Chapter 425 - 431: Xiao Heyun Breaks Down

Meanwhile, the Fourth Elder praised Lu Yi and Wu Feng endlessly. She didn’t blame them for their mistakes at all; instead, she acknowledged their progress.

The two of them blushed from the praise and stood obediently behind her, waiting to see Song Wanning take the crown.

The Fourth Elder glanced at Lu Yi. ’This boy has changed so much recently.’

’His talent is decent, so he was always quite arrogant and often looked down on others.’

’Now, he seems much more grounded. The untamed arrogance in his eyes has all but vanished, replaced by a newfound maturity.’

She smiled and turned her gaze back to the stage.

The three contestants were currently sitting cross-legged in meditation, but her eyes were fixed solely on Song Wanning.

’Whether Song Wanning takes first place or not, she’s an incredibly rare talent for the Ancient Cold Sect.’

’If she didn’t already have a master, the Supreme Elders would surely be fighting to take her as their disciple.’

...

The final round began soon after.

"To determine the ultimate winner, the final round will require the contestants to refine a Tenth Grade Spirit Tempering Pill."

The Manager once again laid out the medicinal herbs, and his words made the spectators in the crowd gasp.

A Tenth-grade Spiritual Pill?!!!!

Aren’t they taking this a bit too far?

One had to understand that a Tenth-grade Spiritual Pill was priceless and almost impossible to find on the market. Even an Alchemy Grandmaster couldn’t guarantee success every single time.

The only thing above a Tenth-grade Spiritual Pill is a Super-grade Elixir.

Wasn’t this requirement a little too much to ask?

When the Manager finished speaking, Song Wanning and the other two contestants were also somewhat surprised.

A Tenth Grade Elixir...

None of the three had ever refined one before.

’Fuck! System, is this City Lord out of her goddamn mind? A Tenth-grade Spiritual Pill? Why doesn’t she just go rob someone?!!’

’I could barely even manage a Ninth Grade pill, and my junior sister’s favorability score is already hanging by a thread! Now they want me to refine a Tenth-grade Spiritual Pill? Are they afraid my score isn’t dropping fast enough?!!!’

Xiao Heyun’s face darkened with rage as he continued to rant at the system in his mind.

’So what if I made it to the top three?’ Xie Qinglan’s favorability score for him hadn’t risen at all; in fact, it was showing signs of dropping.

He was so furious he was seeing red.

’That favorability score is too important! I desperately need it to go up!!’

[Host, the favorability score isn’t the most important thing right now. The top priority is to find an opportunity to kill Song Wanning!]

[As long as she’s around, you will be suppressed! She is your nemesis!]

If at first the system only suspected something was amiss, it had now fully realized what made Song Wanning so different.

Whenever Xiao Heyun confronted her, the system’s protagonist halo was ineffective.

Its normally successful host would suffer one setback after another, becoming incredibly unlucky.

Now, it was certain that Song Wanning was the cause of it all. She had to be killed!

’Hmph, I’d kill her even if you didn’t tell me to!!’

Xiao Heyun snorted. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he forcefully suppressed his killing intent.

Meanwhile, the expressions of both Song Wanning and the Young Master of the Demon Clan shifted slightly. All they could do now was give it their best shot...

Soon, all three began their attempt at alchemy.

Song Wanning first took out the Pill Recipe for the Spirit Tempering Pill and read it over and over. But she didn’t rush to begin. Instead, she first simulated the process repeatedly in her mind.

Only when every step was etched into her Divine Soul did she begin the refinement process.

Countless eyes were on them. Many had even placed wagers, all betting on who would take the crown.

Most people bet on Song Wanning. After all, her performance in the earlier rounds was there for all to see. As long as she didn’t make a mistake, she should be able to reach the threshold of a Tenth-grade Spiritual Pill.

Then there was the Young Master of the Demon Clan. From start to finish, he maintained an air of effortless composure, as if no task was too difficult and any problem could be solved with a simple wave of his hand.

Just watching him gave one the feeling that his success was guaranteed!

His movements were as fluid and graceful as flowing water. Combined with his handsome features and incredibly high cultivation, he captivated a great many of the women present.

Unfortunately, since he was from the Demon Clan, everyone only dared to steal glances from afar.

Time ticked by, second by second. Suddenly, with a loud BOOM from the stage, someone’s cauldron exploded.

Staring at the lid that had been blasted off, Xiao Heyun froze for a second before his face flushed with embarrassment.

An acrid smell filled the air as a thick plume of black smoke billowed out, instantly engulfing him and making him look even more pathetic.

As expected, the next second, the system’s announcement sounded: [Current target Xie Qinglan’s favorability has decreased by 5. Current favorability: seventy-six. Please continue your efforts, Host.]

In Xie Qinglan’s eyes, the image of him as an invincible expert was shattering piece by piece. Her opinion of him had now almost fallen below a passing grade.

Xiao Heyun was on the verge of a breakdown. He was trying so hard, so why did his life feel like a complete joke?

He had been so close... Xie Qinglan’s favorability score was almost maxed out. He had been on the verge of winning it all. He was supposed to be reaching the pinnacle of his life...

Why?

Xiao Heyun’s expression twisted. In that instant, his mental state became unstable.

The crowd below noticed this as well. Gu Yan, who had been quite pleased until now, had his expression change drastically.

Xiao Heyun making it into the top three had already brought great honor to the Qingyun Sect, and he had been very satisfied with that.

Especially since the members of the Canglan Sect had been eliminated long ago; seeing Xiao Heyun advance had made them flush with anger.

But now, upon failing, Xiao Heyun’s mental state was actually showing signs of instability.

This was not a good sign.

He immediately sent a voice transmission to Xiao Heyun, and a sharp reprimand snapped him out of his confusion.

Xiao Heyun snapped back to his senses, only to realize he was drenched in sweat and the Spiritual Power in his body was running rampant.

He immediately calmed himself and suppressed the chaotic Spiritual Power.

"Tsk, tsk. He almost suffers from qi deviation just from a failed refinement? I don’t think he’s so great after all!"

The Canglan Sect elder clicked his tongue, his face a mask of undisguised schadenfreude.

"And here I thought he was some ruthless expert. Turns out he’s nothing special. For our Canglan Sect disciples to have died at his hands... what a travesty!"

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. If Xiao Heyun hadn’t disguised himself and deceived them, those disciples would never have been killed.

Gu Yan shot him a glare as sharp as a knife. The two exchanged a war of words, which only made Xie Qinglan, who was standing nearby, all the more disappointed.

Especially when compared to the effortless composure of Song Wanning and the Young Master of the Demon Clan, she felt the lofty image she had of her senior brother crumbling bit by bit.

She had always thought her senior brother was incredibly capable. No matter what trouble he faced, he could resolve it with ease and turn disaster into fortune.

It was as if any task became effortlessly simple in his hands...

But at some point, that had changed. Her senior brother wasn’t like that anymore... He made repeated mistakes, snuck into a Secret Realm in the Southern Domain, and ended up being hunted from all sides.

’And now, he failed at alchemy and nearly suffered from qi deviation...’

’Is this really my senior brother anymore?’

Xie Qinglan felt lost.

’It feels like he’s become a completely different person.’

The favorability score was still dropping, but Xiao Heyun couldn’t be bothered with it.

He was still shaken with lingering fear. If he had actually suffered from qi deviation just now, it would have been all over for him.

Looking at the failed elixir, he stopped struggling and simply conceded defeat.

No one was surprised by this outcome. In fact, hardly anyone was paying attention to him anymore.

Seeing this, Xiao Heyun was once again ready to explode with rage.

He had originally planned to steal the show at the Alchemy Dao competition and make a name for himself throughout the entire Cultivation World.

’Now, it’s all ruined!’