Early in the morning.
Minghao City, central plaza.
The outer area of the plaza was already packed with people. The central plaza, which was one step higher than the outer area, was already filled with pill furnaces.
There were at least a thousand of them!
The scene was extremely spectacular.
On the northern side of the plaza, a huge platform had been built facing the south. It was for important figures to sit on.
"I'm so excited. Master Pang Qi is coming out soon. He's our family's savior."
"What? You have a relationship with Master Pang Qi?"
"Of course. I ate a lot when I was young, and my mother's development wasn't good. If it weren't for Master Pang Qi's pills..."
"You're right!! Master Pang Qi's famous pill formula?"
"Mm, although it sounds a little unorthodox, Master Pang Qi's pill recipe has indeed benefited many children."
"Even so, I still feel that... his original intention shouldn't be as simple as just benefiting children..."
"What do you mean?"
"My father also spent a lot of money to buy one back then, but I clearly ate very little when I was young, and most of it was the wet nurse who took care of me."
There was a moment of silence.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about? What we need to worry about now is who has the best chance of winning the Alchemy competition!"
"What about the four young masters?"
"It's hard to say. The talent of pill refining and the talent of cultivation are actually two different things. The connection is not very big."
"I heard that the little princess of the Chen family had a strong spiritual power since she was young. She is different from ordinary people. She should be very suitable for pill refining, right?"
"Theoretically, yes, but whether it works or not, we still have to try. Even adults know this principle."
"Brother, this is too much. Woof, Woof, woof..."
Hong --
Suddenly, a huge and scorching pressure surged like a tidal wave, almost suffocating everyone.
Everyone turned their heads in unison.
They saw two figures with extraordinary auras, surrounded by a large group of city guards, slowly walking over.
They were the City Lord, Bai Chen, and Grandmaster Pang Qi!
Bai Chen was a dignified middle-aged man, while Grandmaster Pang Qi was a tall and sturdy old man with white hair and beard. He wore a luxurious alchemist robe.
As they walked closer, the surrounding crowd stopped their discussions. The originally noisy square became completely silent.
The crowd consciously opened up a wide path, and the City Lord and Grandmaster Pang Qi led their guards up the high platform.
"Everyone knows what day it is today, so I won't say much."
"Master Pang Qi is here personally. This is an opportunity for all of you young people. I hope you can perform well."
Bai Chen stood on the high platform and looked down, saying in a dignified manner, "Young people who have already arrived, please take your places."
Hua!
Instantly, a large group of young people rushed toward the thousand pill furnaces in the middle of the square like a swarm of black ants.
"Get out of the way!"
"Get out of the way!"
"This pill furnace is mine!"
It was obvious that the number of pill furnaces was in short supply, so these young people began to fight.
"Bang Bang Bang!"
"Ah!"
"Pu--"
In a few exchanges, many people were injured.
"City Lord, they fought privately and violated the rules!" Someone said indignantly after being sent flying.
On the high platform, Bai Chen said indifferently, "Master Pang Qi didn't say that you can't fight. If you can't even get a pill furnace, what pill refining is there to do?"
How could there be absolute fairness in the world?
The so-called fairness was achieved by oneself!
Immediately, those who were injured were speechless. They could only look at the pill furnaces unwillingly.
Of course, there were also people who didn't give up. After failing to compete for one pill furnace, they began to compete for other pill furnaces.
There really were people who succeeded, but most of them were defeated again and again. In the end, their injuries were too severe, and they could only leave the arena dejectedly.
Qin Zi was shockingly amongst the crowd.
"Bang!"
He sent the thirteenth competitor flying with a punch. This was a young man at the fourth level of the Origin Core realm, but he was still instantly defeated by him.
Thus, the surrounding young men who were eyeing him like tigers watching their prey gave up on this goal.
He successfully occupied an alchemy furnace.
"You are Qin Zi?"
At this moment, a slightly arrogant voice sounded.
Qin Zi turned his head to look at the yellow-clothed young man who spoke and replied indifferently, "That's right. It's me."
Hua!
Almost instantly, many people in the surrounding looked over.
Qin Zi!
He was Qin Zi?!
The rumored number one genius of Minghao City? His talent surpassed the four great young masters of Minghao City?
"Hahaha, so it really is you. I am Gao Feng. I have long heard that Brother Qin is the number one genius of Minghao City. You are indeed extraordinary."
The yellow-clothed young man said with ulterior motives.
"Thank you for letting me win."
Qin Zi said lightly.
"Oh?!"
Gao Feng was stunned. He thought that this person would explain in a panic that he wasn't the one, and then he would continue to flatter him.
But he didn't expect that the other party would calmly accept it!
What did he mean?
Did he admit it?
Originally, he had the intention to flatter him, but after the other party admitted it, he felt as if he had eaten a fly.
"Hehe, good! As expected of Minghao City's number one genius. I would like to experience it. Is it convenient for you?"
Gao Feng said with a fake smile.
"It's not convenient."
Qin Zi said calmly.
"HM?" Gao Feng frowned and his voice became cold. "Brother Qin, are you looking down on me?"
"Yes."
Qin Zi nodded, and then a teasing look appeared on his face. "Don't tell me... you still think of yourself as a person?"
Slap!
Like a slap in the face, he mercilessly slapped the other party's condescending expression away.
You say I look down on you? Then I look down on you! So what!
Who do you think you are?
"You... are arrogant!"
Gao Feng was stunned for a moment, then his face became extremely ugly, completely humiliated into anger.
Normally, when he said those words, others would give him face and not dare to offend him.
But today... when he unscrupulously stretched out his face, the other party gave him a backhanded slap.
In this way, he had become somewhat of a clown, his face burning.
"It's not that I'm arrogant. You're just asking for humiliation."
Qin Zi said calmly, "Don't think that you're superior just because you're from the Gao family."
"The Gao family is one of the three big families in Minghao City. I naturally know about it, but you... I really don't know you!"
Slap slap slap!
The simple words were like a series of slaps on the face, hitting the same spot again. His face was almost swollen.
"YOU!"
Gao Feng wanted to flare up, but he suddenly thought of something, so he calmed down and sneered, "Don't tell me you really think you're the number one genius of Minghao City? Don't tell me you've heard too many rumors and even started believing them yourself?"
"Hehe, you don't even know that a tall tree attracts the wind[1], yet you're still here gloating. How foolish!"
He wouldn't make a move easily.
Because in his opinion, it was the behavior of a weakling to make a move if he couldn't win. He disdained to do so.
He wanted to use sharp words to make this sharp-tongued person speechless and become angry out of humiliation. Then, he would forcefully defeat him and crush him in all directions!
However, Qin Zi didn't get angry at all when he heard this. Instead, he revealed a playful expression.
"A tall tree attracts the wind... isn't that right? Even participating in a Alchemy Convention can attract such a gust of wind as you."
"However, I suspect that this gust of wind... is coming from the eyes of a corpse."
Eyes of a corpse?
Gao Feng was stunned for a moment, then he suddenly reacted. His anger was like a raging fire that rushed to the top of his head and directly exploded!
"You're courting death!!"
With an angry roar, a tyrannical qi surged out of his body. He clenched his right hand into a fist and charged towards Qin Zi.
What sharp language? What all-round suppression? It was all bullsh*t. Once a person lost his reason, he would be slapped in the face!
Pa Pa Pa Pa!!
Notes:
[1] if one has a lot of money/fame, he will easily attract others' attention and trouble might come