“Wonderful! We won another round.”
Peony Overseer cried in joy. The other two women were also sporting smiles. Song Yu was a fake, but his refining skill couldn’t be more genuine.
If it weren’t for him, Vicious Pill King would’ve been in the lead. If things continue like this, the best alchemist in the empire would finally be defeated.
Dong Tianba saw them so excited and hesitated to speak, “Edifice Lord Chu, I may be presumptuous, but I am certain that man is not brother Song Yu. To be blunt, me and brother Song Yu are very close. There’s no way he’s a virgin!”
“So what if he isn’t Song Yu?”
It was Xiao Dandan who spoke in his defense, “No matter who he is, he will always be my Darling.”
Chu Qingcheng and the overseers nodded.
Chu Qingcheng smiled, “Dong Tianba, his killing intent must’ve scared you. To the point where you did not manage to hear our conversation. Young master Xie already stated that that man is a friend of his and not Song Yu.”
“Then what happened to brother Song Yu?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He killed him. Why else would he dare take his face and run around the place?” Xie Tianyang laughed, patting Dong Tianba’s shoulder. Then admired Chu Qingcheng, “Great sister in law knows how to handle her husband well. I will rely on you in the future to get this brat to fall in line. Don’t ever let him harm others, especially me.”
Chu Qingcheng blushed and hid it with anger, “Young master Xie, w-what nonsense are you saying?”
“Nothing in particular.” Xie Tianyang blinked as he stated in all seriousness, “That brat is petty and spiteful. If someone punched him, he replies with ten slashes of the sword. But your earlier words restricted his nefarious temper. Great sister in law is highly valued in his heart. Perhaps only you can curb his murderous streak, and also appreciate him more.”
Chu Qingcheng’s blush was fierce and demurely nodded, but her heart was overjoyed.
“I-is he that frightening?” Chu Qingcheng muttered.
Frowning, Xie Tianyang looked at Long Jiu and the rest, then they all nodded. They all held fear in their eyes, no exception.
Sighing, Chu Qingcheng smiled broadly.
If such a terrifying man changed for her, that meant his feelings for her were real!
[My ideal husband is like Qingtian. A dashing hero, willing to risk his life for me. Today, I have found him…]
Chu Qingcheng watched Zhuo Fan with a warmer gaze, her feelings for him growing ever more…
Boom!
In the western stand, Huangpu Qingyun banged the table. The heavily cracked stone table turned to dust.
The others by his side jumped in fear and reeled a step.
“The second round is another failure! And Elder Yan even admitted defeat! Tell me, does he have any chance of getting the Bodhi Root and that punk’s head on a platter?”
Huangpu Qingyun’s eyes were chilling to the bone.
None made a peep. Lin Zitian’s eyes shifted, [This is a perfect chance to kiss some ass.]
He advised, “Second young master, please quell your anger. Elder Yan is known as the Vicious Pill King, the best alchemist in the empire. A slight oversight, causing him to lose two rounds is of no consequence. Believe in him as he is sure to have a plan.
Lin Zitian’s words were more or less the same as 5th elder’s. Shoving the blame on Yan Song regardless of the outcome.
Too bad, this time was different.
Huangpu Qingyun’s eyebrows trembled, trying his hardest to calm himself, “Oh? Since Elder Lin believes Elder Yan so much then I will hold you responsible if he fails.”
“Al- uh, wha-?”
Lin Zitian was dumbstruck. [W-why aren’t you treating me the same as you were to the 5th elder?]
Watching this scene play out, the 5th elder was now laughing and mocking him.
[Lin Zitian is an opportunist, but has no ass-kissing techniques! Copying me is not helpful at all and will be detrimental instead. Playing the same flattery won’t work.]
[Huangpu Qingyun valued Yan Song greatly before. Therefore, raising Yan Song in esteem worked then. But now that he failed a second time, Huangpu Qingyun’s thoughts on Yan Song have changed. He is pissed at Elder Yan’s Inability to do anything. Praising him now would only set Huangpu Qingyun off in directing his anger onto you.]
[He-he-he, fawning is also a skill, so, as an opportunist, you better start practicing it.]
5th elder cackled in his heart, while Lin Zitian was on the verge of crying.
[What bad luck. I always…]
Ding!
A clear ringing signaled the start of the third round.
Xiaoya looked at the 40 alchemists, “This round will be regarding your refining ability.”
At her words, everyone focused on the first place, on Zhuo Fan.
They witnessed his ability and were clear that Grandmaster Song ruled in the refining skill department.
One man sighed, another watched the sky in sadness, both equally depressed for having no chance to win. Only the top ten alchemists kept a calm face.
They knew that alchemy was based on refining skills but it was not the only deciding factor to make a pill.
After two rounds, they realized the conditions were increasingly harder to fulfill. As the grade of the pills required increased, Zhuo Fan began to reveal his weakness.
This was what they’ve been waiting for.
Zhuo Fan was indeed a grand genius of alchemy but wasn’t infallible. He could not use his refining skill and refine any kind of pill he wanted…
“In this round, grandmasters need to refine a 5th grade pill!” Xiao Ya declared.
Zhuo Fan began to frown, while the top ten alchemists expected it.
Vicious Pill King, in particular, showed his sinister smile towards Zhuo Fan.
“The faster you can make it the higher you will climb. The first to finish will enter the Pill King finals of this competition. Begin!”
They started igniting their Yuan Qi flame just as she finished. Most had no choice but to make use of the cauldron. But only Vicious Pill King and Tao Danniang refined with their hand.
These two’s skills were far higher than theirs.
But when people looked at Zhuo Fan, they saw him just standing there. Even his expression was grave.
“Oh no, he’s in trouble!” Long Jiu was getting anxious. The others too watched him nervously.
Peony Overseer with her fiery temper, was even more so, “Uncle Jiu, what’s wrong? Wasn’t he unparalleled so far? Why isn’t he moving?”
Long Jiu stared at the frozen Zhuo Fan and sighed, “Because of this brat’s weakness.”
“Weakness?”
“Yes!”
Long Jiu spoke gravely, “He won in the first two rounds against everyone and even made Vicious Pill King concede because of his incredible secret refining skill.”
“There are three deciding factors to an alchemist’s level. Cultivation, flame, and refining skill. Cultivation is used to supply the flame for longer periods of time, the flame is for refining ingredients, and the refining skill needs to be high enough to handle high grade pills. But…”
Long Jiu clenched his teeth, “This kid’s refining skill is amazing, however that is all he has. His flame is just a normal one made from Yuan Qi. But what’s worse, his cultivation is only in the 2nd layer of Bone Tempering Stage.”
“Any alchemist with this cultivation could refine a 3rd-grade pill at most. Yet he used 2nd-grade pill ingredients to make a 5th-grade pill. That is his limit. Now that he is competing against the other grandmasters, with 5th-grade pill ingredients being used, his flame is inadequate. Meanwhile, his cultivation is shallow. I am certain he will not be able to refine the ingredients before his Yuan Qi runs out. Refining such high-grade ingredients is a whole other matter.”
The shock was palpable and they turned to watch Zhuo Fan on his last leg, but this time with sorrow.
“Master, if Darling loses, will he lose his head too? Please save him!” Xiao Dandan pleaded.
Long Jiu and the others weren’t worried though.
Zhuo Fan wasn’t one who lost his head that easily. It was more correct to say others lost their heads to him.
Even in the off chance he lost, he’d just stick to the basics, killing people and uprooting their any source of trouble. In their minds, he was in no trouble.
They did not realize, however, how important this competition was to Zhuo Fan. He couldn’t fail here. It concerned returning Chu Qingcheng’s favor. The Luo clan was already running him into the ground with all its needs and having Chu Qingcheng’s Drifting Flowers Edifice hanging overhead was too much for him to handle.
Zhuo Fan was now considering whether to use the azure flame or not…