Chapter 419 - 425: Huo Jinchuan’s Judgment

In the Southern Domain’s camp, the Fourth Elder narrowed her eyes, sizing up Wu Qingfeng.

Before they left, the Sect Master had specifically instructed her to keep an eye on the people from the Medicine King Sect and had also briefly explained the grudge between Song Wanning and them.

Therefore, she was very wary of Wu Qingfeng, fearing he might make a move against Song Wanning in secret.

She had to constantly watch Wu Qingfeng’s every move and give him absolutely no opportunities.

...

"Mr. Huo, are there any cultivators you favor?"

The City Lord asked Huo Jinchuan nonchalantly.

She was genuinely surprised by the Central Domain’s intervention this time. After all, the Central Domain would never open its barrier to outsiders unless they were exceptionally talented.

"That Young Master of the Demon Clan looks promising."

Although Huo Jinchuan was smiling, his eyes were filled with detachment.

"And that one over there."

He glanced at Song Wanning, a strange light flashing in his eyes, before his gaze shifted to Xiao Heyun. "This one should be quite good as well."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, the City Lord raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in her eyes.

"Mr. Huo, you claim you don’t know alchemy, but with an eye as sharp as yours, you don’t seem like someone who doesn’t..."

She was also a Dan Dao Master, so naturally, she could see how formidable these three were. But Huo Jinchuan was a different story...

"I was just making a random guess. It doesn’t mean anything."

Huo Jinchuan’s expression remained unchanged, so natural that even the City Lord found him somewhat inscrutable.

However, this man was likely the future head of the Huo Family; of course he wouldn’t be so simple.

...

One hour later, the Young Master of the Demon Clan was the first to finish refining his elixir pill, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Just as he finished, Song Wanning followed suit, retracting her Dan Fire as a medicinal fragrance spread in all directions.

"She actually didn’t have her cauldron explode?"

An elder joked. At this point, there wasn’t much malice from the crowd, just curiosity.

Xiao Heyun also finished his alchemy at this moment. Hearing the comment, he glanced at Song Wanning, a sense of indignation rising in his heart.

’I was only able to master alchemy so quickly because of my system’s rewards. This woman is truly something else...’

After another incense stick’s worth of time, everyone had finished their alchemy.

Not a single person’s cauldron exploded, and no one failed. All of them had successfully refined a Seventh Grade Soul Nourishing Pill.

"The first round of the competition is over! Next, the pills will be inspected. Please recover your energy and await the final results!"

At the Manager’s command, servants walked onto the stone platforms one after another, placing everyone’s elixir pills on plates and carrying them up to the City Lord’s high dais.

At the same time, images of this were clearly projected into the air, allowing the spectating cultivators below to see everything.

"Hiss... They’re too strong! Five of them actually produced top-grade elixirs!"

"That Young Master of the Demon Clan is incredible! Never mind his high cultivation, his alchemy is also this amazing..."

"And that Song Wanning from the Ancient Cold Sect is even more of a dark horse! Who was it just now that said she has a cauldron explosion every day? All four of her pills are top-grade!!!"

"..."

The crowd instantly erupted. There were quite a few people who had refined top-grade elixirs this time.

Besides the Young Master of the Demon Clan, Song Wanning, and Xiao Heyun, the other two were disciples of the Medicine King Sect.

Although Lu Yi and Wu Feng hadn’t refined top-grade elixirs, they made up for it in quantity and also steadily advanced to the next round.

Below the stage, the expressions on Wu Qingfeng’s and the Canglan Sect elder’s faces were absolutely foul.

’Song Wanning and Xiao Heyun are actually this skilled! It’s utterly infuriating!’

"The results of this round are in. Only fifty people will advance to the second round. Those who have not been selected, please leave the stage!"

As the list was released, many cultivators lowered their gazes and dejectedly stepped down from the stage.

But just being able to compete was an honor in itself. With that thought, everyone snapped out of it, jumping off the stage to continue watching the competition.

The remaining cultivators, meanwhile, consumed elixir pills and continued to restore their Spiritual Energy, only beginning the second round after another incense stick’s worth of time had passed.

"For the second round of the competition, please use the medicinal herbs on your platforms to refine an eighth-grade elixir, the Breaking Rank Pill!"

The moment the Manager announced the second round’s requirement, the crowd below erupted, and even the cultivators on the stage were startled.

The Breaking Rank Pill was an elixir that could help a person break through to the next cultivation rank. It was very difficult to refine, and among the required ingredients was an herb called Xuanji Grass, which grew in the extremely harsh environment of Cangshan Pass and was exceptionally rare.

All these factors combined made the Breaking Rank Pill incredibly precious. At the very least, such an elixir was never sold to the public.

One could only hope to obtain one by providing the medicinal herbs and a large sum of Spirit Stones to commission an Alchemy Grandmaster.

This was clearly the idea of those few people from the Central Domain.

It seemed they didn’t want to waste much time.

On the stone platforms, the Human Clan made up the majority of the fifty remaining cultivators.

Only one half-beastman was left from the Demon Race, while seven remained from the Demon Clan. Many of them wore grave expressions, as if they had never refined a Breaking Rank Pill before.

"Song Wanning, don’t think you can take first place just because you stole the inheritance that rightfully belonged to the Medicine King Sect! As long as we’re here, you can forget about it!"

The stone platforms gradually shrank, bringing the two disciples from the Medicine King Sect closer and closer to Song Wanning.

They had thought Song Wanning would be eliminated in the first round, but who would have expected her to refine top-grade elixirs as well?

The two of them were deeply dissatisfied, believing it was all because Song Wanning had stolen the Alchemy Dao inheritance!

If the inheritance had fallen into their hands, they would surely be invincible, with no rivals!

They said this to try and disrupt Song Wanning’s state of mind, hoping to cause her to make a mistake in her alchemy...

But Song Wanning simply glanced at them as if they were clowns before immersing herself in her alchemy.

Her calm and unbothered demeanor made their hearts sink.

They exchanged a look and wasted no more time on trash talk, dedicating themselves completely to their alchemy.

"Those two disciples from the Medicine King Sect aren’t bad either. This alchemy competition has certainly produced a lot of geniuses."

The City Lord rested her chin on her hand, her gaze sweeping over the five who had refined top-grade elixirs.

The top three would likely come from among these five.

Then, she looked over at the half-beastman, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

The Demon Race was just there to fill the numbers. They never made it to the finals in any competition. For a half-beastman to make it to the second round this time was already quite an achievement.

After all, most members of the Demon Race consumed medicinal herbs directly; few understood how to refine elixir pills.

"They won’t make it."

Huo Jinchuan suddenly spoke, his conclusion firm and decisive.

"Oh?"

The City Lord looked up at him in surprise, taken aback by his firm tone.

In her opinion, the skill levels of the five were not far apart. It would all come down to who performed best.

"What makes Mr. Huo so certain?"

Her eyes twinkled, her interest piqued.

Huo Jinchuan’s expression didn’t change as he said faintly, "Just a feeling."

"..."

The City Lord instantly lost interest.

’I’d have to be a fool to believe that.’

’It seems this man has his own special methods...’

The City Lord said no more, focusing all her attention on Song Wanning and the other two.

She was determined to see if Huo Jinchuan’s "feeling" was right!

Meanwhile, Song Wanning was merging the herbs in sequence. While controlling her Dan Fire, she carefully processed the medicinal ingredients, not daring to make the slightest mistake.