"Hiss, it actually worked just like that. He's way too good!!!"
Seeing Xiao Heyun succeed, Situ Yue jumped to her feet in excitement, her face full of awe.
Dao Qing was equally surprised. Not only had he succeeded on the first attempt, but he had even refined a batch of top-grade pills. Such talent was rare, even in the Immortal Realm. If this man became an inheritor from the lower realm, he wouldn't bring shame at all.
His thoughts wavered more and more.
Everyone looked pleased—everyone except Lan Yue, whose expression had gone dark.
That man actually won!
"Senior Sister, you lost!"
Situ Yue looked at Lan Yue smugly, her eyes full of challenge.
"Senior Sister, you had better keep your word and hand me the crescent pendant!"
She could barely contain her excitement. That crescent pendant was a true treasure. If she could get her hands on it, her future would be much smoother.
Lan Yue gave an angry laugh. "What's the rush? She hasn't finished refining yet. It's too early to decide the winner."
She had plenty of fake pendants, but that wasn't the point—she just refused to let Situ Yue get her way.
But before Situ Yue could reply, several junior brothers spoke up impatiently.
"Senior Sister, what do you mean by that? A bet is a bet. Little Junior Sister already won, and you still want to deny it?"
"Exactly. That man has already won. Why won't you admit it?"
"With this amount of ingredients, he only made three pills, but each was top grade. That's probably even better than you, Senior Sister. Are you just refusing to admit he's more skilled?"
The junior brothers pressed in, all taking Situ Yue's side.
Lan Yue swept them with a cold glance. "If she refines them successfully too, then it's a draw!"
She pointed toward Song Wanníng, who was still focused on her alchemy, clinging to a shred of hope.
"Hahaha, Senior Sister, just look at her. Does she look like she'll succeed?"
"Exactly. She's obviously a beginner. She only managed to refine a third-grade pill earlier because she just learned it on the spot. And you think she can succeed in one go?"
They looked at Song Wanníng's careful movements and dismissed the idea entirely.
Just as the noise was about to rise again, Dao Qing shot them a single sharp glare. The group instantly fell silent.
"Lan Yue is right. The result isn't out yet, so don't rush it."
Right now, these disciples were giving him a headache. No matter how many times he lectured them, they bickered endlessly behind his back.
Annoying beyond measure.
Dao Qing shut his eyes for a moment. If he had known they would be this troublesome, he never would have taken them as disciples.
Situ Yue gave Lan Yue a cold glare. What good was stubbornness now?
She was bound to lose.
…
Buzz—
The lid of the pill furnace let out a hum, then flew aside.
Song Wanníng caught it with a wave of spiritual power and set it down before looking inside the furnace. When she saw the pills, her brows rose slightly, but she didn't immediately take them out.
Xiao Heyun saw this and instantly understood. Suppressing his smugness, he walked over with a look of false pity.
"Song Daoyou, you don't have to be too hard on yourself—"
He froze mid-sentence, the words stuck in his throat.
His expression shifted sharply. "Impossible!"
Shock filled his eyes, his carefully crafted persona forgotten.
"What kind of reaction is that?"
"What happened? Hurry and take them out so we can see!"
Situ Yue and the others grew anxious, a bad premonition stirring in their hearts.
They couldn't see inside, but Dao Qing could.
He shot to his feet and, without a word, turned and entered the palace behind him, moving so fast he left only a blur.
The disciples exchanged bewildered looks.
Lan Yue alone stared at the water mirror with eyes that shone with an intense light.
Inside the palace, Xiao Heyun looked at the contents of the furnace as though he had swallowed something foul.
Inside lay four pills. Four. And each one was top grade.
"How is that possible? The amount of materials should only make three pills. How did you refine four?"
With a single sentence, Xiao Heyun voiced the suspicion that Song Wanníng had cheated. He truly suspected it now—otherwise there was no way this result could happen.
Seeing him lose his composure, Song Wanníng's lips curved. So this was his real face. Usually, he played the gentleman well enough.
"Study more, practice more, and it'll come naturally."
Her smile was unrestrained as she casually stored the pills in a bottle.
"This round, I win."
A glint of challenge flickered in her gaze, her eyes suddenly razor-sharp. It made Xiao Heyun's heart jolt.
The delicate beauty he'd imagined was full of thorns.
His face twisted with frustration and urgency, and he almost lunged to snatch the pills away. But he knew this place was not the outside world. If he acted here, he would be eliminated immediately.
So he swallowed it down, forcing a smile as he congratulated her.
The disciples of Wuji Sect were utterly stunned. They couldn't believe Song Wanníng had won, but the evidence was right in front of them. They had no choice but to accept it.
Their earlier smugness felt like a slap to the face.
Situ Yue looked ready to faint from rage.
"Did she use some underhanded trick?"
She clung to the last thread of hope. That crescent pendant was hers!
"Maybe…"
The other senior and junior brothers echoed her, unwilling to admit defeat. But before they could say more, a huge slap sent them all flying to the ground.
Lan Yue and Situ Yue both jumped, staring in shock at Dao Qing.
Dao Qing walked out holding a small box, his face thunderous. He glared down at the dazed disciples, his anger boiling higher.
"I've told you to focus on studying alchemy, but did you all shove it into a dog's belly instead?
Can't you see whether she cheated or not? If your eyes are useless, throw them away. You can't do it yourself, so you suspect others. With hearts this small, don't go out there claiming to be my disciples!"
Dao Qing was truly furious now.
He turned his cold glare to Situ Yue, who was standing frozen beside him.
"And you—ever since you entered the sect, you've done nothing but egg them on to target Lan Yue. You're too stupid to even realize it."
"And you!"
His gaze shifted to Lan Yue, filled with disappointment.
"What are you doing competing with this bunch of fools? You waste your cultivation and alchemy practice, only to hand the advantage to others. I've taken pride in my life's work, yet somehow I ended up with all of you as disciples. You've completely disgraced me!"
Dao Qing's chest rose and fell with fury.
A girl from the lower realm had worked so hard, yet instead of reflecting on themselves, these people doubted her and accused her of cheating.
How could he not be angry?
He wanted to crack open their skulls to see what was rattling around inside.
Drawing a deep breath, he forced down his rage, cradled the box, and walked toward the water mirror.