"Clang!" Not long after Mo Wuji finished his extraction, a bell rang. This bell seemed to strike Mo Wuji's mind like a physical object, making his brain buzz.

Immediately, Mo Wuji smelled a burning smell. Because of the bell, the few alchemists who hadn't completed their purification announced their failure. Mo Wuji secretly rejoiced that he had been a little faster and hadn't tried a second purification, or he would have been doomed.

This Five Elements Pill Competition really showed no mercy, directly using such a crude method to prevent the alchemists from continuing their purification.

Ming Ning walked to the circular platform again and said in a loud voice, "The time for the first competition is up. Please cover your pill furnaces and place the jade bottles on top of them."

She didn't need to tell those alchemists who hadn't finished their purification to stop because the bell had already caused them to fail.

Mo Wuji covered his pill furnace and carefully placed the jade bottle on top. He seemed to see Ming Ning's gaze sweep over his right hand, but Mo Wuji didn't care. No matter what the alchemy competition rules were, they couldn't forbid him from getting injured while concocting pills, right?

Several alchemists near Mo Wuji couldn't help but laugh when they saw Mo Wuji's right hand. It was the first time they had seen an alchemist concoct pills and turn their hand into such a state.

Mo Wuji acted as if he didn't see the surrounding gazes and continued to stare at his jade bottle calmly. His jade bottle number was 632.

After about two minutes, Mo Wuji felt a slight breeze. Immediately, the jade bottle he placed on the pill furnace was taken away by the breeze.

A moment later, he saw rows of jade bottles on the judging table of the circular platform. Behind the judging table sat four people, plus Ming Ning who was standing on the circular platform, making a total of five people.

At this time, Mo Wuji dared to take out healing pills and swallow them. His hand was burned by the fire, but the Level 3 Mortal Spirit Pill he had quickly controlled the injuries, and they began to improve and recover within a few minutes.

After taking away the jade bottles, Ming Ning also walked behind the judging table and sat down. The five judges opened the jade bottles and checked the liquid medicine inside one by one.

The five people spent less than an hour to examine all the more than a thousand jade bottles. Three hundred jade bottles were selected and placed aside.

Ming Ning stood up again and walked to the center of the circular platform. At this moment, everyone was paying attention to her because she was about to announce the three hundred alchemists who were qualified to participate in the second round of the competition.

Ming Ning swept her gaze over the more than a thousand alchemists under the circular platform and then said in a loud voice, "After the first round of the pill competition, the top three hundred have now been decided. Alchemists whose numbers are called, please stay. Alchemists whose numbers are not called, please leave the venue."

"Number 18, Number 39, Number 176, Number 98, Number 244..." Every time Ming Ning announced a number, the alchemists present would have a jump in their hearts, hoping that their number would be called.

Mo Wuji felt the same way. He also hoped that his number would be called. But as Ming Ning announced more and more numbers, Mo Wuji's heart sank lower and lower.

After all, his cultivation level was the worst. In the end, he relied on frying the medicine to purify the Iron Heart Bodhi Fruit once. As for the purity of the purification, Mo Wuji had no confidence at all. All his energy at the time was focused on purification.

"Number 34, Number 711..." Ming Ning was still announcing numbers, and Mo Wuji's hands were trembling slightly. Now only a dozen places were left.

"Number 491, Number 56." Ming Ning finally stopped announcing numbers.

Mo Wuji clenched his fists so hard that they cracked. The wound on his right hand, which had not fully recovered, was torn open, but he didn't hear Number 632.

Just as Mo Wuji was about to despair, he seemed to feel Ming Ning's gaze fall on him. Before Mo Wuji could react, Ming Ning's voice rang out again, "Number 632, Number 21, Number 2, Number 80..."

Mo Wuji didn't hear the numbers after that at all. He only heard Number 632. He had succeeded. As long as his number was called by Ming Ning, it meant that he had successfully passed the first round and obtained a place among the top three hundred. As for why Ming Ning paused for a while before announcing his number, he completely ignored it.

When Mo Wuji calmed down from his excitement again, he heard Ming Ning continue to say, "... Alchemists whose numbers have been called, please stay for the second round of the pill competition. The remaining alchemists, please leave the venue."

Those alchemists whose numbers were not called left the pill competition venue with extremely lonely expressions.

From afar, Zhen Shaoke clenched his fists and waved them forcefully. Mo Wuji had succeeded. He had actually managed to stay in the top three hundred. Only he knew how difficult it was for Mo Wuji. A Level 3 Mortal Pill Alchemist with only the Meridian Opening Realm had actually survived the Iron Heart Bodhi Fruit test. This was simply a miracle.

"Huh, isn't that person..." A woman in the crowd saw Mo Wuji and exclaimed in surprise. Before, when there were more than a thousand people, Mo Wuji was not conspicuous. Now that eight or nine hundred people had been eliminated, leaving only three hundred people, she recognized Mo Wuji at a glance.

"Wan'er, do you know any of the alchemists?" Standing next to Qu Wan'er was a black-bearded old man. Hearing Qu Wan'er's surprise, he quickly asked.

He knew that the alchemists who could make it through the first round were not simple people. If Wan'er knew one of them, it would definitely not be a bad thing for them.

Although Heavenly Peak Palace was a first-class sect in the Star Han Empire, it was even the guardian sect. But Heavenly Peak Palace was not outstanding in the entire Lost Continent. Moreover, Heavenly Peak Palace was not a sect based on alchemy. The Earth Pill Alchemists they possessed were mostly old fellows over a hundred years old. In the cultivation of young alchemists, Heavenly Peak Palace was not as good as some Earth-grade pill sects. And the Five Elements Wasteland Pill Competition was the world of young genius alchemists.

Qu Wan'er nodded, "I know him. This person was just a mortal at first. Because he has an indomitable character, I casually helped him twice. This was about half a year ago."

Qu Wan'er really didn't expect Mo Wuji to appear here to participate in the Five Elements Pill Competition, and even pass the first round. When she said she helped Mo Wuji twice, the first time was when Shao Feng wanted to kill Mo Wuji, and she and Qin Zhen forcibly stopped him. The second time was in Chang Luo City, when Mo Wuji wanted to buy alchemy equipment, and she found an excuse to help Mo Wuji again.

"You said he was a mortal?" The black-bearded old man also asked in surprise.

Qu Wan'er hesitated slightly and then said, "I wouldn't say he was a mortal. He has spiritual roots, but his spiritual roots are very poor. I saw him kill two Six-Legged Thunder Crocodiles. He probably hadn't cultivated before and succeeded entirely by risking his life."

When she asked Mo Wuji, Mo Wuji didn't say he didn't have spiritual roots, but only said that his spiritual roots were poor. So Qu Wan'er didn't know that Mo Wuji was a true mortal with ordinary roots.

The black-bearded old man nodded and said with a somewhat lecturing tone, "Wan'er, your heart is still too simple. Do you think a person who hasn't cultivated can kill two Six-Legged Thunder Crocodiles by risking his life? Do you think a person who hadn't cultivated half a year ago can stand here to participate in the Five Elements Wasteland Pill Competition and even pass the first round?"

"Master, are you saying?" Qu Wan'er looked at the black-bearded old man in disbelief.

The black-bearded old man said affirmatively, "He has not only cultivated but also has his secrets. He is pretending to be an ordinary mortal because he doesn't want his secrets to be known. But among cultivators of our generation, how many people who stand out don't have their secrets?"

Qu Wan'er was somewhat doubtful of her master's words. When she saw Mo Wuji, Mo Wuji didn't seem to be pretending to be down and out. But now the difference between Mo Wuji and before made her feel that what her master said was not unreasonable.

"Wan'er, if that person can enter the top hundred in the pill competition, can you ask him to meet us?" the black-bearded old man said again.

"Master, do you want him to help me get a spot?" Qu Wan'er understood her master's meaning.

Heavenly Peak Palace's pill dao was not very strong in the first place. Even if some outstanding young alchemists could make it into the top hundred, there were too many monks and too little porridge. Because Heavenly Peak Palace was originally a huge sect with countless genius disciples and various factions within the sect. It was not easy for Qu Wan'er to ask for a spot to enter the No Trace Wasteland.

The black-bearded old man nodded, "If he can make it into the top hundred, even if we can't get a spot, it would be good to build a good relationship with him. This kind of young alchemist will definitely have a great future."

Qu Wan'er pursed her lips and didn't speak. When she lent Mo Wuji tens of thousands of gold coins for a spiritual herb, it was indeed because of Mo Wuji's indomitable spirit. This kind of heart made her admire him. There was also a bit of pity, and she didn't want to see a man she admired be stumped by tens of thousands of gold coins from the mundane world.

Things were unpredictable. She had only asked Mo Wuji for help for a short time, and even Qu Wan'er herself had never thought of it.

At this moment, she felt a feeling she couldn't describe. For a moment, she even hoped that Mo Wuji would not make it into the top hundred. In that case, she wouldn't have to lower her head to ask Mo Wuji for anything. Even if she only met Mo Wuji to reminisce about the past, she didn't want to ask Mo Wuji for a spot.

This was not only her self-esteem acting up, but more importantly, she knew that even if Mo Wuji himself won a place, it would be difficult to give her a spot. Because Mo Wuji must be representing a certain sect to participate in the Five Elements Pill Competition. Once he won, he was afraid that Mo Wuji would not be able to distribute the spot.

...

At this moment, the eliminated alchemists left the venue, and Mo Wuji and the others were taken to a place to rest. The pill furnaces in front of the circular platform were quickly cleared away, and in a short time, there were three hundred flower-bed-like things.

Ming Ning stood up again and said, "Alchemists participating in the second round of the competition, please stand in front of the medicine altar that belongs to your number."

So these things were called medicine altars. Mo Wuji quickly found the Number 632 medicine altar.

Seeing that all the alchemists were standing, Ming Ning then said, "The second competition of the Five Elements Pill Competition begins..."

(The first update is here, still asking for monthly ticket support!)