125: Chapter 125 Ye Qingxian explodes in the furnace, Nangong Ziyi wins the championship!

The next day at the hour of the dragon, the main square of Holy Pill City.

Only one Alchemy stage remained for the finals, located in the very center of the square.

There were only seven people standing on the stage.

Nangong Ziyi, Ye Qingxian.

The Yaochi Holy Land Alchemy Genius and Senior Sister, Liu Ruyan.

Taichu Holy Land True Disciple, Wang Tengfei.

The Genius of the Central Plains Loose Cultivator circle, Li Changsheng.

And the two outstanding talents of the Alchemy Tower's younger generation, Qin Hao and Su Mu.

On the high platform, Yu Yao sat in the center, her voice as clear and cold as a spring, spreading across the entire venue:

"The topic for the final is to prepare your own Materials and refine a Sixth-Rank King-Grade Medicinal Pill. The time limit is six hours. Begin!"

Sixth-Rank King-Grade.

This was a threshold that many older generation Alchemists struggled to touch their entire lives, yet it had become the exam question for this group of young Prodigies.

The seven people opened their furnaces at the same time.

Ye Qingxian gritted her teeth and took out a large pile of medicinal herbs emitting astonishing Spiritual Qi from her storage ring.

With a pat of her small hand, the imitation heavenly emperor cauldron emitted a dull roar, and crimson gold flames rose.

She wanted to win. To bring honor to her Revered Master, she chose the most difficult Sixth-Rank Peak-Grade Medicinal Pill—the Creation Soul-Returning Pill.

The herbs were added one by one, and the Spiritual Qi inside the cauldron became violent.

But after all, she was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Her cultivation foundation at the Early Stage of the Xiantai Realm and her Divine Sense control appeared stretched to the limit when facing the Sixth-Rank extreme medicinal power.

Three hours later, it was time for the final step of pill formation and Fusion.

The medicinal liquids collided wildly inside the cauldron, and two completely opposing medicinal powers went completely out of control.

Hum—

The heavenly emperor cauldron let out a violent roar, and the lid was suddenly blown off.

Boom! It exploded directly!

Violent black smoke and medicinal dregs instantly engulfed the spot where Ye Qingxian was.

When the black smoke dispersed, Ye Qingxian stood there dazed. Her originally fair and delicate little face was now black as a piece of charcoal, and a lock of her prized twin tails was even scorched, emitting a few wisps of blue smoke.

The whole venue was quiet for a moment.

Ye Qingxian's eyes turned red, and her mouth pouted.

She turned and jumped off the Alchemy stage, her short legs running straight toward Lu Chen outside the arena.

"Revered Master!"

She dove into Lu Chen's arms, her two blackened little hands clutching his waist tightly, burying her face in his chest, sobbing with grievance.

"Wuwuwu, Revered Master, I blew it up, I didn't successfully refine the pill, and I've become ugly..."

She cried while rubbing against Lu Chen's dark-colored robe.

Lu Chen looked down at the large black stain that had appeared on his chest, his mouth twitching twice.

But he didn't push her away.

Lu Chen sighed, raised his hand, and gently wiped away the thick black ash on her cheek with his thumb, revealing the fair and tender skin underneath.

"It's okay. You are still young, it's normal for your foundation to be insufficient." His voice carried a gentleness he hadn't even noticed himself.

"Exploding the furnace is a necessary path for an Alchemist, but remember, if you feel the cauldron is about to explode in the future, just throw it away and shout 'Careful, grenade!' or 'fire in the hole,' so you won't get hurt."

Ye Qingxian was covered in tear stains. Although she didn't understand the nonsense her Revered Master was saying at all, she still nodded obediently.

A golden light flashed at Lu Chen's fingertips, and he cast a Dust Removal Art. The black ash and filth on both of them instantly dissipated, and even her scorched hair returned to its original state.

Ye Qingxian sniffled, wrapped her hands around Lu Chen's neck, crossed her legs, and hung onto him like a koala.

Then, taking advantage of the momentum, she hopped up and sat steadily on Lu Chen's left shoulder.

Lu Chen rolled his eyes, but still extended his left hand to support her slender lower legs, letting her fair, tender feet rest against his chest.

After all, his little Disciple had just failed the competition and her self-esteem was hurt, so he had to take care of her mental health.

Standing to the side, Ji Ziyue was holding a fruit plate. Watching Ye Qingxian's brazen actions, she nearly crushed a purple crystal grape in her hand.

She bit her red lips, her phoenix eyes full of envy.

Next time, she would also find a way to sit in that position—no, sitting in his arms would be better.

On the Alchemy stage, the competition continued.

Yaochi's Liu Ruyan was the first to successfully refine a pill. A cold aura overflowed, and the Sixth-Rank [Water Moon Clear Heart Pill] came out of the furnace.

Immediately after, Taichu Holy Land's Wang Tengfei let out a long howl. Purple Qi came from the east in the cauldron, and the Sixth-Rank [Taichu Purple Qi Pill] was refined.

The Loose Cultivator Li Changsheng was covered in sweat. He slapped the Pill Furnace, and the vibrant Sixth-Rank [Withered Wood Meets Spring Pill] flew out.

The Alchemy Tower's Qin Hao and Su Mu retracted their fire almost simultaneously, and two Sixth-Rank [Six Harmonies Spirit Gathering Pills] spun around.

The five people formed pills, triggering five thunderclouds.

On the high platform, Alchemy Tower Elder Qin Cangsong snorted coldly. His Quasi-Emperor aura erupted, and with a wave of his large sleeve, powerful Spiritual Qi surged into the sky, scattering all five of the budding pill thunders.

This demonstrated the foundation of the Alchemy Tower and also allowed the five Geniuses to breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, only Nangong Ziyi remained on the stage.

She was two years older than Ye Qingxian and more experienced. Her Heavenly Yin Fire God Physique, combined with the Nanyun Li Fire True Art, had reached the realm of perfection in fire control.

The dark blue flames jumped steadily at the bottom of the furnace, and the liquid Fusion proceeded without a ripple.

"Condense!"

Nangong Ziyi shouted coldly and slapped the furnace wall with her palm.

Boom!

The sky suddenly darkened. This time, the thundercloud was even larger than any of the previous five combined. Purple-black thunder rolled within the clouds, emitting a destructive aura.

Sixth-Rank Peak-Grade Pill Thunder!

Qin Cangsong's expression changed. Just as he was about to strike, he discovered that the thunderous might had locked onto the Alchemy stage. If he were to force a strike, it would likely trigger an even greater backlash.

Nangong Ziyi raised her head, her peach-blossom eyes watching the thunder pressing down, and she did not flinch.

Just at the moment the thunder was about to strike.

Lu Chen moved.

He didn't even put down Ye Qingxian from his shoulder.

His left hand was still supporting Ye Qingxian's little feet, and with a flash of his figure, he appeared directly beside Nangong Ziyi.

He looked up at the violent purple thunder striking down.

His right hand casually lifted upward, fingers spread, pressing toward the Void Realm.

"Go back."

Two understated words.

There was no earth-shattering collision of Spiritual Qi, only an absolute crushing by Law.

That bucket-thick purple thunder was like being gripped by the throat by an invisible giant hand, forced to stop in mid-air.

Then, in the stunned gaze of the entire audience, Lu Chen's palm suddenly pushed upward.

The violent pill thunder actually rolled backward and was pressed directly back into the tribulation cloud by him.

Bang!

The entire tribulation cloud was like a popped balloon, instantly dissipating, leaving clear skies for ten thousand miles.

Lu Chen withdrew his hand and looked at Nangong Ziyi, his mouth pulling into a perfunctory smile: "Congratulations, congratulations, first place in the tournament."

Nangong Ziyi held the Sixth-Rank [Nine Yang Profound Fire Pill] that emitted nine pill patterns, but she didn't look at the Medicinal Pill.

Her peach-blossom eyes stared at Ye Qingxian, who was sitting on Lu Chen's shoulder with her fair feet resting on Lu Chen's chest.

At that moment, in Nangong Ziyi's eyes, the jealousy was almost spitting out fire.

Why does she get this treatment even after blowing up the furnace?!

Sixth-Rank Peak-Grade, Nine Yang Profound Fire Pill, the quality completely crushed the Alchemy Tower's two outstanding talents, and even surpassed all the famous Geniuses present.

On the high platform, Yu Yao slowly stood up, her gaze sweeping over Lu Chen and finally landing on Nangong Ziyi.

"The winner of this Alchemy Tournament is Nangong Ziyi!"

She waved her jade hand, and a purple gold token engraved with a Pill Furnace and a storage ring filled with Heaven And Earth Treasure landed steadily in Nangong Ziyi's hand.

"Bestowed with the Alchemy Tower Honorary Elder status token and the winner's reward."

Nangong Ziyi took the items, and the jealousy on her face instantly turned into triumph.

She walked quickly to Lu Chen, deliberately puffing out her chest, and dangled the purple gold token in front of Lu Chen's eyes.

"Senior, look, I got first place."

Her voice carried a hint of coquettishness seeking praise, while her peripheral vision provocatively glanced at Ye Qingxian on Lu Chen's shoulder.

Just as Lu Chen was about to say a few perfunctory words, a crisp loli voice suddenly sounded in his mind.