Many of the elders were privately speculating along the same lines.
It was a plausible theory. The difficulty was extreme — perhaps he'd simply given up on quality and was racing for speed. If everyone ended up with similar scores, the one who finished earliest would hold the advantage.
"This
Clearly, turning in his answers at the halfway mark had thoroughly convinced these elders that Jiang Chen's work couldn't possibly be of high quality. They figured he was chasing the spotlight, sacrificing substance for speed. Such an approach was bound to hurt his scores.
Elder
If he dared hand in his paper this early, there had to be a reason.
But by the rules, no one could touch Jiang Chen's answer scroll before the other contestants finished the first round. Everyone had to complete their attempts first, and only then would the answer scrolls be collected and scored together.
Meanwhile, in Chamber Four,
Mu Gaoqi's heart was racing with excitement. Last night's extended practice session with Jiang Chen had yielded enormous gains. Two of the ancient pill recipes in the five-point section — Jiang Chen had touched on both of them.
It felt like pie falling from the heavens.
"Brother Chen, you really are my destined benefactor!" Mu Gaoqi was beside himself. "I won't miss a single point on the two-point and three-point questions. The earlier five-point questions shouldn't trip me up either. If I can get even two of the last three right, I'm guaranteed at least ninety-five points on this first round! Even
Given the circumstances, Mu Gaoqi would have been lying if he said he wasn't thrilled.
But he calmed down quickly. He knew this wasn't the time for celebration. The brightest smile belonged to the one who laughed last.
The very last question — an ancient pill recipe — left Mu Gaoqi completely stumped. He made his decision swiftly: skip it.
Rather than waste time here, he'd be better off reviewing his other answers. If everything checked out, he could turn in early and save precious time.
At this level of competition, scores could easily end up tied, with completion time determining the winner.
Since aligning himself with Jiang Chen, Mu Gaoqi's greatest gains — beyond his expanded alchemy knowledge and the baptism of the Wood Spirit Spring — had been the changes to his personality.
Once indecisive and constantly fretting over outcomes, he had developed a new edge of decisiveness and resolve.
Outside the examination hall, a quarter of an hour had passed since Jiang Chen handed in his paper, and not a single other contestant had emerged.
"Heh heh — gentlemen, who do you think will be the second to finish early?" One elder sparked a round of speculation.
"I'd guess it has to be Ouyang Chao, Elder Ouyang's grandson?"
"Mm, I'm backing Ouyang Chao too. After all, he's direct lineage of the Herbal Hall. From what I've seen, the boy has a steady mind and a solid theoretical foundation — he's got to be one of the frontrunners."
"Ha ha, you all think the same way I do — everyone's counting on Ouyang Chao."
Elder
He had never once doubted it.
Even if
As for Jiang Chen — the old man couldn't quite read him. But even if Jiang Chen snagged one spot, the other would inevitably fall to his grandson.
So Ouyang De sat back with serene confidence, a faintly smug smile on his face.
At that moment, a figure stepped out of one of the chambers.
"Hm?" Ouyang De's body jolted upright, because he was the first to realize — the silhouette was not his grandson at all, but someone else entirely.
This person looked noticeably younger than Ouyang Chao. Where Ouyang Chao radiated composed solemnity, this young man carried himself with an effortless, almost ethereal nonchalance.
His robes were distinctly Daoist in style, his hair gathered into a traditional topknot, and his entire bearing exuded an otherworldly air — an almost immortal quality.
"Mu Gaoqi?" An elder recognized him.
It had to be said: Mu Gaoqi's influence within the sect was genuinely modest. With no powerful backer in the Herbal Hall, he couldn't exactly call himself one of its inner circle.
Elder Yun Nie showed a flicker of surprise upon seeing Mu Gaoqi.
He knew the boy had been spending time with Jiang Chen recently and had heard the name before. But what caught him off guard wasn't Mu Gaoqi's speed — it was his bearing.
There was a peculiar immortal aura clinging to Mu Gaoqi, setting him apart from everyone else. Such a quality was virtually unheard of among the alchemy prodigies of Danqian Palace.
No wonder some of the palace's disciples had taken to calling him "Mu the Little Immortal." Clearly, this Mu Gaoqi was no simple character.
"Disciple Mu Gaoqi has completed the first round and requests entry to the second."
Mu Gaoqi had always been timid by nature, yet here he stood before a crowd of sect elders, perfectly steady, without a trace of stage fright.
"Hm? This Mu Gaoqi — normally he's so meek he can barely string a sentence together in front of the sect bigwigs. How is he so composed today, neither humble nor pushy?" Several elders exchanged surprised glances.
Elder Yun Nie found himself growing fonder of Mu Gaoqi with every passing moment. He nodded. "Someone come — escort him to the second round."
After Mu Gaoqi departed, the color had soured on Elder Ouyang De's aged face.
Everyone had been betting on Ouyang Chao, and Ouyang De had fully accepted that consensus. Yet the second person to emerge had been Mu Gaoqi — not his grandson.