Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 214: Chapter 214 Pill King Strongman Competition

”Qingchen! You have truly rendered a great service to our Qingyun Sect this time,” Vice Pavilion Master Liu said as he approached Ye Qingchen, barely able to hide his excitement. ”When we return, I will definitely report this to the Sect Master and see that you are handsomely rewarded.

”I honestly never expected that someone so young could reach the realm of a Fourth-grade Alchemist! On top of that, you can even refine a top-quality Bone Tempering Pill. With that alone, you’ve already surpassed most Fourth-grade Alchemists.”

Vice Pavilion Master Liu’s praise made Ye Qingchen blush slightly. ”It is all thanks to the guidance of Pavilion Master Zhang and Vice Pavilion Master Liu,” he replied humbly. ”Only then was I able to make such progress.”

This bit of flattery from Ye Qingchen made Vice Pavilion Master Liu laugh heartily.

However, at that very moment, a discordant voice cut in. ”It’s just a youth group championship. Is it really worth celebrating so much? Old Liu, with a mentality like yours, it’s no wonder you haven’t reached the realm of a Sixth-grade Pill King!”

Xiong Bin and Xiong Hai were leading the disciples of the Heavenly Profound Sect right past the Qingyun Sect’s rest area, and it was Xiong Bin who had jeered at them.

”You bastard! Xiong Bin, what did you just say?”

The fact that he had never reached the realm of a Sixth-grade Pill King was a constant source of pain for Vice Pavilion Master Liu. Xiong Bin’s remark hit a sore spot, and he roared back in anger.

Xiong Hai also sneered. ”It’s just a youth group championship. There are still the experts’ matches and mixed competitions to come. Aren’t you celebrating a bit too early? Don’t come crying when the final results are out and it’s too late!”

After saying their piece, Xiong Bin and Xiong Hai paid no mind to the enraged Vice Pavilion Master Liu and gracefully led their disciples away.

Pavilion Master Zhang patted his colleague’s shoulder. ”Words are useless. Defeating those guys fair and square is the only proper way.”

Vice Pavilion Master Liu nodded reluctantly, suppressing the urge to rush forward and settle the score with Xiong Bin and Xiong Hai.

With the day’s schedule concluded, Ye Qingchen could finally get a good night’s sleep and recover from his utter exhaustion.

「The next morning.」

Ye Qingchen, Pavilion Master Zhang, Vice Pavilion Master Liu, and the others arrived early at the venue for the grand Alchemy Dao competition.

Two matches were scheduled for today. The morning would feature the experts’ competition for Loose Cultivators, while the afternoon was reserved for the experts’ competition among the sects.

Ye Qingchen was thrilled. In both the Loose Cultivator and sect competitions, Alchemist Grandmasters of the Pill King realm would be competing themselves. Being able to closely observe these Pill Kings performing alchemy would undoubtedly lead to a great improvement in his own understanding of the Alchemy Dao.

The morning’s Loose Cultivator competition, headlined by the royal family’s number one Pill King, Ge Hongyang, and the top Pill King among Loose Cultivators, Chen Zhuo, was a truly splendid spectacle.

Watching the two Pill Kings’ miraculous techniques, Ye Qingchen felt completely dazzled. It was only with the help of his Dual Pupil Martial Soul that he could barely begin to make sense of their methods. Yet, even understanding a little was immensely beneficial for him. These were genuine Pill King powerhouses!

Ye Qingchen continuously compared the two alchemists’ techniques with the legacy of Pill King Fen Tian stored in his mind. All three had their own merits, but as the saying goes, all paths lead to the same destination; their techniques shared some common ground. Ye Qingchen focused on these similarities, steadily accumulating new insights.

This was something only he could do. If it were any other Fourth-grade Alchemist, they would be lucky to even clearly see the Pill Kings’ movements, let alone learn anything.

Moreover, Pavilion Master Zhang and Vice Pavilion Master Liu now fully recognized Ye Qingchen’s talent. Knowing he possessed the Fen Tian Earth Fire, they were even more convinced that his future achievements would surpass their own. Therefore, as the two Pill Kings competed on the stage, Pavilion Master Zhang and Vice Pavilion Master Liu took the time to explain the various marvels of the techniques on display to Ye Qingchen.

This allowed Ye Qingchen to better understand the difference between a powerhouse Pill King and himself.

Ye Qingchen was already a Fourth-grade Alchemist and could even refine the notoriously difficult Fourth-grade Bone Tempering Pill. One more step and he would reach the Fifth-grade realm, where he would also be granted the title of Pill King. For this reason, he watched with exceptional focus, nodding repeatedly at the explanations from Pavilion Master Zhang and Vice Pavilion Master Liu and committing everything to heart.

Ye Qingchen spent the entire morning utterly captivated. When the match finally ended, he was left feeling that it had finished all too soon.

In the end, the royal family’s number one Pill King, Ge Hongyang, proved to be a cut above the rest and won the championship. Chen Zhuo, the top Loose Cultivator Pill King, had to settle for second place by a very narrow margin.

Vice Pavilion Master Liu patted Ye Qingchen’s shoulder and said with a smile, ”Qingchen, take a rest. There are more matches this afternoon. You’ll have plenty to watch.”

Ye Qingchen rubbed his slightly sore eyes. He had been fully utilizing his Dual Pupil Martial Soul all morning and was quite fatigued. Hearing Vice Pavilion Master Liu’s words, he nodded and sat down.

”Vice Pavilion Master Liu, how are your preparations?” Pavilion Master Zhang asked, turning to his colleague.

Vice Pavilion Master Liu nodded with confidence. ”Don’t worry, Pavilion Master Zhang. I have been immersed in the Fifth-grade Pill King realm for many years. That Xiong Hai only recently advanced to the Sixth-grade. It’s not yet certain who will emerge victorious!”

Pavilion Master Zhang smiled faintly, but a flicker of worry, almost imperceptible, crossed his eyes.

After a brief rest, the afternoon matches were about to begin. Each of the ten great sects sent two Pill King powerhouses to compete. The sight of twenty Pill King powerhouses gathered in one place was truly terrifying.

Ye Qingchen inwardly prayed for Pavilion Master Zhang and Vice Pavilion Master Liu. If the two of them could win this match, the Qingyun Sect would have victory in the overall sect competition firmly in its grasp.

At that moment, Li Zongrui sat down beside Ye Qingchen and, in a rare gesture, offered him praise. ”Ye Qingchen, you did well yesterday. This Young Sect Master is very pleased.”

Ye Qingchen glanced at him and retorted with a purse of his lips, ”Thank you for your praise, Young Sect Master. But in the future, when you go out to show off, could you please not drag me into it?”

Ye Qingchen was still holding a grudge. Li Zongrui had used his name to ridicule Cheng Zhibin before the competition. Then, after Ye Qingchen won the championship yesterday, Li Zongrui had cornered Cheng Zhibin and humiliated him so badly that he fled in disarray.

Li Zongrui scratched his head in embarrassment. ”I only said those things because this Young Sect Master had faith in you. Your reputation is soaring right now, so don’t be ungrateful!”

Ye Qingchen just smiled and didn’t say anything further, turning his gaze back to the twenty Pill King powerhouses on the stage. Why would he waste his breath on Li Zongrui when he could seize such a valuable learning opportunity?