Chapter 208: Fourth-grade Alchemist

Li Zongrui never imagined that his simple comment would earn him a sharp rap on the head from his master, Elder Wuji.

"Ye Qingchen’s performance was outstanding. If it weren’t for his stunning display, our Qingyun Sect would have suffered a great loss of face this time. And you, you brat, still dared to threaten him!" Elder Wuji said to Li Zongrui irritably. Li Zongrui could only rub his head, not daring to speak further.

Ye Qingchen smiled, naturally not taking Li Zongrui’s words to heart.

At this moment, Vice Pavilion Master Liu also spoke with a smile, "Qingchen, you don’t need to feel too much pressure. You won first place in the first round. Even if you don’t win the championship in the second, your overall ranking won’t be too low. After all, you’re still just a third-grade alchemist. Your main purpose for participating in this Alchemy Dao competition is to gain experience."

Ye Qingchen knew Vice Pavilion Master Liu was comforting him. If there were a real chance he could win the overall competition, Vice Pavilion Master Liu would, of course, be ecstatic. However, with several fourth-grade alchemists competing, standing out was going to be extremely difficult.

At this time, Qin Zhantian also came over, patting Ye Qingchen’s shoulder and saying, "Young friend Ye, you are still young, after all. Even if you don’t win the championship this time, I believe that in the next Alchemy Dao competition, you will be the undisputed champion!"

Qin Yue also looked at Ye Qingchen and said, "Ye Qingchen, no matter what, Grandfather and I will still come to cheer you on tomorrow."

Ye Qingchen nodded. Then, Qin Zhantian took Qin Yue with him, said his farewells, and left. Pavilion Master Zhang soothed the alchemists of the Qingyun Sect for a moment before leading everyone away.

The first round of the competition had started at Chen hour and lasted for five hours. The sky had now darkened. Upon returning to their accommodations, everyone exchanged pleasantries for a while before going back to their respective rooms to adjust their state of mind, waiting for the second round of the competition tomorrow.

Lying on his bed, Ye Qingchen was lost in a sea of thoughts.

Right now, almost everyone believes I can’t win, and in truth, that seems to be the case. Although I won the first round by a stroke of luck, that was only thanks to my Dual Pupil Martial Soul, which allowed me to select the Thunder Attribute seed. Even though I succeeded in nurturing it, that only proves my Vitality Force is on par with a fourth-grade alchemist’s. Tomorrow’s competition will test true alchemy skill, and there’s no faking that. With my strength as a third-grade alchemist, there’s no way I can contend with a fourth-grade alchemist like Cheng Zhibin.

Ye Qingchen sighed, took out the Ironwood Flower he had brought back from the arena, and placed it by the window. The bright moonlight shone down upon the flower. The Thunder Attribute Ironwood Flower emanated an eerie purple glow. As the moonlight washed over it, a faint halo made the patterns on the flower appear translucent. Green energy flowed through the veins of its leaves and branches, which occasionally reflected bursts of purple light. As Ye Qingchen stared at it, his heart gradually calmed.

I didn’t originally intend to fight for first place, but if there’s a chance, I have to give it my all. Regardless of the outcome, at least I’ll have a clear conscience!

With this thought, Ye Qingchen turned back, sat on his bed, and took out the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra. He began to cross-reference it with the legacy of Fen Tian, continuously absorbing the knowledge of the Alchemy Dao.

To his surprise, Ye Qingchen discovered that after the day’s intense use of his Soul Power, his perception of it had greatly increased. He found himself gaining many new insights as he studied the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra and Fen Tian’s legacy. At this moment, the moonlight, reflected by the Ironwood Flower, shone upon Ye Qingchen, deepening his enlightenment even further.

Combined with the knowledge he had accumulated from refining pills and searching for medicinal herbs on his journey, Ye Qingchen’s efforts were finally bearing fruit. At this moment, he elevated his mastery of the Alchemy Dao to the level of a fourth-grade Alchemist!

Of course, this was merely his intuition, as he had yet to actually try refining a fourth-grade Spirit Pill. However, according to the records in the Pill Emperor’s Heart Sutra, his Soul Power, perception, and control had all reached the standard of a fourth-grade Alchemist. All he lacked now was hands-on practice!

「The next day.」

Ye Qingchen followed Pavilion Master Zhang, Vice Pavilion Master Liu, and the others to the venue for the Alchemy Dao competition early in the morning. He did not share the news of his breakthrough to a fourth-grade Alchemist with them. After all, it was not in his nature to boast before he had even tested his new abilities.

Li Zongrui, meanwhile, kept stealing glances at Ye Qingchen. He wanted to offer some words of encouragement but was afraid of earning another rap on the head from his master, Elder Wuji. After some thought, he decided against it.

Pavilion Master Zhang, on the other hand, personally went to encourage all the alchemists participating in the competition. This greatly boosted their confidence, and they each walked towards the arena brimming with self-assurance.

Ye Qingchen was about to go with them but was held back by Pavilion Master Zhang. He looked at the Pavilion Master in confusion. He understood that Pavilion Master Zhang cared for him no less than Vice Pavilion Master Liu did. However, given Pavilion Master Zhang’s aloof nature, he would never show it as openly. For the Pavilion Master to pull him aside right before the competition surely meant he had something important to say.

Pavilion Master Zhang sighed and said to Ye Qingchen, "Qingchen, in life, you will face many setbacks. But these are not necessarily bad for your growth! You must learn to grow from failure, understand?"

Ye Qingchen was a little speechless but nodded anyway.

I thought Pavilion Master Zhang pulled me aside to impart some secret to winning, but he’s just comforting me instead. Do they really have so little confidence in me?

Nonetheless, for such words to come from Pavilion Master Zhang was a rare thing indeed. A warmth spread through Ye Qingchen’s heart, as he could feel that the Pavilion Master genuinely cared for him.

After speaking, Pavilion Master Zhang gestured for the approaching Vice Pavilion Master Liu to stop, preventing him from speaking. After all, with the competition about to begin, comforting Ye Qingchen too much might only add to his pressure.

Ye Qingchen bowed respectfully to Pavilion Master Zhang and turned to walk toward the arena.

"Grandfather, I told you we should have left earlier! Look, we’re late again!" Qin Yue pouted, practically dragging Qin Zhantian as they hurried towards the Qingyun Sect’s resting area.

Qin Zhantian smiled helplessly and replied, "I didn’t expect people to be waiting on the road so early just to cozy up to me. Besides, the competition hasn’t started yet, has it?"

Qin Zhantian’s fame was simply too great. Especially after his appearance yesterday, many who hadn’t managed to get close to him were waiting on the road early this morning, hoping to exchange a few words and become a familiar face!

A thought occurred to him, and he looked at Qin Yue. "You little rascal, are you just upset we’re late because you didn’t get to speak with Ye Qingchen?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue’s pretty face instantly turned beet red.