Once a Martial Artistâs Cultivation reaches the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer: Training the Seven Apertures, their senses become exceptionally sharp, their ears able to hear sounds from a hundred paces away.
Although Ning Yuâanâs words were just a quiet mutter, they still reached the ears of a few particularly attentive individuals, drawing several gazes filled with displeasure.
"Huh? Itâs you two again."
A voice rang out. It was the young man with the Jade Ring from before. "Youâre truly a pair of siblings. One arrogantly claims heâll buy the Bamboo Sea Manor, and the other arrogantly says this elixir is nothing special. Youâre making a complete fool of yourselves. Your little brother wants to compare himself to Yan Ziling? Heâs not even in the same league."
Hearing Ning Jiang being belittled like this, Ning Yuâan couldnât stand it. Her expression turned cold. "And how would you know my little brother canât compare to Yan Ziling?"
"Hahaha! Forget comparing him to Yan Ziling. He canât even hold a candle to me," the young man said, his face a mask of arrogance.
"Is that so? And just who are you?" Ning Yuâan scoffed.
"My young master is Fei Hai, son of the Alchemy Master Fei Yanqing," a servant standing behind the young man announced proudly.
Upon hearing the name, the middle-aged man nearby looked somewhat surprised.
Fei Yanqing was the second-ranked Alchemy Master in Luoyang. His son, Fei Hai, was also exceptionally talented in Alchemy, nearly on par with Wei Yanran.
Among the younger generation of Luoyang, the Ten Great reigned supreme in Martial Arts.
In Alchemy, the leading figures were Wei Yanran and Fei Hai.
The color drained from Ning Yuâanâs face. An Alchemy Master. Although she didnât know who Fei Yanqing was, she knew that any individual who earned the title of "Master" could single-handedly rival the power of a second-tier family.
"Miss, if I may be so bold," the middle-aged man spoke again, "you donât seem to know much about Alchemy. For Yan Ziling to refine a High Grade Elixir, he can already be considered an Alchemy Master. Heâll be respected wherever he goes. To reach this level at his age... his talent easily ranks among the top five in all of Cyan Cloud Country. Iâm afraid your little brother canât compare."
Ning Yuâan was stunned. âTop five talent in all of Cyan Cloud Country? What an incredible assessment!â
A person like that was a true prodigy.
"Little brother, did I say the wrong thing?" Ning Yuâan asked, looking at Ning Jiang, suddenly unsure if she had been right or wrong.
"Sister An, you werenât wrong at all. These elixirs are far inferior to what your little brother can make. As for this Fei Hai... Iâve never even heard of him."
Ning Jiang laughed. Normally, he wouldnât care what others thought of him, but Ning Yuâan had gotten into an argument, and it was on his behalf. He couldnât just stand by and do nothing.
He could endure a few insults and let others look down on him, but he would never allow Ning Yuâan to be wronged in any way.
A Martial Artist should be magnanimous and tolerant when possible. But once a line is crossed, they should kill without hesitation.
And Ning Yuâan was his line.
"Insolent brat."
Fei Haiâs eyes narrowed, his gaze turning hostile. Ning Jiangâs casual tone was a clear sign he didnât take him seriously at all.
"Since youâre so arrogant, letâs compete. If you lose, youâll get on your knees and apologize," Fei Hai said icily.
"Youâre not qualified," Ning Jiang said, casually flicking his fingernails.
"Are you scared? Is that why youâre putting on a brave face? Iâve seen plenty of your kind. Youâre just a coward," Fei Hai sneered.
"Forget you. Even your father isnât qualified to compete with me," Ning Jiang said calmly.
"Bastard! How dare you insult my father!" Fei Hai roared, a cold glint shooting from his eyes.
His furious roar was so loud it immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
"Fei Hai, what is all this shouting about?"
Fu Shan, who was standing near the high platform, frowned. He was on good terms with Fei Yanqing and recognized Fei Hai.
But this was Yan Zilingâs Pill Conference. Moreover, Yan Ziling had just defeated Wei Yanran, capturing everyoneâs attention. It was highly inappropriate for Fei Hai to cause a scene at such a moment.
"Master Fu, Brother Ziling, my apologies. I lost my composure. Brother Ziling, to have entered the ranks of Alchemy Masters at the young age of twenty is truly admirable. I have no doubt you will one day ascend to the rank of Grandmaster."
Fei Hai first calmed himself, then bowed with cupped hands toward Yan Ziling, showing him ample respect.
"Fei Hai, I know of you. You and Wei Yanran are leading figures among the younger generation of Alchemists. What was that about?" Yan Ziling asked with a nod.
"I was overcome with anger just now, and itâs all because of this arrogant fool."
A cold glint flashed in Fei Haiâs eyes as he pointed at Ning Jiang. "This brat was just spouting nonsense, claiming the elixirs refined by Brother Ziling are far inferior to his own. I couldnât stand for it, so I argued with him and challenged him to an Alchemy competition. But he said I wasnât qualified. I could have let that slide, but he kept running his mouth, even claiming my father isnât qualified to compete with him!"
His words immediately sparked outrage among the crowd.
"Where did this madman come from?"
"Fei Yanqing is the second-ranked Alchemy Master in Luoyang! How dare he insult such a figure? What an insolent brat."
"Not qualified? Itâs obvious heâs just scared!"
"Yan Ziling refined a High Grade Elixir, and this guy says itâs far inferior to his own? He must be insane."
"Itâs good for a young man to be proud, but too much pride is just arrogance and foolishness. I say we just throw him out."
A chorus of curses rose from the crowd, drowning out Ning Yuâan and Ning Jiang.
Ning Yuâanâs expression grew increasingly grim. She knew this was all her faultâher thoughtless words had made Ning Jiang the target of everyoneâs condemnation.
A wave of guilt washed over her.
As if sensing her thoughts, Ning Jiang squeezed her hand. "Sister An, donât blame yourself. How could these people possibly know what Iâm capable of? Theyâre just a bunch of fools."
"Everyone, if I may have a word."
Yan Zilingâs voice cut through the clamor, silencing the crowd. He looked at Ning Jiang. "You spoke rudely just now, insulting Master Fei Yanqing, Fei Haiâs father. I believe an apology is in order, donât you?"
"If I were in the wrong, I would certainly apologize. Unfortunately, I was merely speaking the truth," Ning Jiang replied evenly.
"The truth? It seems youâre quite confident in yourself. But sometimes, overconfidence is simply arrogance. Youâre not welcome here. Leave," Yan Ziling ordered.
"Letting him leave would be getting off too easy, wouldnât it?" someone suggested. "If heâs so arrogant, saying Brother Zilingâs elixirs are far inferior to his, then he should prove it and compete against him!"
"He isnât qualified to compete with me," Yan Ziling said, shaking his head, clearly uninterested in Ning Jiang.
"Enough talk! Just throw him out!"
"Thatâs right, throw him out!"
"Get out! Youâre not welcome here!"
"If you donât get out now, believe me, weâll teach you a lesson!"
"Hahahaha! Some Pill Conference this is. Just a gathering of third-rate Alchemists making a mess of things. Yan Ziling, forget youâeven your master, Tan Jinglin, is nothing in my eyes!"
His words only served to further infuriate the crowd.
Yan Zilingâs expression darkened. "I originally thought you were just arrogant and wanted to throw you out. But since you dare to insult my esteemed master, you will come up here and compete. Iâll make you understand that in my presence, youâre nothing but a buffoon. And my master is an existence you could never hope to reach."
"He doesnât even dare to compete against me. How could he possibly dare to challenge Brother Ziling?" Fei Hai said scornfully.
"Do you dare to compete!"
Yan Ziling stood upon the high platform and roared. With his hands clasped behind his back, he cut an imposing figure, inspiring admiration in many.
"Why wouldnât I dare?"
In that instant, an unprecedented, sharp glint flared in Ning Jiangâs calm eyes.
He took a single stride, and in a few quick steps, he was on the high platform.
Wei Yanran was still on the high platform. Seeing Ning Jiang, she frowned slightly. "For Zhao Pengâs sake, if you apologize to Yan Ziling right now, I can still help mediate this. Otherwise, if you keep this up, youâll only ruin yourself."
"No need."
Now that Ning Jiang had come up on stage, he had no intention of backing down.
"When will you ever change that arrogant nature of yours? Even I am nowhere near Yan Zilingâs level of Alchemy. Youâre being stubborn and insisting on a competition. Youâre only asking to be humiliated," Wei Yanran said, slightly angered.
"Your skill level is nothing more than childâs play. Believe it or not, I could perform Alchemy with my eyes closed and still be better than you," Ning Jiang said with a faint, mocking smile.
"You!" Wei Yanran huffed. "Fine. If you wonât listen to reason, then Iâm done with you."
She put away her Pill Cauldron and stepped down from the platform.
"Since this is a competition, there must be stakes. You insulted my esteemed master, an unforgivable offense. If you lose, Iâll take your life!" Yan Zilingâs gaze was as sharp as a sword.
No one in the crowd thought his words were the least bit out of line.
A Grandmaster cannot be insulted!
These five words were a universally acknowledged truth in Cyan Cloud Country.
"And if you lose?" Ning Jiang retorted.
"Heh, I wonât lose. But of course, if I were to lose to someone like you, you wouldnât have to lift a finger. Iâd kill myself," Yan Ziling said, his face dripping with disdain.
With that, he looked down from the platform and addressed another man. "Master LĂŒ Dong, I was actually hoping to compete against you today as well. I wonder what you think of the idea? Iâm willing to wager a Thousand-year-old Blood Lingzhi. Of course, you donât need to put up anything, Master LĂŒ Dong."
A Thousand-year-old Blood Lingzhi. Hearing this, a peculiar glint flashed in Ning Jiangâs eyes.
âThatâs exactly what I need!â
The master named LĂŒ Dong, however, looked slightly troubled. He was ranked last among the eight Alchemy Masters of Luoyang City.
If he were to lose to a junior today, his reputation would be in tatters.
"A competition it is, then. You may be a Grandmasterâs Disciple, but I wonât go easy on you," LĂŒ Dong huffed.
"Now this is getting interesting. Yan Ziling is already at an Alchemy Masterâs level, and LĂŒ Dong is a veteran Alchemy Master. The match between them is sure to be spectacular."
"Heh heh, itâs obvious Yan Ziling doesnât even see that brat as a threat. His real target for this competition is Master LĂŒ Dong."
"That kid is just a joke. Daring to look down on Grandmaster Tan Jinglin... Once this competition is over, heâll be losing his head."
The competition hadnât even begun, but the voices in the crowd around the platform were already united in their lack of faith in Ning Jiang.