Gao Jianli finished speaking and walked into the distance.
Meanwhile, Qin Zi watched the departing figure with an amusing smile gradually appearing on his face.
"Refusing to bow when weak is the original sin. Such a true principle, but... who's really the weaker one here?"
Is the Gao Family really that strong?
Hehe...
In his heart, he had already reserved this chance to slap them back. If an opportunity like this presents itself, why not take it?
In short, one thing is clear.
With an invincible father, what does he have to fear?
"Hey, little nobody, you're getting bolder, daring to talk back to Gao Jianli now."
At this moment, a slightly arrogant young girl's voice rang out.
Qin Zi turned his head to look.
He saw a charming young girl in a blue dress leisurely walking towards him.
This girl was very pretty, only sixteen or seventeen, yet she exuded a natural allure, a true beauty in the making.
"Brat!"
Seeing this girl, Qin Zi's face turned dark, and he even gritted his teeth a little.
The last time this brat snatched away the maid he had chosen, after he knocked her out, her father came to hunt him down.
If not for his father's great strength, he would have lost his life at this brat's hands.
"Hmph, how do you talk, you little nobody? This miss's name is Chen Bilin, Chen Bilin!"
The girl snorted lightly as she spoke.
"Calling me a nobody again, do you believe I won't knock you out again?" Qin Zi threatened viciously.
"You..." Chen Bilin's pretty face turned red at once. Looking around, she stomped her foot in shame and anger, saying, "You dare!!"
"You can try."
Qin Zi shrugged and said.
Performing a live demonstration of knocking out a pretty girl wasn't hard at all; physically, it wasn't challenging, and psychologically, it brought no pressure.
"Uncle, look at him!"
Finally, Chen Bilin coquettishly looked up at City Lord Bai Chen on the high platform.
Bai Chen frowned slightly, cast a slightly warning glance at Qin Zi, and then said to Chen Bilin, "Ling Er, since you're here, join us."
"Oh."
Seeing that her uncle didn't speak up for her, Chen Bilin understood the seriousness of the situation and stopped pouting.
She walked into the field.
Soon, a young man gave up his alchemy furnace, obviously well-prepared, perhaps even specifically a queue-maker.
"Master, this is Bai Mou's niece, named Chen Bilin. She has had strong spiritual power since childhood and should be good alchemy material."
On the high platform, Bai Chen turned his head and said to Master Pang Qi.
In fact, the reason why Chen Bilin came so late was also something he had arranged in advance.
On one hand, it was to prevent her from being unable to secure an alchemy furnace. After all, she's young and not very advanced in her cultivation.
On the other hand, it was to give her a chance to show off in front of Master Pang Qi, as the last to appear would be the most eye-catching.
"Hmm... there is indeed something extraordinary about her."
Master Pang Qi gazed deeply at the girl in the blue dress, then his eyebrows gradually furrowed.
Deep inside his heart, a flicker of surprise and enthusiasm emerged, as if he'd seen a rare treasure.
However, through his frowning, he completely hid his true thoughts, leaving people unaware of what he was thinking.
"Master, why the frown?"
Bai Chen asked with slight concern.
"Well, although she is extraordinary, she also has some flaws. Whether she can become an alchemy master is still uncertain."
Master Pang Qi said calmly.
When buying things, prices must be pressed down.
The lower the price, the lower the cost of purchase!
"Are the flaws serious?"
Bai Chen asked with furrowed brows.
"Hard to say. Alchemy talent is a mysterious thing; some signs can be seen, but it's hard to judge, just like even immortals can't predict every inch of jade... so, it all depends on destiny."
Master Pang Qi said ambiguously.
"Hmm."
Bai Chen nodded thoughtfully.
At the same time, Master Pang Qi slowly stood up and said to the crowd below, "Now, I will announce the competition rules."
"I will present a half-grade pill recipe of my own creation for you all to use for free today. You will perform alchemy according to the recipe."
"Alchemy consists of four steps: extraction, fusion, fission, and locking spirit. Do your best; you don't need to complete all of them."
"For instance, someone may only manage the extraction step, but if their herbal essence is without impurity, they will receive high marks."
"On the other hand, if someone creates an elixir but makes mistakes in the fission step, causing the properties to go awry, or fails in the locking spirit, losing the drug's power, they will score low."
"This is the pill recipe."
Master Pang Qi waved his right hand, and a golden light shot out, expanding in the air to form a golden script.
Hundreds of golden characters hovered in the air, persisting like clouds.
"Blood Circulation Pill!"
"Its effects are to clear blood stasis and unblock the meridians, useful in treating various internal injuries and congenital blockages of the meridians. Necessary materials include Black Goji, White Ganoderma, Red Truffle, Rehmannia Fruit..."
The crowd felt dizziness and confusion as they read the recipe.
They discovered that even for this lowest-grade tier-1 elixir, the recipe called for over ten different herbs.
While alchemy seemingly involves just four steps, each herb comes with numerous sub-steps because each one requires different handling based on its properties.
All in all, it was daunting.
This is why alchemy masters are rare and revered.
"There are two sets of herbs by each alchemy furnace. Just follow the recipe's detailed process... Let's begin."
Master Pang Qi stated calmly.
Wham!
In an instant, seriousness overtook everyone's gaze as if they were warriors heading into battle, filled with lofty ambitions!
Every participant in the alchemy tournament carried grand aspirations, hoping to shine brightly and catch Master Pang Qi's eye, so they could soar from there...
"Not good!"
"Ah, this..."
"How could this happen..."
The next moment, many people's expressions changed drastically, their grand ambitions turning into a mixture of confusion and embarrassment.
Much to their shock and dismay... they didn't recognize the herbs listed on the recipe!!
The herb boxes beside the alchemy furnaces were cluttered with various herbs, leaving them utterly bewildered.
"Just as I expected."
Master Pang Qi chuckled from his vantage point, "It seems many of you have a shaky grasp of basic herbal knowledge."
Many young individuals bowed their heads in shame.
Master Pang Qi gradually retracted his smile and spoke with authority, "Do you think that my alchemy tournament is so worthless? Haven't you prepared anything, thinking luck might carry you?"
"I don't care how exceptional you may be in cultivation, but alchemy is not for everyone who wishes to try."
"Whether you possess the talent for alchemy or not, judging by your attitude towards it, you are not suited to be alchemy masters, so... those who don't recognize the herbs, please leave.
His words fell into a silent audience.
Many young people wore expressions of reluctance, yet dared not argue, and could only clench their fists as they left the competition area with heads hung low.
Soon, half of the thousand pill furnaces were vacated.
"Hey, little... man, you're still here? Are you pretending to know, trying to muddle through?"
Chen Bilin looked at Qin Zi, mocking him.
She was about to say "little nobody" but remembered his earlier warning and found herself oddly hesitant, thus changing her words.
"Same to you."
Qin Zi retorted.
"Hmph! Since childhood, this miss resolved to become an alchemy master, thoroughly familiar with various herbs and their principles!"
Chen Bilin proudly puffed out her small chest.
"Moreover, I've received guidance from an alchemy master, and my alchemy skills are not shallow. A poor little guy like you wouldn't understand."
"Anyone can brag."
Qin Zi dismissed her, curling his lip in disdain.
He actually believed her in his heart, but for some reason, he couldn't help but poke fun at this brat.
"You! Are you saying this miss is boasting? Dare to compete and see who apologizes publicly to the other after losing?"
Chen Bilin said through gritted teeth.
"Why not!"
Qin Zi smirked, then pressed his right hand on the air vent of the alchemy furnace, causing a roaring fire to leap up.
He swept his left hand, and several herbs with the same melting point flew out, beginning to melt and extract their essence in the flames.
A man of action!