To the side, Guo Feng and Jiang Qizhi were affected by Han Yuan's stumble, and the Five Yang Ghost Flame under their control instantly grew violent and unruly.
The two hurriedly channeled their own flame power to temporarily suppress it.
The awkward predicament, however, was that the intensity of their own flames fell far short of the Five Yang Ghost Flame. If they gave up on using it halfway through, the fire-attribute spiritual power of the three of them combined would never satisfy the cauldron's heat requirements!
Meng Jiangchu sat cross-legged midair with his eyes shut tight, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his pale mouth.
The power of three alchemists was madly wrestling for control of his flame, startling the five ghost spirits residing within the heavenly flame and making them strain violently to retreat back into Meng Jiangchu's body.
Flames erupted from within the cauldron. Gu Changsheng had no leisure to attend to anyone else; his expression turned grave beyond measure, and he barked in a low voice, "Steady the flames! You must keep them steady! Otherwise, all our prior efforts will be for nothing!"
Xiang Huaizhi furrowed his brow. With fire rampaging through the cauldron, he could only push himself to the utmost, directing his Chiyang Flame to shield the medicinal liquids that had already been extracted.
The spectating alchemists broke into an uproar.
"I heard this batch is so difficult that it requires five eighth-grade alchemists precisely because the recipe is an ancient, long-lost pill formula for mending defects in the soul!"
"Sigh... A formula that no one has ever brewed before... Even with five people working together, it's impossible without someone taking the absolute lead..."
"I don't think it's a matter of leadership. Senior Huaizhi's strength is more than sufficient to guide the others. But the power of the Five Yang Ghost Flame is simply too terrifying. It's only natural that Elder Guo and the other two couldn't suppress it."
As the surrounding crowd bustled with discussion, an elder with white eyebrows clad in a magnificent alchemist robe spoke with a solemn countenance.
"No, it's not that the three of them couldn't suppress it."
"They had already rehearsed and simulated their coordination thousands of times beforehand without a single hitch. For a problem to crop up on their very first attempt now can only mean Senior Huaizhi's Chiyang Flame is simply too overwhelming."
"Elder Guo, Elder Jiang, and Han Yuan aren't the true owners of that heavenly flame, so they were bound to be affected."
These words immediately drew nods of agreement from many in the crowd.
The elder then let out an involuntary sigh. "Under these circumstances, the turmoil inside the pill cauldron will only turn even more perilous. It looks like... the priceless heavenly and earthly spirit herbs in this cauldron are going to be lost."
"Fortunately, the legendary Seven-Colored Glazed Flower and Qilin Soul haven't been tossed in yet. There's still another chance."
Guo Feng and Jiang Qizhi gritted their teeth, straining with all their might to pin down the unruly Five Yang Ghost Flame.
Meng Jiangchu opened his eyes, guilt brimming in his gaze. He could not resist speaking up: "How about I pull my flame out? You can use your own."
Guo Feng barked in a deep voice, "No! Our beast flames can't reach the temperature of a heavenly flame! If you withdraw now, all the medicinal liquids the three of us have refined will be completely ruined! Many of the ingredients here are the only ones we have!"
Jiang Qizhi clamped his teeth together, lacking the breath to utter a single word.
Veins bulged along the gaunt elder's forehead, his complexion flushing the color of pig's liver.
Murmurs of hushed conversation rippled through the surroundings.
Anyone could see that the situation inside the cauldron had spiraled toward total collapse.
As if confirming the onlookers' grim conjectures, black powder drifted continually down from the fire vents beneath the cauldron—unmistakably the ashes of destroyed medicinal liquid.
Li Guanqi did not think much of it, maintaining a relatively calm state of mind.
Just as he was about to speak, Xiang Huaizhi's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he called out sharply, "Han Yuan! Relinquish your focus and withdraw your mental strength!"
Han Yuan blinked, evidently guessing what Xiang Huaizhi intended to do.
Gritting his teeth, Han Yuan instantly pulled his mental strength clear of the cauldron!
*Boom!*
The Five Yang Ghost Flame went berserk in that instant, nearly obliterating the medicinal liquid Han Yuan had refined.
Suddenly, the Chiyang Flame split into hundreds of wisps, enveloping every droplet of liquid in a flash.
This sight utterly dumbfounded the white-browed elder who had spoken earlier.
"What?! In a mere instant, he divided his fire into hundreds of wisps and regulated the temperature of every single one with pinpoint precision!"
"Inconceivable... Is... is that even humanly possible?"
"Xiang Huaizhi truly lives up to his reputation as one of the most enigmatic among eighth-grade alchemists. His mental strength is terrifying."
Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed slightly. He could sense that Xiang Huaizhi was doing even more than that—he was also dividing his power to suppress the rampaging Five Yang Ghost Flame left behind by Han Yuan.
Seeing Xiang Huaizhi completely take over Han Yuan's role, Gu Changsheng let out a slight breath of relief.
Yet due to the earlier shockwave of Han Yuan's berserk flame, Guo Feng and Jiang Qizhi were both struggling bitterly to hold on.
Meng Jiangchu could only watch in helpless agitation. His most crucial task right now was precisely not to exert control over the Five Yang Ghost Flame, leaving full command of it to Guo Feng and Jiang Qizhi.
Xiang Huaizhi's expression shifted slightly. "If you can't keep it under control... this entire cauldron of medicinal liquid will be scrap. Think of another way!"
Just when everyone assumed this cauldron of medicinal liquid was doomed, two young voices suddenly reached their ears!
"Use our flames!"
Recognizing the voices, Li Guanqi snapped his head up!
Without anyone noticing, Gu Li had returned, bringing Cao Yan and Xiao Chen along with him.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
The surrounding alchemists broke into an uproar once more!
"Those are... the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame, ranked sixteenth, and the Great Sky Rosy Flame, ranked twenty-seventh!"
"Wasn't the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame originally on Li Guanqi?"
"The Great Sky Rosy Flame! Who is that youth who looks pretty as a maiden?"
Amid the chatter of the crowd, Cao Yan and Xiao Chen gave Li Guanqi a nod, their faces far less somber than before.
When Xiang Huaizhi looked toward the two, a sharp gleam flared in his eyes!
He barked, "Guo Feng is stronger—take the Great Sky Rosy Flame! Old Jiang, you take the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame! Step in to replace them!"
As his words fell, Xiang Huaizhi's mental strength surged forth like an overwhelming tide.
In an instant, Cao Yan grasped the situation within the cauldron, his expression turning resolute.
Turning toward Xiao Chen, Cao Yan said gravely, "Fourth Brother, open your mind and let me guide you!"
A flicker of approval flashed in Xiang Huaizhi's eyes. Then, under Cao Yan's coordination, Xiang Huaizhi, Guo Feng, Jiang Qizhi, and Meng Jiangchu—six people in all—executed the swap of flame control with near-flawless precision!
Having withdrawn his flame, Meng Jiangchu sat cross-legged midair, panting in ragged gasps.
His face was white as paper, and his entire body was drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled from the depths of a river.
He had not expected refining this batch of pills to take such a staggering toll.
With a flick of his hand, he laid down a spirit-gathering array beside Cao Yan and Xiao Chen before flying back to alight beside Li Guanqi.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault..."
Li Guanqi said with a smile, "How could this be your fault, Senior? Besides, hasn't it all been resolved now?"
As his words fell, Xiang Huaizhi fully unveiled his heaven-defying alchemy skills!
Without Han Yuan, he bore the burden of two men all by himself, yet he handled it with effortless ease.
The coordination between Jiang Qizhi and Cao Yan was like an arm moving its own fingers—nothing short of seamless.
Xiao Chen and Guo Feng struggled slightly by comparison, but they adjusted rapidly. Xiao Chen had opened his mind completely, letting his divine sense be guided by Guo Feng while he simply supplied the flame.
The refining process regained its calm. Precious spirit herbs were cast into the cauldron one after another.
Before long, the Seven-Colored Glazed Flower and the Qilin Soul were refined as well.
With Xiang Huaizhi taking the lead, everyone else merely had to follow their assigned tasks step by step.
After an unknown stretch of time, a dense pill tribulation thundercloud spanning thousands of zhang suddenly coalesced in the sky above the Gu clan domain!
A flash of excitement lit up Li Guanqi's eyes. It seemed this cauldron of pills... had succeeded!
Chapter 985