791 Golden Roll of Honour: Perfect Elixirs!

"Phew, it's finally over..."

On the stage, Yu Chuchu finished performing alchemy in the spiritual array.

Unexpectedly, after secretly employing Young Master Xu's alchemical technique, the entire process of her pill concoction became... surprisingly smooth!

On the final step of condensing the elixir, Yu Chuchu encountered a small setback.

There was a conflict in medicinal properties between spiritual ingredients, which she could not resolve because she did not understand the underlying principle governing the interactions of said ingredients. Gritting her teeth, Yu Chuchu copied the actions of Young Master Xu's black chicken to a tee. To think it would settle the conflicting properties so easily...

"I don't understand the principle, but I know the answer, so it shouldn't affect my score too much..." Yu Chuchu thought to herself, feeling a little embarrassed.

She had outdone herself this time, or at least that was what she felt.

However, this outstanding performance ultimately came from observing more than half of Young Master Xu's process of performing alchemy.

She was not the only one.

Many of the others who were slow in performing alchemy also gained considerable insight after observing the entire process of Young Master Xu's black chicken's performing alchemy.

In their eyes, there was no need to understand the finer details.

If they encountered something that they could not solve, adopting the black chicken's methods would allow the spiritual ingredients to meld seamlessly in the alchemy cauldron, forming the pills they needed...

The odds of success would not decrease, but rather there was a good chance it would succeed!

Failure would mean they had not captured the right moment to act, nothing more.

After everyone finished conducting alchemy, they lowered their heads and did not dare to look elsewhere. Loathe as they were to admit, they had benefited from Young Master Xu's performance, and gratitude filled their hearts.

Ordinarily, these young talents need only whine and put on pitiful expressions for their masters to give them the answers.

Deep down, they did not want to admit that Young Master Xu's talent in alchemy matched or even surpassed their masters; everyone at the alchemy meet was a rising star, so admitting that someone was better than them left a bitter taste in their mouths.

"Let's go to the confinement area."

It was time for the last batch of participants to perform alchemy.

The competitors stepped out of the spiritual array and hurried to the confinement area.

In the end, they saw a large group of clean and tidy Elixir Master figures sitting on the floor, ignoring the mess, and clustered around the figure in the middle.

And the person standing in the middle of the crowd was surprisingly their benefactor... Hah! It was that Young Master Xu!

They saw Young Master Xu waving his hands and feet, excitedly gesturing as he spoke. Was he giving out pointers and teaching the assembled crowd?

The young talents from the five regions, who were busily performing alchemy, all had hungry expressions on their faces. Their eyes flashed with worship as they leaned closer, each doing their best to hear Young Master Xu's explanations.

"This?"

Yu Chuchu's thoughts slowed to a crawl. Was he truly teaching?

She did a double-take, stepping into the confinement area after she was sure she was not in school.

Once inside, the noise from the outside world did not disappear.

Yu Chuchu immediately felt that something was wrong.

Was there something wrong with the spiritual array in the confinement area?

The guards stationed in the confinement area were amateurs in alchemy. Although they remained vigilant in the face of possible threats, their hands gripping their swords, it did not mean they were any less engrossed by Young Master Xu's explanation than everyone else present.

"What's the situation?"

An academic atmosphere pervaded the confinement area.

The Elixir Masters who had entered it were either happy or depressed. However, without exception, as long as they set foot in the confinement area, they would be affected by an inexplicable aura.

Whether they were consciously paying attention or not, they attained some form of enlightenment, filling them with shock.

Yu Chuchu found a spot to sit, listening to Young Master Xu's lecture. She was no different from a pilgrim on a journey of self-discovery...

"How strange."

Yu Chuchu tried her best to resist the influence of that inexplicable aura.

She was not just an Elixir Master.

As the eldest daughter of the Yu family, her spiritual cultivation level was equally powerful.

With her cultivation at the Innate (Stage), Voidness State, Yu Chuchu stood at the top of the food chain, reigning supreme over the crowd of rookies.

Still, it was useless!

After relaxing her mind and listening to Young Master Xu's explanation, Yu Chuchu subconsciously gave up resisting and immersed herself in the academic atmosphere reminiscent of a school.

"Aura?"

In the air, Rao Yaoyao only spared a glance in the direction of the confinement area before retracting her gaze.

She could feel a special aura permeating in the air, guiding the emotions of those around Young Master Xu.

Few people below the Sovereign (Stage) or Cutting Path (Stage) of cultivation could use their aura in such a manner.

Nevertheless, exceptions abounded, and special situations could cause a person to release their aura unconsciously.

Learned scholars of the secular world and craftsmen of sufficient skill could impart their understanding and accumulated experience more easily when expressed through their auras.

Most of the time, these individuals release their auras unknowingly, drawing the attention of the crowds with their every word and action.

The closer these individuals were to expounding on the Dao, the greater the sense of enlightenment brought to those listening to them.

Such a phenomenon was called 'insight' in the spiritual cultivation world.

But...

"This kid is so young. How has he attained such insights into alchemy? Who would have thought it would be at the level to attract attention from the geniuses of the five regions?" Rao Yaoyao murmured, feeling somewhat intrigued by the display.

Not in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that even some of the Sovereign (Stage) guards stationed around the confinement area had fallen under Young Master Xu's sway. His words carried a magnetic charm that made it impossible for them not to listen.

Thankfully, this effect was negligible, and most people would not have noticed it at all.

Standing guard in the confinement area was dull, so it was understandable for them to seek some distraction to alleviate their boredom.

The moment these Sovereign (Stage) guards sensed danger, they would easily break free from the shackles imposed by Young Master Xu's lecture, erupting with their full strength. It was not so much that they could not shake off Young Master Xu's influence, but rather, they chose to at this time.

It was not a big deal.

Rao Yaoyao did not pay too much attention to it either.

...

In the arena...

"The first elimination round is over!" President Dong Ling announced from the judge's seat.

After that, the golden rankings refreshed once again.

Countless individuals looked over. The results were unexpected but within reason.

"In first place is Xu Deye. 100 points."

Young Master Xu was a top ranker, achieving a full score!

The audience instantly burst into an uproar.

"He got a full score?"

"I told you the treasure light produced by Young Master Xu's pills is real. Could it have been a top-grade Elixirs or something even more precious?"

"Top-grade elixirs are top-grade elixirs. Would a Thirst Generating Pill emit treasure light when condensed into a pill?"

"I don't understand; I'm curious..."

With endless questions, the crowd turned their gazes to Young Master Xu.

Xu Xiaoshou secretly changed the spiritual array pattern in the confinement area. After comforting the big fellows listening to the lecture, he walked out of the spiritual array and enjoyed the attention trained at him.

"Attention, Passive Points, + 9,999."

"Impressed, Passive Points, + 9,999."

"..."

The result of the Golden Roll of Honour alone had brought tens of thousands of Passive Points.

The alchemists who came out of the confinement area looked at the top of the Golden Roll of Honour and realized something.

"Top-grade elixirs!"

The geniuses from the five regions had complicated expressions.

Teacher Xu's lecture in the confinement area was deeply enlightening.

Many believed that the Thirst Generating Pill would reach an inconceivable level with another round of refining, and his results would rise again.

As much as they hated that they had lost, Young Master Xu's attainments in alchemy were an indisputable fact.

"How can one produce top-grade elixirs on their first try...?"

Zhu Yan's expression matched his peers.

He respected Young Master Xu's strength, but he could not understand Young Master Xu's results.

He was only a grade-10 Elixir Master...

No!

Thinking of the grade-10 emblem, Zhu Yan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

The results he had earned through alchemy would count towards his rank as an apothecary.

In other words...

Ever since Young Master Xu's full score appeared, he was no longer a grade-10 Elixir Master.

At the very least, he had to be a grade-7 Elixir Master!

"From grade-10 to grade-7 in a leap..."

An achievement that took Cheng Ji more than a decade to accomplish had been reduced to a single leap by Young Master Xu's astounding performance!

He was only a step away from me... Zhu Yan looked at the back of the man waving at the surging crowd and felt that he had to work harder.

The difference between a grade-6 and a grade-7 alchemist was even greater.

Yet, it did not look like it would be much trouble for Young Master Xu. Would he ascend once more in another leap?

"What level is he at?"

...

"In second place, Yu Chuchu: 97 points."

When Miss Yu saw her Golden Roll of Honour results, her expression became complicated.

She was in second place.

In the last round of contestants, besides her and Young Master Xu, no one else could break through the previous top score of '95 points.'

Yu Chuchu knew how she had reached second place, which frustrated her.

"Sigh!"

After hesitating for a moment, she came to Young Master Xu's side and touched his elbow, pulling him back from the audience's attention. She blushed, not knowing what to say.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around and smiled, "You want to thank me? There's no need for that. Before the competition, I theorized based on the eighteen presidents' previous assessments. You just so happened to overhear it. There's no need for thanks."

Yu Chuchu's face burned brighter when he said that, resembling an overripe tomato. She felt grateful but embarrassed that she had to rely on such cheap tricks to attain her score.

Just as she worked up the courage to thank him... Young Master Xu interrupted.

"Remember the bet. If you lose, you'll have to come to the First Pavilion in the Sky to be our Evening Breeze's companion. You'll also have to dress as a boy while performing alchemy. Don't forget!"

Yu Chuchu choked on her words as if she had swallowed a fishbone.

In the end, she could not bring herself to lose face in such a situation.

"Just you wait!" Yu Chuchu swept her sleeves in an arc, crying angrily. She pulled Xiao Wanfeng aside and made plans for her grand scheme.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the backs of these two fellows whispering to each other. He shook his head and sighed, "It's so good to be young... To be free of worries..."

At the judge's panel...

President Dong Ling and the others did not comment on the individual works of the numerous alchemists.

The elimination round was as its name suggested: a huge sieve to separate those more talented than the rest.

They did not have all the time in the world to comment on each alchemists' work.

However, Young Master Xu was an exception since he had attained a full score.

Faced with the audience's eager questions, Dong Ling could only use Young Master Xu's results to appease many questions bombarded.

"The quality is perfect..."

"The efficacy of the medicine is perfect..."

"The quality is perfect..."

Xu Xiaoshou tuned out most of the comments made by the judges.

Only the repeated word 'perfect' entered his ears.

He could sense that the old guys in the judge's seat who originally had a problem with his style were no longer hostile when they saw his Thirst Generating Pills.

Not only that, the way they looked at him was as if they were looking at a divine treasure.

Xu Xiaoshou was seriously suspicious. If it were not for the occasion, these old geezers would have pounced on him and demanded an explanation for how he had produced a top-grade elixir capable of emitting seven-coloured light.

"It's a little scary..."

He avoided those hungry wolves and continued waving at his little cache of Passive Points.

...

"How can there be such a person?"

The commotion could not be suppressed. In the judge's seat, Dong Ling looked at Young Master Xu, who was mingling with the audience and thought of the first time the two of them met.

He looked like the typical silk pants.

Yet, he had a strength that did not match his performance, whether his spiritual cultivation or alchemical skill...

"He is a walking contradiction!"

Young Master Xu was a bundle of contradictions, and no other word could describe him half as well.

At one point, Dong Ling entered a trance. One should never underestimate a woman's sixth sense, and her senses were telling her that this Young Master Xu was not the real person he was. It was a front.

Why was he putting on an act?

Dong Ling did not know.

Eventually, she rejected the ridiculous idea.

Looking at the stadium, Dong Ling pressed her hand down, and the entire stadium fell silent.

"The first round of the elimination round is over!" She announced.

"Congratulations to the top 100 contestants on the Golden Roll of Honour. All of you have qualified for the second round of the competition."

"After three rounds of competition, the results will be aggregated, and the full score is 300."

"Therefore, those of you who did not perform well in this round, don't be discouraged. As long as you continue to work hard, you'll still have a chance to rise to the top!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the fighting spirit of the remaining 100 contestants on the stage burned brighter, soaring to unprecedented heights.

Almost immediately, Xu Xiaoshou felt many hot-blooded gazes shooting over as if they all wanted to use him as a stepping stone to display their might.

"Challenged, Passive Points, + 99."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the information bar and smiled.

Elixir Masters were really cute!

This group of little fellows who had not experienced much of the world felt they could trample on him?

He pondered for a moment and faced the gazes of the crowd, and he also said loudly, "Come on, you can do it. As long as you remember the true meaning of this young master's lecture just now, you will be able to achieve greater breakthroughs in alchemy!"

As he said this, Xu Xiaoshou waved his fist and encouraged everyone.

When everyone heard this, their faces all turned black.

Damn it...

This fellow was looking down on them!

And the true meaning of his lecture...

Did he seriously think he was a teacher?

"Cursed, Passive Points, + 59."

"Glared at, Passive Points, + 33."

The corner of Dong Ling's mouth twitched. To prevent Young Master Xu from continuing to speak arrogantly, she continued, "The rules of the second round of the advancement competition are very simple."

"The eighteen presidents have prepared an 'incomplete elixir formula' for everyone. As for the specific elixirs, you will be the ones to deduce them."

"What you need to do is to perfect the 'incomplete elixir formula'. After that, inform the staff of the spiritual medicines you need. Each of you will have three chances to restore the elixir formula and complete the alchemic process within two hours."

"The criteria for determining the results are: the higher the grade of the elixirs, the higher the quality of the elixirs, and the efficacy of the elixirs, the higher the score!"

The audience burst into an uproar.

Even if they were laymen, they also knew the difficulty of performing alchemy, not to mention completing the portion of an incomplete pill formula.

If a spiritual medicine were chosen wrongly and placed at the wrong time, the result would differ from expectations.

How could they perform alchemy with an incomplete pill formula?

"Two hours, is that enough?" Everyone was suspicious.

"Speaking of which, the rules of the alchemy competition in the past weren't that scary. The old presidents must have made up their minds to test the hundred genius alchemists of the various regions!"

"It's over, my Young Master Xu..."

"He's only a grade-10 alchemist. How can he restore an incomplete pill formula? That is something even an alchemy master would find difficult to accomplish!"