Seeing Tianhai Zhenzhu’s score, both Dan Qing and Ji Luoyu looked somewhat unnatural. Although they had passed smoothly, their score in this round was only sixty, barely passing.
In the contest against Tianhai Zhenzhu, they had lost completely, utterly defeated.
“Wow~~!”
“Good heavens!”
Just as Tianhai Zhenzhu looked triumphantly at Ling Xiao, a burst of astonished exclamations suddenly rose from the audience seats.
She quickly turned her head to look.
On the jade wall, ranking first was unmistakably Ling Xiao’s name.
Perfect mortal pill, unparalleled speed, score one hundred and sixty!
One hundred and sixty!
Just ten points more than Tianhai Zhenzhu.
And those ten points came from the advantage in speed.
The quality of their two pills should have been identical.
“Cheating!”
Tianhai Zhenzhu’s originally excited and smug expression instantly turned to shock and dissatisfaction.
She had not expected that, despite Ling Xiao clearly making the mistake of rushing for success, the final pill quality was not inferior to hers in the slightest.
If this was not cheating, what was it?
She could not accept it!
This was truly too shameless!
After the sounds of surprise, cheers rose one after another, continuing for more than ten minutes before finally subsiding.
The audience was too excited. Many even tried to rush past the security warriors to give their idol Ling Xiao an enthusiastic embrace.
The entire square had turned into an ocean of joy.
Ling Xiao looked coolly at Tianhai Zhenzhu. A cold smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Only when the cheers finally quieted did he speak powerfully, “Winning is winning, losing is losing. Are you sea clan people always so indecisive?
“You accuse me of cheating. This is not the first time!
“Must you keep flaunting your own ignorance?”
“You call me ignorant?”
Tianhai Zhenzhu’s face flushed red with anger.
“Indeed, you are ignorant!”
Ling Xiao said disdainfully, “Do you know what the key factor in pill solidification is? It is temperature!
“The reason divine fire makes refining easier is precisely because it can reach higher temperatures!
“The faster the pill solidifies, the lower the chance of failure, and the less loss of components.
“You think your pill quality is the same as mine. In fact, your pill is simply inferior to mine!
“Do you understand now why I deliberately shattered the furnace? Because that furnace was too poor. It could not withstand the high temperature of my divine fire combined with crimson yang power.
“As an alchemist, you should now understand why my pill finished first, yet its efficacy is no worse than yours.”
“How could you possibly achieve that?”
Tianhai Zhenzhu’s mouth opened and closed several times. In the end, she asked only this one question.
Because after calming down, she knew Ling Xiao was right.
Ling Xiao’s divine fire paired with crimson yang power was simply an absolutely heaven-defying combination in the alchemy world.
“Whether I can achieve it or not, you have seen it with your own eyes. Do I need to demonstrate it again for you?”
Ling Xiao said scornfully.
“Hahaha, well said, young fellow. Not only righteous and stern, but with real skill. To be honest, even this old man was shocked by you.”
Ji Qing laughed heartily, clearly very pleased. From the beginning, this fellow Ling Xiao had shown astonishing ideas. Several times, even he had struggled to see through them.
Especially when Ling Xiao shattered the alchemy furnace and took out the pill, he had truly wanted to go up and slap the lad.
At that moment, he had thought the fellow was too impatient for success and had gone completely mad.
But now it seemed he, the elder, had been a bit too hasty.
Truly, each generation surpasses the last. Outstanding talents emerge in every era. This fellow Ling Xiao was extraordinarily admirable.
“Your Highness Yue Nu, in the past I always found it somewhat incomprehensible that you fancied Ling Xiao. Yet now I increasingly realise my own ignorance. Ling Xiao’s potential might rival that of a generation’s Human King! An unparalleled prodigy.”
Princess Yun Ya looked at Yue Nu and spoke her true feelings.
“From the start, he never actually intended to compete with Tianhai Zhenzhu. He simply followed his own plan step by step. He probably still has trump cards he has not revealed.”
Yue Nu merely smiled. How could the man she chose be wrong?
Leng Mei, Hua Fuguang, and Hua Lveying felt immensely proud in their hearts.
Slap!
Ji Luoyu slapped Ling Xiao hard on the back and said excitedly, “Just now when your furnace shattered, you nearly scared me to death. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. Otherwise, it would have been utterly embarrassing. You fellow, how do you have so many strange ideas?”
“Humph, this time I concede to you. But the next round is the final one. Not only is it the most difficult, it also carries the most points. If I can take first in the last round, I can reverse the standings and still claim the championship!”
Dan Qing snorted coldly. Though inwardly jealous of Ling Xiao beyond measure, at this moment he at least said something decent.
Yet his words still carried a strong tone of provocation.
“Ling Xiao, you are indeed the most formidable young person I have ever seen. However, our scores are not far apart. As that lad said, the final round is the one that will ultimately decide the champion! Then, we shall settle who is superior.”
Tianhai Zhenzhu’s expression as she looked at Ling Xiao had also changed.
Her previous arrogance and rudeness had turned to genuine regard, earned by Ling Xiao through his own ability.
“I hope when I win next time, you will not accuse me of cheating again. Otherwise, I will truly look down on you.”
Ling Xiao actually harboured no deep-seated hatred towards the sea clan. If Tianhai Zhenzhu had simply come to participate in the alchemy conference, he would not have found anything amiss.
It was just that this fellow was truly too provocative, insisting on challenging all the races of the Six Lands.
He, Ling Xiao, was no turtle. He would not shrink back and let himself be insulted. Since the other side provoked, he naturally had to respond.
The second round test concluded. It was still early, but most alchemists had already expended too much. Thus, the conference organisers stipulated half an hour of rest time.
The upcoming third round was also the final one.
It would be contested among the remaining hundred or so people.
Even if one’s scores from the first two rounds were insufficient, taking first in the final round could still secure the championship.
This was deliberate on the part of the conference organisers.
Otherwise, competition in the final round would not be so fierce. Many would probably not take it so seriously.
Now, with this opportunity left open, everyone would surely give their all in the final round, revealing all their trump cards.
Compared to the previous two rounds, it would be even more spectacular and thrilling.
“Next, we will seal the venue. Everyone may go eat a meal, rest, and restore your energy. Then we will conduct the final round test. What this old man can tell you is that in the last round, there will be no tricks. Everything will depend purely on your own abilities, so do not worry too much.”
Elder Ancestor Changle stood up, smiled, and said, “Dismissed. Ling Xiao, wait a moment.”
The crowd looked enviously at Ling Xiao. To be personally detained by Elder Ancestor Changle was undoubtedly an honour.
Yet few would feel jealous of Ling Xiao because of it. After all, in today’s competition, Ling Xiao had displayed absolute ability. He unquestionably deserved special treatment. This was beyond doubt.
