Chapter 2624: A Close Match!

The scale soared all the way up to the ninth grade!

Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the Cloud Mountain Stone Mother.

Only two people remained unmoved.

One was Cang Yongning, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, already convinced that Ye Yuan could not reach the pinnacle of the ninth grade.

The other was Ye Yuan himself, as if nothing could stir him.

Or rather, it was confidence.

But this confidence, in Cang Yongning's eyes, was utterly laughable.

Did this guy really think reaching the pinnacle of the ninth grade was so easy?

Cang Yongning himself knew only too well the pain he had endured to go from the ninth grade to its pinnacle.

Without countless refinements and unwavering perseverance, it was simply impossible!

How many complex procedures were involved in a single alchemical session?

If broken down in detail, the number would be astronomical!

Even the slightest oversight would prevent the quality from achieving true perfection and reaching the pinnacle.

Even within the Alchemy Alliance, a saying circulated.

The ninth grade is easy to attain, but the pinnacle is hard to achieve!

Even some senior elders found it difficult to truly reach the pinnacle!

Clearly, this step was extremely difficult!

If it weren't for this, he, Cang Yongning, would not have been able to overpower all rivals and become the Holy Son!

Therefore, Ye Yuan could not possibly reach the pinnacle!

The scale rose little by little, quickly reaching the great perfection of the ninth grade.

This was only to be expected.

Even with the naked eye, one could tell that Ye Yuan's celestial pill was at the great perfection of the ninth grade.

But whether it could reach the pinnacle of the ninth grade—that was the key!

As the scale continued to rise, inching closer to the pinnacle, the entire venue fell silent.

Cang Yongning smiled and said, "To have reached this point, your skill is already quite impressive! Of course, if it weren't for this, you wouldn't have been able to force me, the Holy Son, out of seclusion!"

Watching the scale approach the pinnacle, Cang Yongning remained at ease.

But the scale showed no sign of stopping, still inching toward the pinnacle.

Everyone's heart pounded.

There was less than a fingernail's width from the pinnacle.

Could it reach the pinnacle?

At this moment, even Cang Yongning's breathing became uneven.

A hair's breadth away!

The scale continued to climb, soon reaching half a fingernail's width.

Then, it inched toward the pinnacle.

Cang Yongning's breathing grew heavier as the scale rose.

"It's full!" The moment the scale reached the pinnacle, Luo Yunqing was the first to cry out.

Among the entire audience, he was probably the most worried.

This test felt more nerve-wracking to him than going through a great battle.

A single hair's breadth difference determined Ye Yuan's life or death!

The second the scale reached the pinnacle, Luo Yunqing felt the taut string finally relax.

"Pinnacle of the ninth grade! Ye Yuan has also reached the pinnacle of the ninth grade!"

"Heavens, he actually tied with the Holy Son of the Alchemy Alliance!"

"So Ye Yuan's strength was this formidable! No wonder he dared to establish the Alchemy Pavilion and oppose the Alchemy Alliance!"

...

Exclamations of astonishment arose all around, and the crowd was in awe.

They did not understand alchemy, but that did not prevent them from knowing the difficulty of the ninth-grade pinnacle.

One could say that reaching the pinnacle on the Cloud Mountain Stone Mother was theoretically possible.

In the midst of complex and chaotic refining, who could guarantee not a single mistake?

The Holy Son of the Alchemy Alliance could do it because he stood at the very peak of alchemy in the Yuqing Continent!

He had the profound heritage of the Alchemy Alliance!

He had an endless supply of celestial herbs to practice with!

He possessed conditions that other celestial alchemists did not!

But Ye Yuan had none of that!

Yet he had also reached this step!

How could this not astound people?

Cang Yongning's expression turned extremely grim.

How did this guy deserve this?

He himself had endured so much hardship and undergone so much training to reach this step!

How did this guy leap to success?

The Alchemy Alliance had naturally investigated Ye Yuan, and Cang Yongning knew that Ye Yuan had not been ascended for long!

In fact, when this guy first ascended, his affinity was only one point!

If not for this, he would not have underestimated Ye Yuan so much.

But how did this guy manage to reach the pinnacle of the ninth grade in such a short time?

No, it must be luck!

Absolutely luck!

"Holy Son, this ninth-grade pinnacle doesn't seem so hard after all! You made such a big fuss, saying you'd show me something impressive—I thought it would be much more difficult," Ye Yuan said, looking at Cang Yongning with a half-smile.

Cang Yongning's face darkened, instantly feeling as if he had been slapped.

He had been too cocky earlier; who knew this guy would be lucky enough to produce a ninth-grade pinnacle on his first try.

He snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "Hmph, just luck! Do you think you can reach the ninth-grade pinnacle every time? And don't forget, this round you chose the celestial pill! Next round, I choose! Let me tell you, when refining second-grade celestial pills, the ninth-grade pinnacle is my baseline! Also, you'd better watch out—I might refine a true-grade celestial pill at any time!"

Ye Yuan shrugged and smiled, "Then let's wait and see! I'd like to see if this ninth-grade pinnacle is really that hard."

Both were at the ninth-grade pinnacle, so naturally no winner could be determined.

The second round of the alchemy duel was quickly prepared.

In the first round, Ye Yuan had chosen the formula.

This round, it was Cang Yongning's turn.

Cang Yongning directly selected a type of Imperial Celestial Pill!

He looked at Ye Yuan and sneered, "The Tianyu Ice Marrow Pill is a unique formula of my Alchemy Alliance, never circulated outside. This is your first time refining it, right? Let's see if you can still reach the ninth-grade pinnacle!"

Ye Yuan was unperturbed and said with a faint smile, "Another Imperial Celestial Pill formula? Your Alchemy Alliance's heritage is truly profound! Thank you for the formula."

Cang Yongning sneered, "You'll be crying soon enough."

A few hours later, the second round of the alchemy duel began!

Sure enough, it was still a tie!

Ye Yuan refined the Tianyu Ice Marrow Pill without any hesitation, as if he had done it countless times.

After three months of alchemy duels, Ye Yuan had become extremely proficient with second-grade celestial pills.

Whether it was his first time refining a formula made little difference to him.

In truth, Cang Yongning had not expected this Imperial Celestial Pill to stump Ye Yuan immediately.

He understood that since Ye Yuan could refine a ninth-grade pinnacle, his understanding of the Dao of alchemy had already traced back to the source.

One Imperial Celestial Pill was not enough to defeat him.

However, even with a thorough understanding, an obscure formula still contained many uncertain factors.

If Ye Yuan's foundation were even slightly unsteady, flaws would appear.

Flaws would prevent reaching the ninth-grade pinnacle.

Then victory would be assured!

At this point, true strength was being tested!

Refining the Imperial Celestial Pill, the two of them made even more commotion than before.

As intense as ever!

Several hours later, the two finished refining.

When the furnaces were opened, sure enough, both were at the great perfection of the ninth grade.

This spectacular scene naturally drew another round of exclamations.

Such a peak duel was a delight for them.

Cang Yongning, full of confidence, directly placed his celestial pill on the Cloud Mountain Stone Mother.

The scale quickly reached its peak.

Another ninth-grade pinnacle!