The entire scene fell still for a moment. After his initial shock, Yunfeng finally couldn’t hold back and sneered, “Hmph, Heimu, so what if you managed to refine an elixir in the end? Your elixir’s grade can’t possibly match mine!”
Looking at Yunfeng as if he were a fool, Lin Xiao smiled faintly, “Sorry to disappoint you, but this is a fourth-grade elementary elixir.”
“What?” Yunfeng’s whole body stiffened. A fourth-grade elementary elixir? How could that be?
Hearing Lin Xiao’s words, the others were momentarily stunned too. Lin Xiao, with third-grade elementary spiritual power—though he’d broken through to intermediate mid-process—refining a fourth-grade elementary elixir across two grades and a major境界 seemed implausible, didn’t it?
But the next voice dispelled all their doubts.
“It’s indeed a fourth-grade elixir,” Ye Fenghua’s voice rang across the plaza, “and it’s a long-lost offensive elixir, an explosive elixir!”
“What? An explosive elixir!”
The scene turned to stone. Not just the spirit controllers, but even the stronger martial artists were dumbfounded.
An explosive elixir was a devastatingly powerful offensive elixir, capable of killing foes many times stronger than oneself.
In ancient texts, those who could refine explosive elixirs were deemed the most fearsome spirit controllers!
Such spirit controllers hadn’t appeared in centuries, yet here was a sixteen-year-old youth standing before them as one.
He was an absolute prodigy!
Even those unaware of the explosive elixir’s full significance could tell from Ye Fenghua’s expression how extraordinary it was.
And just being a fourth-grade elementary elixir was enough to awe them.
In the entire Lanlan Empire, those who could refine fourth-grade elixirs could be counted on one hand!
For the younger generation, it was an unreachable dream. Lin Xiao’s leap across two grades was unprecedented in history.
“How? How could you refine such an elixir?” Yunfeng was on the verge of madness, his face twisted in disbelief. As a genius who could craft attribute elixirs, he’d naturally heard of explosive elixirs.
They were practically legendary, far outclassing attribute elixirs by a wide margin.
He’d come from the Moyu Empire with a mission, confident that his third-grade advanced spiritual power and refining skills would secure the championship as if it were already his. He’d even produced a near fourth-grade Thunder Spirit Elixir.
Yet, in the final moment, the title was snatched by a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy. He’d meant to strut triumphantly, only to be slapped hard in the face…
Ye Yu, Wu Gong, and others wore equally incredulous expressions. A fourth-grade elementary explosive elixir was simply too unbelievable.
Wen Renliang was struck speechless. He’d invited Lin Xiao hoping for a top-ten finish, but now he’d taken first, with refining skills far surpassing his own.
Zhou Ruoyi, Zhou Xiong, Feng Lanyue, Chen Yan, Meng Xi, Meng Ying, and others were similarly stunned.
“How I refined it isn’t your concern, but as you said, it seems the Moyu Empire’s spirit controller geniuses aren’t all that impressive,” Lin Xiao said calmly, glancing at Yunfeng with a faint sigh.
“Exactly! What rubbish about Lanlan Empire spirit controllers being inferior to the Moyu Empire’s? I’d say it’s your Moyu Empire spirit controllers who can’t compare to ours!”
“Right, Yunfeng, why don’t you crawl back to the Moyu Empire? The Lanlan Empire isn’t a place for you!”
The crowd, snapping out of their daze, jeered in unison. Yunfeng had been insufferably arrogant, humiliating the entire Lanlan Empire’s spirit controllers. Now, they could finally throw it back in his face.
Lin Xiao had let them vent their frustration gloriously!
At the same time, they buzzed with excitement over Lin Xiao’s fourth-grade elixir, their praises and cheers mingling with taunts aimed at Yunfeng.
Yunfeng’s face had turned ashen, utterly speechless against Lin Xiao’s crushing victory.
In the crowd, a black-robed elder’s expression darkened too. Today’s competition had defied his expectations.
“This boy must be recruited into the Moyu Empire, along with that recipe, or he must not be allowed to live!” His eyes flashed with intense light.
“Silence!” At that moment, Ye Fenghua’s authoritative voice boomed from the jade platform. The crowd fell quiet at his command, all eyes turning toward him.
Lin Xiao looked too, seeing Ye Fenghua fix him with a serious, astonished gaze, “Lin Xiao, explosive elixirs have been lost for centuries. How did you refine one?”
“Lost for centuries…” Hearing Ye Fenghua’s words, Lin Xiao’s lips twitched slightly. He hadn’t fully realized this. In the Heaven-Devouring Spirit Emperor’s knowledge, even eighth- and ninth-grade recipes existed, and explosive elixirs were fairly ordinary.
But in the present day, they seemed long vanished, explaining why Ye Fenghua, Le Zheng Hongmao, and others were so shocked.
His recipe had likely drawn significant attention from spirit controllers.
“Just… a fortunate encounter…” Lin Xiao replied vaguely. No elaborate excuse would be believed, so this simple answer was the most effective.
“A fortunate encounter, I…” Ye Fenghua’s breath caught, stifled in his throat. What was the difference between that and no answer at all?
Such a colossal encounter—how had he never had one in all his years?
Spiritual energy might come from a rare encounter, but the explosive elixir recipe too, stumbled upon alongside a cosmic energy source by Lin Xiao?
“Could his master have passed him this recipe?” Ye Fenghua mused inwardly.
Beyond a fortunate encounter, this seemed the only other possibility, and it felt more likely.
“If so, that person must be a remarkable figure. One day, if I get the chance, I must pay them a visit!” Ye Fenghua paused, refraining from further questions. Finding someone he, Ye Fenghua, wished to meet was rare indeed.
He knew this setting wouldn’t yield more answers.
“That spiritual energy of yours, is it tied to the Sky Demon Scorpion?” Suddenly recalling something, Ye Fenghua couldn’t resist asking.
Over half a year ago, he’d obtained a Sky Demon Scorpion scale, its spiritual energy aura identical to this. He’d paid a steep price, even warring with the Scorpion Clan, only to find nothing.
Seeing Lin Xiao wield such energy now naturally sparked deep curiosity.
“Sky Demon Scorpion…” Ye Fenghua’s words sent a shockwave through the crowd, many drawing sharp breaths.
The Sky Demon Scorpion’s name struck terror in the Lanlan Empire. Years ago, it had stormed the imperial city alone, gravely wounding a Martial Venerable, slaying several Martial Kings and dozens of experts. It took four Martial Venerables combined to drive it out.
The name remained the empire’s greatest taboo, and since then, they’d avoided conflict with the Scorpion Clan.
Judging by Ye Fenghua’s tone, Lin Xiao’s spiritual energy seemed linked to the Sky Demon Scorpion.
