The Anomaly

With that, the fourteen male martial apprentices were almost completely ignored. The six female martial apprentices were no older than twenty or so, making the scene feel like a beauty pageant. Jaws dropped all across the venue.

But just as the slack-jawed spectators eagerly awaited the moment the bathing martial apprentices removed their towels, movable screens were pulled over to shield the medicinal basins reserved for the female martial apprentices.

"Damn it, who put up those screens? Get your ass out here! I promise I won't beat you to death!"

As each female martial apprentice entered behind the screens, only her head remained visible above them. The spectators were indignant. What was with these damn screens? It was utterly frustrating.

Fortunately, the screens were frosted and semi-transparent. As the female martial apprentices removed their towels on the other side, their graceful figures cast shadows upon the screens, forming beautiful silhouettes that stirred even wilder fantasies.

Only after all the martial apprentices had soaked in their medicinal basins did the spectators finally wipe away their drool, pick up their jaws, and return to normal.

The time it took to drink a cup of tea passed, then another. Just as everyone began to grow bored, an unusual change suddenly appeared above the medicinal basin of a middle-aged martial apprentice who was nearly forty. A green vortex formed above his head, slowly spinning as brilliant colors constantly shifted within it.

"Could someone be about to break through?" Everyone held their breath.

The vortex of light above the middle-aged martial apprentice's basin spun faster and faster. Suddenly, it sank downward like a funnel into the crown of his head. As though struck by an invisible shockwave, the entire medicinal basin exploded, and the liquid spilled in every direction.

Just as everyone thought something had gone wrong, the middle-aged martial apprentice abruptly rose to his feet, flexed both arms, puffed out his chest, and laughed. "Haha! I broke through! I broke through!"

The entire venue instantly erupted. Countless gazes burned with excitement, while those who knew the middle-aged martial apprentice rushed forward to congratulate him. "Brother Xiong, you've been stuck for over twenty years. I never thought you'd finally break through!"

Just as the middle-aged martial apprentice stepped down from the platform, several more medicinal basins underwent changes. After dazzling vortices appeared, the basins shattered apart. Three martial apprentices leaped up almost simultaneously. They had broken through as well.

In less than the time it took to drink three cups of tea, four Five Dings Martial Apprentices had broken through their bottlenecks and entered the Six Soulforging Cauldrons Realm.

At that moment, those Five Dings Martial Apprentices who had not dared to go up and try regretted it so badly they wanted to vomit blood. This was the result of being afraid of wolves ahead and tigers behind.

Then, after the time it took to burn an incense stick, another two Five Dings Martial Apprentices stood up from their medicinal basins. They were two young boys, and their relatives hurried forward to ask anxiously, "Why did you get up so soon? Did you fail?"

"No. We absorbed all the Qilin Soul Qi in the medicinal liquid, and it fused with the Soul Qi in our realm. We need more Du Ling Juice." The two young martial apprentices gave nearly identical answers.

"Then add more!" Their relatives were almost frantic with impatience. They hurried to Ximen Yaoji's booth and said politely but urgently, "Give us two more bottles of Du Ling Juice. We'll pay for them. Hurry!"

"Certainly. You were in the second batch, so the discounted price is sixty thousand per bottle. Please go backstage to complete the paperwork. However, you can't use any more Du Ling Juice here on-site. Don't worry, our Du Ling Juice is used in stages. Once it has been perfectly refined, its medicinal power will not dissipate. Continued use will produce even better results."

A customer service girl from the Spirit Herb Pavilion finally had a chance to show what she could do. She explained things to the customers with smooth, articulate speech. Business had finally gotten off to a strong start, and Ximen Yaoji's captivating smile bloomed.

Afterward, more martial apprentices broke through. Of the first six who had taken the stage, four broke through directly. Of the second six, another two broke through directly.

Of the remaining six from the first and second batches, three had not broken through, but they had refined the Qilin Soul Qi within the Du Ling Juice. They hurried backstage to collect more Du Ling Juice at the discounted price.

Every martial apprentice's breakthrough was like another wave of explosions. The venue was in an uproar, and no one could remain seated. Everyone wanted to place orders for Du Ling Juice immediately.

However, at that moment, a medicinal basin suddenly exploded with a boom. Fragments flew everywhere, and one of the people in the basin coughed up blood violently.

"Haha! The Du Ling Juice caused Demonic Fire Affliction! It failed! It failed!" Murong Guang, who had been so frustrated he nearly wanted to vomit blood, immediately jumped out and danced with glee.

The venue descended into chaos once again. The medicine merchants who had been so eager to snatch up orders moments ago all withdrew their hands.

"Everyone, don't panic. Calm down, calm down!" Although Ximen Yaoji led the people of the Spirit Herb Pavilion forward to soothe the crowd, anxiety had begun to show on her beautiful face.

At that moment, another boom sounded. Yet another medicinal basin exploded, and another martial apprentice vomited hot blood before collapsing unconscious.

The venue was nearly in complete disarray. The relatives of many martial apprentices still undergoing the medicinal bath rushed forward, telling them to quickly stop absorbing the Du Ling Juice medicinal liquid.

"Haha, haha, hahahaha!" Amid the widespread panic, the people from the Murong Divine Pill Chamber laughed madly, clapping their hands as they watched the spectacle from the side.

"How could this happen? It's impossible!" Liu Ding's mind was nearly a mess. There was absolutely no way such a problem should have occurred.

Looking doubtfully at the two martial apprentices coughing blood, Liu Ding recognized them as Liu Chengsheng and Liu Shu of the Liu Clan. Then he looked at their relatives and saw that they were all members of the Liu Clan from Nie Zhengxu's branch.

He hurriedly searched for Nie Zhengxu and saw him sitting amid the frenzied crowd without rising, a suppressed sinister smile on his face.

"I understand!" Liu Ding slapped the back of his head. He rushed forward in several strides and checked the pulses of Liu Chengsheng and Liu Shu. Sure enough, it was no longer Qilin Soul Qi. Their bodies contained violent Taotie Soul Qi. The truth was now completely confirmed.

The Qilin Soul Qi at their Five Cauldrons Realm had been devoured. They had used the orthodox Liu Clan cultivation method, and the Qilin Soul Qi contained within the Du Ling Juice had forcefully fused into their bodies. It was utterly incompatible with the mutated Taotie Soul Qi, and the severe conflict had caused the failure.

Letting out a heavy breath, Liu Ding leaned close to the ear of the flustered Ximen Yaoji and whispered to her.

The gloom on Ximen Yaoji's lovely face finally cleared. She pushed through the crowd, stepped onto the platform, and slammed the wooden block. "Everyone, quiet down. Listen to what I have to say."

"Fine, everyone, listen to her. Let's see what explanation this swindler has!"

Murong Guang was immensely pleased. He too stepped onto the platform and shouted loudly, even directing the people from the Murong Divine Pill Chamber to help the people of Ximen's Spirit Herb Pavilion suppress the noisy crowd.

Naturally, Murong Guang was not acting out of kindness. He intended to wait until Ximen Yaoji could no longer explain herself, then ruthlessly drive them out and expel them from Bleser City. From then on, the Murong Divine Pill Chamber would dominate Bleser City's pill market alone. That would be a tremendous achievement, allowing him to rise another step in status within the Murong Family.

Taking a deep breath, Ximen Yaoji's beautiful eyes swept calmly over the crowd. They seemed to possess a kind of magic, gradually quieting even those who had still been whispering among themselves.

At last, her red lips parted.