Chapter 903 139: News of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda

On the plaza.

At this moment, Jiang Yaoyan's gaze was also on the young man in black, surprised that someone could complete it just ten breaths faster than him.

However, Jiang Yaoyan's gaze only paused on the opponent for a moment before retracting.

The first round of the Alchemy Competition doesn't mean much; he didn't go all out.

After Jiang Yaoyan and the young man in black finished their alchemy, the next completed alchemist took place after a hundred breaths.

And after that, every few breaths, an alchemist would complete their alchemy.

On the plaza, the sound of furnace lids opening rang out continuously, accompanied by the occasional sound of exploding furnaces...

The entire plaza suddenly became lively.

In the stands, Li Qin listened to the exclamations of several family members beside her, her lovely eyes becoming tense.

Just a short while ago, two of the four alchemists invited by the Li Family had their furnaces explode; only Xiao Yan and another remained.

However, over fifty alchemists had already completed their alchemy on the plaza. At this rate, the top hundred would be determined in at most a quarter of an hour.

Yin Yue sensed Li Qin's tension beside her and looked at Lin Chen, still pretending to perform alchemy, feeling speechless. Lin Chen's strategy to hide his capabilities unknowingly left Li Qin worried and anxious.

Lin Chen's concealment was built upon the Li Family's anguish.

...

"It's about time!"

Using his Divine Thought, Lin Chen sensed that sixty alchemists had completed their alchemy. He decided not to delay further, and the Innate Fire at the furnace's base flickered slightly, causing the Pill in the furnace to rapidly take shape.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Fifteen breaths later, the Pill coalesced, and the furnace opened.

In the stands.

Li Qin had been staring at Lin Chen, and she finally relaxed her tense body when she saw Lin Chen's furnace open.

Beside her, several other Li Family members couldn't help but stare, surprise evident in their eyes, even though they weren't as exaggerated as Li Qin. Their gazes shifted between Lin Chen and the other alchemist invited by the Li Family, stunned when Lin Chen's furnace opened.

"Did Xiao Yan succeed?"

"Quick, quick, check what rank Xiao Yan is!"

The Li Family members' gazes quickly roamed the plaza, but within a short moment, several other alchemists had succeeded.

"Not sure what Xiao Yan's rank is, but he's definitely within the top hundred. If a hundred competitors complete, the clock will chime."

A Li Family middle-aged man's face was full of excitement. Having watched several sessions of the Alchemy Competition, he knew that strong performers from the Thousand Mechanism Sect were monitoring, and once a hundred were completed, the clock would sound, announcing the top hundred.

Since the clock didn't chime when Xiao Yan completed, it meant he was within the top hundred.

And just as the middle-aged man finished speaking, a clock sound suddenly echoed throughout the Celestial Palace Pavilion, and those competitors on the plaza who hadn't finished their alchemy wore complex expressions.

There was reluctance and wry smiles...

The reluctant ones were close to finishing their Pill concoction, only short of a moment, and those who pursued speed too much, resulting in exploding furnaces.

The ones with wry smiles hadn't expected to be so far behind the top hundred competitors, even though they never aimed to be in the top hundred.

...

...

Thousand Mechanism City.

"My lord, Jiang Yaoyan took first place."

Dongfang Canglang had just finished indoor training, his palm covered in green liquid. The woman guarding in the courtyard immediately stepped forward to inform him.

"It's just the first round. If Jiang Yaoyan didn't take first, he'd be unqualified to follow me."

Dongfang Canglang's expression didn't change, but he asked, "Are there any other noteworthy individuals in this Alchemy Competition?"

"There was a young man in black, identity unknown, finishing just a few breaths behind Jiang Yaoyan."

"Who else could he be? Surely a disciple of the Thousand Mechanism Sect. Old Xuan Jing doesn't compromise easily, appearing to be coerced by me into compliance, yet he has his own agenda too."

Dongfang Canglang snorted coldly. At this, the young woman half-squatted beside him, cleaning the green liquid from his hand with her red lips. Upon hearing this, her throat paused, accidentally bumping Dongfang Canglang's finger with her teeth.

"This maid deserves punishment!"

The woman quickly lowered her head, and Dongfang Canglang tapped her head with chilling intent in his eyes: "Xuan Jing knows this is my idea, not my father's."

The woman's eyes showed a hint of understanding and confusion. She only knew that her lord's status was incredibly noble, incomparable even to the Royal Family's Crown Prince. Would the Thousand Mechanism Sect dare to upset him? They would fear future repercussions, wouldn't they?

...

...

For the Li Family, it's a time of celebration.

Lin Chen entered the top hundred, meeting the requirements set by the Thousand Mechanism Sect for all the major families. The Li Family's current business would remain unaffected.

As for reaching further, the Li Family members, including the elders, dared not dream too big. In previous competitions, they could hope for a top ten finish, but this session was too challenging.

"Master Xiao, this is a gift from the elders."

In the guest courtyard, Li Qin placed the Storage Box on the table, and the elders were pleased with Xiao Yan entering the top hundred. Although, according to the agreement, the family didn't need to offer any gifts, the elders prepared a generous gift to win over Xiao Yan.

Lin Chen took the Storage Box, his Divine Thought probing inside, smiling at the contents.

The Li Family was practical, not sending frivolous things, opting instead to send Flame Tickets—ten tokens of ten thousand Flame Coins each.