Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Cao Yan was initially worried, but he broke into a confident smile when he heard Li Guanqi’s words of encouragement. “Don’t worry, Eldest Brother and Second Brother!”

The three of them left the room and made their way to the main hall, where the auction was being held.

Meanwhile, in a chamber at the very top of the auction hall, a talisman lay glowing on the table. Blue flames flickered across its surface before vanishing.

Qian Qiusui gazed calmly at the crowd below. Wisps of smoke curled around her, obscuring half her face. She murmured, “Which sect do these prodigies belong to? That weak life force… the wager… That brat laid his trap long ago and was simply waiting for Wang Heyang to stumble into it. They’re no simpletons.”

She gave a bitter smile and shook her head. “Since when have I taken an interest in young men?”

Yet despite her words, the face of that blind youth surfaced in her mind. Cao Yan’s talent was startling enough, but that blind youth was truly terrifying.

Onstage, Wang Heyang fidgeted with the fan in his hand, his boredom evident. The bruises and wounds on his face had not yet healed.

“Heh. Those brats haven’t run off with their tails between their legs, have they?”

His voice dripped with mockery, as if everything was already in his grasp. His confidence in his alchemy was absolute.

Refining a furnace of Vitality-Boosting Pills took time, and even his sect’s elders needed two or three hours. By the time he finished, Sixth Elder Lu Yu would surely have arrived.As for the wager? He never once believed he could lose to a nameless nobody.

He wore luxurious white robes embroidered with three bright stars on the chest. The stars marked him as a tier-three alchemist, a rank of prestige and privilege.

“Hahaha! Those rats must’ve bolted by now, too scared of Young Master Wang,” said a monkey-faced man with pointed ears and round cheeks.

Tier-three alchemists commanded high respect. Which Golden Core Realm cultivator wouldn’t want to curry favor with one?

Before he even finished, others eagerly chimed in.

“Hahaha! If they beat Young Master Wang today, I’ll eat my shit standing on my head!”

Wang Heyang basked in the chorus of flattery, relishing both the praise and the privileges his rank afforded.

Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the noise. “Oh? You’ll eat shit standing on your head? I’ll remember that.”

The speaker made no effort to conceal the killing intent in his tone.

A chill seized many in the hall. Realizing Li Guanqi was not someone to be provoked, they held their tongues. Stirring up trouble would hardly be worth it.

Li Guanqi reassured Cao Yan quietly: “Go on. Stay calm. Even if we lose, it’s only a cauldron. Trust me and don’t overthink it. I’ll reach the Nascent Soul Realm within three years.”

Cao Yan’s confident expression crumbled. “Boss, entering the Nascent Soul Realm in three years is… very difficult.”

“Just get on that stage and win then!” Li Guanqi said.

Cao Yan grinned and strode confidently to the main platform.

There were two bronze-colored, well-used pill cauldrons on the stage—ordinary tier-three spirit cauldrons.

Next to them lay two storage pouches, each containing a single set of ingredients for refining Vitality-Boosting Pills.

Only one chance. If either of them failed, the contest would be over.

Wang Heyang had not expected to receive only one set of ingredients. He thought there would be three. He rose and smiled. “Hehe, one set is fine. This way, everyone can see our true skill.”

Cao Yan didn’t spare him a glance. Instead, he looked toward the second floor. “May we begin?”

Qian Qiusui’s voice drifted down. “You can start whenever you wish. You have six hours. I will judge only by the quality of the pills.”

A faint smile tugged at Cao Yan’s lips beneath the hood of his black cloak. He adjusted his robes and sat before the cauldron. Then, he slowly reached out and caressed the cauldron in front of him with both hands.

Wang Heyang burst into snickers. “Hmmph! Are you trying to look mysterious? Trying to ‘connect’ to the cauldron? What insights would you gain from that?”

Wang Heyang sat down in front of his cauldron. With a fierce swipe of his hand, he shot bright red flames into the cauldron.

Boom!

Flames rose from within the cauldron, and soon, the inside walls of the cauldron glowed red from the heat. Warming the cauldron helped even out its temperature, making it easier to refine the herbs.

Cao Yan ignored Wang Heyang’s jab and closed his eyes gently, feeling every detail on the cauldron.

Wang Heyang had already lifted his lid and tossed in two stalks of herbs to extract their essences.

The crowd could not help but laugh at Cao Yan. “What’s he doing? Is he just going to keep caressing that cauldron?”

“He’s a fraud, that’s all. Just trying to save face!”

“Hahahaha! Exactly! What can you tell by stroking the cauldron like that? Young Master Wang is already starting the refining process.”

“He’s not trying to stall for time, is he?”

Ye Feng asked nervously, “Boss, what’s Big Head doing?”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “I don’t know either. We’ll just have to trust him.”

At last, when Wang Heyang tossed his third herb into the cauldron, Cao Yan moved.

To the crowd’s astonishment, blue flames burst forth like dragons and poured into the cauldron. The cauldron heated immediately, and even the air around them grew hot.

His fire was far stronger than Wang Heyang’s.

The sudden surge startled Wang Heyang. He nearly ruined the herbs in his cauldron as his control faltered.

Boom!

Cao Yan lifted the lid and cast in five herbs at once.

A tier-three alchemist among the elders scowled. “Has he lost his mind, throwing in five herbs like that?”

A man beside him blinked in puzzlement. “Why not? I saw Wang Heyang toss in two.”

The elder’s face darkened. “Wang Heyang threw in two because he can divide his focus, controlling two separate fires to refine each herb’s essence. That is precisely why Cloud Pill Pavilion disciples are so skilled at alchemy.”

The man stammered, “So… if he threw five…”

The white-haired elder kept his gaze fixed on Cao Yan. “Exactly. Either he’s given up and intends to destroy the herbs, or… he can control five flames at once.”

With that explanation, the crowd finally understood what they were seeing.