“The eighth spiritual plant: Luo'e Grass.”
“The ninth spiritual plant: Jade Face Ganoderma.”
“The tenth spiritual plant: Seven-Star Wind-Welcoming Grass.”
...
With each plant Association President Yin Shixiu announced, anywhere from a few to dozens of alchemists walked down the high stage with crestfallen expressions.
For them, this Alchemy Exchange Conference grand competition had come to an end.
Among them, some were still young and secretly resolved to work harder for the next conference. Others were already approaching the fifty-year age limit; knowing this was their last chance, they could only let out lonely sighs and remain silent.
Such feelings were naturally foreign to favored children of heaven like Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu.
When the eleventh plant was announced, Yin Wenzhou, who had maintained a calm expression all along, experienced a subtle shift in his expression as he glanced awkwardly at the number token in his hand.
As if sensing something, Qin Qingmu looked up at him, the smile on her face deepening slightly.
As a Golden Core expert, Yin Shixiu possessed extraordinarily sharp divine sense. Furthermore, he had been keeping an eye on Yin Wenzhou all along. After announcing the eleventh spiritual plant, while waiting for the proctors to record the scores, he remarked indifferently:
“Among the one hundred and eighty-eight spiritual plants in the wooden box, Azure Lotus Flower and Spirit-Prompting Branch appear at first glance to be extremely similar in aura to this pill, making them the easiest to misidentify and select.”
Yin Wenzhou was raised and taught by him personally, so Yin Shixiu knew his arrogant nature better than anyone. He had expected Yin Wenzhou wouldn't ponder deeply on this point and would easily make a mistake.
And that was indeed the case. Yin Wenzhou had made a mistake on the eleventh spiritual plant, having chosen the Azure Lotus Flower.
Looking at the two points deducted from his jade token, Yin Wenzhou's expression turned stormy.
The later the test stages went, the higher the points awarded, so losing two points was no big deal.
However... if he were bested by someone in the very first round, it would be thoroughly embarrassing.
Yin Wenzhou could not help frowning as he looked at Qin Qingmu—the only woman he considered a threat to his first-place title—and thought to himself:
“The final spiritual plant in this pill recipe is extremely difficult to identify. Fortunately, my master mentioned it to me multiple times, and a flash of inspiration hit me just now, allowing me to deduce it. But Qin Qingmu... she shouldn't be able to figure it out.”
Fewer and fewer alchemists remained on stage, so the proctors verified and recorded the scores faster and faster.
Amid various thoughts stirring in everyone's minds, Yin Shixiu announced the final spiritual plant.
Dozens more shook their heads in sighs as they walked down the stage.
Thus, those remaining on stage were the ones who had successfully passed the first round, totaling just over eleven hundred competitors.
Next to be announced would be their individual scores.
Shi Yu raised her head and looked around. Seeing several familiar faces still on stage, a smile touched her lips.
To her pleasant surprise, all the competitors from the Lingtai Prefecture Alchemist Association who had come with her passed the first round.
Below, Master Ji could not help chuckling. “With Little Yu'er shouldering the pressure out front this year, everyone kept their minds steady and performed quite well.”
President Song nodded in agreement.
The subsequent score announcement section was conducted by City Lord Qin Yu. According to the competition's tradition, only the top ten alchemists by score would be called out for each round.
By now, the proctors had compiled the final scores, stacked the top ten answer sheets together, and respectfully handed them to Qin Yu.
The answer sheets were stacked in ascending order of rank, from lowest to highest.
Qin Yu looked at the top paper—the tenth-place answer sheet—and read aloud: “Jiang Lin: nine correct, two wrong, one blank. Total: twenty-three points.”
Upon hearing his name, an alchemist stepped out excitedly as the shadow-recording stone focused on him. He bowed repeatedly toward the spectator stands, his face flushed red.
Qin Yu smiled and allowed the young man some time. Once the youth finished greeting the audience, Qin Yu moved the top sheet to the back and continued reading the next name, ninth place: “Gu Zeying: nine correct, one wrong, two blank. Total: twenty-five points.”
...
“I wonder if girl Yu can make it into the top ten.” Master Ji kept his eyes glued to the stage, his heart fluctuating as waves of cheers rose from the audience behind him.
A nearby elder chimed in with a sigh. “Seeing how Little Yu dragged things out until the very last moment, there's probably not much hope.”
President Song, however, was surprisingly open-minded. “It's her first time participating in such a grand event, so it's only normal if girl Yu felt stage fright or became flustered.”
With that, President Song forced a smile. “As long as she passed smoothly, that's enough. The main focus is still the alchemy test later on.” That was where the bulk of the points lay.
Qin Yu continued announcing the rankings, placing each top sheet to the back after reading it before moving to the next.
Finally, he saw a name he paid close attention to, and the smile in his eyes grew genuinely warmer. “Yin Wenzhou: eleven correct, one wrong. Total: thirty-one points.”
The spectator stands erupted into an uproar, and Association President Yin Shixiu's face darkened noticeably.
In the expectations of Qin Yu, Yin Shixiu, and others, the battle for first and second place was bound to be between Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu. Both were already Tier-3 alchemists, their alchemy skills vastly surpassing everyone else.
In contrast to Yin Shixiu, Qin Yu's expression could be described as joyful.
The ranks were being announced from lowest to highest. Now that Yin Wenzhou's name appeared first, it meant his own daughter was guaranteed to rank higher than him.
As for who was first and who was second, it was now abundantly clear.
Sure enough, turning to the next page revealed Qin Qingmu's answer sheet, just as expected.
Qin Yu announced with satisfaction: “Qin Qingmu: eleven correct, one blank. Total: thirty-three points.”
His voice grew noticeably louder as he announced it.
Just as Yin Wenzhou had thought, Qin Qingmu had indeed failed to deduce the final spiritual plant. However, she preferred leaving it blank over guessing wrong, choosing not to fill in what she was unsure of. Thus, despite both identifying eleven spiritual plants correctly, Qin Qingmu scored two points higher than Yin Wenzhou, placing her above him in the ranking.
Yin Wenzhou's face darkened instantly. However, realizing that countless eyes were watching him through the shadow-recording stone, he reverted back to his elegant and refined demeanor in a split second. Cupping his hands toward Qin Qingmu, he smiled. “Miss Qin, my congratulations.”
Achieving a triumphant start, Qin Qingmu was overjoyed, her smile growing even more charming and captivating. “Senior Brother Yin is too modest.”
Seeing such a beauty surpass the long-famed Yin Wenzhou, cheers echoed endlessly throughout the audience stands.
Qin Yu looked at his beloved daughter with deep gratification, feeling immensely proud.
He allowed the spectators to cheer, listening to the roaring waves of sound while watching his beautiful daughter bow graciously to the audience on all sides.
Beside him, Association President Yin Shixiu glanced at Qin Yu, thoroughly displeased.
Although the score in the first round meant little in the long run, it was still the beginning, and starting off on the wrong foot was truly... Yin Shixiu's expression darkened, and his whole body emitted a subtle pressure born of his displeasure.
The pressure radiating from a Golden Core expert instantly caused the knees of those nearby to buckle, their faces turning pale with dread.
Qin Yu chuckled softly and released his own pressure, neutralizing Yin Shixiu's.
The two exchanged a look. Though mutually repulsed by each other, they maintained outward pleasantries and simultaneously withdrew their gazes and pressure.
The spectators below naturally remained unaware of these covert clashes on stage.
The cheers continued unabated. On the shadow-recording stone, Qin Qingmu in her purple dress was striking and alluring, every smile and gesture tugging at heartstrings as she unabashedly radiated charm.
Until...
A proctor stepped forward hesitantly, coming beside Qin Yu, and nervously whispered, “Lord City Lord... underneath, there are still two papers you haven't read...”
“What?” Qin Yu froze, not immediately catching his meaning.
With a bitter expression, the proctor looked at the stack of answer sheets in his hands.
When Qin Yu announced the rankings earlier and saw Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu's names, he had instinctively assumed that was the end. But... who could have predicted that two dark horses would suddenly emerge in this grand competition?
The proctor stammered, repeating once more, “There are still two papers at the bottom that you haven't read.”
It took a good moment for Qin Yu to realize that he had indeed only read eight names.
So... it wasn't Yin Wenzhou in second and Qin Qingmu in first, but one in fourth and the other in third?
Having never envisioned such a possibility, even Yin Shixiu beside him was stunned, exchanging bewildered glances with him.
How could it be possible for anyone to score higher than Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu, who were Tier-3 alchemists? And... two people at that?
Yin Shixiu knit his brows tightly and stepped over quickly, urging Qin Yu, “What are you standing there for? Check whose paper is next.”
A few guesses couldn't help rising in his heart: could it be that some alchemist from the Hengze Prefecture Alchemist Association had accumulated strength over time and performed beyond expectations?
Other than that, Yin Shixiu really couldn't think of any other possibility. But if that were truly the case, it wasn't unacceptable—it was still better than someone from the City Lord's Mansion like Qin Qingmu taking first place.
Below, the crowd of spectators grew curious seeing the association president and the city lord standing together, delaying the announcement of the next stage.
Finally, someone realized: “Wait... weren't they announcing the top ten? So far, they've only read eight names!”
“Could there... be people after them?!”
The cheering gradually died down. Once the first person voiced this conjecture, doubts quickly spread through the crowd.
“Miss Qin isn't first, she's third! Someone else took first and second!”
“Now this is a good show!”
Such a turn of events was completely unexpected. Everyone eagerly waited to discover who these extraordinary figures were who had surpassed both Yin Wenzhou and Qin Qingmu.
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