"Xiao Huo Huo, way to go!" "Xiao Huo Huo is awesome!" "Xiao Huo Huo, I want to have your babies!"
After a brief moment of silence, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Damn it, he managed to show off again." Liu Ling's eyes nearly bulged out as he watched the audience, who had been cheering for him moments ago, now turning their attention to Xiao Se. His anger grew even more when he noticed Nalan Yanran's gaze—she seemed close to becoming a fan of Xiao Se, which made Liu Ling feel as if his heart was bleeding.
"Hahaha, Gu He, looks like your disciple got overshadowed again. He seems quite pissed…" Jia Xingtian laughed, seeing Liu Ling's frustration.
"Heh, it's good for him to face some setbacks. Young people who are too arrogant tend to break easily. It's better for him in the long run," Gu He smiled bitterly. In his eyes, as long as it didn't involve Yun Yun, he could endure anything. Even missing out on the Heavenly Flame back then didn't bother him too much anymore, so he didn't care about trivial matters like this between the younger generation.
Jia Xingtian's expression suddenly became more serious. "But seriously, what was the technique Xiao Huo Huo just used? I've never seen it before, but it seems to be of a high rank. He has clearly mastered it to an exceptional level. Last time at the Jia Ma Palace, he used a similar technique to instantly defeat Mu Zhan. His speed is so quick that even a Dou Shi would struggle to react."
"You're right. His speed is comparable to the 'Featherstep' technique of my Yunlan Sect. But even a Dou Shi using Featherstep wouldn't be as fast as him," Yun Yun, sitting next to Jia Xingtian, nodded as she raised her beautiful chin.
"Hey, old man Hai, you know this kid the best. Do you know what technique he's using?" Jia Xingtian asked Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong rolled his eyes. "I wish I knew! He never told me anything. I've only seen him use this technique twice—yesterday and today."
On the VIP platform, Ya Fei was staring intently at Xiao Se, who stood in the spotlight in the middle of the plaza. Her eyes sparkled, and she whispered to herself, "This young man is becoming more and more attractive."
Nalan Yanran, watching Xiao Se's figure from afar, saw a faint resemblance to her teacher—equally powerful and extraordinarily talented. When she looked at Xiao Se again, there seemed to be something new in her gaze.
"I'm no match for him…" Yao Ye murmured as she watched Xiao Se, who had captured everyone's attention.
"That guy is really that strong?" Yao Yue also sighed in admiration, regretting her past choices.
Meanwhile, Nalan Jie's heart was filled with regret. "Why… why did I ever set up that cursed engagement with Yanran?" He deeply regretted his decision to secure an engagement between Yanran and the Xiao family for the sake of saving face. Now, his perfect grandson-in-law was right in front of him, but he couldn't enjoy it. He truly hated himself for it.
Unlike Nalan Jie, Miteer Tengshan was overjoyed. He had initially regretted suggesting that Ya Fei and Xiao Se should be together, thinking he had hurt Ya Fei's feelings. But after observing these past two days, he noticed Ya Fei was no longer as resistant to the idea. In fact, there was even a hint of affection in her eyes when she looked at Xiao Se.
Mu Chen squinted his eyes as he stared at Xiao Se in the plaza. After a moment of silence, he turned to Mu Zhan and asked, "Is he the one who defeated you last night?"
"Yes, but if I hadn't been careless, I wouldn't have lost," Mu Zhan nodded firmly, though even he didn't fully believe his own words.
Mu Chen tapped the armrest of his chair and shook his head gravely. "Don't provoke him anymore. Not only is he close with Elder Hai, but even if you advance to Da Dou Shi, you still wouldn't be his match. This kid is no ordinary talent; we must avoid becoming his enemies, or the Mu family could be in danger. If you truly like Ya Fei, pursue her openly."
Mu Zhan opened his mouth to argue, but seeing the stern look in Mu Chen's eyes, he swallowed his words.
In the centre of the plaza, Xiao Se glanced at the equipment on the table before him—a roughly written prescription and two sets of medicinal ingredients.
"Bone Regrowth Pill, huh?" Xiao Se examined the prescription and smiled faintly. He had refined this pill countless times before. Although the association had made some adjustments to the recipe, it was still incredibly simple for him.
As he was about to focus back on his task, Liu Ling, standing by another stone platform, sneered and muttered to himself, "Refining pills isn't just about extracting the ingredients, you country bumpkin. Just wait, I'll make sure you lose miserably in front of Yanran."
Although Liu Ling had only recently passed the third-rank alchemist test, he had been taught directly by Pill King Gu He. Confident that he wouldn't lose to any of the third-rank alchemists in the arena, he was determined to win the championship this time and trample Xiao Se underfoot, so that Nalan Yanran would see him in a new light. Only then would he feel qualified to pursue her.
As the participants carefully reviewed their prescriptions, the arena fell silent. After a few moments, a bell rang out, signaling the start of the competition. The contestants put down their prescription sheets, and with a flash of light from their storage rings, over a thousand brightly colored cauldrons appeared on the stone platforms, each unique in shape and design.
When the bell rang, Fa Ma's voice resonated across the arena, amplified by his powerful Dou Qi. "For the first round, you must refine a complete pill using only the two sets of medicinal ingredients provided. The sand in the hourglass will mark the time. If you fail twice, the copper mirror on your platform will emit a red beam, signalling your failure. If you do not finish within the allotted time, you will also be disqualified."
As Fa Ma finished speaking, thousands of flames burst forth across the plaza, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle that made everyone's blood boil with excitement.
After committing the prescription to memory, Xiao Se retrieved an ancient cauldron from his storage ring, one that had been passed down through his lineage. Since the Bone Regrowth Pill was only a second-tier pill, he didn't need to use his special flame or any high-level techniques. He simply used his Dou Qi to ignite the flame and began refining the pill.
As time passed, about ten minutes in, some contestants ran out of ingredients and triggered the red beam signalling their failure.
When the hourglass was halfway through, Xiao Se successfully completed his pill refinement.
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