Chapter 413 - 419: Lu Yi

’That’s not—’

The expression of the male cultivator in red changed, his face filled with astonishment.

And when he finished counting the number of elixir pills inside, his eyes widened even more.

Four! Four perfectly formed elixir pills!

’She actually managed to make the same number as me!’

His confidence began to waver.

He was in a bit of a daze, not even hearing the Fourth Elder’s praise.

His gaze was fixed on Song Wanning.

"Song Wanning, four Wuyou Pills. As for their quality... all four are top-grade."

The Fourth Elder cradled Song Wanning’s elixir pills, his gaze startlingly intense.

Song Wanning returned a smile, sensing the Fourth Elder’s goodwill.

"Hiss—"

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd.

Top-grade elixir pills!!!!

They were actually top-grade elixir pills!!!

Among everyone present, only one elderly Pill Master had managed to refine a top-grade elixir pill. No one had expected someone as young as Song Wanning to possess such skill.

Those who had been mocking her just moments ago were now rendered speechless, their mouths agape.

The Fourth Elder wouldn’t lie.

’Song Wanning is a true genius!’

"Hahaha! I won! I won! I bet on Song Wanning to win!"

"Me too, I won too, hahaha!"

"I told you I have a keen eye! You all refused to believe me. Look who’s looking foolish now?"

After what happened with the Heavenly Admiration List, some disciples still had high hopes for Song Wanning. They had decided to take a gamble on her, and to their surprise, it had actually paid off.

They cheerfully collected their winnings in Spirit Stones, their smug expressions making the disciples who had lost grind their teeth in frustration.

"You—you’re actually this skilled?"

The male cultivator in red was completely dumbfounded. After a long pause, he managed to force out these few words, his face flushing red.

Hearing this, Song Wanning simply smiled and said nothing more.

’Anything I say will just sound like I’m showing off,’ she thought. ’It’s better to stay silent.’

"First round, fifty people are eliminated."

The Fourth Elder directly selected the fifty with the worst results and eliminated them.

The remaining fifty then proceeded to the second round.

After her success in the first round, Song Wanning became the center of everyone’s attention.

She continued to operate in a methodical manner and was the first to complete her alchemy.

This time, no one dared to criticize her. Instead, they were filled with anticipation, eager to see if Song Wanning had refined another top-grade Spirit Pill.

Her incredible speed became a source of immense pressure for the other Pill Masters.

Some with weaker mental fortitude became flustered and their cauldrons exploded.

Luo Hantian shook his head at the sight.

’These Pill Masters in the Sect have always been incredibly self-confident, often arrogant and haughty.’

’It’s not a bad thing for someone to come along and put them in their place.’

Lost in thought, he couldn’t help but chuckle. It was about time these people got a little stimulation.

The Fourth Elder had clearly thought of the same thing, and he gave a mischievous smile.

’After this competition, these Pill Masters will surely go back and practice alchemy like crazy. The Sect will have a lot more elixir pills!’

...

Through the successive rounds of alchemy, Song Wanning never hid her strength.

Only by demonstrating sufficient value would she be taken seriously by the Sect, and only then would she receive its protection when the time came to clash with the Medicine King Sect.

Her speed was fast, her success rate of pill formation was high, and every single elixir pill she refined was top-grade, without a single mistake.

The male cultivator in red was initially affected by her performance and nearly made a mistake.

Fortunately, he quickly calmed down and fought his way through, managing to squeeze into the top three.

Even he himself was a little surprised.

"Today’s selection trials have concluded. Go back and prepare well. We depart in one month!"

The Fourth Elder was the elder leading the team for this event. He carefully instructed the three of them one more time before leaving, satisfied, with the elixir pills.

The Sect Master and the other elders also left one after another. Only the spectating disciples lingered.

Many of them even approached Song Wanning to apologize, hoping she wouldn’t hold a grudge. After all, you could offend anyone, but you couldn’t afford to offend a Pill Master.

You never knew when you might need an elixir pill to save your life!

Song Wanning didn’t hold it against them. It took her a while to squeeze out of the adoring crowd.

She let out a long breath. ’Being surrounded by so many people is uncomfortable. Looks like I need to increase my strength as soon as possible.’

’When I’m strong enough, they’ll only watch from a distance, not dare to crowd around like this.’

"Congratulations, Senior Sister Song!"

Yue Lin and the others beamed as they cupped their fists toward Song Wanning. They weren’t the least bit surprised by this result.

In fact, they were well aware that Song Wanning’s true abilities were far greater than this.

It was just that a selection trial didn’t require her to reveal all her trump cards.

Qin Ming and Feng Xue, in particular, were looking at Song Wanning with shining eyes.

"Tsk, I can’t even imagine how happy Master would be if he came out of seclusion and saw you..."

Qin Ming clicked his tongue, sighing with emotion.

’Master is always complaining about us senior brothers and sisters, constantly angry at our lack of ambition.’

’Now that he has a genius grand-disciple, the old man will definitely be ecstatic!’

Hearing this, Feng Xue burst out laughing. ’Master really has it tough with disciples like us.’

Song Wanning also smiled at their words. The group was about to leave when the male cultivator in red suddenly blocked their path.

With his face beet red and avoiding Song Wanning’s eyes, he quickly tossed out an "I’m sorry," then bolted away.

He had appeared suddenly and departed even more hastily.

"That guy’s name is Lu Yi. He can be a bit arrogant, but he’s not a bad person."

Yue Lin quickly explained, worried that Song Wanning didn’t know him.

"And the kid’s alchemy is actually quite good. He became a famous Pill Master within the Sect at a young age!"

He paused for a moment before adding, "Of course, compared to Senior Sister Song, he’s not that young..."

Senior Sister Song was not yet 130 years old, while Lu Yi was already over 150.

Song Wanning had no particular reaction to this. As long as he didn’t come looking for trouble, it was fine.

For the upcoming Alchemy Dao competition, the three of them would be traveling together, so they would need to help each other out.

At this thought, Song Wanning’s eyes shifted as an idea came to her.

’There’s still a month left. There’s a lot that can be done.’

’Since I’m determined to cause trouble for the Medicine King Sect, I might as well put in some extra effort and give them a surprise.’

At the same time, she also recognized Lu Yi’s talent. ’Anyone who can have a breakthrough in their alchemy under pressure is a skilled individual.’

...

Once the Alchemy Dao selection trials ended, Song Wanning’s fame thoroughly spread throughout the entire Ancient Cold Sect. Even disciples far outside the Sect’s grounds heard that a remarkably young Pill Master had emerged.

One who might even become an Alchemy Grandmaster at an early age.

Song Wanning was also successfully promoted from "Junior Sister Song" to "Senior Sister Song."

No matter where she went, disciples would greet her respectfully.

The Sect Master and the Fourth Elder met with Song Wanning privately and granted her a special privilege: all the Sect’s alchemy scriptures were open for her to peruse at will.

The Fourth Elder even held her hand repeatedly, muttering how wonderful it would be if he could take her as his disciple.

Feeling everyone’s admiration, Song Wanning was naturally happy.

But she didn’t forget her plan. She took the initiative to find Lu Yi and the other Pill Master, Wu Feng.

When Lu Yi saw Song Wanning approaching, his expression became a little awkward.