"Brother Chen, you're so awesome!" As they stepped out of the Shenli Palace, Mu Gaoqi was practically glowing with excitement, clearly thrilled by the fact that Jiang Chen had won the selection tournament.
Jiang Chen remained calm. With his depth of knowledge in alchemy, winning a selection tournament was simply as it should be.
"Hmph, getting fat early doesn't count—what matters is who gets fat last. What good is being selection tournament champion? The Supreme Caves require real talent in the finals. What's the point of showing off in the selection?"
Behind them came a cold, cutting voice of mockery — the grating tone of Linghu Feng once again.
Mu Gaoqi sneered: "Oh please, Linghu Feng. If you're so capable, why didn't you win the selection tournament? Don't tell me you're just seething with jealousy?"
Linghu Feng's gaze darkened as he stared at Mu Gaoqi: "Well, well, Mu Gaoqi — I couldn't tell you had it in you. You've grown quite the backbone! Believe me, I can make sure you can't survive in Danxia Valley."
Hearing this, Jiang Chen didn't even wait for Mu Gaoqi to respond. He raised a hand to cut Mu Gaoqi off and said coldly: "That, I truly don't believe."
"Jiang Chen, don't get cocky either! I know you have people backing you, but you're just a country bumpkin — trying to throw your weight around in Danqian Palace? You're still too green!"
With Jiang Chen, Linghu Feng didn't dare say something like "I'll make sure you can't survive." He could only glare viciously at Mu Gaoqi with a "just you wait" expression.
Mu Gaoqi was no longer the pushover he used to be. He wasn't intimidated by Linghu Feng's bluster either, simply giving a cold smirk and an indifferent shrug in the face of Linghu Feng's threats.
At that moment, several other core disciples emerged as well. Jiang Chen had no interest in putting on a public spectacle alongside the likes of Linghu Feng, and departed gracefully with Mu Gaoqi.
Linghu Feng watched their retreating backs, cursing under his breath: "One spineless worm and one backcountry hick — what a disgrace to our Danqian Palace."
Someone suddenly strolled over from the side and smiled leisurely: "Linghu, if you look down on them so much, why are you so obviously worked up about them? Could it be that you're actually feeling a little insecure?"
"Ouyang Chao, what do you mean by that?" When Linghu Feng saw that it was Ouyang Chao — the top favorite in the Supreme Caves' alchemy competition — who had just thrown that barb, he flew into a rage.
Ouyang Chao spoke casually: "I don't mean anything by it. I'm just saying, if you're feeling insecure, you might as well withdraw now."
"Bullshit! What would I be insecure about? I'm an orthodox disciple of the Herbal Hall — how could I possibly compare to some backcountry hick? Or to a spineless coward like Mu Gaoqi?"
"Is that so? I can't say much about Mu Gaoqi, but I have a feeling that Jiang Chen is quite likely to secure one of the Supreme Caves." Ouyang Chao's tone was unhurried.
Linghu Feng grew even more displeased: "Hmph! The way you talk, as if he's not your competitor at all. Aren't you worried he might threaten your position?"
Ouyang Chao shrugged: "I don't mind. If he really is stronger than me, I'll just compete for the second slot. If two people end up better than me, then I'll accept that I'm not good enough and keep working hard."
Linghu Feng was seething. He knew Ouyang Chao was just dishing out hollow words. Even if Jiang Chen surpassed him, Ouyang Chao could still compete for another cave.
But if that happened, there would be nothing left for Linghu Feng.
His gaze flickered and landed on a young girl. He smiled insidiously: "Junior Sister Ling, this Jiang Chen is acting so arrogant — he's clearly slapping both of us in the face. He's someone who didn't even make the top five favorites, yet he's this domineering. It's obviously a provocation aimed at you and me."
The girl was petite in stature, and her face had a baby-fat quality to it that made her look both adorable and endearing. If one looked only at her face and not at the impressively full figure that even her core disciple robes couldn't conceal, no one would have guessed she was already eighteen or nineteen years old.
This girl was none other Ling Huier — one of the favorites in this alchemy competition. Among the alchemists of Danxia Valley, she was quite famous, and not merely for her talent in alchemy, but also for her youthful, doll-like appearance.
That figure of hers only added to the attention, making many male disciples in Danxia Valley drool at the sight of her.
"Senior Brother Linghu, Hueri has no grudge against Senior Brother Jiang Chen. He has no reason to provoke me." Ling Huier made a little face at him, then turned and walked away with a smile.
Clearly, Ling Huier had not been riled by Linghu Feng's clumsy attempt at manipulation.
Linghu Feng looked around at the smiles on everyone else's faces, each carrying a trace of mockery. In that instant, he had become the laughingstock.
…
"Gaoqi, this Linghu Feng is a petty schemer. Come stay at my cave tonight — I have some alchemical insights I'd like to share with you."
Mu Gaoqi was overjoyed at the invitation. By now, he already regarded Jiang Chen with near-reverence. Being invited to stay at his cave naturally thrilled him — he understood it meant Jiang Chen truly valued him.
"That would be wonderful — I couldn't ask for more." Mu Gaoqi had also been worried that Linghu Feng might pull some dirty trick during the night to disrupt his rest, or use other methods against him. That would not be good news for him at all.
Though Palace Master Dan Chi had made it clear that anyone caught cheating would be dealt with severely, there were still some things one had to guard against.
Back at Jiang Chen's cave, Jiang Chen settled things in. Mu Gaoqi had long been a frequent visitor to Jiang Chen's cave, so no one found his presence unusual.
As for Jiang Chen, upon seeing Gouyu and the others, he was quite shocked.