dmims 497. Having a backup plan
497. Having a backup plan
"Great-Grandma, did we just let that Xiao Yan guy take first place like that?"
The entire Ling Clan group was taken away by Ling He, and Ling Zhuo immediately voiced his doubts, his tone revealing a hint of resentment.
Ling He paused, her expression unusually grim. She turned to look at Ling Zhuo intently, and after Ling Zhuo felt uneasy under her gaze, she finally spoke up to explain, "What else can we do? If we refuse to admit it, what will those people in the Pill Tower think of us? How many of them will truly pledge allegiance?"
"But that Spirit Fusion Cauldron..."
"Ling Zhuo, have you ever considered that if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to increase Xiao Yan's score in the third trial, even if he got a hundred points in the fifth trial, the medicine cauldron wouldn't have been lost!"
"Lingzhuo knows his mistake, Great-Grandma, please calm down."
Ling Zhuo lowered his head after being spoken to. After all, Ling He was a Dou Sheng in the clan and one of the most important pillars behind him. Fortunately, Ling He herself understood that although Ling Zhuo bore some responsibility, it was also a fact that she had not stopped Xiao Yan in the fifth trial, and she did not intend to shift all the blame onto Ling Zhuo.
"You don't need to worry about the medicine cauldron. If you can't get it, Xiao Yan can't use it either."
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhuo asked in surprise, "You made a move?"
"I've destroyed the three most crucial magic arrays inside the cauldron. Without their protection, the Spirit Fusion Cauldron's value has been greatly reduced!"
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhuo was secretly pleased but still somewhat reluctant: "If the magic array is destroyed, the medicine cauldron will be useless."
"I'm doing this all for you!" Ling He said with exasperation, "What if Xiao Yan uses that medicine cauldron and snatches the championship from the Pill Gathering again? What will you do then?"
Faced with Ling He's rebuke, Ling Zhuo felt somewhat guilty, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and promised, "Great-Grandma, don't worry, I will absolutely not let anyone take my championship from me at this Pill Gathering!"
"Hmph, the Pill Gathering only allows victory, not defeat. I have already found all five Dou Huangs with pure wood attribute Dou Qi for you. During this time, you should focus on preparing for the Pill Gathering."
At this moment, the elderly man surnamed Yan beside Ling Zhuo suddenly asked, "Sixth Elder, what if Xiao Yan discovers there's something wrong with the medicine cauldron and comes to question us?"
"What's the point of asking?" Ling He remained unmoved. "I've already personally handed over the medicine cauldron to him. If anything goes wrong, that's his own problem!"
"Is there anything else we need to do regarding the subsequent soul skills and pill formulas?"
"No need. The prizes will still be given out; it's a way to win people over. That kid was the first to choose, after all. It's too much trouble to rig things. Letting him gain a little advantage is fine. He won't be happy for long. After the Pill Gathering, he'll definitely have to pay it all back, with interest!"
……
Three days later, the results of the Heavenly Talents Ranking were officially announced, which was common knowledge in Saint Pill City.
The top five are Xiao Yan, Ling Zhuo, Hua Qingyu, Cao Ying, and Yi Xu.
This list has already drawn praise from many: this year's Pill Gathering is the most prestigious one in the history of the Pill Tower. After all, the top five on the Heavenly Talents List are all genuine Rank 8 alchemy masters. In any previous edition, reaching this level would have made them the biggest favorites to win the championship.
Not to mention that Saint Pill City is now home to a group of veteran powerhouses, such as Elder Mu Gu of the Soul Palace and Venerable Ming Shui, who is of extremely high seniority. These renowned powerhouses have all come for the Three Thousand Burning Flames, so it is no exaggeration to say that they are fighting like dragons and tigers.
Subsequently, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion distributed the promised prizes to those on the list, providing all the soul skills and pill formulas as agreed. This generosity impressed many, who remarked that the Spirit Clan's reserves were no less abundant than those of the Pill Tower, and far more generous, considering that the Pill Gathering's prizes were only awarded to the top ten.
The initial dissatisfaction with the abrupt end of the Heavenly Talent Ranking has largely subsided. After all, the organizers of the competition generously offered so many excellent items, leaving little room for criticism.
On the day the prizes were awarded, Zou Wu, the Pavilion Master of Tianji Pavilion, was extremely nervous. After all, he already knew that there was a problem with the Spirit Fusion Cauldron that Xiao Yan had obtained. Ling He had instructed him to insist that the cauldron was originally without any issues, and naturally, he was incredibly worried about facing Xiao Yan and the Pill Tower. Xiao Yan had already had the cauldron for three days, and it was highly likely that he had already discovered the problem. Therefore, Zou Wu was already thinking about how he should deal with Xiao Yan's questioning later.
The Spirit Clan wasn't afraid of Xiao Yan, but he absolutely didn't want to offend him. This guy had personally killed Thunder Venerable of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion; he was definitely a jinx. If he killed him, would the Spirit Clan really stand up for him? Zou Wu had no confidence at all. After all, none of the Spirit Clan members had come today, clearly indicating that they had entrusted everything to him.
Fortunately, Zou Wu waited patiently after Xiao Yan arrived, only glancing at Hua Qingyu of the Flower Sect a few times, without actually questioning him.
For the subsequent reward distribution, Xiao Yan selected a high-level Earth-rank soul skill called "Soul Concealment" and an eighth-grade pill formula called "Heavenly Stimulation Pill" to stimulate life vitality.
The process went so smoothly that Zou Wu couldn't believe it; Xiao Yan didn't even utter a single extra word. On the contrary, the young man from the Lei clan who came with Xiao Yan, despite only being ranked in the eighties on the Heavenly Talents List and possessing seemingly ordinary soul skills and pill formulas, treated Lei Jingxiao like a rare treasure. He meticulously selected each item, ultimately choosing the pill formula and soul skill with great seriousness.
During this time, Zou Wu even began to have doubts: Had the Spirit Clan made a mistake and actually mixed in some seemingly ordinary but actually extraordinary soul skill pill formulas? This guy, being from the Thunder Clan, had exceptional eyesight and saw through the mystery.
However, out of fear of Xiao Yan, Zou Wu ignored Lei Jingxiao and allowed the two of them to choose their prizes smoothly. Only after Xiao Yan left did Zou Wu feel relieved, completely unaware that his back was soaked with sweat.
……
"You said Xiao Yan didn't have any questions, or even ask you a single question?" Ling He was also somewhat incredulous when she received Zou Wu's report.
"Reporting to Sixth Elder, that is indeed the case. Xiao Yan seems completely unaware of anything amiss within the medicine cauldron. I think it must be because Sixth Elder's methods are too subtle, and that kid is oblivious."
Linghe, however, had some doubts: "That shouldn't be the case. Which alchemist could resist the temptation of acquiring such a treasure and not refine a few pills? There's no way he wouldn't have discovered it."
After pondering for a while, Ling He still couldn't figure it out, so she could only say to Zou Wu, "You can go down now. If Xiao Yan comes looking for you, report to me immediately."