The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 360: Chapter 360: Lifespan Extension Pill

Very often, pill formulas are not stagnant, especially those ancient ones passed down through generations, which have experienced constant modifications and enhancements, changing considerably compared to their original versions.

This could be due to various reasons. Sometimes, a particular medicinal ingredient used might have become extinct and hard to source, thus requiring a substitute.

In other instances, better medicinal ingredients might have been discovered so as to make the pills more effective.

In sum, it’s often necessary to be flexible in pill formulation. The ability to replace the original ingredients in a pill formula with others is a fundamental skill that many Pill Refiners need to possess.

However, for the majority of young Pill Refiners, they don’t possess such profound experience. Put plainly, their basic skills are not solid enough.

Without years of trial and experience, they would not dare to attempt such a thing.

At present, the middle-aged man was challenging the genius Pill Refiners of the three nations to replace the original five ingredients in the pill formula with others — a daunting task to say the least.

This not only tested a Pill Refiner’s grasp of the pill formula, but also their understanding of various herbs.

The middle-aged man and two other stewards of the Pill Alliance distributed the pill formulas to everyone on the spot.

Everyone received identical pill formulas. The five ingredients that needed to be replaced were highlighted, making them unmistakably clear.

“Hmm?” Fang Lin furrowed his brows after a glance. The pill formula in front of him was surprisingly for the rare Lifespan Extension Pill.

Everyone else also looked surprised when they saw the pill formula.

Lifespan Extension Pill, as the name suggested, could extend the user’s lifespan after ingesting. No matter where, it was always a highly sought-after pill.

In theory, such a popular pill can’t be considered rare, but the key was that the ingredients required for the Lifespan Extension Pill were exceptionally rare. Moreover, its formulation was extremely difficult, with a surprisingly high failure rate. Therefore, very few Pill Refiners would dare to attempt it.

The lifespan of humans is limited. Setting foot on the path of cultivation also meant constantly seeking strength and striving to extend one’s lifespan.

But unless one really reached the realm of immortality, one couldn’t escape death in the end.

Some older strong individuals, despite possessing immense strength, were facing a decline due to old age and waning lifespan.

Therefore, the Lifespan Extension Pill became their last straw.

Fang Lin was unaware that in this era, the only pill that could enhance lifespan was the one in front of him — the Lifespan Extension Pill.

However, there were two versions of the Lifespan Extension Pill’s formula. Fang Lin and the others were only seeing one of them.

Of course, in Fang Lin’s mind, he could instantly think of over a dozen different formulas to refine Lifespan Extension Pills — far ahead of the current era.

“Using the Lifespan Extension Pill to test us? What’s the message behind it? Do they want to create new ways of formulating the Lifespan Extension Pill?” Fang Lin muttered to himself.

Truth be told, this kind of challenge was rather simple for Fang Lin. Not to mention five, even if there were fifty medicinal ingredients to replace, Fang Lin could think of a way.

However, he was somewhat apprehensive about the implications behind the Lifespan Extension Pill.

In his view, this might not simply be a straightforward test.

“City Lord, is it really appropriate to release the formula for the Lifespan Extension Pill like this?” Chen Mu asked in a low voice, a trace of concern on his face as he spoke to Zhuge Cang.

Zhuge Cang also looked unsettled. “I have the same concerns. However, this is not up to us to decide. It’s an arrangement from above.”

Chen Mu furrowed his brows. “It seems the rumors are true then. That influential figure’s lifespan might not be long.”

Zhuge Cang shook his head. “These are all just rumors. Nobody knows what’s going on with those big shots. We just need to follow the orders.”

Lu Wuwei, standing at the side, curled his lips and remarked, “Those at the top sure are fussy.”

Zhuge Cang and Chen Mu both glanced at him. Only someone as blunt as him would dare speak this way. They would never dare to make such remarks.

At this moment, the genius Pill Refiners of the three nations were pondering over which five medicinal ingredients to replace in the original pill formula.

The main consideration in doing this substitution was to ensure the medicinal properties of the pills were not changed.

This was an essential precondition. If the replacement of the ingredients resulted in a change of the pill’s medicinal properties, then there’s no point in doing it.

The ingredients that serve as replacements for the ones in the pill formula need to maintain the medicinal properties of the pills.

Additionally, the replacements should not conflict with any residual medicine in the pill formula. They also needed to think multiple steps ahead and consider all aspects thoroughly. Only after confirming there are no issues whatsoever, should they proceed with the replacement.

The extent of the difficulty involved was something only fellow Pill Refiners could fully understand.

At this moment, most of the genius Pill Refiners from the three nations were at a loss. If they were tasked to replace only one or two medicinal ingredients, they might still have some clue on how to accomplish this.

But to replace five ingredients all at once was a colossal challenge.

A single misstep or oversight could lead to complete failure.

Even talents like Zhao Shenkong, Guo Zhen, and Su Xiaotong were deep in thought at this time.

Fang Lin hadn’t started writing yet. He too was thinking about which five ingredients to replace.

After pondering for a good while, seeing that no one else had begun, and having reached a conclusion himself, Fang Lin didn’t hesitate and started writing.

“Look! Fang Lin is writing.”

“Could he be this competent?”

“Maybe, he’s surprised us several times already.”

People were chattering, many of them had high expectations for Fang Lin, given his standout performance earlier. They were looking forward to seeing what astonishing results he would deliver this time.

Seeing Fang Lin start to write, Zhao Shenkong furrowed his brows, Guo Zhen looked serious, and Su Xiaotong showed a shocked expression.

As for the others, they all had distressed looks on their faces. There was no helping it — they couldn’t come up with any solution, and now that they saw Fang Lin start to write, they naturally felt pressured.

The middle-aged man revealed a look of anticipation. In his opinion, among all the people present, Fang Lin was the most likely to succeed.

A short while later, Fang Lin stood up and handed his pill formula to the middle-aged man.

At this time, Zhao Shenkong, Guo Zhen, and Su Xiaotong also started writing.

However, it was only these three. The others simply could not do it. The task was just too difficult.

The middle-aged man took a look at Fang Lin’s pill formula, his face changed instantly, and without uttering a word, he quickly rushed over to Zhuge Cang.

He handed the pill formula to Zhuge Cang. After having a glance, Zhuge Cang’s face also changed markedly.

Zhuge Cang not only grabbed the pill formula, but his figure also vanished from the spot instantly.

Everyone was dumbfounded at this scene.

“What’s happening?” Someone asked, not understanding what was going on.