Chapter 65: Putting on a Show from Afar!
A sudden uproar swept through the gathered cultivators at the sound of Zhou Hong’s words.
“What? An alchemy master, and a Grade Six at that, actually refining pills in Ice Valley?”
“We must have missed a great opportunity!”
“A Grade Six alchemy master? Who is it? Where?”
“No wonder I sensed a surge of energy two days ago, and even caught a glimpse of tribulation lightning deep within Ice Valley.”
“Tribulation lightning? Doesn’t that mean a rare high-grade sixth-tier pill was being refined? The success rate for Grade Six alchemists is nearly nonexistent—only legendary Grade Seven masters can hope to succeed with any certainty!”
“Grade Seven? Good heavens!”
The crowd erupted into heated discussion about the mysterious Grade Six alchemist. The moment they heard the pill had summoned pill lightning, they became all the more agitated, unable to keep their composure.
At the scene, only Chen Xiang wore a look of stunned disbelief, while the Rainbow Skinned Pipi Eel watched him with barely concealed schadenfreude.
Chen Xiang’s astonishment quickly transformed into delight.
“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained 100 reputation points for inspiring awe among the cultivators!”
“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained 120 reputation points for inspiring awe among the cultivators!”
“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained 130 reputation points for inspiring awe among the cultivators!”
“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained 120 reputation points for inspiring awe among the cultivators!”
“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang’, you have gained 140 reputation points for inspiring awe among the cultivators!”
...
“Ding! Congratulations, Host ‘Chen Xiang’, for showing off in absentia and inspiring awe in a group of cultivators. Special reward: 1,000 reputation points!”
...
Who would have thought that simply refining a pill could earn him such a windfall of reputation points? The notifications chimed incessantly in his mind—in just a short moment, he had accrued nearly 3,000 reputation points! And the number was still climbing. He had already recouped all the points spent to gain the identities of a Grade Six Alchemist and an Earth Array Master, with plenty to spare.
“Haha, this is glorious! So there’s a trick like this? I’ll have to do it more often in the future!” Chen Xiang laughed heartily.
The Rainbow Skinned Pipi Eel, seeing Chen Xiang suddenly burst out laughing, hastily shuffled a few steps away. “Is this kid out of his mind?”
On the high platform, the senior cultivators who had released the news had been watching the crowd below intently. After a while, since no one had stepped forward, the hum of conversation among the cultivators grew quieter.
An elder leaned in and spoke softly to the Nascent Soul cultivator at the front, “Sect Master, what do you think...?”
His voice was low, heard only by those nearby, and the Nascent Soul cultivator’s expression darkened. Seeing no one come forward, he grew anxious—after all, the patriarch had given explicit instructions.
He moved his lips slightly and transmitted a message to Zhou Hong.
Upon receiving the sect master’s transmission, Zhou Hong’s face changed briefly but then returned to normal. He then addressed the crowd again:
“Fellow Daoist, we mean no harm. Our sect master merely has a request, which is why we extended an invitation. If you are unwilling to reveal yourself, so be it. Now, let us proceed to tally the results of the first trial.”
His last words were directed at all the cultivators. As soon as he finished speaking, ten disciples of the Snowvault Sect stepped forward, forming a line behind a long desk.
The disciple who had overseen the trials at Ice Valley also appeared, smiling as he addressed the crowd: “Fellow cultivators, please line up in turn to have your results recorded. Those who pass may advance to the second round.”
The cultivators below the platform, seeing that the mysterious alchemy master had not revealed himself, all felt a pang of regret. Had they managed to forge a connection with such a figure, it would have benefited them immensely in the future.
Everyone began walking toward the desk—those who had obtained Frost Condensing Grass took it out, while those who hadn’t could only shake their heads and walk away with a sigh.
Chen Xiang pressed down hard on the Rainbow Skinned Pipi Eel’s head, not allowing it to speak. The creature’s earlier eagerness was obvious—it clearly intended to expose him.
Without hesitation, Chen Xiang drew out his coiling dragon staff and gave the eel a sound whack before pinning its head down, refusing to give it any chance to speak.
“All right, let’s go—on to the second round!” Chen Xiang said, releasing his grip as he walked toward one of the desks.
The Rainbow Skinned Pipi Eel spat out a mouthful of snow and shouted angrily, “What was that for? Why’d you hit me again? What did I ever do to you?”
Indeed, it had been planning to use his status as a Grade Six Alchemist to threaten Chen Xiang into helping lift its seal, but before it could utter a word, it was struck several times with that black staff—how could it not be aggrieved?
Its loud outburst drew the attention of the other cultivators.
“What’s wrong with that spirit pet now? Why all the shouting?”
“No idea—probably made another mistake.”
“That spirit pet really is peculiar. Who would even keep such a thing?”
The Rainbow Skinned Pipi Eel’s sudden outburst no longer surprised anyone.
On the high platform, the sect master of the Snowvault Sect was also drawn to the eel. He studied it curiously. “Hmm? What species of spirit beast is that? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one like it.”
“There are so many spirit beast varieties, Sect Master—it’s not surprising to come across a few unfamiliar ones. Perhaps this is some lower-grade species,” an elder beside him replied.
The sect master shook his head. “A spirit beast capable of human speech must at least be in the Core Formation stage. Lower-grade creatures could never advance that far in cultivation. Besides, its appearance seems oddly familiar, though I can’t recall where I’ve seen it before.”
“If the Sect Master can’t remember, it probably wasn’t important. No need to dwell on it,” said another Nascent Soul cultivator.
The sect master nodded. “True enough.”
He raised his head and asked, “Are the arrangements in place?”
The elder nodded calmly. “Everything is ready. Every Nascent Soul cultivator present is being watched by our disciples. If the man is truly hiding among them, he’ll surely slip up.”
“Good!” The sect master nodded in satisfaction.
At that moment, the disciple presiding over the desk asked curiously, “Sect Master, why are we only watching the Nascent Soul cultivators and not the Core Formation or Foundation Establishment ones? There are only about a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, but thousands of the others!”
Before the sect master could respond, the elder beside him smiled. “Yang’er, you’re still too young. Think—who are we searching for?”
“A Grade Six Alchemist,” replied the disciple called Yang’er.
“Exactly—a Grade Six Alchemist, and a high-grade one at that. The spiritual power required to refine a sixth-tier pill is so immense that even someone at the Soul Transformation stage would be drained of more than half. Tell me, why would we only monitor the Nascent Soul cultivators?” the elder asked.
The disciple looked surprised, then understanding dawned on his face. He bowed his head. “I understand.”
“You’re still inexperienced—learn as much as you can in the future,” the elder advised.
“Yes, Elder,” the disciple replied respectfully.
Why only watch the Nascent Soul cultivators? Refining a Grade Six pill is no simple feat—even forming the pill requires the injection of vast spiritual power. A mere Core Formation cultivator couldn’t possibly possess such reserves; only those at the pinnacle of Core Formation could barely manage, and that’s not even accounting for the spiritual energy expended during the process.
And then there’s the tribulation lightning! Unless one had a protector, the pill tribulation of a Grade Six would be fatal to any Core Formation cultivator.
“To be continued...”