Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 108: Chapter 108 The Deserved Champion

Ye Qingchen knew that as a dark horse who had come out of nowhere to claim victory in the first round, some people were certainly dissatisfied.

With only three spots available for promotion to an Inner Sect Disciple, his impressive performance meant the other contestants would surely view him as a rival.

Li Qingfeng glanced over the fifty disciples, nodded in satisfaction, and announced, ”The second round of the competition is Spiritual Medicine Purification! The rules are simple: the higher the purity you achieve, the higher your score. After the competition, we will combine these results with the first round’s rankings to determine the final scores. For example, Ye Qingchen, who placed first, starts with fifty points. We will add his purity score from this round to that for his grand total. Liu Ming, who placed second, starts with forty-nine points, and so on. Does everyone understand?”

Fifty disciples responded in unison, ”We understand!”

Li Qingfeng continued, ”Good. The top three overall scorers will qualify to become Inner Sect Disciples, and the top ten will receive an additional reward of Spirit Stones.”

After finishing his announcement, Li Qingfeng turned and walked over to the judges’ seats.

The fifty disciples were left behind, and a buzz of discussion erupted among them.

”Spirit Stones? The reward is actually Spirit Stones! The Qingyun Sect is so generous.”

”I know, right? Spirit Stones are a rare treasure. It takes one hundred thousand contribution points to exchange for a single Low-grade Spirit Stone in the Sect Main Hall, and now they’re being given away as rewards.”

Ye Qingchen nodded to himself. Having acquired Spirit Stones in the Secret Realm before, he knew firsthand their incomparable value to cultivators. Furthermore, the current rules worked greatly in his favor.

This championship has to be mine! he thought with brimming confidence.

”The competition begins!”

At the sound of a gong, the fifty disciples each went to their station and began purifying their Spiritual Medicine.

This was Ye Qingchen’s greatest strength. Back in the Secret Realm, he could already purify Medicinal Liquids to ninety percent. Now, armed with his deeper understanding of the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and the legacy from Elder Fen Tian, he was even more certain of victory.

Li Zongrui had long been aware of Ye Qingchen’s purification ability. As soon as Li Qingfeng announced the rules, he had a bad feeling that Ye Qingchen was about to achieve a high rank. Li Zongrui couldn’t bear the thought of this, but with Li Qingfeng present, he didn’t dare act rashly. After some thought, Li Zongrui quietly slipped away from the high platform.

Spiritual Medicine Purification was a fundamental technique for any alchemist. Its success depended not only on talent but also on diligent effort, making this competition the fairest possible measure of an alchemist’s aptitude.

As time passed, disciples began to complete their purification one after another.

However, finishing early didn’t mean having an advantage. In fact, the faster one finished, the more impurities were likely left in the Medicinal Liquid.

Most of those who finished early knew they stood no chance of making the top ten. Some even left the platform, sighing in resignation.

In the end, only Ye Qingchen and Liu Ming remained on the platform, still persevering.

As a disciple from a family of alchemists, Liu Ming’s strength was beyond doubt. And as the champion of the first round, no one dared to underestimate Ye Qingchen’s ability either.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two remaining contestants.

Eventually, it was Liu Ming who could no longer hold out. He sighed and put away the Medicinal Liquid before him, while Ye Qingchen continued his work.

Liu Ming cast a meaningful glance at Ye Qingchen before taking his own purified liquid to the judges’ panel.

”A Medicinal Liquid of ninety percent purity! As expected of a disciple from a family of alchemists!” the elders on the judges’ panel exclaimed in admiration upon seeing Liu Ming’s submission.

Just then, Ye Qingchen also completed his Spiritual Medicine Purification and walked toward the judges’ panel.

Li Qingfeng stood up personally to receive Ye Qingchen’s Medicinal Liquid. He was eager to see to what degree Ye Qingchen, who had persisted for so long, had managed to purify the Spiritual Medicine!

After handing the liquid to Li Qingfeng, Ye Qingchen gave him a respectful bow, his face a mask of confidence.

”Sect Master, how is it?” Elder Liu Qin couldn’t help but ask.

Li Qingfeng was staring at the liquid in amazement and didn’t answer her question.

Only after Elder Liu Qin asked a second time did Li Qingfeng snap out of his stupor. He spoke, his voice filled with excitement, ”It’s a Medicinal Liquid with ninety-eight percent purity! Ye Qingchen, you are truly incredible!”

”What? Impossible! How could a quasi-alchemist create a Medicinal Liquid with ninety-eight percent purity? That’s something not even a second-grade alchemist can achieve!”

Wearing an expression of utter disbelief, Elder Liu Qin took the Medicinal Liquid from Li Qingfeng’s hands. However, upon seeing the supremely pure liquid for herself, she finally had to believe it. Ye Qingchen had actually done it!

The news that Ye Qingchen had created a Medicinal Liquid of ninety-eight percent purity swept through the entire square like a storm. Everyone understood the implications. Given time, Ye Qingchen was destined to become a world-renowned alchemist!

”The young master did it! The young master is the champion!”

When Xiao Xiao heard that Ye Qingchen had successfully purified the liquid, she didn’t fully grasp its significance. But seeing the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, the clever girl instantly understood that her young master was undoubtedly the champion.

Ye Ying was also ecstatic, grabbing Xiao Xiao’s hands and dancing with a joy so great it was as if she herself had won.

The square erupted with thunderous cheers that lasted for a full ten minutes. The crowd only quieted down after Li Qingfeng stepped forward to address them.

”I hereby announce that the champion of this Quasi-Alchemist Convention is... Ye Qingchen!” Li Qingfeng’s voice was resounding and powerful as he declared the final result.

After announcing the rankings, Li Qingfeng fulfilled his earlier promise and awarded Spirit Stone prizes to the top ten. As the first-place champion, Ye Qingchen received a staggering twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

A wave of envy washed over the crowd. With twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones, one could cultivate for a very long time. However, when they recalled how Ye Qingchen had achieved his championship with near-crushing victories in both rounds, their envy dissipated.

Li Qingfeng patted Ye Qingchen on the shoulder, a beaming smile on his face. ”Ye Qingchen, you have now earned the right to be promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple. You may go to the Sect Main Hall to claim your Inner Sect Disciple Token. However, you must guard against pride and impatience. Do not allow today’s success to make you complacent in your cultivation!”

Ye Qingchen nodded, thanked Li Qingfeng, and then took his leave.

He was already eager to claim his disciple token.