"Heavens, what's going on? Grandmaster Song who brought a failed batch of refining last time has lost for the first time in three rounds. Is Elder Yan's deduction correct? Can Grandmaster Song really not make a 5th-grade pill?"
Zhuo Fan opened his fist and showed the black ash. Xiao Ya even cried. She couldn't get to speak as a sharp glare landed on her.
Shivering, Xiao Ya watched Zhuo's eyes in fear and closed her mouth. But her cry was already loud enough and everyone heard it.
People started to feel uneasy and watched Zhuo Fan with worry.
Those high on the terrace were even more nervous. Since the start of the Hundred Pill Meeting, Vicious Pill King had been stifled. Especially the arrogant air that surrounds him. This is all because of Zhuo Fan.
If Zhuo Fan lost, then who would be Vicious Pill King's match?
Tao Danniang? Ha-ha, she was quite a renowned 6th grade alchemist, but Vicious Pill King never took her seriously.
Everyone knew Zhuo Fan's secret ancient skill and his talent had placed the Vicious Pill King on the second spot. If Zhuo Fan was gone, he would once again be the best in the empire!
The people now looked on at Zhuo Fan with hope. Even those who came only to bring some good alchemists back to their clans couldn't keep calm and looked towards Zhuo Fan.
It was a disastrous loss for a young genius alchemist to lose the competition, lose his life all because of his low cultivation!
But this was the reality. After his first failure, Zhuo Fan froze ashen on the spot. It felt like an unimaginable blow and sank into despair.
[Ah, what a pitiful child!]
Many women started shedding tears. Vicious Pill King was snorting, no longer paying this despairing loser any more of his time, focusing on his own pill.
The Yuan Qi flame in his hand burned hotter and the concoction was slowly taking the form of a pill. It wouldn't be long before Vicious Pill King finished. Meanwhile, Tao Danniang was getting nervous, trying to rush things.
But her ingredients had only just finished being refined and didn't have enough time to catch up to Vicious Pill King, who was close to finishing.
This was a time of crisis. Chu Qingcheng's group was also nervous, shifting their gazes from the depressed Zhuo Fan, to Tao Danniang and Vicious Pill King. Watching them with clenched fists and sweating in anxiety.
"Ha-ha-ha, I win. The third round's first place is mine and so is the punk's head." Just as Tao Danniang's pill took a tentative form, Vicious Pill King laughed.
Among the flames in Vicious Pill King's hand, a lustrous pill appeared. The completion was now imminent. No one could stop him from being the next Pill King.
"Humph, you're hundreds of years too early if you think you can best me!" Vicious Pill King roared in glee.
[It wasn't easy. That punk had pushed me back the last two rounds but now, I can show off my skill.]
The closer the pill was to finishing, the more outrageous Vicious Pill King's smile became. He was more glad now than when he made his first 7th-grade pill.
Huangpu Qingyun was also nodding in satisfaction.
Tao Danniang clenched her teeth in regret and Chu Qingcheng's group was filled with hatred.
Everything had turned to dust and impossible to come back from. Vicious Pill King would become the winner of the third round and was one step closer to earning Drifting Flowers Edifice's Bodhi Root.
No one could stop him now!
Drifting Flowers Edifice would fall at this moment…
Atchoo~
A sudden and violent sneeze echoed around and the fire in Vicious Pill King's hand exploded.
Vicious Pill King lost focus for a moment and his beard and eyebrows burned alongside the pill to ashes!
Oh!
This shocked the crowd silly, looking at each other in a daze. Why did it blow up all of a sudden?
The best alchemist in the empire wouldn't make such a mistake.
Trembling, Vicious Pill King's body froze. He turned his head, with a face so livid, an explosion was about to occur.
And where was he looking at? It was nowhere else but at Zhuo Fan.
The others also looked to find in shock that the depressed Zhuo Fan was no more, back to his usual self and sporting an extra sly grin. Below his nose there were two trails of green snot dangling.
Sss~
He sniffed the green snot back in and Zhuo Fan smiled as he rubbed his nose in apology, "Ha-ha-ha, do forgive me, Elder Yan. I must've caught a cold!"
Everyone's eyes bugged out. Their faces twitched and couldn't figure out if they should cry or laugh.
[Grandmaster Song, your excuse is beyond lame! Even worse than Vicious Pill King's! Since when do cultivators catch colds?]
[After Qi Condensation Stage no minor disease works alright? Plus, you're in the Bone Tempering Stage for crying out loud!]
[If you wanted payback then do it, no one's stopping you. But do everyone a favor and pick a better excuse next time! Do you think we're 3-year olds?]
Everyone could see it. Not to mention, Zhuo Fan particularly targeted Vicious Pill King to become the victim of the explosion.
Vicious Pill King was so angry he was about to lose his mind.
He was only a blink away from finishing his 5th-grade pill and winning. But at this critical juncture, Zhuo Fan played a trick on him and made all his effort go out in smoke.
It was the same as looking five decades for the treasure of his dreams and just when he reached for it, someone pounded it with a hammer.
Such pain was enough to make even his heart cry!
"P-Punk! I will kill you!"
Vicious Pill King's shaking was obvious to anyone with eyes. He was pushing the anger back. Though he didn't manage to hold everything in as his shout released his mighty power, causing the flames of other alchemists to sway.
Backed by incredible pressure, Vicious Pill King struck a palm towards Zhuo Fan. Yet Zhuo Fan stood there smiling like everything was normal in the world.
Whoosh!
A silk ribbon flew that locked Vicious Pill King's palm in place. Chu Qingcheng's figure stood next to Zhuo Fan and pulled on the ribbon to divert Vicious Pill King's attack.
"Elder Yan, this is the Hundred Pill Meeting of Drifting Flowers Edifice. If you want to cause trouble, please leave!" Chu Qingcheng glared.
Gnashing his teeth, Vicious Pill King stared at Zhuo behind Chu Qingcheng and knew it wouldn't be easy to attack now. He pointed at Zhuo Fan and rebuked, "Edifice Lord Chu, it's not me who started it! This punk broke the rules and disturbed my refining first."
"When did I disturb you?" Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow, not backing an inch.
Snorting, Vicious Pill King pointed at the crowd, "Everyone saw you. My pill was almost finished and your sneeze ruined everything."
"Uh… mishap!" Zhuo Fan smiled, "Didn't I say already? I caught a cold…"
"Cut the crap! Can a Bone Tempering cultivator even catch a cold?"
"You cut it! A 7th-grade alchemist can splash his mixture but yours truly can't catch a cold?" Zhuo Fan bit back at every turn.
Vicious Pill King stammered for a while, tongue-tied.
[He was waiting for this!] In any case, there was no way a Bone Tempering cultivator could catch a cold nor a 7th-grade alchemist could splash his concoction.
Since he used such an excuse before, then this brat could use it too.
Vicious Pill King hated himself from being such a blabbermouth. He only had to use that old brain of his more and think of a better excuse and get the upper hand. However, now, this punk had ruined everything with but a sneeze. Worse, there was no way to refute it.
Taking deep breaths, Vicious Pill King calmed down with much difficulty. His green eyes flashed with hatred at Zhuo Fan, "You sure have gal, punk. Your snot was too damn precise. It chose the perfect timing to land on my pill and ruin it at the last moment. If the fire was still at the strongest, then your snot would've been burnt instead of landing in the crack of the pill and making it explode.
"Ha-ha-ha, what a genius. You are so precise in his sneezing that I have to admire you…" Vicious Pill King's killing intent grew as sarcasm dripped from his tone.
But Zhuo Fan took it in stride, "You're far too kind. It's because we are the very best. Great minds think alike, you know. Just look. You are Vicious Pill King and I am Heaven Toppling Pill. You splashed some of your concoction, and I caught…"
"Don't you goddamn dare say you caught a cold!" Vicious Pill King cut him off in anger, "I don't wanna hear it!"
So he turned around, going back to his spot to begin a new refinement.
Zhuo Fan shrugged.
Chu Qingcheng saw Vicious Pill King go and sighed, knowing that trouble had been averted. With most of their power in this old coot's hands, and in Regent Estate's favor, falling out now would mean their loss.
Thankfully, he still cared about his face and didn't want the world to know how despicable the Pill King Hall was. Quickly defusing this situation before matters blew out of proportions. Otherwise…
Chu Qingcheng turned Zhuo Fan and spoke so only the two of them heard, "Dear, can you tell me who you are?"