On the roof of the opposite side, that dark purple figure had appeared at some unknown time.
Feng Yinwan looked up, and the moment their gazes met in mid-air, the corner of the person's lips curled upwards, and his already lazy posture relaxed even further.
It was Feng Wuxi.
After she had instructed him yesterday, he had left. She had initially thought he had already returned to Jinzhou with the Qi Ling Dan, but unexpectedly, he was still here.
Looking at him, it seemed as if he had come to spectate?
The competition continued. Feng Yinwan raised her eyebrows slightly and immediately withdrew her gaze.
With a release of her fingertips, the few medicinal ingredients fell into the cauldron. She watched the changes within, not a moment distracted.
The rarer the pill, the longer the refining process.
The time for a stick of incense was very limited. If it failed, there would be no time to try again. Therefore, for the sake of stability, most people chose more conservative pill formulas.
Even so, during the refining process, cauldron explosions still occurred frequently.
The old man watched from below, his heart in his throat. On stage, Feng Yinwan's expression remained unchanged.
San Mu, feeling anxious, could not help but speak first.
"Master, I saw that fellow disciple San Qing just took materials for refining high-grade pills. Refining high-grade pills is very complicated, perhaps it will be too much for her..."
He had never seen Feng Yinwan refine pills and was unsure, but before he could finish his worried sentence, the old man slapped him soundly, making his mouth go numb.
"Bah, bah, bah, don't jinx it! San Qing will surely succeed!"
His judgment could never be wrong!
San Mu covered his mouth, feeling extremely wronged.
"Master, even if Junior Sister has extraordinary strength and can refine high-grade pills, those materials..."
Don't you know the situation yourself!
Right, the old man had never intended for anyone to refine high-grade pills, so he had only let them add a little of the more expensive ingredients, and they were even inferior quality…
During pill refining, even a slight difference in heat could lead to failure, let alone such a significant difference in materials!
He was truly worried for San Qing.
The old man had completely forgotten about this. Reminded by him, he suddenly remembered, and his expression changed instantly.
"Oh no, I forgot about this!"
"Is it still in time for me to go up and give San Qing the materials now?"
San Shi nodded and earnestly instructed.
"Master, remember to be discreet, don't be too obvious."
He seemed to hesitate, then added, "Never mind, let San Mu go. I'm afraid you'll expose yourself."
Jian Ye, who had been completely ignored: "..."
I'm truly impressed by you old schemers!
"The three of you don't need to go to such lengths. Miss has practiced a secret technique for purifying medicinal herbs. Even with inferior products, it won't cause any impact!"
Besides, this is nothing. Miss has even refined heaven-grade pills before, so a mere high-grade pill is a piece of cake.
He spat out the word "inferior" with gritted teeth. The old man's eyes widened, but he only heard the first half of his sentence.
"What did you say? San Qing knows the secret technique of purifying medicinal herbs?!"
This was a high-level technique in pill refining, and even San Shi, the senior disciple, only knew the basics.
San Qing... she truly is his good disciple!
Jian Ye: Stay away from me!
Before he could speak, a faint fragrance began to spread around them.
The old man sniffed it quickly, his face filled with even greater surprise.
"This is... pill fragrance!"
It was the aroma unique to high-grade pills, and it smelled like a Heavenly Profound Pill.
And the source of the fragrance was the cauldron in front of Feng Yinwan!
There were quite a few connoisseurs present. Seeing this, they all turned their heads to look. In an instant, the atmosphere above the venue seemed to freeze.
Under numerous gazes, the slender figure's beautiful eyes were gently closed, her mind fully concentrated on controlling the medicine in the cauldron, her expression undisturbed.
The pill was only one step away from completion!
"Whoosh—"
From behind, two pebbles, controlled with fierce force, flew rapidly.
Their target was clearly the cauldron in front of Feng Yinwan.
"Stop!"
This attack was sudden and unexpected.
The moment the old man shouted, the pebbles were already close.
"San Shi, San Mu!"
They absolutely could not let San Qing's pill be destroyed!
The two of them had already rushed forward at their fastest speed, but there was still some distance from the spectator stands to the stage. It was too late to stop them.
Just as the pebbles were about to hit the cauldron, the woman who had closed her eyes suddenly opened them. With a slight movement of her fingertips in mid-air, two silver needles shot out.
Almost the instant the needle tips touched the pebbles, a jade buckle also fell. The two pebbles were instantly shattered.
The old man turned to look, his expression instantly sharp.
"Sect Master Feng truly visits uninvited."
Regarding the incident with the Ling Jiang Grass last time, he had some reservations about Feng Wuxi. This alchemy competition was held internally within the Immortal Medicine Sect.
His uninvited arrival showed a lack of regard for them.
However, considering he had helped San Qing just now, he would generously overlook it.
San Shi and San Mu: Master... are you sure it's not that you can't beat him?
Feng Wuxi had no intention of dodging at all.
After making his move, he flew down from the roof.
"Greetings, Elder Luo."
Well, that was somewhat respectful.
The old man nodded with satisfaction, then turned to look at the situation on stage.
Those two needles were thrown by Feng Yinwan during the brief interval of her forming her core.
Forming the core was the final step; if it were interrupted, it would be a complete failure.
Those two pebbles were deliberately thrown, and such malicious behavior violated the rules of the competition.
Knowing how to handle the situation, San Shi and San Mu landed and immediately headed towards the direction from which the pebbles were shot.
That location was occupied by a man whose cauldron had exploded and who had failed in his refining.
His trick exposed, the man's body stiffened as he attempted to escape, but San Shi and San Mu were faster. With pincer-like movements, they subdued him in two moves.
"Master."
The man was held on the ground, his eyes still fixed resentfully on Feng Yinwan's direction, as if he wished the cauldron would explode at that very moment.
However, he did not live to see that moment. The old man's stern voice rang out before him.
"You are inferior in skill, yet you dare to use such despicable means at the alchemy competition. You are truly base and shameless, unworthy of the righteous path!"
"San Shi, San Mu, take his elixir and throw him out. From this day forward, he is no longer a member of our Immortal Medicine Sect!"
"Yes!"
As the two prepared to act, the man's eyes widened in fury upon hearing this, and he struggled desperately.
"No! I am from the Myriad Medicine Sect, and you cannot control me! Why do you take my elixir! Why do you overstep your authority to punish me directly!"
For an alchemist, their elixir was their lifeblood.
Without it, years of cultivation would turn to dust, with no possibility of recovery.
But rules were rules.
"You broke the rules and committed a grave offense against the Immortal Medicine Sect. It is already showing mercy that I did not order your execution, yet you dare to bark here."
"If the Myriad Medicine Sect knew of this, they would only be shamed because of you!"
Besides, he had attempted to sabotage his precious disciple's cauldron!
Without giving him another chance to speak, the old man snorted coldly and directly issued the order.
"Act!"
It only took a moment to extract the elixir. Accompanied by a heart-wrenching scream, the man's face turned deathly pale, and he directly fainted.
"Master."
The elixir was presented. The old man glanced at it once before shattering it with his internal energy.
"Hmph, to have cultivated for years and still only be at the Cyan Pill realm, no wonder your cauldron exploded! Throw him out!"
"Yes."
San Shi and San Mu acknowledged and dragged the man outside.
Almost the moment the commotion subsided, the incense in the furnace had burned out. The last ember extinguished, and a rich pill fragrance quickly filled the venue.
At the same time, on stage, Feng Yinwan slowly opened her eyes.
"Heavenly Profound Pill, complete."
Everyone knew she was refining a high-grade pill, but none had expected it to be the superior Heavenly Profound Pill among high-grade pills.
In an instant, gasps of astonishment erupted from the crowd.
"It's a Heavenly Profound Pill! That's comparable to half a Purple Ginseng Profound Pill in medicinal power!"
"As expected of someone sent by the Profound Sect to compete, their strength is truly extraordinary!"
"Yes, yes. I heard she was personally appointed by the Profound Sect's Holy Master. With this kind of presence, she's not here to compete, she's clearly here for the Jade Ganoderma!"
The crowd chatted amongst themselves. Although they were praising Feng Yinwan, their conversations all revolved around the Profound Sect. The old man, after listening for a long time, found that he hadn't gained any credit, and was intensely displeased.
"San Qing is my disciple! Mine!"
Jian Ye: Yes, yes, yes, of course.
Unsurprisingly, Feng Yinwan secured first place in this competition.
To emphasize his identity, the old man had repeatedly instructed her to say "Thank you, Master" when he presented the Jade Ganoderma.
Although... the effect was negligible, it at least provided him with some psychological comfort.
Feng Yinwan felt helpless.
As soon as she put away the Jade Ganoderma, San Shi and San Mu returned. They hurried back, their faces bearing a hint of solemnity.
"Master, Prince Mo has arrived."
"Who?"
The old man did not interact much with the princes in the court.
Hearing this, he paused slightly, not immediately recalling which prince was Prince Mo.
San Shi hesitated and prompted, "The one who is very good at fighting..."
Now the old man knew.
His temple twitched subtly, and he immediately asked further.
"What is he doing here? The secret auction is at the Ten Thousand Treasures Building. Tell him if he wants to buy pills, he should go there."
San Mu glanced at him, then said softly.
"Master, he said he has come to seek... to seek the Jade Ganoderma."
The Jade Ganoderma takes twenty years to mature one stalk.
And this only stalk...
For a moment, silence fell. The three of them turned in unison to look at Feng Yinwan.
She was conversing with Feng Wuxi and had not noticed this development. Of course, she was unaware that the grass she had just obtained was already being coveted.
San Shi hesitated and looked at him.
"Master, what should we do now?"
He had heard that Prince Mo was a war god, and this was likely to be a very troublesome situation.
The old man was still protective of his disciple.
He frowned and waved his hand. "Go and tell him there is none left, and have him come back in twenty years."
San Mu spoke weakly, "But... he brought the Cold Armored Cavalry."