Chapter 698: I Knew She Was Pretending

The Sect Master and the other elders frowned upon hearing this.

But they were long accustomed to the disputes between those two.

Most of the time, they both carried the dignified air of grandmasters.

But once they were pitted against each other, they were no different from competitive children.

Truly a pair of fated rivals!

Still, they were indeed a little disappointed that Song Wanning had stopped here.

‘It seems we got our hopes up too high.’

On the other high platforms, Feng San and the others revealed triumphant smiles upon seeing this.

‘I told you so,’ he thought. ‘Song Wanning must only know how to make the Soul Stabilizing Pill. That’s the only reason she could refine a top-grade elixir.’

‘Now she’s been put in her place, hasn’t she?’

‘Serves her right for trying to act like a big shot!’

Feng San’s mood finally brightened. As long as he defeated Song Wanning, his master wouldn’t punish them.

…

Just as everyone was feeling regretful, Song Wanning suddenly stood up.

“Huh? Is she giving up and leaving the stage?”

“What else would she do? It’s so awkward to just sit up there. It’s better to come down!”

The disciples whispered amongst themselves. They had assumed Song Wanning was about to step down, but to their surprise, she headed toward the medicinal ingredients.

“What is she trying to do?”

“Don’t tell me she hasn’t given up? Well, I suppose struggling a bit longer looks better than surrendering outright.”

Song Wanning paid no mind to their comments and confidently began to process the herbs.

This was a crucial opportunity. Besides dealing a blow to Mu Zixu, she also needed to make the Sect realize her importance.

It had nothing to do with Mo Yang Immortal Venerable, Daoqing, or Feng Jiuxiao.

It was about them recognizing *her* importance, on her own merit.

Only then would she have enough freedom in the Sect in the future.

And only then would Mu Zixu’s actions be constrained. Otherwise, anyone could come after her…

She let out a soft breath. Her hands moved faster than her mind, swiftly beginning the preparation process.

Partway through, Feng San glanced at her and saw how smoothly she was processing the herbs. His heart skipped a beat.

Distracted, he nearly caused his furnace to explode. Fortunately, he reacted in time and avoided a mistake.

He didn’t dare to look away again. No matter what Song Wanning did, he had to focus on himself first, or everything would be for naught.

On the high platform, Mu Zixu saw Feng San’s reaction and cursed him for an idiot in his heart.

‘That fool Feng San is the most impetuous of my disciples. Even Ouyang Lin is more level-headed than him.’

‘But Feng San’s talent for Alchemy is actually quite good. He’s just been praised too much, which has made him arrogant.’

‘If he hadn’t run into Lan Yue and the others, who knows how conceited he would have become.’

‘But today, a single Song Wanning was enough to nearly shatter his focus. He’s truly unreliable for important tasks.’

Mu Zixu could only console himself, ‘He’s my own disciple, my own disciple…’

…

Once the herbs were prepared, Song Wanning carefully began to heat the Pill Furnace. Only after every part of the furnace was evenly heated did she cautiously place the herbs inside one by one.

She then melted the herbs bit by bit, carefully added the Spiritual Liquid, and began to extend her Divine Soul Power into the Pill Furnace.

Little by little, she compressed and shaped the mixture, combing through it to draw out the impurities and expel them…

Her Divine Soul now also carried the auras of the Blood Lotus and the Bodhi Tree, which exerted immense pressure on plant-based materials.

As a result, the herbal essences obediently began to merge without the slightest hint of dissipating.

This was a method Song Wanning had developed through countless experiments, designed to significantly increase the purity of Elixir Pills and improve their grade.

Meanwhile, Lan Yue and the others were also concentrating on their Alchemy. With Song Wanning present, their senior brothers were back to normal, completely unaffected by Situ Yue, and focused intently on their task.

However, because everyone was already aware of their skill level, the attention of the spectating disciples was almost entirely on the newcomer, Song Wanning.

“Hiss… from the looks of it, she doesn’t seem like a novice at this!”

“Yeah, I bet she knows how to make the Violent Burst Pill!”

“For real? Could she just be faking it so her loss doesn’t look so bad?”

“…”

As everyone chattered and shared their opinions, Song Wanning became the focus of all eyes.

Daoqing watched this scene, extremely satisfied.

‘My disciple is just that outstanding. No matter where she goes, she’s always the most dazzling presence in a crowd.’

Watching Song Wanning’s focused expression as she performed Alchemy, he felt as if he could already see the rise of a future Alchemy Grandmaster.

But his look of smug satisfaction made Mu Zixu’s teeth itch with irritation.

He said sarcastically, “Some people shouldn’t celebrate too early. Anyone can fumble around a bit. In the end, it all comes down to true skill.”

But Song Wanning’s preparation steps were all correct. She clearly knew the formula. The real test of her ability would be whether or not she could properly eliminate the impurities.

“Hmph! No matter how Wan Ning does, she’s just a newly ascended Cultivator. She has a long road ahead of her!”

“That’s still better than some people who never seem to improve!”

Daoqing retorted, determined not to lose the exchange.

The two locked eyes, their gazes filled with sparks and lightning.

Feng Jiuxiao watched this unfold and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

‘That Mu Zixu is so petty and graceless. He hasn’t changed a bit after all these years.’

‘If he weren’t skilled in Alchemy, a man like him would probably have had a hard time even ascending to the Immortal Realm.’

She looked speechlessly toward Song Wanning, and the expression on her face finally softened.

‘Wan Ning is so much more pleasing to the eye. That old coot Mu Zixu just makes me lose my appetite.’

…

Phew—

The final flame went out.

One after another, Feng San and the others finished up.

They had all successfully refined the Violent Burst Pill without any mistakes.

Wu Wang wiped the sweat from his face and let out a long sigh of relief.

Feng San also looked relaxed, the worry in his heart finally lifted.

Ouyang Lin had succeeded as well, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

After all, he had joined the Sect later, so it was still easy for him to make mistakes during the refining process.

Lan Yue and the others also succeeded one by one. Situ Yue had just barely finished as well, a faint smile appearing on her pale face.

Everyone’s first reaction was to look at Song Wanning.

Their gazes held both concern and disgust.

“Hmph, I knew she was just faking it!”

Feng San stared mockingly at Song Wanning, convinced she was just putting on an act.

Wu Wang shot him a glare, but Feng San remained defiant, curling his lip.

But before his next words could leave his mouth, the flame in Song Wanning’s Pill Furnace went out.

She retracted her Divine Soul, her face slightly pale.

Her immortal power could be continuously supplied, but her Divine Soul Power was constantly being consumed.

The Violent Burst Pill simply had too many impurities, and it had taken Song Wanning a great deal of effort to remove them all.

“Heh, can’t keep up the act anymore, can you?”

Feng San sneered again, looking Song Wanning up and down with contempt.

‘Song Wanning started her Alchemy so much later than us, so how could she possibly finish around the same time?’

‘She’s obviously just faking it!’

‘Besides, which one of us isn’t exhausted? Yet she’s the only one who looks as calm as a cloud?’