Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: The Second Round of the Competition Begins

”It’s all your fault, Grandpa! Hmph!” Qin Yue pouted, unhappiness written all over her face.

She had hoped to see Ye Qingchen before the competition started and cheer him on in person. But because of Qin Zhantian, they arrived just as Ye Qingchen was stepping onto the stage!

After Pavilion Master Zhang warmly greeted Qin Zhantian, they all took their seats and turned their gazes to the stage.

The alchemists of the Qingyun Sect had all chosen to stand behind Ye Qingchen. Both his strength and character had earned their respect, and they willingly accepted him as their leader.

Next to the Qingyun Sect’s contingent were the alchemists of the Heavenly Profound Sect. Led by Cheng Zhibin, they glared daggers at their counterparts.

Cheng Zhibin was especially furious. He remembered how the championship, which he thought was within his grasp, had been snatched away by Ye Qingchen the day before. The rage had kept him up all night. Seeing Ye Qingchen now, he couldn’t help but taunt him.

”Ye Qingchen, the second round is an alchemy contest. I advise you to give up early to save yourself the embarrassment.”

Facing Cheng Zhibin’s taunt, Ye Qingchen simply smiled and retorted, ”You said the same thing yesterday, yet you still lost. If you have so much free time, you should spend it reading more books instead of spouting such meaningless nonsense.”

Ye Qingchen’s words were an utter humiliation to Cheng Zhibin. He wanted to retort but couldn’t find the right words. He could only glare, breathing heavily, wishing his gaze alone could kill Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen, of course, paid him no mind and simply ignored him.

This second round of the competition was also personally hosted by Princess Cai Yunji.

Seeing that all the contestants were in place, Princess Cai Yunji began to announce the rules. ”Esteemed Alchemists, I imagine you already have some idea about the second round’s competition. Indeed, it is alchemy. However, the theme is different from previous years.”

Princess Cai Yunji’s words instantly piqued everyone’s curiosity. In past competitions, alchemy was always a mandatory event. Normally, the royal family would set the topic, and the alchemists would compete to see who could refine the pill fastest and best. What new twist was there this time?

Princess Cai Yunji smiled mysteriously and continued, ”For this competition, we are not specifying the type of Spirit Pill. You are free to refine the most powerful elixir you are capable of creating. The final score will be determined by a comprehensive evaluation of the refined Spirit Pills, including their grade, quality, and effects!”

Her words caused an uproar.

In the past, when the royal family set the topic, an obscure Spirit Pill would sometimes cause the downfall of certain alchemists. But now that the alchemists could choose for themselves, this eliminated any element of luck or opportunism.

Hearing this, Cheng Zhibin shot Ye Qingchen a cold smirk. If the royal family set the topic, Ye Qingchen would have an advantage. After all, the Qingyun Sect is the number one sect, with a much deeper heritage than the Heavenly Profound Sect. They must have a much larger collection of elixir formulas. If an obscure elixir came up, I might not know it, but Ye Qingchen probably would. However, this situation is completely to my advantage! I’m a Fourth-grade Alchemist. Even if I casually refine any Fourth-grade Spirit Pill, it’s more than enough to defeat him! This time, the championship is as good as mine.

Seeing the varied expressions on the alchemists’ faces, Princess Cai Yunji didn’t keep them in suspense. ”The rules of the competition are as follows. The time limit is three hours! Each of you has three attempts at alchemy. You can, of course, choose to refine the same elixir all three times, and the judges will select the one with the highest quality for your final score.

”Alternatively, you may also choose to refine different elixirs. Likewise, the one with the highest quality will be chosen for the ranking. The medicinal herbs will be provided by the competition. You can state the Spirit Pill you wish to refine and request the necessary herbs from the judges’ panel. You now have twenty minutes to prepare and consider which grade of Spirit Pill you will refine!”

After finishing her speech in one breath, Princess Cai Yunji retreated to the judges’ seating area and fell silent.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Cheng Zhibin walked up to the judges’ table and declared, ”Your Highness, I request the medicinal herbs for the Fourth-grade Bone Tempering Pill!”

His words caused another uproar.

The Bone Tempering Pill was a Fourth-grade Spirit Pill, and it was widely recognized as the most difficult one to refine in its class. For Cheng Zhibin to choose such a challenging Spirit Pill from the very beginning was a bold move. If he actually succeeded, the championship would undoubtedly be his. After all, the strongest contestants in the youth division were only Fourth-grade Alchemists, and not every one of them could successfully refine a Bone Tempering Pill.

Seeing Cheng Zhibin’s brimming confidence, Princess Cai Yunji didn’t say much, merely signaling the judges to prepare the herbs for him.

Cheng Zhibin sneered inwardly. I could have chosen a simpler Fourth-grade Spirit Pill to defeat Ye Qingchen, but that’s not enough. I need to crush him completely, then humiliate him thoroughly. It would be best if I could leave a permanent scar on his psyche!

When Ye Qingchen heard that Cheng Zhibin was going to refine the Bone Tempering Pill, he frowned, pondering his own choice.

To be safe, I’ll start by refining a Third-grade Breakthrough Pill. It’s the most difficult among the Third-grade Spirit Pills, but I have plenty of experience refining it, so I should be able to handle it smoothly. Although I’m a Fourth-grade Alchemist now, I haven’t actually tried refining a Fourth-grade Spirit Pill yet. If I make a Third-grade Breakthrough Pill first, I can play it safe and secure a decent rank. After all, Princess Cai Yunji said we have three chances, and they’ll use the best result for the ranking.

With this in mind, Ye Qingchen also approached the judges’ table and said, ”Your Highness, I’d like to request the herbs for a Third-grade Breakthrough Pill.”

Princess Cai Yunji nodded. A judge then prepared the medicinal herbs and handed them to Ye Qingchen.

Cheng Zhibin sneered at Ye Qingchen and said, ”Ye Qingchen, you’re only choosing to refine a Third-grade Spirit Pill? It seems you’ve already decided to give up! How wise of you! Just admit defeat, ha ha ha!”

Judging by our choice of elixirs, this second round is my win, guaranteed!