Xiao Ling'er Takes the Crown!

Third Divine Son of the Feather Clan and Huo Yun'er resumed refining pills.

However, after that fierce battle, both had been somewhat affected. The killing intent in their hearts had yet to fade, hindering their pill refinement.

Still, their skills were solid enough, and they succeeded in the end.

"Third Divine Son of the Feather Clan, Yu Mo: Fifth Tier Pill—Phoenix Cry Pill, Second Grade."

"Huo Yun'er: Fifth Tier Fire Control Pill, First Grade."

Huo Yun'er's face turned slightly pale.

Yu Mo, however, smiled confidently. "Miss Huo, you concede."

"Hmph. I was merely affected by others. Otherwise, I might not have lost!"

Huo Yun'er was somewhat unconvinced, but she accepted reality without overreacting.

Yu Mo watched her with considerable disdain.

"Referee, shall we announce the results?"

He looked toward the Great Cultivator of the Dao Harmony Realm, with little respect in his gaze.

The cultivator's expression remained unchanged. "The time is not yet up."

"Oh? Those two ants? Could they possibly rewrite the rankings?"

"Rules are rules."

The referee's gaze gradually turned cold.

After all, he was a Great Cultivator of the Dao Harmony Realm. Yu Mo could not be overly arrogant, so he merely snorted and looked toward the two of them. "Hurry up!"

Boom—the pressure of his aura came crashing down.

"Ahhh!"

The instant he finished speaking, Iron Fool cried out and abruptly opened his furnace. "Don't, don't, don't kill me! I'm done refining!"

"Condense!"

At the same time, Xiao Ling'er formed a hand seal and shouted, condensing the pills!

Bang!

The furnace lid flew open!

Nine pills shot skyward from within the furnace, their dazzling radiance too brilliant to look at directly.

"This is?!"

Everyone was stunned.

"What brilliant pill radiance!"

"At least Seventh Grade—no, Eighth Grade!!!"

"It's actually an Eighth Grade Profound Origin Pill. What a pity. If her opponents weren't so strong, this girl might truly have had a chance to contend for first place!"

"I remember her. Didn't she stumble through refining even Core Condensation Pills before, barely passing the first round? How could she..."

"She was Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger!"

Everyone quickly came to their senses.

After all, they all wandered the 'martial world,' so such tricks were hardly unfamiliar to them. It was only because Xiao Ling'er had kept herself so well hidden before, never showing her hand, that they had failed to notice.

Now, naturally, they would not remain in the dark.

"Eighth Grade?"

Yu Mo narrowed his eyes, feeling waves of pressure. He... had truly come close to losing?

"Hm? Wait!"

The pill radiance was contracting, transforming into rings of light that gathered around the pills.

"No, it's not Eighth Grade!"

His expression changed drastically.

Huo Yun'er's red lips fell open, but she quickly recovered, a half-smile appearing on her face. "Ninth Grade..."

"Ninth Grade Profound Origin Pills! Hahaha, Yu Mo, you lost too!"

Boom!

Before they could calm down.

Another cry of shock erupted from the spectators' stands.

Everyone hurriedly followed the sound, only to discover that the 'mouse-timid Iron Fool' had also refined Third Tier Pills—Profound Origin Pills—at Ninth Grade!!!

"Gasp!!!"

"Ninth Grade pills, usually so rare to see, have appeared one after another?!"

"Could this kid also be Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger?!"

They could not help but speculate this way.

But when they looked closely, they saw that the timid-as-a-mouse Iron Fool wore a completely bewildered expression before excitedly dancing with joy. "Ahhh! It's actually Ninth Grade! Heavens, my luck is ridiculously good! I'm going crazy, I..."

"What???"

Their faces twitched as they briefly questioned their entire lives.

They would rather believe that this Iron Fool's luck truly defied the heavens than believe he was Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger.

"Two Ninth Grades—how is this supposed to be judged?!"

"How else? Ninth Grade naturally takes first place! Though they are only third-tier pills, Ninth Grade can multiply their medicinal effects many times over. Ninth Grade pills have always been priceless and unavailable on the market; even if you wanted to buy one, you could not. Their value is exceptionally high!"

"Fifth-tier pills may be of a higher tier, but only Third Grade pills count as 'qualified.' Strictly speaking, First Grade pills are merely failed products, while Second Grade pills are inferior-quality pills. Their value is not even worth as much as the medicinal ingredients..."

"Not to mention, one of them produced nine pills in a single furnace, while the other produced eight."

"But the Third Divine Son of the Feather Clan only produced one pill in a furnace, and Huo Yun'er also only produced one. Is there any need to say more about their value?"

The noise around them was deafening.

But Duan Qingyao had her own judgment.

So...

Xiao Ling'er actually had a ranking—and she was even first, the champion???

For a moment, she was almost overwhelmed by the surprise, but her expression soon changed drastically.

This might not be a good thing!

In the arena.

The smile on Yu Mo's face froze, then gradually vanished as killing intent spread.

"You want to make a move?"

The Great Cultivator of the Dao Harmony Realm spoke calmly. "If you wish to die, go ahead and try."

"During the competition, if you attacked, they would have brought it upon themselves by seeking death. But now that the results are out and the competition has ended, if you still make a move, you will be violating the rules of Hongwu Immortal City."

"If I kill you, even the Feather Clan will have nothing to say."

The meaning was clear: even the Feather Clan would not be shown any respect!

Yu Mo's expression darkened further.

He did not believe that the Feather Clan would truly have nothing to say!

So what if someone was killed in Hongwu Immortal City?

They could simply find a scapegoat!

It was just that...

He also knew there were likely over a hundred million spectators here. Under the watchful eyes of so many, if he truly made a move, Hongwu Immortal City could not possibly let him find a scapegoat.

This concerned their reputation—and the reputation of a Loose Immortal at that.

Loose Immortals faced a Heavenly Tribulation every five hundred years. No one could guarantee that they would survive it, so theoretically speaking, all Loose Immortals were madmen!

After all, they might not have many years left to live. Whoever provoked them might truly make them fight desperately without regard for anything else!

And face was of paramount importance to any powerful expert.

Why should he clash with an old madman who did not have many years left to live?

"Forget it."

He turned and left, unwilling to remain any longer. With every extra breath he stayed, his face seemed to hurt a little more.

He no longer wanted his ranking either.

The Great Cultivator of the Dao Harmony Realm withdrew his gaze.

"In that case, Xiao Ling'er of the Moon Embracing Sect is first, the champion."

"Rogue Cultivator Fan Jianqiang is second."

"Huo Yun'er is third."

"As for fourth through tenth, they are all dead. There is no one left."

His tone remained calm, carrying the pride that belonged to a mighty expert.

So what if you are the Third Divine Son of the Feather Clan? Since you chose to leave, naturally you no longer have a ranking.

As for the others, they truly were all dead.

Countless spectators were left agape.

"What an enormous upset..."

"Yu Mo and Huo Yun'er, whom everyone favored, actually failed to claim the championship. Instead, these two dark horses took the lead. It is truly shocking."

"This Fan Jianqiang... his luck defies the heavens. But it is Xiao Ling'er who is truly unexpected."

"From the Moon Embracing Sect?!"

At the mention of the Moon Embracing Sect, countless spectators were astonished.

"I heard the Moon Embracing Sect is suffering from a lack of successors, and even its legacy is on the verge of extinction. How could it still have a disciple with such heaven-defying talent in alchemy?!"

"She must have been hiding her true abilities before!"

"Hiss—then we truly cannot underestimate the Moon Embracing Sect too much. Rumors cannot be fully trusted!"

"After all, it once stood at the summit. Even if it has fallen into decline, its foundations are still astonishing!"

"It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Just that winning such fame, along with the champion's reward, may not necessarily be a good thing for the Moon Embracing Sect~!"

The award ceremony had already begun. As the storage pouch was placed in Xiao Ling'er's hands, who knew how many eyes lit up, the abacuses in their hearts already clattering away.