Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Great Reversal (3)

Han Feng gazed at Liu Lanzhi standing proudly on the stage, her robes fluttering as if she might drift away on the breeze. The fervor in his eyes could no longer be concealed. His little junior sister had grown up—on her own stage, she was finally blossoming with a beauty and pride that belonged to her alone...

Such an outstanding, beautiful, and intelligent woman—who could possibly be worthy of her? Only I, Han Feng, am fit to possess her. Only I deserve to stand by her side. Our talents are equally extraordinary, our youth equally promising; only I can give her the happiness she seeks...

The pill appraiser had barely finished assessing Liu Lanzhi’s elixir when, before the excited crowd had even calmed, someone else announced the completion of their concoction.

All eyes turned to the delicate, shy young girl—she who had already succeeded in refining a top-grade pill. The crowd couldn’t help but wonder: this girl, whose talent for alchemy was so remarkable as to be frightening, what result would she achieve this time?

The Old Whitehead, seeing Ge Erlan declare her success, looked at Miao Shilin with a smiling gaze. “Brother Miao, I hope you’ll give serious thought to my earlier proposal. Your disciple Liu Lanzhi is truly a prodigy in alchemy. With my guidance, she is sure to become a great talent in the future…”

But when Old Whitehead saw Miao Shilin’s mocking expression, he understood all too well what Miao Shilin meant. Shaking his head, Old Whitehead enunciated each word: “Brother Miao, do you really think a mere Great Fetus Pill will block my Lan’er’s path? Let me be honest: barring any accidents, no matter which top-tier yellow-grade pill it is, Ge Erlan will, without exception, refine it to first-class perfection. That is her true talent—so daunting it borders on despair.”

What—could Ge Erlan truly be so formidable? The entire Miao family was taken aback. Even Miao Shilin looked at Old Whitehead with a somber expression—how could this be? Ge Erlan was just a little girl! Yet, seeing the utter confidence on Old Whitehead’s face, he began to waver.

Old Whitehead noticed Miao Shilin’s intense gaze and gave a cold snort. “What? You don’t believe me? Then you’d best keep your eyes open for what comes next.” Clearly, Old Whitehead was speaking the truth. He wouldn’t tell such an easily exposed lie—not in front of so many people. For all his shamelessness, he would never slap his own face in public.

Ge Erlan’s pill was handed to the appraiser, while the Miao family felt their hearts sink. What must come would come—there was no escape. With such a trump card in their ranks, the Medicine Garden House would surely crush all opposition; any resistance was futile before absolute strength.

“Top-grade yellow-tier elixir, quality class C.”

What? Did they hear that right? Not only were the Miao family members shocked—even those from the Medicine Garden House were stunned. How could Ge Erlan, of all people, have produced a class C pill? Was it a lack of time? But there was no time limit in this contest. Judging from the speed she finished, Ge Erlan actually finished ahead of schedule.

“Then what was the reason? With Ge Erlan’s focus, her skill, there’s no reason for her to produce a class C pill…”

“Yet the result is clear: she produced a class C pill. Before the facts, any argument is pointless, nothing but empty words.” Han Feng sneered instantly, glancing at the speaker. “Did you really think Ge Erlan could compare to my junior sister? Is that even possible? My little junior sister is a true phoenix among people. Ge Erlan is decent, but there’s still a great gap between her and my junior sister.”

“...”

“So—nothing more to say? Even if you regret it now, it’s too late. Remember well: Ge Ermu’s right arm belongs to us. We’ll feed it to the dogs. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!” Han Feng laughed wildly, certain of victory.

The Miao family’s spirits revived, and they nodded in agreement with Han Feng’s words—he was as eloquent as ever. Even Lu Haitang, usually so gentle, gave a nod; at last, Han Feng was speaking sense.

The audience was in an uproar once more. They didn’t care about class C or B. In their eyes, anyone who could refine a Great Fetus Pill was a master—these pills had not appeared in thousands of years, and now there were two. It was madness.

The Fairy Doctor’s expression was grim as she looked at Ge Erlan and Liu Lanzhi, overcome by a sense of helplessness. She had thought Ge Erlan alone would be a challenge, never imagining another like Liu Lanzhi would appear. Though she might manage to refine a Great Fetus Pill herself, could she achieve a first-class one? Clearly not—if she had that ability, why would she have lived in seclusion for a hundred years?

Ge Ermu had also believed Ge Erlan had victory in hand. But fate had other plans; against all odds, Ge Erlan lost to Liu Lanzhi. Ge Ermu’s face darkened—he had a wager with the Miao Manor. If he surrendered now, would he really have to cut off his right arm? Wouldn’t that make him the laughingstock of the competition?

Did he really have to play his final card? Ge Ermu glanced at the crowd. If he did, the Medicine Garden House’s greatest secret would be exposed...

He was deeply conflicted—he didn’t want to reveal his secret, yet he couldn’t bear to lose to the Miao family for no reason...

Judging from the current results, the Miao Manor had performed exceptionally. If they didn’t seize this chance, it was likely the Miao family would become famous throughout Ji Prefecture, perhaps even surpassing the Medicine Garden House in reputation. After all, two of the top five came from the Miao family, and they even had a “champion”...

Suddenly, Ge Ermu’s aura shifted, waves of overwhelming spiritual pressure radiating from him. In his palm, a ball of blue fire appeared—so blue it was almost terrifying, like the king of all flames, radiating dazzling brilliance.

Beneath the arena, Master Zhang Wanli’s eyes were fixed on the blue flame. His pupils contracted—it was alchemical fire, possessed only by masters of the Core Formation stage.

Ge Ermu had hidden himself well—somehow, he had reached the Core Formation stage. Clearly, the Medicine Garden House was far from simple. Even a master of this level had concealed himself, and if not for Liu Lanzhi’s unexpected rise, he probably wouldn’t have chosen to reveal himself now.

The crowd was hushed—an alchemist of the Core Formation stage was a rare sight in Ji Prefecture. If not for this grand contest of Great Fetus Pills, even with two lower-grade treasure weapons offered as prizes, it would have been nearly impossible to lure such a master to display their skills.

After all, Core Formation alchemists were incredibly rare, especially those capable of refining the Great Fetus Pill. They stood a good chance of becoming second-tier alchemists—a legendary status in Ji Prefecture.

To witness such a master at work in a public competition—how could the audience not be thrilled? Of course, the Miao Manor felt only shock and despair. With a Core Formation alchemist on the field, who could contend? With alchemical fire, the quality of the pills could leap several grades with ease.

As expected, everything unfolded as predicted. With the aid of alchemical fire, Ge Ermu steadily refined the top-grade yellow-tier Great Fetus Pill, and its quality reached the rare first-class—surpassing Liu Lanzhi.

The outcome was now clear. Che Wuyou had withdrawn, while the Fairy Doctor, though still at her cauldron, wore a dark expression—her hopes were clearly dashed.

In a single day, three Great Fetus Pills had appeared in Ji Prefecture—too wild to believe. Even Master Zhang was astonished, never imagining that the alchemy tournament he initiated would yield not just two prodigies, but also a master of the Core Formation stage.

Even more unexpected was to see, in one sitting, three Great Fetus Pills, a rarity in a thousand years. Wasn’t it said these pills were almost impossible to make? When did they become so common?

The value of three Great Fetus Pills was immense—one could not be exchanged even for a lower-grade treasure weapon. So, the people of the Profound Azure Sect immediately secured all three pills—these were treasures, especially the first-class one, which could save the life of a Core Formation cultivator.

Che Wuyou remained lost in a state of perfect concentration, unaware that the others had already given up on him. He had never felt such wonder—alchemy had never been like this before. Though his eyes were closed, he was intimately aware of every change within the cauldron, every detail of the pill’s formation. It was as if he could see it all.

He “watched” each ingredient merge, each fusion, each adjustment of the flame and temperature, all with effortless control—everything progressing perfectly, everything within his grasp.

Time passed as the crowd waited in anticipation for the Fairy Doctor’s comeback, but they were ultimately disappointed. Having been the first to finish in both previous rounds, the Fairy Doctor now seemed utterly defeated—silent, her pride gone.

She represented the old generation of alchemists in Ji Prefecture—was she truly finished, conceding to the young?

Perhaps it was inevitable. With three Great Fetus Pills already present, could anyone really expect a fourth from her? That would be too miraculous, too wild to imagine.

“I have finished my pill as well.” Just as the crowd watched the Fairy Doctor, hoping for a miracle, Che Wuyou finally announced, in a dazed voice, that he had completed his concoction...

All eyes turned to Che Wuyou in disbelief. He had finished? Was it possible? What had he managed to create?