I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 200 - 198: Xi Yuan Tournament (Part 24)

The seedling of the Blood-sucking Vine, withered and twisted like tumbleweed, was undergoing an astonishing transformation.

White, slender roots emerged from the thorny ball like a magic trick, thrusting deeply into the sand, anchoring the seedling firmly to the ground.

Then the spherical seedling twisted and spun in a bizarre manner, looking from afar like a tangled ball of threads being quickly unraveled by an invisible hand, stretched into a long, supple vine.

The long vine’s shape and color couldn’t be said to resemble the seedling at all. It was like soft water plants, entirely green, with smooth and beautiful yellow leaflets the size of fingernails, resembling fish scales, covering the surface.

Dozens of such vines covered this small patch of desert, rising and falling though there was no wind, creating the illusion of standing in a beautiful grassland.

Qi Ming rubbed his eyes and exclaimed, "Sister Xing, what kind of magic did you use?"

"It’s not magic, I just accelerated the growth of the Blood-sucking Vine seedlings into mature plants," Li Xing replied.

Since the Blood-sucking Vine seedlings were pursuing them like flies on an egg, Li Xing found a way to keep them from running. How to stop them from running? By taking root, of course.

Chen Qi clicked his tongue, "This creepy thing looks pretty nice when it grows up."

The effect of one pill wasn’t enough to make all the Blood-sucking Vine seedlings develop, and another batch rolled over.

Fist-sized, brown thorny balls hopped up and down on the mature Blood-sucking Vines, not yet understanding what lay ahead, bouncing towards the large ones emitting the scent of food, relentlessly.

Sensing something on it, the mature Blood-sucking Vine instantly stood upright, with leaflets as sharp as iron teeth on a Wolf Fang Club. It twisted like a python, wrapping, squeezing, and crushing the spherical seedlings.

In the blink of an eye, the hardy seedlings that couldn’t be burnt or chopped were shredded into tiny pieces by their own kind, along with the juice and undigested Star Beast remains, becoming the nutrients of the strong.

The Red Armored Scorpion, controlled by Li Xing, stayed not far from the Blood-sucking Vines. The youths on the scorpion’s back wore expressions of horror upon witnessing the scene of mutual destruction.

Chen Qi, who had praised the beauty of the mature Blood-sucking Vines just now, stood with his mouth agape like someone under a freezing spell—such a reversal was hard for him to accept.

Damn it, the more beautiful things are, the more dangerous they seem, like the Blood-sucking Vine, like Li Xing!

Those hard seedlings were instantly crushed to pieces; the Blood-sucking Vine was like a shredder in the plant world. If a person fell in, they’d probably be squashed into a meat patty in seconds!

Everyone was astonished by the battle prowess of the mature Blood-sucking Vine, while Bai Ling was captivated by Li Xing’s unexpectedly excellent Medicine Making Skill.

During the Tianyi competition, inspired by Li Xing, Bai Ling had improved her Alchemy Technique, no longer limited to purely healing potions, with considerable success.

When surrounded by Blood-sucking Vine seedlings, Bai Ling had thought about dealing with them using medicine.

She believed the most feasible way was to concoct a deadly poison, causing the seedlings to lose vitality once in contact and perish completely.

But in simulating the effect in her mind, Bai Ling couldn’t find a way to ensure the toxin harmed only the Blood-sucking Vine and not humans. So the idea of using poison was abandoned.

When Li Xing said she was going to use Alchemy to resolve the predicament, Bai Ling felt somewhat unconvinced.

Bai Ling was said to be the most likely to achieve the Heaven Rank among the younger generation of Healing Masters, with a pride inherent in her bones.

She thought if she couldn’t devise a perfect medicinal strategy with her mind and strength, what good ideas could Li Xing, a Healing Master who formally entered the field at sixteen with a lower rank than her, have?

Even after Li Xing refined the Vitality Pill, Bai Ling didn’t pin all her hopes of escape on those few pills.

Yet reality proved that Li Xing, a Healing Master using Ancient Alchemy, outmatched her in both mind and technique to a great extent.

A person like Li Xing was destined to be remembered through the ages; compared to her, Bai Ling felt like an insignificant glowworm before the moon.

Bai Ling sighed but then felt relieved—no matter if she was a glowworm, she aimed to be the brightest one.

"Li Xing, everyone says I will be the next Healing Master to achieve the Heaven Rank, but I believe you’ll achieve it faster. You’re a strong and outstanding Healing Master, and it’s my luck to exist in the same era as you. I hope we can explore Medicine Making Skill together in the future, as I have many questions I’d like to ask you."

Li Xing revealed two dimples, "Sister Bai doesn’t mind learning from those below; how could I keep anything to myself? I certainly won’t hold back."

"Thank you! Let’s complement each other and share what we have!"

The mature Blood-sucking Vine had already eliminated many seedlings, but there were too many; it couldn’t kill them all. The seedlings escaping from the gaps at the roots once again gathered into a mass, rushing toward the Red Armored Scorpion.

With a graceful wave of her hand, Li Xing sent out a second Vitality Pill, and the same scene played out again: seedlings rooted, sprouted branches, and blossomed into beautiful killers.

Not until the third Vitality Pill was used up did all the Blood-sucking Vine seedlings either mature or turn into nutrients. The desert before them was now a medium-sized oasis.

Looking at the expanse of green before them, Ye Qingting remarked, "Green plants in the desert mean succulent delicacies, fatally attractive to herbivorous Star Beasts. This patch of Blood-sucking Vines will likely become a nightmare for nearby Star Beasts."

Shangguan Lin Yuan added, "This is the law of nature; we can’t change it, only adapt."

Bai Ling said, "Although the Blood-sucking Vine is cruel, it has its merits. They can solidify the sand, improve the soil, and guide the liquid water from deep underground to the surface."

"Though there’s only the Blood-sucking Vine here now, in a few years, the environment will support more plant varieties. By then, this place will become a true oasis, a haven for Desert Star Beasts."

Live broadcast.

Zou Huali couldn’t contain his excitement, leading the applause: "Fantastic! Who would’ve thought they’d escape the Blood-sucking Vine’s entanglement this way? Li Xing’s intellect and methods are truly eye-opening!"

Lin Zhian also nodded in agreement, "Li Xing’s Ancient Medicine Making Skill is flexible and unexpected, outshining even geniuses like Bai Ling! Master Zou, I think the Healing Master Association should reevaluate Ancient Medicine Making Skill, not just focus on its flaws while ignoring its advantages."

Zou Huali nodded, "Mr. Lin is right! Once the competition ends, I’ll convene a board meeting promptly to discuss this matter."

Perhaps they were all wrong, and Ancient Medicine Making Skill is the true orthodox miracle technique capable of refining life-changing divine medicines—Li Xing might have never taken a wrong turn.

With no Blood-sucking Vine pursuing them, the Red Armored Scorpion could finally run calmly. After five kilometers, Li Xing placed the Desert Boat Team near a small oasis and bid them farewell. The Unyielding Team continued riding the Red Armored Scorpion toward the Turquoise Pool.

An hour later, dawn broke in the east, the fiery sun rose from the horizon, and the cold earth quickly warmed under the sunlight.