Wave after wave of crowd chatter echoed around the arena.
Everyone was amazed at the outcome. A comeback at the last moment by Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing. She too had made a 5th-grade spirit liquid!
"WHAT!" Song Shan and Mo Ling thundered, springing out of their chairs aghast. They were completely incredulous.
"Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! There must be a trick!" Mo Ling snarled. Yan Lingqing was clearly only a 4th-grade resonance artificer. How could she have made a 5th-grade spirit liquid?
Anger clouded Song Shan's face, brewing like a storm.
The sudden turn of events had devastated his perfect plan. It was foiled completely.
Over at the Golden Dragon Bank side, President Lu's eyes were round as saucers as well. He rubbed his portly chin. "Too much of a coincidence, isn't it? When did Yan Lingqing become capable of refining 5th-grade spirit liquids too?"
"If Song Qiuyu can do it, why can't she?" Lu Qing'er laughed with relief.
President Lu fumbled for an answer. "Well normally speaking, neither should be able to. But both HAVE been able to. Could it be luck?"
"Who knows." Lu Qing'er said indifferently. All that mattered was that Suncreek Villa had won. Li Luo would be happy now.
President Lu looked at her and shook his head.
However, he too was happy that Suncreek Villa had won. After all, Song Yunfeng had betrayed Lu Qing'er during the exams, and he wasn't happy about it at all. He had dealt business with them with a grudging manner since. If not for the fact that she had turned out safe, he would not have let the matter rest so easily.
Over at House Luolan's side, Cai Wei sank down in relief. Her hand was thumping her chest repeatedly, trying to calm herself down. "How did Lingqing do it? Was she inspired by the young lord's good looks? But she's not that kind of superficial girl?"
Yan Lingqing was not like her. She didn't care about a person's looks at all. Still, who cared because Suncreek Villa had gotten the ideal result.
"Impossible!"
"How could she have created a 5th-grade with a higher tempering strength than me?!" Song Qiuyu was completely floored. When she recovered, she immediately objected.
Her attractive features were twisted in spite now.
"There must be a trick!" She yelled at the judge.
He ignored her. His only responsibility was to judge the outcome. After confirming that Yan Lingqing's product was indeed a 5th-grade spirit liquid with a 58% tempering strength, he immediately announced the winner. "Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing, no mistakes in tempering. 5th-grade spirit liquid, tempering strength 58%, first place!"
"I declare Suncreek Villa's Yan Lingqing the winner!"
Whao!
Loud gasps and cheers filled the arena after the decision. This was a spectacular comeback.
"Wow, we won!"
In the refining workshop, Yan Lingqing was stunned. Joy lit up her beautiful features, and she turned to hug Li Luo, cheering and jumping.
Li Luo hurriedly raised his hands, declaring his innocence. But feeling her slim, fragrant body pressed against him was a unique feeling that curvier bodies just could not give him.
She quickly got her emotions under control, a slight tinge of embarrassment in her eyes.
"That's not my fault though!" Li Luo protested his innocence. What an unreasonable woman. She had jumped him, and now she was angry?
Yan Lingqing sniffed, then waved a joking fist at him. She could not hide her overflowing joy at having made the comeback.
"Congratulations, you’re the Tianshu Province's Artificer Prime," Li Luo said brightly.
She rolled her eyes at him. The title was worth exactly zero gold. She didn't really care about it. What mattered more was getting a win over her long-time rival, Song Qiuyu.
"It's not like you don't know how I won... But with this success, I feel like perhaps truly becoming a fifth-grade resonance artificer is not far away now." She gushed.
"Impressive." Li Luo gave her a thumbs up. If she could become a fifth-grade artificer, then she would truly be a respectable expert in the field on a wider scale.
She turned to regard him with her gorgeous eyes. She knew that he was essential to the win, and that was still a source of puzzlement for her. He was clearly only a second-grade artificer. His water resonance did not seem to have that high of a grade either. But the water resonance he had produced was brimming with vitality, even stronger than hers.
Li Luo was clearly hiding some secrets.
Still, she had the presence of mind not to ask it here. She was not an overly nosy person. Since he was not volunteering information, she wasn't going to pursue the issue.
She set this matter aside for now.
With the refining complete, Yan Lingqing and Li Luo walked out of the refining workshop. She looked over at the spiteful Song Qiuyu and said coolly, "Sorry to deny you the win."
Song Qiuyu snapped, "Yan Lingqing, I don't believe you can refine a fifth-grade spirit liquid!"
"I don't believe you can either," Yan Lingqing retorted. "If you have doubts, we can go get the results verified. See if we used any little tricks in our work."
This competition was just a part of the festival. It was not particularly major, and so many of the rules were a little iffy. But if Song Qiuyu truly wanted to push the issue, they could get the results verified by professionals.
Still, it was as she had said. She did not believe that Song Qiuyu could make a fifth-grade spirit liquid, because she understood her ability well. She must have pulled off something dirty.
Song Qiuyu bit her lip so hard that it left a bloody line. In the end, she did not dare to pursue the issue. She was unsure. Mo Ling had sworn that the Mo family’s secrets could not be detected, but she did not dare risk it.
They had already lost.
Besides, the title of Artificer Prime would've just been the appetizer to their plan. Although it might not have gone as smoothly as they hoped, it did not actually affect their subsequent operations.
She turned a hateful eye on Yan Lingqing. "You think you've won? Dream on!" She swallowed her anger and turned to the crowd. In a clear voice, she declared, "Everyone, the Song family has big news to announce. From today onwards, the Song family will be working together with the Inkwater Villa to produce a new line of spirit liquids and purifying lights.
"First-grade Blackstar spirit liquid, 62%.
"Second-grade Blackmoon spirit liquid, 61%.
"Third-grade Blackglory purifying light, 60%."
This was greeted with astonishment and excitement from those present. The famous Inkwater Villa was, of course, a name that many in the Tianshu recognized. This was great news for the average consumer. Higher quality at the same price? Who would pass it up?
Presently, the best choices were the first-grade Azure Jade spirit liquid and the second-grade Ruby Slush spirit liquid from the Suncreek Villa. Both were about 60%. It seemed like the Song family's newest line would surpass that!
They now saw that this was the bigger goal of the Song family today.
The championship fight was merely a boost to their reputation.
Even though they had lost the title, the new line of products had quality that would speak for itself. The momentum was with the Song family now. It truly did not matter where the title went. The true winners here were the buyers.
Yan Lingqing's heart sank when she heard the news. So that could not be denied.
How would they deal with the Song family's move?
Yan Lingqing helplessly turned to Li Luo, but she found him with a cheerful grin on his face.
Somehow, it made her heartstrings tighten, then she felt the tension evaporate from her body.