Even though he couldn’t hear anything, at this moment outside, there must already be an uproar reaching the skies!
Just like that, good!
A shock grand enough to establish the reputation of Dan Chenzi.
The mere Fire Spirit Lord has no claim to dominance at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Only the title of Dan Chenzi could free him from the restraints of his realm, allowing him to communicate on equal footing with higher-order beings with the distinguished identity of a Pill Refinement Grandmaster!
And this was just the beginning!
"Since you’ve finished, go rest! There are two more rounds, which are the most mentally draining. You must prepare yourself,"
said the Elder of Tai Dan Court.
Luo Chen clasped his hands and bowed slightly.
"Thank you for the guidance, senior. I will go and prepare," he said.
Seeing his manners, the Elder of Tai Dan Court couldn’t help but stroke his beard and offer a kind smile.
The initial dislike and displeasure had long since vanished!
He opened the array with a wave of his hand and spoke, "In the second round, keep up the good work!"
Luo Chen nodded.
This old man is quite likable.
Despite not being a Pill Refiner of Qingdan Valley, and beating their Sect’s people, he showed not only no displeasure but also offered encouraging words.
The moment he stepped out of the array, countless gazes landed on him.
If it were an ordinary person, they would likely feel like they had needles in their back.
But he simply smiled and, with Spirit Qi Cloud Clusters forming under his feet, floated towards the Tao Family’s high platform.
Wherever he passed, numerous eyes followed him.
The Great True Disciples on the other high platforms also looked at him with varying gazes,
expressing surprise, scrutiny, curiosity, or disdain.
Among them, there were those who were interested in him.
Of course, he could also feel the malicious gazes full of irritation and embarrassment.
He ignored them all and while his wide sleeves fluttered gracefully, he stepped into a crowd that was cheering and congratulating.
Past the crowd,
a woman seated in a high position smiled at him.
Luo Chen nodded subtly and then went to the Quiet Room at the back.
...
Shortly after Luo Chen had left,
the second refiner also showed up on the Pill Refinement stage.
It was Dan Yangzi.
In a calm and steady manner, he was the second to finish processing the Guiyuan Cicada Shell.
This most difficult step was completed.
The subsequent few ingredients were not much of a challenge for him.
He took only slightly more time than Luo Chen to produce the finished product.
Upon receiving the materials, the Elder of Tai Dan Court looked at him with a complex expression.
"What a pity!" he mused.
Dan Yangzi remained silent and simply walked down.
His expression didn’t show any annoyance for being placed after Luo Chen.
"Next up should be Xuan Yunzi, then Fu Hua, I guess."
"It’s just this Huang Hezi, who is very solid in his basics, but due to his agitation, ended up being the last. I wonder where all that pill refinement from the past years went."
...
The tumult outside was now irrelevant to Luo Chen.
He curiously glanced at a stalk of Spirit Incense that Tao Yisheng had specially brought to him.
Leisurely Fragrance!
A type of Spirit Incense developed by the ancestor of the Tao Family, Ascendant Master Nanshan, while he was alive could quickly restore one’s weary Divine Soul and bring about a pleasant mood.
Not only that, but it also allowed cultivators to instantly enter a meditative state while adjusting their breathing.
An incense that seemed to have an average effect, but had a miraculous efficacy in helping cultivators restore their state.
A faint scent of chrysanthemums lingered at the nostrils.
Tao Wen sure is thoughtful!
Luo Chen no longer paid attention to the Leisurely Fragrance and instead focused on the two Pill Formulas in his hand.
The second and third rounds were both about refining elixirs.
The difficulty of the two elixirs was not high.
Even for that Second Order Dustfall Pill, Luo Chen could easily refine it after beginning with the system.
"Thus, the next two rounds pose no difficulty for me."
"Others, even Dan Yangzi with his terrifying talent in the Dao of Alchemy, had spent the previous half-month fatigued from the continuous battles and had little time to study the Pill Formulas, so they can’t possibly be my rivals."
"In that case, my only opponent is myself!"
...
The second round of the Pill Refinement Competition allowed very short rest periods.
But since Luo Chen was the first to finish, he had a full hour to rest.
When he stepped onto the Pill Refinement stage again, fully energized, he clearly noticed that a small half of the Pill Refiners were not in their best condition.
"They haven’t rested enough!"
While he was assessing others, they were naturally observing him as well.
After all, he was the outright winner of the first round!
And he was a Rogue Pill Refiner without any significant lineage.
To defeat them in such a public manner, how could he not attract attention?
Dan Yangzi gave Luo Chen a glance before impassively focusing on the pile of materials in front of him.
He was ready to refine on his own.
Xuan Yunzi, on the other hand, was unhurried and even nodded at Luo Chen in a friendly manner, seemingly unaffected.
He had finished the competition third in the previous round.
After stepping down, He Yuanqing didn’t criticize him much.
The fact had proven that his decision to scrap the previously mishandled materials and start over was the right one.
He Yuanqing couldn’t berate him too much in front of others.
It was Huang Hezi, though,
who was now bowing his head, his anger burning inside with no outlet.
In the last round, he had only managed to rank sixth.
When he stepped down, although Shangguan Yan didn’t reprimand him harshly, the questioning looks in others’ eyes were more unbearable than being slapped.
"I absolutely cannot lose this time!"
"That Dan Chenzi is arrogantly self-assured, actually refining alone without asking for assistance. I shall certainly overpower him!"