Chapter 1098: Full Mark Answer Sheet

Assuming everyone started equally, Ye Mo didn't mind whether he received the Heaven Glory Pill or not; it would only save him time. He would have preferred the Hua Sang Pill. "The first round is three days. Now, the pills will be distributed, and the tournament begins," Yue Qichao announced.

Ye Mo chuckled. Even he had taken months to decipher the Heaven Glory Pill's contents. While he hadn't dedicated every minute, it still took longer than three days. Even Yue Qichao admitted he couldn't find the answer after decades. Ye Mo realized this first round graded participants based on the number of spirit herbs they identified.

Minutes later, Ye Mo received his pill—a Heaven Glory Pill. Almost all pill kings and masters began studying theirs, but Ye Mo found it tedious. He observed the other pill masters' and kings' flames instead, witnessing around 50 types of rare flames. He was speechless. Nearly every pill king possessed a rare flame, as did more than ten high-level spirit pill masters. He even saw another Purple Flower Flame.

Common flames included Rock Skin, Black Earth Bone, and Blue Phoenix flames; three or four cultivators used the Wood Heart Flame. Ye Mo even spotted two Heaven Flames: the Extreme Geng Flame (ranked fourth), used by level-five Pill King Xu Banchang; and the Lan Rock Fire (ranked seventh), wielded by level-four Pill King Qiu Niansheng of the Green Pill Sect. Ye Mo knew the Lan Rock Flame's origin—likely from the Han Liang Empire.

Ye Mo also noticed a cultivator using the Sense Sha Flame (ranked thirteenth among rare flames), just below the Purple Flower Flame. What struck Ye Mo was this cultivator's speed and efficiency in dissecting the pill, far surpassing his own analysis of the Heaven Glory Pill.

While Ye Mo observed others, others watched him. Ning Qingxue noticed Ye Mo hadn't even taken out his flame, immediately filling with worry. She felt sad that, as a solo cultivator, he lacked the superior flames of those from large sects.

Lu Wuhu, seeing Ye Mo looking around, chuckled to himself, "This kid's interesting. He didn't just use my name to sign up and do nothing, did he?"

Ye Mo sensed the stares and understood their reason. Without hesitation, he produced his Soul Fire.

"Soul Fire?" Lu Wuhu shook his head, dismissing Ye Mo. Using Soul Fire in the Pill King Tournament was practically a guaranteed defeat; even the weakest competitors had superior flames.

Three days passed quickly. Cultivators who had feuded with Ye Mo watched intently. Seeing his Soul Fire, they relaxed. They didn't consider a level-seven spirit pill master a threat, but if Ye Mo solved the ancient pill recipe, they'd be at his mercy.

Fang Zhongshi sat anxiously. If Ning Qingxue wasn't lying and Ye Mo was the creator of the Spirit Weaving Pill, he stood no chance, possibly facing a century of solitary cultivation to fulfill his promise.

Meanwhile, Qiu Xue and Guo Qifan, knowing Ye Mo, were shocked. Knowing his North Far State origins, they suspected him to be the godlike cultivator Yue Qichao had described.

Huang Yushan of the Lightning Forgery Sect was also shocked, knowing Ye Mo's origins. Unsure if Luo Xiaomo was Ye Mo, his concerns grew. He shared his suspicions with a Hollow Spirit State cultivator.

The Hollow Spirit State cultivator studied Ye Mo's Soul Flame, then frowned. "According to you, this person might be the Spirit Weaving Pill's creator. He used Foundation Chi Fire before, and now a Nascent Soul Flame…" Pausing, he added, "Wait, if it's him, we not only can't seek revenge, but we should give him the remaining Five-Color Lotus."

Huang Yushan nodded. If Ye Mo was that cultivator, he'd pray for his own safety.

Three days later, Ye Mo inscribed the Heaven Glory Pill recipe onto a jade slip. Though reluctant, he knew the Heaven Glory Pill's expense made widespread use impossible, as Yue Qichao had suggested. Who would use a level-seven Dihua beast core for Golden Core state cultivators?

Thus, Ye Mo didn't mind sharing the recipe. He knew eleven spirit herbs were involved; five main ones: Water Weed, Mist Zhi Lan, Yellow Three Leaves, Red Light Fruit, and Dihua beast core. He was unsure about using a Dihua beast core below level seven, but he surmised it would be ineffective unless fewer ingredients were used, significantly reducing potency. He specified at least a level-six Dihua beast core.

Eight judges swiftly reviewed the roughly 500 answers. Everyone knew a standard answer was impossible; judging was based on identified herbs. Most pill masters were nervous, restrained from discussing by tournament rules. Ye Mo remained calm, having worked on this for months.

"Heaven Glory Pill, eleven spirit herbs?" Wu Tan exclaimed, shocked. As a level-six pill king, he disliked this test, having dissected the Hua Sang Pill, Heaven Glory Pill, Disaster Defense Pill, and Mist Spirit Pill. He and the two Pill City lords, plus two renowned pill concoction experts, had only found ten herbs, knowing an eleventh existed, but unable to identify it.

"Someone identified eleven spirit herbs in the Heaven Glory Pill?" Excluding Ji Ling and Lu Wuhu, the other six pill kings rushed to Wu Tan.

Shen Guanqing exclaimed, "Main ingredients: Water Weed, Mist Zhi Lan, Yellow Three Leaves, Red Light Fruit, Dihua beast core… supplementary herbs: Tian Maa, Ning Guang herb… wait, there's an extra Dihua beast core here…"

Yue Qichao murmured, "Dihua beast core, Dihua beast core… How come I didn't think of it? They used a spirit beast inner core…"

"Is South Peace State about to have a prodigy pill master? He recreated the Heaven Glory Pill recipe in three days!" Yue Qichao, staring at Ye Mo's answer, was thrilled. He eagerly sought the cultivator's name.

"Another solo cultivator, Luo Xiaomo. Why does this name have a 'Mo' too? He's only a level-seven spirit pill master," Yue Qichao read.

Level-four Pill King Zhao Shuntian asked, "City Lord, should we try concocting this pill? It seems genuine."

Yue Qichao immediately shook his head. "Luo Xiaomo recreated this pill; we must respect his result. Even if we know it's concoctable and correct, we wait for him. This shows respect for a pill master."

He addressed the remaining pill kings, "Let's continue marking answers, choosing the top 100 for the second round. As for this answer, I give it full marks."

Wu Tan agreed, "I agree. Full marks. Regardless of concoctability, he correctly identified ten herbs and included the unexpected Dihua beast core. Full marks."

The other four judges nodded in agreement.