"Third-Grade Profound Origin Pill, Inferior Quality."
At this moment, Eunuch Ouyang walked over, holding a tray in his hand. He instructed Lin Ming to place the refined spirit pill on the tray, examined it for a moment, then announced loudly.
The reaction from the crowd in the square was somewhat subdued. Everyone knew that a pill of this quality stood no chance of winning the championship; it probably wouldn't even make the top three.
Lin Ming, of course, knew this perfectly well himself.
The quality of spirit pills had four grades: Inferior, Medium, Superior, and Flawless.
There was also another category: if the refinement wasn't successful, it was called a Defective Product.
"Ye Yunfei, you worthless trash, if you don't dare to start refining pills, why haven't you rolled off the platform yet? Did you think closing your eyes and pretending here could fool anyone? How childish. You've completely embarrassed the Third Prince," Lin Ming shouted suddenly, his gaze fixed on Ye Yunfei.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei was still sitting cross-legged on the ground, eyes closed as if resting, making no move at all.
"Ye Yunfei, hurry up and get off the stage! Aren't you ashamed?!" Seeing that Ye Yunfei was completely ignoring him, Lin Ming couldn't help but feel humiliated and angry. He took a few steps closer and roared at Ye Yunfei.
"Get lost!" Ye Yunfei didn't even open his eyes as he uttered this light reprimand.
"Ye Yunfei, you..." Lin Ming was furious.
"Enough, Alchemist Lin Ming. You have finished your refinement. Please do not make noise here, as it may affect the other alchemists," Eunuch Ouyang spoke up at this point.
Only then did Lin Ming give up. He glared at Ye Yunfei before walking down from the platform.
Next, alchemists finished their refinement one after another.
"Third-Grade Profound Origin Pill, Defective Product quality."
"Third-Grade Thousand Bamboo Pill, Inferior Quality."
"Third-Grade Earth Spirit Pill, Defective Product quality."
"Third-Grade Profound Origin Pill, Medium Quality."
"Third-Grade Profound Origin Pill, Inferior Quality."
Five alchemists completed their refinement in succession. Eunuch Ouyang announced the pills they had refined, including their quality, publicly.
Among them, Guo Shijie refined a Third-Grade Profound Origin Pill of Medium Quality, causing quite a stir. After all, being able to refine a Profound Origin Pill of Medium Quality indicated that his alchemy skills were relatively solid, making him a genuine Third-Grade alchemist without any fluff.
"Hmph! Ye Yunfei, your true nature is finally revealed. Now the Third Prince should see you for what you really are," Guo Shijie said with a look of disgust directed at Ye Yunfei before stepping down.
At this moment, there were six people still remaining on the platform: Ye Yunfei, those two stunning young women, Tang Feng, Yan Qing, and that green-robed youth.
Aside from Ye Yunfei, the other five were actively refining pills, and it seemed like they were all nearing completion.
Suddenly.
"Pill success!" "Pill success!"
The two stunning young women succeeded almost simultaneously. Slapping the pill cauldrons before them with their slender hands, they declared in clear voices.
*Shoosh! Shooosh! Shooosh! Shooosh!*
Four gleaming emerald-green spirit pills soared into the sky before landing in their respective palms—two for each of them.
"Third-Grade Green Water Pills, two pills produced, both of Superior Quality."
"Third-Grade Green Water Pills, two pills produced, both of Superior Quality."
Eunuch Ouyang walked over, appraised the spirit pills refined by the two young women, and proclaimed loudly.
Immediately, the entire square erupted in an uproar!
Exclamations of amazement sounded continuously.
Pill yield rate was also one of the standards for measuring an alchemist's skill. Being able to refine two Third-Grade spirit pills in a single attempt, both of Superior Quality—such alchemy skill left everyone thoroughly astonished.
"Pay attention, prepare generous gifts. Once the Alchemy Competition is over, immediately go and befriend these two female alchemists!" The outstanding performance of those two stunning beauties immediately sparked desires within many forces of the Great Qin Empire to win them over.
"Sister Xuexi, what do you think he's doing?" The red-clothed young girl at this moment noticed Ye Yunfei and asked the white-clothed girl.
"I can't guess either. But we must not underestimate him. His Soul Power and Pill Fire are both far superior to ours. I think his alchemy skills definitely won't be inferior to ours. We'll understand once we watch," the white-clothed girl replied softly, her beautiful eyes also studying Ye Yunfei curiously.
Then, those two stunning young women stepped down from the platform and returned to the Fifth Prince's camp.
"Pill success!" "Pill success!" "Pill success!"
Suddenly, Tang Feng, Yan Qing, and the green-robed youth stood up simultaneously and slapped the pill cauldrons before them.
*Shoosh! Shooosh! Shooosh!*
One spirit pill after another soared continuously into the sky, a dizzying sight.
Witnessing this, everyone in the square perked up, staring intently at the three figures. Everyone understood that the champion of this competition would emerge from among these three!
"Ah, finally, we have a result!" Up on the high platform on the eastern side of the square, the Emperor and his ministers also focused their gazes.
Eunuch Ouyang, greatly excited, hurried over and began appraising the spirit pills the three had refined.
"Alchemist Yan Qing, Third-Grade Earth Spirit Pill, three pills produced, all of Superior Quality!"
"Alchemist Tang Feng, Third-Grade Profound Origin Pill, three pills produced—two of Superior Quality, one of Flawless Quality!"
Eunuch Ouyang first announced the results of Yan Qing and Tang Feng.
"Too amazing!" "Especially Alchemist Tang Feng, refining a pill of Flawless Quality! He truly lives up to being Master Chen Xuan's disciple!"
...
The entire square was completely abuzz.
"Haha... Young Master Tang Feng indeed hasn't disappointed me!" The First Prince couldn't help but burst into loud laughter on the spot. He felt that Tang Feng's victory was pretty much a certainty now.
"Tang Feng actually refined a Flawless Third-Grade spirit pill! I've lost!" Upon hearing Eunuch Ouyang's announcement, Yan Qing couldn't help but reveal a pained expression, clenching his fists tightly.
Tang Feng merely smiled faintly, appearing calm and unruffled.
"This alchemist, may I ask for your name?" Eunuch Ouyang now looked towards the green-robed youth and asked in a very respectful tone.
"Yang Cheng," the green-robed youth replied coldly and arrogantly.
"Alchemist Yang Cheng, Third-Grade Sky Azure Pill, three pills produced, all of Flawless Quality!" Suddenly, Eunuch Ouyang declared loudly.
Instantly, the entire square fell silent.
Count pairs of incredulous eyes turned towards the green-robed youth.
"Impossible!" Hearing this, Tang Feng retreated several steps, his face filled with unwillingness. He had been determined to win this Alchemy Competition. But now, this mysterious green-robed youth had suddenly appeared and snatched away first place!
"Hmph! The alchemists of the Great Qin Empire are actually of such a standard. Truly disappointing." Amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd, Yang Cheng suddenly spoke, his tone dripping with disdain. "I traveled thousands of miles to come to the Great Qin Empire, wanting to see the level of alchemy here. Little did I expect to find nothing but garbage. I alone am enough to crush all of you." Yang Cheng declared loudly.
"And this one, he's especially garbage among garbage. He doesn't even know how to refine pills, yet he came up here just to join the excitement. It seems the Great Qin Empire really is a place that produces trash." Yang Cheng pointed at Ye Yunfei, a look of disgust on his face.
"Could it be... you aren't an alchemist of our Great Qin Empire?!" Someone suddenly shouted loudly.
"The alchemists of the Great Qin Empire are all trash. How could I possibly be one of your Great Qin Empire's alchemists? I hail from the Tang Kingdom." Yang Cheng revealed a mocking expression on his face and spoke loudly.
"What? This guy is actually from the Tang Kingdom?!" Immediately, the entire square erupted in an uproar.
As everyone knew, the Tang Kingdom and the Great Qin Empire were neighboring countries. Since ancient times, their relationship had been like fire and water, fraught with constant conflicts! Several wars had even broken out between the two nations!
"To tell you the truth, my alchemy skill back in the Tang Kingdom is merely ordinary. Yet, it's more than enough to crush your Great Qin Empire's alchemy world." Yang Cheng sneered.
"Shut your mouth!" "This is too infuriating! Let's all go up and teach that guy a lesson!" ...
Yang Cheng's words infuriated everyone. Some even released their spiritual energy, preparing to rush onto the platform to teach Yang Cheng a lesson.
"What's this? Is the Great Qin Empire unable to accept defeat? You lose a competition, so you resort to silencing the witness? I, Yang Cheng, came this time in my capacity as an alchemist, specifically to compete on the same stage with you alchemists of the Great Qin Empire. Of course, with so many of you here, killing me would be easy. But I'm afraid that once news gets out, the Great Qin Empire would become a laughingstock. Moreover, you could never cover up the fact that today, I, Yang Cheng, single-handedly defeated all of your Great Qin Empire's alchemists." Facing the seething, furious crowd, Yang Cheng showed not a trace of fear. With a cold smile on his face, he declared loudly.
His words struck a chord among the people of the Great Qin Empire. Indeed, if word got out that they killed someone just because they lost an alchemy competition, it would certainly harm the empire's reputation.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the square became somewhat oppressive.
*Boom!*
On the high platform to the east of the square, the Emperor was so enraged that he slapped the table before him, his face burning with fury.
"How utterly presumptuous! This youth is too arrogant! Your Majesty, why not order his execution?" a minister beside him angrily suggested.
"We cannot kill him. Over the past few years, the Tang Kingdom has been constantly recruiting troops and expanding its military might, itching for a fight. If we kill this alchemist and the Tang Kingdom royal family learns of it, I'm afraid it would immediately become a pretext for war. Our Great Qin Empire is not yet prepared for war," the Emperor slowly shook his head.
The surrounding ministers fell silent. Everyone knew the Emperor was right.
For a while, everyone in the square felt somewhat dejected. Who could have imagined that today's Alchemy Competition would be dominated by an alchemist from the Tang Kingdom?
"Haha... Seven years ago, my father, Yang Fengyuan, came to the Great Qin Empire to challenge Chen Xuan and Huangfu Sheng to an alchemy duel. He returned in utter defeat, considering it a lifelong disgrace. Today, I, Yang Cheng, have finally avenged my father!" Yang Cheng laughed heartily once more.
"So you are Yang Fengyuan's son!" Both Tang Feng and Yan Qing suddenly understood.
Years ago, an alchemist named Yang Fengyuan from the Tang Kingdom had come to the Great Qin Empire to challenge Chen Xuan and Huangfu Sheng to an alchemy duel, leaving in defeat after a major loss. Both Tang Feng and Yan Qing had heard their masters mention this event.
"I'm afraid... today, you won't be able to avenge your father after all."
Just at that moment, a voice suddenly spoke calmly.
Everyone quickly turned towards the source of the voice. There, they saw Ye Yunfei, who had been sitting cross-legged all this time, now standing up without anyone noticing when he had done so.
"Pill success!" Ye Yunfei raised his hand and slapped the Pill Cauldron before him forcefully.
*Shoosh! Shooosh! Shooosh! Shooosh...*
Spirit pill after spirit pill, pouring forth continuously, soared into the sky from within the cauldron in a dazzling, almost bewildering stream.