Chapter 696 - 703: Tit for Tat

Everyone brought their own Alchemy Furnaces, each striving for perfection.

Song Wanning and Lan Yue exchanged a smile, and each leaped onto their respective platforms.

She took out the Immortal Furnace and placed it down.

Just as Daoqing had said, in the Lower World, this Immortal Furnace didn’t have much of an advantage, simply because there wasn’t enough Immortal Qi to power it.

Now that she was in the Immortal Realm, it was a completely different story. The moment she brought it out, it drew the gazes of the surrounding Alchemy Cultivators.

Upon seeing the divine aura flowing around the Immortal Furnace, everyone could tell at a glance that this was an exceptionally outstanding Pill Furnace!!

Many Alchemy Cultivators showed expressions of envy, but no one voiced any doubts.

After all, to possess such a Pill Furnace was both a matter of her luck and a testament to her strength.

Situ Yue, however, showed a flash of shock upon seeing the Pill Furnace clearly, and then her entire expression fell.

’Didn’t Master obtain this Immortal Furnace from a Secret Realm?’

Back then, relying on the fact that she had saved Daoqing’s life, she had even asked for this Pill Furnace.

But Daoqing had refused her outright.

She had thought the Pill Furnace was very important to Daoqing, so she gave up on the idea.

’But now, this Pill Furnace has somehow ended up in Song Wanning’s hands. So what does that make me?’

Situ Yue suddenly felt like crying. ’I clearly haven’t done anything wrong, so why does everyone like Song Wanning more?’

’Why?’

She quickly lowered her head so others wouldn’t notice her strange behavior, but tears were already welling up in her eyes.

Lan Yue witnessed this scene, and her heart swelled with satisfaction.

Before Song Wanning arrived, Situ Yue’s scheming had driven a wedge between her and several of her junior brothers.

She could still vividly recall that smug look on Situ Yue’s face.

’Now that she’s been put in her place, it serves her right!’

Lan Yue retracted her gaze, and her look towards Song Wanning grew increasingly fond.

"The rules for this Alchemy Dao competition are as follows. For the first and second rounds, you will refine a designated Elixir Pill. Twenty people will be eliminated in each round!"

"In the third round, disciples will choose the grade of the Elixir Pill they wish to refine themselves. Advancement will be determined by the pill’s grade, color, and other factors."

"Only three will remain to enter the final round, where the top three will be decided."

The Deacon Elder’s gaze swept over every participating disciple, his voice reaching everyone’s ears with perfect clarity.

"The Elixir Pill for the first round is the Soul Stabilizing Pill. The competition now officially begins!"

With his command, the Alchemy Dao competition officially kicked off.

Song Wanning lowered her head to look at the Medicinal Herbs on the table beside her, and she quickly ran through the Pill Recipe in her mind.

The Soul Stabilizing Pill was mainly used to stabilize one’s Divine Soul, preventing possession by others, or to protect oneself while cultivating certain soul-type Divine Skills.

This pill wasn’t particularly rare in the Immortal Realm, but it also wasn’t something you could buy just anywhere.

After confirming the Pill Recipe, Song Wanning began to select the ingredients and patiently process each of them.

Watching her skilled technique, the expressions of the people on the high platform varied.

Mu Zixu stared at Song Wanning with a hostile gaze, finding her every movement an eyesore.

But his behavior greatly displeased Feng Jiuxiao.

She scoffed lightly. "Junior Brother Mu, what are you doing? From the look in your eyes, it’s as if you want to eat Song Wanning alive."

"A dignified Heavenly Immortal squabbling with a mere Human Immortal. Is this the great bearing of Junior Brother Mu?"

Everyone present was well aware of the conflict between the two, especially since they both came from the same Great Thousand World.

Upon hearing her words, everyone immediately turned to look at Mu Zixu.

Mo Yang Immortal Venerable’s gaze also turned cold as he looked over.

He wasn’t entirely clear on the history of their grudge, and the same was true for Wang Yang.

Now, seeing him bickering with a junior, his disappointment deepened.

’Unconsciously, he and Mu Zixu had already started down different paths.’

"Heh, I merely wanted to see what’s so special about Song Wanning that would make Senior Brother Daoqing take her as a disciple in name."

"Senior Sister Feng has misunderstood."

Mu Zixu didn’t seem nervous upon hearing this, replying with a faint smile.

But inwardly, he was extremely frustrated. ’This Feng Jiuxiao is truly arrogant, asking so directly.’

Feng Jiuxiao scoffed again at his words. "Is that so? I thought you were busy figuring out how to get your revenge!"

"It seems I was overthinking things. After all, only a petty, narrow-minded person would squabble with a junior. Don’t you agree, Junior Brother Mu?"

She still had a smile on her face, but the mockery in her eyes was blatant.

As soon as she said this, the few others present instantly fell silent, afraid of being dragged into the battle between the two.

Mu Zixu was so angry his vision went dark. He clenched his fists, unable to either agree or disagree.

’This damned Feng Jiuxiao! So what if she’s good at the Dao of Arrays?’

’Always acting so high and mighty, her tail is practically reaching the heavens.’

In the end, it was the Sect Master who stepped in to smooth things over. He said with a chuckle, "It’s already been said that it’s a misunderstanding, so let’s not mention it again."

"I’m sure Junior Brother Mu understands the bigger picture and knows how important a genius is to our Wuji Sect. He would never do anything wrong, right?"

These words sounded like they were helping Mu Zixu, but they carried a veiled warning.

Mu Zixu could act up all he wanted, but he absolutely could not have any other ideas.

They couldn’t afford the loss.

Mu Zixu’s face flushed slightly at the remark, and the anger in his heart grew even stronger.

But he could only nod in frustrated silence. He couldn’t very well announce his intention to kill Song Wanning to everyone.

Mo Yang Immortal Venerable watched Mu Zixu’s entire performance, and his heart sank slightly.

’It seems Mu Zixu still hasn’t given up.’

...

Time flew by, and Song Wanning had already reached the final step of fusion.

For her, this Soul Stabilizing Pill posed no difficulty.

Coupled with the immortal power circulating within her, she remained relaxed throughout the entire process.

While others grew pale from consuming their Immortal Qi, her cheeks remained rosy, and she looked full of energy.

This caused many disciples to watch her frequently.

No one had expected that Song Wanning, who had just ascended, could face the Soul Stabilizing Pill without batting an eye. It looked like her chances of success were very high.

"No wonder Immortal Lord Daoqing scrambled to take Song Wanning as his disciple. Her talent is truly astonishing!"

"Exactly! To have mastered the refining technique for the Soul Stabilizing Pill in such a short time requires not only great comprehension but also powerful Divine Soul Power. She really has some genuine skill."

Everyone’s gazes towards Song Wanning were filled with envy.

Soon, the topic of conversation shifted.

"Hey, what do you guys think? With Song Wanning’s Alchemy Dao talent being so formidable, why would she have a feud with Immortal Monarch Mu?"

"Logically speaking, shouldn’t Immortal Monarch Mu be overjoyed and take Song Wanning as his disciple?"

After all, a master and disciple share in both glory and disgrace.

Taking on such a brilliant disciple would bring him glory as well!

"Tsk, do you think it could be that Immortal Monarch Mu wanted to take Song Wanning as his disciple, but she refused, and that’s why she offended him?"

"Huh? For real?"

"I think it’s possible. After all, Immortal Monarch Mu cares about his reputation more than anything."

"No, no, I think it’s because Song Wanning beat Immortal Monarch Mu in Alchemy, so that’s why he hates her so much!"

The others: "..."