As the participants stepped forward and took their places, the atmosphere in the hall subtly shifted once more.
Low murmurs began to spread across the hall as people started discussing among themselves.
Eyes swept across the lineup of young alchemists.
"Without a doubt, Huo Shenyu is the favorite to win."
"Of course! He has been a Grade-4 alchemist for many years... who knows what his level is right now?"
"And don't forget, he es from the Vermillion Pill Empire. His foundation is not something others can pare to."
Many nodded in agreement.
Huo Shenyu stood calmly among the participants, his robes flowing lightly, his expression confident.
However, he was not the only one drawing attention.
Eyes shifted toward another figure.
A young man clad in deep blue robes stood quietly, his aura restrained yet steady.
"That's Yan Ruichen from the Azure Cloud Empire."
"He reached Mid Grade-4 last year, didn't he?"
"Yes. Though not as famous as Huo Shenyu, his control over flames is said to be exceptional."
Nearby, another figure caught attention.
A woman dressed in elegant green robes, her expression calm and focused.
"Qi Meiling of the Jade River Empire."
"She's known for her precision. They say her pill success rate is terrifyingly high."
"Though she has also just stepped into Mid Grade-4, she might not be easy to deal with."
The murmurs continued.
Names were spoken.
Reputations weighed.
Strengths pared.
Each one of them, a genius in their own right.
Then-
Someone's gaze shifted toward the Mu Clan's side.
"And what about the Mu Clan?"
"Do they have anyone who can pete with those geniuses from other Empires?"
Then-
"Mu Linyue is definitely the most talented."
Many turned to look.
Among the participants, Mu Linyue stood quietly.
"She broke through to Grade-3 before the age of twenty. That alone is monstrous talent."
"Give her ten more years, and she will dominate the entire younger generation." "But right now, where Grade-4 alchemists pete, she isn't ready!" Although they couldn't deny that Mu Linyue was a top genius and perhaps one of the most talented, she was too young and inexperienced to pete at this stage.
Instead, their gazes shifted toward a few older participants. Among them-
A man in his early forties, his aura steady and experienced.
"Mu Chenhai. A Grade-4 alchemist who has been stable for years. Although his talent isn't parable to Mu Linyue, he is a genius in his own right."
"And there's also Mu Yansong. He also broke through to Grade-4 last year."
"These two... they might have a chance."
The voices lowered slightly.
"Winning may be unlikely... but at the very least, I hope our Desolate Heaven Empire's alchemists don't lose too badly."
It wasn't that they didn't trust their Empire's alchemists, but because the opponents were simply too strong.
Huo Shenyu!
Yan Ruichen!
Qi Meiling!
Especially Huo Shenyu. Rumors have it that he could already refine top-tier Grade-4 pills, so if one wanted to win, they had to at least match that quality. So, the petition was mostly between those at Grade-4, and Grade-3 participants were just here for participation.
As for Grade-5, no one below the age of 50 had ever reached that level. Bai Zihan also stood off to the side, casually observing.
His gaze swept across the participants-not with scrutiny, but with mild interest, as if he were watching a performance rather than a petition he could be part of.
Well, he already knew who the winner would be, though that Huo Shenyu seemed to be hiding something.
Mu Linyue, who stood not far from him, hesitated for moment before
stepping closer.
She looked at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"You're not participating?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it wasn't particularly soft either.
Before answering, he glanced around, looking at the participants.
"If I participate, wouldn't that be bullying them too much?"
His tone was calm.
Matter-of-fact.
As if he were stating something pletely obvious.
But his voice wasn't low.
And in a hall filled with cultivators-
It was more than enough.
Subtle ripples spread through the crowd.
Expressions changed.
Some stiffened.
Others frowned.
A few even revealed traces of ridicule.
(Too arrogant...)
(Does he even hear himself?)
(Does he think alchemy is the same as fighting?)
Although no one dared to say anything aloud, especially after witnessing how
he handled the Vermillion Pill Empire earlier-
Their thoughts were far from polite.
In their eyes, Bai Zihan had crossed into ignorance.
Yes, he was powerful.
Yes, he was influential.
But alchemy?
That was an entirely different field.
And here he was, claiming that peting with Grade-4 alchemists would be
"bullying"?
Most could only shake their heads inwardly.
However, not everyone thought so.
Within the Mu Clan, several elders exchanged knowing glances.
They know Bai Zihan is capable of refining Grade-4 pills.
Even if winning against monsters like Huo Shenyu might not be guaranteed-
He would absolutely be able to pete.
Mu Linyue, on the other hand, didn't react with surprise at all.
She had personally seen Bai Zihan refine even Grade-6 pills. pared to that, this so-called petition... really did seem beneath him.
After a brief moment, she simply nodded.
"I understand!"
Mu Linyue thought that she might be able to pete with Bai Zihan. Even
though she know she wouldn't win, she could show her progress to him.
"Good luck! Though I don't think you would need it."
Bai Zihan said. Meanwhile, not far away, Bai Xueqing watched the scene unfold.
Her lips twitched slightly.
"His mouth is still so pretentious..."
She muttered under her breath.
She also knew about Bai Zihan's previous attempt at alchemy, which-mildly put-could be called a failure, and more accurately, a disaster.
As she also had Mu Clan's blood, she too tried alchemy, although she wasn't too
interested.
She was also a genius at learning and could refine Grade-1 pills without any
problem.
Now that she was stronger, with a bit of practice, she didn't think Grade-2 pills
would be a problem either.
Anyways, she believed-just like many others-that Bai Zihan was just saying
things.
After all, if he could, he would participate. Not to mention the fame-those two Grade-7 pills alone were worth it.
"Heh... bullying? He isn't even eligible to particpate and dare make such a big
claim.""
Yan Ruichen said mockingly.
His gaze drifted toward Bai Zihan, calm yet carrying a trace of amusement.
His tone wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't respectful either.
He would have said more if it weren't for giving face to Grandmaster Mu.
Nearby, Qi Meiling also glanced over.
Her eyes lingered on Bai Zihan for a brief moment before she spoke lightly.
"Well, ignorance is bliss. He doesn't even know how difficult it is to refine even
a Grade-1 pill."
Her voice was gentle, but her words were sharp.
"Sigh... looks like all the rumors about him being heroic were just false. Tsk, I
even thought he looked a bit handsome."
She muttered to herself in disappointment.
It was clear that she also thought that Bai Zihan was looking down on them.
Several others from the peting group let out faint laughs.
Not loud.
Not blatant.
But enough to show what they thought.
To them-
Bai Zihan had overstepped. Perhaps he was unrivaled in bat.
Perhaps his influence was terrifying. But here, this was alchemy. And he dared to say he would "bully" Grade-4 alchemists?
Even Huo Shenyu wouldn't dare to be so audacious.
On the other side, Huo Shenyu said nothing. Well, what he wanted to say, others had already said.
Bai Zihan was too arrogant for his own good. He didn't like him the moment he
humiliated his father-and now even more so.
(Hmph...)
He didn't want to waste time thinking about some arrogant and ignorant young master.
Because today-
He will crush all these so-called geniuses.
Not just the Desolate Heaven Empire, but every empire here.
He would show them-
The true gap.
The difference between them...
And himself.
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