Chapter 82: The Contest
Elder Yao froze for a moment, then burst into furious anger. His true essence surged, and the pressure of the Longevity Realm exploded outward, freezing the air of the entire camp for an instant.
Yet the youth showed no fear, a mocking curve on his lips as he called softly:
"Old Meng."
Before the words faded, a powerful aura descended, vast as the sea, directly clashing with Elder Yao's.
A gray-robed elder appeared silently behind the youth. His face was gaunt, but his eyes were sharp as a hawk's. Faint pill fire coiled around him—he too was a Longevity Realm expert!
The youth sneered. "Old fool, do you still dare make a move now?"
At such a young age he was already a sixth-grade alchemist—how could he lack a protector?
Elder Yao's face darkened, though no fear showed in his eyes. Xiao Chen could tell that this time, he was truly angered.
Two Longevity Realm pressures clashed violently, the air shrieking under the strain.
Elder Yao's robe swelled as azure pill fire erupted around him, the ground beneath his feet cracking apart. The gray-robed elder's thin body stood like an immovable mountain, the space between them twisting and trembling. The grass and trees beneath them were reduced to dust, and the surrounding crowd was forced to retreat again and again.
But Xiao Chen suddenly stepped forward, standing between them and raising his hand.
"Wait."
Seeing Xiao Chen block his path, Elder Yao finally withdrew his aura.
Xiao Chen's gaze was calm as he looked directly at the youth. "Since you do not believe Elder Yao's identity, why not settle this with a contest?"
"Oh?" The youth raised a brow. "How do you propose we compete?"
"Very simple," Xiao Chen said lightly. "If you win, we will leave immediately and never again interfere in the Plant Spirit Clan's affairs."
"Heh, not enough." The youth sneered. "Add one more condition—if you lose, you and this old fool must kneel and kowtow to me in apology!"
Xiao Chen did not hesitate. "Agreed."
A flicker of surprise crossed the youth's eyes before he laughed derisively. "Fine. Then you go first. I want to see what tricks this old relic still has left."
Xiao Chen shook his head. "It will not be him against you."
"Then who?"
"Me."
The youth blinked, then burst into laughter. "You?" His gaze swept across Xiao Chen's waist, where not even the lowest-grade alchemist's token hung. "You are not even an alchemist!"
Xiao Chen smiled faintly. "No matter. If we lose, it only suits your wishes, does it not?"
The youth narrowed his eyes. "Very well. How shall we compete?"
Xiao Chen clasped his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent. "The Great Dao is found in simplicity. Let us refine the most basic Qi Gathering Pill. How about it?"
"Qi Gathering Pill?" The youth was first taken aback, then laughed wildly. "Hahaha! You, who are not even an alchemist, dare to compete in pill refinement with me? Fine! Excellent!"
With a fierce flick of his sleeve, he sneered. "Then let me show you what true alchemy means!"
The contest began. With a cold laugh, the youth swept his sleeve, and a crimson pill furnace crashed heavily onto the ground. The furnace was carved with profound runes, faint dragon roars echoing from within.
"Today, I will broaden your horizons!" he declared proudly. His hands formed seals, fingers glowing with spiritual light. Strands of pill fire twisted upward like swimming dragons, weaving in midair into a complex formation!
"This is the Nine-Turn Heavenly Phoenix Fire Guiding Art!" a Moonflower Pavilion disciple boasted. "It uses the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to turn ordinary flame into true Phoenix Flame. In all Qingzhou, only our Young Pavilion Master can perform it with such mastery!"
The youth's lips curved proudly. His movements grew increasingly elaborate. Herbs spun in his hands, each divided with flawless precision, then wrapped in Phoenix Flame and dropped into the furnace.
The process flowed like art, drawing gasps from the crowd.
Only Elder Yao looked twice before turning away with a cold snort. "Showy but hollow."
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen quietly set down a plain gray furnace. His fire flickered erratically, sometimes large, sometimes small, earning frowns from the onlookers.
He clumsily dumped all the herbs in at once, without even separating their properties. It was the picture of an amateur.
"Hahaha!" The youth sneered. "You don't even know herb separation and condensation, and yet you dare challenge me?"
The crowd shook their heads, already convinced Xiao Chen would fail.
Even Shuang'er clenched her fists, worry flashing in her eyes.
Yet Xiao Chen remained calm, completely unmoved.
Qi Gathering Pills were the most common medicine in the cultivation world. Every cultivator had taken them.
But because they were so common, the difference in quality was vast.
The lowest grade was riddled with impurities, its power thin, not even worth a glance from Object Manipulation Realm cultivators.
The finest, though, formed with radiance swirling and fragrance lingering endlessly. Even a Longevity Realm master could feel their spirit power flow with clarity after taking one.
Until now, the only pill Xiao Chen had ever refined was the Qi Gathering Pill.
And today, with the roughest of methods—he would forge the very finest.
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