Paragon Of Sin

1856 Chapter 1849: Final Act (23)

”By overcoming four or more Zeniths, the Neo-Dawn Alchemic Saint has claimed this round!!

”2nd Round: Potion—2-0, Neo-Dawn!!!”

As the Incandescent Star Palace Lordʼs voice thundered throughout the Spiritual Network, an invisible wave of tense silence flowed across the audience, participants, overseers, and commentators; there wasnʼt a single exception among them, especially as the lingering words of the Incandescent Star Palace hung in the air with ruthless pressure.

Just a few moments prior, the three Supreme Sage overseers acted as judges, presiding over the grading and classification of each successfully concocted product.

[Heaven-Saint Extracting Divinityʼs Results]:

—3rd Set: SUCCESS! | (4% Impurity).

[Heaven-Saint Growing Immortalityʼs Results]:

—3rd Set: SUCCESS! | (4% Impurity).

[Heaven-Saint Infinite Containmentʼs Results]:
—1st Set: SUCCESS! | (Low-Perfection).

[Heaven-Saint Fusing Soulsʼ Results]:

—2nd Set: SUCCESS! | (8% Impurity)

—3rd Set: SUCCESS! | (Low-Perfection).

The last contestant announced was the cause of the cascading silence that was louder than a thunderclap!

[Heaven-Saint Neo-Dawnʼs Results]:

—1st Set: SUCCESS! | (Peak-Perfection)!

Heaven-Saint Refining Skiesʼ eyelids twitched uncontrollably. The urge to reject such an assessment emerged in his heart alongside countless die-hard fanatics of their respective regions. However, he had to use every ounce of willpower to resist. Such an act would defile the sanctity of Wei Wuyinʼs ascension as a Heavenly Saint Alchemist, thereby insulting the Alchemic Dao indirectly.

Whether it was his pride or his reverence for alchemy as a whole, he was unable to bring himself to denounce the Edict Potion that Wei Wuyin concocted. And given the Alchemic Oath present, any violation would have rightfully invalidated his identity and blessings of the Alchemic Dao. To be so disingenuous would be unbecoming, so he stifled all his bubbling emotions and reluctantly accepted the outcome.

The others had similar, if not, the exact feelings as the Heaven-Saint Refining Skies. Fortunately, they were all allowed to analyze the final products after assessment as was tradition originally designed to ensure your opponent was demoralized by your superiority. The Alchemic Clashes of the Utmost Purity Galaxy were highly competitive, a little petty, and left no room to cry out any injustices.

And what they discovered was that inevitable, unchangeable truth: The Edict Potion was of peak-perfection standard—beyond flawless. Not an ounce of any micro-imperfections throughout any of the process, a remarkable showcase of alchemical concoction.

That said, they were all fully aware that the first product concocted successfully for an Alchemistʼs promotional stage was often of a far higher quality than normal. After all, most Mystic-Heaven products made by Heavenly Saint Alchemists were littered with imperfections or outright failures, costing them years to decades with a chance of severe consequences if not properly handled.

Wei Wuyin observed each of their expressions closely. His gaze lingered a little on Suo Kai-Ming and Dongfang Yue. The formerʼs gaze was gloomy, hiding a rising sense of urgency. He could see her thoughts rushing through her eyes and the hyper-fluctuations of her mental energy activity. The latterʼs gaze was directly on his body, observing him closely without hiding her thoughts. There was pure disbelief and amazement in those eyes.

What he was truly trying to find wasnʼt their reaction, but how the Supreme Sages were unable to determine that his Edict Potion was not Peak-Perfection, but of the Transcendent quality. None of their mental energies showed signs of being alert to its true quality While amazement levels were high, abnormally so, not a single one, excluding Dongfang Yue who was amazed because of her staunchly held beliefs, were not at that level, nor was the greed ready to erupt.

ʼThey canʼt tell…ʼ Wei Wuyin concluded. Even with the Alchemic Stars of Spiritual Transcendence, none of the Heavenly Saint Alchemists present could determine their true quality.

He didnʼt blame them. If he had to make a bold assumption, perhaps only a peak Soul Saint Alchemist with the proper Alchemic Stars would be able to identify its quality. The Mystic-Soul grade of products barely touched upon the Immortal-Rank at its pinnacle. Meanwhile, only an alchemist capable of concocting the legendary Immortal-Rank Alchemical Products would have any chance of making a transcendent Mystic-Rank product.

If not for his blessings from the three great daos acquired from his Stellar-Paragon Physiqueʼs formation, and then the Sempiternal Resonance Domain that, with his blessing of the aura of eternity, allowed him to control that elusive power, he wouldnʼt have been able to make one.

When he attained the level of Alchemic Stars of Unparalleled Creation, surpassing conventional standards by a boundless mile, he had to use Grade Five Utmost Purity Liquid to contain the aura of eternity throughout the concoction process, and it almost shattered Bai Xiuʼs physical body and his other cauldron with his four successes.

Moreover, for the last few months, they were unable to sense the essence and energies he used throughout the concoction process. To put it simply, they couldnʼt sense the transcendent qualities. Because of that, they could only sense its flawless state, automatically identifying it as peak-perfection.

According to the oath sworn earlier, no obligation required that he had to correct their ignorance. Moreover, they werenʼt incorrect in their assessment; only peak-perfection products had the chance of being imbued with transcendence beyond their rank. In that way, it was peak-perfection.

But its effects would not remotely follow any assumption. Not even he knew what it would do without studying the transcendent Edict Potion closely. Despite having the Alchemic Stars of Unparalleled Creation and the Sempiternal Resonance Domain, his understanding of the Immortal-Rank or the aura of eternity was far, far too low. He simply had very little chance of knowing what it could do.

ʼIf they knew what this was, I believe a war might be—no, definitely be waged within the Utmost Purity Galaxy. The birth of this product could ignite an intergalactic war,ʼ Wei Wuyin mused thoughtfully with a swelling of complex emotions. Still, after showcasing it, he kept it as a few Supreme Sages sent offers.

Shockingly, Tianshi Zaoxuan, Suo Haoran, Heaven-Saint Growing Immortality, the Golden Night Sovereign, and Heaven-Saint Transforming Worlds used this brief period of open communication to send direct transmissions. They didnʼt try to hide it either given the level of the overseers.

The audience, however, was reeling; Wei Wuyin had claimed two out of four in an unprecedented concoction that allowed him to become a genuine Heavenly Saint Alchemist! His status as a foreigner had evolved, becoming among the top ten in terms of Alchemical Authority across the galaxy despite not being a native.

Yet even that was unable to hide the roaring shock of their Zeniths being pushed to the edge of losing as a collective seven. While the first match was a dirty trick, the second had no excuses in regards to who won.

Wei Wuyin had dominated them!

And in the Alchemic Dao of the Utmost Purity Galaxy, the All-Alchemic Clashes were merciless. No one cared about how you lost, but that you lost. In the end, life only recalls the winners, and the stepping stones were an afterthought.

”Do you think the Zeniths regret not attempting the first round of concoction? It seems their overconfidence is going to be their undoing…how hilarious.” The young disciple said to Teacher Sun. His words almost caused Teacher Sun to spew out a spray of blood, and fear struck his heart with thunderous force. However, the terrifying result of his disciple exploding in a splash of atomized flesh, bone, and bloody matter did not occur.

He looked up and felt a cold chill as a great, sinister gaze was focused on them through the Spiritual Network. However, a gentle warmth used a soft force to negate any violent energy daring to pierce through.

Wei Wuyin chuckled as he accepted the glare from the Maleficent-Chaos Sovereign, Suo Kai-Mingʼs Dao Enforcer. ”That little guyʼs words shouldnʼt be taken seriously,” he said while eyeing her from beyond the spatial boundary of the Blank Dominion.

”Hmph!” The Maleficent-Chaos Sovereign coldly snorted. She didnʼt, however, attempt to teach that young disciple a lesson. Moreover, the other Dao Enforcers held back too. To badmouth a Zenith warranted a death sentence. According to the rules established, they would only have to pay a small fee for his tiny life. But with Wei Wuyin openly protecting him, they remained silent.

After all, Wei Wuyin wasnʼt just a Heavenly Saint Alchemist, but he could destroy the physical body of a Supreme Sage. While he wasnʼt a Supreme Sage himself, he was certainly on par with a Supreme Existence. This made him a notable outlier, especially given how combative heʼs been. None of them wanted to bear the brunt of his fiery aggression, avoiding the smoke he was continuously releasing.

Wei Wuyin laughed louder, feeling satisfied. Internally, he was concerned. ʼWhile they might not be able to determine the exceptional quality of my Edict Potion, thereʼs bound to be Supreme Seers, Supreme Oracles, or Supreme Fortune Tellers that might deduce a clue by communing with the Heavens, the Void, or the World.ʼ He was protected by direct divinations by his Bloodline of Sin and Empyrean status, but things related to him were not outright immune.

He could only maintain an active vigilance, feeling the pressure to cultivate to a higher level. Perhaps the Edict Potion might bring far more trouble than it was worth.

Well, then again…

It was a TRANSCENDENT Mystic-Heaven grade Alchemical Product!!!

When this was over, he could just consume it. He might be the only person capable of doing so within the Mystic Ascendant Realm due to his Stellar-Paragon Physique! He could digest and refine energies laced with the aura of eternity!

Soon, the announcers and audience had time to digest the results and discuss, feeling an unprecedented degree of pressure as they held prayers for their respective Zeniths. These were alchemists whom they worshipped like deities, so seeing them lose to a foreigner was an unthinkable occurrence. However, what was once unthinkable, had now become a potential possibility in their reality.

Their hearts, minds, and souls were egregiously marred by complex emotions!

The extreme temporally-accelerated zone was reestablished alongside reinforcing the one-hundred-mile isolated regions.

”ROUND THREE shall begin! Heaven-Saint Neo-Dawn, please select your pill recipe!”

PILLS!!

The product most commonly concocted by alchemists across the galactic cluster. Not only did it have more concoction recipes than any other product, but their effects varied from long, short, instances, to genetic-bestowing in lengths. This was the competition the Zeniths should have utmost confidence in! Despite that, Wei Wuyin had shockingly chosen it instead of pellets!

Now with the score of 2-0, this decision had somehow become retroactively an extraordinary miscalculation on the Zenithsʼ part. They should have selected pills first!

If Wei Wuyin disregarded his lineage and chose his own product, they were absolutely…well…f#cked.

Everyone could see that from a mile away, and even Suo Kai-Ming was racking her brain to figure out how to navigate around this scenario. She wasnʼt the only one—the other Zeniths were fiercely tense, sweating on the back of their souls!

Wei Wuyinʼs laughter which was so carefree was a sign of a ruthless outcome. Would they lose? How could they lose?

The first round was stupid! And the second round…how could they possibly expect it would be the impetus that Wei Wuyin needed to become a Heavenly Saint Alchemist and join their ranks?! Regardless of how well they did, unless four out of seven of them made peak-perfection products, they had zero chance.

Maybe if it were their specialty product, but the generalized Edict Potion? There was an abysmal chance of that ever happening. Theyʼd need the wholehearted assistance of heaven itself!

Suo Haoran sighed to himself. ”What a shocker. I canʼt even say that Heaven-Saint Neo-Dawn played this perfectly. In a way, he simply got lucky—twice. The Zeniths refused to sacrifice their lifespan for victory, so their confidence led to their acceptance of a loss. Then losing in their own selected category with a core product of the Utmost Purity Galaxyʼs Alchemic Dao to a foreigner as the pressure pushed him to become a Heavenly Saint Alchemist? What a series of terrifying choices.”

In Suo Haoranʼs mind, if they hadnʼt chosen a Mystic-Heaven product and cautiously selected a core product of the Alchemic Dao in the Mystic-World grade, victory would have been a forgone reality. The hubris to want to trounce Wei Wuyin in an absolute manner, openly exposing his weakness, allowed him to ascend far beyond those limits.

”I hate Imperial Dao cultivators…” Suo Haoran laughed with a tinge of silliness. It was always those Imperial Dao and War Dao cultivators that overcame near-impossible odds by finding the sliver of a chance and seizing it for themselves. To think it would happen here, and with the Alchemic Dao too.

He wanted to directly insult them as idiots, but refrained from doing so. It was their fault, but how could they possibly do so?

Suddenly, just as Wei Wuyin was about to speak, the Goliath Bird Sovereignʼs voice echoed outwards. Her vocals flowed like silk, ”Heaven-Saints of this Alchemic Clash, I have some words. I wonder if youʼre willing to hear me out?”

Wei Wuyin blinked innocently as he eyed this Supreme Existence curiously. All he had to do was select a Neo-Dawn Lineage Product and this would all be settled. Even if they knew of its concoction recipe, he didnʼt mind. The gains from winning this would far surpass a single Mystic-World grade recipe from his lineage.

”I am willing to listen,” Heaven-Saint Fusing Souls spoke out, deactivating the sound-isolating formation around his region. It was clear he expected this.

The others also deactivated their sound-isolating formations, forcing Wei Wuyin to do the same.

”Iʼm willing to hear what you, the Sovereign Goliath Bird of the Archanids, have to say.” Heaven-Saint Extracting Divinity echoed. Within a few seconds, the others also voiced their acceptance.

Wei Wuyin couldnʼt stifle his laughter, ”Sure. Go on.” He didnʼt dismiss her actions.

The Goliath Bird Sovereign revealed a smile as her image was projected through the Spiritual Network. She began after briefly introducing herself to the audience, reminding them that she was one of the three neutral overseers selected for this event, and then saying: ”Iʼm sure everyone here is desiring a real clash of skill and talent amongst alchemists. However, the first round left many wanting due to its abruptness. As for the second round, it was grand to an extreme, being able to witness the ascension of Heaven-Saint Neo-Dawn was astonishing, yet it somewhat made the event a little unfair.

”Everyone is aware that the product concocted during oneʼs alchemical promotion is often of a much higher standard than oneʼs true skills could attest to. A burst of serendipitous enlightenment is often the primary cause of that result.” No one disagreed with that, and most nodded, a testament to the truth in her words. She glanced at Wei Wuyin with her ocelli, continuing: ”So I have a suggestion. Heaven-Saints, I believe the next round should showcase the true skills of all parties.”

”How so?” The Incandescent Star Palace Lord asked, serving as a foil, but in truth, he was conflicted. Earlier, five of the seven Zeniths had given him a few whispers to remain neutral given his ʼrelationshipʼ with Wei Wuyin. They were quite clearly trying to manipulate Wei Wuyin into a specific action that would disadvantage him.

”Glad you asked, Overseer Incandescent Star. How about we use a completely new concoction recipe? One that none of the eight participants are familiar with. By doing so, there will be no question that those whoʼve claimed victory or defeat deserved their spots.”

The Incandescent Star Palace Lord wanted to laugh mockingly. How ridiculous was that? Did the Zeniths not choose a Mystic-Heaven grade product against a Worldly Saint Alchemist? Did they not select one of the four core products of their Alchemic Dao that they ALL had experience concocting to gain an unfair advantage? What type of grade-A bullshit was this?

He beat them at their own game, and then she wanted to suggest a game of neutral skill when he had the win locked in?

However, her words tug at a specific heartstring in Wei Wuyin.

Reputation.

He intended to establish himself in the Utmost Purity Galaxy, and the faster he was accepted as their equal, the easier it would be to integrate in the shortest amount of time, especially in the hearts of the people. He had to try to carve out a place for himself in the highly competitive market across numerous galaxies.

If he won this way, it might leave a small stain.

Well…actually…

Nah.

Letʼs win this easily and be done with it.

As he was about to decline and refute directly by stating his product, a strong, dominating voice laced with an unyielding will resounded throughout the Blank Dominion!