Chapter 1236: The First Day
"For the next week, we will see many geniuses from the Eastern Region compete against each other, all trying to seize the throne that will place them among the best of the younger generation. There will be several fields in which they will compete," Lan Jingyi said.
"The tournament will feature competitions in forging, alchemy, and battle. Just as their names suggest, we will see the geniuses compete to create the best pill, forge the best artifact, and claim the title of the strongest."
"For today’s events, there will be the alchemy competition. On the next day, there will be the forging competition, which could last for two days. After that, we will see the geniuses compete for the title of the strongest, which will last for four days." Lan Jingyi paused slightly as she swept her gaze across the crowd.
"For the prize for the winners, we have already prepared something that will encourage every participant to strive even harder to become the best. Each winner will have the chance to cultivate inside the Seven Celestial Pond in the White Lotus Secret Realm."
The crowd was shocked upon hearing that.
"What? The Seven Celestial Pond? The pond that is said to be able to elevate the cultivation of even an Immortal Saint cultivator?"
"The Seven Celestial Ponds that are under the joint management of the three great families?"
Numerous discussions erupted, and everyone was truly amazed by the prize this time. To think that the three great families would allow the winners of the competition to cultivate there, a privilege that was usually limited to the three great families and the Zhu Family.
"Now, I know that you can hardly wait to see the competition, so I will not keep you waiting any longer. For the first competition, we will see the geniuses compete for the title of Pill King in this conference."
After Lan Jingyi finished speaking, many cauldrons and large boxes suddenly flew into the arena from the inner side of the stadium. They seemed to be controlled by numerous cultivators at the same time, and all of them were quickly arranged across the arena.
"For the participants, please take your positions according to the numbers we have already assigned to you," Lan Jingyi continued, and many participants instantly jumped toward the arena from their viewing areas.
Many of them came from prominent forces such as famous sects and powerful families that possessed their own viewing spaces, though there were others who came from lesser-known forces as well.
After all, the Great Conference was not limited only to the major families and sects.
Aldrian, who had his own plans, looked at the arena with an interested expression. Even though he had his own plans regarding this event, he did not immediately commence them. He was curious to see the qualities of these people in various professions and their strength.
This would be the first time he had seen a tournament of immortals in this life.
"The Alchemy Tower really sent their best younger-generation alchemist and the last champion of the alchemy category, Derek Avenbourn. At that time, his cultivation was at peak Immortal Warrior Stage, but now he is already at Low Immortal Lord Stage. He must be much better compared to ten years ago."
"It looks like he will claim another championship in this tournament."
"Don’t be so sure. The second-place winner ten years ago was Gu Shuyuan from the great alchemist family, the Gu Family. She lost to him by only a small margin. Maybe there will be a surprise this time."
The spectators discussed among themselves as they watched the participants take their positions and wait for the competition to begin.
Lan Jingyi, who saw that everything was ready, then spoke.
"For the first challenge, you will create the Crimson Tide Pill. You must produce at least a normal-grade pill or two stripes pill, to pass to the next round. Inside the boxes, we have already prepared the ingredients needed to create the pill, so you only need to do your best to produce the highest-quality pill possible. The time limit for this round is three hours."
Hearing that, the spectators became even more boisterous.
Aldrian, who heard it, knew what the Crimson Tide Pill was. It was a pill that helped immortals deepen their comprehension of fire laws.
The pill was most effective when consumed by cultivators at Immortal Lord Stage, as it was specifically designed for Immortal Lord cultivators. However, those with weaker cultivation could still consume it.
He could sense that most of the participants were still at Immortal Warrior Stage. With that level of cultivation, creating this pill would be much more challenging.
However, they were not helpless. Creating the Crimson Tide Pill primarily required skill. Higher cultivation was not a guarantee of producing a better pill.
"Are the participants ready?!" Lan Jingyi asked, giving the participants one last chance to prepare themselves.
"I declare the start of this round!" she shouted, and at that moment, the alchemists in the arena instantly opened the boxes and began concocting their pills.
The cheers from the spectators became even more boisterous, and most of them focused on the participants from the major families and sects.
Aldrian also observed the two participants who were said to have the best chance of emerging as the winners.
One was a man with blond hair wearing the robe of the Alchemy Tower, while the other was a woman with shoulder-length green hair wearing a red and white robe.
Aldrian nodded after observing them for some time, and he understood why so many people regarded them as prodigies.
Their techniques and control were almost flawless. Every movement was efficient and aimed at maximizing the quality of the pill. The people watching them in action were truly excited, and the cheers continued for a long time until it was finally time to combine the essences of all the ingredients and form the pill.
Everyone became focused and increasingly tense throughout the process. When the participants began finishing their pills one after another, the atmosphere turned lively once more.
Many failed because they burned their ingredients, exploded their cauldrons, or failed to reach the required quality threshold. However, many others succeeded, though only a few participants managed to achieve truly satisfying results, including Derek Avenbourn and Gu Shuyuan.
Their pills had actually reached the level of half-excellent grade, which meant three stripes pills, and their pills even approaching the four stripes grade.
The spectators who watched were truly amazed.
After a few moments, the first round finally came to an end, with hundreds of participants still remaining in the arena. They would advance to the next round, which promised to be even more exciting.
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In one of the VVIP rooms, where the Zhu Family was watching the competition, the elder of the Zhu Family, Zhu Jianxuan, observed everything with interest, while the Third Young Master of the Zhu Family, Zhu Feng, watched with an approving gaze.
"As expected of the Alchemy Tower and the Gu Family. They did not disappoint when it comes to pill concoction," Zhu Feng said.
"Our Zhu Family is quite lacking in the alchemy field. If only we could poach one of them for our family, things would be much better."
"That would incite the animosity of the Gu Family or the Alchemy Tower, which is undesirable for us. Even though our family is the sovereign of this realm, we cannot simply do whatever we want. Offending a family or faction filled with talented alchemists would only bring us endless headaches," Zhu Jianxuan said.
"I know, Elder. I was just saying," Zhu Feng replied.
They remained silent for a few moments before Zhu Feng asked,
"Anyway, I am curious about the report regarding Elder Wenhao’s disappearance. He and his group vanished in the region near this city while fighting those savages. Will Elder remain here until the mystery behind their disappearance is solved?"
Zhu Jianxuan nodded.
"The Patriarch has ordered me to handle this matter thoroughly. Moreover, with the strange incident that happened in this city, where a prisoner who was supposed to be executed because of his connection to the evil gods managed to escape, he fears that the two incidents may be connected."
"Do you think it could be the work of those blasphemous rebel groups?" Zhu Feng asked.
"It could be, or it could not be. Because those bastard followers of God Tarius, we cannot hastily determine the true culprit. It is also possible that this is a scheme by those bastards to mislead us and create confusion," Zhu Jianxuan answered before looking at Zhu Feng.
"Young Master, you only need to focus on the tournament. Do not concern yourself too much with this matter."
Zhu Feng nodded before turning his attention back to the arena.
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The alchemy competition continued for the next several hours until the sun was almost sinking below the horizon, at which point the final round finally arrived.
There were fewer than ten participants remaining, including Derek and Gu Shuyuan. Although it had already been hours since the start of the competition, the spectators’ enthusiasm remained high, and the cheers throughout the stadium were still as boisterous as ever.
Lan Jingyi smiled and spoke to the spectators.
"For the final round, we will give the participants the freedom to create the best pill they can make. The final result will depend on both the quality and complexity of the pill. The more difficult the pill and the higher its quality, the better the evaluation will be."
She then looked at the remaining participants, who were already prepared to begin the round.
"Then let the final round of the alchemy competition begin!"
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