Translator: AnubisTL
TL/N: I don't know why the author is so obsessed with shit, but be careful reading this chapter. I'd rather not be eating or drinking something while reading this.
"Little friend, there's no need to be so modest. At your age, my alchemy skills were far inferior to yours!" President Tong, the head of the Cloud Prefecture Alchemist Guild, was indeed a master of diplomacy. Even though he knew Yin Xiushan was showing off, he still praised him subtly without revealing his thoughts.
Upon hearing this, Yin Xiushan's expression turned respectful, but a hint of pride flickered in his eyes.
"This guy really knows how to show off!" Tuoba Lei, sitting in the audience, muttered with a disdainful curl of his lips.
"Yin Xiushan has every right to show off. At such a young age, he can refine six top-grade Spirit Pills, ranking him among the top ten Mortal Grade Alchemists in Cloud Prefecture. His future is boundless," Wu Qi whispered. Coming from a merchant family, he had a good understanding of the alchemists in Cloud Prefecture and gave a fair assessment.
"After all, he's an Elder of the Unwavering Sect, a figure of high status. Surely, he won't make Gu Feng eat the Pill Furnace later, right?" Guo Renkai said, his lips twitching as he frowned.
"That's hard to say. The Unwavering Sect and our Sunset Glow Sect are direct competitors. They'll definitely seize this opportunity to humiliate us. Even if Gu Feng doesn't eat the Pill Furnace, our sect will still have to pay some price," Chao Yuan said with concern.
"Ah— Boss Gu, so wise and brilliant, might actually fall at this Alchemy Conference!" Xiong Da said in a deep, resonant voice.
"The results aren't out yet. Don't act so pessimistic, you little brats. It's bad luck!" A Fei said, though deep down, he didn't believe Gu Feng had a chance to turn things around.
At this moment, the voices of the ten senior alchemists on the stage began their commentary.
"Six top-grade Qi Gathering Pills in one batch, with a rich aroma and a warm, smooth color... The only flaw is the small pits on the surface, caused by not completely expelling the air during the pill formation process. Still, this is a remarkable achievement. I give it an 86!" President Tong pointed out the minor flaws in the pills while offering suggestions for improvement, ultimately giving a high score of 86.
"Thank you for your guidance, President Tong!" Yin Xiushan bowed respectfully, his head, which had been slightly lowered, instinctively lifting a bit.
"The medicinal potency is strong, and the pills are plump. If I were to nitpick, I'd say a couple of the runes on two of the pills are slightly distorted. With a bit more attention, this can be improved. I give it an 85!" Another senior alchemist also gave a high score.
"Almost flawless. In at most six months, you could attempt to become a Spirit Grade Alchemist. I have high hopes for you—87 points!"
"..."
As the judges continued to give their scores, Yin Xiushan's head was now fully raised. He stood tall and proud, like a pine tree, his arrogance radiating from his expression.
On the stage, including Yan Hanyun, the big shots from various merchant associations silently noted Yin Xiushan's name, thinking they must establish connections with him in the future. This was a promising alchemist with a bright future.
The Elder from the Unwavering Sect grinned from ear to ear, his face practically glowing with delight. He tilted his head, looking provocatively at Elder Shen beside him. Seeing that Elder Shen remained unmoved and ignored him, he turned his gaze to Gu Feng, who had returned to the stage. Gu Feng's relaxed and confident demeanor made the Elder narrow his eyes, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Gu Feng, maybe you should find a chance to slip away quietly?" Yan Xixi whispered, tugging at Gu Feng's sleeve with a worried look.
"Relax!" Gu Feng smiled without saying more, giving her a reassuring look.
"Final score—86!!!"
President Tong, after synthesizing the scores from all the judges, gave Yin Xiushan a high score of 86.
"Wow!"
The venue erupted in a wave of excited chatter!
"86 points! That's an incredibly high score. In previous Alchemy Conferences, this would have been enough to win first place!"
"If the other alchemist in Yin Xiushan's group also refined six top-grade Qi Gathering Pills and gets a similar score, they might really take the championship."
"Bao Shaoqiong's partner is average. Averaging their scores, they might just match Yin Xiushan's group."
"The level of competition this year is really high!"
"Be careful with your words. Don't forget Gu Feng's ultra-low score!"
"..."
Yin Xiushan's score was truly astonishing. 86 points was practically the limit for six top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, and everyone was full of praise for him. The disciples from the Unwavering Sect stood tall and proud, their chests puffed out with arrogance.
"The comments from the esteemed seniors have been immensely beneficial. In the coming days, I will diligently refine my alchemy skills, improve on these shortcomings, and strive to pass the Spirit Grade Alchemist assessment as soon as possible!" Yin Xiushan bowed respectfully, his demeanor exuding the air of a rising star, earning nods of approval from the ten judges. This was a young talent with a bright future!
After delivering these formal remarks, Yin Xiushan showed no intention of leaving the stage. Bao Shaoqiong and the others on stage also didn't urge him to leave, as they knew there was still a major event to come.
Almost everyone's eyes were fixed on Yin Xiushan, eagerly anticipating his next move. And his next words did not disappoint.
He turned to look at Gu Feng on the stage, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Gu Feng, isn't it time for you to eat the Pill Furnace?"
Before Gu Feng could respond, he continued, "Oh, you must be thinking, 'We haven't tested the pills on the lab rat yet. How can we be sure they won't cause diarrhea?'"
His words were dripping with sarcasm.
Gu Feng rubbed his nose and grinned. "You must be the worm in my stomach. That's exactly what I was thinking!"
"Hahaha, you're quite honest!" Yin Xiushan laughed heartily, then declared loudly, "Our Unwavering Sect is a fair and just sect..."
Yin Xiushan first lavished praise on the Unwavering Sect, then abruptly shifted his tone, stating that he wanted Gu Feng to be convinced both orally and mentally!
Involving the conflict between the two sects, President Tong, as an official of the Chu Kingdom, could not intervene or express an opinion. He simply stood there, watching the drama unfold.
"Should we check this lab rat? Otherwise, if it doesn't have any problems after eating the pill, you might blame the rat!" After procuring the lab rat, Yin Xiushan took another jab at Gu Feng.
"Be my guest!" Gu Feng made a gesture of invitation.
Just as Yin Xiushan was about to feed the Qi Gathering Pill to the lab rat, Elder Shen on the stage couldn't sit still anymore. He whispered to the Elder from the Unwavering Sect beside him, "Elder Dai, is it really necessary to test the pill?"
"What are you talking about?" Elder Dai's voice was loud, and almost everyone could hear him, even though Elder Shen's whisper was barely audible.
Yin Xiushan immediately understood Elder Dai's intention to use this opportunity to humiliate the Sunset Glow Sect, so he delayed the pill test, a smirk playing on his lips.
Elder Dai's loud voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
"If we don't test the pill, how can we prove that Yin Xiushan's pills are safe?"
"Elder Shen, I know you're trying to protect Gu Feng!
Let me make this clear—Gu Feng will definitely eat the Pill Furnace. A person without credibility cannot stand tall. Suffering setbacks while young isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Today, if your Sunset Glow Sect wants to protect Gu Feng, I, Dai, won't force the issue... But once he leaves the sect, without the protection of the elders, can you still shield him? He's going to suffer a big loss!"
"If I lose, I will also fulfill my promise, setting an example for the tens of thousands of juniors here. I want them to know that they shouldn't speak recklessly out of momentary bravado without considering the consequences!"
"This is a lesson, not a deliberate provocation!"
"Elder Shen, you're the chief alchemist of the Sunset Glow Sect's outer sect Alchemy Hall. How can you not understand such a simple principle?"
Elder Dai's words were laced with barbs, leaving Elder Shen red-faced and flustered.
At this moment, Elder Dai felt immensely satisfied. He had finally found an opportunity to publicly humiliate the Sunset Glow Sect.
"Gu Feng, do you think what I said makes sense?" Finally, he couldn't resist twisting the knife.
"Elder Dai's harsh words are well-intentioned. I will keep them in mind!"
"Good, you're teachable!" Seeing Gu Feng yield, Elder Dai adopted the demeanor of a victor, stroking his beard with satisfaction.
"Yin Xiushan, what are you waiting for? Let the lab rat test the pill!"
"Yes, Elder Dai!"
Yin Xiushan, full of energy, brought the refined Qi Gathering Pill to the lab rat. The rat sniffed it lightly, showing a look of fascination and desire.
"A good pill is immediately recognizable by the lab rat. What a pity—such a fine pill, wasted on this lowly Spirit Beast!" Yin Xiushan shook his head, muttering to himself.
"The Unwavering Sect is really trying to crush the Sunset Glow Sect!"
"Gu Feng is in for a rough time. He talks tough, but he's going to get the worst of it."
"Eating the Pill Furnace? Surely not. Who could actually eat that?"
"Of course, he won't literally eat the entire Pill Furnace, but he'll have to take a few bites."
"Elder Dai is being a bit too harsh. Why pick on a junior like this?"
"That's just the Unwavering Sect's style. We're used to it by now!"
"..."
As the big shots on the stage whispered among themselves, the lab rat began to refine the Qi Gathering Pill.
Its white fur shimmered with a faint Spiritual Radiance, indicating that the pill's effects were extraordinary.
"This lab rat is already at the peak of the first level of Qi Refinement. After refining this Qi Gathering Pill, it will likely break through to the second level.
The Qi Gathering Pill is..."
Yin Xiushan was completely carried away. Taking advantage of the lab rat refining the pill, he began to explain the principles and effects of the Qi Gathering Pill to the audience.
His smug demeanor made Bao Shaoqiong and the others on the stage frown. Even if Yin Xiushan didn't win the championship, he had already become the most dazzling star of this Alchemy Conference.
"Shameless!"
On the stage, Elder Dai watched Yin Xiushan's outstanding performance with a beaming smile, his lips curling up to his ears.
This Alchemy Conference was truly wonderful. Not only had he humiliated the Sunset Glow Sect, but he had also greatly boosted the Unwavering Sect's reputation. The Unwavering Sect surpassing the Sunset Glow Sect was just around the corner!
Thinking this, he no longer looked at Gu Feng with the same disdain as before.
Without this kid, such a scene wouldn't have been possible. Gu Feng was truly a lucky charm!
On the stage, Yin Xiushan, carried away by his excitement, even picked up the lab rat to show the audience the changes happening in its body.
The audience was completely captivated.
For a moment, no one noticed the change in the lab rat's expression.
But Gu Feng saw it clearly.
The lab rat was clearly on the verge of collapse. Its limbs were flailing wildly, and its rear end was clenched tightly.
Yin Xiushan, still caught up in his excitement, thought the lab rat was about to break through.
"Everyone—"
Just as he shouted "Everyone," his mouth wide open.
"Pfft—"
A long, muffled sound echoed throughout the arena.
A thick, yellow liquid, mixed with undigested residue, shot out like a fountain.
At that moment, the lab rat's rear end was pointed directly at Yin Xiushan's face.
The thick liquid shot straight into his mouth. Perhaps the volume was too much for him to handle, and he instinctively swallowed a few gulps.
An indescribable stench filled the air.
Everyone was stunned. Their eyes bulged, and their mouths hung open, frozen like statues.
Looking at Yin Xiushan, covered from head to toe in excrement, the audience collectively bent over, clutching their throats, and began to vomit.
"Ugh~~~~"
"Ugh~~~~"
The entire arena exploded in chaos!
(End of the Chapter)
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