Chapter 512 - 512: Face-slapped

Yu Liyuan had thought that when it came time to judge the results, he would have to argue with the others to sort out the rankings.

As it turned out, this wasn't a contest of who was the best, but of who was the least terrible!

"Uh..."

Zhu Tianyun extended his hand. For a moment, the crowd fell silent. Then, they burst into another round of uproarious laughter.

In his palm was a black, mushy lump that faintly stank of something burnt. It was clearly a ruined elixir, one that had been forcibly condensed into shape just as the alchemy process failed.

"Hmph. We'll tentatively rank you fifth!"

Yu Liyuan snorted, not even bothering to offer a comment.

A thing like that hardly deserved to be called an "elixir."

Amid the crowd's roaring laughter, Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang exchanged a look. They both knew the other was facing the same problem, and they couldn't help but share a bitter smile.

Their clever scheme had backfired spectacularly.

They had used their Soul Power to sabotage Chu Qingyun and Zhou Ling. Instead, they were crushed by Chu Qingyun's overwhelming strength, which had left an indelible shadow on their minds.

They now had this mental block.

If they could overcome it in the future, perhaps their minds would undergo a transformation, and it would be a blessing in disguise.

But if they couldn't, it would be a disaster. They would likely never progress in either the Martial Dao or the Alchemy Dao. If it evolved into a Heart Demon, they would be finished...

After those three infuriating fellows, Yu Liyuan looked to Wu Xinghai.

"Xinghai, don't tell me you've produced something like that as well."

Wu Xinghai smiled and, with a flick of his wrist, retrieved an elixir from his Storage Ring. "Reporting to the Dean, I succeeded in refining this Middle Grade Youthful Appearance Pill on my fourth attempt."

"I wasn't satisfied with the quality, so I made a fifth attempt. However, I still failed to produce an Upper Grade Youthful Appearance Pill."

Shaking his head, Wu Xinghai took out another Youthful Appearance Pill.

The Pill Mist surrounding the second elixir was clearly much denser than the first.

Among Middle Grade elixirs, this was definitely of an extremely high quality, probably only a step away from Upper Grade.

"Yes, good. Very good. Even if this elixir isn't Upper Grade, it's not far from it."

"Wu Xinghai of the Talisman Puppet Sect is tentatively ranked first. Any objections?"

Yu Liyuan announced, looking around at the crowd.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Many praised him endlessly, saying that with Wu Xinghai's talent, he was certain to become a King-level Alchemist one day, and might even have a chance to become an Emperor-level one.

Wu Xinghai was long accustomed to this kind of praise and calmly put away the two elixirs.

Soon, it was the sixth contestant's turn: Zhou Ling.

"Little Zhou, where's your elixir?" Yu Liyuan asked with a smile.

Zhou Ling huffily produced her elixir, shot a fierce glare at Zhu Tianyun and Li Ruoguang, and announced, "A Lower Grade Youthful Appearance Pill, almost Middle Grade."

Yu Liyuan and a few others around him carefully appraised it.

In the end, they temporarily ranked Zhou Ling second, because the Pill Mist on her elixir was slightly denser than that of the person from the Stone Spirit Sect.

"And the last one, you are..."

Yu Liyuan looked at Chu Qingyun, but he had no impression of him and didn't recognize him.

The only ones these great figures from the various sects would remember were the handful of alchemists already widely recognized for their skill.

As for Chu Qingyun, it was his first time in the land of the sects, and he had only been in Celestial Martial City for a few days, so naturally, he was unknown.

Chu Qingyun didn't think anything of it and was about to say his name.

Just then, however...

Elder Huang, an Outer Elder of the Saint Extreme Sect, cut in first. "Haha, his name is Chu Qingyun! He's from some unknown little dynasty in the Land of Hundred Dynasties!"

"A few days ago, he tried to sneak into my Saint Extreme Sect, but I saw through him and threw him out."

"Now he's managed to sneak into the Celestial Martial City Pill Battle Conference. It took him nearly six hours just to decipher the pill formula, and he's still standing there putting on an act. It's ridiculous! Hahaha..."

After he finished speaking, Elder Huang burst into laughter.

Some people in the crowd shook their heads helplessly.

To take nearly six hours to decipher a single Spirit Level pill formula... with that kind of skill, it was basically impossible to refine a Youthful Appearance Pill.

They guessed Chu Qingyun had probably produced something similar to Zhu Tianyun's creation—a black, mushy lump.

Others shook their heads, feeling that this Elder Huang was far too petty. A dignified Martial Emperor Level Elder was openly giving a sixth-level Martial Spirit a hard time.

Zhou Qian, the Dean of the Saint Extreme Sect's Pill Institute, also frowned, feeling Elder Huang's actions were inappropriate.

But Elder Huang was, after all, a Martial Emperor Level expert and an Outer Elder, so he couldn't really say anything.

"Since you're still standing here, you must have produced something. Show us your elixir," Yu Liyuan said, his expression impassive.

He naturally held no great expectations for someone who needed six hours just to decipher a pill formula.

Chu Qingyun nodded, extended his hand, and revealed the elixir he had refined. "I ultimately managed to refine this: an Upper Grade Youthful Appearance Pill."

What? An Upper Grade Youthful Appearance Pill!

Instantly, everyone was stunned.

Even Yu Liyuan and the deans from the various Pill Institutes stared in astonishment at the elixir in Chu Qingyun's hand.

A cyan elixir, surrounded by a thick Pill Mist.

It looked like this was indeed an Upper Grade Youthful Appearance Pill!

The major sects of the Northern Domain had carefully selected more than one hundred and twenty young alchemists. Among them, the most skilled had only managed to refine a Youthful Appearance Pill that was close to Upper Grade.

As for the others, they hadn't even produced a single Middle Grade one!

And yet Chu Qingyun—a no-name from some unknown, minor place—had actually succeeded in refining an Upper Grade Youthful Appearance Pill!

Was this... defying the heavens itself!?

"Impossible! This is impossible!"

"That brat! How could he possibly refine an Upper Grade elixir? He must have prepared it ahead of time!"

Elder Huang's eyes widened as he shouted, almost roaring.

He had just slandered Chu Qingyun, belittling him as worthless in front of so many King-level Alchemists, Martial Emperor Level experts, and great figures from the major sects.

And now, Chu Qingyun had actually produced an Upper Grade Youthful Appearance Pill.

The person he'd looked down on, the one he'd driven away, the one he'd dismissed as a no-name from a backwater place—that very person had just refined an Upper Grade elixir, surpassing everyone else in a single stroke!

This was a complete and utter, silent yet vicious slap to the face!

"Elder Huang, shut your mouth! Do you have any right to speak at the Pill Battle Conference!?"

Zhou Qian, the Dean of the Saint Extreme Sect's Pill Institute, rebuked Elder Huang, his face cold.

'He doesn't understand a thing, yet he's still spouting such nonsense. He's bringing utter disgrace upon us.'