Clan Cultivation: My Intelligence Updated Daily

Chapter 187 A Dark Horse, Formal Disciple

Fire leaves the mountain.

This mountain originally belonged to the Ming family. Because of a first-grade high-quality fire-attribute spiritual vein underground, it has always been an excellent place for alchemy and weapon forging.

After the Zhang family established the Dan Ding Pavilion, they moved this mountain to the vicinity of Qingya Mountain in order to better cultivate their clansmen. The alchemy and weapon crafting projects for this grand competition were also held here.

The Dan Ding Pavilion Square was already packed with people. As the two most important and popular skills among the various arts of cultivation, alchemy and weapon crafting attracted cultivators from all over to watch as soon as the competition began.

Due to the large number of participants, the Zhang family specially arranged a large protective array to prevent the crowd from interfering with the performance of the cultivators participating in the competition, and deployed nearly half of the Enforcement Hall cultivators to maintain order.

The person in charge of the evaluation was Zhang Yuanshan, an elder of the family, whose cultivation had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. If it weren't for the limitations imposed by his cultivation, he would have been a third-level alchemist long ago.

The probability of him misjudging the outcome of this competition is very small. Even if things go wrong, there is Zhang Lingyu, a fourth-level alchemist, present. With him there, the alchemists present would probably not have any objections to the result.

"You tell me, how come there are only twenty people participating in this alchemy competition? Our Yingchuan County has at least a thousand cultivators."

"Which family do you belong to? How can you not even have this basic common sense? Alchemists are such rare beings, do you think they are like pebbles on the roadside? If a family has one, they are treated like a treasure."

Many people immediately looked down on this question.

There's a saying in the cultivation world: never mess with an alchemist. If you offend one, you might find yourself surrounded by a group of cultivators the next morning when you step out of your cave.

To cultivate an excellent alchemist, one needs not only alchemy talent, but also a lot of energy and spirit stones from the family. Which alchemist didn't start out from failures?

For small families like theirs, it was something they wouldn't even dare to dream of.

But as long as you train an excellent alchemist, spirit stones, pills, and connections will all come to you on their own.

"oh..."

The cultivator who had asked the question earlier quickly lowered his head after hearing the crowd's laughter. Only after the storm had passed did he finally see the main arena of the competition.

Since there were only twenty alchemists participating, twelve of whom were at the mid-stage of Qi Refining and eight at the late stage, the Zhang family simply divided the arena in two and set up another barrier to prevent interference between them.

To be honest, for laymen who don't understand alchemy, it's just a spectacle; they just need to wait patiently for the results of the competition.

However, cultivators with slightly higher cultivation levels can judge each person's current state and the results of the pills produced by observing the expressions, aura, and the condition of the alchemists' furnaces in the arena.

"Brother Huang, it seems your lad is doing quite well at the master's house, he's handling things so with such ease."

The clan leaders were chatting and laughing in the stands when Du Yunpeng suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pointed at a young man patiently controlling the heat, and said with a smile:

"I heard that your son has been accepted as a disciple by Zhang Yuanshan. It seems he will be in a high position in the Dan Ding Pavilion in the future."

"Brother Du, you flatter me. This child is still quite inferior to the others here. He's just a little better-natured and more hardworking, which is why I sent him up the mountain." Huang Jinxuan said this with an unchanged expression, but he was actually overjoyed inside.

The young man on the field was named Huang Wenhua. He had just begun his cultivation journey and immediately displayed a talent for alchemy. As a result, the Huang family treated him like a treasure and nurtured him. Although the family had some wealth, they didn't have many spiritual herbs to waste on, nor did they have any profound alchemy inheritance. At first, things were a little better, but later it became increasingly difficult.

Just then, the Zhang family sent cultivators from all races up the mountain to cultivate, and he immediately sent them up the mountain. Because of their good alchemy skills, they were selected to cultivate in the Pill Cauldron Pavilion. Later, they were noticed by Zhang Yuanshan and accepted as his disciple.

Ultimately, the reason he was accepted as a disciple was twofold: firstly, he was talented and hardworking; secondly, he was a member of the Huang family, and therefore could be entrusted with important responsibilities.

As for whether he can take on important responsibilities in the future, at most he can become the deputy pavilion master, and the position of pavilion master will only belong to the Zhang family.

That being said, Huang Wenhua, who was nurtured with various resources, was a standout presence throughout the event, but not the most outstanding one.

The gazes of almost all the clan leaders were focused on one person.

Zhang Yuanli.

As a member of the "Yuan" generation whose talent was second only to Zhang Yuanyao, and also the grandson of Zhang Yuanshan, his talent quickly gained the attention of the family, and he was also granted the opportunity to cultivate the "Ziyang Secret Canon".

Later, he followed Zhang Yuanshan in cultivation and gradually began to try alchemy. The old man thought he was just playing around, but he didn't expect that his talent for alchemy was no less than his own back then.

After informing Zhang Yuanlin, Zhang Yuanshan took him under his wing and devoted himself to training him, treating him as his and Dan Ding Ge's future successor.

"Yuanli? He's a promising talent; we should increase our efforts to nurture him."

Looking at the young man calmly manipulating the purple flames below, Zhang Lingyu, sitting at the head of the table, nodded inwardly. Although this was the first time he had seen the young man, he had only heard about him from Zhang Yuanlin before.

Seeing the increasing number of talented people in his family, he was very happy. Although he was a fourth-level alchemist, he started trying alchemy very late, and most of his time was concentrated in the period when he lived in Tianliu City.

If it weren't for the abundance of spiritual herbs he possessed, coupled with the inheritance from Tianji Sanren, he would probably have given up on this path long ago.

Zhang Yuanli is different. He received the best family education from childhood, and now his Qi Refining Level 5 cultivation has already touched the level of a second-tier alchemist. Given time, he will become another Zhang Yuanhua.

Moreover, there may be an opportunity to achieve the Golden Elixir in the future.

Two hours had passed, and most of the pills refined by the twenty alchemists had been completed. The assessment for the mid-stage Qi Refining realm was the first-grade high-quality pill, Yellow Sprout Pill, which was quite difficult as it was a pill for improving cultivation.

Of the twelve alchemists at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, only four actually succeeded in refining the pills. The rest were either waste pills or contained too many impurities and toxins, making them unsuitable for consumption without further refinement.

"All eight people produced useless pills. How are we going to judge them now? Are we only going to judge the top four?"

"Even discarded pills are still pills; they still contain some medicinal properties. It's just a matter of how much of each one has. Naturally, the one with more will rank higher..."

"You even bring these kinds of things?"

The many cultivators in the stands were discussing animatedly, while Zhang Yuanshan had already begun examining the eight useless core cultivators. He picked them up and examined them closely, and he had already made his judgment after just a glance.

As for the four finished pills... he decided to hand them over to Zhang Lingyu for evaluation.

The Yellow Sprout Pill refined by Zhang Yuanli was indeed the best one here, but since he was his own grandson, it was best for him to avoid suspicion. Besides, his family patriarch had high prestige and was a fourth-level alchemist, so who would dare to object?

"Please let the clan chief judge."

Zhang Lingyu, who was at the head of the table, had already anticipated this. He glanced at the table and understood immediately. He whispered a few words to Zhang Lingyu beside him, who immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Everyone, the results of this alchemy competition are in."

"Zhang Yuanli is the first place winner."

"Second place: Xu Haisheng"

"Third place: Huang Wenhua."

Fourth place: Zhang Yuanlin.

"Xu Haisheng?"

"Who is this person? I've never heard of him before. How could he defeat Huang Wenhua and take second place?"

There was little objection to Zhang Yuanli winning first place. Firstly, he was truly talented, and secondly, as a direct descendant of the Zhang family, he had been a key figure in their development since childhood. Compared to Huang Wenhua, he was worlds apart.

Even if the latter was not the best, he was still Zhang Yuanshan's disciple, yet he was defeated by an unknown person.

"I know him. The Xu family used to be an appendage of the Yun family, and one of the highest-ranking families. The Xu family also sent members of their clan to Yunjing Mountain for cultivation."

This statement immediately sparked a heated discussion, with everyone's attention focused on the unassuming young man in black on the field.

Faced with so much discussion, Xu Haisheng remained calm and waited silently for the person in the highest position to speak.

Xu Haisheng...

Zhang Yuanli and Huang Wenhua, who were standing next to him, were equally surprised. After all, this man had never studied at the Dan Ding Pavilion before. To achieve such success in a Qi Refining family, they had to look at him with more respect.

Zhang Yuanli had just seen the Yellow Sprout Pill that Huang Wenhua had refined, and it was not much worse than his own. If he had received the same treatment as Huang Wenhua from a young age, or cultivated in the Pill Cauldron Pavilion for a period of time like Huang Wenhua, he would have been able to achieve great success.

That's going to be quite a show today.

"Truly a dark horse... I wonder what the master will do; they'll most likely let him enter the Pill Refining Pavilion for cultivation."

Huang Wenhua sighed inwardly. Since Zhang Lingyu had chosen him, it proved that he was inferior to him and needed to work harder in the future.

However, he understood that once the other party entered the Dan Ding Pavilion, the gap between them would definitely widen, and he would be unable to lift his head in the end. Fortunately, he was from the Huang family, while the other party was from the Xu family.

In terms of background, he still has a significant advantage.

"Now we will announce the rewards. As previously agreed, the top thirty will each receive one hundred spirit stones. Those who make it into the top fifteen will receive an additional three hundred spirit stones, and the top five will receive an additional five hundred spirit stones. These will all be distributed."

Zhang Lingyu said:

"Since there are only four successful cultivators this time, the rewards will only be given to these four people; the rest will only receive spirit stones as a reward."

"what?"

The person who was originally ranked fifth was ready to happily accept the reward, but these words immediately plunged them into despair.

"You're really greedy, kid. Not only did you take the spirit stones for free, but you still want more rewards? Dream on!"

The cultivators in the stands, however, were reasonable. They believed that if one's skills were inferior, it was one's own fault. Even a half-finished pill was better than a useless one.

After the others walked off the stage dejectedly with their spirit stones, Zhang Lingyu continued, "According to the rules, each of you will receive a first-grade top-quality pill, the Purple Dew Pill. Keep it safe."

After the others walked off the stage dejectedly with their spirit stones, Zhang Lingyu continued, "According to the rules, each of you will receive a first-grade top-quality pill, the Purple Dew Pill. Keep it safe."

"We thank the elder."

"Don't thank me yet, there's more."

The man paused for a moment, then continued:

"Besides pills and spirit stones, there are five magical artifacts for you to choose from. Each of you can pick one."

With a wave of his long sleeves, five magical artifacts of different shapes floated in front of them for them to choose from.

"They are all mid-grade Qi Refining materials."

Zhang Yuanli glanced at them; although they weren't top-grade Qi Refining pills, they were all among the better mid-grade ones. The spirit stones given as gifts were already plentiful; if another top-grade pill were given, the Zhang family would suffer a huge financial loss.

Of the five magical artifacts, he chose a gourd without hesitation. This gourd could store flames, making it perfect for the Zhang family members who practiced the "Purple Sun Secret Manual".

Although the most valuable item here is the alchemy furnace, Zhang Yuanshan is his grandfather. He won first place this time and will secretly make a move next time, giving him better and more options in this regard.

As for Xu Haisheng, who came in second, seeing that the other party did not choose a pill furnace, he immediately put it into his pocket, since a good pill furnace can also affect the success rate and quality of the pills.

......

After everyone had made their choices, Zhang Lingyu stood up from her seat and walked straight toward the four people.

Zhang Yuanli and his companions were only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Even though the person coming towards them did not exude any pressure, he was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator and the one with the highest status here.

An invisible pressure made them feel breathless, and they lowered their heads and whispered, "Clan leader..."

"Yuanli, well done. Once you reach the late stage of Qi Refining, if you have any questions about alchemy, feel free to come to me."

"Yuanli...thanks to the clan chief!" Zhang Yuanli, kneeling on the ground, suppressed his inner joy and kept bowing. Zhang Yuanshan, who was in the distance, was also overjoyed to see this.

Although he was an elder, he was still a Qi cultivator. His grandson was favored by the clan leader, and with his own efforts, there was a high probability that he would succeed him in the future.

Zhang Lingyu nodded slightly, then looked at Huang Wenhua kneeling on the ground and asked, "You do have some talent. I'll have the Pavilion Master of the Pill Cauldron Pavilion take you as a formal disciple. Are you willing?"

"This junior...is willing!"

Huang Wenhua took a deep breath and decisively agreed. He never expected this outcome. A nominal disciple and a formal disciple are completely different. Becoming a formal disciple would lead to a sharp rise in his status within the Pill Cauldron Pavilion and a bright future.

He didn't dare to hope for guidance from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. First, he wasn't a member of the Zhang family, and second, unless he reached the peak of Qi Refining and became a second-tier alchemist, there was only a slight possibility of that.

"Brother Huang, congratulations!"

"Congratulations!"

Faced with congratulations from everyone, Huang Jinxuan's originally depressed mood immediately vanished, and he couldn't stop smiling.

As the official disciple of the Dan Ding Pavilion Master, with this title, he, as a member of the clan, will surely soar to great heights in the future, and the Huang family will also benefit greatly from it.

"We need to find a chance to treat them properly."

Huang Jinxuan was in the middle of planning how to give Zhang Yuanshan a gift when his gaze suddenly fell on Xu Haisheng.

This young man was second in line and should have received the reward after Zhang Yuanli, but due to his position, he became the third to receive the reward.

Is he genuinely humble, or is he deliberately showing off his cleverness in front of adults?

He had no good feelings towards the Xu family. During the long war, many of his family members had died at the hands of the Xu family. Now that such an alchemist had emerged, he was bound to enter the Pill Cauldron Pavilion.

Xu Haisheng's talent is far superior to Huang Wenhua's. Only Zhang Yuanli can rival him. If he is valued and nurtured by the authorities in the future, wouldn't he be able to overshadow the Huang family?

"pity..."

Huang Jinxuan was quite helpless. Now that all the families had submitted, the Zhang family would absolutely not allow any unrest to occur below. If it was found that any cultivator had been assassinated, the entire clan might be wiped out.

As the most loyal vassal, the Huang family dared not cross this red line.

"I just hope Wenhua will do better in the future."

Below, Xu Haisheng, kneeling on the ground, looked at the still young face in front of him and couldn't help but swallow hard. He said respectfully, "My lord, I wish to enter the mountain to cultivate. Please grant me your permission."

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