fluctuation was gradually easing. She couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly.
The surrounding ninth-grade Medicine Kings also let out slight, puzzled sounds of inquiry.
Could six hundred "Thousand Layer Waves" be his limit?
"Dong!"
Just as everyone was wildly speculating, Nie Kong flicked his left index finger sharply against the side of the cauldron. The lid sprang open with a kacha, and Nie Kong’s right hand moved like lightning, grasping an ingredient and tossing it inside.
By the time everyone registered what happened, the cauldron lid had already snapped shut; the entire process occurred in the blink of an eye.
"So, it was an addition of medicine!"
The crowd suddenly understood, realizing that what was happening was not ordinary refining, but an experiment with a pill formula.
To perform the "Thousand Layer Wave," each wave must rise higher and be stronger than the last. This created a constraint: one must not suddenly alter the rhythm of the flame wave; otherwise, significantly more effort would be required to compensate. A refining process that normally took a thousand overlaps could end up requiring at least twelve hundred if the rhythm was broken.
"Brother Tai Shuang just added six qian of 'Tiger Whisker Spring Grass'," Du Jian glanced sideways at the old man in the green robe next to him, an air of smugness in his gaze.
"Failure! Fai—" Tong Jiang’s lips moved incessantly, muttering to himself.
"..."
Six hundred fifty times! Seven hundred times...
The speed of the fire waves increased again, and the frequency of their fluctuation followed suit. Not only Du Jian and Tong Jiang, who were quietly bickering, but all the other ninth-grade Medicine Kings watched the result of this medicinal addition with a touch of tension. The absence of any problem before the addition meant the preceding ingredients were entirely correct.
Seven hundred sixty-one times!
"Bang!"
A violent crack suddenly erupted. The medicinal cauldron shuddered, and a long, narrow fissure appeared. Nie Kong reacted swiftly, instantly retracting his fire power and setting the cauldron onto the table.
The moment the cauldron bottom touched the tabletop, it split into two halves, thick black smoke billowing out, revealing nothing inside but black dross.
Failed!
Everyone instinctively stared, and then, almost simultaneously, sighed inwardly. The refining of this "Nine-Curved Spirit-Clearing Pill" was already more than halfway complete. If it hadn't failed, adding two more ingredients would have secured success—if those last two ingredients were also correct.
"Hah! Failure! I told you this 'Tiger Whisker Spring Grass' was wrong! It must be replaced with 'Golden Rooster Fish Eye,' and the quantity cannot exceed five qian," Tong Jiang’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he shot a provocative glance at Du Jian, his face radiating the triumphant air of a victorious general.
"Hmph!"
Du Jian let out a heavy snort, grinding his teeth in anger.
However, the failure of this refinement was a fact, and Nie Kong’s execution had been flawless. This left only one possible cause: the "Tiger Whisker Spring Grass" was wrong. He grumbled with frustration, "Brother Tai Shuang, this medicine was added by you; you know the reason best. Tell us."
Nie Kong pondered for a moment. "Brother Du, Brother Tong, and esteemed colleagues, the ingredient 'Tiger Whisker Spring Grass' is correct. If my senses do not deceive me, the failure of this 'Nine-Curved Spirit-Clearing Pill' stems from a dosage issue. For this ingredient, six qian is slightly too much; three qian would be more appropriate."
The alchemist is naturally the clearest about the conditions during refinement. No one questioned Nie Kong's words; instead, they began to deduce inwardly based on his statement. Du Jian and Tong Jiang exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised; by this reckoning, they had only been half right.
Nie Kong retrieved a new medicinal cauldron from the side and smiled, "I will try once more."
Seeing this, Luan Yexin couldn't help but remind him, "Brother Tai Shuang, the 'Thousand Layer Wave' consumes immense mental energy. Perhaps you should rest first."
"No matter!"
Nie Kong waved his hand with a smile, rapidly adding ingredients. This time, besides the initial eighteen ingredients added during the first attempt, he included three qian of "Tiger Whisker Spring Grass."
The second refinement began; the "Thousand Layer Wave" reappeared.
The flame waves overlapped to six hundred twenty times without any anomaly. Subsequently, Nie Kong opened the cauldron mid-process and added the twentieth ingredient, "Sparrow Orchid."
"Bang!"
At seven hundred "Thousand Layer Waves," the refinement failed.
The third refinement: five qian of "Falling Mang Grass" replacing three qian of "Sparrow Orchid"... Mid-process addition, failure!
The fourth attempt...
Success!
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