The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron
Chapter 1196 - Chapter 1196 Chapter 1195 Hui Xuzi

Chapter 1196: Chapter 1195: Hui Xuzi Chapter 1196: Chapter 1195: Hui Xuzi Hui Xuzi nodded slightly, said nothing, and with a leap like a sword, he arrived on the array platform.

Dressed in a simple Taoist robe, Hui Xuzi was lean, with deep-set eyes, and an overall grim aura about him.

“Has Seven Seas run out of people to send up a skinny pole to embarrass themselves?”

“These words are not right, my brother, one should not judge by appearance; maybe this skinny pole has some real skills.”

“Hahaha, I am really worried that this guy will pass out from exhaustion while refining the Pill.”

“Seven Seas truly is a land of barbarians; this guy does not look like a Talent of Alchemy Tao at all.”

****

Seeing Hui Xuzi ascending the stage, many people from the Nine Countries burst into scoffing laughter.

However, most of the people from the Nine Countries did not underestimate Hui Xuzi. Although he seemed unimpressive, given that Seven Seas had chosen him as their representative, Hui Xuzi must have had some extraordinary qualities.

Underestimating an opponent was the most foolish act.

Standing on the platform, Hui Xuzi’s expression was indifferent, completely ignoring the stares and discussions from the people of the Nine Countries below, vaguely carrying a hint of pride as if he regarded no one as his equal.

Elder Tianjun looked at Hui Xuzi, slightly furrowed his brows, then turned to the three people behind him.

Behind Elder Tianjun stood three young individuals, one woman and two men, where the woman was Long Zhixin, the current top Talent of the Long Family.

This Pill Alliance and Seven Seas alchemy contest was of great importance and could not afford any mistakes. Although the Pill Alliance was very confident, they still needed to field the strongest participants.

As the most outstanding young Talent of the Pill Alliance, Long Zhixin naturally was one of the selected fighters, considered by everyone the safest bet to secure an easy victory as long as she fought.

Standing next to Long Zhixin were two men; one appeared younger, in his twenties, dressed in a white robe, with a handsome scholarly appearance, more resembling a scholar than a Pill Refiner.

This person was Zhang Hongtian, the top Alchemy Tao Talent from Tang Country, whose fame nearly matched that of Long Zhixin.

Zhang Hongtian had also been a disciple of Elder Tianjun; he later explored an ancient site and was trapped there for three years. After emerging, his Alchemy Tao skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

Choosing Zhang Hongtian as one of the contestants was a decision made after careful deliberation by the senior members of the Pill Alliance.

Zhang Hongtian’s Alchemy Tao skills were not inferior to Long Zhixin’s, and he possessed an extraordinary Ancient Alchemy Skill, which had been taken into consideration by the Pill Alliance leaders when confirming him as one of the contestants.

The other man, slightly older, looked about thirty, had ordinary looks and demeanor; he was the type who would not stand out in a crowd.

This man was Gao Yun, who ten years ago had shined brightly in the Pill Alliance but soon thereafter had disappeared, only to resurface recently and was directly appointed as one of the combatants.

Many in the Pill Alliance did not understand why someone who had vanished for so many years was chosen to compete against competitors from Seven Seas when there were so many other Talents available. Couldn’t they have chosen someone else?

But a few Elders strongly vouched for Gao Yun, overruling others’ opinions and finalizing him as a contestant.

Bearing endorsement from several Elders meant that Gao Yun must possess some extraordinary qualities; however, having been absent for a long time still made some feel uneasy.

At this moment, Seven Seas had already sent out Hui Xuzi as their first contestant, and it was unclear which of these three from the Pill Alliance would respond first.

“Which one of you three will make the first move, and take the opportunity to learn the high techniques of a fellow Taoist from Seven Seas?” Elder Tianjun asked Long Zhixin and the others.

Long Zhixin was eager to try and seemed very keen to be the first to make a move, to compete with Hui Xuzi.

Gao Yun’s face was expressionless, he said indifferently, “I don’t care, I can go on stage at any order.”

However, Zhang Hongtian slightly smiled, “Let me be the first to fight. Miss Long from the Long family is our trump card and Brother Gao’s skills are far superior to mine; naturally, I should handle the first battle.”

Gao Yun remained expressionless, showing no reaction to Zhang Hongtian’s words, whereas Long Zhixin was not happy, “No, it’s better if I go first.”

Zhang Hongtian shook his head and smiled, “Miss Long, please be patient, there’s no need for you to take action in this first battle. There will be more formidable opponents later on, requiring Miss Long’s involvement to resolve them.”

Elder Tianjun nodded, “In that case, Hongtian, you go fight and try to achieve a good start for our Pill Alliance.”

Zhang Hongtian bowed to Elder Tianjun, his figure gracefully rose, and he elegantly landed on the array platform.

“The first one to fight is Zhang Hongtian.”

“It seems that this first match should be stable.”

“Exactly, as long as we win two out of these three matches, it will be enough.”

“Although how good Gao Yun is remains uncertain, with Long Zhixin and Zhang Hongtian here, our Pill Alliance is sure not to lose.”

****

Seeing that the first to go on stage from the Pill Alliance was Zhang Hongtian, many people below nodded continuously, certain there would be no problem with this match.

Especially since a large crowd from Tang Country had gathered below, being a talent from Tang Country, Zhang Hongtian also aroused a wave of cheers.

Zhang Hongtian stood on the array platform, wearing a gentle smile, and greeted Hui Xuzi across him with a fist, “I am Zhang Hongtian from the Pill Alliance, it’s a pleasure to meet this Taoist brother.”

But Hui Xuzi’s demeanor was cold and indifferent, showing no reaction at all, appearing quite arrogant.

His attitude immediately stirred dissatisfaction among the people from the Nine Countries, who criticized Hui Xuzi for being too arrogant and lacking in propriety.

“This guy is too arrogant, not putting our Nine Countries’ Talent of Alchemy Tao in his eyes?”

“Truly a barbarian, doesn’t even understand basic etiquette!”

“Hmph! Wait until he loses; he won’t be so proud then.”

****

Elder Tianjun stood up, pressed his hands downward signaling everyone to not make noise, and once it quieted down, he spoke to the two on the platform, “For the first match, you two will each refine a Jade Heart Pill, with a time limit of three incense sticks. Once the three incense sticks burn out, whether successful or not, you must stop; if you don’t finish in time, you will be disqualified directly; if both complete within the time, the quality of the Pills will decide the winner.”

The Jade Heart Pill is a fifth-grade mid-level pill and is among one of the more challenging yet manageable pills to refine in the fifth grade.

However, the time limit of three incense sticks is quite pressing to refine a Jade Heart Pill, and many Masters of Pill who are not extremely experienced may not be able to refine a Jade Heart Pill within the time of three incense sticks.

In front of Zhang Hongtian and Hui Xuzi, each had a cyan Pill Furnace of exceptional quality, with no differences.

As for the ingredients, they had already been prepared, and people from the Seven Seas had also checked and confirmed there were no issues.

Hui Xuzi, without saying a word, immediately started the Pill Refining, his action drawing gasps of amazement.