When Elder Yunnie walked over,
Earlier, facing the bullying from
Truthfully, Shen Qinghong really had no way to fight back.
In terms of martial cultivation, he was no match for Zhu Feiyang and Wang Han.
In terms of alchemy results, he was no match for Wei Qing.
If he tried to win through verbal sparring, there was no possible outcome other than suffering even greater humiliation.
And yet, at that moment, it was
Shen Qinghong had never known what gratitude felt like, but in that moment, he felt something stir deep inside. In the end, fellow disciples were truly more useful. When it mattered most, not a single one of those so-called friends he had cultivated had stepped forward to help him.
Instead, it was Jiang Chen—who had always been on bad terms with him—who had stood up.
And now, once again, Elder Yunnie's arrival had prompted those people to withdraw with enough sense not to linger.
Elder Yunnie was also not someone Shen Qinghong was fond of—after all, Elder Yunnie and his martial arts teacher, Elder Liancheng, had once had a public quarrel.
Yet these two people he normally disliked had, today, pulled him out of an embarrassing situation.
Elder Yunnie's expression appeared somewhat grave.
"How did you all perform?" Elder Yunnie's gaze carried a hint of inquiry. He looked at Shen Qinghong first, since he was the chief disciple of Danqian Palace.
"My performance in the second round wasn't ideal—I only identified five or six materials. The third round, the actual refinement, probably won't earn a perfect score either." At this point, Shen Qinghong didn't dare hold anything back.
"Gaoqi, what about you?" Elder Yunnie skipped over Jiang Chen and asked
Mu Gaoqi smiled: "I feel I did quite well. I refined a Saint-grade high-tier pill, and by luck managed to produce one of superior quality—I should be able to earn a perfect score. In the second round, I only failed to identify two materials; everything else was correct."
"Oh? How do you know everything else was correct?" Elder Yunnie asked with a smile.
"Chen Shao told me."
Elder Yunnie and the other elders all turned to look at Jiang Chen, their gazes tinged with mild surprise.
Elder Yunnie chuckled: "Jiang Chen, you've become the answer key yourself. That Heavenly Heart Nirvana Pill—you really identified it?"
Before Jiang Chen could even speak, Mu Gaoqi leapt to his feet: "It really was the Heavenly Heart Nirvana Pill? Haha, Chen Shao, you're incredible!"
With Mu Gaoqi's outburst, the elders fell silent, exchanging glances. There was no need to ask further—Mu Gaoqi's words had already given them the answer.
Elder Yunnie sighed: "This time, the elder group has encountered formidable opponents. Based on my assessment, the elder group's overall performance likely won't hold onto first place. That's why we need your genius group to pull up the total score and defend our overall ranking."
Of the elders in the elder group, aside from Elder Yunnie's solid performance, the other three had delivered only average results—nothing outstanding.
If the genius group performed no better, then Danqian Palace's streak of Illusory Wave Mountain Alchemy Competition championships would surely be snatched away by another sect.
This was the one outcome Elder Yunnie least wanted to see.
In the end, Elder Yunnie turned his gaze to Jiang Chen. Clearly, he knew that Jiang Chen was the main event. If Jiang Chen could claim the genius group championship, it would earn an extra hundred points.
Only then would Danqian Palace have any hope of holding onto the top position in the overall standings.
Jiang Chen understood what was weighing on Elder Yunnie's mind and gave him a confident, assured smile.
Seeing Jiang Chen's confident smile, Elder Yunnie let out a long breath of relief. Although he knew Jiang Chen was his ace, if Jiang Chen performed poorly in the fourth round, the genius group individual championship could still be lost.
Elder Yunnie had originally been determined to claim the individual championship for the elder group, but an elder from the Carefree Sect who possessed a Heavenly Fire had appeared out of nowhere, completely throwing his plans into disarray and casting a shadow over Elder Yunnie's chances.
If the elder group lost the individual championship, they would forfeit the extra hundred-point bonus.
And if the genius group also failed to secure the individual championship bonus, Danqian Palace's overall ranking would be in serious trouble.
Jiang Chen had every reason to be confident. In this alchemy competition, aside from one pill recipe supplement in the first round where he wasn't entirely certain, everything else was solid.
He could already be a hundred percent certain of claiming the championship, and his lead over second place would surely be substantial.
Several elders from the Carefree Sect also arrived together.
These old fogeys looked like ancient trees greeted by spring—every one of their faces was brimming with triumphant vitality. Clearly, they were extremely satisfied with their performance.
They were brimming with confidence about seizing the championship throne from Danqian Palace.
At the very least, they could be certain that the Carefree Sect elder group's performance had surpassed the Danqian Palace elder group's overall results.
Now, it all depended on whether the genius groups could deliver.
As long as the Carefree Sect's genius group didn't fall behind Danqian Palace's, the Carefree Sect would surely overshadow Danqian Palace and claim the championship in one fell swoop.
This would be a historic moment.
Even if the genius group fell short of Danqian Palace, as long as the gap in total score was within two hundred points, they were still confident!