People below began heading up to the third floor one after another.
When Evan Lin and his group reached the third floor, quite a few people were already waiting there. At a glance, there were about twenty to thirty in total.
Each of them wore a Doctor token at their waist, clearly marking them as the backbone of the entire Miracle Hand Sect.
Not far away, Celine Lin stood beside Master Weiyao. Her gaze swept over everyone’s faces, and when it landed on Evan Lin standing off to the side, a sharp glint flashed through her beautiful eyes.
Evan Lin stood at the edge of the hall, eyes narrowed as he studied the three towering pill furnaces inside.
The flames inside those three furnaces burned endlessly, making the surrounding temperature even more intense and violent.
“So this really is a Fire-Vein Ground. They used the power of the earth’s fire-vein to forge these furnaces. Not exactly a world-shaking technique, but in a place as spiritually exhausted as Earth, coming up with this idea and actually building these furnaces means there were once some real experts here.”
Evan mused to himself—the furnace technique in front of him was just the most basic use of momentum, as far as he was concerned.
“Alright, since everyone’s arrived, let me announce the rules for what’s coming next.”
Sitting at the head seat, Master Weiyao slowly rose to his feet. His gaze swept across everyone present before he spoke calmly: “Miracle Hand’s rules are always simple. You’re all Doctors of Miracle Hand. Some of you I’ve met before, some I haven’t, but that doesn’t matter.”
“Within Miracle Hand, rank has always been determined by pill-refining skill. Normally, everyone is scattered across different regions and rarely gathers together. Since we’re all here today, it’s the perfect chance to hold an internal Pill King Tournament. Whoever wins will receive half a piece of the Thousand-Year Nirvana Leaf.”
As Master Weiyao spoke, he pulled a stone box from his daoist robe. Opening it, he revealed a finger-length fragment of gray, shriveled leaf. The leaf looked ancient and battered, as if it had died ages ago, all moisture long since dried away.
Yet even so, the moment he took out the half piece of Thousand-Year Nirvana Leaf, a faint, refreshing fragrance drifted through the entire third floor, intoxicating and mesmerizing everyone who breathed it in.
Evan glanced over and could clearly see waves of spiritual qi radiating from the Nirvana Leaf.
“This fragment of Thousand-Year Nirvana Leaf was something I acquired by chance. I’ve carried it with me for years, and it’s kept me healthy and free from illness. If anyone can refine it into a pill, it will have the legendary power to revive the dead and regrow flesh on bare bone!”
Master Weiyao spoke calmly, and as his words spread, he could instantly sense the burning desire in everyone’s eyes.
In reality, Master Weiyao had no idea what the Nirvana Leaf fragment was truly capable of. Despite more than a decade of research, his own pill-refining skills and experience had never allowed him to turn it into a pill. That’s exactly why he was willing to use it as bait now—to lure out the so-called Master Lin.
As he spoke, Master Weiyao was very satisfied with the crowd’s reaction. He glanced sideways at the sloppy youth Alex Fu, and saw Alex’s lazy eyes land on a certain spot in the crowd.
Pretending not to care, Master Weiyao followed Alex’s gaze and spotted Evan Lin—young and out of place among the crowd of thirty- and forty-year-old Doctors.
Master Weiyao’s eyes flickered as he hid his surprise. Quickly, he closed the stone box and beckoned an attendant over.
Right then, an attendant stepped forward behind him, carrying a tray with several small wooden boxes arranged on it.
“Each wooden box contains eight portions of herbs and a single-formula recipe for the Golden Marrow Pill. In front of you are three pill rooms, with pill furnaces inside. If you want to join the competition, just come up and take a box, go into a pill room, and try to refine the Golden Marrow Pill. If you succeed, you pass. Once everyone is done, the winner will be decided by the quality of the Golden Marrow Pills produced. The victor gets the half piece of Thousand-Year Nirvana Leaf.”
Master Weiyao finished speaking and looked around the room. “Anyone who wants to try can start right now.”
“But before you begin, let me remind you: the three furnaces inside are extremely fierce. If you go in and can’t handle the temperature, get out fast so you don’t get hurt.”
The moment he finished, the crowd—who’d been holding back—finally erupted with excitement.
“Not only do we get a shot at the Nirvana Leaf, we can also get the Golden Marrow Pill recipe!”
“The sect master’s really going all out this time!”
Many people’s eyes burned with desire.
Pill recipes handed down are extremely rare. Most of these Doctors only know basics like the Vitality Pill and Three-Essence Pill. A mid-tier formula like the Golden Marrow Pill is practically unheard of.
“I’ve heard that once the Golden Marrow Pill is refined, an ordinary person who takes it can quickly strengthen their body, and even step onto the martial path. It lets regular people train External Strength, and helps External Strength experts break through to Inner Strength faster. It’s practically a miracle prescription!”
The next moment, a crowd surged forward, scrambling to be first.
The three fastest each grabbed a wooden box and hurried to stand before one of the three small pill rooms.
They called them pill rooms, but really it was just the outer shell of the furnace.
All three were about forty years old. Standing outside the furnace shell, each took a deep breath, then pulled open the two-meter-tall iron door and stepped inside with their wooden box.
“Those furnaces are huge. They just walked in—won’t they get roasted alive in there?” Leo Liu asked nervously, eyeing the massive furnaces.
“No way! They’re real Miracle Hand Doctors, all top pill-refiners. Don’t let them hear you say that, or you’ll get in trouble!” Byron Liu smacked Leo’s shoulder and warned him.
After saying that, Byron glanced at the furnace, his own eyes full of doubt and amazement.
Just a few breaths after the three entered, there was a bang as two of the furnace doors were shoved open from inside.
Soon, two Doctors crawled out, faces flushed red.
“Oh my god, it’s so hot in there—I was almost cooked!”
“I quit! This is insane!”
They staggered back, clearly unable to handle the heat. Their wooden boxes were completely charred, the herbs inside reduced to dust.
“Let me try!”
As soon as those two came out, new Doctors rushed forward, grabbed fresh wooden boxes, and stepped inside.
The temptation was just too great—the prize was simply irresistible.
“Can anyone actually refine it? That Golden Marrow Pill sounds crazy strong.” Leo muttered to himself, then glanced at Evan Lin standing beside him. After a moment’s hesitation, he quietly asked, “Master, are you really Dr. Dong? If you went up there, could you actually refine the Golden Marrow Pill?”